Captain Google Ukulele Fund Idea...?

bornagainjeeper

bornagainjeeper

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I saw the Tribute to CaptainGoogle and this tough guy let out a couple tears...I was in the woods when all of this happened so i had no idea until today...(great people always pass on when i'm in the woods...presidents, popes, celebrities...and uke players apperently). Though i didn't know much about Vince, he is all of our brother in the ukulele, so why not do something that only ukulele underground can?

I will need some help organzing and making phone calls...But i propose we send 1 (or more) ukuleles each to an organization in his home town, such as the boys and girls club, or an organization that helped him out...Having a Vince Memorial Ukulele Fund....If we could put a beginner ukulele in the hands of kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity, such as at risk youth, or those with illness i know we can change the world 4 strings at a time. I haven't got the slightest idea where to start with this, so Post ideas in the comment section, and if anyone knows more about where he is from and who to get in touch with, we can figure this all out. We can all spare 40 dollars to mail a mahalo uke to a kid...it is always in the budget...Help me help Ukulele Underground make a difference, ok? deal.
 
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Alex, great idea.

The first thing you should do is get a 501c3 and become an official non-profit organization.

The reasons for this are myriad. Legitimacy is important. Donations are tax-deductible. It will force you to establish a program and mission and vision statement.

To even be considered for non-profit 501c3 status, you need:

  1. A Mission and Vision statement.

  2. At least 3 board members.

    These positions are at least:

    Chair
    Vice-Chair
    Treasurer

  3. A bank account.

    Somewhere to hold the donations and grants is essential.

The charities that were listed in Vince's obituary are all in Bristol, VA, so I suggest that you apply for non-profit status in the state of Virginia. Off the top of my head, I know two UU members in VA. Ron<>VA and josuegroundhog.
 
seeso said:
Alex, great idea.

The first thing you should do is get a 501c3 and become an official non-profit organization.

The reasons for this are myriad. Legitimacy is important. Donations are tax-deductible. It will force you to establish a program and mission and vision statement.

To even be considered for non-profit 501c3 status, you need:

  1. A Mission and Vision statement.

  2. At least 3 board members.

    These positions are at least:

    Chair
    Vice-Chair
    Treasurer

  3. A bank account.

    Somewhere to hold the donations and grants is essential.

The charities that were listed in Vince's obituary are all in Bristol, VA, so I suggest that you apply for non-profit status in the state of Virginia. Off the top of my head, I know two UU members in VA. Ron<>VA and josuegroundhog.
Click to expand...

Yeah....that would be one route...doesn't it cost 1000 bucks to register as a not for profit...definately something to look into, if there is a lawyer or buiseness person around on UU

Would there be any harm in just mailing a bunch of ukes to either a boys and girls club or childrens hospitol that agress to partner with this, and then seeing if we can find a guitar player or hopefully uker in the area to help the kids learn once a week? If they are only 40 dollar ukes i don't know if its worth all the trouble of a NFP org....

I was thinking maybe a fone call to the firedept might be the way to get the ball rolling here...we can get them some press and see if the community will add extra donations once the ball is rolling....
 
The first thing you want to do is talk to Vince's family, and see if they're okay with this.
 
seeso said:
The first thing you want to do is talk to Vince's family, and see if they're okay with this.
Click to expand...

That is what I would suggest also. CG's father and grandfather are both members now on UU. Would be easy to drop them a PM. They may have some good suggestions about how to do this locally in their town-assuming they want to.
 
RON<>VA said:
That is what I would suggest also. CG's father and grandfather are both members now on UU. Would be easy to drop them a PM. They may have some good suggestions about how to do this locally in their town-assuming they want to.
Click to expand...

yes i just found that all out so thats what i'm gunna do! thanks
 
bornagainjeeper said:
I saw the Tribute to CaptainGoogle and this tough guy let out a couple tears...I was in the woods when all of this happened so i had no idea until today...(great people always pass on when i'm in the woods...presidents, popes, celebrities...and uke players apperently). Though i didn't know much about Vince, he is all of our brother in the ukulele, so why not do something that only ukulele underground can?

I will need some help organzing and making phone calls...But i propose we send 1 (or more) ukuleles each to an organization in his home town, such as the boys and girls club, or an organization that helped him out...Having a Vince Memorial Ukulele Fund....If we could put a beginner ukulele in the hands of kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity, such as at risk youth, or those with illness i know we can change the world 4 strings at a time. I haven't got the slightest idea where to start with this, so Post ideas in the comment section, and if anyone knows more about where he is from and who to get in touch with, we can figure this all out. We can all spare 40 dollars to mail a mahalo uke to a kid...it is always in the budget...Help me help Ukulele Underground make a difference, ok? deal.
Click to expand...

Whatever I can do to help, I'm there.

Jon
 
and yet another good idea!

At first I thought it would be some sort of a uke fund for people with Muscular dystrophy. but giving ukes to kids in Vince's name (given his family agrees on it) would be nice, too.
 
Wow, this is really great..
I didn't have a chance to help with the collab video, but I'd love to see what I can do..
Right now, I'm limited with money. As I am a unemployed high school student.
But what money I have, I want to make some kind of difference.
 
