Mary Angel

(4/2024) Every month it goes about the same. Around the second week I start wondering what I am going to write about. Sometimes by then have an experience or a thought that is simply "It". I immediately know it is the subject of that month’s article. Other months do not go as smoothly. Those are the months when I start quizzing friends and family with the phrase, "What should I write about?" Not once have they said, "how about this" or what about that" and I have been inspired. Inevitably their suggestions somehow spark an idea or inspiration in my pea picking brain. This month a friend said, "Why don’t you talk about volunteering for a fundraiser, you are so passionate about it." So, I am going to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly of fundraising.

Almost a year ago a friend of mine was at a bingo fundraiser that I used to run many years ago. Supposedly she cracked a joke asking them if they wanted her and I to take over again. Bottom line, they jumped at the idea. I suspect they realized how much work it was, and no one wanted to run it. Honestly, I can’t blame them. Fast forward almost a year and I am in my basement frantically trying to fill bags and wrap them for the bingo. It took several weeks every evening filling bags to get them all done. For the first time since I had started bingo, I actually received bag filler donations the day of bingo. It was a crazy time.

I should probably back up a little bit. In the past I ran bingo with my very best friend. We were the perfect match. She would bob when I would weave, she was the yin to my yang. Ultimately, where I had weaknesses, she had strength and where she had weaknesses I had strengths. This time I was doing bingo with someone new. What we learned was that we had a lot of the same weaknesses and the same strengths. I learned that some of the things my best friend took care of I didn’t even realize happened. The last time she and I ran bingo we made a timeline for anyone who came after us. That way they would know when each step needed to be taken care of. I, however, did not follow my own timeline.

When I had been involved in bingo before I was a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. So, when things needed to be done, I would tell the kids to grab their books and we would do certain subjects in the car. It was much easier to follow the timeline when I wasn’t working a 40-hour workweek. My flexibility and free time were all but non-existent. To squeeze a fundraiser into that was almost madness.

Well, last weekend we pulled it off. To everyone else it seemed to have a few hiccups but ran fairly smoothly. From my perspective it was an absolute train wreck. Every part of my timeline was late by at least a week, I was still filling bags on the day of bingo, which meant that the booklet was not completely accurate, which meant that I had to make table signs for every table to make corrections and have the announcer make corrections. Although there were very few it was still not the seamless bingo I was hoping for, and I felt a bit like a failure. The next day, as I didn’t get home until after one in the morning, I told my husband about all the mistakes I had made and he said, "I guess you won’t be doing that again". I was shocked and I told him just that.

Of course, I will do it again. If they want me too, I would be happy to do it again. This fundraiser supports the kids, maybe not my kids anymore, but other kids. Kids that start high school and don’t feel like they fit in, and can’t find their group, are welcome in the instrumental music program. With zero musical talent they are welcomed with open arms. This is where they learn to feel a sense of belonging and find their place, so of course I will do it again. I will just do it differently.

I learned a valuable lesson this year. I tried so hard to fill my best friend’s shoes that I didn’t even notice that I am not her. What I mean is, she used to have these lists and detailed reports and she was the most organized person I know. I am not that person, and I needed to not try to be something I wasn’t. Two days after bingo, when I could stand without wincing, I decided to come up with my own system for tracking information. For me, I deleted all of the information in the bingo booklet from this year and just left blank charts to fill in. When I receive any donation, whether filler or sponsorship, I will assign it a spot in the bingo booklet. Not only will this mean I have tracked information more effectively, but the booklet will be completed as I go along.

Since I am also working full-time this go round, I need to not only find my own way of doing things, but a few ways to streamline the process. Filling in the bingo booklet as I go along means it will be ready when I need to go to print, instead of stressing everyone out. Even if I have to tweak some things at the end, I will still be better off than I was this year. I also realized I love doing something that gives back or helps other people (especially kids).

Sometimes as moms we are so involved in work and our families that we don’t find time to do things we love. Whether it be hobbies, quiet time, or volunteering, we need to make some time for ourselves and what we see as important. If that something means we are helping other people, al the better. This is a wonderful lesson for our kids to learn, to help others. All of my kids, my parents, and my husband helped in some way with bingo. They helped drop off donation request letters, pick up donations, make phone calls, fill bags, curl ribbons, load cars, and that is not to mention all of their help the day of bingo (before, during, and after). When we volunteer together, as a family, I am overjoyed. Tell your kids how important it is to give to others, show them that you do it too, and encourage them to do it with you. You will be making some amazing family memories that will last a lifetime! Lastly, support your school’s music program! Thanks for allowing me a shameless plug!

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