Englewood-based makeup artist Yonina Haber visited Camp HASC this summer for the first time to see her son in action as a camp counselor. She was exceptionally moved by her son’s work and by all of the campers enjoying themselves so thoroughly. As a result, she started to devise a way to give back to HASC, eventually recruiting several colleagues in the simcha industry to donate their services to what she calls the “Giveaway for Good.” The Instagram campaign, which launched on Sept.10, is a unique social media giveaway which requires participants to donate a minimum of $18 to one of the participating charities in order to enter. The winner will receive a simcha package, including hair styling, photography, event planning, artwork, money toward a new wig, and of course, makeup by Haber herself.
“I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could get a bunch of women together who each have their own charities they want to raise money for?’ and that’s how we got to the four organizations we are helping with this giveaway,” Haber shared. In addition to HASC, which supports children and adults with special needs, the group settled on Sharsheret, the breast and ovarian cancer resource organization; Nechama Comfort, which aids women with fertility issues; and Renewal, an organization dedicated to assisting people suffering from various forms of kidney disease.
The prize package is valued well into the thousands, and consists of six total prizes from local donors: four full faces of makeup from Haber (@yoninahaber); four hairstyles from Goldie Berger (@hairbygolds); $1,500 toward a new wig from Shira’s Custom Wigs in Monsey (@shiracustomwigs); three hours of event consulting from Rena Soclof (@renasoclofevents); a photoshoot with Abbie Sophia (@abbiesophiaphoto); and a custom piece of artwork—ketubah, birkat habayit or a painted tequila bottle—rom Alex Klein (@alexrachel.art).
Haber explained that the idea for the giveaway came to her while she was scrolling through Instagram a few months ago and saw that a local makeup artist was offering free makeup services in her studio in exchange for donations to the nonprofit organization she had recently founded with her husband. “I was really inspired by that,” said Haber. “Often, social media giveaways are created just to gain more followers, but I wanted to make it into a tzedakah opportunity.”
Like other giveaways on Instagram, entries are generated by following the giveaway page itself along with all six contributing accounts. Each person must tag five friends in the comments, and subsequently send an $18 donation to any of the four participating organizations, which are all listed on the page. Haber receives an email after each donation and is able to track when an entry has been completed.
In the spirit of the upcoming High Holidays, Haber described the timing for the giveaway as “perfect.” She explained that “every single dollar is going straight to charity…nothing is going anywhere else, [which makes] the most important step of this giveaway the $18 donation.”
To create more accessibility for participants, each person is only allowed to enter once. “We didn’t want this to turn into the ‘haves’ versus the ‘have nots’; we wanted it to be an even playing field for everyone,” she shared. “We’re not asking for a lot, and it gives everyone the opportunity to give. I am hoping, however, that the people who can donate more, will donate more.”
A minimum fundraising goal has not been set. “No one has done this before, so I’m not sure what would be a reasonable number to achieve. The real goal is to offer our services while inspiring others to give tzedakah at the same time…we just want people to do good and give back,” explained Haber.
Haber noted that if this campaign does raise a sizable amount, she would be thrilled to do another giveaway next year. “I really hope it takes off,” she said. “These organizations do a lot of amazing work. This is a great opportunity to give hakarat hatov.”
The campaign is set to close on Thursday, Sept. 22, and the winner will be announced on Erev Rosh Hashanah. More information on the “Giveaway for Good’’ can be found on Instagram at @giveawayforgood2022.
By Channa Fischer
