You have waited patiently, and now the time has come. I can announce that all items won and bought in the HoHoHoliday FundRaiser have been dispatched. Some shipments have even already arrived at their destinations. You should have received dispatch notifications for your purchases on both platforms by now. Some with tracking numbers, if the value of the orders merited extra care. Where possible, purchases have been combined in *one* shipment, to save on postage costs.
Speaking of postage costs – with the last shipments now on the way, I was able to calculate all the deductions and identify the final proceeds of our fundraiser. Without further ado (more details below), here it comes.
Ok, in case that is too fast, I’ll spell it out. We made four thousand four hundred and fifty-two Euro and twenty-nine Cent.
That’s €4,452.29. Or ￡3821.04 or $5038.21.
What a Christmas gift that is!
Ah-mazing!
Here come the details of our proceeds:
The auctions on eBay made a net profit of €2,154.78.
The fixed-price sale on Etsy generated a net profit of €2,419.62.
On top of that we received donations to the tune of €622.29.
So we had a hefty net profits of €5,196.69. However, we had postage costs of €744.44, leaving us with the aforementioned total of €4,452.29. The costs associated with the fundraiser are always a bit of a downer. Including the fees paid for hosting the auctions on eBay and selling via the Pattern by Etsy platform, as well as postage, we forked out €1,106.29. That is a lot of money. But nevertheless, the ease of transaction by selling through eBay and Etsy is not to be underestimated. It would be impossible to conduct an auction and a sale of this scale *without* the structure and assistance of a web-based shop system. However, considering these overheads, I might look into other webshop systems (Squarespace, Shopify) to see whether they would provide a cheaper alternative for selling in the future. Happy to hear your suggestions/recommendations/experience!
Speaking of selling – some of you very kindly also bought items from my Etsy shop that were *not* part of the fundraiser, so those sales went into my own pocket. A big thank you for that! However, I have reimbursed all transaction fees associated with my own items, and erred on the side of caution. So only the transaction fees incurred by the sale of fundraiser items have been taken from the proceeds.
I hope you have all had as much fun with this fundraiser as I have had. Reiterating what I have said many times before, this fundraiser is not about spending money or donating items, especially if you don’t have much of the former. The actual final figure of our donation is not that important. I don’t want our fundraisers to become a race for ever-higher proceeds, a competition for who spends most money, or a ranking of who donated the most items. It is an opportunity for us as a community to have some fun together while doing some good. And doing so in a way that will create a “virtual” Christmas gift for Richard, showing our appreciation for him. It’s about the FUN, not the FUNDS!
Lastly, with the stunning result of our fan-organised and fan-driven fundraiser now confirmed, it is time for the big and final thank you. In Academy Awards-style I would like to tearfully thank everyone who has been involved in the making of this film fundraiser, in particular the kind donors who crafted and gifted us items to sell and auction: Michele, Kate, Fran, Adina, Paula, Ellen, Mimi, Andrea, Young, Jane B., Stacey, Poppy, Jane D, Esther, Ani, Graza, Anne and Rachel. Thank you for thinking of the fundraiser(s) and passing on fan items, as well as crafting one-off gems, and putting together amazing fan sets. My thanks also go to all buyers and auction winners who splashed out on items in the sale and on eBay. Your names are withheld for reasons of discretion, but you know who you are, and of course we couldn’t do without you. Thirdly, a big thank you to all participants who donated money to the fundraiser via Paypal. Your contribution is hugely appreciated and means a lot for the overall proceeds. You also know who you are. Lastly, I’d like to thank the countless supporters who have helped by reblogging, retweeting, sharing on other platforms, commenting, suggesting, cheering, signal-boosting and encouraging the talented crafters, generous donors and hapless organiser (i.e. myself). Too many to mention! Together we have packed a nice little big Christmas pressie that will make many people happy: our intended beneficiary LOROS for contributing to the funds needed to supply their amazing service, and through them the families who need the assistance of a hospice provider; our shared favourite actor, Richard Armitage, who has brought us together and inspired the fundraiser; and lastly ourselves – because with our generated donation we have done something pretty cool. Happy Chrimbo everyone!
PS: I’ll get the donation transferred in the next day or two. Notification here as soon as it is done!
Guylty Pleasure 
Wonderful result! I join you in thanks, to the buyers, bidders, cheerers, donors and last but certainly not least to you for the massive organization efforts you take on time and time again. Happy Christmas!! xx
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Thank you, and despite little obstacles here and there, it remains fun for me and I am happy to engage in the madness again and again. Here’s to the next one 🥂. I hope you are already crafting!
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I might have a few ideas…
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oh fantastic. I love that you are recycling packaging materials. They make great backbones for the tags and ornaments.
