Old Instruments Get New Life with Ear Candy Charity

Ear Candy Charity has 30 days to raise $25,000 to launch Online Instrument Drives, a program that will ensure thousands of youth receive the instruments they need to participate in music education!

Since 2008, Ear Candy has conducted Instrument Drives at fire stations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, collecting and placing thousands of instruments and impacting tens of thousands of youth to date. 

In order to expand the impact of Instrument Drives beyond the Phoenix area, Ear Candy has spent the past year and a half building Online Instrument Drives. The program is has been developed to the point where it can take an instrument donated from anywhere in the country and place it in any music program in Arizona. 

YOUR compassionate support for this campaign will ensure Ear Candy has the funds it needs to launch and operate Online Instrument Drives on September 17th, 2012.

View Awesome Videos in Updates Section (Top of Page) 

We have posted some really cool video in the update section of the campaign, like this one here of Carlos Receiving his first trumpet! You can clik the image below to watch this video, or checkout the update section to see them all. (Warning - Some of them are ridiculous and may lead to laughter and smiling)

Music Education Matters

Participation in music education provides many benefits for students, including heightened academic performance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), increased self-esteem, the development of team building and social skills, and has been shown to produce a strong correlation with higher socioeconomic status in adulthood.

Yet, across the country, thousands of youth each year miss out on music classes because they cannot afford to purchase or rent an instrument. The advantages of music education are far too numerous to deny any student the opportunity, especially when financial circumstances outside of their control hinder their access.

That’s where Online Instrument Drives comes in, and why we need your support.

If you believe music education is important for students, then please help give old instruments new life by supporting this campaign!

And...
Since Ear Candy's a nonprofit, you get a charitable tax receipt for all contributions made through this campaign. YOU MUST CHOOSE PAYPAL AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE A TAX RECEIPT!!

Launching - September 17th

Online Instrument Drives (OID) - an easy to use donation platform hosted on Ear Candy’s website that allows individuals in the community to donate instruments to music programs that need them most.

How it Works

1. Music teachers create an instrument request, post a photo of their students, and describe their need for the instruments.
2. Instrument donors choose the music program where they want to donate their instrument, print a free shipping label, and send their instrument on its way.
3. Instruments arrive at Ear Candy's facility for cleaning, tuning, and repair.
4. Financial donors chip in to cover shipping and repair (like a micro Indiegogo campaign for each instrument).
5. When the funds are raised, instruments arrive at the music program and are immediately placed in the hands of a child!

It’s really that simple, and it works the same whether an instrument is donated from across town or across the country.

So on September 17th, no matter where you are in the U.S., you can give an old instrument New Life through Online Instrument Drives. 

Other Ways YOU Can Help

Spread the Word!

The easiest way to help is to spread the word! Share this campaign with your friends, family and extended network. Use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, telephone, telegraph, smoke signals, or whatever means of communication you use to get the word out. Just get it out there!

• Change your Facebook cover photo in support of Ear Candy’s Indiegogo campaign (Download HERE)
• Use our custom made Ear Candy Campaign Twitter Background (Download HERE)
• Share Ear Candy's You Tube videos
• Use the #EarCandyOID hashtag in your tweets
• Re-pin our Ear Candy Indiegogo posts on Pinterest

Get Connected With Ear Candy!

Keep up to date with everything Ear Candy by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, pinning us on Pinterest, or signing up for Ear Candy's e-newsletter. This way, you will be the first to know when Ear Candy is supporting music education in your community. 

Donate an Instrument Now

Online Instrument Drives is launching in Maricopa County, AZ on September 17th, and expanding throughout the state of AZ in January 2013. 

If you live in the continental U.S., you can donate an instrument to a music program anywhere in AZ. And with AZ ranked 48th out of 50 states in per-person educational funding, music programs here need all the support they can get!

National Expansion

Ear Candy built OID to be scalable – nationally and fast. In fact, the system is already capable of placing an instrument in any music program in the country. With enough interest and support from outside of Arizona, we will be placing instruments from coast to coast in no time at all!

Use of Funds

We have spent the past year and a half building Online Instrument Drives from scratch on a shoestring budget. In order for the program to work, it is critical that Ear Candy raises $25,000 to launch and operate Online Instrument Drives. These funds are essential to the implementation and success of the program. 

Case in point, Ear Candy needs $421,800 for the year to keep the lights on and instruments flowing. 

All funds raised in excess of the campaign goal will go directly toward ongoing web development and program operations.

Contribute to this campaign, and together we will ensure all youth have access to music education!! 

Perk Details

As a nonprofit, Ear Candy will send you a charitable tax receipt for all contributions made through this campaign. YOU MUST CHOOSE PAYPAL AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE A TAX RECEIPT!!

Join the Fan Club - $5

You Rock! We'll thank you on our social media, and send you a special email to let you know how much your support means. 

Personalized Ear Candy Gram - $20

When the campaign wraps, you'll receive a hand written, Ear Candy Gram thank you letter from the Ear Candy team. Inside the letter, you'll find a sticker sheet with four awesome Ear Candy stickers!

+ Special Email Thank You

(Graphic representation below. Sticker sheet will look 75% more radical when finalized by our pro bono marketing firm)

Ear Candy Schwag Bag - $30

You’ll get a stylish drawstring backpack containing a hand written Ear Candy Gram from the team, a sticker sheet with four awesome Ear Candy stickers, and an Ear Candy pen.

+ Special Email Thank You

Graphic T-Shirt & Schwag Bag - $60

Don’t bother looking for the Ear Candy graphic T-shirt anywhere else. We’re only printing a limited number of the shirts for this campaign, so this is your only chance to get one. That’s right, a limited number for a limited time. Get on it.

