‘Crowdfunding’ A Scholar’s Return Trip To Work For Clean Water In Nicaragua

Charitable Scholar Brandie Potzick isn’t finished with last year’s assignment.

Brandie did a great job last year on a “Serve Beyond Cincinnati” spring break trip to Nicaragua, working on clean and sustainable water projects. Her documentary about the work of Amigos for Christ continues to set a standard of excellence on Charitable Words’ You Tube channel. It was important work, a job well done, a good story told well.

Charitable Words Scholar Brandie Potzick documented the need for clean, sustainable water in Nicaragua.

The video included a touching scene in which clean running water was turned on for the first time for 52 houses, two churches and one school in the village of Miguel Cristiano.

But she wants to go back to ensure the water is still running and work to provide sustainable, self-help supplies and resources for rural Nicaraguans, where more than half of the population relies on polluted rivers and springs for their water sources.

Brandie needs $1,700 to make the trip.

The easiest path would have been for her to call and ask Charitable Words or another funder to sponsor her travels. But typical of Brandie’s initiative, she decided to raise money on her own through a highly personal campaign on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform that pools small donations to fund good ideas and causes.

Here’s a link to Brandie’s crowdfunding page

We love that. Not only because we support Brandie’s work, but the experience she gains using the platform will benefit other nonprofits as she continues as a Charitable Scholar to contribute her skills in other projects in which the collective action of a few can make a large collective impact on a small organization.

Crowdfunding campaigns customarily include “perks” to encourage contributions. (Here’s a link to a Charitable Words partnership with a ‘pop-up’ restaurant project benefiting The Free Store Food Bank. It reached its goal and sold out well before the event). They often are of great value or scarce commodities that prompt bidding campaigns. Brandie’s perks are modest and from the heart. They are precious, indeed:

For $10, she will give you a “super shout out” on Facebook.
$25: She’ll add a personal hand-written letter.
$50: A souvenir from her trip.
$100: Dinner or gift card to your favorite restaurant (we assume this is coming from her pocket. Can’t let that happen).

Count Charitable Words in! But we also want to help Brandie’s campaign to get back to Nicagarua to continue her work, to keep the water flowing.

So we suggested “crowdsourcing” her crowdfunding campaign by asking our readers and friends to help by adding perks. Here are a few suggestions, if you or know of friends who might have connections:

Restaurant or entertainment event tickets.
Celebrity items: We won’t name names here, but there are many in this town who do good work with charitable causes. You know who they are. If you know any of them well, please share this.
Special engagements: Back-stage, underground tours of interesting places.

Or, in the spirit of crowdfunding, do you have other ideas or suggestions?

We hope the awareness raised here – getting the word out – will help Brandie reach her modest goal quickly so she can focus on preparing for her work. If it turns out she does not need the perk you offer or suggest, your connections will be useful in other crowdfunding projects Brandie and Charitable Words will be working on this spring and summer with local nonprofits.

But first, she needs to get back to Nicaragua to continue her work.

Please help her do that by contributing, suggesting perks or passing along the charitable words to friends. The social media icons below this make that easy to do.

Thank you.

And thank you, Brandie, for the work you do here in Greater Cincinnati and around the globe.