The last and final Participation Badge for 2014 NaNoWriMo is the “Donation Badge” and in order to earn it you need to make a charitable donation to NaNoWriMo, which is a worthwhile cause. According to the NaNoWriMo website…
…when you donate to National Novel Writing Month, you help bring free creative writing programs to nearly 500,000 kids and adults in approximately 200 countries, 2,000 classrooms, 650 libraries, and 600 NaNoWriMo regions every year.
You not only support people’s novel writing dreams, you help transform people into creators who see new possibilities in the world—and act on them. You spark a creative revolution.
“Storytelling is a powerful act. Stories have the mysterious power to widen hearts and change minds. The psyche is never quite the same after receiving a story,” says author Mitali Perkins in NaNo’s 2013 Annual Report.
Your donation spawns NaNoWriMo’s unique brand of transformative magic.
NaNoWriMo relies on individual donations to pay for things such as web hosting costs, pep talks, Come Write In resources, and classroom kits to help turn people into writing wizards.
Nearly half of our income comes from individual donations. We need to raise approximately $1.3 million in 2014 to put on NaNoWriMo and our other programs. Please donate and help us today.
On October 20th, NaNoWriMo had secured $581,736 in donations. A week later they had $615, 215. So leading into November 1, they earned $33,479 in one week. I wonder if their donations speed up or slow down after November 1… I guess we’ll find out. Yesterday I donated to the cause, and here’s a list of all the “stuff” I get as a result:
- The 2013 NaNoWriMo Webinar Double Pack including both donor-only webinars from earlier this year, the Book Doctors’ “Make Editing Fun: How to Enjoy Revision” and Guy Kawasaki’s “The Art of Artisanal Publishing”
- A coupon good for pie with NaNoWriMo Director of Programs Chris Angotti and Executive Director Grant Faulkner. You have to come to Berkeley to redeem it, but come on—this is good pie. Also, the coupon is fully transferable!
- An option to have your novel featured online in NaNoWriMo’s Mighty Catalyst Bookstore.
- A year-long print and digital subscription to The Sun, a unique monthly magazine of essays, interviews, short stories, poems, and photographs. Writing from The Sun has won the Pushcart Prize, been featured on National Public Radio, and appeared in Best American Essays and Best American Short Stories!
- The 2014 “Boundless Novel” poster designed by Elizabeth Doyle
- A starry “Halo for Your Wrist”!
- A “Novelist’s Little Helpers” sticker set, which includes three (3) 3” by 3” round stickers each instilled with a bit of writer-ly magic to help you reach 50K.
- Your very own magical NaNo Wizard bookmark signed with thanks by our Director of Programs Chris Angotti and Executive Director Grant Faulkner
- A donor halo on your NaNoWriMo author profile
- A listing on the NaNoWriMo Brought To You By page
- A coupon code for 30% off plus free shipping from our friends at Chronicle Books
- A coupon for a free Structure class from StoryWonk ($10 retail value)
So now that I’ve collected all the Participation Badges, it’s on to the Writing Badges, which I can start to earn starting on November 1…
MENTORSHIP ADVICE:
As a NaNoWriMo mentor, I recommend to all participants of NaNoWriMo that you spend the days leading up to November 1 earning all YOUR Participation Badges, one right after the other, as I did. You’ll feel more committed to the cause, and that can only help as you begin taxing your mind and your fingers to churn out 50,000 words in 30 days.
President of Outskirts Press 