FOR THE LOVE OF SONGS
fundraising campaign with Wendy Luella Perkins From February 14 until March 17, 2024
CAMPAIGN GOAL: $8,000
Help fund: Soulful Singing: Songs for the Journey
online library of my original Soulful Singing songs
Please WATCH the video here introducing the campaign and keep reading below.
FOUR GREAT REASONS TO GIVE
1. ACCESS THE SONGS FOR YOURSELF
Your gift will help bring these companion songs to you 24/7 for singing, meditating, healing, celebrating and more.
2. RECEIVE WONDERFUL PERKS
Yes, giving brings rewards! By contributing financially you will receive some wonderful perks as a gesture of my thanks. Details below.
3. SUPPORT MY COMMUNITY MINISTRY
The online audio/video library will be available by subscription, providing me with a more sustainable livelihood. Your generosity will help me to continue making and sharing music.
4. SHARE THE SONGS WITH OTHERS
Making these songs more readily available online will help them travel farther and wider and touch the lives of more people and communities. Through your generous giving, many others will receive the gift of song.
Perks for Contributing
In gratitude for your contributions to the
FOR THE LOVE OF SONGS
campaign you’ll receive the following perks
PERKS ARE IN CANADIAN DOLLARS: If you give $100 USD, and the exchange rate turns that into $127 CAD, you’ll receive the $125 level perks.
PERKS ARE CUMULATIVE: For example, if you give $500 you'll receive: this very moment cd + one year subscription + one of your favourite songs + one of my favourite songs + thank you.
PERKS TO BE DELIVERED BY THE END OF THE YEAR: I intend to deliver the perks by December 31, 2024.
$25 – THANK YOU
Your name on the thank you page of the website.
$75 – ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SONGS
I’ll sing one of my favourite Soulful Singing songs on your answering service (or the answering service of a loved one).
$125 – ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS
I’ll sing one of your favourite Soulful Singing songs on your answering service (or the answering service of a loved one).
$250 – ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION
A one-year individual subscription to the website.
$500 – THIS VERY MOMENT CD
A copy of my chant CD This Very Moment mailed directly to you or a loved one.
$750 – LUCKY LIFE CD
A copy of my folk CD Lucky Life mailed directly to you or a loved one.
$1000 – THREE ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO GIFT
Three one-year individual subscriptions to the website to gift to your loved ones.
$1500 – AN ORIGINAL SONG JUST FOR YOU
An original Soulful Singing song composed just for you on the theme of your choice (based on a 15-30 minute zoom chat). At my discretion, this song may be included on the website.
$2000 - COMPANIONSONG SESSION (max. 4 available)
A personal CompanionSong session with me (1.5-2 hours via zoom), where we chat and I create a personal Soulful Singing playlist and recording of the songs for you right on the spot.
How to Send Money
Send your contributions to the FOR THE LOVE OF SONGS campaign by March 17th in one of the following ways:
1. INTERAC - IN CANADA
if you are in Canada please send contributions via Interac e-transfer to my email address here
2. PAYPAL - OUTSIDE OF CANADA
if you are outside of Canada please send contributions to PayPal account.
3. CHEQUE - FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
If neither Interac or PayPal work for you, you can send me a cheque. Pop me an email and I will send my mailing address.
Please be sure to mark your payment with FOR THE LOVE OF SONGS so I know that it is for this fundraising campaign and not a regular Soulful Singing contribution.
I will acknowledge your contribution within 24 hours of receiving it. Also, please note since I am not a charity, I will unfortunately not be able to provide charitable receipts.
FAQ
1. WHO IS LEADING THE PROJECT?
I (Wendy Luella Perkins) am leading the project with the support of Mirth and Dignity. I am a singer-songwriter and Unitarian Universalist affiliated community minister with the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
2. WHAT IS SOULFUL SINGING?
Soulful Singing is an active meditative practice that I founded in 2002 that promotes mindfulness, joy, creativity and community. We share “short-on-words, long-on-meaning; easy-to-learn, hard-to-forget” songs through the oral tradition. Our inclusive, heart-opening gatherings focus on presence, not performance. Soulful Singing helps singers feel more freedom, more empowerment, more generosity, more joy, and more faith in the inherent goodness of their unique voice. Since March 2020, I have offered daily online Soulful Singing gatherings for people from around the world.
3. WHAT WILL THE COMPLETED WEBSITE LOOK LIKE?
Soulful Singing: Songs for the Journey will be a beautiful, easily navigable website featuring a searchable library of my original songs (100 to start, more to add weekly), lyrics, artwork, themed meditation videos and instructional videos sharing the Soulful Singing model.
4. DIDN'T YOU GET A GRANT FOR THIS PROJECT?
Yes, in January 2024 I received a grant from the Unitarian Universalist Funding Panel (UUFP) for $14,000 (CAD). However, the UUFP only funds projects that have strong community backing and support, so our proposal's budget requires some external fundraising.
5. WHY ARE YOU HOPING TO RAISE $8,000?
There are three reasons for the goal of $8,000:
a) $4,000 from the UUFP funds are available as a “Challenge Grant.” These funds will only be released as we receive matching donations, effectively doubling the value of the first $4,000 we raise.
b) I'm committed to having sliding-scale and free subscription options for lower-income folks. I hope to raise an initial $2000 for a bursary fund.
c) We received 88% of what we requested from the UUFP, so need a further $2,000 to top-up the budget.
$4,000 (matching) + $2,000 (bursary) + $2,000 (top-up) = $8,000
6. WHAT IF YOU RAISE MORE THAN $8,000?
Any amount raised over $8,000 will be GRATEFULLY RECEIVED and will be designated for the bursary fund making the website accessible to more people for whom payment is a barrier.
7. HEY, AREN'T YOUR SONGS ALREADY ON TIK TOK?
Yes, I have been posting original Soulful Singing songs to TikTok for over two years and my songs have reached tens of thousands of people using that app. However, there is no way to search for songs on the app, or create playlists, or offer teaching materials, or lyric sheets, or themed singing meditation sessions, all features that I want to offer on Soulful Singing: Songs for the Journey. Plus, because of privacy concerns, many people choose not to use TikTok.
8. ARE THERE OTHER WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE?
Money isn't the only kind of support needed or appreciated. I welcome in-kind contributions. Quite a number of people have already helped out with database work, reviewing these fundraising materials, etc. As the project progresses, I will be welcoming volunteers for a variety of other tasks. There are many meaningful ways to help this project shine!
9. CAN I SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN WITH OTHERS?
Absolutely! Feel free to forward this website to other folks who might be interested in supporting Soulful Singing: Songs for the Journey through this FOR THE LOVE OF SONGS campaign.
Finally I’d Like to Say
Soulful Singing: Songs for the Journey has arisen because of the incredible community that we have co-created together over many years. My hundreds of songs would not have existed without the years of singing together in person, the day after day singing on Zoom that started at the beginning of the COVID-crisis, Keith Gawronski-McNinch supporting me to share my songs on TikTok, and so, so much more.
I’m humbled that the flow of life has led me to this moment.
I’m excited to send these powerful little songs out into the world.
I’m honoured to be sharing this journey with you.
With deep thanks and for the love of songs,
Wendy Luella
Thanks for Your Support
Check out my tiktok page to listen to and learn some of my songs now.
Contact me to find out more about our daily and weekly online Soulful Singing groups
With thanks to The Unitarian Universalist Funding Program (UUFP) for its financial support.
© 2024 For the Love of Songs with Wendy Luella Perkins
