Digital Philanthropy

How to Donate Your Old Eyeglasses

2011-04-01T10:54:00.000+13:00

Sara Roberts is a content contributor for Just Eyewear, an eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses retailer.

One man’s trash is more than another man’s treasure; it could be another man’s livelihood. While your prescription may not work for your eyes anymore, it may still be the perfect one for someone else’s eyes. Whether you are changing glasses because you’re just ready for new frames, or because the prescription has changed, help out your fellow man by donating your old glasses.

You can find out more about donating your old eyeglasses at Do Good ....

Moving on ...

2011-02-25T21:53:00.000+13:00

I've moved ...

Both in the real world ... and here online ....

You can now find me blogging about Digital Philanthropy, Sustainable Living, and more at Do Good.

This is also the new home of the Be the Change Bookclub.

4 Contests for Charity

2011-02-24T14:34:00.005+13:00

This is a guest post by Jennifer Williams. She blogs at Techsplosive.com. And you can follow her on Twitter @JtotheWilliams.

Contests have the preternatural ability to arouse competitiveness in even the most timid of individuals. Combined with a possibility of winning something and plain good old fashioned fun, contests, be they watermelon seed-spitting or a game show, appeal to just about everyone.

While the law of the contest dictates there be one winner and many losers, the contest for charity is different. With charity, the participant’s acts are on behalf of another, and while one may win, very few will feel like losers.

Charities are dedicated to making positive impacts on the world and the people who inhabit it. Some charities host dinner parties, some marathons, while others, like Kars for Kids, utilize sales from car donations to support the needy. Sometimes charities need a little help, and what better way to rouse the forces than a contest?

Whether philanthropic participant or planner, these four types of charity contest should inspire you:

Charity Contest #1: The Charity Game Show

A classic nonprofit money raiser, game shows usually host special events where winnings are donated to charities of choice. While many participants are celebrities, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the fun. Host your own Jeopardy with friends and let the winner’s favorite charity reap the rewards—even if it is just twenty.

Charity Contest #2: Social Media for a Cause

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube—they’re already great vehicles for contests, so finding a contest at one of these or other social networking sites should be easy. The Kindness Challenge uses Twitter to raise charity awareness. Facebook is hosting an Of Charity, For Charity photo contest, with proceeds going to UNICEF. Do a little networking and you’ll find great contests, or you could start your own.

Charity Contest #3: The Sporting Event

Ever heard of the London Marathon? Besides being one of the biggest marathons in the world, since its inception in 1981, it has raised over 450 million for charity. Sporting events are contests you know, and major to minor, leagues all over the world hold rugby, football, soccer, and cricket games to benefit charities. Lace up your sneakers and participate in a local race to benefit breast cancer, or organize a community football game to help a favorite cause.

Charity Contest #4: The Foodie Fundraisers

Celeb chefs cook up a storm for charity and restaurants routinely donate to food banks, but what about those good old fashioned pie-eating contests? Communities and restaurants host pie-eating contests, chili cook-offs, and best brownie competitions with proceeds benefiting local or national nonprofit organizations or causes. Many states routinely hold an annual food event for charity; try searching online for one closest to you. Or, help organize an event for your community. That strawberry jam might be a big winner for your favorite charity.

A little newspaper perusing or online browsing will help you unearth a plethora of contests aimed at giving charities a hand. The great thing about contests is that they get people excited, and when people are excited about helping worthy causes, the whole world wins, one charity contest at a time.

How to Donate Your Old Eyeglasses

2011-02-24T10:51:00.004+13:00

This is a guest post from Sara Roberts. Sara is a content contributor for Just Eyewear, an eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses retailer.

One man’s trash is more than another man’s treasure; it could be another man’s livelihood. While your prescription may not work for your eyes anymore, it may still be the perfect one for someone else’s eyes. Whether you are changing glasses because you’re just ready for new frames, or because the prescription has changed, help out your fellow man by donating your old glasses...

