In yesterday’s post, I talked about how my Writing for Nonprofits classmates and I hosted fundraiser at Panera Bread to benefit Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. I also mentioned that later in the week, we did another fundraiser, an open mic night.
Our class recognized that the right restaurant fundraiser can bring in a lot of money toward a good cause. However, we didn’t want to solely rely on restaurant fundraisers, so the half of the class that wasn’t responsible for putting together our Panera fundraiser organized an open mic night for McDaniel students and performers from outside of McDaniel.
The open mic night planning group was responsible for booking equipment, creating flyers, recruiting performers, and promoting the event. Unfortunately, because they inadvertently planned the open mic night for the Friday night before Easter, only about 25 people came to the event.
However, while smile, our open mic night was mighty. The people who performed were seriously talented. Two women gave spoken word performances of their original poems. A string trio consisting of a guitar, a mandolin, and a cello performed Civil War-era jigs and other folk music. Representatives from Common Ground on the Hill sang a Pete Seeger song and an Appalachian folk song, playing steel guitar and banjo. One student belly danced and another did a fun guitar cover of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up.” A few brave students even volunteered to read poems after the pre-scheduled performers were finished. I would have to say that the two poets at the beginning, the string trio, and the Arcade Fire cover were my favorite performances of the evening.
The entrance fee for this event was only $2, and even though only about 25 people showed up, we managed to raise over $100 thanks to the extra generosity of attendees who probably aren’t students. I’m thrilled to say that this event and our Panera event raised nearly $350 to donate to Walk a Mile! I’m so proud of us!
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