Seeds of Kindness: A Healing Touch

In-Kind Donations for GalaCon 2019 Charity Auction

The past is passé; the present is fleetingly short; but the future, the future we can still improve. GalaCon 2019 is dedicated to the future. Bronies for Good is not. Bronies for Good is dedicated only to the best possible future.

This century may be a turning point. Never before were we so close to creating artificial intelligences that may become our equals or surpass us. Never before were we on the brink of expanding to another planet. But never before did we exploit so many billions of animals in factory farms either. A moral catastrophe of unprecedented scale in human history.

If humanity expands to other planets before we’ve come to eat drastically less meat or without the technology to grow meat without the sentient animal (so called clean meat or cell meat), the scale of this exploitation will only increase.

Animal Charity Evaluators tries to find the most effective charities in the world that work on this problem so that donors can be assured (to the extent that the current research warrants) that their donations would not have achieved much more elsewhere. This year, our recommendation Animal Equality is once again top among them.

GalaCon 2019 (July 27–28 in Ludwigsburg, Germany) will support the valiant investigators and protectors of Animal Equality with the Grand Auction on Sunday.

Wanted: In-Kind Donations for the Auctions

This auction can only succeed if you donate valuable items now that will inspire bidders from Europe and from all around the world to reach for new heights of generosity.

Donation Form

To donate in kind to the auction, please fill in the donation form for every item, even if you plan on bringing it to the convention rather than mailing it.

If we have more time to plan the auction, it’ll help GalaCon handle the items more efficiently and sell more of them. Plus you will know whether your donation meets the requirements before you carry it to the convention. If you have any questions, please email GalaCon at [email protected].

Derpyfest 2018

Derpyfest generously offered to again dedicate a raffle to fundraising for Animal Equality. The returns went up from €316 last year to €416 this year.

Additionally, they provided us with a comped table at which we managed to raise another €400 for the charity! The most popular items in number and value were our “bit coins,” our comic book, and metal pins of our logo.

Perfect aesthetics.

Table Friday €80.00
Table Saturday €140.00
Table Sunday €216.70
Raffle €416.00
€852.70

GalaCon 2017

Screenshot from 2017-06-10 13-01-30

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GalaCon 2017 may not have reached the incredible impact of last year’s GalaCon, but it was nonetheless a resounding success for the animals – mostly chickens and fish. Our totally genuine Equestrian bits were very popular at the table, and so was Bound Together even though most comic-reading attendees probably already had a copy.

All in all, we – GalaCon with the auction and Bronies for Good at our booth – raised €15,624 for our charity, Animal Equality.

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The GalaCon 2012 Charity Auction

Photo courtesy 404compliant

Photo courtesy 404compliant

The first German Friendship is Magic convention, GalaCon, held a charity auction on the second day, the proceeds of which, 100% of them, went to our Seeds of Kindness fundraiser. To the shock and utter amazement of probably all involved, the auction generated more funds than the charity auction at BronyCon, despite its one order of magnitude more attendees. Here an excerpt from my report for Derpy Hooves News.

The Sunday was first and foremost the day of our charity auction. As a member of Bronies for Good and board member of Your Siblings, I already expected the auction to become the single most momentous event for me at the Gala. Little did I know. After a hastened meal I hastened downstairs and was promptly greeted by Perry who asked me if I could join her on stage to introduce Bronies for Good, Your Siblings, the Seeds of Kindness fundraiser, and the project that was to receive the donations. Though I was reasonably confident in my knowledge of the topic and of the English language, stages, microphones, and speaking were among the things I habitually shunned.

My intro went well enough and it was time for Perry with her silver tongue to take over.

As activist in the area of charity work you are too often confronted with people who either don’t help at all, or for who their support is only a means to better their public image or that of a group they represent. I can’t find fault with enjoying those perks at times, but centrally your motivation should always be born of your love for those you help. Of that love I have felt plenty that afternoon—so overwhelmingly even that I almost cried several times:

A Flim cosplayer donating his hat, praising its value, and then buying it right back; friends pooling their money and driving the auction into vertiginous heights; someone winning a Canni figurine and donating it back; Perry bowing to public demand and spontaneously donating her beloved hat (signed of course) to vie with Weatherhoof’s; and one person repeatedly winning items for friends who couldn’t keep up with the bidding and directly gifting them to them. In total, the auction generated €8145 (about $10,060) for the expansion of the orphanage in Uganda. On behalf of the project, I extend my warmest thanks to these people, to everyone who participated in the auction, to all those who donated in kind, and of course to the organizers!

Update: One of the bidders at the auction has yet to pay a final installment of €600 as of 2014-07-11. Not counting this outstanding payment, the auction netted €7545. Legends of Equestria graciously donated another €274 at the con.

Smile! breaks $21,000 & Introducing “Seeds of Kindness”

Amazing news everybody!

