Kickball Showdown Results!

On Saturday June 11^th, a battle broke out. Four teams came to compete; only one would conquer. The Donor Squad Kickball Showdown was in session and people of all types and ages had one thing in common; they craved some kickball action!

Kickballer’s from Meetup.com and Facebook chose to participate in the tournament for a good cause. Each player donated $15 to the Seattle Humane Society and brought canned goods for Northwest Harvest, two admired Nonprofits in the Seattle area. Altogether we raised $500 and collected around 125 pounds of nonperishable food.

People from all walks of life joined the donor squad tourney, including the furry kind. Members of the FurLife Meetup group arrived with enthusiasm and entertained us with fabulous furry costumes, noisemakers and kites. It may not have been a regular site, as the kickball field was adorned with lions, otters, bears, birds, foxes and dogs, but the furry team put their paws to good use and slid around the bases with ease.

Aside from the furries were many Donor Squad ninjas and sports enthusiasts. Dressed in black and carrying swords, some of the players were practically invisible. After 3 hours of playing, tummies full of pizza and sore from laughter, a ninja championship game began. It was a close game, but one team broke the tie and claimed victory of the tournament! The games were all in good fun, so everyone felt like winners that day. The lucky team was presented with a fabulously bedazzled trophy and individual Ivar’s gift cards.

The tournament would not have been the same without the delicious pizza that the teams congregated around before and after games. zPizza donated a generous 15 different pies for the tournament! We heard nothing but good comments and yummy sounds come from the stuffed mouths of each kickball player. zPizza is new to Capitol Hill and uses all natural ingredients. Their goal is to have each store give away $4000 worth of pizza each year to support community fundraisers, and we thank them for the support.

We also thank all of the players and donors for supporting our local charities and participating in another Donor Squad event. Now that we’ve gained new friends and mad skills, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open; you never know when or where Donor Squad will declare another kickball battle. 

Living La Vida "Local"

Ever wonder where your money goes when you donate to charity? Of course, why wouldn’t you. Ever donate to huge corporate charities because you’re not sure where to donate? I think we’ve all been in that situation. The truth is, all charitable giving is wonderfully encouraged, but it is truly important we don’t ignore smaller charities, they need your help!

If you hear of a small charity in your community, don’t hesitate.  You can expect your hand-me-downs and extra cash to benefit local causes and local people. Sometimes local charities will support the same causes as well-known charitable organizations, but they aren’t spending a lot of time advertising. Here are some reasons why people volunteer locally, and why you should too:

1. Small charities are in more need of donations because they usually don’t get those large corporate sponsorships
2. More of each donation actually goes to the people in need because small charities have lower overhead
3. Small charities are typically local, so you can usually expect money donated in your area to help people, animals, and causes in your area instead of being shipped off to corporate

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for the best charity in your area, hit the web! Charity Navigator, Volunteer Match and Seattle Works are great resources for finding information on local charities.

On Charity Navigator and Volunteer Match you can narrow down your search by city, size, and type of cause. The first time I did this I found Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville Washington, which is hidden about one block from where I live. Seattle Works is a great place to find volunteer opportunities and support the community. On Twitter you can simply search for people or organizations in your area that exist to inform you of charities you can support.

So what are you waiting for?

CharityNavigator.org

VolunteerMatch.org

SeattleWorks.org

Homeward Pet Adoption Center

Donor Squad is a Seattle start-up committed to connecting people with local nonprofits.  To learn more, visit the Donor Squad Facebook Page.   To join the Donor Squad Meetup group, go to Donor Squad Seattle.