You can read the rest of this post and find out more about donating your old eyeglasses at Do Good ....

Friday 5

2011-01-14T09:56:00.000+13:00

Build a Well
Nearly 1 billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. Help change that!

Give a Compliment
Kind Over Matter have a beautiful new compliments poster for you to print out, hang around your neighbourhood and help spread a little goodwill. Everyone loves a compliment - and love is what makes the world go around!

Have a Heart ♥ Org
Great new blog to help bloggers and small business owners with heart find readers and shoppers who want to help them make a difference. Be sure to visit today and help spread the word!

Preloved Reloved
Kim is giving up new clothes in favour of a year of secondhand frockery (or should I say vintage?) to raise money and awareness for the awesome charity MacMillan Cancer Support. Head on over and see what fab fashion she has unearthed!

Drop some Love
With Love Drop, you can help a person or family in need for as little as $1 a month. Its a great new microgiving project that lets you make a difference no matter what your budget!

Take Action Tuesday: Spread the Love with Love Drop

2011-01-04T17:30:00.003+13:00

Love Drop is a micro-giving network of people who unite as a community to help one person or family a month. By subscribing to the team for as low as $1, they make it easy for their members to change lives in a fun and tangible way. Each month Love Drop delivers a unique combination of unexpected financial gifts, personal encouragement and the support of local and online communities.

Every month the Love Drop community comes together to raise as much support and awareness as we possibly can. It starts on the website - LoveDrop.us, gets spread across our entire network of blogs, continues through the forums where all our members are brainstorming, and finally lands on the front steps of our recipients. Literally.

At the end of the month, Nate and J$ willshow up in the town the people live in to deliver this pile of goodness. The money, the gifts, the services, everything! It's all on film, and it all ends with an amazing outpouring of love. And then it starts all over again the next month.

This month, Love Drop is doing its thing for Jill in Chicago. Help them, and their flagship partner, Kona Grill, make this drop amazing!

How You Can Help

This project is all about coming up with creative and fun ways to make a difference for someone. Here’s what you can do to make our first Love Drop special for Jill and her family:

Join the team – Become a member by paying whatever you want. Even $1.00.
Join our blogger network – Blog about our Love Drops once a month! It’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it REALLY helps spread the word (which in turn helps the families!). We’ll give you all the content you need.
Give a gift – Gift cards, clothes, a homemade scarf, a bike, whatev.
Provide a service – Web design, tax help, legal services, etc.

(Email all ideas/questions to team (at) lovedrop.us, we’ll make it happen)

Take Action Tuesday: Help Educate Healthcare Workers

2010-12-29T01:23:00.001+13:00

HVO in Africa

Suz, from SuzRocks, is raising money for Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) this holiday season.

HVO is an awesome non-profit that trains and educates health professionals in developing countries so that they are better able to address the specific health needs of that country.

What does this mean in terms you may actually care about?

It means that pregnant mothers in Cambodia will have access to anesthesia for c-sections if they need one, that people injured in the earthquakes in Haiti will have access to physical therapy, and that trauma victims in Mongolia will have access to emergency orthopedic surgery.

And this is where YOU come in!

Take action and go to HVO’s website, read about them and if you decide that it sounds like something that interests you:

CLICK HERE and you can reach their secure site where you can give online, mail, fax, or phone. They will be happy with anything you can spare: five,ten, twenty, a hundred, two million dollars…
In the “In Honor of” box, put Suz Watts or SuzRocks, just so they can keep track of where donations are coming from.

If you are unable to donate, you can still do something! Help Suz spread the word and link to her post or to HVO on your blog, or share her post on Facebook or Twitter.

Suz is also putting up $250 of her own money and will donate $1 for every 5 new subscribers to her blog or 5 new Twitter followers. So follow her already! And tell your friends to follow her too!!