Available in standard Kid's / Women's / Men's sizes

+ Special Email Thank You + Schwag Bag 

OID Coupons - Support a Request

Your support of music education doesn’t have to end when this campaign does. With the OID Coupon Perk, we give you half of your campaign contribution back as a coupon credit to use on our site towards the placement of the instrument(s) of your choice.

It costs a certain amount of money to place (ship & repair) each instrument. Raising the funds to cover the shipping and repair of each instrument is entirely dependent on contributions from individuals like you. 

Coupon Perks are your opportunity to support this campaign, and directly support what this campaign is really all about, placing instruments in the hands of kids who need them! 

How it Works

1. On September 17th, you'll receive an email with your Coupon Code(s) 
2. Go to EarCandyCharity.org and browse music teacher requests
3. You choose the instrument request you want to support
4. Enter your Coupon Code at checkout and make a child's day

$25 Coupon - Cost = $50

$50 Coupon - Cost = $100

Four $25 Coupons - Cost = $200

Share the Joy with Four $25 OID Coupons

Life is richer when shared with those you love. On September 17th, we'll email you four separate $25 coupons so you can invite others to join you in the fun of providing youth access to music education!!

Bigger Perks

Tickets to Ear Candy's Night at the Grammys Gala - $500

Score two invitations to Ear Candy's first ever Night at the Grammys Gala. Event will be held on February 10th, in downtown Phoenix.  

Includes: admission for 2, dinner, drink tickets, a killer goody bag and more. The event will feature a live screening of the 2013 Grammys, live musical performances and lots of fun!

+ Special Thank You Email + 2 Scwhag Bags + 2 Graphic T-Shirts 

Dinner with the Ear Candy Team - $1,000

Save the Date! You and a guest are invited to join the Ear Candy team on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 6:30 pm for fine dining at a local valley restaurant (location TBD). While you sit back and relax, the Ear Candy team will serve up drinks and a delicious meal! 

+ Special Thank You Email + 2 Scwhag Bags + Graphic T-Shirts + 2 Tickets to Night at the Grammys 

Honorary EC Team Member - $2,500

Join the Ear Candy team as an honorary member!

We have worked tirelessly for over a year to build the OID system, but the truth is, without the significant support of individuals in the community like you, this thing doesn't go anywhere. That's why if you are willing to support us at this level, we'll put you on the site with the rest of the team where you belong!

Includes:

• Pic and bio in Team Member section of the Ear Candy website (if so desired)

+ Special Thank You Email + 4 Scwhag Bags + 4 Graphic T-Shirts + 2 Tickets to Night at the Grammys 

Advisory Board Member - $10,000

We want you to be one of the founding members of Ear Candy's Advisory Board. We will meet in person and / or virtually at least once every quarter to discuss operations and expansion strategy (No need to be in or travel to AZ). We are especially interested in those with experience launching and developing startups, leading internet based companies, and overseeing logistics and fulfillment. For those interested in playing a significant role in the development of an innovative organization serving the social good, this perk is for you.

Includes:

• Advisory Board membership
• Pic and bio in the new Ear Candy Advisory Board section of the website (if so desired)

+ Special Thank You Email + 10 Scwhag Bags + 10 Graphic T-Shirts + 2 Tickets to Night at the Grammys

OID in My City Next - $100,000

Purchase this perk and Ear Candy will put the major metropolitan area of your choice at the top of our list for expansion in fall 2013. Online Instrument Drives is an intentionally scalable program already capable of placing instruments in any school in the country. The only thing currently preventing us from offering the program nationwide is organizational bandwidth. If someone out there wants to see Online Instrument Drives in their community next year, with the right resources and support, Ear Candy can make that happen. 

Includes:

• Advisory Board Membership

+ Special Thank You Email + 25 Scwhag Bags + 25 Graphic T-Shirts + 2 Tickets to Night at the Grammys

About Ear Candy Charity

History

In early 2007, Nate Anderson  came across a startling statistic: Arizona was nearly dead last in per person educational funding in the country. As a music enthusiast, Nate began to research the effects of such dismal funding levels on music education in Arizona’s public schools. What he found would change his life forever. In October of 2007, Nate founded Ear Candy Charity as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit dedicated to providing youth access to music education.

Nate initially hosted benefit concerts and events to raise money to support music education, and soon refined the organization's approach by conducting Valley wide instrument drives with 80+ fire station donation sites, which led to delivering truckloads of instruments to schools in need.

In early 2011, Ear Candy embarked on the exciting challenge of revamping physical Instrument Drives to increase efficiency and effectiveness and expand the program's impact. Online Instruments Drives soon emerged as the organic evolution physical Instrument Drives by leveraging technology and emerging trends in online fundraising.  

Putting all the logistical pieces of Online Instrument Drives in place along with web design and a solid customer relations management (CRM) backbone took a good deal of time treasure, leading us to today, with a fundraising campaign preceding the launch of the program.  

OUR MISSION

To Provide Youth Access to Music Education.

OUR GOAL

To Equip, Empower, and Enlighten youth through Music.

OUR MISSION DELIVERY VEHICLES

1.) Online Instrument Drives® connects Music Teachers with Instrument & Financial Donors to place high quality, refurbished instruments in the hands of their students. Old instruments become the solution to music education by getting a New life!

2.) Play It Forward is a service learning program that equips any group with the tools, training, and mentoring they need to create and host their own physical Instrument Drive. From businesses, schools, civic groups, places of worship, associations and clubs...Wherever there is a collection of passionate individuals who want to help give youth gain access to music education, there is a Play It Forward Instrument Drive ready to be launched!

3.) Backstage Class® music-based field trips expose youth to “the other side of music education,” through once in a lifetime opportunities to experience music in unique and impactful ways. The goal of Backstage Class field trips is to inspire youth to think differently about career opportunities available to them through the appreciation of music and culture.