Hello Friends!!! I am SO excited about this post! Sarah from Dolly Donations is here to share with us her experience of raising funds and using her blog for good!!! I was SO impressed when I came upon Sarah's blog and website and learned about her charity work of sewing dolls for kids across the world. I have so wanted to use the blog for a good purpose and I have already learned so much from Sarah and what she has offered to us as bloggers and to also the children in Haiti.
Please take a moment to visit her blog and website and see if this is something that interests you. It is so fun to get involved and share! You can find Dolly Donations here and Sarah's whimsical, creative blog here.
And now, here is the question/answer discussion I had with Sarah! My words are in purple. Enjoy!
1. How did you get involved in the Dolly Donation for Haiti and what is the status now of the project given the current situational events surrounding the earthquake?
After my daughter’s first Christmas last year I was overwhelmed by how many toys she received. I wanted to find a way I could help children who have nothing by sending them their very own dolly. And then the Haiti Earth Quake hit and I knew I had my first mission.
Unfortunately Haiti is still in turmoil. It took our first batch of 550+ dolls 3 months to get through customs and into the arms of the children. But they made it!! I don’t expect it to be any easier when Free The Kids sends out our dolls in November, but I know they’ll fight to get them their by Christmas.
And my Active Dolly Drive Information can be found here: Free The Kids Haiti Doll Drive http://dollydonations.
2. What insight have you learned as you have used the internet to organize this great charity project?
Wow, I have learnt so much! I had never blogged before January and I love it! I have met so many wonderfully creative and compassionate women from all over the world.
Here’s a quick list for beginner charity bloggers:
Pick a blog name that makes sense, but doesn’t limit your endeavors.
Link in to everything!!! Twitter, Flicker, Facebook …. People have a variety of ways of hearing about you then. Use the same name as your blog everywhere … yup, get a gmail account with it in …… don’t confuse people!
Make buttons that link back to your blog that are simple, eye-catching and tell people what you are trying to accomplish. E.g. Dolly Donations: Sending Love, 1 Dolly at a Time!
A picture says a thousand words …. Use photos, people don’t have time to read everything you want to say, no matter how important it might be!
Always treat others how you wish to be treated. If people link to you, drop by their blog and say thanks and have a look around, you’ll be amazed who you’ll find!
Ignore statistics! Who cares how many people viewed your blog, it’s quality not quality at the end of the day…….
Oh and ….. Reply to Comments …. That’s how you make friends!
3. Can you share with us one of your current creative projects that you are featuring on your new blog?
I love to recycle! Those that know me well say that it isn’t a passion for me, it’s an obsession!
I couldn’t get over how expensive doll houses were for my little girl so I decided to make an Eco Friendly Doll House. So on my new personal blog Dolls And Daydreams http://dollsanddaydreams.
Now anyone can turn a cardboard box into a house (or barn!) for each of their children to customize themselves.
I’m currently having a Giveaway (http://dollsanddaydreams.
Thanks so much, take care and Happy Crafting!!
Thank you Sarah!!! Be sure to check out Sarah's give-away and also visit our give-away for children's book "Clementine, Monkey Princess"
-CK
It's a wonderful project! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, love this project! I have a charitable foundation (www.teamabby.com) that provides Care Bags for NICU babies and their families. We still need about 80 "loveys" for the bags by January 1st. I'd love any advice you could give about how to find people who would like to make and donate them!
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