HIGH IMPACT STARTER ACTIONS

Taking satisfying charitable action can be tricky. It can be boring, frustrating, impact vague, recipients opaque. That doesn’t help. In fact, if that happens to newbies, who are “driven” to get active, or – much better – are inspired to do good by friends or a Crash Course, it can be frustrating, extinguish the flame, diminish the fascinating experience of creating a good world by changing lives and land, close the door to discovering one’s powers, and sabotage the chance to make changemaking part of one’s life and that of many others, to anchor it at work, at school, as part of learning culture. See … that’s not only beautiful opportunities missed, but if we want to evoke relevant big new change in society, then we want to activate those potentials to the fullest!

Also, charitable activities need recipients. This can be tricky. It can be difficult to find recipient partners that are highly impactful, that have great photos for you to use, that vividly document their on-going activities to inspire people and also to reward your crew with impressions of impact, and who are accessible for video-conversations to discuss details and ideas, to inspire school classes, to celebrate achievements and build a bond for more.

Hence, we have put together a set of charitable actions with HIGH POTENTIAL to be fun, easy, make an impact, kick off ripple effects in the community, build a supportive network and foundation to build on, for follow-up activities and bigger goals – based on good practice examples of wildly successful teen activists, which also gives you stories, images, videos, confidence, action guides, resources and tactics to inspire and involve many other people – to boost reach, fun, crew and impact. 

You want that for your own experience, and as a set of tools to inspire others, many others, for example at every school in town.

WE WANT TO MAKE A REAL IMPACT, but this is also TRAINING. This means that the idea is not just to act, but the idea is that you learn something. Something big:

  • the tricks used by teenage charity champs, and they hardly use phone screen tactics recommended by crowdfunding companies profiting of you
  • that lead to success, and success means more than XY books or a cheque
  • what you find in YL – a variety of causes, hero*ines, short- and long-term partners
  • to connect with many allies : friends, family, colleagues, youth, teachers, journalists, civil society (don’t panic, you pick those that are near and easy for you and your / your crew’s friendly relations

and be well equipped with a first activated supportive network for the future, whatever you choose it to be.

Oh, and of course, this set of magic wands to empower 1,000s of students in any town to start with flying banners. If you look at the sad, boring state of affairs, that’s true master magic. So, pay attention and learn to wield your wands!

THIS IS A QUICK EXERCISE

but we still give you ample resources and information.
(a) for your learning, thinking and training in this Phase
(b) milestones are defined on Crash Course Guide Cards
(c) so that those of you who decide they want to have FUN
and go bigger than the small milestones set for the exercise
and to fulfill the requirements for a Badge or Certificate, but
to live their exploding hero*ine self and make outrageous impact CAN DO SO.

We would be bad coaches if we left you empty-handed with little stuff, wouldn’t we? We are world class coaches, to make you world class hero*ines, so, here you go.

You have a few concise tasks and plenty of opportunities and choices for unlimited variations, combinations and adaptations to your local setting.

 

 

PHASE V. 

WIELD HIGH IMPACT ACTIONS + MAGIC TRICKS!

#bemoreawesome

FOR BEST FUN, REACH AND IMPACT

PICK WHAT YOU LOVE

The cause. The hero*ine. The activity. If it doesn’t make you smile, if you feel no determination, if your feet don’t wanna move, if your heart doesn’t care, you can only fail. You need to know about “inspiring youth and adults to do stuff.” We trust that we have a good enough quality line-up for you to find good enough favorites for this exercise. Enjoy!

BE AWARE : IT’S REAL LIFE!

FEEL what you are about to do

Take a moment to realize what your deed means … because, sitting in our little places, we often do not really notice that what we evoke through FUNdraising is not boring little stuff, or something that others might do.

