So much gratitude

It is after midnight on Fri, Nov 13th, and what a Give to the Max Day it has been. 

23 donors contributed
amounts from $10 to $101
for a total of $621. 

Springboard for the Arts, my awesome fiscal sponsor, promised to contribute $10 for each donor, so that's an extra $230 ...

for a grand Give to the Max Day total of $851. 

Alhumdulilah!  Ya Shakur! 
(That's Arabic for "All Praise Flows Back to God" and "O Appreciative"!)

I am humbled, grateful, and in awe of those who were able to contribute on this day.  Even though we didn't quite make our goal, I am quite pleased with the results. 

It was less than five years ago in which I cobbled together a proposal to found a hospice choir and applied for fiscal sponsorship and a grant.  Somehow I was awarded a grant and figured out how to fundraise.  The last part of was especially hard for this shy person who learned only recently how to talk honestly and transparently about money, relationships, and those other hard topics.  I am so grateful for workshops offered by Springboard and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, so hopeful dreamers, like myself, could develop the skills to make those dreams come true. 

What I've learned is people do want to be generous and they want to make a difference.  If you let them know about the gap, they can and will surprise you with their willing generosity. 

So, what's next?  Other than sleep and planning for Advent?

I think it's time to start digging deeper into the details of where "Roaming Catholic" could be held.  Time to flesh out a more detailed budget.  Time to consider who in the theater/dance world would be good to seek feedback from (Thanks, John Francis Bueche, for letting me pick your brain one Wed afternoon).  Probably something else really important.  But that's for a day next week when I'm feeling like Christmas Eve planning is well on its way. 

Thanks GiveMN.org for the carrot opportunity this deadline chaser needed to build a fire around.  This effort was better than my last project ... and I feel like there will be plenty of opportunities ahead to hone these skills.  For now I am satisfied and grateful. 

Good night!