40 Days of Giving Project Update

[Andrew Zimmerman Jones]

Is it better to give than to receive? Well, after 31 days of this project, I think the answer is definitely "Yes," although I am looking forward to once again being able to spend my paychecks.

Thanks to all of those who have been following the 40 Days of Giving project. Without really doing any promotion, we have reached 200 fans on Facebook, received newspaper coverage, and it looks like I have a radio interview lined up in a couple of weeks - right after the end of the project - in a major city. For a small project, started on a wing and a prayer, without really any budget for promotion, that's not too bad.

If you haven't been following the project, you can check it out at http://40daysofgiving.blogspot.com/ and there's a link on the right side to become a fan of our Facebook page.

Though giving is better than receiving, the receiving end of things hasn't been bad either. In the time since the project began, I've received a bonus and a raise (both mysteriously bigger than I would have expected them to have been, and even my manager seems sort of unclear as to why) and received a nice opportunity to teach a writing workshop at a local school, which paid a decent chunk of change (by my modest standards, at least). The bonus, which came during the project, was given away as part of the project. Given how long it takes school districts to process invoices and issue payments, I'm fairly sure that I won't get paid for the workshop until after the project is over, so we'll get to keep that money. The raise is totally mine to keep.

The one place I've fallen short is in fundraising, because we are woefully shy of our $10,000 goal to raise for Heifer International by the end of the project, on March 28 (a week from tomorrow!). However, with 200 fans on Facebook, this means that if each fan donates (or gets others to donate) only $50, then we will reach this goal. This is completely achievable, and I'd like to invite you to help out.

You can donate directly, buying much-needed livestock for poverty-stricken families around the world, helping them become self-sustainable. Or you can join our team, and collect donations from others.

Remember:

I am offering rewards to anyone who raises over $500 for our Heifer team.

If we reach our goal by March 28, I will cut my hair for Locks of Love, providing a wig to a child with medical hair loss. Photos and video of the event will be posted online.

Note: If anyone is not comfortable donating online, e-mail me directly at a...@azjones.info. We'll work something out where you can send me a check, and I'll make the donation on your behalf online. 

This project has truly been a labor of love, and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to so fully immerse myself in the act of giving. Thanks to all who have supported us in so many ways. I think the book that comes out of this will be very fulfilling to write, and hopefully it will quickly find a home with a good publisher.

Then it's on to the next project ... which I hope to hear about in the weeks after the 40 Days of Giving project winds down. Here's keeping our fingers crossed!

All the best,

Andrew
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Andrew Zimmerman Jones, author
http://www.azjones.info/

STRING THEORY FOR DUMMIES
    Available at a bookstore near you or through http://www.azjones.info/