What went wrong at our Mama Pamba fund raiser

We launched our Mama Pamba project recently.  We did a lot of things right, and a lot of things wrong.

I thought I would talk about them here in the hope that others might learn from our mistakes.

What we did wrong

• Not involve the global community
  You all like Mama Pamba, right?  Don't you wish you could have been at the fund raiser?
  
  We know we have fans all over the world and we could have had a much bigger fund raiser if it were logistically possible.  So how could we have gotten other people involved?
  
  A few ideas spring to mind.
  
  We could have garnered donations via text message.  You know the ones: Text Dolphin to 4454 to make a $25 donation.
  
  The big advantage with this method is that it is so easy to do.  It takes seconds, requires no login credentials and uses a technology that everybody is familiar with.
  
  The second is the use of the Meaningful Shop: A much underused tool that Meaningful Volunteer has developed.  This is a bit more complicated that texting, but would of generate a sewing machine or two.
  
  Also, why did we limit ourself to one event in one country?  I know that there are at least a few of you out there who could have organized something.
  
  Maybe something as simple as dinner with friends and 15% of the bill going towards a "Mama Pamba tip"?  Maybe a pub night?  Maybe selling your old clothes and giving the proceeds to Mama Pamba?
  
  The possibilities are limitless.
  
  
• The Message
  We raised about $US1,000.  This is great!  We probably buy six sewing machines with this money plus a bunch of sewing materials.
  
  But is that all we really wanted to do?  The message is all important.
  
  Mama Pamba is a cool name, but just what is Mama Pamba?  I'm sure some people went away from the event knowing they supported something cool, but weren't exactly sure what that cool thing was.
  
  We should have spent time talking on the microphone explaining the project and even offering spot prizes for answering quiz questions.
  
  What's the average age of people in Buyaya (19)?  What is the number one killer (malaria)?
  
  We should have had more emphasis on the project and the problems that people face in Buyaya.
  
  We did have a projector with a Powerpoint presentation about Buyaya on constant rotation, but it was tucked in a corner where very few people could see it.
  
  
• Lack of movie footage
  Yours truly was responsible for taking video footage of event so we could make a video about it.  I completely forgot and had to use still images for the movie.  Silly me.

What we did right
Luckily, we did a lot more things right than we did wrong.

• Having non-Meaningful Volunteer people do the work
  I got a lot of undeserved credit for setting this fund raiser up.  We had one superstar (you know who you are) who did most of the work.
  
  It is always great and heart warming when people step up and work hard at projects that Meaningful Volunteer has set up.
  
  
• Press time
  I was a little dubious about this one at first, but Megin Alvarez insisted.  She sent out a bunch of press releases to local papers. Check out the resulting articles here and here.
  
  We good some publicity, which is always good.  We also had a lady randomly visit us and give us a huge box full of beads for our craft groups.  We were also contacted by a business in Vancouver called My Best Friend's Closet who want to carry stock for Grassroots Uganda and the Payawpao Orchids!
  
  
• The Usual Stuff
  We did the usual stuff like raffles and 50-50 draws, which are always good money makers.

Summary

We made a total of $1,012.79.   Click here for a breakdown.

We're planning another fund raiser in the new year.  This time it'll be for a solar powered school in Uganda.

All about the upcoming Meaningful Fashion Project aka Mama Pamba

Mama Pamba - Celebrating the many shapes, sizes and ages of beauty

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For the last few weeks or so, I've been hard at work on an upcoming fair trade project for Meaningful Volunteer called Mama Pamba!

What is Mama Pamba?

Mama Pamba is a 100% fair trade fashion label.  Mama Pamba means "Mother Cotton" and was chosen based on feedback from supporters of Meaningful Volunteer.  Check out the feedback and survey results here.

The beneficiaries of Mama Pamba will be ladies living in the rurally poor community of Buyaya in Eastern Uganda.  They will make the fashion items, they will design the fashion items, they will run the fashion label, and they will profit from the organization.

We have big plans for Mama Pamba, but have a whole heap of work to do on it before we take the project to Uganda and hand it over to the ladies in June 2011.  Here are some of the highlights of the Mama Pamba project.

Volunteer Involvement
Mama Pamba is going to be huge and there is no way we can do it all on our own, and so we are looking to get volunteers involved as much as we can.  Here are some of the roles we have identified

• Sewing Trainer
  The Sewing Trainer will work right beside the ladies and teach them how to sew.
  
  
• Fashion Designer
  The Fashion Designer will come up with new designs and teach the ladies how to come up with their own designs
  
  
• Event Planner for the Fashion Show
  We plan to launch Mama Pamba at a fashion show in the nearby small township of Sironko.  It'll be the first ever fashion show in Sironko and will include loud music (that I won't like...), a catwalk, video cameras, photographers, and as many of the local media as we can get.  We're even thinking of having  live internet video streaming for the event!
  
  The fashion models will have different shapes, sizes and ages.  No feeding into the too-skinny idea of beauty here!
  
  The Event Planner will plan the fashion show.
  
  
• Human Resources and Public Relations
  The Human Resources Manager will help us choose which ladies will be involved in the project.  Not as easy as it sounds!  We need to test eye sight; if you can't see, you can't sew (many of the ladies have had their eyes badly affected by HIV/AIDS).  We also need to test for hand-eye coordination, relability, and ensure the ladies are non-corrupt (a hard one...).
  
  The Human Resources manager will also be responsible for interviewing the ladies and gathering their stories for publishing on the Mama Pamba blog and on the Mama Pamba web site.
  
  
• A Photographer/Videographer
  Vlogging (video blogging) is going to an essential part of Mama Pamba and help us to generate some buzz.  The photographer/videographer will help us with the publish the vlogs, as well as help us document the project with some cool photographs
  

Environmental Packaging

Down with plastic!  All Mama Pamba items will be packed in a reusable cloth bag.

Distributors
We know that there will be many people who will love this project and want to support it, but just can't make the financial commitment to volunteer and head all the way over to Uganda.  As a result we'll be providing them opportunities to get involved by becoming a distributor.

A distributor gets

• Their own Mama Pamba business card
  
• Clothing samples
  
• Order Forms
  
• A Mama Pamba video
  
• A distributor pack explaining the best ways to sell the product
  
• A how-to booklet about running Mama Pamba fashion shows and Mama Pamba fashion parties

Ways to get involved with Mama Pamba

• Volunteer!
  We'll need a whole army of volunteers to help us out in June 2011.  Send us an email if you want to volunteer.
  
• Sponsor a Sewing Machine
  The number of ladies involved in this project is going to be limited by the number of pedal powered sewing machines we can get.  Send us an email if you want to sponsor a sewing machine
  
• Vote!
  In the next week or so, we will have some logos for Mama Pamba.  Make sure you vote for your favorite logo

Feedback
We'd love to here your feedback about what you think about this project.  What's great, and what's not so great.