Thursday, February 26, 2009

What's in the Blackbox?

Fanatical Change Foundation is not a blackbox charity. It is about restoring the intimacy to charitable giving by identifying recent victims of life-altering tragedy and letting the power behind their individual stories of suffering inspire our donors to be the change they wish to see in the world.

How are the Families Selected?

Selection Policies:
To be eligible, the tragedy that has occurred must create an immediate need that its victim cannot fulfill without outside help. The tragic event must have had a profound effect on the everyday life of the recipient, and there must be a solution that FCF can provide in order to immediately impact the recipient’s life in a positive way.

The recipient must be at least 18 years of age and be willing to sign a release that will allow FNC to use their picture or likeness in video and print. The recipient must also be willing to agree to four follow up interviews to be conducted quarterly for the four quarters following his or her award and do a follow up story for our media partners and our website.

Selection Procedure:
We will find prospective recipients through partnerships within the local media, both television and print. Seven days before a scheduled event we will request our media contacts identify an eligible family or individual that we could assist through our fund raising events. Five days prior to the event, a description of the tragedy and the potential beneficiaries” immediate needs will be completed along with the necessary releases executed by all three potential beneficiaries.
Four days before the event, an email will go out to all Fanatical Change members and affiliates with a bio of each individual or family and a description of the recent tragedy they have endured. Members and affiliates will respond by casting electronic votes, deciding which potential beneficiaries will receive benefit from FCF.

On the day before the event at 10am, voting will be closed and all the votes will be counted and the beneficiary identified. On the fifth day we will have our fundraising event for the individual that everyone voted for.

We're Dreaming About Volunteers

Volunteer! Get involved touching lives!

People begin volunteering to help others, but continue to volunteer because of the benefits it brings to their own lives.FCF is providing opportunities to society’s neediest citizens to improve their life circumstances. Whatever your interest or available time is, this is a common mission we can all share and work toward together. The FCF volunteer program is created to get your help to make sure our events are humming along without a hitch. Take part into greeting people at the FCF upcoming events. Help us with the event admission or with the silent art auction. We have several opportunities that might fit your expertise and interest. Contact us! We are always looking for good people like you. Person interested in volunteering can complete our online volunteer application available for our volunteer opportunities.

Get involved! Enroll in the FCF Volunteer Program today.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A Word to Our Sponsors!

Dear Friend of The Fanatical Change Foundation:

On Thursday, March 26th, 2009, between the hours of 6pm to 9pm, over 300 guests will attend the Fanatical Change Foundation’s premier Keep the Change event at the exclusive 2610 (located at its namesake address of 2610 Sage, Houston, Texas 77056) to christen the mission of our charitable organization. Throughout the evening, guests will be able to enjoy a silent auction of art provided by the Art Institute, raffles of prizes, hors d’oeuvres and drinks and the company of individuals and local captains of business like yourself who desire to see a change in Houston and how charity works.

Our mission is simple and focused. Fanatical Change Foundation hosts events in order to raise funds to provide life-changing assistance to families who just suffered a life-altering tragedy where donors can personally witness the impact of their donations immediately following the fundraising event. If you donate money to a huge non-profit, your funds oftentimes can seem to not make a real impact because they are spread so thin. We want to “change” all that and provide a way for Houstonians to donate money, know who receives the benefit of those funds before they give, and see the family accepting it right after the donation. In this, Fanatical Change Foundation seeks to restore the intimacy of charitable giving between donor and recipient.

Your support as a sponsor will help underwrite a significant aspect of our premier Keep the Change event’s fundraising challenge. Your company can commit to change by sponsoring/donating at either the $500.00, $1,000.00 or $2,500.00 level. In exchange for your generous contribution, you will receive recognition on printed event materials, including signage and our website.

If you have any questions, please contact Preston Cherry at 713.561.8100 or Matthew Wright at 713.454.9508. We realize that you have a choice in where you direct your funds and that many budgets have been cut back because of the financial crisis. However, in the recent words of Bill Gates to his foundation’s partners, charitable giving is now even more crucial “otherwise we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives.” We thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,

Preston Cherry
Fundraising Committee Co-Chair

Matthew Wright
Fundraising Committee Co-Chair