www.gofundme.com/Fund-Me-2-Do-Good

My Name Is Emilie. Help Me Change The World.

This picture was taken on the International Day of the Volunteer in 2007, during an event which I helped to organize in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and a few other nationally and regionally important volunteer organizations located in Bogotá, Colombia.

The event took place at the end of the first year of operation of Somos CaPAZes (which roughly translates to "We are PeaceAble"), the non-profit organization I created in Colombia.

Background

We lead dynamic workshops through which students…

explore conflicts that happen in their daily lives, and broader social & ecological issues,

discover tools & develop skills to prevent, manage & resolve them constructively, and

propose innovative solutions, becoming agents of change.

Somos CaPAZes provides peace education to children and youth.

I am absolutely thrilled to have been accepted to this program, which was my top choice for its blend of traditional-style courses, that will give me a stronger business sense, with topics in social responsibility, non-profit management and international entrepreneurship about which I am passionate.

Global Reach Innovative Programs

Diverse Perspectives

It has been a little over 5 years since I first began to develop Somos CaPAZes, and I find myself with a new, exciting challenge ahead of me.

I have recently been accepted to the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program at York University, Schulich School of Business, in Toronto, Canada.

With the growth of Somos CaPAZes, I found myself thrust into a business world of which I had little prior knowledge. After taking a number of informal training sessions & brief courses to better meet the growing needs of Somos CaPAZes, I realized the importance of a solid knowledge of business principles & practices in the running of any organization, be it for-profit or non-profit.

One of the goals of Somos CaPAZes - which I also consider to be part of my life's mission - is to expand peace education throughout Latin America.

It is my intention to come out of the MBA program at York University with the skills necessary to convert Somos CaPAZes into a thriving, international non-profit organization on the forefront of peace education in Latin America.

iStockPhoto.com

Why have I chosen to pursue an MBA?

Those of you who know me, know that I am driven, energetic and audacious. I look for creative, win-win solutions to the problems I see before me, and I take action to go about implementing them. I reflect on criticism, face adversity optimistically and continuously strive to better myself and the projects in which I am involved.

Most of all, though, I am passionate about doing good in the world. Peace education is first and foremost among my concerns, and in furthering peace education I promote other aspects of development that I feel are important: social entrepreneurship, environmentally-friendly practices, fair trade and volunteerism stand out among them.

How can you be sure I will succeed?

Somos CaPAZes has more than doubled its number of beneficiaries each year since it began with 50 children in its pilot program in 2007. This year (2011), we are working with over 2500 students, bringing the number of children & youth with whom we have worked to a total of more than 3200. 

Those of you who don't know me might like to know a little more before you put your money on me. Here are a few starters:

As Founder and President of Somos CaPAZes, I have been thoroughly involved in all aspects of the creation and development of a social enterprise, including:

- Networking, PR, liasing & promotion- Creation & management of partnerships- Classroom program facilitation & coord.- Conflict resolution facilitation- Volunteer training & coordination- Research & development- Curricula design, implementation & eval.- Marketing, website & graphic design- Fundraising & event planning & coord.- Budgeting- Strategic planning- HR, 360° performance evaluation program

Since 2007, Somos CaPAZes has grown from having just one volunteer, at the beginning of that year, to the more than 50 volunteers that are currently active. Of these 50 volunteers, nearly half have been extremely active in the organization for more than 2 years, and three quarters of those have been active for more than 3 years, a retention rate and commitment level which are no small feat for a volunteer organization whose volunteers are primarily university students and recent graduates in the first years of their professional career, in a country that has very little volunteer culture among its youth.

In its first year in operation, I achieved nation-wide visibility of Somos CaPAZes through a 20-minute spot as the Top Story on one of the most important news channels in Colombia, Citytv.

My GPA from the last two years of my Honours Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto, Canada, is 3.7 on a 4-point scale.

My GPA from my graduate degree in Conflict

Resolution, at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in

Bogotá, Colombia, is equivalent to 4.0 (on the

same 4-point scale). 

Developing more sustainable methods of generating income for Somos CaPAZes is one of the goals I have for putting to use the knowledge and skills I gain through my MBA. The fact remains, though, that I have been without a salary for the vast majority of the time I have led Somos CaPAZes. While I have made some money teaching English part-time, it has gone to my undergraduate student loan payments and some very basic expenses, with very little left over to put toward my current educational pursuits.

