making christmas merrier Making Christmas Merrier V - charity: water

[PiratePony 8,475]

Making Christmas Merrier V

We are pleased to announce that Making Christmas Merrier is back! Every year Poniverse bands together in order to help spread some holiday cheer by raising money for a worthy cause. This year I will be headlining this event, and I’m going to start off by saying that it is a great honor and hopefully I can do it justice. I certainly have some fabulous shoes to fill.

From 2011-2015, Poniverse’s Making Christmas Merrier was able to rise over $9,000 for BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. It is a great testament to our beautiful community here on MLP Forums and all of Poniverse about how we came together in the spirit of love and giving year after year, which is really at the heart of the Christmas spirit and even Friendship Is Magic.

This year for MCM V, we are raising money for an organization called charity: water.

Charity: water’s goal is to bring fresh and clean drinking water to developing countries and communities that do not have access to it. We may take it for granted to be able to walk into your kitchen, turn on the faucet and be greeted with a near limitless supply of clean drinking water.

However, in some countries, this very basic necessity is a daily struggle to acquire….if it is acquired at all. The most basic of all needs is not even accessible to nearly 663 million people.

• Women and young girls are often the ones responsible for walking several miles for hours every single day to carry 40 lb cans of dirty water to their homes, which is often overridden with pests and disease.
• Dirty water is is responsible for more deaths in the world than every form of violence combined. Many of these deaths are children.
• Medical care is substandard in these areas because the water needed for medical treatments are also contaminated. This often leads to infection.

Not only is the cause important and lives can be impacted by our donations, charity: water has some incredible benefits:

• 100% of our donations will be going into the field. All processing and fees are taken care of by charity: water’s private donors. Our donations will not be split into fees such as office rent or employee salary. It will go directly to water projects.
• This year, we are able to donate directly through their website. They are able to process both credit cards and paypal in United States dollars, so there are multiple options for donating. Another bonus is that because their fees are covered by private donors, the typical processing cut from paypal or other companies will not be taken away from your donation
• Charity: water is consistently praised for its openness, accountability and transparency

If you have the time, please take some of it and watch this video about this year’s charity.

We have set ourselves a goal of $3000. If we can meet our goal and raise $3000, then we will have been able to help 100 people get access to clean water. That is 100 lives...men, women and children who will be able to drink water that is free of disease. That is hours of a young girl’s life taken back because she can pump water in her village rather than walk several miles to gather her family’s water from a dirty river or contaminated well. She can go to school and have an education that she would have given up because of the time needed to get water.

The people in these communities, especially their children, deserve to wake up on Christmas morning and have the gift of fresh, clean water, just like you and I have. And that would make for a very merry Christmas indeed.

 

Donations

Poniverse's Making Christmas Merrier V Donation Page

This year, we are going to have our donations directly on our charity: water campaign page. The benefits of this:

• 100% of your donations will go to the field to help give people the gift of clean water. There will be no processing or transaction fees
• Donations will be in United States Dollars!
• You have the option of donating with a credit card or paypal account

When donating, please make sure to use your MLP Forum username, so that we can properly attribute the donation to you. If you end up using your real name, please PM me to let me know.


 

FAQ

What is the goal?
$3000 USD. If we can make that or surpass that, it would do so much to improve a large amount of people’s lives.

What is the deadline?

December 31^st. Because of our late start date this year, we’ve extended our fundraising campaign until the end of the year. A great way to get in those last minute charitable gift receipts on the last day of the year.

Can I send the money directly to Poniverse?

For this year, all of our donations will be directly through our Poniverse charity: water campaign page.

What can I do besides donate money?

Please, please, help spread the word! By joining in our conversation, sharing our statuses via Twitter, Facebook or other social media or by even directing non-bronies in our direction to help in this great cause. This would be a wonderful Christmas gift for these families that are without our most basic necessity.

Stretch Goals

The mane event. Some of you like to get the funds higher so that staff can do ridiculous and embarrassing things, like forcing staff to read ship fiction, or forcing staff to change their name, or forcing staff to sing badly, or facing staff to leave, or forcing staff to...think of creative ways to include members so we have some share of our dignity left....

Anyway, the stretch goals are back, and so is the art from last year. I regifted this art to myself, so they don’t mean anything. There’s no hints or clues this time. Uhhh...there are plenty of fun goals though. Some of them may involve you, yes, you the one reading this. You’re just going to have to wait to see. Also if you have any ideas that you would like to share for goals or ways that *you* want to be involved, feel free to PM me!

