Welcome everyone to the seventh Popheads charity drive! This is the next chapter in our year-long celebration of ten years of rates after our kick-off Countdown Rate last weekend, and will fill the coveted spots for the much-anticipated Charity Rate 6 next month.

If you are unfamiliar with the previous Charity Rates, they are grab bags filled with previously unrated songs selected by the donors to the charity drive. If you are unfamiliar with rates in general, they are the longest running event in this community and have amassed a dedicated following over the past ten years; this YouTube video explains the rules quickly (and this one does so in depth), but basically everyone rates a set of songs from 1 to 10 and whichever song gets the highest average score wins.

Our Cause: Casa Marianella

This year, we have selected the Austin, Texas based Casa Marianella. Per tradition, this is a small-scale charity that will feel the effects of our fundraising more tangibly than a larger charity. From their website:

Casa Marianella is the only homeless shelter in Austin dedicated solely to immigrants. 65% of our shelter residents, including children, are asylum seekers, many coming to us from immigration detention. Help us expand our shelters and continue our mission to serve some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Like previous charity drives, the rate committee and moderators have prepared plenty of rewards to encourage donations. Given that this charity drive is celebrating ten years of rates, most of these are tailored towards frequent raters, but we would greatly appreciate a donation even if you are not interested in the rewards.

Charity Rate 6

Charity Rate 6 will consist of 62 total songs (assuming we get enough donors), broken down into the following categories:

1. 50 songs chosen from amongst winning raffle tickets.
2. 10 songs chosen by the Diamond Tier donors.
3. 2 songs chosen by the winners of the "Pre-Raffle Riggery" and "Last Minute Lifesaver" perks in the Popheads White Elephant.

Yes, it's that complicated, but based on our previous charity drives we believe this is the best way to ensure a fair, fun, and splurge-worthy experience. The following three sections will break down each of these categories for ease of understanding, and we have also prepared an infographic for your reference.

https://preview.redd.it/fnvkgbewhvsg1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69eade6f8d778583dc22969988bbe29d6d6b05d2

Returning from Last Time: the Raffle!

Like in our previous charity drive, the bulk of the spots in Charity Rate 6 will be awarded via the Raffle.

• Each ticket costs $3 and represents an unrated song. Any donor can purchase up to 15 tickets, and their tickets can all represent the same song or be split between different songs.
• After the drive closes, a livestreamed Raffle will be held in which 50 tickets are selected, the songs represented by each being added to the rate.
• Each donor may only have one ticket picked during the Raffle; any tickets picked after the first will be discarded. The tickets are numbered such that different donors can send tickets for the same song and we'll know whose ticket is whose.
• Any donor who does not get any songs into the rate will get to send any non-musical object/media/concept/feeling/etc. into an unserious bonus rate; see here for an example from the last Charity Drive.

Newly Reconstructed: Reward Tiers!

Instead of just one VIP tier and a free-for-all in the Raffle for anyone who donated below that threshold, every donor will be assigned a donation tier and earn its associated rewards.

• Gold Tier: Any donor who does not reach one of the higher tiers. Earns access to the existing Lemon role in the Popheads Discord server.
• Platinum Tier: Any donor of least $45 (representing the maximum number of tickets to the Raffle). Earns access to the existing Lemon role in the Popheads Discord server as well as a brand new Lavender role, plus a chance to win a spot in the exclusive Popheads White Elephant Gift Exchange.
• Diamond Tier: Automatically awarded to the top 10 highest donors above $45. These donors earn all of the rewards from the Platinum Tier, a guaranteed spot in the rate (bypassing the Raffle and releasing their tickets to other donors), and a chance to send a mini rate idea for consideration as part of the Mini Rate Curator perk (explained below). Note that the threshold to make it into the top 10 (i.e. the amount donated by the 10th highest donor) will be reported daily. Ties will be broken via random draw.

Brand New: the Popheads White Elephant Gift Exchange!

As stated above, eight lucky Platinum or Diamond Tier donors will win a seat at the first-ever Popheads White Elephant Gift Exchange, which will award each of them a one-of-a-kind reward. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a White Elephant (also known as a Yankee Swap if you're from the best region of the United States), each participant takes turns revealing their gifts, and have the option of keeping their gift or exchanging it for one of the previously revealed gifts. However, as proof of concept and as a logistical necessity, here are three of the gifts up for grabs, all of which have been mentioned previously in this behemoth of a post:

1. Last Minute Lifesaver: This reward grants the donor a song of their choice in Charity Rate 6 amongst those sent by donors that lost in the Raffle. Notably, this can include the donor, if applicable.
2. Mini Rate Curator: The rate committee have scheduled a to-be-determined mini rate (a rate with ~30 songs that does not take one of the two monthly slots for rates) for this October or November, with the exact idea to be voted on between ideas submitted by the Diamond Tier donors. This reward grants the donor the ability to curate the winning theme (for example, picking their favorite Neil Cicierega songs for a Mash-Up Rate), as well as host it if they please.
3. Pre-Raffle Riggery: This reward grants the donor a song of their choice in Charity Rate 6, potentially in addition to the spot earned through the Raffle or a Diamond Tier donation. This selection takes place before the Raffle, in case anyone wants to switch around their tickets in response.
4. Stop the Count!: As previously announced in our Rates Direct last week, we will be hosting the Rate Legends Invitational this August to mark ten years of rates, featuring monumental songs from across rate history. In the leadup to this landmark occassion, we will have a series of polls based on subjective categories ("Most Robbed," etc.), with the winners of each poll earning their spot in the rate. This reward gives the donor the right to select one of the losing songs from this series of polls to be included in the Anniversary Rate alongside the winning songs.
5. Xophrysticated Artwork: This reward grants the donor artwork of an artist of the donor's choice by u/xophrys, who is behind masterpieces such as the Disco Bibles and Modern Funk playlist covers. We'll also throw in a custom Reddit flair of the piece, or another image of the donor's choice.
6. HypnoT-Shirt: (to be revealed April 6th)
7. Roxcellence in Editing: (to be revealed April 10th)
8. All Stars Insider: (to be revealed April 13th)

Donation Logistics

We are collecting donations for Casa Marianella through our custom GiveButter page, which functions like any other online marketplace and accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, etc. Be sure to leave your Reddit or Discord username in the field on the second page so that we may contact you about your reward(s). If you have any technical issues with the platform, please message u/bigbigbee on Reddit or @bigbigbee on Discord for troubleshooting or alternate methods of donation.

Here is a quick calendar with some important dates:

• April 17th - Charity Drive Closes
• April 19th - Popheads White Elephant Gift Exchange occurs
• April 20th - Pre-Raffle Riggery perk used
• April 21st - The Raffle occurs
• April 22nd - Last Minute Lifesaver perk used
• May 2nd - Charity Rate 6 goes live

I or another moderator will try to have an update on our donation pinned each day in the Daily Discussion thread; please message me if one of us forget! And, as always, the best way to stay in the loop on all rate related matters is to join the Popheads Discord.

HERE is the donation link if you missed it earlier! Thank you for your contributions and for reading!