Hi, For those of you who have participated in the past and would like to participate this year we are a bit more organized in the annual charity donations to honor Dean. We'd like to try a fanfic fund raiser for those who would like to participate a story or donate to Mending Kids International to honor Dean this year, we started an official group. We call ourselves Friends Across Continents Together, or Friends Act. We have a yahoo mailing list an a web page that I am still working out.

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Friends_Who_Act/

For those either interested in joining in the fun to write for charity or those who are intersted in donating come see us at the above address.

I saw Dean in Vegas and told him we were doing this for him and would continue to do so every year because he is such a great guy and we love him. I got a thanks for all and a hug. He said it really is a worthy cause. Their site is at mendingkids.org

You guys write so well! Please help us to raise money for this cause and to honor our deano! thanks. Laura

Are you selling the stories somewhere? How does writing one equate to donating? Wouldn't that violate copyright laws since since the author would then be (technically) getting something for writing the story?

I checked the link you gave, but I didn't see anything about writing stories as a fundraiser.

Hi, No one has done anything yet and I am open to any suggestions as to how to do it. We were thinking maybe starting some kind of fund raiser for the charity. Maybe someone can donate a fic to be auctioned and the money be sent to the charity and the fic be given to the person who purchased it for say a certain period of time. I know other fandoms and this fandom have done something similar to support their cause. It is still in the baby stages. So far no one has offered to write, but I hope they do. Dean is a great guy to honor and the children are certainly a good cause. Any suggestions as to how and go about it would be appreciated. Thanks. Laura

I would like to point out two things if I may:

1. I think it could be disheartening if an author works hard on their story and gets no bids and/or someone pays 50 cents for it.

And

2. Selling other people's work could be considered copyright infringment.

I personally think people should just donate if they want to, and that be that. It isn't even a milestone birthday year. But that's just my opinion.

Giving all these copyright things that people keep bringing up, I'm wondering what loophole people use for the fundraiser to mantain the boards.

Is it like give the suggested donation to the board and recieve the cd of goodies?

alcyone

So how do you guys do the DVD thing here. I was thinking of maybe more on the lines of that. Stories for a DVD to raise funds for the kids. The authors would still be given all writing credit, they would just donate a story for the DVD to be for the fundraiser. Isn't this what we do here? I bought one here to raise money. There was no infringement I think. Why was there some trouble with the DVD we bought from this site that I am not informed of? It would simply be a donation by the person who wrote the story, to go on a fund raising CD to raise money for Mending Kids. But I am open to any idea you guys have. Of course you can just donate straight out to the charity as well. And please if you want to donate a story that would be great!

No loophole at all. The stories (and other material) on the Fundraiser DVD were given to those who made a donation to the boards included in the fundraiser. It wasn't so much sold for cash as it was a free gift given to those who gave cash and would have done anyway. A thank you for their donation. An added extra, if you will.

Most importantly, all of the boards receiving monies are non-profit-making and no one benefited personally from the cash.

Technically, this still breaches copyright, but only in the same way as anything posted on this forum or any other media-based website does. Technically, we breach copyright every time we post a story part or music video or photo from the show. And most copyright holders traditionally turn a blind eye if it's for a non-profit-making cause. So the Fundraiser DVD is pretty much in the same category as what we do every day of the week.

Laurach, I think the difference between our fundraiser DVD and what you seem to be talking about is that you want to sell the DVD of stories to raise cash for the charity. That probably means you'd put a fixed price on the DVD and that would get sticky, I think.

However, you can achieve much the same ends by doing as we did. Don't sell the DVD. Just let people know that you'd like them to send in a donation - the amount of which is up to them - and that each donation will receive a free gift of the DVD as a thank you, to encourage participation.

As an addendum to that, I'm not sure if we set a minimum limit for the DVD. We may have done - my memory is hazy. You might want to do that so that you encourage a reasonable donation in exchange for the gift. I can't remember, if we did set a limit, what it was, but I shouldn't think it was very high.


LabRat

Labby, IIRC it was $25US.
C

Thanks so much Labby, that is such a helpful idea. Of course we would have to have people willing to donate stories first. They would have to feel that Mending Kids International was worthwhile enough for them to help raise money toward it. And since it is done to honor Dean's charitable nature, that would have to be OK with them as well.

I like what Labby suggested. Is there anyone who writes that would feel comfortable and generous enough to write a story to put on a CD or DVD that we can put up for a donation? It is a worthy cause.
Thank you for all your suggestions and help. Laura

If memory serves, the minimum donation to receive a DVD was $10 (US). Anyone on the DVD com want to clarify?

