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We continue to be delighted and inspired by the range of creative fundraising that is kindly undertaken for the little robins. Here are some examples.

Thanks to Uncle George for the photo located at the top of the page.

Quick Links
Christmas Stockings
Fast and Sunday School Sleepover
Bible Study Nest
Cake Sale
Busking for Robins
Handmade Gifts
Stationery Gifts
Art Exhibition
Progressive Dinner
Pennies from Heaven
24-hour Famine
MAD For Children
Other Ideas

Percentage of Sales

Fast Sunday School Sleepover Top ^


12-year-old Robin’s Nest Advocate Victoria Pond and her Sunday School in Canada raised CAD$250 at a sleepover and pancake brekkie. Here’s what she said …

"Ok, well at our church the senior class decided to have a famine, and the proceeds of sponsorships and such would go to Robins Nest so we fasted for 24 hours, from Friday night at 10pm until Saturday at 10pm, then slept over at the church. During the fasting we went and bought supplies for the pancake breaky we were having on Sunday morning. It was a free will donation. Then last Friday we had a 'family fun night' and we had square dancing, and we had a fiddler and everything! The senior class ran the concession booth and sold chips and candy and juice and other goodies!"






Bible Study Nest Top ^

Robin’s awesome 95-year-old grandmother Bell Pond and her bible study group in Simcoe, Ontario raised over CAD$200 by putting gold coins into a home-made ‘robin’s nest’ each week. When Robin visited in December 2005, they invited her over for a pot-luck lunch and an update on Robin’s Nest. At the end of lunch they presented her with the nest filled with coins. Robin’s tears expressed her gratitude. The donation bought a water tank and two wardrobes for the Agra robins and essentially, the ladies had spoken life into the lives of these little ones from the other side of the world. See the photo gallery

Cake Sale Top ^

Pat Borley of Newcastle, Australia raised around AUD$28 after church by selling cakes she’d made. She said “People had them with their cup of coffee and some paid more for their slice than the requested $1. Others simply gave a donation. This is an easy way for me to help raise funds, because it is something I enjoy doing.”

Busking for Robins Top ^

8-year-old Hannah Karbowiak and her friend raised AUD$30.30 to buy toys for the India robins by busking with their violins at Christmas 2005. They combined this with their church’s donation, totalling over AUD$200.

Handmade Gifts Top ^

Newcastle knitter’s group Wrap For Love made four hand-crocheted rugs for the robins.

Hunter Christian Church’s craft group made nine quilts for the little robins with special messages of love and care embroidered on them. Robin and Grahame were thrilled to hand deliver them to the India robins and enjoyed their squeals of delight.

When Jordana, a grade 12 student from a small town in British Columbia, Canada learned about Robin's Nest, she wanted to help. She spent about 10 hours sewing blankets for the children from the India homes. Her Home Economics teacher personalized the blankets by embroidering the children's names on them.

Stationery Gifts Top ^

Teacher Wendy Hilda from Australia packed a pencil case with school supplies for each India robin, which Grahame and Robin hand delivered in January 2006. Their individual name was on the front of the case.

Art Exhibition Top ^

Robin Byrnes and Delilah van Wyk held an art exhibition at Back To Back art gallery in Newcastle, Australia from 3 – 21 May 2006 with 10% of sales going to RNCH. Here’s what local paper The Weekender had to say about it on 13 May …

“At Back To Back Robin Byrnes is showing photographs of black Africa, with Delilah van Wyk’s ceramic vessels adding scale and surface texture. The photographs with accompanying beads and trinkets bring us a world almost impossibly exotic while at the same time warmly human.”

“With the help of friends, family and visitors to the gallery, we raised $367.00 at our ‘ipi 'n tombi’ art exhibition and were able to get the word out to a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise hear about the plight of our children.” Robin Byrnes, WFA Sponsorship Officer

View artworks (MS Powerpoint download)

Progressive Dinner Top ^

A Lions Club in Australia generously donated AUD$350 and subsequently later raised AUD$850 by running a progressive dinner for their members. Their generosity bought much needed items for our first RNCH in Bungoma: three months’ supply of charcoal for cooking; maize that fed the children for three months; four pairs of shoes per child; four pairs of shorts, four shirts and three dresses; educational library books for the children.

