
Arc-tan Fundraiser Update #2
Grace StannardHello everyone, time for the second update!
We are almost halfway through January, but already more than halfway through all the goals I set for the fundraiser?!
As promised, I will be revealing the $4,000 SECRET Stretch Goal today! But first, let me talk a little bit more about what we hope to achieve with this fundraiser. A mascot is an important step for Atlanta Riichi Club in many ways; Arc-tan represents our brand as an organization, but also the people who come together to play mahjong and form our community. As we strive to grow and make a positive impact, we are working on building a recognizable image and professional identity that will allow us to connect and collaborate with other big organizations.
For example, over the past year Atlanta Riichi Club has participated in several events: Momocon, Dreamhack Atlanta, JapanFest, Anime Weekend Atlanta, and more. We love attending these events not only to teach and play mahjong, but also for the opportunities to meet and interact with tons of new people. From people who have never heard of mahjong to pros who have played since childhood, we enjoy these miraculous encounters and the atmosphere that comes from attending these special weekends. When we pack up our tables at the end, we always hope to see some of those people again at future meetups. Having Arc-tan at Anime Weekend Atlanta brought a fun boost to interactions with attendees and club members alike, whether it was taking pictures with her life-size standee or handing out stickers.


Our members are also a passionate group! We love playing mahjong, sure, but we are also proud to be a part of Atlanta Riichi Club. Making merchandise for our club is a way for players to bring some stylish ARC representation wherever we go, and grab the attention of those who may not have stopped to look twice at us before. "Who is that character? What is she from?" or "Cool bag, where did you get it?" are new and fun ways we will be able to engage with others, a natural segue to telling them about riichi mahjong and our club. It will also help us raise money that can be re-invested back into the club and its activities. We are happy to be able to work with so many talented artists, and it is thanks to everyone's generous contributions that we will get tons of high quality artwork of our dear Arc-tan!
Now, for the big reveal!
The $4,000 Stretch Goal is..... [drum roll]
.
.
.
.
.
.
Community Choice!
That's right, I couldn't choose between two possible options, so I'm making you choose.
The first option is a dakimakura, or body pillow, with unique designs on each side by Miss Nekopon. Nekopon is an incredible artist who has made a name for herself in the NIKKE community thanks to her plentiful fan art and high quality fan merch! We will already be working together on a peeker sticker if our fundraiser reaches the $2,000 milestone, but why not go further? You'll always have another mahjong player around with an Arc-tan body pillow! Once the design is finished, the pillow case would be added to our online store collection for purchase. Check out Nekopon's portfolio:


The poll is now open and will close either when the fundraiser ends or the milestone is reached. There is still plenty of time left to achieve this goal, so spread the word and place your vote!