 

We just broke the $18,000 bar on the donation page! In fact, we all even raised more than $21,000 for the Children’s Cancer Association, because all of the tips to GlobalGiving got back to the CCA as an extra bonus, so that they actually receive $3,000 more than what is shown!

 

There is only one week left until the 25th, when the winners of the prizes are decided, so be quick if you want to be one of them! As of now, the two top donors are tied for first prize, and the four top donors after them for the second, so I want to make sure everything is clear on what will happen if they don’t make other donations by the 25th. As explained in the initial post, donations are cumulative and in the event of a tie, the donor whose last donation was made the earliest will get priority.

 

Thank you so much to all of you for your generosity, and a big shout-out to all of the artists who contributed to this! We will still be taking taking donations for a while, but be sure to follow the instructions to get the album.

 

 

Introducing Seeds of Kindness

 

Because good things do NOT end, we are currently working toward an even bigger event, and we are looking for artists willing to lend their talent and help a worthy cause!
This next event, “Seeds of Kindness”, will fund two projects:

 

– The first $10,000 collected will be used to complete the building and supplying of a clinic in Uganda, where there is less than one doctor per 12,000 people, and life expectancy is only about fifty years. After this initial impulse, the clinic will be self-sustainable and able to provide free emergency care without any external help for anyone who can’t afford to pay for it.

 

– When the clinic is fully funded, the next donations will be used to build a Green Village in Burundi, where street children who lost their parents to the civil war can find a home and learn to earn their subsistence without having to resort to crime.

 

The policy of our partner, Your Siblings, is to cover all travel and personal costs as well as money transfer fees independently from donations, so that 100% of what you give will be spent exclusively on said projects.

 
How you can help:

 
– My Little Remix is currently working on another charity album, which will be instantly sent to every donor. If you’re good with music and want to contribute to this cause, you can find more info here.

 

 

– Just as with Smile!, we would like to offer extra prizes to the most generous donors! We can’t say exactly how much before the event ends, but we received HUGE donations, and their sum is several times higher than the sum of what each individual prize would have sold for on eBay. If you either make or own custom pony art (or even non-pony stuff such as Steam gifts) and want to use your talent to make the world a better place to live, we would love to collaborate with you, so shoot us an email: broniesforgood at gmail dot com!

 
– If you are more versed in the digital arts and can’t make any physical gift, you can also contribute with a gift to charity and the whole community: We are also looking for various kinds of media that can be released to celebrate major milestones! If you are up for the challenge, email us with your ideas and we will contact you with further information and advice.

 
Once again, thank you all so much for making all of this possible!
Love and solidarity to you all.

Smile! Charity Album Released !

Good News Everybody !

 

The Smile! charity album has been completed and is now ready for distribution to those of you who have contributed to the Smile! CCA fundraising efforts. We are all extremely happy with the sheer quality of the submissions, not only coming from well-know artists, but also from many undiscovered talents. This album features 22 of the best submissions, amounting to a grand total of 77 minutes of diverse, high quality music ranging from Classical to Rock, including Acoustic, Jazz, Dance, Drum & Bass and many more ! You can find the full tracklist at the bottom of this post and a preview of some of the early submissions here.

 

If you have already donated on our Global Giving page while following correctly the instructions, you should have already received your digital copy of the album by email in our latest thank you note. If you have already donated but didn’t receive anything, please contact us at [email protected] and tell us your name and how much you donated, so that we can check it and match your email address with the donation we received. We will be happy to send you back the album as soon as you do, as well as make you eligible for the extra prizes !

 

How can I get this album  ?

 

Donate to the Children’s Cancer Association following the instructions below to receive your digital copy of the album as well as become eligible for the additional prizes. Donations are cumulative, as long as you use the same email address every time.

 

 

Here is the full tracklist :

 

1. One Cold Morning – Makkon
2. Say it isn’t Snow – thattechnique
3. A Heart Warming Night – AJTheEngineer
4. The Winter Wonder Carol – Bagpipe Brony
5. I’ll Be Coming Home – All Levels at Once
6. Pinkie Pie’s Fashion Show – DonnDeVore
7. Let’s Go – BlackElectric
8. Finding The Light – Exploding Heart Technique
9. Family Ways – And The Rainfall (Youtube)
10. In the name of Kindness – Nosnibormada
11. Octavia’s Smile – Dark Symphony
12. Forgotten Symphony – Aspect of The Storm
13. A Memoir of Silence – Navy Brony
14. First Bird of Spring – DrDissonance
15. Busy Day – Jeffthestrider
16. Megumi no Uta (Song of Blessings) – MIU
17. ForChorda – randomblockfilms
18. No Words – Replacer
19. Rebuilding Our City – sdogginsworth
20. Snortle at the Jazzy – Psychedelic Brony
21. Sorceress Girl – SoGreatAndPowerful
22. Memory Lane – Osoth

SWAG. Bonus track – Circuitfry and Pinkie Cake

 

Extra special thanks to the contributing artists, My Little Remix, Equestria Daily, Global Giving, the Children’s Cancer Association and all of you generous bronies who decided to help support this wonderful cause.

