Contest: Who’s a good little bear? You are! You are!
The awesome: $57,269. Ahead of the pace of last year’s contest, too, which is very exciting — plus we’ve helped more than 18,000 students, and nearly 600 of you have donated, many of you several times, or every day.
Master Stupidhead is so psyched for you guys, as you can see. So is his very favorite auntie.
But we have reached the point, as we do every year, where donations have slowed juuuust a bit. It’s the middle of the month; it’s Wednesday today, which ain’t payday; you’ve already done so very much, and the goal seems so very far away. I used to live right above the New York marathon course, at about mile 8, and I used to see thousands of versions of that feeling slogging by every year: “Jesus Lord, what did I do. My shins have caught fire and this is still only Brooklyn. I can’t do it.”
I feel you. However! You can. You always do. I believe in you. Master Stupidhead believes in you! He told me! It may have sounded like “Aouwwww,” but what he actually said was, “I believe in your readers, Aunt Sadie.” And you wouldn’t want to disappoint a tiny infant/ursine hybrid. WOULD YOU. OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T.
…Okay, seriously. It’s open call today: donate to whatever you like. You could win t-shirts! You could win tote bags! You could win one of 5 $10 Old Navy gift cards, or one of 2 $15 iTunes gift cards donated by Ellen B.! Just forward me any receipts from any project you’ve donated to today until midnight, and you could win a prize. And the approval of a four-month-old. Hee.
And when we get to 60K, The Great And Powerful Asirda will match another 3K — we just need 50 of you to use the ShareThis button, which is right at the bottom there, and completely free. Send it to Facebook, send it to Twitter, email it to your own aunts and uncles, whatever, but we need 50 shares today. Any contest-related entry shared, 50 total. Then we get another three grand. Cinchy!
Looking for projects expiring soon? Use Amanda’s Sortable Rad Spreadsheet. Not sure what to donate to? Master Stupidhead likes butterflies.
Think you’re awesome? You’re correct. Now let’s get to 60K and win some swag today, or I’ll have to put the baby in his Halloween costume, and if you think this get-up is cute, the lion outfit will rot your teeth right out of your head. And nobody wants that.
Tags: contests guilt trips Master Stupidhead
I have died; here is all my money.
“Sorry”! (hee.)
Shared. For the bear. ;o)
That is one seriously cute hybrid right there.
Wednesday *is* my pay day, so the butterflies have my support.
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=281006&challengeid=23248
I will feel guilty if we don’t fund this project because I spent one miserable winter in Chicago. And Jewish guilt runs deep!
The project’s still got a good chunk left to go, but the ping-pong tables are on their last day.
Think we can get it done? Sars, do you want to give this one a push? http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=281006&challengeid=23248
That’s the cutest guilt trip ever! Would that they were all so adorable… Aouwwww to you too!
Baby in bear costume = fundraising genius. My wallet just crawled out of my purse of its own accord.
Oh, COME ON. I can’t resist a kid in a bear suit. Cannot. So, you know, add my receipt to the pile.
Do we need to forward you anything on the “Share This” button stuff, or does DC handle that automatically?
OK, that’s just ridiculously cute. Sharing!
@bristle: I track it using ShareThis’s software, so no, no need to forward to me. Just share like the wind.
Share: done. Who could resist that bear? And damn, Master S. has gotten so big since the intro pics!! When did that happen?
Unfortunately, I have to wait about a week before I can help out on funding – waiting for funds myself, argh – but will definitely do so before the end of the drive. Keep it up, ya’ll.
over 200 projects funded (207 by my count, with a handful of projects with less than a hundred to go). AMAZING!
Does it count multiple givers as donors each time they give?
Is it too late to give something to use as a prize?
Each donor via the Bet Red page is only counted once.
Please do email me about prize donations: bunting at tomatonation dot com.
Oh, lord — the “Guilt Apparatus,” indeed. That is the cutest kid in a bear suit I have ever seen. So, Master S, consider me all in. Receipt coming soon.
Donated, signed up for ongoing donation and, I think, shared.
Now, I am trying to remember which saccharine 80’s Saturday morning cartoon had, as its tag line “Sharing is caring!” Was it the care bears? Either way, ever since I read about the ShareThis feature that line has been stuck in my head!
Aw. Shared, donated, e-mailed receipt (I think? I hope I have the right e-mail address). Wouldn’t want to disappoint the tiny baby/bear hybrid creature.
That bear makes me think of Butters on South Park. And now I feel demented.
Anyway, I did my good deed first thing this morning so that should help me get over humpday. Wednesday is the worst.
Oh, that is just not on! How did Master Stupidhead know I’m going to be a first-time auntie in February? Cannot. Resist. Babysmile.
Butterflies? Done, fully funded! Maybe we can help out the ping pong with the Share or 60K match, they still need quite a bit.
