Woodworkers For a Cause 2026
For sixteen years this community has proven the same thing over and over: a bunch of woodworkers who have never met can move real money for people who need it. This year we are raising $20,000 for the Purple Heart Project, putting hand tools and a lifelong community into the hands of combat wounded veterans.
Every dollar goes straight to the charity
We never touch the money. Donations are made directly to the Purple Heart Project through their official fundraising page, and auction winners pay the charity directly. That keeps everything clean and it means your gift is receipted by the nonprofit, not by us.
Live donation total, donor count and goal come straight from Donorbox, so the number on this page is always the real number. You can give right here without leaving the site.
Give any amount
100 percent goes to the Purple Heart Project. US donors receive an IRS recognized receipt from the charity.
Win tools, plans and experiences
Donated by companies across the woodworking industry. Winning bids are paid to the charity, then the sponsor ships to you directly.
Watch the demos, spread the word
Spend the day with us on October 3, ask questions in chat, and post your own shop projects with #WoodworkersForACause. Telling one friend moves the number as much as a donation.
The Purple Heart Project
The Purple Heart Project introduces physically and mentally combat wounded veterans to the peace and joy that can be found through the therapy of traditional hand tool woodworking. No dust, no noise, no danger. Just sharp tools, quiet work, and people who understand.
Selected veterans receive a full scholarship to one of Rob Cosman’s week long Training the Hand workshops, including travel, per diem, and tuition. During that week they learn the hand tool skills needed to build furniture without machinery, and they form bonds with other veterans who have been where they have been.
Every selectee goes home with their own set of high quality hand tools. Then the Bench Brigade volunteers build and deliver a premium workbench to their door. Outreach programs keep that community connected for life, so these veterans know their service is valued and that they are never forgotten.
Your donation funds scholarships, tools, and workbenches. Learn more at thepurpleheartproject.org, or point a combat wounded veteran who wants to learn woodworking to the scholarship application.
- Travel and per diem to the workshop
- Full tuition for a week long Training the Hand workshop with Rob Cosman
- A personal set of high quality hand tools to keep
- A premium workbench built and delivered by Bench Brigade volunteers
- Lifetime membership in the PHP community
We chose this charity the same way we always have. We look at what the organization actually does with the money and whether it connects to the craft our community loves. This one does both.
Why Woodworkers Fighting Cancer became Woodworkers For a Cause
In 2010 Marc became friends with a fellow woodworker named Duane Moore, who was fighting pancreatic cancer. Nicole and Marc drove out to Ohio to give Duane some one on one instruction, and it changed how Marc thought about what this platform could do. Woodworkers Fighting Cancer was born out of that trip, and out of a desire to rally the online woodworking community around something bigger than tools. Duane has since passed away. Without him, none of this would exist.
Sixteen years later, cancer is still personal to us and always will be. But the community kept bringing us causes that mattered just as much and did not fit under a cancer banner: veterans, mental health, autoimmune disease, makerspaces, families in crisis. So we widened the door.
Woodworkers For a Cause keeps everything that worked, the auction, the all day live broadcast, the corporate sponsors, and lets us choose the organization that fits the year. The initials stay WFC. The spirit stays exactly the same.
What has not changed
- A day where this community shows up for someone who needs it
- An online charity auction of donated tools and one of a kind pieces
- A live broadcast where Marc demos, talks with chat, and thanks the companies chipping in
- Money goes directly to the charity, never through us
- A goal we hit because thousands of people give a little
Sixteen years, more than $150,000
Every number below came from woodworkers giving five and ten and fifty dollars at a time, plus companies who donated tools instead of buying ads.
American Cancer Society. 67 Shaker tables built by the community, Marc donated $5 per table, 158 contributors.
Watch the 2010 kickoff →
LiveStrong. 120 rocking horses built from a free WOOD Magazine plan, matched $1 per horse plus 5 percent of new Guild memberships.
Watch the rocking horse build →
LiveStrong. Marc sold off unused tools and donated 100 percent of the proceeds.
CancerCare, free professional support services for anyone affected by cancer.
Watch the artist’s easel build →
Cancer Research Institute. Build project was a kids table and chair set, launched with our first ever ten hour live Build-a-Thon.
Watch the table and chair build →
Jessie Rees Foundation, encouraging kids fighting cancer to Never Ever Give Up. Build project was a castle bookcase.
Watch the castle bookcase build →
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Build project was a memory frame. A quilt Nicole sewed from Marc’s old t shirts raised $1,100 on its own.
Watch the memory frame build →
Cancer Research Institute. Build project was a raised pet bowl holder.
Watch the dog bowl build →
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Watch the school desk build → Read the 2020 recap →
We donated our shop space to host a dovetail seminar taught by Rob Cosman, benefiting the Purple Heart Project. That weekend is the reason we are back with them in 2026.
