kathy cunningham:

Hi Shelli,

I was recently on the Support Our Troops (SOS) site from UK that is kind of like their equivalent to us and they were doing something called Jam Jars.  You get a jam jar and start throwing your change in it for the troops.  But then you also give out jars to other people (like 6 or 10 others) and ask them to do the same.  When the jars are filled, they are asked to return them to SOS.  So if each person fills their own jar and gives out a few other jars, it gets magnified and adds up.  Don't know how it is going but it sounded like a cool idea to raise funds.    Anyway, thanks for your support of this site!  

Kathy 

Sorry, no.  First I've even heard of "BFPO".  Would like to know more...

Marty,

This is not quite the same because they get folks to sponsor packages rather than doing the address thing you do so well.  So they can support the troops but they do not have the fun of sending direct like we do.  But they do have to do fundraising like us.  Here is their web address:

http://www.supportoursoldiers.co.uk/index.html

I found out about the site from a posting here on our forum by a new member Desperado UK

Kathy

So glad to see all the suggestions coming throught to support this site.

I've found -- to support my package mailing -- that asking schools to help with writing letters often resulted in getting postage money.  As the school year opens, I will try this again and then will have some donations to send you, Marty!

Others may want to try this option.  The letters and pictures from the kids are wonderful to send... the money is a bonus!

Take care,

Anna - Baltimore MD

I just made a $50 donation. I easily spend $7 to $20 a package when I send them, and it seems right now the need is to pump some cash into the AnySoldier site, rather than send an extra package. Marty, I would like to suggest that a more prominent post be put up - or better yet, several of them in different locations - to let people and organizations who regularly use this site understand that unless the site itself gets more financial support, and pronto, it may not be here for us all to use much longer. Perhaps, on the Home page, the Where to send page, as well as at the top of the Forums page. Had I not looked at the forum "emergency supplies", which I do not usually do, I would not have known of the situation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It might be an idea to contact some of the media that have done stories about AnySoldier in the past to let them know that the recession has hit your extraordinary effort hard and that it sure could use some help - especially with the holidays approaching. That could be an angle on a human interest story they might like. Or, perhaps with the exposure "Three Cups of Tea" has gotten lately, some station or show might be interested in doing a story about how ordinary people all across America, working through your organization's interactive forums, have been able to help soldiers trying to improving abysmal conditions in Afghan orphanages by sending over boxes of everything from sewing supplies and headscarves to Lysol and Comet to clean the dilapidated kitchens in a girl's orphanage. Frankly, that's a cool story in itself. One that might be right up Oprah's alley. After all, she sponsors her own girl's school. I suggest sending photos whenever you contact any media. Pictures are always worth a thousand words, and there are some great ones posted on Anysoldier all the time. Media gatekeepers often need a bit of extra help understanding what a story might be about. Good luck.

 

Yes, perhaps getting the media involved could help. Something national, like CNN,  would be awesome.  I'm going to look into writing letters to the major networks.  Can't hurt.

 

I live in Chicagoland, I will start doing the same thing here.  You know Oprah shoots in Chicago...

Please keep this thread active...we need to keep this discussion going.

Stay with me on this one...

Somewhere over the course of my past few years as a junkie I came across a name-your-own-price deal for a magazine subscription.  As we know, junkies are always on the lookout for a good deal, so for the mere price of $1.00, I purchased a subscription to Paste magazine.  Though I wasn't familiar with the magazine, I thought since it was devoted to new music it would be a good fit for some of our contacts.  The bonus was that each month it came with a CD sampler with new music.  I got such a charge out of including this in my packages that I got a second subscription.  Earlier this year both of my copies of Paste arrived in my mailbox without the usual CD.  Fearing the worst, I immediately flipped to the editor's page.  Sure enough, advertising dollars were down and in an effort to cut costs, the CDs could no longer be included in each issue.  A short time later, I received an email from Paste.  Something stopped me from hitting the delete button like I normally would with what appeared to be junk mail.  Paste was in trouble.  Almost unbelievably, they were asking for money from readers....just to get them through the next few months until anticipated advertising dollars kicked in.  Hence, the "Campaign to Save Paste" was launched.  I thought it a bit bizarre that they were even going out on a limb to ask for donations!  As a "subscriber" but not a "reader", I felt it wasn't my responsibility to help out.  Again, I stopped myself short of hitting the delete button.  A little guilt was setting in about the great bargain I had gotten.  And then........I wrote a check and put it in the mail. Shaking my head all the way to the mailbox, I told myself I'm the only idiot who would make a donation to save a magazine (not to mention so much for my $1.00 subscription!).  I put a note in the envelope with the check, "Keep us updated on how things go. Good luck!".  Soon another email arrived.  Good news.  Turns out there were many more idiots like me and the Campaign to Save Paste was a success, reaching their halfway mark sooner than expected and well on their way to being 'saved' http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2009/05/20/paste-magazine-save-paste-campaign-hits-halfway-point/ .

