This written assignment is submitted by Ifeoma Kings on April 28th 2020

as part of the peer-review section of the Design Thinking For Innovation course offered by University of Virginia.

CROWDSOURCING A CHURCH FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY

1. Challenge:

I am leading the youth community at my church, and I proposed we hold a fundraising activity to raise funds to  support the education of a few students from the underprivileged society nearby. The proceeds were to go towards  helping the children with new uniforms, getting them school supplies (like a school bag, notebooks, textbooks,  stationery, etc) and paying their tuition fees.    The church members are used to donating money for church-associated charity organizations, reconstruction and  remodelling of the church, construction of new projects, tithe and several other avenues. They sometimes feel that  the youth does not have their priorities in the right place, and so, the adults are not likely to want to invest time and  money into a youth-led programme, regardless of the value it provides and to who.

2. Selection & Application:

Several design thinking tools like Visualization, Story Telling, Mind Mapping and Learning Launch came into play –  albeit in a mixed blend.    Surveys & Data Gathering  I spoke to the students I intended to help, to understand what it is they need the most and stands in the way of their  education. I spoke to the church leaders to understand who the major donors were and what kind of causes they  tended to contribute to. I interviewed several donors to understand what attracts them to want to donate to a cause,  and how that experience could be improved. I spoke to the school the children attended, to NGOs and to social  workers, to understand the school’s fee structure and how much it would cost to sponsor a child for a month.    Brainstorming & Ideation  I divided the youth group into several smaller teams, and asked each of them to come up with 3 ideas of how to rase  funds. Each team spent 30 mins deciding on their 3 ways, and after the stipulated time, each team read out their  solutions to the rest. As each solution was read, I noted all the idea titles on the board.    Consensus Building  There were several ideas on the board, and we had to collectively decide the one(s) we would follow through to  execution.    From donation-led community support projects (e.g. collecting trash and repainting old walls) to special programs and  seasonal events (e.g. family fun days, game nights, theme parties, Easter concert, instrument recitals, etc.) to weekly  sales (e.g. brownies, lunch packets, etc.) to competitions (e.g. chili cook-offs) to auctions to paid workshops (e.g. arts &  crafts, bookmark making, finger painting, etc.), ideas were aplenty.     I encouraged them to explore the personas of the different people in our church so that we could understand the  target audience who would be our potential donors.     We explored the patterns and themes in all of our ideas, and divided them into sections like : QUICK BUT EXPENSIVE,  LOW-COST BUT TIME-CONSUMING, GOOD IDEA BUT LONG-DRAWN PROCESS, QUICK AND LOW-COST, EASY WITH  HIGH RISK OF FAILURE, DIFFICULT WITH HIGH RISK OF SUCCESS, etc.

3. Planning & Executing the Learning Launch:

Under each category, we highlighted the best idea that we all agreed upon. I liked the idea that I had suggested the  most, and while many agreed with me, they also wanted to pursue their own ideas. To make sure everyone’s voice  was heard, we picked 5 of the best ideas and divided ourselves into groups. We made it a competition within the  youth of who could raise the most money. This added an element of fun within the group, and original challenge of  fundraising became a game of who could score more.

This written assignment is submitted by Ifeoma Kings on April 28th 2020

as part of the peer-review section of the Design Thinking For Innovation course offered by University of Virginia.

The group I was in followed my idea, and we ended up raising the most money. 85% of the total money raised came  from our fundraising idea which ran only on one Sunday, whereas other teams saw their ideas take place on multiple  Sundays.    The idea itself was very simple. We placed slips of paper in a pouch, and on each slip of paper, we wrote in a small  amount of money and what it was an equivalent to, e.g. INR 5 (a pencil), INR 10 (a bag of chips), INR 25 (1 kilo of  tomatoes), INR 35 (a bottle of soda), INR 40 (a Cornetto cone), INR 55 (1 kilo of onions), etc. These ranged from INR 5  to INR 55 in multiples of 5, along with one chit that said INR 0.    We picked the Sunday that saw the maximum attendance, and after service, we went around asking people to pick a  slip from the pouch – without telling them the context behind it. As people did so, they asked us what the numbers (0,  5, 10, 15 …. 55) meant. When we told them that the number on the slip they picked was the very minimum that could  decide to donate to our cause to sponsor a lesser-privileged child for a month, we saw an overwhelmingly positive  response.

