The FAWCO Foundation’s Target FUNdraising Team and a Story of Collaboration:

EVERY CLUB IS PART OF A LARGER PICTURE: AND EVERY ONE WAS PART OF OUR GARDEN PUZZLE!

When I became Target Fundraising Coordinator, I knew I could not work alone, a team is always better. So, I put out a call to like minded people, and the result was an amazing group of fun, motivated women. We ‘Zoom’ every month or two, just to brainstorm the best way to keep Awesome Blossoms visible in our clubs (when I say clubs, it always includes FAUSA!)  and in our regions.

Before the Interim Meeting we wanted to come up with an idea to engage as many of our clubs as possible, preferably all of them. It started with the usual conversation about competition among the clubs, but with the disparity of numbers of clubs per region and sizes of clubs, there was really no ‘fair’ way to create a competition.

More importantly, we came to the conclusion that collaboration was much better than competition and the Puzzle idea was born.

It started as a ‘virtual’ puzzle, but technology won so we went with old school- let’s build a puzzle. That would be a tactile physical representation of what we are helping to create in Kenya.

From the first announcement of the puzzle creation in October’s Target bulletin, to the last call for donations in March, clubs participated. And the few clubs that could not, were funded by my team, to be sure that we had pieces of our puzzle to represent all of us!

This is how it worked: 

Each time a club held a fundraiser, a puzzle piece was added to our hydroponic garden puzzle! Regardless of club size, every club could participate. For example, if a club had only nine members, one member could invite her BFF over for lunch, make her a PB&J and an apple (kid’s meals, yum) and then donate the $20 (or $40 if wine was involved)  they might have spent for lunch to Awesome Blossoms. Simple ideas worked. 

With monthly Target bulletin reminders that it only took a single member, having a club friend over for lunch or coffee, to donate the amount saved by staying home to Awesome Blossoms, the puzzle grew. 

The puzzle allowed us to see what we are creating. It was a physical manifestation of our collaboration..every delegate at the Interim Meeting received a piece of the puzzle. If a club was not in attendance, we placed the piece for them. 

We had pieces representing all 58 FAWCO clubs and FAUSA!!! 

 

The puzzle was a hit!  From the drama of missing the center piece of the puzzle- no joke, really- to putting in the last piece at the Sunday session, the puzzle was fun. Each rep of the clubs that were present placed their piece of the puzzle. Check out the photographs on the FAWCO members facebook page. Thanks to Anitra Kitts from Munich for picking up not only her piece but the piece inadvertently left on the table for Lebanon. Placing the final piece was much more exciting after wondering if the center would be a hole, colored in with markers or actually completed. No surprise, with this group of resourceful women, no pieces were lost! 

Thanks to every club and FAUSA and my FUNdraising team for this incredible collaboration. No clubs were left out, as the team donated on their behalf. With collaboration among this group, there is no limit to the good we can do. 

 

Lauren Mescon

Target Project 5 Fundraising Coordinator