Pennies From Heaven Top ^

“Two years ago, the Sunday School of St. John the Divine in Courtenay, BC, began to collect pennies for a campaign we call 'Pennies From Heaven'. For the year of 2006 we decided we wanted our pennies to benefit the 'robins' of Robin's Nest Ministries. With the help of our congregation, we collected $140.00 in pennies. We are grateful for the opportunity to help support your important work. May God continue to bless your ministry abundantly. Yours in Christ, The Sunday School of St. John the Divine.”


  Jackson, Grace and Joshua with the full penny jar.      Thanks to the Sunday School for their Pennies.

Strathroy Youth Group does 24-hour famine for RNCH Top ^

On 16 March 2007, a youth group in Strathroy did a 40-hour famine for RNCH. “We collected about $350 from our Famine. We decided we would like our money to go to AGRA to pay for current medical bills and educational supplies to help the children directly. We had an amazing 24 hours; we had 2 inspirational speakers who had been to India (N and South) and were able to really paint a realistic picture of their mission. We showed your slide show and video. It was cool. We had 9 kids – an even match to the 9 kids at Agra! The kids were pumped.”

MAD For Children Top ^

*update*

Another Music, Art and Devonshire Tea party was held at Squid’s Ink on the beautiful shores of Belmont, Lake Macquarie, Australia, on a perfect Spring Sunday afternoon in September 2007. The atmosphere was wonderful with live music donated by award winning singer/songwriter Maureen O’Brien and friends. There were artwork displays, stalls of giftware and jewellery, a raffle, an auction, fun activities for the kids and delicious tea and scones. We raised around $3,000 from the event to care for our robins. Thanks everyone for your donations, hard work and caring hearts!

Click here to see pics of the 2007 MAD For Children fundraiser.

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A Music, Art and Devonshire Tea party was held in Warners Bay on Sunday afternoon 6 May 2007. Maureen’s garden was transformed into a jungle with wild animals (stuffed, cuddly ones), vines and greenery. There was wonderful live music donated by Hunter Valley musicians, artwork displays, stalls of giftware, fun activities for the kids and delicious scones. $1,162.50 was raised from the event. Thanks everyone for your hard work and caring hearts! Read the MAD Report from the RNCH team.

Brodie Ehlers, aged 9, wanted to make a difference in the robins’ lives so he did some fund raising of his own. He made cakes and helped sell toys during school recesses and lunch breaks, raising AUD$28.

Hayden Fletcher, year 8 student, wrote an article that was published in The (Newcastle) Herald on 12 May 2005, to raise awareness of the robins.

Ursula Barry asked friends and family to donate to the robins instead of bringing gifts and cards to her 50th birthday party. Her dear friends and family raised AUD$615.

Janelle Karbowiak of Wrapped To You gift giving service donates 5% of selected sales to Robin’s Nest Childrens Homes. More details at www.wrappedtoyou.com.au

Anna Hopkins of Newcastle generously organised an Emma Page Giant Jewellery Party with Robin Byrnes’s high school girls’ home room and raised AUD$200.

Wilf and Esther of Canada gave all the money they would have spent on family gifts to RNCH Kenya for Christmas 2005. They sent a hand-made card to each family member explaining where their ‘family’ gifts were going to and what they would purchase, and asked them to also keep the robins in their prayers. What a heartfelt gift that keeps on giving!

Pat Cross gives REAL gift certificates to her friends, family and school teachers instead of buying gifts. The certificates state what item the REAL gift has purchased for a robin. Print your own REAL gift certificate for your friend or family member.

