Meaning In The Method

When I was a kid growing up playing sports and as an early adult, there was always the inevitable prerequisite for fundraising. This always varied from sport to sport but the idea was the same - sell product A for fundraising, ask relatives for money and my alltime favorite was working a bingo all night to raise funds for the community with which I was a part of. Now these were all quite simple and easy for everyone to understand for instance we needed the funds for fuel for transportation, or equipment, etc. Now as I have been involved with our yearly fundraising for many years I still feel like its just not gaining traction like it should. Each New Year's banguet I see first hand the charities that we are helping out with our donations and fundraising but it feel's almost faceless as we start raising funds in November. I know this is for an amazing cause but when I start asking my coworkers for money I try to explain what these funds are being put towards and I can see their eyes start to glaze over, they have no connection and if I'm lucky can only get a few dollars from them as they sip a five dollar latte each day. One thing I started doing last fall was each week I would put five dollars aside in a jar to go towards fundraising for our school. Each week I am reminded of what that money is going towards and what it will mean for these individual charities. Now like I said five dollars a week is not much - a special coffee or snack once a week, yet it has meaning. I will continue to articulate what our fundraising is about to my friends, relatives and such but if I am not fully engaged in this endeavor how can I inspire other's to do so as well. I have spoken with Sifu Brinker about the timing of fundraising and have come to the conclusion there is never a perfect time. The fall is terrible, kids are back in school so this means school supplies and such, winter, well you have Christmas and after Christmas you have holiday debt, the spring - summer sports pick up and vacations start happening etc. For me it is about starting with myself and the intent of this act and work out from there. Now as each week comes and goes I will put another fiver into the jar and embrace the moment and what it's purpose is. Now just have to change the writing on the jar that says "Tom and Judi's Nite Our Jar" don't want Judi to get too excited.... Sifu Bryant