So, one thing I learned on my African Adventure was that things are done a little different there than here. Timelines aren't exactly the same. Deadlines aren't exactly the same. Shoot, time in general isn't exactly the same...
Yep, that says 9:60. It went up to 9:75 then rolled over. I was a wee bit confused.
In that same fashion, my communication with my friends in Kigali has looked different than what we would normally have here in the US. Here, we would have contracts, business models, spread sheets. There, they have handshakes and transfers of goods on faith.
So when I got an email from my contact there on Friday saying "We need you to contact ___ in one hour. He needs to send all the money from the sales of pens with a friend who is coming to Kigali," I wasn't surprised... yet I was a wee bit stressed. I've been trying to set up my website to "properly" sell these pens, brainstorming the best way to make a legit move into the world of crafts and human aid, and, well, haven't sold them all.
I only had about 1/3 of the goods sold to send to the man whose friend was going to Kigali.
Hmmm.
I'm not "bothered" by this, because I know if I a.had the website functional or b.had an open house of sorts, the pens will/would go in a heartbeat. What does bother me is that now there is a man in Colorado who is waiting for a check from Kwishima that does not exist.
So... here is where I use the power of the interwebs.
1. If you've been thinking about making a donation to these women, now is the time to do it.
2. If you've been thinking about purchasing some pens, now is the time to do it.
3. If you'd like to "pre-order" merchandise from the next shipment (which should be here in 2 weeks!), that'd be awesome. (I'm apparently getting more pens, some necklaces, and a few more items... which will be featured on my then-fully-functioning-website.)
4. If you'd like to donate a couple hours to sit with me and help me fix my website issues, that'd be awesome, too.
Those of you who are local, I will be having an Open House when this next shipment gets in, but we're not sure when it will arrive. This is one of those "trust the unknown" things which causes similar chest pain to the kind I had in Africa... but I am fairly sure that came from having to eat ridiculous quantities of Slim Jims.
So, friends of Kwishima... can you help? ALL of your money goes directly to these women. It provides food, clothing, medicine, and care for their families. I'd be grateful if you did... and they'd be ecstatic.
I've even added a widget so you can see how much we're raising... I'd love to blow the top off the thermometer... and rejoice. (How to help: if you are in town, message me and I'll deliver pens to your house/pick up your donation. If you are out of town, message me with your order- ## of pens, and I'll ship them to you. If you'd like to make a donation, you can do that through my Paypal account using my email address. If you don't have that, please message me and I'll get it to you!)
Yep, that says 9:60. It went up to 9:75 then rolled over. I was a wee bit confused.
In that same fashion, my communication with my friends in Kigali has looked different than what we would normally have here in the US. Here, we would have contracts, business models, spread sheets. There, they have handshakes and transfers of goods on faith.
So when I got an email from my contact there on Friday saying "We need you to contact ___ in one hour. He needs to send all the money from the sales of pens with a friend who is coming to Kigali," I wasn't surprised... yet I was a wee bit stressed. I've been trying to set up my website to "properly" sell these pens, brainstorming the best way to make a legit move into the world of crafts and human aid, and, well, haven't sold them all.
I only had about 1/3 of the goods sold to send to the man whose friend was going to Kigali.
Hmmm.
I'm not "bothered" by this, because I know if I a.had the website functional or b.had an open house of sorts, the pens will/would go in a heartbeat. What does bother me is that now there is a man in Colorado who is waiting for a check from Kwishima that does not exist.
So... here is where I use the power of the interwebs.
1. If you've been thinking about making a donation to these women, now is the time to do it.
2. If you've been thinking about purchasing some pens, now is the time to do it.
3. If you'd like to "pre-order" merchandise from the next shipment (which should be here in 2 weeks!), that'd be awesome. (I'm apparently getting more pens, some necklaces, and a few more items... which will be featured on my then-fully-functioning-website.)
4. If you'd like to donate a couple hours to sit with me and help me fix my website issues, that'd be awesome, too.
Those of you who are local, I will be having an Open House when this next shipment gets in, but we're not sure when it will arrive. This is one of those "trust the unknown" things which causes similar chest pain to the kind I had in Africa... but I am fairly sure that came from having to eat ridiculous quantities of Slim Jims.
So, friends of Kwishima... can you help? ALL of your money goes directly to these women. It provides food, clothing, medicine, and care for their families. I'd be grateful if you did... and they'd be ecstatic.
I've even added a widget so you can see how much we're raising... I'd love to blow the top off the thermometer... and rejoice. (How to help: if you are in town, message me and I'll deliver pens to your house/pick up your donation. If you are out of town, message me with your order- ## of pens, and I'll ship them to you. If you'd like to make a donation, you can do that through my Paypal account using my email address. If you don't have that, please message me and I'll get it to you!)
powered by:
Easy Fundraising Ideas
Easy Fundraising Ideas
No comments:
Post a Comment