Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off

Cupcake Award Winners Announced!

As the votes for the American Giving Awards come in, we’ve been counting up your cupcake money–our mailbox is chock full of your donation envelopes each day!

Nearly 200 bake sale teams pulled together the week of November 12-18 to host the largest Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off ever…and the grand total (expected to increase, as some belated bake sales come through) is already a whopping $24,564! When all is said and done, tie-dye cupcakes will have raised $25,000 this season!

All of the bake sale teams were extraordinary–just take a look at all the photos we gathered from Facebook and Twitter here–but a few really stood out and we hereby proclaim them the 2012 Cupcake Award Winners!

MOST MONEY RAISED: Prospect Sierra
The returning champs from 2011 raised $4,584 from their cupcake sales in Berkeley, CA–can you believe it?!

BEST PRESS: First Place: Ithaca
Ithaca’s school paper showcased all their hard work in an incredible piece!

Runner Up : OSU

BEST TEAM UNIFORM: Hofstra
A cupcake costume and a “Real Men Eat Cupcakes” t-shirt put She’s the First Cupcake Sales on an even bigger platform!

BEST ADVERTISING: University of Michigan
Michigan’s fun “Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake” is one of the ads that really helped them put their bake sales out there!

BEST VIDEO: First Place: Alverno High School
The girls at Alverno High School made an incredible video that encompasses the whole mission of STFCupcakes!

Runner Up: University of Central Florida
Our campaign got a theme song courtesy of the Cresendudes.

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA: First Place: TCNJ
From updating on the amount raised in real time to creating their own hashtag TCNJ takes best Twitter strategy!

Runner Up: Northwood High School
They’re high school students with a plan, an amazing Facebook plan at that! Northwood took Facebook by storm every day during their bake sales!

MOST CREATIVE TABLE: Didja Know? Show
A true testament that cupcakes can be sold (and make a change) anywhere! Didja sold cupcakes out of the back of their car and helped raise awareness with their unique presentation!

Runner Up: Wisconsin
Wisconsin got people talking about girls’ education, cupcakes, and She’s the First by having a Cupcake Toppings Bar! Amazing, right?!

Congrats to all, and thank you to our judges, Interns Lily and Vivian. Winners in each category will receive a prize pack from Jane Cosmetics!

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Bake-Off Day 6: Football Games & Baking Twins

We’ve reached day 6 and are headed for a delicious conclusion! Sales were held all over the U.S.: from Michigan to Pennsylvania to California. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., our UMich chapter sold blue and yellow cupcakes to football fans (and they won!) Meanwhile, Northwood High partnered up with Baking Bestie Georgetown Cupcakes with some sweet results! And in NYC, founder Tammy Tibbetts and Director of International Operations Chisten Brandt have some ideas in the oven for THE AMERICAN GIVING AWARDS!

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Bake-Off Day 5: Cupcakes Put a Song In Our Heart!


We still have TWO more days of baking left and already some have reached and surpassed their goals! TCNJ raised over $1,000 this week, Bryn Mawr raised over $600, and so many more baking teams were able to break a first by sponsoring a girl! Plus, UCF got their own “Cupcake Theme Song” courtesy of Crescendudes. You have to check out this video (it could go viral!).

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Bake-Off Day 4: Magazine Bracelets and Cupcakes Galore!

Day 4 was a day for firsts! St. Thomas High had a bake sale and raised enough money to sponsor a girl in Nepal – making them the first all boys school to throw a bake sale for She’s the First! In addition to traditional bake sales, Wisconsin hosted a decorate your own cupcake bar and Pitt sold magazine bracelets to help sponsor girls’ education in developing countries! Check out more highlights below!

#STFCupcakes Day 4

Day 4 went off without a hitch! Teams from Los Angeles to Pitt, Wisconsin to Marist, baked a change and served up some tie-dye deliciousness to sponsor girls’ education. See the highlights below!