Other Ideas: Top ^

Celtic Night

Thanks to Marion and Walter of Lynnville United Church, Ontario, Canada, who ran a Celtic night to raise funds for our Jhansi home. Their kind effort, and contribution of all who participated, raised more than $1000 to purchase a washing machine, refrigerator and other items for the home.
See photos of the event.

Silent Art Auction

Thanks to LIFT youth group from Old Windham United Church who shared $500 of monies raised for their upcoming mission trip with Robin’s Nest through a silent art auction in May 2008. Along with LIFT’s big canvasses, a highlight was the precious little canvases made by the Sunday School children. See the photos of the children’s art. See the photos of the children’s art.

Christmas Stockings - 35 Fun Ways to Fill your Stockings


Victoria Pond (left) & her Sunday School class organized the Christmas Stocking fundraiser last Christmas at Old Windham United Church in Simcoe, Ontario. Jane Dresher (far left) the Sunday School Superintendant was the facilitator and overseer of the event. Good job guys!

We’re looking for Robin’s Nest advocates to coordinate this fundraising project. If you’d like to help, please contact Robin






Pin up a small Christmas stocking mid November for your family and friends or colleagues to drop their loose change into. Mid December, bank the funds into your personal account and transfer the total amount by cheque or electronic transfer to RNCH. Let us know, though, who you are and who contributed, so we can provide a tax deductible receipt and a big “thankyou!”

Wrap For Love in Newcastle, Australia is happy to donate the handmade stockings for this fundraiser if we can find a coordinator.

Garden Party

Invite friends and family over for a garden party with a donation towards morning/afternoon tea and RNCH. Sell Maureen O'Brien’s CD An Orphan’s Lullaby for additional fundraising. If you’re Hunter Region-based (Australia) and Maureen’s available, she may even join you for a live performance to add a little extra ambience! http://www.maureen.com.au/contact.php

Save Your Stamps!

A Hunter Valley stamp collector tells us there’s money to be made from used stamps and is donating time to teach someone the ropes. We’re seeking someone who’d be willing to coordinate collecting, preparing and selling them as part of an ongoing fundraiser for RNCH. If you’re local and interested, contact Robin

Garage sale

Get your friends’ and family’s leftovers and sell sell sell. Garage sales seem to be one of the better fund-generating activities. As the old saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” As an example, Robin Byrnes, Julie Bell and some friends raised AUD$1,500 through donated ‘trash’, which entirely furnished the first Robin’s Nest with a refrigerator, stoves, mattresses, pillows, blankets, kerosene lamps, mosquito nets and more.

Auction

Local businesses, artists, musicians and auctioneers may be happy to donate items or services for your auction.

Charity Ball

Make a big deal of it … black tie, special dinner, entertainment, door prizes. Offer a minor discount per ticket for tables of 10.

Special meal

Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, progressive dinner … even a pancake brekkie like the kids in Canada! How about a sausage sizzle for all those Aussies with BBQs? Guests can donate what they like at the door. A RNCH advocate may be available in your area to update your guests about the work.

Trivia night

A fun way to raise funds as well as unite your community.

Have a THON!

Have a read-a-thon, sleep-a-thon, run-a-thon, movie marathon, karaoke-a-thon, fish-a-thon … or whatever grabs you!

Make your fundraising easier with the tools available!

Posters, DVD presentation, MS Powerpoint presentation, brochures, REAL gift certificates, sponsorship applications and sponsorship incentives are available either via this website or direct from the Byrnes’.

REMEMBER to notify Robin before you conduct a fundraising event.

Percentage of Sales

Thanks to Wrapped To You in Newcastle, Australia, who donates 5% of sales to Robin’s Nest. Thanks to awesome advocate Jeff Sidway of Town & Country Cars in Simcoe, Ontario, who not only actively promotes the work of RNCH, but also donates CA$1 per service and CA$25 per car sale. Thanks to Chloe Hughes, Massage Therapist from Newcastle, Australia, who donates 11% of all services to RNCH.