Send a holiday card that gives back with Citizen Effect and Snapfish

2010-12-18T11:14:00.003+13:00

This is a guest post from Andi Narvaez of Citizen Effect.

If you are still looking for holiday gifts you don’t need to resort to generic gift cards. Check out Citizen Effect ’s Holiday Harvest cards by Snapfish and send your friends and loved ones a gift that will put food on the table for communities in need this season.

Click “give a card” above and choose the region of the world you want to support. Then add your personal message and Snapfish will send the card to your friend or loved one so you can tell them you made a gift in their name to solve the hunger crisis.

You can choose to support projects that feed communities in Callao , Peru, Gujarat , India, Cloetesville , South Africa, and the Gulf Coast , United States. We will share updates on the impact your project is having on the community for years to come.

Truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Join Citizen Effect’s Holiday Harvest on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

How Can Mum Bloggers Save the World?

2010-12-16T19:34:00.000+13:00

There is a really interesting conversation taking place at BlogFrog at the moment ... Please join in and share your thoughts!

What good questions can we ask here to stir conversation around helping the world's poorest villages? I'd love your creative insights!
Visit the "What conversations do u suggest?" Discussion

Click to Donate Water

2010-11-26T11:08:00.000+13:00

Help give 100,000 days of clean water. All it takes is a click!!

Pike River: Family Support Fund

2010-11-24T20:43:00.002+13:00

Its hard to even begin to imagine how the loss of these 29 men at the Pike River Coal Mine is affecting their community and families. My thoughts - and those of the rest of New Zealand are with them.

Please give generously.

Kickstarter: Giving to Creativity

2010-11-17T22:29:00.001+13:00

This is a guest post contributed by Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of top online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com.

In recent years, the internet has given us the wonderful ability to connect with other philanthropy initiatives. The internet allows us to communicate instantly, to spread word of new projects and areas of need, and to respond to those needs almost immediately. It seems like every second another web-based initiative rises up requesting our help. This, honestly, is a wonderful thing to see, as I'm sure many readers of Digital Philanthropy will agree.

And so we now have Kickstarter to add to the fun. Kickstarter is another example of the latest trend in social networking philanthropy. Like other online philanthropy communities of its kind, Kickstarter uses the power of the internet to gather funding and donations for important causes, but it focuses only on projects and causes within the creative community.
In this respect, it is slightly different than some other fundraising sites, such as The Tipping Bucket. Kickstarter community members and donors can decide to fund creative projects from a large listing of current projects in all sorts of categories: art, publishing, film, cooking, and so on. Some of these projects are very personal, experimental, or unique, while others seek to expand philanthropy and art for a good cause. For example, The Understanding Campaign, which was recently funded successfully, is one such example of using the power of creativity to create social change, while Moveable Type seems to be more about sharing creativity with others, especially others who might not initially be familiar with such a unique form of creativity.

The way Kicktarter works is it lets creative types, like artists and poets, sign up their creative projects for the community to check out and evaluate. Project creators have a window of time to gather pledges from prospective donors, but if they don't reach their fundraising goal, the project won't get funded. Prospective donors get their money back, and the project's creators are responsible for figuring it out on their own. This is now a common, low-risk way of setting up these funding initiatives, and Kickstarter has used it well.

However, if the fundraising goal is reached, then Kickstarter disburses the money, and the project gets its much-needed financial start. But, the great thing about Kickstarter, is that it doesn't end there. The Kickstarter community then gets updates on the project's progress. The website can serve as a solid home base for everything related to that project, which means there are more fundraising opportunities built in should the project's creators need to turn again to the Kickstarter community in the future.

Because Kickstarter only helps out creative projects, it's a relatively focused community. However, for those who wish to support the arts or look for a different sort of philanthropic opportunity, then it could provide a fresh take on an old, but honorable act: giving to others.

No One is Too Small to Make a Difference

2010-10-08T23:29:00.001+13:00

The Tipping Bucket is out to change the equation of philanthropy and prove that $1 can change the world.