So let's get these gifts unwrapped and Make Christmas Merrier!
 

 $100 Goal is unwrapped - Element of Generosity Badge

 

This is awarded to donors who contribute at least $5.00

 

$250 Goal is unwrapped - Staff Solo Song

 

A staff member will be forced to sing a song for your amusement. Dance staff puppets, dance!

 

$500 Goal is unwrapped - Holiday Solo Song by Donors

 

One of our donors will get to have their holiday song showcased!

 

 

$750 Goal is unwrapped - Q&A of one of our Donors

 

One of our donors will have one of MLP Forum's patented Q&A sessions

 

Also will be featured in the Poniverse newsletter!

 

 

$1000 Goal is unwrapped - PiratePony will match donations for 1 week, up to $1000

 

PiratePony will match total contributions from 11/30/2016 until 12/07/2016 up to $1000

 

$1250 Goal is unwrapped - One donor's OC will be featured in forum banner

 

One of our donors will have their OC as part of MLP Forum's head banner

 

$1500 Goal is unwrapped - Pie to the Face Challenge

 

Brave volunteers will film themselves smacking themselves in the face with a pie. For charity!

 

$1750 Goal is unwrapped - Staff/Donor Name Change for December

 

Members vote on a staff or donor's display name to change until Dec 31st!

 

 

$2000 Goal is unwrapped - Randimaxis Sings A Glass Of Water

 

Chaos University graduate sings his alma matter

 

$2250 Goal is unwrapped - Ban a Poniverse staff for one week

 

A free 7 day/6 night vacation for one in glorious not-MLP-Forums!

 

$2500 Goal is unwrapped - Staff or donor reads a shipfic

 

WHY!?!!?!?!?!!

 

$2750 Goal is unwrapped - Roast a Poniverse Staff Member

 

Make them feel pain!

 

$3000 Goal is unwrapped - Staff Reads Twas The Night Before Christmas

A classic poem in ponirific taste!

 

 

 

 

 

Are there more gifts to unwrap!!!!??? 

 

We're also going to release some plans for giveaways, special events, and more. We had a late start this year, but we are working to make this MCM as special as the ones that came before it, with the same goal of helping those in need.

Thank you all very much for your time and generosity. Let’s show everyone what Poniverse can do when we all come together.


Merry Christmas everypony!

[Kaneki 1,073]

Here's to hoping a lot of donations are received!

 

I have heard a lot about these situations in countries where no clean water is available, and it is sure sad. Thank goodness there's charities like that to help!

[PiratePony 8,475]

We have our first $100 and have unlocked the Spirit of Generosity badge! These will be given to everyone who donates over $5. There may be a slight delay over the next few days due to Thanksgiving but expect them soon!

[Fhaolan 4,483]

For anyone that donates $5 or more, please PM me directly to get your Elements of Generosity badge. The donation site is hosted by the Charity:Water group themselves, so there's no technical (or financial) links between Poniverse and the donation results. That means all the donations go directly to Charity:Water, but it also means unless you put your current MLPF display name in your donation, I can't tell who you are...

[Kaneki 1,073]

For anyone that donates $5 or more, please PM me directly to get your Elements of Generosity badge. The donation site is hosted by the Charity:Water group themselves, so there's no technical (or financial) links between Poniverse and the donation results. That means all the donations go directly to Charity:Water, but it also means unless you put your current MLPF display name in your donation, I can't tell who you are...

 

How long is this running again? Until the $3000 mark is reached?

 

I ask because I just switched banks due to various problems and still have to transfer my accounts, so I'll donate $5 later.

[Jeric 46,851]

To suggest that I am excited to celebrate the return of the most prominent perennial event of this slice of the Brony community would be like me saying I am kinda a fan of Rarity. This is probably a more appropriate representation of my emotional state when I saw this. 

 

 

You know I never get tired of seeing that gif. 

 

 

---

 

This charity, the events that stem from it, and this time of year reinforces our capacity for altruism and that which we see in ourselves as our inner light. Rarity would be the first to point out the magnanimous nature of the season as well, and who I am to argue with such sage wisdom? The charity chosen this year may be a departure, but it is in many respects more important. Water is life. Our donation is literally a gift of survival. 