Storified by She’s the First · Fri, Nov 16 2012 13:09:15

Can’t wait to see how well other campus chapters do today! #STFCupcakes #everycupcakecountsSTF Marist
Los Angeles had a raffle fundraiser in Hollywood and had an amazing turn out!
WOW! “@STF_LosAngeles: Tonight’s event was a success! Thanks to everyone for coming out. We raised over $500!! #STFCupcakes @shesthefirst”She’s the First
TCNJ has been selling cupcakes all week with the help of co-sponsor organizations like Ed@TCNJ!
Our e-board was busy baking tie-dye cupcakes for @STF_TCNJ yesterday! #stfcupcakes http://pic.twitter.com/Xq3uHvHeEd@TCNJ
Some of our She’s the First girls on day 4 of the sale. Come buy #stfcupcakes for only $1 in the STUD! #TieDyeTCNJ http://pic.twitter.com/8hECT3heShe’stheFirst*{TCNJ}
#stfcupcakes #stfcupcakes #stfcupcakesShe’s The First*{SU}
We’re doing flips over this great photo from Pitt! Cupcakes can change the world!
You can do anything with a cupcake in hand #STFCupcakes http://pic.twitter.com/x4gQGaOAShe’stheFirst*{Pitt}
In addition to tie-dye cupcakes, Pitt sold magazine bead bracelets to help sponsor girls!
Magazine beads and cupcakes to help send girls in developing countries to school with @ItsGin_4 #STFCupcakes http://pic.twitter.com/NNUiO4k9She’stheFirst*{Pitt}
We think the Cathedral of Learning likes tie-dye cupcakes for #STFCupcakes!! http://pic.twitter.com/pw5TNTEuShe’stheFirst*{Pitt}
Emily of UW ran into a slight dilemma from all her cupcake selling…
realizing i have frosting in my hair in class. #STFCupcakes @shesthefirstEmily Parkinson
Congrats to @stheaglenews for raising over $300 for #STFCupcakes for the Kopila Valley School in Nepal Great Job! http://pic.twitter.com/6FHiZ5zHLynda Tyer-Viola
Wisconsin had this creative idea to increase their cupcake sales: decorate your own cupcake bar!
Decorate your own cupcake NOW outside statesider!! #STFCupcakes @shesthefirst http://pic.twitter.com/3rOEcGUTSTF*{Wisconsin}
These cupcakes look delicious, don’t you think? (Also, we LOVE the hashtag!)
Just whipped up today’s batch of tiedye goodness. LAST DAY TO ENJOY! Novack till 11 #STFCupcakes #cupcaketosavetheworld http://pic.twitter.com/IXoF6QVOStF*{Dartmouth}
Her Campus has been an amazing partner! Thank you!
@HCAlabama thank you for partnering with us in the #STFCupcakes Bake-Off!! @windsorhanger @stephaniekaplan @Annie_wang must be proud!She’s the First

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Bake-Off Day 3: East to West Coast & Wisconsin, too!

Day three of the Cupcake Bake-Off reached far and wide, from college campuses to Hollywood! Hofstra University sold more than 600 cupcakes (the “Real Men Eat Cupcakes” campaign might have something to do with it!) and we got a Facebook shout out from our friends at Half the Sky, whom we greatly admire. Boston College got a break from baking, thanks to a generous donation from Georgetown Cupcake, and our Los Angeles supporters held a marvelous event in Hollywood that raised more than $500! See the tweets below and Flickr to catch up on what you missed!

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Bake-Off Day 2: Real Men Eat Cupcakes!

Day 2 of the She’s the First 2nd Annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off was just as strong as Day 1! Hofstra shared photos of students wearing “Real Men Eat Cupcakes” t-Shirts and promoted “cupcake cannibalism” with pics of their delightful cupcake mascot enjoying the colorful treats. Students at TCNJ, Dartmouth, and Michigan live tweeted their sales, while She’s the First interns held their very own tie-dye cupcake bake sale at the She’s the First headquarters! Check out the highlights in our Storify below. Our cupcake week is off to a great start and we’re so excited to update you on the fundraising total very soon!

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Bake-Off Day 1: Sprinkled with Success!

The She’s the First 2nd Annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off had an amazing start! TCNJ and Hofstra reported how much they were raising live on Twitter, Michigan Instagrammed their icing and impact, American University partnered with Georgetown Cupcake, while Ithaca College teased us all with Purity Ice Cream cupcakes pics…among LOTS more highlights you’ll see in our Storify below. We can’t wait to update you on the fundraising total soon!

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Want to Win a Cupcake Award? Here’s How!

