Learning Life Launches $50k DemFest Fundraiser
Today, Learning Life officially launches its campaign to raise $50,000 to fund the first Democracy Festival in the nation’s capital region in October this year, before the November elections.
As part of Learning Life’s broader work to build a model Democracy Learning Community (DLC) in the Washington DC region, a.k.a. “the DMV” or DC-MD-VA capital region, the DMV Democracy Festival is intended to:
- Make democracy fun for all ages
- Widen participation in democracy
- Deepen civic learning
- Foster creative collaboration, particularly between folks in the DMV arts, education, business, philanthropic, and democracy sectors
- Be financially self-sustaining, and help grow the wider DLC
DemFest is tentatively planned for Saturday, October 19 (mark your calendar if you live in the DC area!), and will include five types of activities: games, discussions, arts performances, skill-building workshops, and a democracy market.
Learning Life is investing more than 6,000 hours of volunteer time to organize DemFest. The $50,000 we are working to raise will pay for organizing the festival (including managing the growing number of DemFest volunteers), space and material rentals, food, sale items, prizes, and printing. For a copy of the DemFest budget, contact us at email@learninglife.info.
Some of the $50,000 will be raised at DemFest, via ticket sales ($3 and $5 for kids and adults in advance, $5 and $7 at the door; ticket page to be announced later), vendor fees, and festival sale items (e.g., food, t-shirts, democracy quiz cards), but the bulk of the money will be raised prior via sponsorships and donations. By contributing to the $50,000 goal you support DemFest and become a DLC donor or member, as you prefer.
Here are three ways you and/or your organization can contribute:
(1) Become a DLC donor with a gift of $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or whatever you can afford. Donations are 100% tax deductible in the USA. At the contribution page, enter “DLC donor” in the Note box. All donors get DLC email updates and event invitations, and recognition as a supporter at Learning Life’s website, social media and DemFest.
(2) Become a DLC member: Membership is $100 per year in 2024 (starting from date of contribution). Members get (a) DLC email updates and event invitations, (b) entrance to one Democracy Dinner, (c) two tickets to the DMV Democracy Festival (DemFest), and (d) recognition as a DLC member at Learning Life’s website, social media and DemFest. At the contribution page, enter “DLC member” in the Note box. Note: Because of the benefits, membership contributions are not tax deductible.
(3) Sponsor the DLC if you or your organization would like to get greater benefits and support the DLC at a higher level. Individual sponsorships start at $250, and organizational sponsorships at $1,000. At the contribution page, enter “DLC sponsor” in the Note box.