My point is that we need to find a way to put together some type of campaign to save AnySoldier.  It needs to come from us, the supporters...the junkies. This is what Marty asked of us in the first place.  Obviously, we don't have the resources that match what this magazine does, but we do need to find a way to utilize the resources we do have.  We are the biggest resource that AS has and we need more of us.  Yes, the site needs $$ now and all of the donations we are sending is great....for now.  The very first thing we must do is make a sincere effort to keep these donations sustained...monthly...weekly...every paycheck....whatever it takes for us to remember to give.  Also, all of the ideas mentioned for saving money are great.....if the money makes it to AS.  We have griped and become frustrated in the past with people who don't "get it" the way we do as far as soldier support, yet sometimes we don't "get it" as far as supporting this site.  We need to somehow get organized and mount a letter writing blitz.  Ummm....that's what we do...we write letters (okay, and send packages too!)  It may be ambitious, but we could set a deadline of Veteran's Day to complete our efforts. What a way to honor the veterans that never got one of our awesome packages!  The key is we need to be organized, united and committed to following through.  If we take things in steps and all work on the same things at the same time, perhaps we will have better results than anything in the past.  Trust me, I am out of my comfort zone just proposing this, we may all need to reach out of our comfort zone to try this and make it successful. If people will rise up to save a magazine......

Thoughts anyone????

 

I just put a blurb on my FaceBook profile for any friends who can spare a few dollars to please donate.  I'm on the AnySoldier fan club on FB as well.  If you are on FB, please do the same and perhaps we can spread the word that way as well.

I clicked on the Christie Cookie link to vote for Any Soldier but saw TWO listings for Any Soldier on the drop down list.

Can someone tell me if they are both for this site and org. or if one is some other group??

I don't know which one to select.

In case you haven't seen it yet, on the AS Where to Send page, a message says to choose the Hoagland IN name  (not the MD one).

Actually this is what the message states: 

"Someone nominated us again, now there are two listings for Any Soldier Inc. I just talked to the Christie Cookie Company and they will consolidate the two, but we ask you to vote on the "Any Soldier Inc Waldorf, MD" listing. Thanks!" -marty

Happy Voting everyone.

Kathy

Gran:

In case you haven't seen it yet, on the AS Where to Send page, a message says to choose the Hoagland IN name  (not the MD one).

 

Gran, thanks, BUT:  MORE COFFEE FOR YOU!!!  :)

 NOT the Hoagland one, USE THE WALDORF ONE.

Also note....it is pretty obvious that there is a LOT of cheating going on with the voting there.  They list the top 50 vote-getters, and I know for a fact that some of them have NOWHERE near the voters possible for the number of votes they have.  No matter what, we do NOT wish for anyone to cheat on the voting, and we know you won't anyway.  We have the good people using this site.  :)

Thanks!!

 

True, I was peeking through my allergy eyes, with a slow loading computer, but believe me, the Sep. 16 post says where the banner later loads, to choose the Hoagland IN selection.  With a fast loading computer, you may never see that.  My misake.  I didn't read "all the words".

I only remember seeing the one listing when I voted and it was the Hoagland, IN one.  I also sent out emails to my friends to vote, too and asked them to pass it on and I told them to use the Hoagland one.  I hope that's okay.

 Thank you so much for posting this.  I am new to this site and didn't know of the dire situation.  I put my $20 check in the mail yesterday. 

 I just started a jewelry design business and I'm going to make my Grand Opening a fundraiser - I will donate $7 from every red white & blue bracelet sold to anysoldier.   My goal is to be able to donate at least $500.

 My granddad was in the Army in WWII and my stepdad was in the Navy when he was young.  I am happy to be able to help any way I can.