An annual fundraiser started in 2021, schlazathon is a chance for me to hone my Canva skills and badger my friends-and-relations into donating money to their favorite nonprofits. Lured by the temptation of receiving a photograph of myself in an act of self-inflicted public humiliation, we raised over $6,000 for 37 nonprofits in 2021.

area dad wearing zubaz sits on some railroad tracks

The photographs were taken as a reprise of a pandemic-fueled Valentine’s Day gag I did. I wasn’t sure what to do with the new set of photos, but I eventually came up with the idea that they might work as a tool to motivate people to do some good.

area dad flexing with a terrible boombox
Photo 5

I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away by the response it got. And I had a lot of fun messing around with Canva and making increasingly ridiculous pleas for contributions in social media posts.

I plan to do it again next year, with perhaps a bit more organization – exactly none plans were made in the inaugural year, and I’m curious to see if being a bit more proactive could result in a wider reach. In the meantime, if you represent a nonprofit and/or have ideas for the next schlazathon, feel free to reach out, I’d love to chat about it.