For 16 years, Nannan Zhang has been organizing Creations for Charity, a fundraiser where LEGO fans can donate and purchase custom MOCs and more to help raise money to send LEGO to kids in need.

We sat down with Nannan to chat about this year’s efforts that just launched and learn how to get involved.

Dave: Hi Nannan! We are so glad you are organizing Creations for Charity again. For those who may not know, can you tell us what it is all about?

Nannan: Creations for Charity (CfC) is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that hosts an annual fundraising event from October to November where builders from all over the world donate custom LEGO creations to sell and raise money to buy LEGO sets for underprivileged children in different parts of the world. Organized in 2009, CfC has become an annual tradition for the online LEGO community to give back during the holidays. This year marks the 16th annual fundraiser and I can’t wait to see what builders like you will be contributing and look forward to getting many LEGO sets for the children!

Dave: 16 years is a long time! How did it all get started? What led you to create it?

Nannan: I founded CfC as a college student when I had lots of free time to build. I wanted to see LEGO builders use their talents in a unique and meaningful way to give to charity. The fundraiser works by selling custom LEGO creations made by builders from all over the world. The money raised is allocated to distribution coordinators around the world, who then buy as much LEGO to donate in their local area.

Dave: That’s a great way to give back and help communities in need. Do you know what kind of impact it has had?

Nannan: Since 2009, we’ve donated more than $300,000 worth of brand-new LEGO sets to organizations serving children in need as well as schools, orphanages, and children’s hospitals across the world. Our distributors post about their donation experiences on our blog each year, and it feels great to read about their stories, especially if they have the opportunities to give the sets directly to the children.

One of my favorite stories about impact comes from some donations in Brazil, where our distributor Gilcelio Chagas was able to sit down with the kids at the orphanage and build the sets with them. He sent me a video one year with all the kids having a great time assembling their LEGO models out in the backyard of the orphanage and it was really heartwarming to see.

Dave: How do you source the LEGO creations you sell? Can anyone donate a MOC?

Nannan: We rely entirely on the LEGO community to make the fundraiser a success each year, and we can’t have a sale without MOC donations. Most people may not realize how easy it is to donate a creation. Anyone can add something to the sale by filling out a donation form on our website with the MOC they’re donating. When it sells, I’ll notify the donor to ship the creation directly to the buyer. It’s an easy process and anyone should consider it especially if they’re taking apart a creation that someone else may want to own and display!

Dave: I know in the past you’ve sold some fun little MOCs from LEGO designers who build them along with fans during the LEGO Inside Tour. How did that connection come about?

Nannan: We had LEGO designers donate their MOCs from the Inside Tour for several years and they were quite popular. Mark Stafford at LEGO organized the effort to photograph and ship out the builds. With the cancellation of the Inside Tours due to the pandemic, we haven’t been able to start that again, though we always have a few special MOCs donated by a designer or two.

Dave: I’m curious, how do you allocate the funds you raise across the world?

Nannan: We allocate the funds to distributors around the world, and most approached me on their own with interest in helping us buy and donate sets to kids in their local area. We advertise that we welcome anyone to contact us if they’re interested in becoming a distribution coordinator. Diversity is always a plus!

Dave: Have you had to make any changes to the program since it started?

Nannan: While we didn’t make any changes this year, last year we made a big change in completely redesigning our website and migrating our store from BrickLink to our new site due to the fact that BrickLink no longer supports the sale of licensed custom items. Now viewers can learn about what we do, shop from our store, and see our prior donation photos and stories all in one place.

Dave: Do you have any goals for this year? Or anything else you’d like to accomplish?

Nannan: Seeing people participate in the fundraiser and being able to give LEGO to kids in need makes the fundraiser a success. Each year we give a unique printed thank-you brick to all of our MOC donors. I’ve never ran out of thank-you bricks, but I’d love to have to make a second batch of them one year because the first batch wasn’t enough!

Dave: I know you’ve had some fun with an epic livestream over the past few years. Will that be back again this year?

Nannan: Yes, one of the highlights of the fundraiser has been the 24-hour live stream hosted by Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Each year, he and another “lucky” co-host get to stay up for 24 hours while building on the live stream and interacting with other stream participants, which can be anyone who signs up ahead of time through a link posted on our blog a few days before the event. It’s really fun to watch, and we always have visits from LEGO designers and other social media stars from the LEGO community! This year we will even have a live auction for some really amazing creations, too.

Dave: Joshua and John Hanlon are always such a great support to the LEGO community. They are also patrons of BrickNerd. Similarly, how can our readers get involved and help out?

Nannan: Anyone in the world can participate in CfC by filling out a donation form on our website. We accept any custom LEGO creations between October 1st and November 15th each year, so now is the perfect time to plan what you want to donate!

We know that LEGO is expensive and not everyone wants to part with their bricks, so we give everyone the option to be reimbursed for the cost of making their creation and shipping it to the buyer. This way, you are simply donating your time for making the creation, which is still a big help. If you just want to browse, visit our store from October 15th to November 30th to see what’s on sale. Don’t wait to make a purchase because most creations are one-of-a-kind, and you won’t get a second chance if another buyer beats you to it!

Dave: Thanks for your time and we wish you well! Also, BrickNerd will be donating a classic Nerdly for you to raise some funds too. How can people follow your progress?

Nannan: Visit creationsforcharity.org for access to the donation form and store as well as progress updates and photos of the LEGO we donate each year. Whether you want to build or buy, we welcome anyone to take part in the LEGO community’s annual tradition of giving back!

Make sure to check out the MOCs available for purchase this year, many donated by BrickNerd contributors and patrons.

Best of BrickNerd — Article originally published October 17, 2021 and updated today to celebrate Creations for Charity 2024.

What MOCs could you donate? Would you want to buy a classic Nerdly for charity? Let us know in the comments below.

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