Planting for Progress Donors
Planting for Progress Fundraiser by Agatha Isabel
Background: April 2020 - I had just been furloughed, a close family member of mine had just passed away from COVID, I was homesick (I grew up in L.A.), and I wanted to travel to be in nature – but I could not go anywhere besides my apartment.
Feeling in a bit of a rut I turned to my usual comfort zone: houseplants. My one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment began to fill up with many new and interesting plants, and I immersed myself further into the plant community. It kept me busy, and brought me a much-needed sense of peace and fulfillment during this rough time.
Still, with everything going on in the world around me – by this point the social uprising at police brutality and racial injustice had resurged – I wondered if I could do more. Was there a way I could use my passion for plants, and my involvement in this plant community, as a force for good across other communities?
I had seen people auction off rare plants online and I thought, why not? I knew that if I held an auction with the purpose of raising money for progressive causes, my plant community would show up big. It started with my Pink Princess Philodendron (a rare, sought-after houseplant), and the ripple effect was more than I could imagine.
Maria from @bloomandgrowradio said it best, "This seed of an idea that... turned into an incredible cross account, cross plant community supported movement that has raised an amazing amount of money for 3 national organizations and 3 local NYC community organizations". I want to continue and sustain this with your help.
What We've Accomplished So Far
Planting for Progress has gained traction in the last few months, raising over $5K for National organizations such as BLM, ACLU, and local organizations such as the Audre Lorde Project, and the Foresight Project. We are close to becoming an official 501c3, but need to raise funds to plan out this next year of PFP. You can learn about the organizations we have donated to, here .
I am looking for donors to help kickstart, build an infrastructure, and back up the next year of our project to maintain our momentum and continuing to raise donations for causes we care about.
I am looking to raise $4,245 to cover the following costs for 10 more auctions and fundraisers in the next 12 months, and need this in the next week to finalize a fiscal sponsorship to officially register PFP as a Non-Profit.
Cost Breakdown:
Cost of 1/4 of Plants (~3/4 are donated) - 73%
Plant Care, Shipping, Packaging - 7%
Marketing/Merchandise - 8%
Admin & Transport- 12%
Your Donation*:
- $10 covers shipping of one plant + shipping, packaging
- $50 covers ~1 medium plant
- $75 covers ~ 1 large or more rare plant
- $100 covers ~1 large or more rare plant + shipping, packaging
- $400 covers ~ Plants, shipping, packaging, marketing, and admin for one month
Your support means I, along with PFP volunteers can continue to support, advocate, and donate to local and national organizations in need. This truly has started as a seed nurtured by the plant community, and we hope to continue to grow with your support. I, we, could not have done it without your support so far, and would be extremely grateful.
Thank you for reading, and for your continued support,
Agatha [email redacted]
Big Thanks to the PFP Team:
@welcometothejunglehome @plantblerd @thejungleupstairs @siloliage @plantmepaul @felinejungle
Other Resources:
Podcast explaining how PFP came to be
*Donation for this GoFundMe may not fall under the 501(c)3 benefits, but after funds are raised and 501(c)3 status is achieved, all future donations will be tax deductible.
