New book offers an inside look at Lincoln METCO sales

The Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee has published a new book about the hundreds of donations of furniture, antiques, and artwork they sold to help fund activities for students year in and year out.

Downsize for Diversity: How We Raised $122,000 with a Pickup Truck and a Little Help from Our Friends tells the story of how an unexpected donation of 60 porcelain dolls led to the idea of selling them and other donated items to pay for METCO summer camp scholarships. The seed was a fundraising brainstorming session involving the book’s co-authors, MCC fundraising chair Joanna Schmergel and Lincoln METCO Director and AIDE Coordinator Marika Hamilton. (Full disclosure: Lincoln Squirrel Editor Alice Waugh designed and edited Downsize for Diversity but will not earn money from sales of the book; all proceeds benefit the Lincoln MCC.)

“As we pivoted from porcelain dolls to American Girl Dolls to estate sale items, we started to slowly realize the huge opportunity with people who were downsizing for different reasons at different phases of life,” Schmergel said. “We realized we could keep going and get to our goal of $100,000, which would be enough to start a policy-governed investment fund to generate school-year operations funds.”

Over the course of four years, dozens of volunteers learned how to transport, fix up, price, and list items for sale (see photo gallery below). The MCC eventually surpassed their fundraising goal by racking up more than $122,000 in the end. But they haven’t stopped collecting and selling donations; the focus has shifted to artworks only, and the operation is now called “Downsize for Diversity ART” (Anti-Racist Together) and has already raised another $10,000.

The book is packed with photos, tips, and humorous anecdotes about the surprising variety of things that passed from the hands of donors to volunteers to new owners. Those items ran the gamut from American Girl dolls to Southeast Asian furniture, clocks, oil paintings, a computer server cabinet, a canoe, christening gowns — and even a century-old proctoscope complete with case and instructions.

Every item has a history, some of which is included in the book. “People want to give their valuable items to a good cause, but they also want to tell the stories that go along with them,” she said. “We then pass those stories on to the buyers who purchase their treasures and want to hear those stories.”

“We learned that there is passionate support in the greater Boston area for anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Schmergel said. “Almost every single donor and many buyers had a story to tell about how the METCO program touched them as a host parent, close friend to a METCO-enrolled student, coach, or teacher.”

“I have been amazed at the generosity of so many people all over. During times where we were dealing with a dual pandemic, folks were still showing love but wanting to donate dolls, furniture, art, and much more,” Hamilton said, who also had high praise for her co-author. 

“It’s been most rewarding to see Joanna’s passion with Downsize for Diversity. She’s been full throttle since I met her, and our connection and ideas have been magical from the time I met her. Her battery pack never runs low and even if it does, she still has the energy of 100 people. She is one of the most selfless people I know and has unconditionally worked to pull in volunteers and open the doors to her home to keep D for D growing. The benefit has been that students are able to have access to opportunities that they might not otherwise have been afforded.”

For anyone who’s looking to raise money for their local METCO program or any nonprofit, “my advice would be to read our book and let it trigger your own ideas. You can take pieces and fragments from the book and use them to go after the low-hanging fruit,” she said.

Hamilton’s advice? “Your ‘why’ must be very clear because when times feel tough, that’s what will continue to drive your work. I’d also say think big, but it’s OK to start small, even if you start with a goal to raise $1,000. It’s not the dollar amount when you start, but the blueprint and plan you use. And if you’re in need of a plan, purchase our book so you don’t have to grow a second brain! Sharing is caring,” she said with a laugh.

Look inside Downsize for Diversity and buy now from BookBaby.com to maximize MCC’s royalties, or order on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. All income from sales of the book will go to the Lincoln MCC.