 

Thank you to the staff who kept the MCM burning bright, thank you to all that donate, and thank you in advance for for all the entertainment that I am certain will be coming. For those that are actively participating on this charity in a volunteer capacity, you have my undying gratitude. The MCM has always and will always hold a specially place in my heart, and I am certain I am not alone in that. 

 

---

 

Hm. There is something missing though ... this thread needs more Rarity. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much better!

[PiratePony 8,475]

How long is this running again? Until the $3000 mark is reached?

 

I ask because I just switched banks due to various problems and still have to transfer my accounts, so I'll donate $5 later.

Until December 31st! Thanks for your support

[DwhitetheGamer 867]

 

 

Hm. There is something missing though ... this thread needs more Rarity. 

 

 

As if last year didn't contain enough Rarity in terms of her songs.  

 

Thanks for your generosity, Jeric.  Rarity would be proud.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

Just consider it for a moment...

 

In past years, we've donated to make Christmas merrier for children in hospitals, helping them to make it through a tough time... but this year, with charity : water, we'll be touching lives in a PERMANENT fashion, making this a gift that will potentially last for generations.  And what better way to celebrate a season of such generosity than to give of the water of life to those who need it so very much?

 

To all of our donors: Christmas lives on in your hearts; thank you for bringing fresh life to so many needy folks.

 

Excelsior, Forums!

[Derplight Sperkle 1,013]

I gave some money to the cause. I did last year and I gave a bit more this year. May we reach our goal of $3k!

[PiratePony 8,475]

Great first day guys. Thanks for the support. With just today's donations, we have made enough money to give seven people the gift of clean water!

 

For you American members: I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a wonderful time with your families!

[Bojo 1,172]

Finally got to participate on MCM! Could donate just some dollars, but hey... it's something  . May we collect 'em 3000 dollars and let those 100 people have clean water for the many, many years to come!

 

Looking forward to see what kind of stuff will staff gift to us this time! 

[Rikifive 24,183]

Aww wish I could donate, but having different, much less valuable currency (not mentioning having tons of expenses at the moment) makes stuff harder. 

 

Nevertheless, good luck with that charity! Hope everything goes well! 

[Snow 7,034]

Give more money? BUCK YES! Will give $10

( @@Fhaolan, if I get the badge can I keep the PFU sub title plz)

 

money donated also.. some of you gave a lot you are awesome!

[PiratePony 8,475]

$250 has been reached! Now one of our honorable staff will sing for your amusement. Expect a thread in a couple days (there's a slight delay due to the Thanksgiving weekend holiday). Stay tuned!

 

Thank you guys for your generosity. Here's a Rarity.

 

[Fhaolan 4,483]

 

 

if I get the badge can I keep the PFU sub title plz

 

Maybe... I'll see what I can do. You're *still* PFU, but I don't know if I can manually flip your title around without messing things up... the forum software is not kind to stacked permission sets. 

Okay, no. I can flip you back to PFU, since that's a higher priority for you. I'll put the Christmas Donor as a secondary set. You won't get the badge, but if at any point other things become tied to the Christmas Donor, like special accesses or discounts along the lines of the regular Donor things, you'll get those.

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

It's events like these, that make me realize again why i joined the fandom over 5 years ago and it also shows that the spirit of christmas is still alive and well.

 

I hope for alot of donations, as not everyone in this world are sadly unable to have a wonderful christmas like we do. But we can give them some hope with these donations.

[DerpyFIM4 70]

Unfortunately I can't donate money

 

EDIT : I wonder why someone who donated money brohoofed that :P

Edited November 25, 2016 by DerpyFIM4

[Snow 7,034]

@@DerpyFIM4, @@Rikifive,
hey... now theirs an idea :L for those who cant donate/want me to donate more ill give $1 for every brohoof this comment receives XD

$8 guys :L ok... but come on. i know y'all can do better. this is a good cause.

go tell your friends to help unfortunate families get clean water and empty snow's bank account (only $15 usd lol) 

$10 not bad, not bad.

but keep in mind what you are doing is not praising my post's quality, you are giving quality water to those who need it.

1 more makes 15  tell ur friends to help make a difference!
whats this? im using brohoofs as a reason to give money?? how vile of me! oh well, just do it.


$15 achieved, good job :L will donate now, thank you participants.

Edited November 27, 2016 by PF-JU88SNOW-DOR

[Jeric 46,851]

Unfortunately I can't donate money

 

EDIT : I wonder why someone who donated money brohoofed that

 

 

Because I hadn't yet hit submit, since I got distracted by other things, I brohoofed you without my reply.