A few people with some big ideas plus lots of people with big hearts and a little money equals a changed world!

Projects go into the bucket one at a time, each with their own financial tipping point and a deadline. Users add drops to the bucket - one click equals $1. If the bucket tips before time runs out, the money is collected from donors and the project moves ahead. If not none of the donations are collected and the next project in line has its turn in the bucket.

The project as I write is Sheep for Peace. The project will provide 2 female adult sheep to 5 of the poorest women in the community of Beit Sira in the West Bank, so they can produce milk and cheese, and with time baby sheep and male sheep that they can sell or use to expand their herd. As the sheep and herd constitutes a sustainable source of support for the families and the village, the lifestyle of the families will improve and start a virtuous cycle for the entire community by adding opportunities of revenue.

Check out the latest project at The Tipping Bucket and add your drop!!

Readers Making a Difference

2010-09-14T14:06:00.003+12:00

Image by margolove via FlickrJust because you like nothing better than curling up with a good book, doesn't mean you can't be making a difference. Check out these great online ways to make your reading count:

Better World Books
The best place online to buy your books! Great range, great prices, and great service! Better World Books is a for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. And even better, shipping is free if you live in the US and only $3.97 if, like me, you live somewhere else in the world!
Be the Change Bookclub
This is a great online Bookclub for readers who want to make a difference. Each month read about an issue that matters - and share your thoughts, opinions and reviews at the end of the month to be in to win a $20 gift voucher from Better World Books
We Give Books
Absolutely fab online library for reading aloud with your kids. And for every book you read, a book is donated to the charity of your choice ...
100 Best Books for Humanitarians
Looking for something to read? Check out this inspiring list of books about famous (and not so famous) humanitarians, humanitarian issues, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and fundraising ...
Social Justice Reading Challenge
The Social Justice challenge was founded on the idea that reading can change the world. Each month they will focus on a different area of social injustice in the world and encourage participants to learn about the issues through reading and other media and take action steps towards making a difference.

Related articles by Zemanta
10 reviews of Better World Books (rateitall.com)
Worldreader: Bringing Kindles to Ghana to Boost Literacy (worldchanging.com)

Felt ... like helping out

2010-09-11T22:13:00.001+12:00

In the wake of the recent, devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a group of crafty minded Entrepreneurs from Felt have gotten together and come up with FeltAid!

If you love handmade - and you want to help the people in Christchurch get their lives and city back together - then FeltAid is the place for you. You get to buy from a gorgeous range of handmade fabulousness - and your dollars go to the NZ Red Cross Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.

FRAGILE DAY by WILDERLAND

2010-09-02T23:48:00.000+12:00

The unimaginable Gulf Oil Spill has left us all with an intense combination of emotions, from sadness to anger to helplessness. How could this happen? And now that the leak has been stopped, what can we do as individuals to help fix this horrific environmental disaster?

Musical duo Wilderland answers the call by releasing their new song "Fragile Day" with 100% of all proceeds benefiting the habitat affected by this tragedy. Watch the emotionally powerful music video below and then visit www.FragileDay.com to download the song to support this worthy cause.

Spread a Little Kindness

2010-08-24T00:10:00.002+12:00

Angie, at Vivo Bello, is working with her family to complete 35 random acts of kindness in 3.5 months - and she writes about it every Monday! So far they are up to Week 3 (and it involves Chocolate Brownie!).

Join in on the Meaningful Monday blog hop - share something nice you've done, seen or read - and spread a little kindness around the interwebs!

Women Making an Impact

2010-08-13T00:55:00.000+12:00

I found a fabulous site for women who want to change the world. Vivanista is a social network set up to empower Philanthropic Women.

If you're looking for fundraising ideas for your favourite charity, school or community group than all the information you need is here. There is a fantastic library of fundraising resources - and a great community of women all willing to share their fundraising experience with you.