4. Results, Insight and Observation from the Learning Launch:

By targeting parents after the service, it brought into perspective for them that the same money that would go  towards buying their child a packet of chips could go towards giving another child a chance at an education.     Our group saw many fat wallets and bigger hearts open up that Sunday. Upon learning that sponsoring a single child  cost INR 800, we saw several donors pick chits of INR 5 and joyfully donate up to INR 500. Some picked up the chit that  said INR 0 and went onto paying the whole INR 800. We saw that parents of at least one female child were open to  donating more than other parents. We discovered that by asking for small amounts, people organically felt like  donating larger amounts for the cause.    The idea itself cost next-to-nothing and required no time and effort prior to execution. The fundraising amount  generated was an unprecedented success, and we sponsored three times the number of students we expected to be  able to and for much longer periods. Every team was able to execute the idea they believed in the most, and so  everyone feels like equal action was taken for everyone’s opinion. The other ideas were put into a year-long calendar  to be executed step by step over time. Every donor felt good, and almost every churchgoer was voluntarily a donor  that Sunday because it was affordable.

5. Alternative Approach & Final Remarks:

I would better the strategy taken last time by approaching an NGO that is responsible for and looks after such students  from lesser-blessed societies to be able to track and monitor how each child is doing. I would like create content  around this to let donors know how the children they sponsored were doing so that they can see tangible results.    During my research, I realized that there are other hurdles as well, from a shortage of accessible bathrooms, lack of  electricity and safe water supply, unemployed parents who cannot afford to send children to school, poor lighting and  deplorable housing conditions. These could also be ways we could ensure the ecosystem these school-children are  living in can be bettered so that they are able to further their education in the best way possible.    I would also consider using social media as a tool for this, to bring awareness to the needs of the community around  us, to shine light on the initiatives undertaken by our youth community and highlight our church as promoters of  nation-building and supporters of accessible and affordable education for all.    By linking our page to a random number generator, a payment gateway and opening up the donation drive online, the  outcome can be scaled up by opening up the program to a larger and distributed audience.