You are literally changing lives. You best get to feel how exciting and overwhelmingly beautiful this is, boosting your heart, your self-respect, self-love, sense of power to change the world and create what you love by FEELING

  • the suffering of the current situation
  • the disappointment that no local people with human dignity, no people with money power, no responsible politicians, no loudmouth celebrity are doing anything to better the situation for those suffering so badly
  • the simplicity of the solution
  • the heart, love and genius of the 100% honorable changemaker who is the rare among the ignorant and commits fulltimeforfuture to help those who suffer
  • the joy of those impacted by his, her or their work and how you are the one/s making this possible through your ridiculously simple contribution from a distance
  • how this impacts the next seventy years of those involved, and everybody who will cross their path, shaping the future of an entire region
  • how the many photos and reports on impact that you will receive are good value balancing the time, spirit and value that you put in
  • how your activities create news that reach and inspire many, shaping their view of the world, of youth, of you, of caring citizens
  • how your step leads to activating others who would not get active
  • how this gives them joy in a dull life, a sense of being able to have effect
  • how it enriches their lives and profession if they choose to keep going
  • how it can ripple across the community and activate many, going bigger and bigger
  • how much JOY, and HOPE and feeling of being heard and supported, how much AIR it gives under the WINGS of the changemakers who suddenyl receive so much un-ex-pec-ted support from people ridiculously far away on the other side of the Earth, which would have been entirely unimaginable 70 years ago and still is most people today.

Yo! Live it, man, by not being idle and boring, by making an effort that others do not! By adding the extra magic trck, you already do major hero*ine stuff and your heart and mind will reeeeally dig that!

PLAY a mission, an adventure

There’s that little playful hero*ine in all of us, also in you. Activate that little dreamer now, for this short period of time.

This is only a SHORT MISSION. you are not bound for life and you are not horribly responsible. It’s easy-going.

The Crash Course milestone goal is tiny. A part of you will feel that the milestone is set too low, that it makes no difference. That is your hero*ine voice. Congratulations, s/he’s there. 

Yet, please know : the small act *does* make a difference on the receiving end, AND this course is just an exercise! But the experience matters, because you will learn, experience and forever know something that you can empathise with others and always do bigger.

It is entirely up to you (!) or the ones in your group (!) who have a fairy or kobold in them that smiles and says “yea, I’d totally enjoy trying to make this go big and tickle people and media to become part.” 

No one sets expectations. You set them yourself. And that’s a fun feeling, if you think about it. 

VIVIDLY DOCUMENT

Use text, photos, videos bringing it to life, of people and goods, of team, citizens, allies, the small activities, packing, setting up stands, meeting people, conversations, etc.

Examples

You have seen plenty of it in Phase II.

You have explored it in Phase III.

You have practiced it in Phases I-IV.

Make it simple and straightforward, like creating a one page poster or a blog post with nice photos and links for more

There is no need to create high-flying, time consuming videos by yourself now. You can do this when you follow up with bigger ventures.

For now, focus on the Crash Course.

 

SET YOUR MILESTONES

It helps a lot!

We all have a sense of sportive challenges. Your team wants to win. It helps keep focus in our busy lives. It helps to think creatively in order to involve and inspire others.

Media have a story to tell. Citizens want to help you succeed. There is something to celebrate! There is an end to the mission – that’s important, since you have a multiplex life to live.

Examples

Milestones are defined in the Crash Course Guide Cards. Typical ones are 20 to 100 games, 100 to 1,000 books, 250 to 5,000 dollars or euros.

Too ambitious milestones can discourage people to contribute, frustrrate you, leave you with a sense of failure even though you did raise a considerable amount (and that’s reeeaaally stupid and unnecessary). 

Adapt them to your crew sizes and potential reach. Make it far too challenging for 1 person, but feasible for 10 and a breeze for 50. 

If you are a crew at school or a big company, aim higher. That’s common sense, right?

Think about it : you can always outperform the milestone – which is great reason for celebration, of everybody’s awesomeness and generosity – and you can reach milestones and then call to up it in follow-up phases, now that your crew, community and relations are activated.  

Plus, you can always talk to us.

Have fun!

 

FUNdraisers

You have exciting ways to make remarkable impact, amazing hero*ine partners like Pooja, who got 20,000 kids into school in one year (she only needs $2,000€ to keep doing her work for an entire year), and can add eco-social activities for another $500€, or Raabia who helps train and equip ranger crews to protect grand Serengeti wildlife from poaching.

LEMONAID, BAKE-SALE ETC

The classic. Americans are champs at it, Europeans still have to learn it. The very important key to success is to not be boring, but to put one’s heart into it, and make it fun for everybody, especially you and your crew, so that you enjoy and remember it as a wonderful activity, no matter what the public response is. For this, study Lulu Cerone’s LemonAID Warriors Action Guide and the energy in their videos. They are the world champs at putting the FUN into FUNdraising. Keyword: Philanthro-Party.