If living an altruistic lifestyle is important to you, then Vivanista is a great place to go for inspiration, to help you take effective action and to make a real impact on the world! Make sure you look me up when you get there :)

Water, Water everywhere, nor any Drop to Drink

2010-08-11T02:46:00.002+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

I have signed up to participate in the Clean Water Blogivation campaign. If my blog receives the most votes, I will win an opportunity to join Dr. Greg Allgood on a clean water expedition to Africa and a $15,000 donation to my favorite charity (Water.org) tackling water issues. Please vote at the bottom of this blog entry - your vote = a day of clean water thanks to P&G.

At the beginning of last year, we were without water in our household from around 10 in the morning. The tap in our laundry had broken off at the pipe and was leaking water into the walls. Finding a plumber was a mission that took the rest of the day - everyone was either too busy or not answering the phone. Then, when I finally managed to get someone they couldn't get to us until the following morning.

I started getting all worked up about it when it struck me how lucky I am. Almost 1 billion people worldwide don't have any access to clean, safe drinking water. (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply & Sanitation. Progress on sanitation and drinking-water: 2010 update. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010)

I remember thinking how inconvenient it would be with my two preschoolers, one of whom was still in cloth nappies at the time. Every 20 seconds a child in a developing country dies from water related illness and diseases caused by contaminated water kill more under 5's in developing nations than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

I was feeling intensly annoyed at not being able to get a plumber to come until the next day. Yet in Gaza people are still awaiting repairs to pipes and other infrastructure damaged during the 15 days of Israeli bombardment that started on December 27th 2008.

Like most Mum's with young kids, I had a busy day going on around me and the idea of a 2 minute walk to the neighbours to fill up a container or two of water didn't hold much appeal. Many women in the developing world walk more than three hours every day to fetch water.

Those of us in the developed world really have no idea how lucky we are!

Help Raise $10,000 for City of Hope

2010-08-03T10:33:00.001+12:00

At Digital Philanthropy we love to support businesses that are supporting their community!

Ashley Furniture HomeStore are celebrating the launch of their new Facebook Page by giving $10,000 to City of Hope - a cutting edge research and treatment centre for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

In August and September they will be donating 25¢ for every new person who "likes" their page. Ashley Furniture Industries have already raised $4 million dollars for this great cause - and you can help them raise even more with just one click (and while you're there why not 'like' City of Hope's page as well to show your support!).

Bag it Forward

2010-07-30T23:19:00.018+12:00

Today my oldest daughter had her first school visit - she starts school in early October. Its such exciting times. We met her teacher, and wandered around her classroom - and even attended school assembly.

It seemed kind of fitting that I also stumbled upon the very cool Elmer's Bag it Forward blog meme today.

In the USA, its back to school season and Elmer’s is celebrating it’s every day low pricing on back to school supplies at Walmart by partnering with Adopt-A-Classroom to help make a difference in classrooms across America.

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post and donating a virtual bag of school supplies . Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000. How awesome is that!?

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy. (Really!)

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section here for your participation to be counted.
In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

Here are the bloggers I'm tagging with a Virtual Bag of School Supplies:

Sarah Ann at Sarah Ann's Bon Mot

Sarah Hammond at Sprout Reviews

Holly Skelton at The Little Hearts Project
YOU!

Save Lives in Haiti with your Blog

2010-07-16T12:15:00.001+12:00

YouSayToo is a social blogging sites that allows you to centralize all of your existing blogs to one site. You can add your blogs to YouSayToo from Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, LiveJournal, FaceBook and other blogging platforms and increase your readership and make extra revenue at the same time. Pretty Cool, right?

But what is even cooler is that YouSayToo makes it super easy to donate any revenue you earn to your favourite cause. All you need to do is sign up, add your blog (or start one at YouSayToo) and pick a cause to raise money for. Easy!