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this is amazing, especially on the heels of the last fundraiser! Really. Richard should take you to dinner!!!!
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Yes, only three months since the big birthday bash! The fandom is really generous.
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Wow, that is a stellar result! Somehow I hadn’t expected that. I’m so very pleased, what a great Christmas gift. Thanks go back to you and all the donors and bidders and winners and just general enthusiasts! 🙂
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I agree, Esther, I was also blown away by our result. Especially Etsy. But we had stellar items in there, and I admit I pushed the prices a little bit. But all for a good cause…
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That’s a fantastic sum!👏🏻 Sincerely, I didn’t expect it after hugely successful and quite recent BD fundraising. RA fans are amazing! Both those who created and donated the auction items, and those who bid and won and bought them (though I wasn’t that lucky this time but it was fun anyway 😁). And Sonja, you are our star, I am not tired of repeating it. Stay safe and keep shining 😊❤️🤗
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Aw, thank you Olga. And yes, a brilliant result so soon after a major previous fundraiser. Thanks back to you, too.
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Fantastic! Thanks a lot to Everyone for creating this superb FUN 💗. Sonja, we are grateful that you are ready to engage in the next one again 😘
Now I know why I always liked this scene from The Stranger so much 😉.
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Happy to engage any time, Graza, and big thanks to you, too.
Hehe, that gif is GOLD!!!
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Well done to everyone involved! Fantastic result! 😊😃😘
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Many thanks, Helen.
And btw – I have received a huge surprise from you!!! Thank you so much. I have unwrapped everything but haven’t had time to say thank you properly. But will do! I was so surprised and thrilled!!!!
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Thank you for the shout-out!!
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Excellent news!!! I’ve just read it. My thoughts for all the LOROS people and those in need. I feel serenity and very happy for our effort. Congratulations to all on this wonderful team and especially to you, a rare good hearted person.
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Many thanks – and thanks back to you for your fabulous contribution, Poppy!
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Amazing achievement once again 🙂 Got my first shipment today, the magnets are so cute
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Oh hooray, so glad you have received your first shipment. The one I sent will arrive soon, too, I hope. Many thanks back to you for your purchases 😘
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Wow, this is impressive, G. I never dreamed we’d do so well without the boost of an, ahem, certain leather jacket like last time. Well done!!!
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Hehe, sisters are doing it for themselves!!! Yay for RArmy power!
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Félicitation à tous! Guylty vous restez la reine des organisatrices.
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Thank you, Radaghast. It’s been a pleasure, as always.
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Fantastic result and so much fun. You’re right. the journey is as important as the destination. What creativity, ingenious ideas and generosity. Thank you so much Guylty for all your hard work.
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So much fun and such a great result that is well worth every effort. Many thanks back to you!!
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This is my first year as a participant and buyer of some of the wonderful items crafted by your very talented donors. I look forward to displaying them in my home. Cheers to you and to all who contributed to this very worthy event.
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Fabulous, welcome and thank you for participating, Lou! I hope your purchases arrive with you soon!
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What an awesome result!! Thank you to all who contributed, purchased and supported this amazing effort, especially to you S – you are a treasure xx
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Awesome indeed. I am very happy and feel humbled by the generosity of all. It’ll be a fantastic Christmas gift for LOROS – and for Richard.
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Such a fabulous result! Many thanks to everyone who generously contributed their time, talent, and support. I agree the final tally is wonderful but it’s the joy of the group effort that makes it extra rewarding. Special thanks to you for all your hard work coordinating this heartwarming Christmas gift for Richard and Loros.
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I feel the same, Donna – I enjoy doing something together as a group, it heightens the experience for me. It’s been great fun – again 🙂
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Wow! What an incredible result! I will never tire of repeating this: a big shout out to all the creative crafters and donors of this fandom. Without them, there wouldn’t be a fundraiser to celebrate.
Special mention goes to YOU, dear Sonja, for steering this titanic enterprise and handling all the unexpected challenges that were thrown your way with such efficiency and good humour, even when you were swamped with orders, invoices, shipments and unforeseen setbacks.
Thank you for being so very generous with your time and admin skills, in a particularly rough time for you; for making the experience easy and enjoyable for everybody, bearing it all with an unyielding sense of humour.
I’m really looking forward to witnessing how you rise to the next challenge! CHEERS! 😃
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It’s is so lovely that so many people take part in this fundraiser – from crafters and contributors, to buyers and donors, as well as shout-outers ;-). I enjoy it every time. Yep, a bit of stress, but it’s oh-so worth it! Thank you so much for your participation, too! X
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Wow, congratulations! That’s so exciting.
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A great gift that we have packed for both RA and LOROS!
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