Relaunched as Woodworkers For a Cause, supporting the Purple Heart Project. Auction plus an all day live broadcast of demos on October 3. No community build project this year.
Bid on it, and the charity gets paid
The auction is our biggest single fundraiser, and it is where donated tools routinely sell for more than retail because people are bidding for two reasons at once. It opens September 1 and closes Saturday, October 3 at 7:00 pm Central, during the live broadcast.
How it works
- Browse and bid at 32auctions.com/wfc2026. Registration is free.
- If you win, we email you with a link to pay your winning bid directly to the Purple Heart Project.
- Once the charity confirms your donation, we collect your shipping address and phone number and pass them to the donating company.
- The sponsor ships to you directly. Nothing routes through our shop, which is how we keep shipping costs out of the charity’s pocket.
Items ship within the [continental US] unless a listing says otherwise. Questions about a lot, email marketing@thewoodwhisperer.com.
- Fuji Spray Q5 PLATINUM™ HVLP
- MÄKRS product bundles
- Titebond Packages
- Wood Talk Co-host for a day
- One of a kind experiences with Marc
Want to donate an item? See SponsorsPast Donors.
The all day live broadcast
Placeholder embed for the October 3 stream. It shows the countdown until we go live, the broadcast during the event, and the replay afterward. Set a reminder on YouTube.
Marc is at the bench all day running demos, takes constant breaks to talk with chat, and walks through every item in the auction alongside the company that donated it. If you want to know what a tool is actually like to use before you bid on it, this is the day. Donation totals update live on screen.
Run of show
Times are Central and approximate and schedule may change. Can’t watch live? Subscribe on YouTube and we will post the demo highlights and a wrap up video afterward.
No community build project this year, so build whatever you want instead. Make something in your shop during September, post it with #WoodworkersForACause and enter below, and Marc features entries on the October 3 broadcast. Everyone who enters gets a coupon code for a free PDF plan of their choice from the TWW Store, anywhere in the world. One entry is drawn for a tool donated by our sponsors, US entrants only for the drawing. We share entries all September on Instagram and Facebook.
The companies making this possible
Every company below either donated product to the auction or gave cash directly to the Purple Heart Project. They will be featured on the October 3 broadcast, and they have our genuine thanks and support.
Q5 spray system
Three finishing bundles
Product donation
Course access
13" HCX helical planer
More companies are coming on board every week. Logos replace these placeholders as each donation is confirmed.
How your company can participate
| Option | What you give | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Auction donation | A product, package, or gift certificate for the online auction. Nothing ships to us. You ship directly to the winner after the charity confirms payment. | Listed as an event sponsor, a dedicated demo and discussion segment during the October 3 broadcast, mention in the announcement and wrap up videos, and your logo on this page for the year. |
| Cash sponsorship | A direct contribution to the Purple Heart Project through our official fundraiser. The charity issues an IRS recognized receipt. | Everything above, plus a few sentences of copy of your choosing read live during the broadcast. |
| Both | Product for the auction plus a cash gift. | Top billing across the campaign, on the broadcast, on this page, and in social promotion throughout the event. |
Interested? Email Nicole at marketing@thewoodwhisperer.com with the product name, retail value, a website link, and any images or copy you want us to use in the listing. Cash gifts can go straight through the fundraiser page. Deadline to be included in the auction is September 14, 2026.
A note on taxes. Cash contributions to the Purple Heart Project are receipted by the charity directly. For in kind product donations, your accounting team can advise on the appropriate treatment of a charitable contribution. We are not able to give tax advice.
Companies that have supported WFC in the past
Since 2010 these companies have donated tools, machines, materials, gift certificates, and cash to Woodworkers Fighting Cancer auctions. Their generosity is the reason this community has moved more than $150,000 to charity.
Frequently asked
Where does my money actually go?
Directly to the Purple Heart Project. We never receive or handle donations. Donations go through the charity’s own fundraising page, and auction winners pay the charity, not us.
Is my donation tax deductible?
The Purple Heart Project is a US 501(c)(3) and provides an IRS recognized receipt for donations. Auction winning bids are paid to the charity as donations. Talk to your tax preparer about your specific situation.
Why did the name change from Woodworkers Fighting Cancer?
So we can support any cause connected to our community, not only cancer charities. Same event, same people, wider door. More on that here.
Do I have to be a Guild member to participate?
No. Everything here is open to everyone.
Can I donate an item to the auction as an individual, not a company?
Yes, and some of our best selling lots have come from members. Email marketing@thewoodwhisperer.com and tell us what you have in mind.
I’m a combat wounded veteran interested in woodworking. How do I apply?
Apply directly with the charity at thepurpleheartproject.org/application.
Will there be giveaways during the live event?
Yes, throughout the broadcast.