Here’s a short note on a news article that caught my attention over the weekend. 

Later this year 46 mothers will converge on Union Station in Washington, DC.  During rush hour they’ll have their heads shaved while spreading the word about children’s cancer.

Why 46?  Because everyday 46 children die of cancer.

Why shave their heads? This is a fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. 

From St. Baldrick's Foundation website (Anne Jones Photography)

After visiting their website I discovered that this is how the Foundation raises money for children’s cancer research: Men and women – usually parents of children with cancer – volunteer to have their heads shaved.

It certainly increases awareness!

Needless to say this is a worthy cause.  However I don’t share the information for the primary purpose of helping St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

I’m sharing this information because this charity has a created a dramatic way to raise funds that directly ties to the beneficiaries of their mission.  Cancer patients – depending on the treatment they receive – lose their hair. Donors and volunteers get pledges to give up their hair and to raise money for cancer research.  It’s a smart connection.

Also, their website it set up nicely for people from around the country to organize their own fundraising event.  Or if there’s an event planned in their area they can EASILY join in. 

It’s a good example of grassroots fundraising.  It’s a good example of a passionate and effective way for people to volunteer and know that they’re making a difference.  Oh, and barbers can also volunteer to shave heads!

The one question I didn’t see answered was this: What happens to all the hair? There may be legal limits on what they can do with it.  But the question came to mind because I know of at least one charity that uses human hair to make wigs for children with cancer.  It seems like a logical connection to me.

Anyway … look at their website.  It may give your charity some solid ideas on grassroots fundraising; how to use your website to help volunteers organize events; FAQs; tools to provide; and so on.

————-
Note about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation from their website:

What began as a challenge between three friends on March 17, 2000, has grown into the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefiting childhood cancer research.

The first St. Baldrick’s event took place at Jim Brady’s Bar and Restaurant in New York City. Over the past 10 years, more than $95 million has been raised to fund the most promising research to fund cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation raised over $22 million in 2010 alone.

“In lieu of gifts we would like to suggest donations to Acme Charity.”

Have you ever received a card like that with a wedding invitation?  I did recently and it started me wondering:

How many charities periodically
mention this option to their donors?

I can’t say that I’ve noticed it on any of the letters or emails I receive from various charities.  Nor have I noticed it on a multitude of nonprofit websites I routinely visit. 

Admittedly this fundraising tactic isn’t going to bring in a vault full of revenue.  Still, why turn your back on any opportunity?  Afterall, this is a form of grassroots fundraising.

When might donors consider this option?  Weddings are perhaps the most joyous time.  But hospice and other care facilities, health charities, etc. can also tactfully share that donations in memory of or in honor of someone are possible.

Where or how can you make donors aware that donations like this are possible?

- Occasionally (at least twice a year) include a short article or even something resembling an ad in your newsletter

- List it as an option on your donate page

- Mention these donations and a few other unique ways to help your charity in an email every now and then

- Include an insert in a direct mail letter

- Have a note on your reply device for your direct mail

- Include it as a helpful tip in a text message or two

- Highlight this to new donors somewhere in your welcome package

- On your website page where you describe the different ways people can help you, talk about “in lieu of gifts consider suggesting donations to our charity.”  Once someone does this, get a testimonial and put that on your website too.

Again, I don’t think any of us expect this to be a major source of fundraising.  But it is an easy option to make available to supporters!  And you never know how it might turn out.

As a side note: It’s just possible that someone may want to know how much your charity received as a result of their wedding or other event.  Be prepared with a polite answer on why that isn’t possible (I’m guessing that most smaller nonprofits won’t be set up for this tracking).  Remember that donors don’t understand the complexities of databases, tracking funds, and so on and so forth.  Be gentle.

Don’t turn your back on any source of funds.  You may even pick up a new donor or two for the long haul via this unique grassroots fundraising method. 

Let donors and other supporters know – in a variety of ways and more than once a year – how easy it is to help your cause … how easy it is for them to ask family and friends to please send a donation to your charity in lieu of gifts, flowers, etc.

This is the holiday season so I’m only writing one blog post this week.  Today’s post is based on two news articles I read recently.  The headline “hints” at the subject of each article.

On to the news . . .

News Story #1: A New Decade for Women-Focused Philanthropy (Huffington Post)

Every heard of the giving circle “Dining For Women?”  It’s based on a giving method that’s hundreds of years old: mutual aid societies.  A 21st-century term — in addition to “giving circle” — might be “parties with a purpose” in the words of the news article.