From November 12th to 18th, more than 150 baking teams will be helping She’s the First “Bake a Change” to sponsor girls’ education in 8 countries. This is more than DOUBLE last year’s involvement!

Amazing, right?

Each team is working incredibly hard to make their bake sale beyond spectacular and we want to recognize the superstars! So the week following the Bake-Off, She’s the First will be awarding its Second Annual Cupcake Awards!

She’s the First will choose winners in SEVEN categories the week of November 19th. All you have to do is show off your amazing cupcakes and advocacy for girls’ education. Tweet us updates and photos (@shesthefirst, #STFCupcakes) and post to our Facebook Wall. Aside from an awesome certificate (check out last year’s here) that you can share all over social media, each winner will also receive a prize pack from Jane Cosmetics!

To recap, here are tips on how to stay on She’s the First social media radar!

– For Twitter or Instagram tag @shesthefirst and #STFCupcakes on ANY bake sale related tweets!

– Share your pictures to our Facebook page or tag us in posts to your own page.

Now, some more good stuff! Here are the categories STF will be awarding prizes for:

  1. Best Social Media
  2. Most Creative Display
  3. Most Money Raised – First Place
  4. Best Cupcake Team Uniform
  5. Best Team Photo
  6. Best Advertising
  7. Best Baking Video

P.S. We’ll be putting out a Storify daily through Bake-Off week, so definitely make sure to use #STFCupcakes!

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Wednesday, Join Our #Cupcake411 Hotline!

Can you believe our 2nd Annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off is NEXT week?! We kicked off the campaign back in September with a Twitter Party, and now, as we get down to the wire, we’re firing up our social media channels again–with a Cupcake Help Line!

Before you read on about #Cupcake411, remember there’s still time to sign up to host a bake sale here — whether it’s at your school, in your office, at your bakery, or at another popular place in your community!

From November 12-18, more than 150 bake teams will be hosting their bake sales to sponsor girls’ education! For some, this will be their first time organizing a bake sale, and we want to answer any and all last-minute questions you have.

So we decided to open the #Cupcake411 Hotline, this Wednesday, from 4-7pm EST.

We want to answer YOUR questions regarding anything cupcakes! Here’s how #Cupcake411 Hotline will work:

1. Send your questions to @shesthefirst on Twitter or add a comment to our Facebook wall, anytime from 4-7pm EST

2. We’ll answer your questions or direct your questions to one of our experienced bakers on call.

3. Make sure you tag @shesthefirst and use #Cupcake411, so we know you’re talking to us!

Tweet ya later!

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Why Yale University Signed Up to Bake a Change!

Rebecca Bellinson, Yale Student

More than 100 teams have already signed up to host a bake sale in the 2nd Annual National Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off and each has a unique reason for getting involved.  Yale University’s team captain, Rebecca Bellinson, told us why she and her friends signed up–and why you should join them!

How did you hear about She’s the First and why did you decide to host a bake sale?

I first heard about the cupcake bake-off a few years ago. I was in Girl Scouts throughout high school, and through that, I went to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women as a delegate in March 2010. Because of this, I was invited to a tweet-up in December 2010 at the Girl Scouts USA headquarters with She’s the First and a few other organizations. She’s the First seemed like an awesome organization, so I’ve been following what you’ve been doing since then. Now I’m a freshman in college, and it seemed like a great time to actually get involved and host a bake sale! I had already joined a new organization called Seneca International, which focuses on women’s rights, and our bake sale is going to be one of our first events on campus.

Why do you think She’s the First’s mission is important?

She’s the First’s mission is important because educating girls makes such a difference in not only the lives of the individual girl, but in that girl’s family, community, and country. This issue has been very important to me since I went to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in 2010, and I actually did my Girl Scout Gold Award on educating impoverished girls (the project was an awareness campaign in my community and a book drive for a school in Afghanistan that helps empower girls). Educating girls is a key step in creating a more peaceful and safe future for our world. I’m so glad She’s the First is taking concrete steps toward achieving that!

Thanks, Rebecca and Seneca International, for getting involved and supporting She’s the First and girls education!  Have you signed up yet?  Only three more weeks to go!  It’s so easy to join in on the fun– www.shesthefirst.org/cupcakes.

 

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Win a Scholarship for YOU & Jancy in India

How would you like to win some scholarship money for yourself, while also helping a She’s the First scholar in India with her tuition?

