How to Raise Funds for Herb School?
Fri, 12/17/2010 - 2:39pm
As many of you know, I've been doing good work with my self-taught healing skills wherever I go in the world for awhile now. I advise my friends and loved ones in herbal applications and general healing advice, I use this knowledge to rehabilitate sick animals, and I was most recently living in Guatemala teaching Agriculture and introductory herbal medicine to children that are likely to always be isolated from cash and medical resources outside of the nature around them and what knowledge they possess.
Herbal medicine has become a real part of my use in the greater world yet I'm severely limited by my lack of education.
I've come upon an opening in my schedule this coming Spring through Fall seasons--the duration of herb school in the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. I wont have the opportunity to study in any of the following years as the teacher, 7Song, is taking a year off next year, and I'm planning on going to grad school next (--doesn't coincide with the herb school calendar). So I realized: if I'm gonna go to herb school, now's the time!
In order to go, I need to raise up $3,500 for tuition (plus get a junker of a car and new parts to get it running:+$1,500? I swear, I can do that on that--I've done it before. I fix my own cars.)-- so, $5,000 total, within the coming weeks so I can register to go to herb school for this Spring. I just spoke to 7Song and he said there are only a few slots left, so this is very time-sensitive.
I'm thinking this might be possible if I raised a good amount via some sort of fundrasing campaign or benefit concert (series?). Maybe I could start some sort of donation website (which I know nothing about) and do some sort of fundraising activity (I'm partially handicapped so my athletic abilities are limited) and put on some kind of benefit show with the help of all my multi-talented performing-artist friends. Or maybe there's something else I could do or that friends could do on my behalf? My skills are: I'm a skilled visual artist. I'm good with the healing care. I can cook. I can weatherize buildings. I do yoga. I'm not so good with: performing (not afraid but unskilled), websites and athletic feats
Really, being that I'm not a performing artist, I have virtually no knowledge of the insides of how to organize an event--particularly a fundraiser-- or where'd be good. Right now I'm looking for ideas and any contributions of efforts, feats, knowledge, skills, supplies, facilities from my friends and community to further my cause.
Because this is such a time-sensitive situation, all ideas have to be considered within that context. I need to secure my slot in the school within 2-3 weeks with, a $1,200 non-refundable deposit. And I'd need to be able to get up all the funds-including the car-- by the time school starts--coming May.
The benefits if we pull this off? Our community will graduate from having a thrifty and sensitive nature-lover-healer-type amongst you to having a real proper-trained Herbalist. Even if we already have a proper-trained Herbalist amongst us, more trained Herbalists is definitely better--for everyone. I will be specially trained in local herbs that grow wild in this region and how to harvest them from the wild.
This is not the sort of field you get rich off of. It's more like you continue to help or treat your friends, neighbors and loved ones with their health problems for free but you end up being much more effective. Herbal medicine is mad accessible like that--by nature!
Thanks for listening and putting your minds to this, folks. Also, please get the word out about this: there's a big feat in the making!
If you prefer to discuss things further with me in private feel free to e-mail me: silverpeddle at gmail dot com
Fri, 12/17/2010 - 5:27pm
#2
also
What about doing work at the school, or interning?
What about living at the school--in the basement, unused room, etc. and not buying a car?
Sat, 12/18/2010 - 12:47pm
#3
Ideas
I've already spoke to the teacher/director about work-trade and I'm very familiar with the geography up there (I lived there for 4 years).
There's no way around full tuition and needing a car.
I've never had any money. You can trust me to always see if I can cut the obvious corners right off the bat (full tuition, cash vs. trade, car, housing, etc.). I've lived home-free for 3 years of my adult life in order to make ends meet. So if I'm asking for it, I absolutely need it.
Donation sites sound great only I haven't yet found one that allows people to raise funds for school. Kickstarter'd for creative projects and Donor's for public schools.
Right now I'm thinking:
for the non-refundable down payment of (correction) $500 that I should make within the next 2-3 weeks: indiependent web site and making a comic book and selling it dedicating what I earn from it to school only, maybe organizing a bake sale?
for the remaining $4,500 (of which I'll need $3,000 by May, $750 by July and $750 by September): continue on with the site, a benefit concert?, more comics or posters of my art--all earnings dedicated to school, maybe some sort of "-Athon"-- like a Reiki-athon?, or a one or two-session intro to herbalism class I can teach in some space somewhere.
What do you folks think?
Fri, 12/17/2010 - 6:47pm
#4
Fundraising Site
My son in law is using this site to raise money for instruments for his students. You may want to check it out.
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=448755&utm_source=dc...
Sun, 12/19/2010 - 10:52am
#5
Comic Books
My foray into printing comic books has always ended up costing me more money than I made. It can be kind of a risk.
But, you could try publishing through lulu.com, if you wanted to do most of your sales online. People buy your book through them and the books are published to order. You can also buy a smaller handful for yourself to resell in person. They don't offer the best profit margin, but at least you can be sure you're not sinking a bunch of money in comic books, you know?