How does it work? The concept is women helping women help themselves. (Hmm. Diagram that sentence!)  The founder and president, Marsh Wallace, launched the movement in 2003.  Basically women meet for dinner; hear a presentation about the needs of a charity serving women in a developing country; and then donate to the charity.

“Dining For Women” brings in an average of “… $25,000 per month for one of a dozen charities.”  There are 160 dining chapters in 39 states and 3 countries.

Why do I share this?  Could your charity benefit by a partnership with Dining For Women?  Or could you mirror their model to periodically raise funds for your local or regional charity?  Just host dinner sessions in your local area and not worry about starting a national movement.  It might work for those of you whose mission is local as opposed to helping women in developing countries.

News Story #2: Crowdsourced Philanthropy: If You Ain’t Cheatin’, You Ain’t Tryin’ (Huffington Post)

To quote the article, “Crowdsourced Philanthropy is the buzzword for an online voting competition that determines the distribution of grant money to good causes.”  Winning depends on getting enough votes.

The author of the article (who works for DoSomething.org), isn’t too keen on these competitions.

 - They tax a charity’s resources.  The charity must repeatedly rally its supporters to vote … often in lieu of other calls to action.

- The competition can be “gamed.”  It’s possible for less-than-honorable nonprofits to gain an edge unfairly.  Dishonesty is rewarded.  And when the prize is a sizable grant (in one case it was $500,000), the temptation to cheat (or at least bend the rules) is high.

The article shares — in considerable detail — four ways these online voting competitions can be gamed.  

Why do I share this?  Do your homework BEFORE you consider entering your charity into any crowdsourced philanthropy competition.  Make certain the competition is designed to prevent the four cheating methods described by the news article.

I hope these two articles are useful to you.  The first article as an idea to raise funds for a charity serving women.  The second article as a caution.  Don’t enter poorly designed competitions.  Don’t tax your organization when your honest efforts can be easily undermined by a less-than-honorable nonprofit.  And sadly, they do exist.

Have a safe and enjoyable New Years Eve celebration.  I’ll see you again in 2011. 

How do you identify your most loyal supporters?

Is it by . . .

- number of donations each year
- number of years they’ve supported you
- average gift size
- life-time value
- whether they donate AND volunteer their time
- the variety of ways the engage with you (e.g., direct mail, email, attend special events, mobile, surveys, social media network, etc.)

These are all possibilities.  Traditionally “loyalty criteria” has centered on donations in some way.  That’s A-OKAY.

Today I want to encourage you to expand your thinking a bit. 

Consider this: Some of your most valuable and loyal donors (supporters) may not be the ones who give the most.

Within the social media world, for example, your most valuable supporters are likely to be those with the most influence.  [Note: The “most influence” doesn’t directly correlate with the “most followers.”] 

I’m referring to donors and supporters who spread the word about your nonprofit to their own network.  And they’re so respected by their network that people respond to their recommendations with enthusiasm. 

A few influencers can bring you many more donors which leads to more donations.   This is a form of grassroots fundraising!

What I’m saying is that although the influencer may only qualify as a low-dollar donor; their true value may be in bringing you several more donors from their network.  The “one” becomes “many.”  And the new donors they bring will likely be a mix of low, mid and possibly also major donors. 

That’s the value of an influencer.  This loyalty is worth a great deal. 

How do you make this happen for your nonprofit?

Five tips for working with influencers:

1 – Don’t try to “get” or “acquire” influencers to brag about you.  Instead “inspire” them to choose on their own to spread the word about your cause or special project.

2 – Create “valuable” content.  Produce compelling content they will value and naturally want to share.

3 – Infuse your content with emotion.  If you want an influencer to spread the word, they need an emotional connection.  Your content – in whatever media you use – has to make an emotional connection.  Inspire these people to become an evangelist for your cause.  Motivate them to genuinely desire to be an advocate on your behalf.  Stir up passion.

4 – Make it easy to share your content.  Easy to copy and paste into blogs; to share on Facebook; good headline and lead for Twitter; easy to send via email; and so forth.  EASY FOR THEM.

5 – Reward and recognize the good folks talking favorably about you and sharing your content.

Loyal supporters are valuable to your nonprofit.  Loyalty as measured by their donations … and also loyalty measured by their influence.  With social media and other digital capabilities, be sure to recognize and leverage all types of loyal supporters to your nonprofit.

