We seek to think beyond ourselves, while redefining our modern conception of necessity. REVO is an idea

in motion. A way of living. A noun. A VERB. REVO thrives on the idea that ONE person is

all it takes to trigger a domino effect of positive change.

REVO is NOT a cause in and of itself. Rather, REVO exists to motivate and mobilize everyday

people into taking REAL, creative steps toward relieving, restoring, and bringing HOPE to others in

desperate need of compassion and grace. There are a lot of noteworthy organizations out there doing

great work already. REVO simply helps these organizations to keep doing what they've been doing.

HOW DOES REVO HELP OTHERS? The most practical way REVO has been carried out thus far is through city-wide events (i.e. art

shows, fashion shows, benefit concerts, etc) with a three-part purpose:

» Heightening awareness about various forms of social injustice.

» Raising funds for organizations that are already set in place.

» Providing an opportunity for communities to come together for a purpose

much greater than themselves.

Though every REVO branch starts on it's own, it's a direct reflection of REVO

itself. Always keep this in mind. We're so excited that you are interested in

starting a REVO and we hope you treasure it as much as we do!

REVO is a movement rooted in the concept oflove

Cause

Lack of clean water, hunger and poverty,

child labor, HIV/AIDS, war and peace, child

soldiers, the degradation of the environ-

ment, human trafficking, homelessness,

etc...

Identify the form of social injustice you

are interested in educating people about

and raising funds to

The main global justice issues

STOP

List your causes

There are so many great non-profits out there already.

That's why REVO isn't a cause within itself but rather

a bridge for the average person to get connected. We

want to enable the great non-profits that are already

running to continue functioning well.

If you don't already have a specific one in mind, we would love to help you connect

you to one you may have in mind or one of the ones we feel passionate about if

you're still undecided.

Find organizations that are already fighting for your cause.

Find out if your nonprofit is willing to give tax write-offs for donations

made, venue location, etc..

Never start a REVO without knowing why you're raising money and

how it will be spent.

REVO slices

In 2007 David Batstone, founder of the "Not For Sale Campaign" visited Pacific Union College and spoke about the issues of human trafficking and what their orga-nization was doing to bring relief to previously trafficked children. When the students at PUC heard his lecture they knew they had to act. REVO PUC raised over 10,000 dollars for the Not For Sale Campaign.�

A few organizations we believe in, and support.

event

REVO shows so far have been fashion, art, proms, silent auctions, walkathons,

garage sales and concerts.

REVO needs to be relevant to your culture and target group. For example, an art

show in Hilo, Hawaii with no band was very well accepted. In Nashville, a city full of

music artists, bands were vital to the success of the event.

REVO shows can be anything you want them to be.

Some REVO events have been over the top and others are small bakes sales. No

event is more important or better in any way. We believe that anyone wanting to

make an impact is valuable and important. It doesn't matter if your event raises

$350 or $20,000 we are grateful for your interest and initiative to make a

change.

We hope that whatever type of event you decide to hold, you do it with your whole

heart and soul and every ounce of creativity in you. If you're not

the creative type don't worry. We live in a very creative world and creatives are

always down to help the cause.

what are you good at?

what is possible?

volunteers

You're going to need

Depending on your friends, social scene, etc, this may

be easier for some of you than others.

Depending on your location we may be able to hook you

up with some of our connections.

help!

If you pick a local non-profit, many of their supporters

will often help volunteer.

There are so many people, in every and any and every

location, that are willing to lend a hand. It's simply a

matter of finding them.

craigslist.com

onebrick.com

CHURCHES

Some great resources we have used to gather troops are:

who do you know?

REVO slices

Sometimes I do graphic design for REVO, but often I know there are others that can do the job better than I, so I delegate the job out. It's easy to feel that you can do it all, but it's best to give each job to the person who can accomplish it best.�

If you have one or five people heading up a REVO there

needs to be proper delegation. We are all unique and

talented in so many different ways. It's easy to try and

do everything on your own. But there are often people

that are willing and able to fill in so many cracks.

ART/marketing

Remember the old saying "never judge a book by its cover?" Though so many would love to live by these standards it's simply impossible! In a world that's constantly advancing we've got to keep up with our game.

We know first hand what bad marketing and art can do for you! REVO started with a simple myspace page. But once we souped it up, everything took off. You have to find a way to stick out in the crowd.

If you personally aren't a good artist, pass the job

on to someone who is. It may be hard to find good

artists but it's well worth the search. Contact

anyone and everyone you may know on this. Every town

has its’ talent, it's simply a matter of finding

it.