You can choose to raise money for the continuing relief efforts in Haiti like I am, to save tigers, whales or pandas, to help fight against malaria, HIV/Aids or cancer, to provide clean water, end hunger or protect the oceans or rainforests.

And if you refer friends who add their blogs or start new ones at YouSayToo, then the good folks at YouSayToo will increase their donations by an additional 15% from their Google AdSense impressions and 10% from friends they refer to your cause.

So sign up today ... and tell your friends!

Change the World Tuesdays

2010-07-14T23:44:00.000+12:00

I discovered the most gorgeous blog this week

Every Tuesday, Sarah Ann shares a way for you to change the world. Stop by and check out the awesome causes she has highlighted so far.

A Few Clicks to Save a Life

2010-07-12T23:25:00.000+12:00

Did you know that it only takes $.25 to provide a single child with both vitamin A and antiparasitics for one year? You can help save lives by suggesting the VIVAPRIME Facebook page to your friends. For every person that "Likes" VIVAPRIME, they will donate $.25 to Vitamin Angels to help malnourished children in need around the world. All it takes is a few clicks to make a difference!

Birth Stories for Embrace

2010-07-01T23:18:00.000+12:00

I remember the births of both my girls with a clarity that surprises me - especially given my propensity to forget other important things like my wedding anniversary or to return library books!

Both my girls were born by cesarean. My oldest, because she was breach and there was no one willing to deliver her any other way. And the youngest, because she just took too long to do her thing. Which was ironic given that she showed up a week earlier than we were expecting and in the middle of the night!

My baby girls both arrived in tip top condition. They were robustly healthy, starving, loud and gorgeous from the get go.

But, that isn't the case for everyone. There are some 20,000,000 low-birth-weight and premature babies born each year. And 450 of them die each hour. This is a truly heartbreaking statistic - made even more so by the fact that this is a very preventable tragedy.

Primarily, these deaths occur in developing countries, where modern medical technology is unavailable. One of the main problems these babies face is hypothermia as they are unable to regulate their body temperature. An incubator could save many of these babies - but they are expensive, and in developing nations many rural areas don't have electricity available to run them - even if they could afford them.

And this is where the Embrace Infant Warmer comes in. Embrace is a non-profit organisation that has developed an innovative infant warmer that requires no electricity and helps vulnerable babies survive and thrive in developing countries.

You can help save the lives of these most vulnerable and precious lives by sending an Embrace Tribute Card to someone you love. Your $25 donation will go towards providing a reusable infant warmer to a baby who needs it.

Join with these wonderful people to share your birth story and help spread the word about the fabulous Embrace Infant Warmer.

Jennifer Lebeda at www.lebedafamily.blogspot.com

Diana at www.hormonal-imbalances.com

Laura Jane at www.callmelaurajane.com

Louise Bishop at www.momstart.com

Sarah at Sprout Reviews

5 Cool Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW To Make a Difference

2010-06-13T00:54:00.001+12:00

Want to make a difference but don't have time to spend all day doing it? Check out these 5 quick actions you can take right now to help some great causes:

Earn World Shares and Donate Them to Charity
Sign up to Mother Nature Network's World Shares programme - and next time you're catching up on your green news take the time to share an article, make a comment or sign up for a newsletter (among other actions) to earn World Shares that let you make donations to some very deserving charities.
How to Make a Difference Toolbar
Download the How to Make a Difference toolbar - every time you use it you're helping raise money for SALVEASERRA and funding their efforts to restore the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.
Care2's Butterfly Rewards
If you're not a member of Care2 already sign up (it only takes a few minutes) and earns you 200 Butterfly points straight away. You can also earn Butterfly Rewards points by leaving comments, sending e-cards and e-mails and searching the web. In fact, there are 17 ways to earn points! And you can redeem them to help fund a loan on Kiva, provide safe drinking water, and feed abandoned cats (along with a few other great causes).
Take Action on Social Vibe
It only takes a minute or two to help a friend raise money for their favourite charity on Social Vibe. Or you can sign up yourself and recruit your own network of friends to support a cause you care about.
Join 'Mum's Making a Difference'
If your a Mum and a blogger, then The Mom Bloggers Club is a great place to be. Take a few moments to sign up and then join the 'Mum's Making a Difference' group and start friendraising for your cause and helping other Mum Bloggers spread the word about the causes that move them!