ONLINE + NEWS MEDIA

Use the lovely story of the hero*ine and cause you support, the exciting milestone to reach, how donors can be part, contribute, the impact they create and get to experience through updates mixed with your own story of doing this crazy crash course to up your skills and spark youth leadership and how much you care and enjoy being able to do good for people and planet … with uppy photos of your hero*ines and you … and share with all your team’s relations – family, friends, school, and their friendly relations – organizations’ newsletters, with news media, offer interviews and more …

Example

Here is how Namaste Nepal tell their story. Pay attention to the bits and pieces of the story : who, where, what, when, why … backed by images … what they contribute, what impact it makes … how to be part, experience progress … you can tell the same for your activity in text and photos. 

You need not create a video, but you may choose to, one day

BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS ETC

Another classic. Donations and Drives to realize your WISH for gifts to a hero*ine of your choice. Include the story in the invitation, in the party, with options for follow-up as a crew to make the adventure even bigger. Will you even team up with others  who share this month as birthday?

Example

It is a good occasion for a themed Philanthro-Party with a dose of  magic and adventure. Water is a great theme for creative decor, fun games, action photos, and reaching into the community, in park and streets.  Lulu did a Water Walk to raise awareness and donations for building a well for clean water of an African village.

TIPS

  • $ 1-3 € en masse
  • Set a milestone
  • Involve media
  • Call for citizen involvement
  • Announce presence in public
  • Track progress online / on a poster
  • Certificates
  • Celebrate achievement
  • Perks (lottery for a rare fun prize)
  • Invite Perk-Sponsors
    (yoga class, horseriding, canoeing tour, guided tour in National Park, arts course, wellness, master cake, yummy goodies, train with a star athlete etc)

 

OCCASIONS

  • Birthdays
  • School fests
  • Town fests
  • UNITED NATIONS Days

 

Example

A Can Carnival with lots of gameful “food” themed activities. What else comes to mind? Fun, wild, sporty, noisy?  

LOCATIONS

  • School
  • Workplaces
  • Cafes and Family restaurants
  • Farmer and Flea Markets
  • Involve all street businesses

 

Example

Your content goes here. 

PHILANTHRO-PARTIES

The idea is

to put the FUN into FUNdraising and make Doing Social Good more part of our busy lives. The trick is to

  • combine charitable activities for our favorite causes with things we are doing anyway
  • add a dose of fun, magic and adventure
  • and take vivid photos to enjoy, memorize and spread the good vibes, and the cause, for more reach, fun and impact

but you know what, the most important thing is you, your spirit, and the intent to have fun and make things fun. A good incentive is to include children; you’ll be creating a magicalk party for them, which challenges others to contribute their imagination and altogether boosts the ambience, creativity, magical moments and the good feeling about this special day.

GAMEFUL FEST

  • games
  • concert
  • arts
  • backyard carnival

themed by water, an occasion like Halloween, sport, a UN Day, a traditional festival like Holi, Maslenitsa (snowfights, pancakes galore …)  or fairy, Harry Potter, whatever you enjoy and is feasible without stressing you out so much that it’s not fun any more. 

CREATIVE PARTIES

This is a wonderful thing to do!

Get together to create handmade magical Cards for Hospitalized Kids,  

PREPARATION-PARTY

Baking cookies, making lemonAID, homemade jam for a week of bakesales at school, parks, pedestrian zones, farmer and flea market is work. Make it fun! Get the crew on board and have the best time making the most gorgeous creations! Will you get professional coaching and support?

SPONSOR RUN

We don’t like the idea of making young people sweat their butts off running circles for a few pennies that parents should be willing to pay just like that. But, there is one sort of sponsor run that we like – when you make it a real happening, a Philanthro-Party that conquers public space and gets everybody involved. View this example, for now, or for the future.

Namaste Nepal 48 hour run

Namaste Nepal is a student club at a high school in Freiberg, a town of 30,000 inhabitants. They support a Himalayan mountain community develop their village of Gati with library, schools, plantings, afforestation, greenhouse, new crops, health camps … which make the story, photos, milestones they use to inspire people to be part. They sell a calendar, surplus profits of the school’s solar panel installation, but the BIG SOURCE of revenue is the annual SPONSOR RUN, which scores $40,000€ with a single run –

BAM! – because they run for 48 hours, day and night! Wou-ha! This is the magic trick that inspires students, schools, kindergartens, the mayor to get involved – which creates media articles and participation of athletes, companies, citizens – making it an annual highlight of the town’s calendar!