I mean, also, worst case scenario, I don't know if you're getting a bunch of credit card offers in the mail, but you could always just put as much as you can on a new credit card and pay it off over a couple years (it's the American way!). I'm sure you could pay some of that off if you sold the car when you were done, especially if you fixed it up, like you say. Carrying around credit card debt is no fun, but missing out on this opportunity wouldn't be fun either.
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 2:37pm
#6
i would donate or play a benefit for you mary!
whatever you decide to do to raise funds i'm in support!
i could use more alternative medicine in my life and to have a healer in the community = AWESOME.
Fri, 01/14/2011 - 2:35pm
#7
Fundraiser Troubles and Solutions
Hey, thanks, Nan!
(Sorry I didn't check in again and get your post till today!)
I was hoping I could organize a benefit concert but felt I could only dare ask if I had at least a few musician folks who'd be motivated enough to volunteer themselves. Now I have that!
I've been stalling lately because I was realizing how much money $4,000 grand is while how little time I have until Spring or until all the slots in this years course are filled (there're only 4 left of 18) and I was feeling very doubtful. I don't want to raise only some of the money then not be able to go because I didn't raise enough-- then I'd be stuck with all this money in my hands from my community but I wouldn't be able to fulfill the intentions of my donors. Unfortunately, I can't do a fundraiser on Kickstart or Pledge--who have it set up so that the dollar donations are only collected once the financial goal is reached because neither of them allow fundraising for attending school.
But I've started to think through that maybe a plan A, B, C structure would work. So if I don't earn enough to reach my primary goal- I'd be still be able to fulfill the responsibility of putting the money towards something that's as close to the intention of the donors as possible.
Here're some of my ideas. Tell me what you folks think:
plan B: there is a considerably less involved course I could take that's a class once a month for 6 months and with fee plus supplies and special commuting expenses shouldn't cost me over $1,300.
Plan C--if I don't earn up enough money for plan B perhaps I could put the money towards some kind of shorter and simpler herbal medicine course offered by Sacred Vibes Apothecary in Flatbush
Plan D: I can at least start a finite fund where I buy and prepare herbs-- based on the knowledge I already posess-- and make them accessible for free to members of my community. Maybe also buy myself a few herbal medicine books so as to improve myself at least that much from all of this.
Does that sound reasonable? Any other ideas?
If this sounds reasonable I think I should go for the gold afterall, then.
Mon, 01/17/2011 - 11:31pm
#8
Whatever you end up doing
Whatever you end up doing please keep us posted. I would love to learn more about this. Or let me know if there is anything I could do to help.
Mon, 01/17/2011 - 6:45pm
#9
Sounds good to me. Do it!
Sounds good to me. Do it!
Tue, 01/18/2011 - 11:42am
#10
addition made on Tuesday
I suggest you think of ways to reach out outside of this board and community.
A lot of the O.J. regulars are in a similar situation as you--having projects in mind that they don't necessarily have the funds for.
Addition: I am not saying it was a bad idea to post here asking for ideas. I am saying that I believe a lot of us have no extra money to personally donate and that additional reaching out may help.
If some folks here do have additional money then cool. I don't know what everybody that posts here has.
I could play in a benefit for you, but you'd get my tips, which are usually under $30.
Plus, honestly, I have ideas and projects just as worthy of funding as yours.
Again, I believe a lot of OJ posters are in the same boat to some extent or another.
Recently, I've received a couple of links to www.kickstarter.com
Seems like a community targeted fund raising kinda thing. Dunno if it is applicable to educational endeavors or, just the arts and such.
I never have any money, so I didn't follow the link but here is what the mail I received looked like (this one was from Mercy Bell, who is superduper awesomeful):
"Hey everyone!
Help me make an EP!
For ages folks have been asking me when my music will be available. Until now I haven't had the resources or funds to do so. But with Kickstarter YOU guys can help me make an album. Kickstarter fundraises from a community to create a project. So if you pledge your money goes directly into the end product: an EP. And you won't be charged unless the entire goal is met. It's a win win!
Check out the campaign here. Thank you!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mercybell/help-mercy-bell-make-an-ep
--
Mercy"
I guess, navigate on over to kickstarter and see what the whatfor is all about. I was looking at a couple of adds for herbalist school in my area (NM) and the cost was, barring some just around the corner totally unforeseen windfall, prohibitive. Right now, I'm trying to figure out if guitar lessons are fair trade for massage therapy sessions (with sauna). I certainly hope so, cause me back is achin'.
Good luck M Sloan! I firmly believe that the more people can reduce their dependence on profit driven pharmaceutical companies and the doctors that support big medicine and insurance interests, the better off we'll all be. Thanks for doig what you can to aid that effort.
Hey peepl wif monies, gief dis womyn sum MUNY!!!11111
Or play shows or bake cookies and pies. A couple summers ago, I made a couple of blueberry/mango pies, and people seemed to really like them. I betcha could sell blueberry/mango pies. But you'd need blueberries. And mangoes. And, like, a crusty kinda thing to put it in. Now is the time for me to stop. (That super mocha thingy I made at like 5am is still totally raging through my system.)
:)
You should know what Sibel Edmonds knows.