Email sent in from PIF reader Stacey:
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could give me a few resources for ideas of a pay it forward back to my community. I’d like to use my photography services for those less fortunate. I’d like to hold a contest on my photo blog but I’m fresh out of ideas. Do you have something that I can do, maybe in time for Christmas???
Thanks in advance,
Stacey
Feel free to input your ideas and help in comments.
-Lindsay
Check out givingisawesome.com
I participated in this last year and is was so awesome! You just sign up and you get all the text sent to you ready to post on your blog. You decide the amount you want to give, and let others nominate a family in need. Such an amazing experience and GREAT way to give back!!
Stacey, this is a great question! About four years ago I organized an extremely popular event in my community. My goal was to raise money and awareness for the arts. This concept could easily be tailored to any event. I promoted the event as “Faces.” The goal was simple photograph as many faces in the community as possible.
I called my light setup Avedon meets photo booth. I used a really clean charcoal background with a single softbox feathered to produce really dynamic light.
We suggested a goodwill donation in exchange for a 5×7″ print of $10. (A local lab donated the prints.) I photographed over 550+ people in a span of eight hours.
To push the event further, we organized an exhibit two weeks after the shoot at a local gallery that showcased an 8×10 of each image taken. Again, more opportunities for donations and fund-raising.
I’m participating in the Help Portrait on Dec 12. http://www.help-portrait.com
I’m also a member of Think Pink Photography and the Littlest Heroes Project. I want to get involved with NILMDTS but I need to grow some thicker skin first otherwise I will bawl the whole time I’m there!
I donate gift certificates to the Children’s Hospital for their auctions and other fundraisers.
Thanks guys! I really appreciate the feedback!
Jenn – the NILMDTS program is something else. Kudos to those who are able to do it. I don’t think I ever could. With four kids of my own, I’d be in the same shoes as you! 
Biff – absolutely brilliant! Maybe a few years down the road I’ll be able to pull something like that off.
Meredith – I’ve heard about the site you’ve listed. Fantastic cause!
Thanks again!
This is my first time looking at this site, but I just finished shooting my charity project for the Christmas season. I located a place called “Alley’s House” in the Dallas area that helps teen moms become better mothers through teaching parenting skills, getting their GED, helping to provide diapers, formula, clothes, and a sense of belonging and hope. I spent two days photographing their beautiful children and talking to them about their lives. How grateful they all were for a simple photograph of their children. Something that not everyone can afford, but something that I think every parent deserves. Just find an organization in need. Be creative!
by Lindsay
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