As a female entrepreneur with years of experience navigating the entrepreneurial landscape, I've often noticed that many founders overlook an opportunity to give back while simultaneously gaining. That’s why events like the annual Charity Drive sweepstakes stand out, they embody a rare chance to support meaningful causes while treating yourself and fostering a sense of connection within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The sweepstakes, organized by Ars Technica, presents a win-win scenario: participants donate to charity and stand a chance to win an array of valuable prizes. The deadline for donations and sweepstakes entries is January 2, 2026, giving participants enough time to impact two key charitable organizations, Child’s Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), while also entering the prize draw for merchandise worth over $4,000.
Let me break this down in light of what it means for us founders, especially the ones juggling lean teams, pitching investors, and trying to create sustainable impact in our businesses.
1. Donations Supporting Causes Close to Entrepreneurship
This sweepstakes supports Child’s Play, an organization that uses its funds to brighten the lives of hospitalized children, and the EFF, an advocate for digital rights, a topic that should resonate particularly with tech founders. Both initiatives overlap beautifully with pressing issues we face: promoting wellness and safeguarding the freedoms we rely on in the digital world.
The 2025 campaign has already seen more than 300 participants collectively donate $18,000 in its initial weeks, with a slightly higher preference for supporting Child’s Play. This demonstrates the generosity that interconnects across communities and industries.
For European startups, nudging donations for causes grounded in shared principles creates a fulfilling synergy. Much like building a startup accelerates beyond individual gain, charitable drives connect us to larger, purposeful narratives.
2. What Entrepreneurs Gain Beyond Just Philanthropy
This isn’t just about altruism. The rewards attached to these donations include hardware and collectibles that, for some founders, could provide tools directly applicable to their operations. Imagine securing something as useful as a graphic tablet for design workshops or a premium gaming console for team-building competitions.
Also, consider the marketing benefits. Participating in visible, charitable events creates goodwill with your community and stakeholders. Think of it as a simple way to showcase that your startup holds values aligned with sustainability and social responsibility, a quality that investors, collaborators, and even customers weigh.
3. How Do You Qualify and Participate?
The steps to enter are straightforward:
- Donate any amount to either Child’s Play or EFF.
- Send a digital copy of your receipt to ArsCharityDrive@gmail.com, with your name and contact details.
- Winners are drawn at random, allowing them to select a prize from the pool. Important note: only US residents can win, but for European participants, playing could still boost the donation numbers significantly.
This also reminds me of digital contests I’ve held in my startup, CADChain. Accessibility and simplicity in processes often engage wider audiences. Entrepreneurs with tight schedules should adopt this mindset in their own campaigns, easy mechanics make participation irresistible.
Common Pitfalls to Address
Here are a couple of lessons every entrepreneur can glean from initiatives like this:
-
Rushing Without Reviewing Rules
Familiarize yourself with the requirements. Not adhering to described eligibility rules (e.g., regional restrictions, prize conditions) wastes opportunities and effort. -
Focusing Solely on Monetary Gain
Startups often struggle with short-term pressures. But initiatives like these teach founders the subtle yet profound value of stretching beyond immediate return-on-investment. -
Failure to Communicate Participation to Stakeholders
As a founder, why keep your participation quiet? Sharing your involvement can bring unexpected collaboration or even mentorship opportunities. Against the European backdrop of tight-knit networks, visibility brings dividends.
The Entrepreneurial Connection: Lessons Beyond Donations
The participation trend in these campaigns mirrors the need for cross-industry empowerment. Annual success metrics reveal growing participation rates focused on emotional narratives that build around mission-driven goals. For example:
- In 2020, this campaign collected a record-breaking $58,000, fueling conversations about scaling up charitable contributions through technology.
- Hosting incentives (like prize giveaways) created northbound spikes in digital engagement with their website links and forums. The power of shared experiences became visible.
These connected causes speak volumes when compared to collaborations between bootstrapped startups and grants provided for ecological or STEM-focused ventures. It’s a practical road toward making funding more accessible and mission-aligned.
How Female Entrepreneurs Can Make an Impact
Female founders in Europe, often running tight financial circuits, can view donations less as ‘extra expense’ and more as an opportunity to deepen their community ties. Incorporate giving into your broader strategy, be it via contest-like campaigns or hyper-local events.
I remember receiving EU grants tied to education, thanks to the strategic alignment of CADChain’s services and corporate funding frameworks. Highlighting shared values during donor-backed projects score relevance points and form measurable goodwill loops.
Closing Thoughts
Engagement narratives that tie social upliftment to tangible prize offerings blend the art of giving and receiving seamlessly. Sweeps like Ars Technica’s Charity Drive Sweepstakes prove how businesses can intentionally mix practical interests with empathy-led goals.
For the rest of us startup enthusiasts, set reminders not just for the donation deadline but for brainstorming fresh strategies based on this model. Be it regional charity events you run yourself one day or just fostering goodwill through partnerships, remember: every conversation and contribution builds your entrepreneurial legacy.
Ready to step in? Learn about Child’s Play and why their hospital donations triumph health disparity or visit EFF’s mission to protect digital rights. Both options pave meaningful pathways, and nothing speaks louder than good acts done quietly.
FAQ
1. What is the Ars Technica Charity Drive Sweepstakes?
The Ars Technica Charity Drive Sweepstakes is an annual event encouraging donations to charities like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Child’s Play. Participants donate and enter for a chance to win prizes worth over $4,000. Learn more about Ars Technica Charity Drive
2. What are the beneficiary organizations for donations?
The sweepstakes supports two organizations: Child’s Play, which provides toys and games to hospitalized children, and the EFF, which champions digital rights. Explore Child’s Play | Support EFF
3. What is the deadline to donate and enter the sweepstakes?
The deadline for donations and entries is January 2, 2026, by 11:59 pm ET. Find more details about the deadline
4. How can participants enter the sweepstakes?
To enter, donate to either Child’s Play or EFF, then email a digital copy of the receipt with your name, postal address, phone number, and email to ArsCharityDrive@gmail.com. See full participation details
5. Are there any restrictions for participants?
Only US residents can win prizes, and each individual can submit one entry and win one prize maximum. Review official sweepstakes rules
6. What type of prizes are included in the sweepstakes?
Prizes include hardware, gaming collectibles, and other items that collectively value over $4,000. Preview prizes from Ars Technica
7. How much has been raised during previous charity drives?
In 2020, Ars Technica raised a record-breaking $58,000 during the sweepstakes. See the 2020 recap
8. Why should entrepreneurs consider participating?
Participating promotes social responsibility, builds goodwill, and could align with startup values in wellness and digital empowerment. Learn more about entrepreneur impact
9. How does the sweepstakes support Child’s Play specifically?
Child’s Play uses donated funds to provide games and toys to children in hospitals worldwide. Discover Child’s Play’s impact
10. Where can I find discussions and community engagement on the event?
Join the discussion on Ars Technica’s forums to connect with others about this charity drive. Visit the Ars Technica discussion thread
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