She’s the First is teaming up with scholarship website Zinch.com once again, to offer $500 awards in a way that will get your creative juices flowing and inspire others to achieve their dreams.

Submitting your entry is fast and easy:

  1. Go to zinch.com/partner/bakeachange
  2. Fill out the corresponding form and answer the following question:

What is your recipe for success? Have a morning routine to seize the day? A game plan to reach your goals? Or a list of “creative ingredients” to share? Either way, tell us! (In 500 characters or fewer; this includes spaces and punctuation!)

Your deadline is Nov. 18th, also the last day of our Bake-Off.

So, just to recap — here’s what’s in it for you and why you should enter today!

1. Five hundred dollars for you to go to school- that’s a lot of textbooks.

2. Our best responses will be quoted here on our blog and on our social media platforms, like Tumblr and Twitter!

3. Jancy, a college freshman in India, will also receive a $500 scholarship.

P.S. If you think you never win anything, this might be your lucky break! Last April, an awesome student from California, Julia Solano, won a She’s the First scholarship from Zinch–it can happen!

Of course, if you want to make an even bigger impact, sign up to have a bake sale and bring the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off to your school or town this November 12-18.

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The She’s the First Store is OPEN!

Our She’s the First Store is open, just in time for the 2nd Annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake Off and holiday season!

It’s amazing to see the 3 winning and 1 runner-up t-shirts from our design contest with HerCampus.com come to life! You can also find other fun She’s the First accessories, like our signature Asha Patel Designs ID bracelet and handcrafted cupcake necklace by Ash Tree Designs.

This year, we also introduced a long-sleeve thermal option! Shirts are made high-quality by Custom Organics, Inc. We had a blast modeling them in a special photo shoot at Georgetown Cupcakes in SoHo (111 Mercer Street — go visit if you’re in NYC!) and Washington Square Park.

Sign up a team & host a tie-dye cupcake bake sale during our Bake-Off this November 12-18! We need 200 teams in all 50 states to meet our goal, and we’re getting close! Then, place your t-shirt order as soon as you can to ensure delivery by the time of your sale. They make a perfect team uniform. (Custom Organics wlil ship orders out 2x a week during cupcake season!)

Remember She’s the First products keep giving the gift of education! SHOP HERE!

Special thanks to Wix for helping us launch, Kate Lord for the beautiful photos, Georgetown Cupcakes SoHo, and Edward at Custom Organics!

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How to Win Free Cupcake Mix for Your Bake Sale

Our Second Annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake Off is less than ONE month away!

Naturally Nora and She’s the First want you to be as prepared as can be to “Bake a Change,” so we have some exciting news. For the second year in a row, Nora, the creator of all-natural cupcake mix Naturally Nora, has graciously offered to donate 12 boxes of cake mix AND 12 boxes of frosting to THREE winning teams! (That makes 200 cupcakes!)

This Naturally Nora contest will run for 2 weeks, starting October 17th and ending on Halloween, October 31st.

The amazing detail is that there are two ways to enter: You will automatically be in the running if you have signed up to host a bake sale OR by getting a friend to sign up!

Here’s how you can enter:

1. Sign up HERE to host your own bake sale this November 12-18

2. Recruit a friend to sign up (just make sure they put your name down in the field that asks how they heard about the Bake-Off!)

The more people you get to sign up, the greater your chances of winning! Use Twitter and Facebook as platforms to encourage your friends to sign up.

Here’s a tweet you can send out:

Help me win @NaturallyNora cake mix for my @shesthefirst bake sale by hosting one too! Sign up at http://www.shesthefirst.org/cupcakes

GOOD LUCK!

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Congrats to Winners of Our T-Shirt Design Contest!

Results of the She’s the First & Her Campus 2nd Annual T-Shirt Design Contest, in support of our Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off campaign, are in! The judges – Annie Wang of Her Campus, Genevieve Tabios, the She’s the First Art Director, and Preetha, a student at our India partner school, Shanti Bhavan — have deliberated, and they factored in your votes! She’s the First will be selling the winning designs online for tie-dye cupcake bakers all over the U.S. to wear this November. AND 100% of the profits will go towards sponsoring girls in our partner schools!

