Calling all HOBOs, I have a question, and idea really. I think we could use our whacky ideas and our fun times for a good cause. I think we should/could start a charitable organization! Yes, you hear the Giant right, we could play a role in helping our fellow brethren.
I am not sure how everyone is going to take to this idea, HOBOS doing good? Yes. Right now I am in the idea stage and I have a lot of ideas. I will attempt to list a couple of my ideas by category, as follows:
Why?
Because we can.
How to begin?
It's simple, we could link up with other local organizations/government and either:
a)just give them all proceeds raised, or
b)start our own organization and spend the money in a charitable fashion how we see fit (as long is it is for good purposes)
For What Purpose?
Here are a few ideas, obviously this is open for more ideas and discussion:
Fundraising
Coordination
Possible Names
Well this is probably going to depend on what the organization is trying to accomplish, but here are a few
Again, we could just forgo all of the 501(c)(3) stuff and just find a good local organization that we believe in and give all the money to them. This may be easier, but maybe not as much fun.
Well, that's it. Let me know what you all think. Maybe I am going overboard here, but I thought I had a stroke of genius this afternoon when I thought of it.
Another idea: A HOBO sale - I don't know if this would work but we could have a kind of garage/street sale with all proceeds going to the organization. If we got started on it we could even get locals to donate goods for the sale. We could make it an auction to. I could donate photos, and I could comeup with other stuff too I am sure.
Oh, I just noticed that I didn't mention this. 501(c)(3) is the legal/tax name given to charitable organizations. We could start the charitable org by filling out the right forms, stating our purpose, etc.. All we have to do then is to abide by the rules of how these orgs are run and voila. I can do research on this part. This is all necessary to allow donations to be tax deductions. We might even be able to set it up so that donations will be tax credits for the Michigan return, meaning any dollar given to the org will be given back by the state when taxes are filed. I would have to do some more research though to see if it is possible.
giant with a GIANT idea!
I think that there is really some potential for some of these ideas. I know that it would really help kick up the recognition of the HOBOS and all that we are. I believe that this fourth is going to be yet another unbelievable year.
I am sure we could get some of the things started. It is tough because I am so far away from the area but I am sure that I could still get involved by the people I know. The beaty of internet!!!
I am interested in the respose we get.
with anything like this we will have to watch how silly some of this gets.(our events,representing charity cant be anything bad) but hey we can blame it on " I am doing this for charity"
marbles
p.s. Does anybody help out with Habitat for Humanity?? could get some ideas from there. "Big Brothers and Big Sisters" maybe. YMCA could have some ideas.
While I respect your ideas and generosity...I personally have no ambition to do charity work....you can call me selfish. If I'm doing work...I'm getting paid.
This is a good thought, if a bit broad in scope. I don't believe that changing the mission of HOBO so drastically will fly. However, I've always felt that taking a limited community service role would add some legitimacy to our endeavors.
The way that I could see this working, would be to start really small. Purely for example's sake, let's say we have a donation bin while we give away free hot dogs, then give all the money to a charitable organization. This would be a nice gesture without requiring a lot of effort on our part, since this is something we would do for free anyway. If things go well, maybe we could continue and possibly expand our efforts.
I think that shooting too high would be a mistake and would ultimately fail. Charities depend on very dedicated people with a shared vision about making a difference. Frankly, we are not that dedicated, organized, or motivated to put something like that together. Honestly, we really just want to get drunk and have fun.
Do I think it would be a good idea for us to raise some money for a good cause?
ABSOLUTELY!
...but we should start with a minimal drain on our time and resources. Let's keep the vision small.
If we can get drunk and have fun AND do some good along the way, all the better. Having participated in/run several organizations for different purposes in the past, it IS a big committment/pain in the ass to do "on the side" but I think we're creative enough to follow through on this side in spirit while minimizing the overhead!
An idea for fund-raising:
Sponsor's for the Mustache Contest.
Each participant would find people to sponsor individual "days of growth" by selling them for a dollar a day. Every day that is purchased corresponds to the number of days you have to grow your stache. You sell $10 worth = "10 days of growth".
This would serve two purposes. It would level the playing field by putting a limit on the number of days someone can grow their stache, and it would also raise money. For example, i would not be able to grow my stache for 3 months this year unless i found $90 in sponsor money.
I think that Giant is onto something good, especially something that as GMac said, could legitimize the whole operation. But I agree with starting small and seeing where that leads us. I like the idea of a donation bin at some events and the sponsoring of competitors in whatever contest is taking place. As a child of the King and Queen, I am biased towards education as the charity of choice, but since many of us come from different school systems, I'm not sure if that would work. Any road, I think that an element of community service is a good goal for any fraternal organization.
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