*CLOSED* Hugh's Zazzle site: Its proceeds should benefit which type of charity?

[Lisa]

Many of you have bought items related to HH works on CafePress, but our own wonderful tink is going to start a Zazzle HH page (YES! I want a coffee mug, pls!), and so, we can look forward to more types of HH-related merchandise available.

At some point we will ask you what type of WOOL/HWH/Molly/I, Zombie/The Hurricane/The Plagiarist (I just developed carpal tunnel syndrome after typing all those) merchandise you might want. Book bag, water bottle, coffee mug, BMW with bulletproof windows?

Wait, I"m not seeing the BMW link on Zazzle....

Anyhoo, we're trying to think large and think for the long run. Several of us have been tossing ideas back and forth about what should be done with any profits the HH Zazzle site might make. On the one hand, we could set those dollars aside for forum-related perks and contest rewards. On the other hand, we could donate all of them to charity.

Hugh likes both ideas but balked at naming a charity he might want the funds to benefit. He pitched the question back to us, and the truth is, we're not going to do this without your input.

So please help us with our long-term planning: if the Zazzle profits were to go to a charity, which type of charity would you prefer receive the funds?

(Note: Once we have a better idea on type, we'll ask again about specific charities. And we'll be all up in Charity Navigator's ass. Crappy charities need not apply.)

[Matt Bolick]

I want to see a WOOL branded decoder ring for secret messages that IT can't read!
http://amzn.com/B004D1L0B0

[catenin]

Let me toss in a couple of ideas.
I'd love t shirts with book covers on them, because Hugh's book covers KICK ASS.
Charities - gay and lesbian rights, ACLUish, drowning victims, human rights victims (ie, those in the real world that got sent out to clean for asking questions).
I know you said we'd wait to decide on a specific charity until we had agreed on a general category, but I'd like to make a plug for my favourite charity. Bat Conservation International is heavy into fixing problems with education, especially of children, and seeking cooperative rather than combative approaches. They're also facing a huge challenge with a new disease called white nose syndrome that has wiped out millions of bats around the world over the past 5-10 years.
*steps off of soapbox*

[Lisa]

Also, please feel free to post your thoughts about your preference.

Here's mine: I'm a sucker for animals. I've volunteered at two area animal shelters, was a foster parent for about 10 years, and currently share my home with too many cats and two adorable "pit bulls" (whatever that means). I've donated to Alley Cat Allies (benefiting feral cat colonies) for many years. I was thinking that donating to a charity targeting "bully breeds" would be a testament to Hugh and Amber's love and care for Bella (their current bully baby) and Jolie (very missed and gone too soon).

My second choice would be a child welfare organization, like a CASA near Hugh and Amber.

[Lisa]

They're also facing a huge challenge with a new disease called white nose syndrome that has wiped out millions of bats around the world over the past 5-10 years.
*steps off of soapbox*

*HIDES LAPTOP FROM HUSBAND*

He *loves* bats...

[Lisa]

I'd love t shirts with book covers on them, because Hugh's book covers KICK ASS.

For some of them, we'd have to get artist approval (and my guess is that we'd need to send some percentage of the proceeds to the artist in question, which I don't have a problem with).

[tink]

A few housekeeping things:

LisaKW is right with regard to artists' work: Zazzle will not allow anything remotely akin to copyright infringement, so book covers and other artwork that I, Hugh, or another person involved directly in creating products for the store did NOT create will not be okay to put for sale, at this point.

It will take a bit of time to set the whole thing up, and then begin creating items for it. We can start a separate thread for suggestions as far as which designs you'd like to see on which type of product.

But for this thread, let's try to hammer out which type of charity folks here think is the best fit for Hugh, his work, and his fans! Which would you like to see any profits go toward?

Keep in mind, in order to keep costs as low as possible, we will need to keep the royalties percentage low as well. The higher the royalties, the higher the end cost to the consumer. However, it will obviously be for a VERY good cause. We just need to figure out which one that should be.

And the way Zazzle is set up, you must earn a set minimum royalties before you receive the money. So in order for this to work, and to best support whichever cause we select, we'll need to buy the stuff.

Once the store is set up and open, we'll let everyone know, and then the suggestions can begin! In the meantime, keep buying from the CafePress shop, please. We're working as fast as possible to get the new store open, but it will take a bit of time.

[tink]

I voted Education, because I think a children's literacy program would be a great cause. But I'd be just as happy with an animal cause. Bats or frogs or cats or dogs -- doesn't matter to me.

[Janyaa]

I voted Education, because I think a children's literacy program would be a great cause.

I also voted for education. Our public schools are so under-funded and an author giving charity to literacy programs just...fits.

[ThomasCardin]

I wanted to pencil in nanotech research but I opted for aminals instead. I love aminals, and you can too!