Zimfest News Blog

Posts Tagged "fund raising"

Ubuntu Free School Fundraiser

Posted on behalf of Moyo and Kuda Mutamba:

What: I Am Because You Are is a storytelling event to support the free education of children in rural Zimbabwe at Ubuntu Free School (www.ubuntuearth.org)

When: 20th of December, 2 pm-3 pm EST (11am – 12 pm PST)

Where: ZOOM
Make a suggested donation of $15 here:
https://www.givingway.com/campaign/9f995f
And we will send you a secure Zoom link close to the event date.

Featured Storytellers:

We are excited to have Sage Tyrtle and Dan Yashinsky as our Tellers for our first event.

Sage Tyrtle is a professional storyteller who tells stories all over the world, most recently in India. Her stories have been featured on NPR and CBC radio and she is a multiple-time Moth StorySLAM winner, one-time Moth GrandSLAM winner, who has also appeared on the PBS tv show Stories From The Stage. She is a First Person Arts Story Slam winner and Audience Favourite. She teaches The Art of Storytelling in schools, to individuals, and in corporate settings.
You can learn more about her here:
https://tyrtle.com/

Dan Yashinsky is a storyteller and writer.
You can learn more about Dan here:
https://tellery.com/dan-yashinsky/

Moyo and Kuda will open and close the event with Mbira Music

For more information about Ubuntu Free School, visit our website: www.ubuntuearth.org

Tatenda/Siyabonga/Thank You

Co-director and Facilitator, Bloom Consulting
 
Co-Founder Ubuntu Free School ( Free and Holistic Learning for Children in Rural Zimbabwe). Support the Free School here: Support Ubuntu Free School
 
 
Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: ,
No Comments

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

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , , ,
2 Comments

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

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , , , , ,
No Comments

Call for Zimfest Art and More

Hello Zimfesters,

We have some requests for help from the Zimfest Association Board of Directors and the 2020 Organizing Committee (OC):

  • The OC is calling for submissions of designs to be used for Zimfest 2020 publicity, tee shirts and more.  As mentioned on the new 2020 overview page, the festival theme remains Music Dancing Across Borders. Your artwork could reference this theme, or anything else creatively suggestive of the Zimbabwean Music Festival. Send your submissions to oc{at}zimfest{dot} org.  Creator of the best usable idea sent to us by January 15, 2020 receives $100 and our appreciation!
  • The ZA is searching for new members for the Board of Directors! The best way to help us get the news out to you, the Zimfest community, is to help us increase our numbers to do the work of the Board! See the Board Recruitment page for info and write us a letter today!
  • Don’t forget now is a great time to renew your membership, become a ZA member for 2020 or just donate to the cause! The Holiday Fundraiser page tells you how and why.
  • A reminder from the OC that performer and teacher applications will open January 2, 2020. If there are any offerings you’d like to see in the way of workshops, drop us a line at teachers{at}zimfest{dot}org. 

Enjoy the solstice!

Alex Weeks, ZA Board President
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , ,
2 Comments

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.

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , , , ,
2 Comments

Marimba Concert Fund-Raiser in Portland April 6

Hello Portland-area marimba lovers,
Put on your dancing shoes and help MyLinda King and her marimba students raise money for Zimfest and four different charities working in Zimbabwe!

When: Saturday April 6, 2019
12:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Where: Alongsiders Church
2830 NE Flanders St.
Portland, Oregon 97232
Why
An amazing raffle and silent auction will benefit Zimfest 2019, offsetting travel costs for Zimbabwean musicians coming to the festival. This year’s Africa-inspired quilt (quilt4africa.com) will benefit Tariro, Ancient Ways, Portland-Mutare Sister City and Unicef, all charities working in and for Zimbabwe.


FIVE marimba bands playing music from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
FIVE non-profits working on behalf of Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans.

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , ,
No Comments

Holiday Shopping

Dear Zimfest enthusiasts,

Wrap up your holiday shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1951506 and AmazonSmile donates to Zimfest Association.

Thanks, from the Zimfest Board

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: ,
No Comments

Join or Renew Now During Our Annual End-of-Year Membership Campaign

Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members,

Giving Tuesday is almost here and it’s also a good time to think about renewing your Zimfest membership. We welcome new members too! We don’t have auto-renewal available yet, but that is something we are working towards for the future.

We hope you are doing well and have found this year challenging as well as thought-provoking, given the many newsworthy events both in Zimbabwe and the USA! This will be our sixth year running the Zimfest Association’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. Thank you for your support in a very successful ZF 2018. While the festival itself provides some income to the association, these funds are simply insufficient to help sustain and grow the Association and the Festival. Last year the support from thirteen donors and members gave $1795 by the end of the year which is equivalent to providing all weekend meal plans and housing during Zimfest 2018 to only seven Zimbabwean guest teachers and performers. There are three ways you can help; by renewing your membership, becoming a new member and making a donation.

Our long term goal is to have the majority of Zimfest participants be members of the organization. We have seen an increase in previous years. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and Association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association. Membership covers the calendar year January 1st through December 31st. Membership dues are an essential part of keeping Zimfest alive and vibrant. From as little as $10.00 per year for our Youth/Student membership, there are membership categories to fit any budget and situation! Consider Regular, Family, Couple, Teacher, Lifetime, and Lifetime Family memberships. It’s also easy to add a donation to your membership payment. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide as a public display of support for Zimfest. Membership fees are 100% tax deductible, for now at least! Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership. Please write us at if you want to clarify your membership status. Join or renew now for 2019.

Thanks for all you do to help make Zimfest a success. It was great to see many of you at Zimfest!

–The Zimfest Association Board

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , , ,
1 Comment

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

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: ,
No Comments

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!

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , ,
1 Comment

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

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , ,
2 Comments

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

Posted In: Zimfest Association News
Tagged With: , ,
1 Comment