So we’re launching. Not the way I necessarily wanted to and without much momentum since I drug it out. But it’s a start.
Here’s the page with all of the info and the graphics for download as well links to Amit’s story.
Here’s what I’m asking of you my loyal readers. . .
1) Promote this on your blog/site. And give as much as context as possible for the idea and Amit’s story. Emphasize this is lending and not a donation. If they would like to make a donation as opposed to a piece of the loan, please contact me separately so that I can put them on a separate list.
2) Refer to this link for the PayPal information.
3) Refer to this page for further context and background.
4) Be creative. Think of ways that you can personally leverage something that you do to spur on fundraising.
5) Utilize Facebook and other social platforms to expand our circle.
6) Emphasize that it is a micro-loan and not a donation.
7) Contact me if you want to be an official hub in the cluster. Meaning that you’re on the leadership that helps steer and shepherd the finances.
8 Refer people to my contribution as listed below.
***RED COWBOY DESIGNS PROMOTION***
Via Red Cowboy Designs (my graphic design company), I’ll be taking the first 3 clients (new) that contact me for a new project. I will write them a quote as usual offering a 20% discount on what I normally would charge. I will then have them send the money directly to the Indian Taxi Fund PayPal account. I will not take a penny of this money, but it will go directly to Amit’s Indian Taxi Fund. All of the monies will go directly to Amit in India to help pay for his taxi. For example, if I quote you $350 for a rave card and give you a 20% discount, you will be asked to donate $270 directly to the Indian Taxi Fund. That’s a pretty nifty bargain/deal/make the world a better place offer. But it gets better, at the end of the loan when Amit repays the amount, we will give you your money back. So you will technically be getting a design for free. It’s like Oprah’s Big Give. But cooler. I think.
So tell your friends. I’ll take the first 3 new clients and will work on their projects. After the initial 3 are projects are completed, I’ll open it back up to another round offering the same thing until the money is raised. Hopefully this won’t take long if some others jump on this project with me and dream and act creatively in the same fashion. Because I really don’t want to have to raise $7,500 by myself. But if I have to, I have to.
I’ll also be loaning my share (half) of any advertising revenue we generate with the podcast as mentioned here. So if you want to advertise on the podcast, you’re not really buying ad space but micro-loaning money to an Indian church planter. Feel guilty yet? Just kidding. But seriously.
I really need your help to spread the word both about Red Cowboy & the Podcast and what we are doing with both of those platforms. I only have a small social circle. This is where your social circle overlapping with mine starts to create exponential momentum.
The goal is to raise approximately $7500. And I’ve been talking to Amit and we are planning on setting up a 24 month repayment window to have it completely paid back. He’ll be paying the loan back in installments. And as soon as he starts paying it back, we’ll start paying you (the loaners) back. I’ll be the last one to take back the repayment.
I’m not sure how well this is going to work out with my taxes this year as I’m sure I’m going to get screwed on this somehow. So the quicker somebody can get the ball rolling on a non-profit, the better it will be for me. But I’d love for Uncle Sam to penalize me for this just so I can have a reason to go postal and quit paying taxes and move to Costa Rica.
I’d love your feedback as always. And please just promote this on your blog or site. I can’t do this alone or raise this amount on my own. And be as creative as you can with offering incentives or selling something. This is just the first cluster in a model that I hope to build and sustain for a very long time with multiple projects and loans.
You guys rock.
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9 Comments
This is all so great, Josh. Thank you for putting this together.
One more question… the timing for Amit’s project. I’m committed to this Swazi roof project for another couple weeks, so while I can give toward the project now, I’d really like to hold off promoting it on my blog, etc. until the roof project is finished so that each project gets the attention it deserves.
So, do you have a timeline in mind for when you’d think the funds for this first loan would be raised?
that’s fine erin. take your time. and i don’t have a timeline. i’m thinking just whenever it gets raised, it gets raised. hopefully within a month.
Within a month. Great… that’s helpful
word. i’ll get it up soon. probably tomorrow.
glad you connected with my partner in ministry. hope we can get something done!
We’d love to be supportive of this mission and to you as well…
-rc
Josh, I love this idea and have been tracking it as you’ve been developing it. I’d love to loan some money, but I guess I’m a little confused on the logistics of it all.
Are we just wiring money into a paypal account to Amit to use? Or are you collecting everything and giving him a lump sum? How is repayment/redistribution going to work? Any chance we’ll be able to hear about his progress and pray for him? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I’m understanding everything before I start yammering on about it to all my friends.
chris. those are great questions. i probably should have shared some of the answers in the post.
i’m planning on the money going to the paypal account. i’ll pay for the money that paypal takes as their cut out of pocket. i’ll then send a lump sum check via western union to amit. and then we’ll set up a payment plan for 24 months. where he sends payment back via western union every month. and i’ll be the last to take the repayment. just because i’m horrible with math. and i want to minimize paypal eating into our chunk of money raised, i’ll pay back individuals with a regular check probably. or just send it paypal. but i’ll do it in a lump sum. so if amit pays us back $1000. i won’t divide that up 30 ways. i’ll just start paying certain people their whole sum. that way we don’t get hit with multiple transaction fees. does that make any sense.
feel free to call me at 770-841-4707 if you want to talk more.
i still haven’t figured out the logistics yet. i’m working with some friends to give this a web presence and to bypass paypal via a non profit status if this takes off. but i want to experiment with this one so anything you can think of just let me know.
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
That all sounds good. I’m working on getting a few people together on this in my town to make one lump donation in the next week or so.
Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help beyond sharing the vision with others.
So my wife likes the idea of helping out and my kids, well, you gotta love kids. They think this is the best idea since peanut butter got introduced to grape jelly.
I like the idea of Revolution Money Exchange since it is free. And if you sign up by May 15th they give you $25 right off the bat and if you sign up through Josh’s link, he’ll get $10 per person, up to $500. If I’m scanning the fine print right.
I’m thinking that has if several people signed up this way and gave the $25 and Josh gave the $10, that’s an extra $35 per person, and no PayPal fees.
Maybe I’m overstepping some bounds here by posting that, but it’s just an idea.
While I’m not big into the tithing scene, we have decided to send as we are able and on some level of consistancy. I’d rather have my money support and encourage Josh and also go to a good idea, even if it didn’t come back to me.
Josh, maybe you could just post how close we are to the goal on a daily or weekly basis.
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