Zimfest News Blog

Posts Tagged "charitable contributions"

Call for ZA Volunteers

Greetings Zimfest community!
Despite our long silence, members of the Zimfest Association Board want you to know we are busy making plans for the next couple of years and working on various projects. We need your help, even (especially!) if we will not be producing an in-person festival in 2024. Can you:

  • Edit Zimfest video and audio recordings and post to social media?
  • Research funding sources and/or write grant applications on behalf of ZA?
  • Help out with the Zimfest website?

Check out the Why and How to Volunteer webpage for a list of needed and hoped-for volunteer tasks. Fill out the Volunteer Contact form on the bottom of the page to indicate your skills, interest and availability.

Heads-up!
The Support Zimfest page has been updated with new ways to support ZA, including online shopping with goodshop.com and igive.com.

We are working on updating the Virtual Marketplace in time for the holiday shopping season. If you know of anyone selling Zimbabwean crafts who might like to listed on this page, please let us know at marketplace{at}zimfest{dot}org.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!
Claire Jones and the Zimfest Board

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AmazonSmile Winding Down

Dear Zimfest community,

Just a note to let you know that AmazonSmile, the charitable arm of Amazon.com that has allowed customers to direct donations to charitable organizations when they shop online, will be winding down as of 20 February 2023. For the past decade, you have been able to choose the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon purchases (see Support Zimfest). At times just pennies, these amounts have added up to significant donations to our non-profit Zimfest Association over the years.

We will be sad to see AmazonSmile go. Perhaps if you have been thinking of making an online purchase, make a point to visit AmazonSmile before Feb. 20th and direct your donation to the Zimfest Association.

Thank you!
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator 

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Donation Thanks and Survey Reminder

Greetings Zimfest community,

I write to gratefully announce the donation of $2225.99 from the HopeFirst Foundation to the Zimfest Association. HopeFirst was originally founded by Paul Mataruse, Kim Foley and Diana Chamrad and helped fund the US tour by Matemai in 2009 in addition to projects in Zimbabwe and The Gambia. HF President Kim Foley, having moved to Ohio, recently made the decision to close the books on the Foundation and donate the remaining proceeds to Zimfest. The funds will be earmarked for the ZA Travel Expense Fellowship program to assist Zimbabweans traveling to Zimfest in the future. Thank you Kim and HopeFirst!

The ZA Board, following the consensus of Village Meeting participants and the organizing committee, is in the process of  seeking a host for Zimfest 2023 that can accommodate a larger audience than this year’s venue (Skagit Fairgrounds and Lincoln Theatre). If you have not yet completed the Post-Festival Survey and have comments for us, please complete the survey before September 1.

Enjoy your summer!
Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator

Heron taking wing, by Carrie Rodlend

  We Took Flight at Zimfest 2022!

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New Membership System

Dear Zimfest Association members and friends,

Once again, we find ourselves at the end of a trying year, but the holidays are upon us and with them comes the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive! We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member

Thanks to the hard work of the Zimfest Tech Committee, becoming a member is now even easier! Simply go to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/. From there, you can become a member, renew a membership, or verify your membership status by plugging in your email address. We are excited to announce that there is finally an option to auto-renew, which defaults to “yes.” Simply uncheck this box if you do not wish to auto-renew. Previously, memberships went by calendar year, but now the renewal date will be 1 year after the purchase date.

We are also pleased to announce that all Zimfest Association members will not only have their festival registration fees waived as before, but will also have early access to register for all the workshops at the festival! This additional membership perk comes with the decision to raise our membership prices for the first time in well over a decade, or maybe ever. We hope you will decide to take the plunge this year and become a member!

Provide Charitable Donations

Perhaps you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation! While membership dues are a significant contributor to our community, your donations continue to be essential. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, our travel fellowship program for Zimbabwean artists, and most recently, things like paying for studio space and recording equipment for Zimfest Online. To donate, go to the Support Zimfest page.

Other Ways to Contribute

As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (see https://zimfest.org/blog/2014/support-zimfest-when-you-shop-at-amazon-com/). Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. See https://charity.ebay.com/charity/i/Zimfest-Association/85993 for more information.

Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions!