SeanKy671 said:
Wow, this is really great..
I didn't have a chance to help with the collab video, but I'd love to see what I can do..
Right now, I'm limited with money. As I am a unemployed high school student.
But what money I have, I want to make some kind of difference.
Click to expand...

as of now the idea would be fairly easy to afford as i'm a poor college students...i think if this is able to happen we could pick a good $40 uke and all purchase that one...that way the kids that would get the ukes would all be getting the same one...you know how kids are...
 
How about keeping it simple and staying away from organizing stuff that has to be maintained long-term? The first few posts already show that it will be a rather cumbersome undertaking, even if we keep believing in the great community that is UU.

How about a one-time fundraiser through Paypal or whatever among members and donating that money to a good cause, be it illness-related or uke-related. Actually, if there are any uke-related suggestions that would be great. Or uke programs for sick kids, or something in that line of activity. Just brainstorming here. Funding a school program somewhere could be nice, if you count a basic uke for $40 you could count the donations in "1/8th uke" or $5 to give more people access to donating.
 
Well, PM me when you get a good count of members, and when you get this all straightened out. This is a great idea, and I want to help.
If we are looking at 1 ukulele than I agree that it won't be hard to afford. And I'm sure with time we may see more than enough donations.
 
UkeNinja said:
How about keeping it simple and staying away from organizing stuff that has to be maintained long-term? The first few posts already show that it will be a rather cumbersome undertaking, even if we keep believing in the great community that is UU.

How about a one-time fundraiser through Paypal or whatever among members and donating that money to a good cause, be it illness-related or uke-related. Actually, if there are any uke-related suggestions that would be great. Or uke programs for sick kids, or something in that line of activity. Just brainstorming here. Funding a school program somewhere could be nice, if you count a basic uke for $40 you could count the donations in "1/8th uke" or $5 to give more people access to donating.
Click to expand...


lots of good points made...i guess what i ment originally i feel would be the very easiest...If we could get someone in Bristol VA to be the address..and we decide on a place to donate the ukes to, a childrens hospital or what have you...we could all separately buy the ukes and mail them over a month period or so...then the person who we mailed them to could just walk around and hand out ukes and books...it would be mega ideal if we could find a guitar player or better yet a uke player to help the kids once a week...that'd be great but kids learn things fast...a uke in the hand could spark plenty of ukers....
 
UkeNinja said:
How about keeping it simple and staying away from organizing stuff that has to be maintained long-term? The first few posts already show that it will be a rather cumbersome undertaking, even if we keep believing in the great community that is UU.

How about a one-time fundraiser through Paypal or whatever among members and donating that money to a good cause, be it illness-related or uke-related. Actually, if there are any uke-related suggestions that would be great. Or uke programs for sick kids, or something in that line of activity. Just brainstorming here. Funding a school program somewhere could be nice, if you count a basic uke for $40 you could count the donations in "1/8th uke" or $5 to give more people access to donating.
Click to expand...

UkeNinja has a point.. this could be a cumbersome undertaking.. By the way UkeNinja, those were a great use of words. Either way.. whatever comes out from this, will change our future generations, and make a lot of happy children.
 
I think the idea comes from a good place. I'll be happy to research NP regs here in Va, and in Tn (a block away). If anything can be worked out, I think it's a fantastic idea. I've already given jeeper my support, if he can pull it off. The ukulele has become special to me rather quickly; bornagainjeeper, you can copy/paste my story from the PM's if you like; if I had the funds, I would do something like this myself. If anybody is really interested, let us know..
 
has it really been that long since ive been on? I had no idea. Gosh, I dont know what to say, but rest in peace broh.....im getting worked up just typing it..
 
OK, I heard from bornagainjeeper about this - and I have some ideas too. I would be happy to set up something here in Bristol - I set up a Motorcycle club a while back, and I think i can do this a lot cheaper than $1K!!
You folks ( ok, I'm one now too, I know...) have so many good ideas!

If seeso's video goes viral, and I think it will, we may be able to do more than we think! All we need is some exposure, and I can get that locally. Then if Matt Lauer calls :shaka:,
who knows... ;)
Anyway, lets go with this! Think big - a youth Uke Club in every town!! ( Did I mention I teach Marketing?)
Thanks again!
Mike
 
olesneaker said:
OK, I heard from bornagainjeeper about this - and I have some ideas too. I would be happy to set up something here in Bristol - I set up a Motorcycle club a while back, and I think i can do this a lot cheaper than $1K!!
You folks ( ok, I'm one now too, I know...) have so many good ideas!

If seeso's video goes viral, and I think it will, we may be able to do more than we think! All we need is some exposure, and I can get that locally. Then if Matt Lauer calls :shaka:,
who knows... ;)
Anyway, lets go with this! Think big - a youth Uke Club in every town!! ( Did I mention I teach Marketing?)
Thanks again!
Mike
Click to expand...

hahaha now we are talking....from Vinces family we need....
1.) Local exposure if you can get it
2.) An organization you will be giving the ukes too
3.) A volunteer to teach the kids OR we at least need to send a quality uke book

From UU members
1.) We do need to pick a uke that is both inexpensive (i'm shooting for $40...thats where i started) and quite playable...so suggestions suggestions..
2.) IF we can get a distributor to help us get a discount on our ukes...we could either get better ukes for 40...or $40 dollar ukes for 30....either way a bonus
3.) All the love and support i know you have, this idea has been on the table for about 12 hours and its already taking off as well as i expected....
 
The Dolphin Makala gets my vote. Much better than the Mahalo.

MKDBC.jpg
 
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