~Anna

I think I remember 10 also. And that would be fine too with me. Anyone want to write for charity? Laura

AWWW! I thought it was 25 and I didn't have 25 at the time, but 10 I probably could have come up with!

Ah well...

Carol

According to this post , the minimum was actually $15 US.

Well what ever it ended up being I know I bought one and enjoyed it. So anyone want to help a childrens charity by donating a story? Laura

Laura, if you're talking about LNC fanfic, you could legitimately start a new thread asking for story donations in the Fanfic Related folder.

I believe more of our members visit that folder than do this one, so you might get more of a response there.

LabRat

Thanks Labby I'll ask. Laura

Well I've asked.
Maybe I am asking wrong?
Not one person seems willing to donate a short story for a fund raiser to help children in need?

I am not sure I understand why. Is it because they don't like the reason for the charity event? 25 of us discussed this last year to do an annual event to honor Dean but also to do something good with our association with each other, to help those in need. Out of that group, so far 6 have joined the list. We have until the middle of July, I hope more people open their hearts to help.

So some how I am thinking that maybe I am asking the wrong way or not being clear or something. I know I am not part of the main folcs on this board, but I have met many of you and I am just curious about the lack of response.

Is there a better way to do this? Is there a person out of the main folcs that will help us?
Thanks for any suggestions. Laura

Laura, I think "donate a story" is a bit vague for most of us. We assume you are talking about L&C fanfiction, right? But what about any general guidelines? Any type of story? How long, short, drabble, etc.

Give us a bit to go on. Also, set down some definite deadlines, like; we would like anyone willing to write to tell us so by such and such a date, and all stories must be submitted to whomever by such and such a date. All I know is that you have some fuzzy mid July date for some sort of action.

Right now, it's still January. I don't feel much pressure to make a commitment for something that isn't needed until July.

A few more details, and a definate proceedure to participate would help.

Tank (who is not adverse to dontating a story, but he currently doesn't really have any decent ideas)

Well, I know why I'm not volunteering and that's because I'm not writing these days.

I have been wondering about the seeming reluctance, too, though, and I wonder if it's because it's one thing to volunteer to write a fanfic for posting here on the mbs - a challenge ficathon for example - an environment where the author feels secure and knows exactly where it is, but quite another to do it for a project that you're not quite sure where it will end up or who is going to read the final product. Out there in the big, wide world, if you like.

When you think about it, that's quite a different prospect and perhaps a bit scarier for some authors to consider. Out of their comfort zone.

I agree with Tank. Perhaps if you pin down the details on what exactly you're looking for, what you intend with the finished stories, who is likely to get a copy of them and so on, that might ease those concerns. If they exist at all, of course, and I'm not just assuming way off beam.

LabRat

I think that's part of it. I'm not opposed to writing one, but I have absolutely no ideas at the moment that might work. I mean I have a couple fics in progress, but I had planned on posting those here etc. I'm not wracking my brain at the moment or anything, but I am keeping one mind's eye open for an idea, but I'd hate to commit to anything right now [see below too]. I do know that I promised Labby one for the fundraiser for the boards and it never materialized, so that's a word of caution too. Just because one is promised doesn't mean it'll materialize .

Definite dates would help, I think [for instance: we'd like to have them by May 15 so we can have specifics to help promote them before our final donation deadline of July 15 in order to have the donation made by Dean's bday on July xx].

Also, it's only been what... 36 hours? since you started posting more specific details [like the FFR thread] so give it a little bit of time - especially since you have some. Not everyone's here every day or even every week sometimes.

Just the thoughts I had...
Carol

Thank you guys! I really appreciate the response and the suggestions. We can limit it to just folcs if you like so no one feels threatened. So it can be the same crowd that got the last one. Do you think May15 would be a good amount of time to get them out to people who donate for them? I am open to any suggestions. I have one person so far that is willing and it sounds as if maybe there are a few more hopeful? Tank you are a very good writer, I am more an artist. I dabbled a few years back but my stuff was pure fluff. I would be ashamed to put my work next to any of the good authors here. It isn't my gift. So having said that, I would love for someone to suggest parameters. I have no clue. What do you guys think would be a good challenge and motivational? And thank you Carol, I was probably being impatient thinking that no one read it or everyone who did rejected the idea. I am glad I was wrong. Thanks again for ideas and suggestions. we need all the help we can get. Laura

I am quite certain you are the only one here who is ever impatient. No one EVER EVER EVER hits refresh 3 minutes after posting a story part to see if there's a FDK folder yet nor do they continue to do so every 5 minutes until 10 minutes before time to post the next story part [because they need to finish getting it ready], stopping only occasionally for sleep breaks [because you can hit refresh and eat at the same time]. Nope not us. No one here.