Remind each artist that they are one of the most

important aspects to a REVO branch happening. Without

good marketing your event will barely take off the

ground.

Often when artists donate their time and

talents it comes back to help them. REVO events can be

great exposure for artists.

REVO slices

Victor Huckabee, head graphic designer for Blood Water Mission, was first noticed by the non-profit when he did the design work for REVO� Nashville in 2007. We're happy we got to help open a huge door for Victor as well as Blood Water Mission.

It's going to be really hard to get the word out there

all on your own. We recommend forming a street team

to paper the town with posters and graffiti the cyber

world. Based on your event's location, size, style, demo-

graphic, this will vary in huge ways.

REVO LA plans to be a massive event so the scale of ad-

vertising is on a whole new level. Please don't hesitate

to contact us about what forms of advertising may be

best for your branch.

If you are holding a campus REVO you are the luckiest of us all.

The great thing about campus REVOs is that you have

your whole campus itself to post posters, pass out

flyers, and announce it in the school paper, tv show or

radio station.

REVO PUC was the first campus REVO and was very successful. 3 days before they announced to the entire campus they would be doing a REVO event,

they posted signs that said REVO in every nook and cranny on the campus. 2 days before they hung signs under the first one saying IS. On the 3rd day, they posted one more sign under the first two saying HERE. Many

wondered what the signs meant and began to ask questions. This was a perfect way

to build excitement and intrigue!

If you are hosting an event at a club and know your legal capacity is 2,000 you're going to have to work hard to get that many people there.

Contact your local television station, newspaper, radio

stations, etc. Advertising costs a lot of money but many

stations will do public service announcements and many

papers love to write articles for a cause.

ORGANIZATION

Some of you were born with this talent, others have to

work very hard at it. I am one of those people

not born with it.

REVO has changed my life for the good in the sense

that I've learned to do what I say I'm going to do. I've

learned that whenever an idea pops into my head, I do

my best to accomplish it as soon as possible, so that it

doesn't get forgotten or neglected. I have had to reor-

ganize my priorities and often cut out tv time and use-

less myspace surveys. In other words, work hard so that your "to do" lists become "what's done" lists.

to do what’sdone?

To start a REVO it will take a lot of paperwork, a lot

of brainstorming sessions, and a whole lot of lists.

It's very easy to become overwhelmed if you allow your-

self to become disorganized and chaos to brew, there-

fore it is crucial to stay organized.

The system of organization depends on you:For some of you, computers and technology will be the

best way to organize. For others, good old fashioned

note books, paper and filing systems will be the best.

Whatever method is best for you and your volunteers is

fine, it's simply important that you stick to it.

It’s best to keep files for whoever is in charge of your

next event, even if it’s you again.

Contact information and emergency

information should all be kept on file.

NETWORKING

We all have such different personalities. Some of us

came out of the womb networking and others are so shy

the idea of meeting new people is horrifying!

When trying to meet new people while planning a REVO

event, make sure to stay genuine and authentic. Build-

ing relationships and trust is so important.

When first beginning a REVO branch set goals. Meet-

ing new people is often hard, but make sure to stay

confident in your cause.

REVO slices

I have a really hard time promoting myself and my art, but when it comes to promot-ing REVO, I turn into a whole different person! I'm so passionate about helping other people

Always remember why you are starting a REVO. This

should help you gain the confidence you need.

When someone connects you with a resource that is needed,

make sure to follow through quickly and

efficiently. When people give you referrals,

they're saying your cause is worth referring and your ac-

tions are a reflection on them. Make sure to respect that

and it will be great for you and your referral!

New connections can be great, for example: Julie is a stu-

dent at UCLA who is currently working on the REVO LA

commercial. REVO LA met Julie through Brendon James,

REVO LA's web designer, who is a friend of Joel, a REVO

myspace designer, who is brother of Janice, REVO's web

designer, and my good friend.

Brendon James improved our networking by designing the

business cards for REVO LA with a web address, email ad-

dress and myspace url, but no contact name. These cards

can be given to any volunteers or friends to pass along to

everyone they know. Typically business cards are for a spe-

cific person but this is a simple way to allow everyone to

easily spread the word in an efficient way.

EDUCATION

Be sure you understand the ins and outs of your

cause, what your organization does, and what your

impact will be.

Study your organization's website. Request additional

information if needed. Go to the library and study the

history of the country involved.

Know what you're talking about.

Once you have a clear understanding of what your cause is

and your organization is all about, gather your volunteers

and help them get a good understanding as well.

