Yayoi Shionoiri isn’t your average attorney. By day, she makes her living immersed in the legal intricacies of museum art. By night, she grapples with the fine art of grassroots organizing. Her experience in Tokyo during last year’s earthquake and tsunami inspired her to support aid and relief efforts, and in early 2012, she began working with Seikeikai, a Japanese volunteer group in Kesennuma, a city in the heart of the region hit by the tsunami. The volunteers work to identify pressing needs in the community and create micro-business opportunities for survivors of the quake. Since February, Yayoi has dedicated herself to sending resources and aid to the group in any way possible.
Yayoi recognized that fundraising is an issue for many grassroots organizations, and turned to GOOD Maker’s Create Your Own GOOD Maker Challenge competition to suggest a solution, asking for proposals for the best way to fund a fundraiser. “You’ve started an organization that does GOOD,” she wrote. “Now, you’re ready to host a fundraiser to obtain operating funds. But the question is: how will you fund your fundraiser?” Yayoi rallied her network, and her submission won the most votes in this challenge.
Now GOOD Maker is providing $500 to an organization or individual to host a fundraiser for a social cause in the Fund a Fundraiser challenge. Tell us about your fundraiser, what makes it unique, and how you would leverage the cash to benefit your cause. Submissions will be accepted from May 22 to June 13 at 3 p.m. EST. Voting will be open from June 13 to June 27 at 3 p.m. PST.
Want to learn more about GOOD Maker? Drop us a line at maker[at]goodinc[dot]com, sign up for our email list, or check out current challenges.
