Fundraising Woes

This summer I am going to Kenya as an AP Peace Fellow with the Undugu Society. I’ve known this for a while now but it didn’t sink in until last week. What else sunk in last week was that I need to get my butt moving on raising money to finance my time there or else find some credit cards to apply to.

So I have written a begging letter meant for airlines to give me a free or discounted flight, but the letter can be tailored to basically any company. I’ve never had to beg for money from people outside my immediate family (alright…my Mom), so I’m not feeling so hot about my fundraising abilities. But that’s not what’s getting to me though.

I wonder how many begging letters companies get from people around the world. Who are these people? How do the companies choose who to give money to? Is it to the people who need it most? Is it the “sexiest” cause? Is it the people who are strategically placed to advertise the contribution they received?

I think I am relatively well placed to advertise whatever a donor decides to give me. So let’s say that I get some contributions. Am I getting the money because of that? As a result, is someone else not getting the money because they can’t advertise?

It would be incredibly naïve of me to say that the best cause will be chosen. I mean it is corporations we are talking about. So should I feel bad about possibly getting money that someone else might need more?

I need the money so I don’t think I can just not ask even though I feel a little weird about it. Let me tell you though that if I do get contributions, I will work that much harder in Kenya since the thought of other worthy people not getting the money will torment me.

Now watch me not fundraise one penny…