Supporting the children of Rocinha - update

Last call for donations to support the after school homework and art activities of Tio Lino in the Rocinha favela in Rio.

On November 19th I’m going to take down the donation link and move on to the buying and delivery stage of the effort. You can read the original post about this effort here.

THANK YOU to everyone who has helped spread the word and who have donated. Five bloggers have posted our donation link and or made a post personally endorsing the campaign. We have been trying to harness the power of the blogosphere to alert as many people as possible to this opportunity to support the kids of Rocinha.

As of this post we have raised R$374.00 to help us buy art supplies. (Plus I heard from Zezinho that he has raised R$80.)

Truth be told I am a bit underwhelmed. Not that every cent isn’t a beautiful gift that will help immensely. But let me disclose to you that with the exception of the R$50 given by fellow blogger Peggy while we enjoyed lunch on the beach in Itaipú, we have received just 6 donations and each one came from a long time personal friend of mine.

According to Blogger stats, to date the post has been viewed 127 times. Referrals have come from all over – every blogger who posted the link has contributed to the campaign's visibility. (Again – thank you!) But it did not translate into contributions.

Let’s not forget how good it is to get the word out about the needs of the Rocinha community. That in itself is a big positive. We have all contributed to that positive effort.

But I am curious – why so few contributors? Why no online contributions beyond my personal friends? Is it a lack of trust? Enthusiasm? Endorsement? Encouragement?

As a 20+ year fundraising professional I have my theories, but I also have my questions. Asking for financial support for worthy causes via blogs may be a whole new universe with its own dynamics. I would be interested in any feedback people have about our results.

In the mean time – we have 10 more days to encourage our friends, family and readers to consider making a contribution. It takes less than 5 minutes via the PayPal link. If you are so moved – make another shout out from your email list, Facebook, Orkut, blog, whatever.  And make a contribution yourself.

Also – if PayPal puts you off, go shopping for art supplies and mail them to me. Or if you prefer the Brazilian approach of making a bank-to-bank transfer, let me know. We can work that out as well. Whatever you decide – let’s do it!

At the end of November 19th I will remove the PayPal link and cash out the account. (I will replenish the small fees taken by PayPal so all contributions are 100% spent on supplies.) Then Luiz and I will go shopping for the children who frequent Tio Lino’s drop-in art center.  We'll keep you posted.

Feel the love. Remind your friends and family. Encourage a donation.

On behalf of Tio Lino and the children he supports and encourages, thanks again for however you may contribute to our success.