Last Friday I wrote a post with a similar theme: Get Your Nonprofit Ready for 2011.  Well, this post is inspired by an article today on MarketingWeb, “11 brand and marketing trends for ’11” by Dr. Robert Passikoff.

Donors are also consumers.  That’s why this article — and how I’ve adapted it for nonprofits — is relevant to your charity.  Because throughout their day donors receive considerable exposure to the for-profit world and its marketing.  But that doesn’t mean for-profit marketers are in full control of the scene anymore than you are of yours.

Power to the people.  Consumers and donors are driving the train most of the time. 

11 trends and how they relate to nonprofits

According to Dr. Passikoff, “… these 11 trends will have direct consequences to the success – or failure – of next year’s branding and marketing efforts.” 

1 – “Value is what the consumer donor says it is”

Give me a reason to donate.  Saying you have a need isn’t enough.  Give meaning to my action of giving.

2 – “Brand, meet value . . . “

The lines between brand and value are blurring.  Donors will brand your nonprofit based on what they believe you stand for.  And what they value is intertwined with your brand.

3 – “Zappos-ification”

This expression comes from Zappos shoes.    “… its brand equity lies primarily in the emotional driver of service – how it gets shoes to customers and accepts returns.”  What do donors really expect?  Is it great service?  Is it expecting friendly staff on the phone; staff that can answer their questions; and staff who are trained to guide donors to the next giving step?

4 – “Ethosnomics”

“Corporate social responsibility efforts will need to be believable, sustained, and engaging.  Some of the strongest will come from those brands that connect the public and the personal in today’s financially-strained world.” 

For-profit companies are under a lot of pressure too.  Choose your corporate partners (cause marketing) carefully.  And be ready to give what they need from you in order to satisfy their customers … your potential donors.

5 – “Differentiation can be emotional”

You must differentiate your organization from others with a similar mission.  For example: Are you absolutely positive all your donors remember that they gave to your charity serving disabled veterans as opposed to one of the several others with essentially the same mission?  I bet they don’t.

What emotional experience do you give donors?  How rewarding is their experience with you?  How is their experience with you different from the other charities like yours?

6 – “They’re talking to each other before talking to the brand”

Donors read about you online, in social networks, and in media you don’t directly influence.  Drive positive feedback about you to the web.  Get your loyal supporters to say why they’re loyal.  Make sharing of the information easy for them.

7 – “Friendtelligence”

Friends influencing friends will continue to increase.  If donors trust the community, they’ll extend trust to you.  I believe this will also impact the opportunity for more grassroots fundraising, the super volunteers, and Independent Fundraising Events.  Again, make it easy for your fans to raise money on your behalf. See my post, The New Super Heroes of Fundraising. 

8 – “Putting the brand into their hands”

“It’s increasingly handheld technology that facilitates transactions. Brands Nonprofits that make it hard to buy donate and engage on the small screen will suffer.”  Get mobile and cultivate with it, have mobile-friendly email, have pages of your website that are mobile-friendly, etc.  I show you how easy, affordable, and doable mobile is for even the small nonprofits in my guide, Mobile for Nonprofits – Connecting to Donors Through the Power of Mobile.

9 – “Prolifetition”

Competition for donor dollars will continue.  Competition from all the nonprofits asking for donations.  Competition from a struggling economy.  Competition from changing attitudes toward giving to charity.  Like it or not, as a nonprofit you have competition everywhere.

10 – “Exponential expectations”

“Every day consumers donors adopt and devour the latest technologies and innovations, and only hunger for more.  As app technology becomes more entrenched, brands nonprofits will be expected to deliver in that space.”  You’ll be expected to give them what they (donors) want in the way they want it.

You’ve seen the studies, seniors are wired.  Oh, not as much as those younger but if they want to communicate with their grandkids (and I believe they do), they’ll learn and adapt as much as they can.

Also, remember that Boomers are very comfortable working with the latest technology, as well as using more traditional media.  They’re your huge “young donor” pool of tommorrow and Boomers are definitely connected.

11 – “Engagement is not a fad”

Engagement is our world.  Period.  And you’ll need to be prepared to engage donors with up-to-date awareness models; with emerging technology; in creative ways that donors select and demand.

In addition to creating his own vocabulary, Dr. Passikoff hit the nail on the head over and over again. 