The designers of the winning t-shirts will receive “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” pillows from Dormify AND a gift bag from Jane Cosmetics.

So without further ado here are your TOP T-SHIRT DESIGNS:

Kelsey Thorn – Bake a Change

Ally Koss- One Cupcake Can Change the World

 

Melissa – Cupcakes Are Muffins That Believe in Miracles

Runner- up: Christine – Baking a Change in the World, One Cupcake at a Time

A VERY special honorable mention goes to Jancy Paul Vincent, one of our students from India, for her design:

Thank you to everyone who participated and voted! The t-shirt store will launch on shesthefirst.org in just a couple weeks.

Don’t forget to sign up to host a bake sale in November if you haven’t already! 100% of proceeds will sponsor girls in our partner schools located in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

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Meet Our T-Shirt Design Contest Judges!


Wondering how we can possibly choose just three winners from all these cute entries to the She’s the First T-Shirt Design Contest with HerCampus.com? The winning designs will be manufactured into t-shirts by CustomOrganics.net and 100% of the profits will go towards sponsoring girls at our partner schools! (Winners also get “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” Pillows from Dormify AND a make-up gift bag from Jane Cosmetics!)

Drumroll, please!

Knowing it would be hard for us to pick favorites, we asked Annie Wang, Creative Director and Co-Founder at HerCampus.com, and Genevieve Tabios, our very own Art Director here at She’s the First, to judge. We also have a surprise guest judge for you from Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India (hint- it’s a girl we sponsor!) to round out the judging contingent.

Annie

Our first judge is the Co-Founder and CPO of of HerCampus.com- she is also a really talented web designer!  Annie is the Creative Director of Her Campus, and if you love their layout like we do, you have Annie to thank for it.  Annie is currently on a leave of absence from Harvard, where she was majoring in Visual and Environmental Studies (she’s definitely qualified to pick out a winning design!), so that she can work at Her Campus full-time. To hear more from Annie, you can check out some of the articles she’s written for Her Campus here!

Genevieve TabiosGenevieve

Up next is Genevieve Tabios, our very own Art Director here at She’s the First! Genevieve directs the visual branding of all STF campaigns, and ensures that all collateral, from print media kits to web pages, consistently represent the voice and mission of STF. She graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in Graphic Design and Policy Studies and has since been incorporating her eye for design and branding for additional meaningful organizations including studio:ALCHEMY, GimmeMo’, and Lakota Children’s Enrichment. You can see her work here.

Preetha

Last but definitely not least is Preetha one of the students we sponsor at Shanti Bhavan. Preetha says she loves attending Shanti Bhavan because “this school provides me with a good education, exposure to different cultures and an opportunity to grow as a successful individual.“ She is a 16-year-old 10th grader with a passion for singing, dancing, poetry, and art! She loves anything artsy because it allows her to express her emotions in different ways, who better than Preetha to be our student judge?

Remember, you have until September 25th to vote for your favorite t-shirt before our judges deliberate!

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What You Missed at the #STFCupcakes Twitter Party!

Watch the video at youtube.com/shesthefirst

Our FIRST TWITTER PARTY was a blast! Thanks to all who joined the #STFCupcakes convo at 7pm-8pm EST–our She’s the First Campus Chapters, friends, and “VIP Guests”!

It was the official kick-off for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Campaign with She’s the First President Tammy Tibbetts, actress Monique Coleman, and Lindsay Brown, who answered all your fundraising questions live on Google+ on Air! The video streamed to our YouTube page–you can watch the recordings here.

Mo & Tammy

This year, our goal is to raise $50,000 from bake sales in all 50 states, from November 12-18. First step: Sign up a team to start making (or should we say baking) a change!

Baking tie-dye cupcakes is about bringing you and your friends together to achieve equality in education worldwide. 4 out of 5 girls will not finish high school in countries where STF sponsors girls. By baking and selling cupcakes you will be give girls the chance to be THE FIRST to graduate high school!

Here’s a rundown of some of the questions we answered & tips for your own bake sale (you can find more in this Baking Kit!):

CUPCAKE PRICE RANGE : $1-$2! Explain why you’re selling and they might be willing to donate more to the cause!

PROMOTION, PROMOTION, PROMOTION. Make sure to spread the word around campus weeks before your bake sale, so you can have the best turnout.