Add bakesale etc to make it  Philanthro-Party. Even newbies in small towns of 20,000 inhabitants make $10,000€ in the first year; because that place where nothing ever happened now has a mission!

A GROUP EXCURSION

  • A guided nature walk
  • canoeing trip
  • donkey trip

AN ACTIVITY

  • ice-dream party
  • free- / rockclimbing
  • self-defense training 

GALA

  • with school
  • with a Philanthropists Club
  • with business
  • with the mayor

DRIVES

BOOK DRIVES

1 good, favorite childhood book – that one does not read any more, such as our Earth, dinosaurs, Bone, Harry Potter – each (at a school, this makes 500 to 1,000, worth $5,000 to 10,000€).

GAMES DRIVES

Good, collaborative, highly fun games (like Jenga, puzzles, settlers, and many others we don’t even know). If for recipients that speak a different language, make a translation of the rules. It’s a fun exercise and challenge for high schoolers, college students and parents. Translation programs can help, but editing is needed.

LEGO DRIVES

In rural regions, children have great games but no toys for non-formal STEM learning. We all know the magic of endless hours of play, and the sturdy bricks are forever. There’s piles of LEGO idling in cellars and even children’s homes, waiting for children to bring them to life again. 

Example

Micah and friends collected 1 ton of LEGO, gifting 1 kilo of LEGO to 1,000 children in an African village that they visited.

It’s not a milestone to start with, but definitely a wow’zing inspiration to mention in one’s call for action. 

What do you think, what milestone yould you achieve with your current extended relations? If one takes time, one can offer free presentations at school, on this activity on the SDGs, with lovely photos, take step by step photos to post on news media, and gradually grow reach and contributions to get to … XYZ kilos of LEGO. 

Tips for Destinations

For high impact starter actions, we use YL Project Partners and YL Hero*ine model solutions, some of them for local recipients of your choice.

This gives you easy access, great causes, fabulous stories, high impact, honorable partners, well documented delivery, impact, testimonials, ripple effects, opportunity for video-meetings, and more.

FIELD PARTNERS

Support changemakers that lead high impact initiatives. Explore them, their causes, goals, milestones and options for in-kind support on their Boost Club profiles.

WWW.BOOSTCLUB.ORG

Examples

In India

  • Pooja’s campaign to get 1,000s of slum kids into school
  • Stipends for acid attack survivors at Orange Cafe
  • Stipends for Red Brigade self-defense trainers

In South Africa, for community organizers working to nurture youth leadership in troubled communities

In Malawi, Luwayo’s Permaculture Paradise Institute, to set up facilities for visitors and learners

In Niger, resources for nomad youth located in a city 200 kilometers from their tribe and parents

HERO*INES

… set excellent examples on charitable activities, some also have concrete calls, demand, recipients … giving opportunity to contribute to their work, and submit raised goods to them, so they can distribute them in their network.

Pick Phase I micro posters, explore stories and action guides, and follow QR link codes to their online profiles with more photos, inspiration, useful links and resources.

Examples

Fundraise for

  • Neha, to create great orphanages
  • Babar‘s school, also books, games etc
  • Namaste Nepal‘s partner village Gati
  • Pooja‘s micro school’s youth; books, arts resources, funds etc
  • Abbie, co-produce a hike and film
  • Lulu, for partners in Mexico and the USA

LOCAL

You may know of local needs and recipients for raised goods and finance. Also in this case, the hero*ines’ story, with data, reason why to care, their high impact, their photos convey spirit, goal, can-do feeling for you to make part of your story and thereby provide a big story greater than your own, and setting the example of learning from success-ful others*, and turning inspiration into action*, showing that others can also do so, and on many things* – like you are taking action on many things with many partners* – and that you have learned of them in the Crash Course**

* which few people do

** which leads others to take it and make their own upgrade

Examples

Do It Duo raise food, toys and resources for animal shelters.

Jen and friends make handmade Cards for long-term Hospitalized Kids.