$1300 to go to 60K. Master Stupidhead, you are inspiring. Hoping that Asirda will help out some of the soon to expire projects when we get to 60K. How is the sharing coming Sarah?
The bear did me in. That’s one cute kid. I came, I donated, I shared. BTW, I also *love* the Rad Spreadsheet that lets me find kids in Michigan to help! Thanks Sars and Amanda!
Donated (again… I CAN’T HELP IT! I’m like an addict over here!) shared, email forwarded and monthly donation set up… it’s ten bucks but yo, that ten bucks will accrue over the year if I want it to and I can use it next October!!!
WAY too cute! And if the lion costume is the one from Old Navy, OH MY GOD, super extra king-of-the-jungle cute.
Ping Pong ahoy! Let no project go unfunded!
Can’t share from work (FB and Twitter blocked), but will share and share alike from home this evening.
Bear suits….who knew they had a function as fundraisers?
It IS my payday today, and I shared, too.
You sure know how to push our buttons, Ms Bunting…….
Woo! We’re so close–$59, 170!
Darn it, work is blocking my ability to Share. I will share after work on the west coast!
Shared. My birthday is on Friday and I need to plug DC to all my friends to shame them into donating instead of not buying me the gifts they wouldn’t buy me anyway. (no, I take that back, last year I got an awesome recycled cashmere scarf with the Obama logo on it)
Okay, I just donated to It’s All Greek to 5th Graders http://tinyurl.com/ylsbrnp
Because:
a) It’s getting close to the deadline and
b) I am all in favor of adding archery and swordfighting to the study of mythology and literature. Seriously. How awesome is that?
60K Way to go, Team AWESOME
in 2 hours 7 more projects got funded. 214 and counting, edging close to 1/3 of the current list.
Yeah $60,000!
60K! Yay! How are we doing on number of shares? Also, like Lynne, I’m love the It’s All Greek to 5th Graders program–seriously, the Percy Jackson series is awesome (YA that’s good enough for adults to enjoy).
Great work, guys! The match won’t go into effect until this evening, most likely, because I have to see how many qualifying shares came through — but keep going, because another match goes into effect at 75K, that one for 5K. I *can* tell you that ping-pong will get funded.
Hell of morning y’all had. We added a good 20 donors as well. The tiny cub is well pleased.
Ha ha! Take that, $60k! How are we doing on the ShareThis count?
Whew! I’ve been worrying about that ping-pong one. The cuteness waylaid me into butterflies when I donated.
Shared, and donated to a project called Witches, Witches, Witches! Thanks Amanda for the awesome spreadsheet!
Yeah for projects getting completed. Here are a few more that have now dropped below $100
Art Smarts, $27 needed http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=302111&challengeid=23248
Walking toward a healthier life, $99 needed http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=305646&challengeid=23248
CSI for Beginners, $99 needed http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=305789&challengeid=23248
Hooray for hitting 60K, now on to 75K!
See now, I wanna hold out for the Lion pics.
There must be more insane cuteness!
If we share in multiple places, does that count as more than one, or is it one per person?
Okay, I shared, because I care. I will donate more later in the month, when I have more money to donate.
The share counter doesn’t update in real time; I won’t know our progress until tonight, as I said. If you’re not sure you shared it enough times…share it again. Who doesn’t love a micro-bear, come on.
I believe multiple shares count multiple times. You can always close the window and then re-open it just in case.
All we need is 50, so even if you just email it to your mom, that counts. Great work, folks.
I shared on Twitter! When I get home & can assess my available funds I’ll donate SOMETHING. It may not be much, but my coffee was most of this week. So it’ll be something.
Er, my coffee was FREE most of this week, I meant to say. Left out the operative word there.
Shared. Need to convert the cash monies I was just paid back into bank card funds and I’ll be a donating fool. Plus tomorrow is payday. And I’ve emailed you about prizes. All for that cute little bear (well, and for his awesome Auntie)!
Happy!!! about the ping pong. At your service, coercively cute baby!
I just gave to the It’s All Greek project! Reading, Greek mythology and fencing – how fun would that be?!?
Almost as fun as watching the giving totals go up on this site!
So, I won’t be forwarding my receipt because I don’t need a prize, but I would love the approval of Mr. Stupid Head – I went to the site and donated (even found a school in need in my home town of Austin to support) and wanted to say thanks!!! and that I wouldn’t have been pushed/prodded into this without your site.
So thanks for helping me bump up my karma points (and getting some kids some books).
Get paid tomorrow, I am a slave to Baby Bear. Christ, is that a cute kid! You’re the luckiest aunt in the world!!
@Florida: Thanks! He is a cutie for sure, and very mellow. And he’d like you all to know that “eh na…houuwww.” (“You’re awesome.” Could also be “I’m hungry” or “must grab Aunt Sadie’s earring LIKE NOW,” but let’s go with that first one.)