Who and where are the girls I will be sponsoring: She’s the First has 8 amazing partner programs in developing world countries. 100% of profits you raise in bake sales will be invested in sponsoring girls in these countries.

Cupcakes are a tool to tell the story. Like Lindsay Brown said, it’s what connects you to the girls you’re sponsoring! Go forth and prove that one cupcake really can change the world!

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Design the T-Shirts Cupcake Bakers Nationwide Will Wear!

One of the winning designs from the 2011 t-shirt design contest!

Want to add “feel-good fashion designer” to your resume? She’s the First and Her Campus challenge YOU (or your most talented graphic designer friends!) to take our campaign t-shirts to the next level, for this fall’s 2nd annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off.

Not only do the tie-dye cupcake bakers order these shirts to wear at their bake sales (thus, seen in photos that go all over their Facebook pages!), but most importantly, 100% of the profits directly sponsor girls’ education in our eight partner countries. Here’s when and how to enter:

1. Download the template to design on here (it’s a blank white square, so when it opens, right click and “save as”)

2. Upload your design to our custom Facebook tab (made possible by Wix Social!) between September 4-17th, and tell your friends to “like” it! Note: It has to be a JPG, and if it doesn’t go through, just make the file size smaller!

How will we choose the winner? We’ve got three superstar judges and YOU will give your input based on Facebook likes. (Your votes do influence the outcome!) We’ll announce the winners by September 20th.

"Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake" pillow from Dormify, a gift for the 3 winners

What do the winners get? In addition to the glory of having their work worn by world-changing bakers all across the U.S., they’ll win a “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” pillow from Dormify. There will also be a gift bag of Jane Cosmetics makeup awarded.

Need inspiration? Check out the photo album of t-shirts designed last year here. Or, surf Pinterest (follow our Boards here!)

Winning t-shirts will be available for purchase around October 11th – just in time for the first-ever International Day of the Girl (for which we’re organizing the XX Summit!)

Spread the word to your networks with this tweet:

Design a cute cupcake t-shirt & help sponsor girls’ education with @shesthefirst & @hercampus! Enter on Facebook: http://ow.ly/diCWF

Ready? Set…design!!!

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Tuesday: Join Twitter Party & Sign Up to Host a Bake Sale!

You know the story: Last year, 100 teams in 30 states signed up to host tie-dye cupcake bake sales during a week in November…one cupcake at a time, they raised $22,800 (in a mere 8 days!) to sponsor all these girls around the world! Not only that, but the story of the very first tie-dye cupcake bake sale for She’s the First, held at the University of Notre Dame, made its way to Seventeen (go Lindsay Brown!)

This year’s goal: Raise $50,000 (100% of your cupcake money goes directly to girls’ sponsorships, as always!), from 200+ bake sales in all 50 states–during the week of November 12th-18th!

WE CAN DO IT! The very large impact we’ll make with tiny little cupcakes deserves a magnificent kick-off, don’t you think? That’s why this year, we’re opening sign-ups for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off with a SWEET Twitter Party! You’re invited, and here’s why you don’t want to miss it:

As you tweet, you’ll also get to watch a livestreaming interview on our YouTube page, with She’s the First Founder/President Tammy Tibbetts, She’s the First tie-dye cupcake creator Lindsay Brown, and other special surprise guests!

Here’s how to prepare:

1. RSVP to the Twitter Party on Facebook!

2. Follow the hashtag #STFCupcakes on Twitter.com–even better, TweetChat.com or TweetGrid.com. Those dashboards update in real time and will add the hashtag to your tweets automatically during the conversation.

3. Add a tie-dye cupcake PicBadge to your photo for awareness!

4. Follow our “Baking Besties” — fun partners who are bringing their friends to the party!

5. Tweet of course! You can cut & paste this: Join @shesthefirst @gimmemotalk for Twitter Party TONIGHT, 7pm ET & sign up to bake for #education! Follow #STFCupcakes http://ow.ly/dqXRe

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Savoring Cupcake Success at Ithaca College!

Below is a guest post from Food for Thought’s Communication Director, Colleen Wormsley.

Food for Thought's colorful cupcake table!

Food for Thought's colorful cupcake table!