Brainstorm creative ways to educate people at your event

about your organization. If people don't have a clear under-

standing of what the need is and how they can help, they

are unlikely to give of their money, time or talent.

Not only is it important to make sure the volunteers un-

derstand your cause, it's key to make sure that people at-

tending your event leave feeling that they've gained knowl-

edge of the problem and what they can do to help.

REVO slices

REVO Hilo made one ounce cups of rice and had waitresses serve it to people on� trays. There was a fact sheet on the chopsticks telling people this was the aver-age amount of food that a child ate daily in Malawi. We gave people just a very small glimpse of what life was like in Africa and helped many gain great perspective.�

"The less you know about something, the

harder it is to care about it; while the

more you know about something, the

easier it becomes to really sympathize

or empathize with it. So the purpose in

taking the time to really learn or read

about an issue is so that you begin to

genuinely care about the issue, thus

making you more productive."

-Brendon James-

DIRTYWORK

Starting a REVO branch is far from easy. Depending on your location and cause it may turn out to be

the hardest thing you have ever done. Many REVO branches

have gotten quickly discouraged and had a very hard time

gathering committed volunteers.

I'll be the first to tell you that starting a REVO isn't always

a ride in the park. Plans change, people don't follow

through, etc. There have been times when I wanted to give

up. But then I am reminded of the impact we are making.

REVO Hilo has forever changed the Grace of God Orphan-

age. Before REVO began the children had no place to sleep,

were struggling to eat even daily, were frequently ill and

without money for medication, etc..

Now the Grace of God Orphanage has housing for all

orphans, classrooms, educational and medical supplies and is

building a garden to improve sustainability. There were

many times many of us wanted to quit but I'm grateful that

we persevered.

MONEYSTUFF

When planning a REVO event, keep in mind that you are re-

quired by both state and federal law to pay taxes on every

service/gift given to the public in return for their donation.

Although our greatest wish would be to give 100% of all profits

from REVO straight to the non-profit organization or those we

are fundraising for, that is not the way it is with the govern-

ment. It would be good for you to contact a CPA or lawyer to

help you better understand what exactly is required of you in

the state where REVO is being conducted.

For a donation to not be taxed, there must be no goods or ser-

vices provided to the donor. For example, any money that is re-

ceived as a door entry fee OR a door "donation" is taxable be-

cause the donor is receiving some type of service

(entertainment) after entering through the doors. The same

thing goes with the donations for art. Because the donor is

"receiving" a gift for their donation, the donation is taxable by

state and federal law.

Again, The first thing you should do regarding this is to work

with a professional whether it be a lawyer or a CPA. If this

type of help is not available for you, no worries, you should con-

tact your local state office directly and the Internal Revenue

This part of the REVO event is extremely important both for your own tax purposes and the non-profit organization.

Some venues may require you to have event insurance. It's not very expensive, and you can often find a sponsor to cover it.

FUNDS

It's always hard to plan an event without a budget.

Sadly, REVO is dead broke and we have no money to

give you to help you start a REVO

branch. So you're going to have to get

creative! Typical things you may need

money for: venue, printing, tools to

hang art, etc..

Somehow we have always managed to get by Many

people are willing to donate things, sometimes for

tax write-offs. This is why it's good to talk with

your non-profit organization to see if they can help

in this area. Often REVO branches come together

and collectively silk screen REVO T-shirts. When the

shirts are sold, the individuals can be paid back and

the profits can be invested into the show.

REVO slices

Recently REVO for Rocky needed massive amounts of cardboard for a project. They posted an ad on Craigslist about their need and cause and within hours they were at a house picking up more than enough cardboard to complete the entire project.�

AFTERMATH

When a REVO event is complete it's often hard to know

what to do next. The great thing about picking a spe-

cific project with a non-profit is knowing where your

money is going. It's always great to host a second event

and inform people where the money went from the

first event.

It may be a good idea to host a post-event to talk about

the cause was picked, where the money went, etc. Cre-

ating videos of the event is a good way to inform people

of where their money went. You can post these on the

website, facebook, myspace, youtube, etc.

NEXT TIME

STARTA

REVO

Bust out your crayons, dig out your highlighters, and get ready

to be creative. Scribble passionately

Bust out your crayons, dig out your highlighters, and get ready

to be creative. Scribble passionately

Have you ever wanted to be part of a movement, a

cause, a REVO

-lution greater than yourself...

But never knew where to begin?

This book is a step-by-step manual to helping you use

your talents and passions to host a benefit event for

your favorite non-profit or charity.

ree - voh

(rĭ-vō) short for REVOLUTION.