He ends by saying that although many of these trends require some change . . . change in how you measure, manage and market your nonprofit . . . if you ignore these nonprofit marketing trends for 2011 you just might lose your last chance to survive and help those who need you most.

This model helps three different audiences: 1) locally-owned businesses; 2) professional women; and 3) local nonprofits.

Carol Arnott of Greenville, Delaware, does a great job of helping all three groups grow and succeed.  She founded NEWS4Women with a focus on networking events that build relationships (as opposed to exchanging business cards with the same speed and randomness as dealing a deck of cards).

NEWS4Women was founded in September 2008, and Arnott now has 1,400 people on her distribution list.  That’s certainly an example of good growth.

How does it help nonprofits?

Once a month her signature event – Wine4Women – is held at a different locally owned business that raises money for a local nonprofit.  It’s a networking mixer.

“It’s a great opportunity for women to learn from one another, to support one another and to support the community at the same time,” says Arnott.

The fundraising for the local charity is an example of grassroots fundraising (or peer-to-peer fundraising).  They try to support lesser-known charities that could use a boost of support.  The charity gets exposed to a new group of prospects – including some locally influential people – and as I understand it a portion of the ticket price goes to the charity.

Arnott added that “…my vision is that someday this will be a national organization.”

Perhaps your nonprofit can get in on this fundraising and donor acquisition opportunity.  Arnott is already looking to expand into Pennsylvania.  And her website is ready to add other chapters.

Everyday people are also great celebrity fundraisers.  Lauren Leffler isn’t a movie star, a famous pro athlete, a popular politician or anything of the kind.  She’s quite simply a person dedicated to helping a good cause in her own unique way.

Her story is an example of a special fundraising event with the potential to receive a tremendous amount of press coverage without the benefit of a famous celebrity.  Oh, and later in this post I also share how this event could be even better.  But first . . .

What is Leffler doing?

She’s riding her bicycle across America this April.  In fact, she started her 4020 mile journey last Saturday, March 27 in San Francisco.

In a telephone interview with The Daytona Beach News-Journal Leffler said, “If I’m going to bike across America, I might as well do it for a good cause.”  Leffler is a 4th-year medical student at the University of South Florida.  

How did she choose the Shriners Hospitals for Children as the beneficiary of her trek?  They inspired her decision to focus on pediatric orthopedics as her life’s work.

“Having rotated through many hospitals and institutions throughout my schooling, I have yet to come across another that is quite like Shriners. This organization is amazing! From caring for burns to correcting club feet, the good they accomplish for children is unparalleled, all for free,” says Leffler.

Look at an example of a pretty good grassroots special event fundraising page on the Shriners Hospitals website.   You’ll find ways to donate, a fundraising graphic on the campaign’s progress, and also a letter from Leffler sharing her story where she issues all of us a catchy challenge: 

“I will be ecstatic with any donation you are willing to give, but I would like to propose a challenge. The route I have planned in this adventure across America is projected to be 4020 miles long. My challenge to you would be to join the “Penny-a-Mile” club; that is, to donate a penny for every mile that I ride. Of course, if you would like to create your own “nickel-a-mile,” or dime or dollar club, that would be all the better!”

Also note that her goal is to raise $40,200 which ties neatly to her 4020 mile long journey.

This is an event that can easily catch fire and go viral: Leffler is doing all this on her own initiative.  She has a connection to the charity.  It’s a unique story more of the media is very likely to pick up.  I’m sure Shriners is working on publicity.  And all of us can help by using our own social media networks and communities. 

How could this fundraiser get better?  How can its chance for success be improved?

• Set up a blog to monitor Leffler’s progress across America
• Have a map showing her route and where she is at the end of each day
• Leffler could use a smart phone to connect to the web (e.g., email, Facebook, Twitter) and send daily anedotes of her trip.  Even stories of racing to get away from dogs nipping at her heels.  Getting soaked in a rain storm.  Chats with people along the way cheering her on. 
• Leffler can use the phone to take photos and videos for uploading to her own page on FlickR and YouTube
• Shriners could also use mobile marketing to text updates to their donors, have mobile ads, use text to give, and more!

Simple things like this – easily supported by Shriners – would go a long way to keep supporters engaged, add fun, and increase the odds of it going viral.  And that means more money raised!

What grassroots fundraising efforts are you inspiring?  Where can you find your everyday celebrities?  How can you make it easy for your supporters to help you?

