#igivearod fundraising drive
After a respite and lots of changes to dogs and home, BraverMountain are back on the Iditarod Trail once again!
Seemingly now more than any other year the children and communities of Alaskan natives need help. Kids across the country are losing their education, minorities are being threatened or erased, and Alaska’s precious natural resources are being sold off for plunder.
In addition to supporting projects in Alaskan schools via DonorsChoose – a nonprofit organization that vets and administers projects for schools all across the United States – we are continuing to spotlight charitable organizations and causes across Alaska.
For causes supporting communities and projects (primarily) out in rural Alaska, please see the rundown on the Causes page. Want to suggest an organization for consideration? Let us know!
With gratitude,
Igivearod Wranglers
Follow us on Bluesky and elsewhere at @igivearod to see the latest news and updates!
Help the #Igivearod #uglydogs spreadsheet elves
tally our collective impact!
Donate at donorschoose.org/igivearod25
Add directly to the #IGiveARod2025 tracker
Fill out our Google form
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What is the igivearod?
The igivearod is a loosely-organized, volunteer-directed, fundraising drive that runs alongside races in Alaska. In the past it has centered on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (not affiliated with the Iditarod Trail Committee); however, fundraising efforts expanded to include other races such as the Iditarod Trail Invitational and the Kobuk 440. We do not take donations ourselves, but help direct potential donors to schools listed on the crowdfunding website DonorsChoose.
A focus has been on supporting Alaskan schools with a particular emphasis on remote and rural communities like those that make the race possible. The communities often need help funding essential items like tables, chairs, and books for their students, or for classroom enrichment items like art supplies, music equipment, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teaching kits. We’ve even helped fund class trips—no easy feat in Alaska!
Additionally, some of the other projects and causes are vetted by a dedicated group of volunteers in personal contact with communities in Alaska that seek to promote often-overlooked causes like the Arts and Native heritage.
2. Who are you people, and who you calling ugly?
The igivearod is open to everyone, but you may see people talking about some ugly dogs. The “UglyDogs” (#uglydogs) are a Twitter-based group of dogsledding enthusiasts who are particular fans of BraverMountain Mushing, run by Blair Braverman and Quince (Q) Mountain out of Wisconsin.
Blair and Q are accomplished fiction (Blair) and nonfiction authors whose rich storytelling and irresistible dog photos have enchanted many followers. In particular, Blair’s ability to capture her dogs’ personalities in her writing and in photos has made her whole team feel like cherished friends.
It’s a weird moniker for a community, to be sure, but like so much of Blair and Q’s world, it comes with a good story. When a Twitter troll told Blair to “go back to your ugly dogs, Karen,” her followers took it and ran with it. Make no mistake, all dogs are beautiful! Rather, Blair’s followers are the #uglydogs because they know that she’ll always come back to them. You don’t have to be an UglyDog to donate, and you don’t have to donate to be an UglyDog!
The 2019 igivearod has been largely decentralized, but as igivearod has grown, a small group of us have tried to keep things tidy. While many of those involved in igivearod are fans of BraverMountain Mushing, it’s certainly not a requirement to participate! Please note that igivearod is not affiliated with nor sponsored by any particular musher/kennel.
3. How did the igivearod get started?
Igivearod started as a truly grassroots initiative. During the 2019 Iditarod, one of the UglyDogs learned that students in Nikolai, Alaska, were trying to raise money for a school trip. When the news spread on Twitter, the trip was funded in less than a day, but the growing snowball of goodwill couldn’t be stopped! Users began sharing other links to Alaskan school fundraisers, an exhaustive spreadsheet was created to organize and track donations, and the igivearod was born.
Since then, every year we have come together again to raise money, attention, gifts, memes, and general positive vibes around worthwhile causes in rural Alaska. To date, we have raised over $385,000 and countless other non-monetary gifts. Thank you to donors and friends—your unstoppable generosity and goodwill have been awe-inspiring!
4. I can’t donate right now—is there another way for me to participate?
Igivearod was inspired by the compassion, kindness, and good old-fashioned neighborliness of Blair and Q. Volunteering in your community, calling in MusherGrams for teams on the trail, or even just going out of your way to do something nice for others are all great ways to join in the spirit of igivearod if donating isn’t in the cards.
One example is the wonderful #IditaNotes initiative started by Julia (@JuliaFBXLawRpt). She sends friendly snail mail to anyone who could use a little love in their mailbox.
But seriously—there is zero requirement to donate. Like we said, you don’t have to be an UglyDog to donate, and you don’t have to donate to be an UglyDog!
5. Tell me more about DonorsChoose!
DonorsChoose is a website and 501(c)(3) where teachers can request funding for specific projects for their schools. DonorsChoose vets all of the projects, collects donations, and purchases the materials for the projects once they are fully funded.
6. Is igivearod affiliated with DonorsChoose?
Nope! But the way the site organizes its projects is a good fit for this fundraising drive. We’ve been able to highlight schools throughout Alaska by sharing links to projects on DonorsChoose so that potential donors can find a cause that speaks to them personally. It’s also important to us that the fundraisers we list are transparent, a value shared by DonorsChoose as a platform.
7. What happens if a DonorsChoose project doesn’t get fully funded?
From the DonorsChoose website: “DonorsChoose will email you the day after the project expires so that you can decide what happens next. We’ll send credits back to your DonorsChoose.org account, you can select a new project to support, or you can send the donation back to the original teacher as a DonorsChoose.org gift code. If you haven’t taken action in 30 days, we’ll apply those funds to other classroom projects in need.”