Whatever you’re celebrating this year, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we’re crossing our fingers that we will finally see each other again next year!

Warmly,
The Zimfest Board

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Zimfest Holiday Membership Drive

Dear Zimfest Association members and friends,

What a year it has been. While it is probably not going how any of us had hoped, we hope this letter finds you well all the same. The holidays are officially here and with them comes the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive! As you know, we made the painful decision not to meet in person this year and, while we had a few excellent online offerings, nothing can compare to meeting up with old friends and teachers and playing beautiful music together. Another unfortunate consequence of forgoing the festival is that the ZImfest Association has taken in little money this year. We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member:
To our current members we give our thanks! To the rest of our friends new and old, we hope that this is the year you decide to join our team. It’s so simple, you’ll be done in minutes, just visit our membership page to find the right fit for you. Memberships run through the calendar year and if you renew now, you will be all set for 2021. We have memberships to fit all sorts of needs including discounted student and teacher membership, senior membership, couples, families, and even lifetime membership! With all the different types of membership, there’s sure to be something to fit your budget! As a member, you will have your Zimfest registration fees waived for the year, your dues are tax deductible, and you can even choose to have your names published on the website and in the Festival Guide to show the world that you support Zimfest.

Provide Charitable Donations:
Maybe you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association! While membership dues are a significant contributor to our community, your donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and if you donate now, you will be contributing to our shared future. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, and also to our travel fellowship program which allows us to pay the way for one returning Zimbabwean teacher and one new teacher!

Other Ways to Contribute:
As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases (more information here). Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association (more information here). Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions, often dollar for dollar!

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or Festivus we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we can’t wait to see you at our next festival!!

Warmly,

The Zimfest Board

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Support Zimbabweans: #GivingTuesdayNow

Dear Zimfest community,

#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 (in addition to the regularly scheduled Dec 1, 2020) as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

We hope that you are all faring well during the coronavirus pandemic, whether staying at home or re-emerging (safely, we hope) into public life. The situation in Zimbabwe is dire. In an economy that has come to depend on informal trading, lockdown there significantly affects peoples’ ability to earn money and procure food and supplies. The threat of COVID-19, coupled with minimal access to soap and water, puts further strain on a healthcare system struggling to deal with a high prevalence of HIV /AIDS and tuberculosis, and an emergent malaria epidemic. We encourage those of you financially able to seek ways to provide support to our Zimbabwean friends, either directly on Facebook and GoFundMe pages, or indirectly, channeling funds through non-profits working on behalf of Zimbabweans.

We ask for your support for the Zimfest Association. Be aware that ZA occurs institutional costs even in years there is no festival, so we appreciate your support whether you choose to donate outright or renew your membership.

The Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, in addition to offering classes in Zimbabwean music and dance in Eugene OR, brings many teachers from Zimbabwe to the United States. Funds can be donated to Kutsinhira for dispersal to our Zimbabwean teachers and friends as well as to organizations operating in Zimbabwe. To make a donation through Kutsinhira, click the Donate Button at the top of the landing page at https://kutsinhira.org/

See the Links page on the Zimfest website (scroll down) for additional non-profit organization associated with Zimfest who provide direct and indirect services to Zimbabwe. These include:

  • Ancient Ways Nhimbe project: read the latest on-the-ground report from the Nhimbe team working in Mhondoro, Cosmas Magaya’s home area. Donate here.
  • Bana Bengwana Development Trust is an initiative by and for the people from Ngwana Area in rural Plumtree- Zimbabwe and beyond. Donate here.
  • Mbira.org, promoting mbira and providing support to players since 1998

This is not an exhaustive list; please add your suggestions in the comments section!

From members of the ZA Board and OC –                                     Zimfest Online activities coming soon!

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Holiday Membership Drive

Dear Zimfest Association members, friends, and whomever else might be reading this,

We hope that as the darkest days of the year are upon us you are all doing well, enjoying your families, and hopefully still playing some great music! The holidays are officially here and so is the Zimfest Association’s annual campaign and membership drive. This will be our fifth year running this campaign, and we are hoping that it will be our most successful ever. As you know, while the festival itself provides some income to the association, meeting once a year for just a few days simply doesn’t provide enough to cover all our expenses. We want to continue to grow the festival and provide the best experience we can, and here are some ways that you can help.

