What You Should Know About Planning a CCF Fundraiser

Have you ever wondered if you could make a difference in cheetah conservation? I have some good news for you – you can! If you are reading this, you are probably inspired by the work that CCF does everyday, just like I am. I made a choice that I wanted to be a part of that change. I asked myself, “how can I share my passion for this with my community in a unique way?” I sat down with a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down the first ten words that came to mind. Out of these words, the three words I was able to connect from this list were art, wine, and cheetah.

The first thing I did was write up a short proposal on my idea to host a wine and paint night fundraiser for CCF and made sure to include what inspired me about this and how excited I was. I didn’t expect to hear back so quickly, but Heather, the Chapter Liaison and Communications Assistant at CCF, responded within a day. We chatted about the idea and she helped with every step of the planning. I did some research and found a locally owned art studio, Cool Creations Pottery Studio and Cafe, in the coastal community of Pacific Beach in San Diego, CA.

Once I proposed my idea to them, they couldn’t wait to get involved! We set a date to have a wine and cheetah painting night and the inviting began. I created a facebook post to invite friends and family, Cool Creations Pottery Studio and Cafe posted the event on their website calendar, and CCF posted details on their website and instagram pages. Heather sent me a box of awesome CCF items to share with everyone at the event. I shared newsletters, brochures, postcards, and rubber bracelets. The guests were especially excited about the door prizes which I raffled off at the end of the event. These prizes included a CCF hat, a purring cheetah, and Dr. Laurie Marker’s book “A Future for Cheetahs.” What a hit!

It was so exciting sharing my passion for cheetah conservation with my community. Seeing the looks on everyone’s faces as we painted the cheetah and talked about why this species is so important in Namibia is exactly why I did this fundraiser. It was remarkable to see how engaged everyone was throughout the process of painting their own cheetah, and how they built their own connections to this conservation issue.

By now, you are probably wondering what the outcome of this event was? We ended up selling 20 tickets for the event and raised $150 in donations during and after the event through the online donation page that CCF created for me. I feel awesome with how it went and can’t wait to plan another one in the near future. Until next time…