Good morning readers! Today we are going to talk about fundraisers. To be precise, I am going to be talking about the Fundraiser 40 Mile Dog Walk in January , that I signed up for on a whim, earlier this month.

As I was waiting to be served Sunday special breakfast by dear husband – a hearty weekend tradition that started in early pandemic days and has continued there after, I logged on to the social media platform Facebook to catch up on ‘social updates”😉 .

Scrolling through the news feed I stumbled upon the “40 Mile Dog Walk In January” post.

The 40 miles challenge

The post piqued my interest, I wanted to find out more. I clicked on the link, and was redirected to a private Facebook group created by St. Jude Children’s Research hospital.

After answering the mandatory questionnaire, the group admin approved my request to join the group. The pinned posts on the group wall explained the rules of this challenge:

1. Walk 40 miles in January with your Dog.
2. As you take this challenge- share your fundraiser link on your Facebook wall.
3. Collect donations for the hospital.
4. Be kind and support your fellow group members.

Now here is honest truth– I never intended to participate in fund raising part of the challenge. It was the walk challenge that got me excited in the first place.

Sure, I have donated umpteen times for causes before. Not counting the few times I went out with V in our neighborhood for school fundraisers , I have never been the one collecting donations for a cause.

My first thought as I read the rules was “I am not going to ask people for donations -ah no way”!

There is a selfish reason to be “one who donates”. Donating for causes gives me a sense of fulfillment. I seek comfort in knowing that I did a good deed. An easy way out! There it is I said it.

I am not here to change your opinion about donations, you are more than welcome to yours just as I am to mine.

The Facebook Group

Ever since we rode the Pirates of Caribbean ride in our recent Disney World Trip, we have been catching up on Pirates of Caribbean series with the kids. Johnny Depp has my heart in this series ! Anyhow coming back to the topic on hand.

The same evening I logged on to Facebook (again🤐 !) and there they were on my newsfeed – multiple posts on the 40 mile walk challenge.

There in those countless posts I read stories about personal wins and losses. Strangers from all walks of life sharing a nugget of their life as they undertook the walk challenge.

It was the comments that caught my attention, just kindness and encouragement, no trolling, no negative talk.

Of course, it doesn’t take much to say a few nice words. Let’s pause for a second and think about the number of times you have cheered a complete strange “Hey you are doing great! You got it!”

Exactly! That’s what I thought. Neither have I. Not in recent past at least. I am not judging here, just making a point.

The First Post

A week in to this challenge, inspired by the posts on the 40 mile Dog Challenge Facebook group, I finally took the first step towards collecting the donations. I shared the fundraiser link on my wall.

That same week I also shared first update in the group. And boy was I floored by the number of congratulatory and kudos messages I got from the members on that single post!

Days went by quickly and I had not managed to raise a dime. I was staring at 0$. I won’t lie- it was disheartening to say the least.

My first instinct was to make a sizeable donation myself and be done with it. This time however I held back. I can’t pin point the moment the shift happened, but it happened. I had moved from camp “not collecting donations” to “let’s get those donations”.

To get the ball rolling on the fundraiser, I made the first donation, a small amount and held back from making anymore.

The tagline for the fundraiser was “even smallest amount can make a huge difference”. I followed my words with action. I wanted anyone and everyone to feel comfortable knowing that they can even make a 1$ donation, and it would count!!

And then I waited, hoping for a miracle.

The Second Post

Sometime the same day, I posted an update on the Facebook group on our walk challenge. My second post in the group. In the update, I mentioned that we had no received any donations. Honestly there was nothing unusual about my update.

Most of the people were sharing their fundraiser updates, so did I. Guess what ? Within 10 minutes of sharing that update, a lady replies to my post “You should get a bandana now”.

And there it was, the first donation that was not done by me. Needless to say I was left speechless, not sure of how to respond to this act.

Here is the thing- the hospital is going to send a bandana to every dog participating when you get your first donation in! A fine print I had missed reading up until I read this comment.

Her selfless act inspired me further. This is a cause close to my heart, this time I had the opportunity to make a difference , however small it may be. But I had the opportunity and now I had to make a choice.

Ego

That evening, I did something completely out of my character. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I reached out to just one person personally via Facebook. A desperate act, asking to donate for the cause.

When I reached out, it was one of most uncomfortable thing that I had done in longest while. It was the “What will they think of me?” and the associated embarrassment of “What if they don’t donate” and more. If I had to break it down to a single word, it was all about “Ego”.

Ego which apparently I realized I have enough of!

Donations

I saw the donation come in as soon as I sent the request. That was all the push I needed to step out of my comfort zone and do it!

Like they say – life is too short, if you don’t try, I you never know. And just like that, I sent out request to almost everyone I know. I figured, what is the harm? At most people won’t donate.

Sure enough 90% of the people I reached out to did not donate. It didn’t bother me. I kind of expected that , and it was totally ok !

But then amongst the ones who did not donate were the 10 % who did – little drops of make a mighty ocean. We even got donation from across the oceans ❤️.

Just so we are clear, to donate or not is one’s personal choice. And I completely respect that.

Karma

Did they donate for the cause ? Did they donate because a friend reached out? Whatever the reason, it does not matter. The donors have all my gratitude. I believe in karma. A good deed however small never goes unanswered.

Ladies and gentlemen my first fundraiser, If I may say so myself was a mighty success. In this short journey that started on one early Sunday morning of January of 2023, I walked off with some great lessons.

It’s long way ahead but the first step is acknowledging and opening up to learning. Thank you to all of you who donated to this cause ❤️.

All it takes is one act of kindness.

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“When you truly understand karma, then you realize you are responsible for everything in your life.” —Keanu Reeves