Each year for my birthday I ask friends and family to donate money to a specific, effective charity. If we reach the goal I set each year I add another piece to my tattoo. Each one of the four elements in the tattoo corresponds to the cause which we raised money for.
Inspired by charity:water's birthday pledge, and in an effort to magnify individual giving, I decided to 'donate' my 26th birthday to fundraising for clean water. Since we are bombarded with crowd-funding and donation requests constantly I wondered how to make my fundraiser stand out.
As an incentive to get friends and family to donate I decided to up the ante. If we were able to leverage $2,000 out of everyone I would get a water tattoo. You make your pocketbook hurt a little, and I'll make my skin hurt a lot. All in the name of a good cause.
So began my search for tattoo ideas.
While looking for a symbol that would be both meaningful and beautiful I noticed most water designs came as part of a set of all four elements, and sometimes a fifth (love, spirit etc). Well I have lots of skin, and it just so happens that 5 years would be my 30th birthday.
My next 5 birthdays would be dedicated to raising money for the most effective charities. Each charity will embodying one element. Every year we reach our goal I will add a piece to my tattoo.
My hope in the project is two fold:
One is to activate and mobilize my community into thinking more about giving: why it is important, how it impacts them, and most importantly how to do it more effectively.
Secondly I wish to inspire a deeper thought into what it means to give, and to inspire my generation into looking at giving differently. To encourage everyone to come up with creative ways to support, influence, donate, and propel causes that inspire. To discover the joy of propelling our world into a happier, more perfect future.
Oh and a selfish number three: hopefully I get some beautiful, meaningful body art in the process.
Want to Help?
Awesome! There are lots of ways to help other than donating money.