Brohooves to everyone who has donated so far, and let’s see how much more good we can do, love and solidarity to you all !

 

Launching Smile ! : A Christmas Charity Event

Hi everyone !
Because Christmas is the time of giving, we are inviting the whole brony community to show the Element of Generosity and make a difference in the lives of many children. Few things are as devastating as a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Young patients and their families are quickly thrust into an unfamiliar and often frightening world of medical decisions and hospital protocols. At the same time, they are typically coping with emotional upheaval and financial anxiety, and their needs go well beyond what even the best medical care can provide. But together, we can be the rainbow that will make them want to smile forever !

 

The Children’s Cancer Association, a top-rated, award-winning charity, provides supportive mentors to these children and brings friendship in a time of loneliness, soothing music in a time of crisis, resources in a time of turmoil and vital support in the midst of life-threatening illness. More than 40 talented artists have already offered their talent to support this cause in the brony way : giving back.

 

As a very special Christmas gift, every single donor will receive a digital copy of an exclusive music album. The involvement of the music community over at My Little Remix is truly amazing : in only a few weeks, and despite their high quality requirements, we are now looking at a 74 minute-long production ! Those who had the chance to listen to the teaser can tell you how high the quality bar is set. It also shines by its diversity : Classical, Electronic, Acoustic, Dance, Drum & Bass, Rock and Jazz are only a few of the musical genres featured. They are now in the final phases of mastering, and aim to have it ready in a couple of days at the latest. Donate now and you will be e-mailed a digital copy as soon as it’s done. We will also be sending solid copies of it to the Children’s Cancer Association to let the kids listen to it and know that out there, even complete strangers care about them and put in that much work, just to make them smile.

 

Additionally, the most generous donors will receive very valuable presents kindly made for this cause, although we are even now still receiving more pledges at [email protected] ! How our present system will work, for example, is if by January 25th, if a total of 10 gifts have been pledged, then we will get in touch with the 10 most generous donors. Then, they can choose which present they prefer among the list, with the top donors being given priority. In the event that two people donate the same amount, the donor whose last donation was made the earliest will get priority.

 

Releasing the album on BandCamp would have been an easy option, but then Paypal, BandCamp and taxes would have taken their cut and donors themselves would have missed out on tax deduction, when they would have done even more good by donating directly to the Children’s Cancer Association. Because of this, the donations will take place on the Global Giving website, a trusted, well-known foundation that will grant you complete tax deduction and forward your money directly to the Children’s Cancer Association, without us or anyone else handling any of it. Moreover, we can not only track in real time how much our community raised, but also provide undeniable proof of it, so that our achievement can never be doubted or forgotten. This also makes it our best shot at finally getting some good press !

 

 How can I donate ?

 

Donating now will automatically pre-order the album for you, as well as make you eligible for the additional prizes. Donations are cumulative, as long as you use the same email address every time.

 

 

Brohooves to everyone who contributed in some way to the album, to all the artists generously offering these beautiful gifts, to the Children’s Cancer Association volunteers for brightening the lives of children in need, and to everyone supporting this cause, if only by spreading the word !

 

October Update

Congrats on everyone who went out to donate during Nurse Redhearts Round-up in September. We managed to bag about 15 pints of blood under the name of Bronies for Good, and even if that seems like a small feat to some, the fact that we came together as brothers and sisters with no previous connections except a ideal of a better world demonstrates the altruistic power that we as an inclusive community have.

This is only the beginning though, as now the hard work of maintaining Bronies for Good as a practical manifestation of service and generosity continues. Fortunately, we have all of you to help us and that means a bright future for BfG, bronies, and the world in general as we continue to grow and perform activities.

Our deepest thanks to all of you, and keep up the good work everypony.

Much love.

-Martin

 

Redheart’s Roundup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronies for Good is proud to announce our first donation drive:  Redheart’s Roundup!

For the month of September (not October,) we urge you to get out there and find a local blood bank so you can donate some of that precious red stuff.  You might even save a life!  I could go on and on about this, but Martinwil was kind enough to put the official announcement and further details into a nifty Google Document.  You can find it by clicking the image!

UK PonyCon and Riding for the Disabled Association or: Yo Dawg, I heard you like copypaste…

While reading through the most recent Nightly Roundup on EqD, it seems there is an event known as UK PonyCon coming up.  If you didn’t already read it for yourself here (Nightly Roundup #74) have some copypaste of some copypaste!

Established in 2004, we are a charity fundraising event that aims to raise money and awareness each year for our chosen charity. This year, we are again supporting the Riding for the Disabled Association.

I urge you to click the words above and make a donation.  Also, if you are in the area of this convention, you should totally go.  I know I would if I didn’t live so far away.  For those of you who can make it, this entire sentence is a link to the UK PonyCon site.