At Uncertain Principles, Chad is motivating his readers to donate to his DonorsChoose challenge by offering a big reward:
Last year, I famously got $6,000 in contributions by offering to dance like a monkey, but I’m not sure what would follow that. So,
What should I offer to do if I manage to reach the overall challenge goal of several thousand dollars in total contributions?
I’m obviously not going to do anything illegal or immoral, but I’m willing to sacrifice a little dignity for a good cause, as you can see at the link above. So, what can I offer to do that would get you to donate money to help school kids through DonorsChoose?
It looks like the discussion of Chad’s big reward is still ongoing. (I’m rooting for a recreation of a great dispute in physics with hand puppets.)
But Chad is not the only one with a DonorsChoose challenge to fund, nor is he the only one willing to put his dignity on the line to help public school students get the resources and experiences they need. So let’s talk about what you’d like me to do.
My challenge in last year’s drive raised $2,005.80, but I didn’t offer to do anything undignified then. (I did offer to get tattooed if my challenge raised $4,000, or if the combined total raised by ScienceBlogs bloggers reached $90,000. However, my mother rallied the anti-tattoo troops to put the kibosh on that plan.)
This year, I’m setting my goal at $3,000. If we reach it, I will deliver to you (and to all the denizens of the internets) … something you think you would find entertaining.
Like Chad, I’m not going to do anything illegal or immoral (although I suppose we can have some detailed discussions about the morality or immorality of the various options you propose). But, providing we stay within those bounds, I’m open to suggestions.
Lay them on me.
(And while you’re thinking of ways for me to humiliate myself, check out the classroom projects on my challenge page. If you can contribute a little something toward them, that would be awesome. If you know someone who might dig one of the projects and want to help fund it, share the link with them.)
Hmmm. The mind boggles at the possibilities. I think I’d like to see you dressed as the devil complete with horns and a pitchfork chasing PZ Myers dressed as a priest through the gates of hell. Yes, I think that scenario pleases me. I rather think it would please PZ as well.
I think you and Chad should combine your efforts. How about a dialogue between you and Emmy on the ethics of chasing squirrels and bunnies?
Participating Scienceblogs bloggers all coming together to recreate and act out an entire episode of the original Start Trek series, with the episode chosen by public vote (I’d go for Trouble with Tribbles myself). We’re talking ad-hoc sets, homemade uniforms, improvised sound effect – the more the better.
“The Trouble with Tribbles” would be good, but I have a special fondness for “Mirror Mirror”. The alternate-universe ScienceBloggers would be pretty scary.
“Mirror, mirror” – excellent choice! You’d all get to wear goatees and everything.
Humiliation should be something appropriate for YouTube that can be enjoyed again and again.
I donated last year (I don’t remember from whose blog), and I will donate again this year.
I am not favourably impressed by “bribes” of this kind; in fact, I’d prefer it if there were none. What I want is a bit of info as to where you think the money is best spent, which you have already given in a previous post (the PETA one). More discussion of these projects, ahead of time, would be welcome.