 

Here is my take, it is completely ok if you do not have the means nor the method to make a donation. Part of this type of charity is always two fold, one is to raise funds. The other is to spread awareness. I have no doubt that you would donate if you could ... and to me that is something you should be proud of. If you did want to do something, you can always tweet about it, or ... heck just be a cheerleader of sorts and enjoy in whatever events Pirate, Fhao, and the other's on the MCM committee have in store. It's all good.

 

 

 

@@PiratePony or @@Fhaolan, in the past years, donors were able to make additional donations and 'gift' a badge to a member as a present? Would this be possible this year?

[PiratePony 8,475]

I'll look into it J.

[Dark Horse 12,961]

It lifts my spirits to no end seeing MCM make its return for another Holiday. The opportunity to help a soul during the Christmas time is one that should never be passed up, and I really hope to see another rousing success with it this year. The spirit of Generosity flourishes once again!

 

And this year, thanks to Charity: water, we don't just give them the gift of Christmas, we give them the gift of life.

[Rikifive 24,183]

I've been wondering on something...

 

I said, that I'm unable to donate money, so I was thinking, if I could do something else then.

I've been working on something and if administrators/moderators/organizators would agree, I'd like to add something to the gift pool.

 

It's nothing fantastic, but that always would be a tiny little gift, that I could offer for those, who will donate $5 or more.

 

---

 

So what I've been working on?

I spend almost all day preparing and polishing things around and I'd like to try to draw ponies for free, for those, who will donate said amount.

So far I've made my OC (Happy Flow) and Twilight Sparkle and they look like this:

And I'd love to help the charity grow, by drawing OC's on ponies' requests.

 

Some Tech Information:

> The Santa hat has a generosity symbol pinned to the fluffy ball in the end to show, that it's not just a Christmas and stuff, but a great time to spread the generosity as well! 

> These are pixel art, scaled to double size for better view.

> Ponies come in .gif format with simple Idle animation, facing to right. (Mirroring is possible if desired)

> For those, who prefer just a .png image (with no animation, obviously), then that one can be given as well.

> Ponies have 3 accessories - Santa Hat, Scarf and Boots - you would be able to select which ones you'd like to have.

> Possibility to choose between Unicorn, Pegasus and an Earth Pony. Alicorns are unavailable at the moment, because I don't have a base ready yet (they usually have a slightly different shape), but if you'd like to just have an alicorn even with the same sizes and stuff, then we could think of that.

 

Requirements:

> All you'd have to do is to donate $5 or more for Making Christmas Merrier V Charity. I can offer only one pony per user, regardless of extra amount of donation, as multiple requests could spam me and my free time is reaaaaaaaally limited, despite how it may look like. I hope you'll understand. 

> When your name would get visible on the list and you'd like to get your Making Christmas Merrier Pony, you'd just have to describe your OC and specify colors and such. Giving a reference would totally work, but even an ugly sketch would do the thing, so no worries about drawing skills! 

 

Why anypony would need those?

It's nothing amazing I know, but you could always stick those ponies to your profile as gifts and be proud, that you've participated and helped in that charity. It would nicely decorate your profile with your own, cute pony. 

 

Why I'm willing to do this?

Because I really want to help, but unfortunately can't donate. Instead of that, I want to donate my time and skills to bring some happiness around! 

These tiny gifts perhaps would slightly encourage some ponies to take that step to donate along with other gifts, but if not, I'd just be happy to do something anyway for those, who participated.

Who knows? Perhaps more artists, composers etc. would also like to help? We all can do something, so let's combine our powers and make these Christmas merrier! 

 

---

Please keep in mind, that I'm just a pony and I may have some delays with requests or with making your pony look good, so I'm really sorry, if I'd fail, but I'll try my best!

 

---

So that's what I could offer instead of money ~ I hope hard work would be enough, so let me know what you think about that idea. (=

 

---

In the meanwhile, I'll be spreading the word here and there on various forums I'm active on ~ I highly doubt anypony from outside (of the fandom) will be interested, but always worth trying mentioning, even if I'll look stupid.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Rikifive

[PiratePony 8,475]

Riki, that's an amazing idea and we would love to have you aboard* for this. Thank you so much! I'll be on later and we'll chat about it.

 

*pun not intended

[Troblems 5,617]

Ooooh I'm late to the party. Perhaps fashionably so. *flips hair* Got my first donation in, now let's start stretching some goals!