This written assignment is submitted by Ifeoma Kings on April 28th 2020 as part of the peer - review section of the Design Thinking For Innovation course offered by University of Virginia . CROWDSOURCING A CHURCH FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY 1 . Challenge : I am leading the youth community at my church , and I proposed we hold a fundraising activity to raise funds to support the education of a few students from the underprivileged society nearby . The proceeds were to go towards helping the children with new uniforms , getting them school supplies ( like a school bag , notebooks , textbooks , stationery , etc ) and paying their tuition fees . The church members are used to donating money for church - associated charity organizations , reconstruction and remodelling of the church , construction of new projects , tithe and several other avenues . They sometimes feel that the youth does not have their priorities in the right place , and so , the adults are not likely to want to invest time and money into a youth - led programme , regardless of the value it provides and to who . 2 . Selection & Application : Several design thinking tools like Visualization , Story Telling , Mind Mapping and Learning Launch came into play – albeit in a mixed blend . Surveys & Data Gathering I spoke to the students I intended to help , to understand what it is they need the most and stands in the way of their education . I spoke to the church leaders to understand who the major donors were and what kind of causes they tended to contribute to . I interviewed several donors to understand what attracts them to want to donate to a cause , and how that experience could be improved . I spoke to the school the children attended , to NGOs and to social workers , to understand the school ’s fee structure and how much it would cost to sponsor a child for a month . Brainstorming & Ideation I divided the youth group into several smaller teams , and asked each of them to come up with 3 ideas of how to rase funds . Each team spent 30 mins deciding on their 3 ways , and after the stipulated time , each team read out their solutions to the rest . As each solution was read , I noted all the idea titles on the board . Consensus Building There were several ideas on the board , and we had to collectively decide the one(s ) we would follow through to execution . From donation - led community support projects ( e.g. collecting trash and repainting old walls ) to special programs and seasonal events ( e.g. family fun days , game nights , theme parties , Easter concert , instrument recitals , etc . ) to weekly sales ( e.g. brownies , lunch packets , etc . ) to competitions ( e.g. chili cook - offs ) to auctions to paid workshops ( e.g. arts & crafts , bookmark making , finger painting , etc . ) , ideas were aplenty . I encouraged them to explore the personas of the different people in our church so that we could understand the target audience who would be our potential donors . We explored the patterns and themes in all of our ideas , and divided them into sections like : QUICK BUT EXPENSIVE , LOW - COST BUT TIME - CONSUMING , GOOD IDEA BUT LONG - DRAWN PROCESS , QUICK AND LOW - COST , EASY WITH HIGH RISK OF FAILURE , DIFFICULT WITH HIGH RISK OF SUCCESS , etc . 3 . Planning & Executing the Learning Launch : Under each category , we highlighted the best idea that we all agreed upon . I liked the idea that I had suggested the most , and while many agreed with me , they also wanted to pursue their own ideas . To make sure everyone ’s voice was heard , we picked 5 of the best ideas and divided ourselves into groups . We made it a competition within the youth of who could raise the most money . This added an element of fun within the group , and original challenge of fundraising became a game of who could score more . This written assignment is submitted by Ifeoma Kings on April 28th 2020 as part of the peer - review section of the Design Thinking For Innovation course offered by University of Virginia . The group I was in followed my idea , and we ended up raising the most money . 85 % of the total money raised came from our fundraising idea which ran only on one Sunday , whereas other teams saw their ideas take place on multiple Sundays . The idea itself was very simple . We placed slips of paper in a pouch , and on each slip of paper , we wrote in a small amount of money and what it was an equivalent to , e.g. INR 5 ( a pencil ) , INR 10 ( a bag of chips ) , INR 25 ( 1 kilo of tomatoes ) , INR 35 ( a bottle of soda ) , INR 40 ( a Cornetto cone ) , INR 55 ( 1 kilo of onions ) , etc . These ranged from INR 5 to INR 55 in multiples of 5 , along with one chit that said INR 0 . We picked the Sunday that saw the maximum attendance , and after service , we went around asking people to pick a slip from the pouch – without telling them the context behind it . As people did so , they asked us what the numbers ( 0 , 5 , 10 , 15 … . 55 ) meant . When we told them that the number on the slip they picked was the very minimum that could decide to donate to our cause to sponsor a lesser - privileged child for a month , we saw an overwhelmingly positive response . 4 . Results , Insight and Observation from the Learning Launch : By targeting parents after the service , it brought into perspective for them that the same money that would go towards buying their child a packet of chips could go towards giving another child a chance at an education . Our group saw many fat wallets and bigger hearts open up that Sunday . Upon learning that sponsoring a single child cost INR 800 , we saw several donors pick chits of INR 5 and joyfully donate up to INR 500 . Some picked up the chit that said INR 0 and went onto paying the whole INR 800 . We saw that parents of at least one female child were open to donating more than other parents . We discovered that by asking for small amounts , people organically felt like donating larger amounts for the cause . The idea itself cost next - to - nothing and required no time and effort prior to execution . The fundraising amount generated was an unprecedented success , and we sponsored three times the number of students we expected to be able to and for much longer periods . Every team was able to execute the idea they believed in the most , and so everyone feels like equal action was taken for everyone ’s opinion . The other ideas were put into a year - long calendar to be executed step by step over time . Every donor felt good , and almost every churchgoer was voluntarily a donor that Sunday because it was affordable . 5 . Alternative Approach & Final Remarks : I would better the strategy taken last time by approaching an NGO that is responsible for and looks after such students from lesser - blessed societies to be able to track and monitor how each child is doing . I would like create content around this to let donors know how the children they sponsored were doing so that they can see tangible results . During my research , I realized that there are other hurdles as well , from a shortage of accessible bathrooms , lack of electricity and safe water supply , unemployed parents who can not afford to send children to school , poor lighting and deplorable housing conditions . These could also be ways we could ensure the ecosystem these school - children are living in can be bettered so that they are able to further their education in the best way possible . I would also consider using social media as a tool for this , to bring awareness to the needs of the community around us , to shine light on the initiatives undertaken by our youth community and highlight our church as promoters of nation - building and supporters of accessible and affordable education for all . By linking our page to a random number generator , a payment gateway and opening up the donation drive online , the outcome can be scaled up by opening up the program to a larger and distributed audience .