Read a Book. Give a Book.

2010-05-11T22:55:00.001+12:00

Reading with my kids is one of life's pleasures. Today I discovered the most fantastic website that lets my kids and I read together online for free - and for every book we read, a book is donated to a leading literacy group on our behalf.

We Give Books is an easy and fun way to spread literacy around the world by supporting such organisations such as World Vision in Haiti, Room to Read or United Through Reading. And the books they have online are great. They even have Corduroy by Don Freeman - a book I remember fondly from my childhood and haven't seen in ages.

What better way to help your own kids enjoy the world of books - and teach them about philanthropy. So grab a kid . . . and get reading!!

Give Books for Charity

2010-04-24T09:02:00.001+12:00

David Wood is giving away his great book "Get Paid for Who You Are" for FREE in a great campaign to raise money for charity.

“This is not just a book but a guide for realizing your grandest
dreams. With David’s wisdom lighting your way, you will not only
create the success you desire, you will believe in the power of
the gifts you have to share with the world. The world is waiting
for you; Get Paid For Who You Are™ will help you emerge.”
Dr. Marcia Reynolds, author of Outsmart Your Brain and
Past President, International Coach Federation

So far David has given away over 52,000 books and raised more than $49,000 dollars for One Laptop Per Child and Rainforest Foundation US.

Get your FREE book here, make a donation if you can afford to, and tell all your friends!

April = Child Advocacy! Part I

2010-04-03T15:32:00.000+13:00

Sarah, from the fabulous Sprout Reviews blog, wrote this great post raising awareness for Child Advocacy in April, please share it and spread the message to end Child Abuse!

Let me be the first to say, “Hello April!!” I am so excited for this much needed warmer weather and a few other things…

April is a busy month here with spring arriving and all the yard work, gardening, and playing in the park it tends to bring us. April is also a special month for me because it hosts two issues I am passionate about in life, child abuse and autism. This month people all over the country will be engaging in activities geared towards increasing parental, child, and community information on child abuse and autism. April is a very special month in child advocacy.

With all the talk of the economy these days I thought I’d throw out a figure for you, $103,754,017,492. That’s a pretty large number and unfortunately it’s not the amount in my bank account or the number of Milk-Duds I can eat without gaining a single pound. It happens to be the annual cost of child abuse in this country in terms of the US dollar in 2007 (1) . Can you believe it? After reading the study in the footnote below done by Prevent Child Abuse America, it isn’t hard to see the cost of child abuse and neglect. It is a large financial burden on our mental/health care, child welfare services, and law enforcement systems.

Again, these days everyone is running around, “Well, if the government really wanted to save money they should cut/reduce/banish/exile (insert you’re least favorite governmentally funded program here).” Well, this one is mine. I think we should help promote groups like Prevent Child Abuse America and not only will we save a whole lot of money, but more importantly we can save a whole lot of little lives. This is where the number 1,760 becomes far larger than 103,754,017,492 because 1,760 is the number of innocent lives lost to child abuse and neglect in the year 2007 (2) . We will never be able to put a price on that.

So if you are sitting here reading this and feeling motivated to make a difference you might be someone like me; a mother, a daughter, a friend, and perhaps like me also a child abuse survivor. You might even be a teacher, childcare provider, doctor, or social worker, but it doesn’t take a special title to be affected by child abuse.

Go ahead and check out these links to some great resources and programs you can support to help prevent child abuse.