Carol [who wonders if there's a group for people like that... and if the 12 steps would get interrupted by all the refreshing... perhaps a sister group to FARCE or what ever that fanfic recovery group Pam used to be? is? a part of...]

Okay in all seriousness... I was suggesting May 15 as a possible date for submissions so that you could promote it for the last 2 months or whatever as X number of fanfics! And X number of vids or trailers or whatever else you might include. I would imagine after that point you could send them to whoever's already donated and then to others who do as they donate etc. with some sort of cutoff so that you can organize it all by Dean's bday [the 31? am not sure...] though I don't know how you do it - do you make the donation ON his birthday or just around it in his honor or whatever *shrug* that's up to those running it I suppose... Anyway - there will be some costs involved with it of course - CD/DVDs, labels, cases, etc. not huge but that's something to think about - does someone donate those things or do you take it out of the donation money [cost per item will be fairly low but you probably want to know up front so you can tell folcs or folks $1 or $2 or whatever goes to actually making the CD and shipping it, the rest goes to the charity or that some kind person is donating the supplies/shipping or whatever]. Will you send one to Dean? To the charity to show them what was done to raise the money? [dunno if either one would actually look at it but...]

I would think actual pics of Dean would be out but fanfic posters [to go with the fics - another reason to have an earlyish deadline so the other media folcs would have time - unless you pair some up ahead of time or something - no clue how you might organize that...] or something maybe if someone is so inclined or drawings.

How long before they can be posted on the boards if someone chooses to do so? I think the boards fundraiser was a year but don't hold me to that - the thread referenced above would have more info on that I bet - or search for Fundraiser in the titles of fics because there were a bunch of them all at once.

As for a challenge... maybe a charity challenge? Something to do with a charity or something like that [do lois and clark help habitat for humanity or an in betweenie scene in SG [that one might be extra appropriate given that Dean wrote it and is FABULOUS in it - love little kid CK ] or a charity ball or something]...]

Just some thoughts...

Carol [again , whose little guy born on 7/25 and named Christopher [NOT Chris] just rolled onto his tummy and is seriously not happy about it but can't get back over [nope, there he went and back again and still NOT happy about it] and who now has an idea percolating but just a bare smidge of one - I'm sure something will come to me, yeah that's it...]

Hey Carol that sounds like a great suggestion. OK a Charity fic Challenge. Can we include nfic too? Or would that be sort of too naughty for a charity CD<g> May 15 sounds good. So any artists video people who also would like to contribute something to fund raise that would be great! Also if anyone wants to help organize it either with me or without, I could use the help too. thanks. Laura

Heeeheee - glad it sounds good.

My own thought - though those who did the boards one might be able to give their rationale for whether it was included or not there... - would be no nfic because of the age issue, especially given that it's a charity specifically for kids etc. On the boards/nfic archive, there's procedures in place to keep those underage away from nfic, but I'd be more leery personally of the CD thing... That's just me - I don't read nfic anyway so... *shrug* .
Carol

I remember that we took a definite decision to make the Fundraiser DVD purely gfic, but I can't remember the specifics. I imagine that it was mostly because it offered the DVD to the widest possible audience of potential donors.

LabRat

OK Gfic it is! I think you guys are right. Though I love nfic<g> It probably makes more sense to stay away from it for this. Thanks again. Laura

OOh and PS my e mail is LCME239@optonline.net in case. Yahoo I don't look at daily anymore. Laura

I am just bringing this up to the top in hope that we will get more then 3 people to help with a charity DVD. If not then we may not get enough people to participate in purchasing a charity DVD. I'll give it until May 15 and then see where we are with this idea. Thanks to those who have already responded and participated. Laura

Bringing this to the top. May 15 is around the corner and we don't have enough stories to make a charity CD by May 15. Anyone want to help out? Any suggestions for what to do if we only get 3 stories and 1 art work? Who would buy it for charity? Any suggestions to make this thing fly? Laura

So do you think I should forget this idea and just let who ever wants to do the yearly honoring of Dean just send to MKI? Or are there any last minute writers/artists who would like to participate? Laura