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Good morning! I am thrilled to present my next SPOTLIGHT feature continuing our focus on the incredible work that Geanco Foundation is doing in Africa. [Part One]
Personally, I have had the pleasure of knowing Afam Onyema, the Director and CEO, for the last ten years through mutual friends in LA and am grateful to four wonderful people who helped me raise $145 for Geanco on my birthday in 2018.
Today I’m delighted to share with you about Geanco’s friendship with superstar Benedict Cumberbatch (who coincidentally celebrated his birthday yesterday) and how we can support the foundation through Omaze and Facebook fundraisers.
How has Benedict Cumberbatch supported GEANCO?
Benedict Cumberbatch was honored by GEANCO for his humanitarian efforts in 2016 at their annual fundraiser gala in Los Angeles.
Benedict’s supreme acting talent is matched only by his deep compassion for those struggling in the forgotten corners of the world. We are delighted to celebrate all he has done and continues to do for vulnerable women and children. He is a cherished member of our GEANCO Foundation family.
He has recently helped bring GEANCO into the spotlight with two Omaze fundraisers for Avenger premieres and one-on-one meet and greets.
Perhaps you recall the “I’m a little tea pot” the actor and philanthropist did?
How do Omaze Fundraisers work?
It’s 80/20. We get 80% of the profits and with the other 20%, Omaze covers the videos that have to be shot and the actual experience.
I enjoy working with Omaze. It’s a fun way to raise money and leverage celebrity experiences that people will want to bid on. It’s also a great opportunity for celebrities who don’t necessarily have $1 million to donate – by participating they help us raise +1 million dollars!
Benedict Cumberbatch is so generous that we have been able to get an hour of private time with him and the winner on previous experiences.
Obviously you have to have the right packages and relationships but we’re trying to do more and more of these Omaze fundraisers. We have some interesting ones potentially in the pipeline. #StayTuned
The winner of our Oscar Rehearsal experience a couple years ago came from this tiny town in Quebec, Canada, and she used to watch the Oscars on a black and white t.v. She was literally crying when she found out she was so happy. The whole time she was here she was so appreciative and Jimmy Kimmel was the host at the time and he was so kind to her.
All our Omaze winners are individual monthly winners. It pays back.
It’s great awareness raising. Probably had up to 40,000 unique donors in 131 countries just for the last two Avengers fundraisers alone.
And we grossed $1.4 million for the two Avengers campaigns!
Who would you love to see team up with GEANCO for a future fundraiser campaign? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
How do Facebook Birthday fundraisers work?
Facebook fundraisers have become more and more popular. It’s a great way to raise awareness.
The only challenge with Facebook fundraisers is that I don’t get the names of who has donated so I cannot reach out and thank them. It has to be the person who started the fundraiser to do that.
We get 100% of the money.
Facebook does not collect any fees or anything.
I hope you have enjoyed this spotlight on GEANCO FOUNDATION! Stay tuned next week to learn about Geanco’s medical missions and relationship with David Oyelowo OBE (Selma, The Butler)!
In the meanwhile, please check out Geanco’s great work and share the love!
And in case you missed last week’s SPOTLIGHT, visit it here to learn about the family behind Geanco, Geanco’s relationship with Chiwetel Ejiofor and more!
Sharing is Caring
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I looove Benedict! My mom met him once and said he was so lovely, charming, and sweet. I would love to interview him one day.
very cool. i love when people support a good cause.
I love Benedict Cumberbatch. He seems a very nice person. He is also an advocate of the arts!
This is such a great initiative. Great job, also Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Looks like great fun too.
Great person and fundraiser. The Geanco Foundation really gets the money to who needs it.
I didn’t realise all the charity work Benedict is involved in! It’s very heart warming and great to hear such positive news with everything that’s going on at the moment.
I like Benedict Cumberbatch in movies. It is fun to learn that he is a great person.
This makes me so happy! I think it’s wonderful to see celebrities using their voice and their social reach to help make the world a better place. I always assumed that he was a good guy, but now I’m certain.
