Value Based Skills Oriented Quality Education

We at the helm of the project for Global Giving fund raising (our first attempt in Cloud funding) thought that it must be a cakewalk to achieve the task. We have put together all the emails and contact details together of our past Donors and well wishers, friends and relatives. Then came the challenge of putting together a factual story that would not only attract our friends and donors but people who have never known about us or our work of past 40 years in the Visakhapatnam District area. Over and above the time line by which we need to file the story and get it approved is fast approaching. Our team members started un-earthing the past records and events. Even though we were telling our CEO that we are on track, the team knows the real status. But with a time of 100 hours left, we have to confront him with the fact that we were not able to reach a conclusion on what story goes to the fund raising.

Then we all have decided through a workshop and brainstorming session, the final story and posted the story of one girl whom we have supported for her education has emerged. Did we learn our lesson, seemingly not so. We posted the same and sent emails and phone messages to all and totally forgot about the project. We started our fund raising with a handsome 500 USD covering 1/10th of our goal. This has given us more confidence – or – taking – it –easy about the project. Days passed, Bonus day has arrived and gone but we are not even near the half-way mark. This gave us the jolt and all of our team fell-forward on our thought process. Some of us started analyzing the past and some of us have started digging our contacts more deeper. At this time a thought occurred to us that both of these actions do not make any difference. We were at USD2420 with 16 donors. When checked with the Global Giving support team, we learnt that minimum number of donors have to be 50. Even though our leaderboard position is encouraging – 15 by the closing hours of the Bonus day, we are short of money as well as donors number.

Now we changed our strategy. Why to go with high amount requests – instead a USD 15 can also help us. Then we started sending messages to all the members on our lists. This worked very well.  Initially our aim is to become a partner, but by the end of the campaign, we became a Superstar and retained our Leaderboard position at an improved level. It is not the money that we looked at, it is the lives of so many of other children whom we can help in future and make another good citizen.

We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the cause whether known to us or anonymous – but the real heroes are those who made it possible for achieving this partnership and made us a Superstar.

Sriram Nadiminti and Krishna Jyothi – Team leads for this project