GIRLS WHO ROCK is an annual concert in NYC that aims to bring together the strongest voices in technology, entertainment, and design to advocate and fundraise for girls’ education worldwide. We had the chance to talk to one of their supporters who feels that fundraising for Girls Who Rock is her calling.
Tell us a little bit about who you are.
My name is Katy Bellotte and I’m 15 years old. I am a Youtube “Beauty Guru” under the screen name, HelloKatyxo. My whole life, I’ve always been surrounded by people that always encourage me to “do something more with my life.” Until recently, I didn’t exactly know how to accomplish such a task. A few months ago, I became aware of an organization called She’s the First, who’s mission is to fund girls’ education in struggling countries. I was contacted by the prestigious Seventeen magazine online editor slash She’s the First activist, Tammy Tibbetts, and was blown away. Never before have I been asked to be a part of such a great cause.
Why did you decide to fundraise for Girls Who Rock?
Many of my subscribers email and message me on a daily basis thoughtfully asking, “What can I do to help?” And that’s what began my Girls Who Rock fundraiser.
What methods did you use to get people to come to your page?
The moment I heard about Girls Who Rock via twitter, I created a few videos on Youtube, encouraging my subscribers to donate the extra dollars, nickels and dimes they had lying around. I created my own Girls Who Rock CauseVox account under my Youtube screen name, and watched as my subscribers and I reached our goal of $100.
The two videos I produced to encourage my subscribers on Youtube generated a lot of support for the cause. In the first video, I brought my flip camera to school, and surveyed some of my classmates, asking “What were you the first in your family to do?” The second video was concentrated on meaningful quotes and photos that encouraged my followers to donate to my CauseVox page.
What has been the most difficult part of fundraising?
The most difficult part of fundraising, is seeing how so many people aren’t willing to support the cause. Seeing this just breaks my heart. Some of my friends at school make fun of me for becoming so involved with Girls Who Rock, while most people my age are ruining their lives with alcohol and drugs. I feel like fundraising for Girls Who Rock and She’s the First isn’t just my duty, it’s my calling in life. By “calling” I mean helping others. I feel like receiving the messages and emails from my followers and online friends is what’s keeping me going. I hope I can continue helping out with these two lovely organizations. I’ll definitely be tuning into the show on Ustream, June 10th!
Any tips you’d like to share with other fundraisers?
As for tips on fundraising, I’d say BE CREATIVE! No one likes a boring fundraiser. Get people in your community involved as much as possible and, as I did, spread the word online via Youtube, Twitter, etc. Also, never feel like your work is ever “done.” Whether you’ve raised $10 or $10,000,000, never stop fundraising. Consider how much the cause means to you, and go from there.
