Written by: Divya Palasamudram
Shefaali Mahendar added to the joy of Valentine's Day by running a Chocolate Covered Strawberries sale to raise money for Carolina For The Kids! Carolina For The Kids (CFTK), is a nonprofit organization that provides major emotional, medical, and financial support for the patients and families served by UNC Children's Hospital. Since General Services Foundation had not donated monetarily to Carolina For The Kids previous to this fundraiser, Shefaali decided to support this organization through her sale. So, how did this idea come to be? Shefaali was browsing through Instagram and came across a lot of Valentine’s Day related treats. Inspired by those posts, she decided to start a Chocolate Covered Strawberries sale through General Services!
Shefaali was able to raise $65 for CFTK by selling a total of 45 strawberries, and she was able to achieve all this during the week of Valentines Day! This was a spur of the moment fundraiser and it turned out great. Keep reading to learn more about the behind the scenes of Shefaali’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries sale!
Promotion
Because of the short timeline of this project, promotion had to be done very quickly. Shefaali created a flyer and posted it on Instagram, Snapchat, and then again on Instagram the day before the sale ended. Almost all promotion was done online through social media platforms as this was an effective and the fastest way to promote. All orders were delivered by February 13th in a contactless mannar.
How were the chocolate covered strawberries made?
Shortly after she came up with her idea, Shefaali set up to make the chocolate covered strawberries. Shefaali mentioned that she needed to be cautious while making these treats for a couple reasons. She had to make sure to wash and dry the strawberries very well, as the chocolate would not stick to water. She also had to make sure that the chocolate would not burn, which is why Shefaali made sure to keep stirring the chocolate until it was at room temperature. Finally, in order for the strawberries to drip, she placed them on styrofoam, which you can see in the picture below!
Obstacles and Tips!
Shefaali mentioned that the biggest obstacle she encountered was not having a lot of time to promote, so her advice for others was to take more time to plan out your ideas for promotion. This is especially so as most people had already purchased other wonderful Valentine’s Day gifts.
Conclusion
Shefaali was able to use her strength and passion for baking in order to do tremendous good for her community. Through General Services Foundation, she ran a successful fundraiser using her talents, and so can you! If Shefaali’s project inspired you to start a fundraiser of your own, that is awesome! The General Services board is always here to assist you with starting your own service project.