Let’s talk numbers

While the term "non-profit" should not imply that the directors and employees of the organization go without salaries, Somos CaPAZes has just recently been able to bring in enough monies on a regular basis to cover some very basic salaries for our part-time accountant (a must!), administrative assistant and educational project coordinator.

Some of you may know that the costs of an MBA degree run quite high.

At York University, tuition is relatively "low" for MBA programs, at a whopping CAD$51,500! Combined with other educational fees and living expenses, I estimate my budget for the 20-month program to look something like this:

$ 58.300

  Prep course, Tuition & Books / Course materials

$ 2.500  Transportation (public transit, bicycle & bicycle maintenance)

$ 18.700

  Rent, Furniture, Housewares

$ 2.600  Utilities, Internet, Phone$ 7.000  Food, Personal care, Clothing

$ 970  Health/Drug/Dental Insurance (Canadian free health care will not apply to me until I have again lived there for 3 months)

$ 2.000  Campus-life activities (clubs through which I will apply my MBA skills, develop my career as a social entrepreneur and leader of Somos CaPAZes, and establish a network of contacts that will be important for my future projects).

$ 1.500  Miscellaneous$

93.570  TOTAL EXPENSES in Canadian Dollars

Costs

$ 5.000  Dean's Entrance Award$ 2.000  Entrance Bursary$ 3.000  Savings

$ 10.000  TOTAL GUARANTEED CONTRIBUTIONS, to date (March 24, 2011)

In terms of income and current contributions against the expenses above, I am pleased to announce that the Schulich School of Business has awarded me with a Dean's Entrance Award, which will take $5,000 off of my tuition expenses. They have also offered me an Entrance Bursary of $2,000. I am extremely grateful for these contributions. "Income" / Contributions currently guaranteed:

Already raised

Thus, the total amount that I will need to raise in order to cover my MBA expenses

is:

$ 83.570

Total Remaining To Raise

(as of March 24, 2011)

WOW! $83,570 IS A BIG NUMBER.

HOW DO I PLAN TO COVER IT?

Together, we

reach the goal.

You give a little money.

You invite your friends to give.Your friends invite their friends to give.

Fundraising strategy 1: Crowdfunding

Please visit: www.gofundme.com/Fund-Me-2-Do-Good to support me now.

2. Scholarships: I have applied to a number already, and will continue to apply to more before and during my MBA program. Some are for small amounts of $500-$1000, and others reach the $20,000 mark. I will post updates as I learn the results. If you know of one you think I could apply to, please tell me about it.

3. Corporate sponsorship: I am researching companies that I will approach over the course of the next number of months, and throughout my MBA program if necessary. If you own, work for or know of a company you think would like to sponsor me, please let me know! There are a number of ways I can promote your organization, in gratitude.

Fundraising strategies cont’d:

5. Internship: During the summer or autumn of 2012, I will have the opportunity to participate in an internship. If the compensation for the internship is not significant, as it may not be in the case of an internship with a socially-oriented organization, I will apply for external funding to cover my expenses during the internship.

4. Workshops & seminars: I plan to offer series of workshops and talks on conflict resolution, social entrepreneurship, travel in Latin America and other topics in which I have experience, while I am studying, in order to generate some income. If you would be interested in attending one of these workshops or talks, I would love to know about it!

Fundraising strategies cont’d:

invest in me because…

…you want to be part of a movement for peace education

…you believe in social entrepreneurship & the power of a skilled leader with a bold vision to “move mountains”

…you believe that non-profit organizations should become more professional, learning some lessons from the for-profit world, or vice-versa

…you believe that my perspective, as a social entrepreneur on an international level, will benefit my classmates in the MBA program, each of whom will go on to be future leaders in businesses of all sorts, both in Canada and across the globe

…you want to see meaningful social development in Latin America

…you believe in higher education

…you would like to promote the advancement of women in business

To summarize,

…you believe that peace education, the growth of a culture of volunteerism and social entrepreneurship will help Colombia come out of its more-than-40-year-long armed conflict

…you feel identified with some part of my experiences or goals, and would like to help guarantee the success of my endeavours

…you know that I will do good things for the world with the skills I acquire during my MBA studies

Or because…

Help me change the world.

Fund Me 2 Do Good.

Please, give now:www.gofundme.com/Fund-Me-2-Do-Good

Thank you.For further information, or to suggest

contacts or other fundraising ideas, please write me at

emiliechristiane@gmail.com.