A few months ago, Kevin decided that he wanted to train for his first ever Ironman to reportedly counterbalance his consumption of McDonalds. He researched non-profits, found out about Acumen Fund and became the first person to ever raise funds for us on First Giving. Kevin raised over $1,700 for Acumen Fund in less than a month and we heard about his efforts only after we received the check. Wow.
We reached out to Kevin to understand why he did it and in his own words:
“When I signed up for the Ironman, I was a little curious as to why such a large event doesn’t formally promote charity, so I simply decided to do one on my own. Through a bit of research, I became very interested in infrastructure development in some of the impoverished areas of India and Pakistan. I think that the projects that Acumen Fund is involved in are simply amazing and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your work.”
And on his Ironman:
“The Ironman was pretty sweet - I had a lot of fun even though I got destroyed by the professionals. The best memory I had of the race was during the run, when a 68 year old lady passed me up - really made me feel like a champion. But I really just do these things for fun and I get so much enjoyment out of it now when I know that I can raise money towards something I really believe in.”
Kevin demonstrated true generosity in his actions – taking it upon himself to help without a request for recognition or support from Acumen Fund – and for that we are truly appreciative.
We are also really excited by what Kevin did, because these dollars can really add up. All it takes is 60 people like Kevin to help us raise $100,000. Don’t forget that, as a non-profit, Acumen Fund relies on donors and fundraisers – many of whom aren’t too different from Kevin. You could really make a difference in our mission to end poverty.
Are you up for being one of the 60? If so, here are some easy ways that you as an individual can help:
- FirstGiving – an easy-to-use fundraising site where you can leverage just about any activity – like triathlons, trekking, skydiving, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries – to raise funds for Acumen Fund.
- Facebook birthdays – instead of a present, ask your friends and family to support Acumen Fund. Several of our own staff have already jumped on this.
- Set up a Squidoo Lens – link your lens to our official lens and we’ll watch the dollars roll in. Seriously.
- Join/Start an Acumen Chapter – Is there a group of Acumen Fund supporters in your city ready to jump into action? If so, we’d love to have a Chapter there. We’re actively seeking leaders for a SF Chapter right now – do apply if you’re in the Bay Area, or flag your interest for us to come to your city and we’ll get back to you by the end of September!
These are just a few of ideas, but there are many more out there - we’d love to hear from you.
Tags: community, Supporter Spotlight
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