How You Can Help
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One of the unexpected bonuses of running the Aura's House site has been all the requests we've gotten from people all over the world who either want to help out with the site, or learn how to fundraise for their own similar causes. This page is for you.
Ways You Can Help at Aura's House
• One of the most important ways you can help Aura's House is to make a donation, even if it's just $1. Our projects are realized only by the collective small donations of many people. One person truly can make a difference here. All projects are 100% US tax deductible.
• Email, write, or tell your friends and family about us. The first Guatemala Project started out entirely funded by Kristen's family, friends, students, acquaintances, and everyone she bugged. It wasn't until she raised over $1000 that "strangers" started to come on board. Now we get a nice mix of friends, family, past donors, and new friends we meet on the web who visit our site from all over the world. Even if you just tell five friends, it makes a big difference.
• Buy yourself a gift. That's right. Be nice to yourself or shop for friends and family. Browse our online store for Aura's House shirts, cards, gifts, totes, and more! 25% of proceeds go to our projects. Also, if you join free at IGive.com, you can shop online at over 650 stores and up to 30% of every purchase is donated to Aura's House at no cost to you. All the big stores are there like Barnes and Noble, EBay, Expedia, Priceline, Lands End, Staples, etc. Also, printable Gift and In Loving Memory cards now available.
• Become a Volunteer at the site. There are all kinds of volunteer jobs available here. We can even work with you if you want to do an internship or need a letter of recommendation later on. Jobs include helping with fundraising, coordinating fundraising events, sending out press releases, posting blurbs or banners about us on blogs and message boards, helping with graphic and web design, and more. Email Kristen at kpalana@aurashouse.com if you're interested. (Please only contact us if you are an independent self-starter.)
Ways You Can Help Your Own Cause
• There's a great website called Justgiving.com that will let you set up your own online fundraising web page. Check it out!
• If you already sponsor your own child from Children International, you can help recruit more sponsors for needy children on their waiting list. Visit their online fundraising tool inspired by Aura's House at Sponsor Thon.
•Visit Cross Cultural Solutions to learn how you can go and help out in a developing country. They have a great Fundraising Guide that can be applied to their programs, helping at Aura's House, or your own cause.
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"Giving, life's greatest happiness. If we cannot give, we cannot love."
-Maria Jotuni, Finnish writer
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Past Featured Donors in Our Newsletters
Anastasia Yecke, Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat (wow!), and David Santana.
Two Donors that Became Volunteers
Anastasia was the first "stranger" to donate to the original Guatemala project after responding to Kristen's Craigslist posting in the Fall of 2004. She became the Chief Fundraiser for the Honduras Project and later a Partner at the site. David is a donor for the Honduras Project and helped coordinate a wine tasting fundraiser in Miami for our cause.
We're still waiting for Alonzo to donate. ;-)
If you'd like to become a future featured donor, please email Kristen at kpalana@aurashouse.com with a short blurb about your experiences with Aura's House and if you'd like, a photo. We'll put it in an upcoming e-newsletter. If you happen to have your own site, organization, or business that helps the world in some way, we'll be happy to give you a plug. (And feel free to link back to us too.) |
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© Kristen Palana 2003-2008.
This website is for nonprofit, charitable purposes only.
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