Will we get together as a group for our reunion?
YES! We will have a kickoff party on July 20, and a dedication event on the last day. Everyone is invited, even if you are not able to help with the build. There is no charge for either of these events. Dinner will be served at the kickoff party and there will be a cash bar and a band.
Where and when will we build the house?
The lot is near Central High School, right behind the Civic Center. Our build dates are July 21-29, 2012. We plan to break each day into two segments of four hours each, so we will be done by 5:00 each day, hopefully.
Can we really build the house in one week?
The groundwork will all be completed before we arrive. On day one, we will be raising walls. Each day we will break into teams and each team will have a team leader who will keep the project on track. In the event that we aren’t able to complete the house because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, we will hold the dedication ceremony on the last day as planned, and those of us who are available will finish the project.
Who will live in the house?
Habitat will choose the family based on eligibility. However, if we know of someone who might meet the requirements, we can encourage them to apply. The Habitat office is located in the Wells Fargo building across from the YMCA. You can get more information on eligibility on the Habitat website.
How are we going to pay for this project?
We are raising money through donations and special fundraising activities. Donations of goods and services will also be applied to our $50,000 fundraising goal.
What if I can’t be here for the whole week?
You are welcome to attend as much or as little as you wish. There will be something for everyone to do, even if you have no idea what to do with a hammer and a nail or a paintbrush. We just need some idea when everyone is planning to be there so we can organize our teams accordingly. Please let us know in advance what days you plan to help, and if you will work in the morning, afternoon, or both.
What types of fundraising activities will there be?
***
We are having a fundraiser at Chili’s on January 17th and 19th. Chili’s will donate 10% of your ticket on those days if you show them a voucher. Vouchers were sent to everyone who is on our e-mail list. Contact us by email if you need one. Sneffjarvi@aol.com
***On the third Monday of every month between now and July Pauly’s Subs on West Main will donate 10% of their sales from 4-9 pm. So, mark your calendars for February 20, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, and July 16 and make it a point to grab supper at Pauly’s.
***On Tuesday, April 3 we will be having a fundraising dinner, music,, and silent pie auction at Dakota Middle School in our old third floor gym. We need volunteers to sponsor a table of 8. Sponsors will invite enough people to fill the table and will bring an assigned menu item for the buffet meal. No charge for the meal. Hopefully our guests will feel moved enough about our project to make a donation or bid on a pie at the silent auction. T-shirts will also be available for sale at the dinner. Please contact us ASAP if you want to sponsor a table. If you don’t live here, but you think your parents or local family members might like to join us, let us know and we’ll invite them.
***We have an ongoing eBay charitable auction. This project is great for people who don’t live close enough to participate in the local fundraisers. You can buy or sell items on the auction site, and all of the money is handled electronically. You choose the percentage you wish to donate for the items you sell. This is a tax deductible donation.
All of the proceeds from the fundraisers will be used for materials for the house. We are also selling T-shirts. The proceeds from the T-shirts will be used to help defray expenses incurred by the Class of 1977 for the parties, postage, printing, etc.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes. All of the donations to Habitat are tax deductible, including the items you sell on the eBay auction.
Tell me more about the eBay auction.
It’s easy to buy and sell items on our eBay auction site. Anyone can participate in this fundraiser. You don’t have to be a member of our class to buy or sell on this site, but all of the money donated will go to our project. It’s amazing what people will buy. Think of it as a worldwide flea market. You can also think of it as a way to chip away at all of that extra stuff you have packed in the basement and the attic. Remember, one man’s junk……..
The instructions on eBay are pretty easy to follow. All you need is a Pay Pal account. Once you are set up as a seller on eBay, you just list your item, choose Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity as your charity, and decide what percentage you wish to donate. EBay will notify you when the item sells and again when the buyer has made the payment. When you receive notice from eBay that the buyer has paid for the item, you will be able to print a packing list and shipping label from your computer. This also generates a tracking number so your buyer can know when to expect it and you will know when it is delivered. It is very easy. You pay for the postage via Pay Pal with the money you received from the buyer. Once the transaction is completed, your donation will be sent to Habitat directly from your Pay Pal account. Most of the insertion fees are waived for the listings. You might have to pay a few cents for extra pictures or enhancements to your listings.
You will have a donation account on eBay and will be able to keep track of all of your selling activity. They will even provide you with a receipt for your income tax.
A few suggestions……
When deciding how much of the proceeds to contribute, bear in mind that there may be some minor costs incurred in the listing. You could choose to donate 80% or 90% of the proceeds and save back a little to cover those costs. That way you can still donate without any out of pocket expenditures.
Know in advance how you plan to ship the item and how much the package weighs. Buyer pays for shipping, so you need to include the shipping cost when you list the item. The easiest way is to use the flat rate boxes. You can estimate shipping for your listing, but if the shipping price you list doesn’t turn out to be the actual cost to ship, then you either make up the difference or you make a little extra money. Also, you have the option to exclude certain areas of the world from your auction, so you can choose to just sell things in the continental US. That makes it much easier for shipping purposes.
Include as much information as possible in the listing and be as honest as you can about the items you are selling. If you don’t know all of the details about an item, admit it and let the buyer know the item is being sold as is. Sometimes it pays to spend a little extra money to include more than one picture.
Ship the item as soon as possible after the buyer pays.
Listings last for 7 days. If the item doesn’t sell the first time, it just takes a couple of clicks to relist it and try again.
I have an item for the auction, but I don’t want to list it myself. Can I just donate the item?
YES! We can list the item on eBay for you, but can’t guarantee that you will be able to get a tax deduction for the donation. We are checking into this. If you can get the item to one of the committee members, we will be glad to sell it on the auction site. We will not be responsible for returning it to you if it doesn’t sell.
Can I just make a cash donation?
YES! There are four ways you can donate electronically. We have a Chip-in widget that will allow you to donate securely with a credit card or via Pay Pal. You can find the widget on the blog and on the Habitat website. You can also find it on the Chip-In website. The widget has a thermometer to track our progress, but unfortunately, it only tracks the donations that are made this way. The eBay auction site also has a tab that will allow you to make a donation without having to buy or sell anything.
Chip-In site: http://project77.chipin.com/project-77-build
Habitat:
http://blackhillshabitat.org/Events/project-77.html
EBay : http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=50641
You can donate directly to Habitat. Indicate Project 77 on your check.
Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity/Project 77
825 Saint Joseph Street,
Rapid City, SD 57701.
P.O. Box 402
Hill City, SD 57745
Donations made via the Chip-in Widget online will be tracked with a thermometer. Habitat is working on a way to build another thermometer on the Habitat website that will add all of the donations received through direct donations, eBay, and the other fundraisers. That is a work in progress and we will keep you posted.
What if we don’t meet our fundraising goal?
We won’t have as much money to spend on materials. But remember, goods and services are included in our fundraising goals. Every little bit helps. We are going to build this house. If everyone helps even just a little bit, the results will be amazing.
How can I stay in the loop?
Updates and pictures will be posted on our blog site and on our Facebook group page. Central High School also has an alumni website where we can post information. Emails will be sent to everyone who has provided a valid email address. Due to the high cost of postage, we are trying to avoid mass mailings. So, if you haven’t responded to the initial letter that was sent out in November and you aren’t on our e-mail list, you will probably not hear from us again.
Email address: sneffjarvi@aol.com
RCCHS Alumni website: http://www.alumniclass.com/centralhighsd/members/reunions
I can’t get into the Facebook group page.
Our Facebook group is a closed group which means you have to be added by a member. If you are on FB and can’t access the group, just ask one of your friends on FB who is a member to add you.
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