Because of this pandemic, companies and organizations are being forced to come up with unique ways to raise money.
Because of this pandemic, companies and organizations are being forced to come up with unique ways to raise money.
And fundraising is getting a little sweeter for a small business owner in Dallas. It's an event like we've never seen before during this crisis.
Dallas event planner, Nikki Jackson, also known as "Nikki J.," will bake on Facebook Live for 24 hours Saturday to raise money for her fellow small business owners.
She's calling it a "Cake-A-Thon.”
Jackson is the owner of Absolutely Edible Cakes and Catering in Rowlett. Since her shop was shut down, Jackson says she has lost more than 90% of her income.
She did "meals to go" for two weeks, but that wasn't sustainable, so she got innovative to stay alive.
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“I'm not the girl that sits in the boat and waits for the life jacket, I've got to jump out on a swim, Jackson said. “So, I just had to start thinking of other ways. So I came up with this seasoning that I made, and I told them it was Nikki J’s Magic Dust, you just sprinkle this on your food, everything is going to disappear. And I'm doing very well with the Nikki J.’s Magic Dust and Nikki J’s Hot Sauce.”
So, from making sweet cakes, to making seasonings and hot sauce, she shows her followers on daily Facebook Lives how to use them while cooking at home.
The audience that she's built over the past couple weeks has encouraged her to do the 24-hour fundraiser to raise money to support hospitality businesses in Dallas.
"I've applied for everything available. I've applied for the PPP, the CARES Act, and I've decided CARES don't care about us, so I'm going to Nikki J. Cares, said Jackson. “And that's how it was born. I starting thinking, so what can my CARES stand for, and I was like ‘Cake Artist Rapid Emergency Stimulus,’ here we go.”
Every hour, on the hour, she will draw the name of an event specialist and donate 10% of the proceeds raised during that hour.
She will be joined by a number of local partners to keep the 24-hour Cake-A-Thon party moving.
For more information on how you can help with her mission, visit www.cakeathon.com
