Last year, I started my #Giveaway4Good campaign with little more than faith. Faith in my cheerleading. Faith in this writing community. And faith in our capacity for collective good.
I wanted to see what would happen if we worked together to create some extra light during a time of deep heartache and loss. So, I sent a few emails to my favorite writing organizations and asked for their support. Then I turned it over to you and envisioned our success. Happily, that faith paid off.
Together, we raised over $24,000 for charitable and literary organizations. You supported local independent bookstores. I gave away prizes. We had some fun, even while muscling through the disappointments of our very little Christmases.
It’s once again Giving Tuesday. The pandemic has thrown us yet another curveball as we head into the holiday season. (Thanks, Omicron!) Instead, of letting that dim our lights, let’s have some more fun and support our communities one more time.
During each weekly #Giveaway4Good challenge, I’ll ask you to give away some of your time, talent, or treasure.
Answer my call and you’ll be entered into my weekly drawing for valuable writing-related goodies you won’t want to miss.
Everyone who enters a weekly drawing will also be entered into a grand-prize drawing designed to support every aspect of your writing life. Don’t believe me?
Check this out:
Grand-prize package: A one-year membership to James River Writers, a 3-pack of webinars from The Crow Collective Online Writing Workshops, one Jane Friedman webinar of your choice, a 10-page manuscript review plus one-hour coaching session with me, and a query letter review by Allison K. Williams.
Holy giveaways, am I right?
Here’s this week’s challenge:
Make a donation to any charity that supports families in need, and you’ll receive one ticket for this week’s drawing.
Make donations to two different organizations and you’ll receive two tickets for this week’s drawing.
Make three donations and receive three tickets.
All tickets will be eligible for the grand-prize drawing.
The minimum donation is $10.00; however, I will reward those of you who donate $100 or more with extra tickets and access to a fabulous secret prize drawing.
This week’s prize: A $30 gift certificate to New Dominion Bookshop PLUS one copy each of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book, The War of Art, Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction, Doodling for Writers, The Best of Brevity (or The Story Cure), The Business of Being a Writer, and a signed copy of My Monticello by Jocelyn Johnson.
And yes, you will receive all these books, which makes this over a $150 value!
Jocelyn Johnson’s breakout short story collection My Monticello has been featured on NPR’s 360 Books to Read and the New York Times. Netflix plans to adapt it into a movie. She’s a hometown hero who has been both my neighbor and yoga buddy. You’ll learn more about Jocelyn during an upcoming interview.
New Dominion is the oldest independent bookstore in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are a huge supporter of the Charlottesville writing community AND they can deliver anywhere in the United States.
If you read my interview with Ashleigh Renard, you know how important supporting your local independent bookstore is to your writing career.
Here’s an added bonus: Make a donation to one of the charities listed below and I’ll give you three tickets for this week’s drawing. (And yes, you can get three additional tickets for each donation you make).
- Feeding America or your local food bank
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- International Rescue Committee
- The Women’s Initiative or your local nonprofit mental health center
What do you need to do to receive your ticket?
Sign up for my newsletter and then send me an email with a screen shot of your donation. All I need to see is the name of the charity and the amount, nothing else. (The minimum donation to qualify for the drawing is $10). That’s it.
Are you struggling financially?
This giveaway is for everyone, regardless of your circumstances. Send me an email with pictures capturing three random acts of kindness you’ve completed and I’ll enter you in this week’s drawing and the grand-prize drawing.
Also (and this goes for everyone), recommend my newsletter to your followers and you can also get an extra ticket for my drawings. Just email me a screenshot of your post.
I’ll draw the first winner on Monday, December 6, 2021, at 7:00 PM EST. Consider this your deadline. The winner will be announced in my December 7th newsletter.
Because I want us to do the greatest amount of good for our community, I’ll be sending reminders over the next few days. Feel free to delete them if your inbox is overburdened. I won’t be offended.
If you’re a person who likes to think ahead, here’s a brief overview of the challenges to come.
- Week two (12/7—12/13): Earn tickets by donating $10 to your favorite literary organization.
- Week three (12/14—12/20): Earn tickets by purchasing books or gift certificates at an independent bookstore. Bonus tickets will be awarded for books purchased through black-owned bookstores
- Week four (12/20—12/27): Earn tickets by writing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads for your favorite authors and earn a ticket toward one free coaching session with me.
If you’d love to support my #Giveaway4Good but you’re not interested in the prizes. you can send me an email letting me know about your donations and I’ll add them to our totals.