And if you want to answer Leffler’s challenge, click here to donate and pledge.

Chris Stiner – Search Marketing Standard blog, shared “The Super 7 Reasons to Blog (Aside From Linking)”.  Of course, blogging is a significant boost to your SEO results.  And it’s also a smart marketing strategy in terms of ROI – lot of bang for your buck.  But Stiner goes beyond all that. 

For each of his seven “super” reasons I have added the nonprofit perspective:

1.  Promote products and services from credible, insider point of view.
              Nonprofit: Share why your cause or mission is so important to you, the individual blogger.  Share your personal excitement over what your nonprofit is achieving.  Use “I” much, much more than “we” or “our” in your writing.

2.   Establish authority in the marketplace.
               Nonprofit: Stand out as the best.  There’s a lot of competition for donor and grant dollars.  Show your expertise at solving problems for those you serve.  Don’t brag.  Talk about the issues and what they mean for society.  Share your depth of knowledge on the issues and softly, subtly weave how your nonprofit addresses them.

3.   Show a human side to your business. People are loyal to companies that are transparent and real.
               Nonprofit: It’s okay – and still professional – to share some of your personality in a blog.  Supporters connect with and stick with friendly people so be personable. 

Allow comments on your blog.  Give donors and members a chance to say why they like what you’re doing.  This is transparency.  And for prospects you want to convert to supporters, seeing outsider comments gives your nonprofit more credibility.  They are more confident in their decision to help you.

In addition, if by chance a “problem” arises within your organization (e.g., a scandal or any negative news about how you do business), talk about how you’re solving it.  Bad news travels faster than the speed of sound.  Be the pilot openly sharing the status of the problem with your passengers who just might be able to help you.  Don’t let the plane crash with your thunderous silence.

4.   Communicate with customers even after a purchase.
               Nonprofit: Say thank you for donating or joining.  Follow-up with a welcome package, renewal mailings, and get them on your newsletter list.  Practice great donor/member cultivation strategies.  Share success stories about your mission.  Give supporters the information they want.

5.   Blogs blend well with other social media such as Digg and Twitter.
               Nonprofit: You wrote a touching success story in your blog. The plug-ins are there so anyone can Tweet or Digg your post with a mere click or two.  Now your supporters and followers are doing the work for you.  And when they pass on news about your nonprofit, it’s more credible than if you did it yourself.  These easy-to-use tools are great for spreading awareness and for gathering in more supporters from the grassroots level. 

6.   Discover keyword phrases you rank well for that you never thought of.
             Nonprofit: In the normal course of writing a blog, you’ll appear high in organic searches for phrases you couldn’t have foreseen.  This is the beauty of blogging and natural search.  Think of it as extra frosting on the cake that you didn’t even ask for.

7.   Quality blogging can lead to exposure on other blogs and media channels in your industry.
              Nonprofit: Your stories, comments, insider expertise … can all start to appear in other blogs, newsletters, etc. like magic.  All you did was consistently write quality blog posts.   And the visibility just might make it more likely that a journalist will contact you – for your expert perspective – when a news story breaks related to your mission.

No doubt about it: Blogging is a powerful tool offering your nonprofit many benefits.  It’s an easy and fast way to keep current news and stories on your website.  You need to be personable, and write messages focused on your donors and members.  Do this well and supporters will spread the good news for you farther than you ever could on your own.

There’s a debate on that question in a Washington Post article by the Associated Press (AP), “2 aid efforts in Haiti: Multinational and DIY”

It centers around how quickly – or not so quickly – large nonprofit orgs are getting temporary shelter to the earthquake victims in Haiti.  With the rainy season fast approaching, shelter is a top priority for the people and the government.  Seven weeks have passed since the earthquake and only about a third of the people who need shelter have received it.

Two “DIY” examples from the AP article follow:

1.  A property developer from Miami put up a “…proper [tent] camp for hundreds of families on the soccer field of a gated community of luxury villas. It took him three days and less than $5,000.”

This developer “found a Miami company offering a waterproof tent for five, the average size of a family in Haiti, for $90 including ground sheets, poles and mosquito nets. Then he found another that asked $37.05 per tent – including shipping to Haiti – if he’d buy 50,000 of them.”

