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The Couch Potato Philanthropist’s Challenge: raise money by watching TV

By Victoria Watts
May 13, 2010 at 12:50 pm

The TV: love it or hate it, the vast majority of us have at least one thing we like to watch. Even my most beatnik friend is secretly addicted to The Wire.

However, it’s rarely something we’re proud of and often a guilty pleasure. We don’t go around boasting about how much TV we watch and I doubt many would claim it’s benefiting others – but one young fundraiser in America has come up with a way to do just that.

It’s called The Couch Potato Philanthropist’s Challenge and it’s the lazy fundraiser’s dream – a way to make money whilst doing something you’d do anyway or, even better, want an excuse to do.

Here’s how it works:

1.There are two teams for two different charities and it is your mission to raise the most amount of money for your team.
2. Each member of the team has to find people who will sponsor him or her for each half hour of TV that they watch.
3. You can only be sponsored for up to seven hours a week but there is no limit on how much you can be sponsored per hour.
4. And that’s it. Sit back and indulge in as many episodes of Lost, Mad Men, or whatever takes your fancy, as you can manage.

A young girl of 14 is running this challenge in America for the American Red Cross and Mercy Corps. Perhaps you could do the same with your friends. Then next time someone asks you how much TV you watch, you can proudly declare: “Well, actually I watch as much as I can” without any shred of embarrassment.

Let us know how you get on!

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Tags: American Red Cross, fundraising, fundraising ideas, the wire, young people

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