Zach and friends pick surplus fruit from home gardens and donate them to food banks and homeless shelters.

LemonAID Warriors create yummy homemade foods for food banks and homeless shelters, such as tomato sauce and jams.

GIVE TO THE LAND !

CREATE AN ARK

Gift private or community land back to the Earth for her animal, plant and mineral children to have a safe home to live in peace and joy once again, and add it on the map of ARKs – acts of restorative kindness – of the planetary We Are The Ark movement launched by living legend Mary Reynolds. Re-wilding is the best thing to do to boost species, biodiversity, heal the land, the climate … and it creates excellent Learnspaces for schools and families, and alleviates City and Commune from paying people to clean up. They’ll love to respond to complaints about messy roadsides by saying, it’s not messy, it’s an ARK! 

CREATE A SEED LIBRARY

like Alicia has done for 100 schools and libraries in all 50 states of the USA. There’s so much surprising learning in creating one, and one can do a lot of inspiring educational activities for children and students.

CREATE AN EDIBLE GARDEN

With schools, you have so many hands, you can create a whole garden in 45 minutes. 

CREATE A SENSES GARDEN

Schools, community centres, parks will love it. a school can easily create one superfast by activating across years, arts and crafts classes.

CREATE A DYEING GARDEN

It’s simple and can get activated to do a lot of magic

SOURCE COLORS FROM PLANTS

using the sevengardens approach

SPREAD THE SPIRIT

ONLINE

Social media of all sorts

w

TELL A FRIEND

You have plent of stories and anecdotes worth telling, videos worth showing

b

NEWSLETTERS

Friendly organizations, schools and businesses  have a lot of reach

i

NEWS MEDIA

love uplifting stories, with youth, vivid images, involving audiences with follow-up news

ORGANIZE AN EXHIBIT

Schools, libraries, community centres, cafes and others love young hero*ines. Use small or big YL posters. You know how to bring it alive with media, yourself and activities.

USE STORIES + VIDEOS IN CLASS

Teachers and students love authentic, vivid media that bring global issues to life, especially with young role models, activities that empower youth to create a good world. 

You know how to respond

if students ask questions, and 

how to follow up with action

No need to be shy. Feel confident about yourself, your knowledge of all sorts of awesome stuff that people have never heard of and many will find in-cre-di-bly impressive. Trust in your power to response to any surprise, and let it come at you.

ORGANIZE A CRASH COURSE

Pick what suits you best

The idea is to make the experience of guiding session 1, and, if possible, session 2, and to observe the process and responses. 
You will learn a lot about yourself, about people, and you will get ideas how to be more effective. It’s PRACTICE, with effects.

With Friends

Non-formally

with a group

Formally

with a group, like a school class

USE OCCASIONS

UNITED NATIONS Theme Days

are perfect occasions to connect with allies like teachers, journalists, civil society for greater reach, impact and fun. Water, girls, peace are just 3 of 50 UN Days that connect with our topics. Find out more online.

School + Town Fests

have plenty of people who enjoy some magic, fun and meaning

Seasons + Holidays

Spring, Christmas etc, you know what to do with them. 

Holidays mean time for kids, youth, families to fill with uplifting activities

ACTIVATE THE MEDIA

Send Press Releases + Media Packs

with your story, photos, offers 

Call Editors

of youth, social, environmental, SDGs section

Invite them

to visit your activity

Offer Interviews

on activity, goals, be part, youth image, course experiences, youth leadership …

Use Occasions

like UN Days

* COMBINE IT *

IF IT FITS AND AS IT FITS

On a UN Day, on a week-end, with sunshine, a Philanthro-Party, in a park, during the Spring of Sustainability, inform via newsletters, radio, newspaper, posters and flyers, invite your school, invite the media, call to bring books, games, LEGO, set up a pop-up exhibit on your actions and supported hero*ines, card creation table, seel the best brownies, smoothies and lemonaid, have fun play stations, Change Generation Music for ambience, take the mic and get people on stage…

CREATE THE ADVENTURE YOU WANT

* CELEBRATE *

IT’S PRECIOUS AND IMPORTANT PART

to wind down, have fun, be casual with your work crew, celebrate one another, finish off a mission.

Plus, it creates good vibes, you can invite people … that makes groovy photos and videos, like the one below …

to share … and you keep the ball rolling.