Become a Member:
To those of you who signed up around Thanksgiving, we give you our thanks! You are the role models whom we hope will inspire others to finally sign up for that membership they’ve been putting off for years. It’s so simple, you’ll be done in minutes. Just head to https://zimfest.org/about/membership/ to find the right fit for you. Pinching pennies and eating lots of Ramen? Perhaps our student membership is right for you. Maybe you recently came into some money; a lottery ticket, a rich family member, a fabulous invention? Consider our lifetime membership. With all the different types of membership, there’s sure to be something to fit your budget! You can even choose to have your names published on the website and in the Festival Guide to show the world that you support Zimfest.

Provide Charitable Donations:
Membership not your thing? Or Maybe you’re already a member, but you want to know how you can help out even more? Consider a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association! While membership dues are a significant boon to our community, your donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and if you donate now, you will be contributing to our shared future. Your money goes straight to things like paying travel expenses for Zimbabwean teachers, paying teachers for performances and workshops, and our new fellowship program which this year allowed us to pay the way for community veteran, Michael Sibanda, as well as our new friend Tafadzwa Gapara!

Other Ways to Contribute:
As you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, remember that when you shop on Amazon, you can support Zimfest by choosing the Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Also, if you’re selling stuff on eBay, you can choose to donate a percentage of the final sales price to the Zimfest Association. Finally, if your company supports matching donations, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contributions, often dollar for dollar! For info on all of these, see https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or Festivus we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and we can’t wait to see you next year at The Evergreen State College!

Warmly,

The Zimfest Board

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Zimfest 2019 Fundraising Challenge

Zimfest 2019 fundraising has been off to a slow start, but we have a fantastic group of Zimbabweans coming to teach and perform that we need your help to support while at Zimfest. Here’s the challenge, if we hit 20 new donations by the end of May we would unlock a $500 gift. You can enter a one-time gift or choose the monthly recurring option at https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/. Don’t forget about renewing your Zimfest membership if you haven’t done that yet for the year. The Zimfest Board thanks you for all your support.

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Shopping Online Can Help Support Zimfest

Greetings, Zimfest friends,

Now is a time when more of us turn to shopping online. I recently signed up for Giving Assistant, which is very easy to use. You can earn money for yourself (if you choose) and donate to Zimfest while shopping online at more than 3,100 stores. The Button alerts you to any cash back donations available to activate before you check out. It only takes a minute to set up your account with Giving Assistant, and Zimfest will automatically be selected as your charity of choice if you use this link.

We’d also like to remind you of two other completely painless ways you can donate and help Zimfest on an ongoing basis. Go to the Support Zimfest page for information on Giving Assistant, AmazonSmile and eBay Giving.

Thanks for all you do to help make Zimfest a success. Best wishes for the holidays and we hope to see you at Zimfest 2019!

Regards,
Jacqueline Fallon
Zimfest Board Secretary

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Zimfest 2018 Fundraising Drive Update

Zimfest friends and family,

Thank you for participating in the $1,000 matching challenge, from friends and relatives who really know nothing about Zimfest to our long-time loyal supporters. With all of your help we raised $1,500. A big thank you to our anonymous donors for this final Zimfest 2018 challenge. We have met and exceeded our $8,000 fundraising campaign goal for Zimfest 2018.

Much appreciated, from the Zimfest Board!

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Zimfest 2018 Fundraising Drive Update

Dear Zimfest Community,

Just $10 from 21 people to almost reach the $211 to raise to reach $1,000. It costs $160 to house one Zimbabwean at Zimfest for the weekend. There are 3 more days in this $1000 matching challenge for Zimfest. No donation is too small.

To donate, go to https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/.

Thank you for your support! from the Zimfest Board

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Zimfest 2018 Fundraising Drive Update

Dear Zimfest Community,

Zimfest was amazing! We have a $1000 matching challenge coming out of Zimfest from Aug. 12 to 26 (extended). Thanks to some anonymous donors who want to continue to help with the fundraising efforts. We have raised $25 of $1000. No donation is too small.

To donate, go to https://zimfest.org/about/support-zimfest/

Thank you for your continued support! from the Zimfest Board

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