The works he’s doing is awesome. I love to see celebrities using their clout to help make the world a better place.
I always appreciate very much when an actor as well as being good on the screen is engaged in private life.
So nice to know that Sherlock and Smaug are involved in philanthropy. 🙂 That is really cool he helps out Geanco.
It’s good to see celebrities that are eager to help out like this.
What a wonderful fundraiser. I am so pleased to see the efforts put into such a fantastic cause. Thank you for sharing this!
It is nice that people are still willing to give and share to help charity’s and people who need xx
This is really good to read and to know that there are still generous people out there. I hope this will inspire everyone to do the same even in a smallest way possible to help other people in need.
I would have never known this and it’s so good to see celebrities utilizing opportunities like this to give back for the greater good!
I had never heard of this before. This is some great information. Thanks for sharing.
sounds like a great fundraiser. i love supporting a cause. i teach my kids to give back to what we believe in.
He is such a fun actor. I would love to work with him on something like this.
Thank you for sharing this amazing post about Benedict Cumberbatch! I enjoyed the article and video!
Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing! I love him and his advocacies. I wish to meet him in person.
What an amazing initiative! It makes me proud to see celebrities using their fame to pay it forward.
Nnniiicccceeeeeee….now, this is a cause I can unhesitantly donate to! Africa is home and any help we can get, we accept.
This sounds like a great Organization. And I love Benedict Cumberbatch!
As an actor, I like Benedict Cumberbatch. His part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Strange was amazing. I appreciate knowing that he’s working with GEANCO.
That is so awesome! I love to see celebrities using their position to give back.
It’s so great to see famous people take the time to help others and to give hope to those around them. I like him even more; thank you for sharing
I had no idea about all the good work being done. Kudos to the team.
What a lovely post to read, it is lovely to see and read about people who care and that those in a position to help can and do x
I am Happy that you shared this! I saw this on facebook before but never took any action towards it because of lack of knowledge.
This is really nice. It shows that there are people who still care, are kind and are people driven. Nice read.
I had no idea about this. Thanks for sharing this information with us. Keep doing the great work.
Thank you for sharing the work you do. Love that Benedict Cumberbatch is so involved with this good work that all of you are doing. How can anyone not support what Doctor Strange is supporting? 🙂
Such an amazing example to our youth today. More power and great job!
This is amazing.. You guys are doing a really great job especially for the less privileged ones in Africa. It’s nice to have come across this. Can’t believe this is my first time of noticing Benedict Cumberbatch.
Hey its doctor strange! If I am to be a hero, I told my cousins that I will be him lol. Nice knowing more about him.
Hail to the work the foundation is doing in Africa; I can say that such foundations shape lives among tons of Africans. Such a great amount fundraised. Keep on doing it!
I’m a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and anything he is in. I just love his face—so chiseled! Loved him as Dr. Strange but will check this out!
I’m always happy to read the good and positive news. Thank You!
uplifting individuals with his project really touch my heart he is an example to the young ones
Thanks for sharing this
He is a great example to the youth of today. Through his generosity, he has helped GEANCO with raising awareness and funding for projects that would help uplift the lives of people in other parts of the world!
That’s really cool to read! I’m glad a guy like Benedict Cumberbatch does a lot of good beyond just his acting. I
Thanks a lot for letting me know about this. I had no idea about his involvement in this!
thank YOU! i am always happy to share the good news and positive news.
ohhhhh one of my VERY FAVE actors of all time! Makes me like him even more that he is working with this organization and giving back, and not just a check, but lending his celebrity and actual time as well.
awesome. glad this post was inspiring for you, Robin. I hear he is truly a great man w/ a big heart.
I really like Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor. It’s great to learn that he is a compassionate person who works to improve the lives of the less fortunate.
Thanks Lori! Glad you enjoyed the piece. Always great to learn more about the actors’ dreams and passions.
Thank you for sharing!
thanks for visiting! hope you learned something from this post 🙂