2.  A church group from Atlanta collected 1,505 donated tents to shelter 7,525 people plus $24,185

The volunteer DIY people say they can move faster, cheaper and more efficiently than the large NGO’s.  They also criticize that the large nonprofit orgs are “…inefficient and confused.”

ShelterBoxUSA has tent kits for a 10-member family at $1,000 per tent kit.  Veronica Miller, president of ShelterBoxUSA, said, Our “…kit includes a multipurpose blanket, water purification kit, stove and cooking pots – as well as the cost of securing permission to use land and coordinating who gets help first.”  She added that the tents are designed to last for years.

Many organizations, including GuideStar, think that relief efforts on the scale needed in Haiti are best left to the experts.  Now, to some extent we’re comparing apples and oranges in this debate. Nonetheless the problem remains that Haiti needs serious amounts of help fast!

What do you think?  Are the large nonprofits bogged down in bureaucracy, inefficient, and too slow?  Does Haiti need more help from Do-It-Yourselfers?

This is a heart-warming story of friends and strangers helping someone in need through grassroots fundraising. 

First a bit of background
If you enjoy trains, history, and riding on scenic railways then you might know about “Helmstetter’s Curve.”  John Helmstetter – one of the last full-time farmers in Allegheny County, Maryland – occupies one of the most famous train photo locations in the Eastern United States known as “Helmstetter’s Curve.” 

What is unique and so picturesque is the fact that the rail line makes a sweeping horseshoe curve around his farm.  In years past this area was part of the main line of the former Western Maryland Railway. Today however, only 6 miles of the railway’s climb through the Alleghenies remains active. 

In fact my husband and I rode the steam-powered Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (which is also a nonprofit), along this route in the fall of 2008.  It’s an enjoyable ride from Cumberland to Frostburg, MD and I was snapping away at the shutter as we chugged around “Helmstetter’s Curve.”

The barn was the focal point of the photos from the train rounding the curve.  His barn and his farm had long ago become a famous train landmark partly because Helmstetter had been “going out of his way” to accomodate train photographers.  He has been  a true friend of rail fans and historians for many years.

But the unofficial partnership was about to be tested.  According to an article in Trains Magazine, Helmstetter’s famous 100-year old barn burned on the night of July 9, 2009.   

Sorry to say the cause is believed to be arson.  And John Helmstetter was injured as he tried to free his livestock from the barn which was totally destroyed.  He lost 22 cows, farm equipment, and longtime companion, Teddy . . . his Border collie dog.  John was so upset he seriously considered giving up as a farmer.

Next the fundraising “friendraising” began
Helmstetter’s relatives and neighbors started to pitch in to help while the barn was still smoldering.  They brought hay to feed the remaining livestock.

 News of the fire and all the losses John Helmstetter suffered quickly spread among rail fans.          

News of the fire and all the losses John Helmstetter suffered quickly spread among rail fans.  They rallied to his aid.  As stated in Trains Magazine . . .

“Carl Franz of Gaithersburg, Md., and Bill Larduskey of Baltimore immediately stepped forward. Together, they had run over 30 photo specials on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and had formed a close friendship with Helmstetter over the past 12 years. They realized that they were in a unique position to lead the response effort, thanks to their large mailing list of trip past patrons who would be eager and willing to assist John. Together they formed the Helmstetter Farm Fund Committee, along with Steve Barry of Railfan & Railroad Magazine. They set up a bank account in John’s name and created” a nonprofit called the HelmstetterFarm.org  

They also enlisted the aid of another nonprofit, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  Several photo charter train runs have been made with HelmstetterFarm.org as the prime beneficiary.  They’ve also been selling 12×18-inch train photos, DVDs of Western Maryland trains, and more.

Bottom line: As of Feb 1, 2010 just over $42,000 has been raised.  And along the way there was enough to replace the barn.  Last November 12th Helmstetter’s new barn was raised in ONE day by Amish builders hired from nearby Pennsylvania.

Why did this grassroots fundraising work?

• Rail fans are very passionate
• It’s a human interest story about a man who befriended rail fans.  And those fans returned the favor when he needed help.
• The methods used to raise money engaged donors in what they loved – trains.  They could ride a train, buy train photos, buy train DVDs, and simply donate money to restore an historical train landmark.
• Franz and Larduskey reached out to their own networks which then spread the word farther. 

John Helmstetter isn’t completely back to full farming operation.  There’s still equipment to replace.  But he has a revived spirit for farming and for rail fans.  He’s happy and hopeful about the future once again.