When I first saw a picture of a tie-dye cupcake tweeted by She’s the First this summer, I fell in love. As an avid fan of baked goods and social good, I knew that the She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off would be an awesome fundraiser for Ithaca College’s Food for Thought to support. I knew that the bake sale would be a great way to help a girl in a developing country, but I didn’t realize how our sale would help in so many other ways.
1. It helps a girl in India receive an education. All of the money raised by Food for Thought will support a girl at the Shanti Bhavan School in India. This school is especially amazing because it provides girls in the lowest caste in India with an opportunity they could have never imagined – an education. Shanti Bhavan breaks the cycle of social discrimination and allows disadvantaged girls to reach their full potential.

2. It helps a local business. Food for Thought sold tie-dye cupcakes that were graciously donated by Purity Ice Cream, a local ice cream shop and bakery in Ithaca, NY. We were able to encourage students to support a local business by providing Purity Ice Cream with free publicity. Purity’s specially-made tie-dye cupcakes became a must-have item on campus!  Heather Lane, the owner of Purity Ice Cream is also a professor at the School of Business at Ithaca College, so we were especially eager to help promote the company’s generosity!

3. It helps establish awareness of Food for Thought on campus. Through our She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Sale, Food for Thought was able to spread awareness of its mission to serve children around the world who are lack access to quality food and education. Our cupcake table attracted so many people who might not have known about Food for Thought and our members were eager to enlighten students about our role on campus. We had new faces join us at our meeting on the Monday following the bake sale, when we Skyped with She’s the First’s Researcher, Hannah Brencher. Food for Thought’s Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and interactions all increased during the bake sale which will help Food for Thought reach new people in its future endeavors.

4. It helps me put my marketing major to use for a good cause! As the Communications Director of Food for Thought, I was able to apply what I’ve learned in my classes at Ithaca College. I created a communications timeline, designed promotional materials, pitched media outlets, updated Food for Thought’s social media outlets, and made sure our table looked fabulous. My experience with the She’s the First Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake Sale is relevant to my career goals and has provided me with great experience that I can put on my resumé.

I’m so glad that Food for Thought was able to help so many people by selling the most adorable (and delicious!) cupcakes ever. All of our members had so much fun and we’re all looking forward to next year’s bake sale!

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What’s Next for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bakers!

I can trace the idea for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off back to April 11th, 2011, when I had the chance to meet one of my Twitter role models, @amanda, for coffee at Starbucks. Amanda Rose is the founder of the biggest social media fundraiser, Twestival, and in one conversation she got me thinking about scale, something She’s the First had yet to truly achieve. We hadn’t broken ground on a big national campaign yet.

Exactly a year ago, Lindsay Brown, Maddie Fox, and friends had a tie-dye cupcake bake sale in their University of  Notre Dame dorms that raised $900 to sponsor three girls at the Kopila Valley Children’s School in Nepal. The blog coverage on shesthefirst.org inspired copy cats, and I noticed several other tie-dye cupcake sales pop up at random times to fundraise for girls’ sponsorships. What if, I started to dream aloud with Amanda, we got student bakers across the US to sign up to host tie-dye cupcake bake sales during the same week? She said, yes, do it!! And we did. Cupcake teams, YOU did.

All that's left of the Tie-Dye Cupcakes...

100 teams signed up, across 32 states, plus Australia and DC, and your checks are now on their way to She’s the First — every penny goes to sponsor girls inthese schools. By the end of this week, we’ll be able to announce a grand fundraising total, and in December, you’ll meet the sponsored girls on shesthefirst.org!

I’m a little sad to see our first-ever Tie-Dye Cupcake Week end, but I know we’ll be back even bigger next year! More importantly, I know this is just the beginning of our journey together. She’s the First made so many new friends — and we haven’t even met the girls we sponsored yet. (That will  happen in December!) Together, we proved cupcakes can really change the world, and every single person who purchased a cupcake now understands why girls’ education equality worldwide is worth standing up for.

Popcorn Factory prizes for the Cupcake Award winners!

In the meantime, we’re going to celebrate your success with daily Cupcake Awards, from November 9th-15th! The winners will be announced on Facebook and receive these prizes pictured from The Popcorn Factory. You can have a little celebratory party with your team!

Check out the photos that the Tie-Dye Cupcake Teams have been uploading to Flickr below!

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