Prevent Child Abuse America
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Child Welfare League of America

Also, don’t forget to research your local department of social services. Most are hosting special events this month for families and communities!

(1) Ching-Tung Wang, and John Holton, Total Estimated Cost of Child Abust and Neglect in the United States Economic Impact Study, September 2007 http://member.preventchildabuse.org/site/DocServer/cost_analysis.pdf?docID=144

(2) Child Welfare Information Gateway http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.cfm

The Little Hearts Project

2010-04-03T00:19:00.000+13:00

I have just discovered the coolest blog - The Little Hearts Project. If you're a parent of young children and are looking for ways to instill in them the values of service, kindness and compassion - then this is the blog for you.

Its a fairly new blog project - and already its jam packed with ideas for encouraging empathy and compassion in your pre-schoolers. You can help make it even better by sharing your experiences, pictures and inspiration.

Kindness is the Greatest Wisdom

2010-04-02T23:55:00.000+13:00

Operation NICE is a global online movement initiated to remind you that a little NICE goes a long way. Melissa provides readers with stories from real people, news, assignments, etc. that promote kindness. I absolutely LOVE her blog (along with some 2100 other subscribers).

With the help of the Pepsi Refresh Project, Operation NICE wants to expand by . . .

Continuing with the existing and successful blog which promotes kindness through testimonials, nice news, products, etc.
The development of a NICE Toolkit containing notecards, stickers, posters, etc. which participants can use to spread niceness in their communities.
The creation of workshops for youth to teach the value of kindness through fun activities.

They need YOUR vote - so please, if you believe that we should be working to bring NICE back, vote at Pepsi Refresh and spread the word about Operation NICE!

"Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds."
-- Buddha

Get Going . . . Help Children

2010-03-25T20:31:00.000+13:00

Coach Jen is making 2010 a year to give back. She's joined the Beachbody Gives Back program in an effort to raise $100,000 for the Go Campaign to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children throughout the world!

Help Coach Jen meet her fundraising goal of $500. No amount is too small to give! Really! Here's a small list of what just a small donation of yours can do for orphans and vulnerable children around the world:

$1.00 - provides a nutritious breakfast to for 4 children in Tanzania.
$5.00 - Buys 5 pair of flip-flops so kids don't have to walk barefoot in Malawi.
$10.00 - Can provide blankets & clothing to children in need!
$25.00 -Provides a single mattress for a boarding school student in Tanzania.

100% of your donation goes directly to GO Campaigns programs on the ground – which means that every dollar you give will help a child in need!

Give now. Your donation will make a difference!

Help Build a Home, Tile By Tile

2010-03-16T01:08:00.000+13:00

In September 2010, 13 year old Courtney is travelling with her Mum, and 5 other teenagers to help build houses in the slums of Tijuana, Mexico with Tile by Tile.

Volunteers pay for everything in the project, including the cost of building materials, furniture and basic living needs for the family they build for.

By donating only $5, you will buy a tile for the house. 400 tiles represents Courtney's portion of the whole house costs.

Going Somewhere?

2010-03-06T01:11:00.000+13:00

MASSIVEGOOD is an innovative fundraising movement that went live in the US on March 4th. MASSIVEGOOD will let travelers make a donation of only $2 through a simple click each time they buy a ticket, whether online at commercial travel websites like Travelocity and Accor Hotels, or through a travel agent.

Your $2 contribution will go to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and improve maternal and child health. Its only a tiny amount to add to the cost of your holiday, but it can help make a massive difference!

Rebuilding Haiti

2010-03-02T13:39:00.001+13:00

This is a guest post by Jack Lundee, who blogs about politics and current events at Everything Left.

On Tuesday, January 12th, a devastating earthquake rattled the small island nation of Haiti, changing the landscape of the country forever. This tragedy has allowed national governments, charitable organizations, and average people to come together as a cohesive unit to bring relief to a nation that is in urgent need of it. Consequently, it is vital to understand what has been done in the area and most importantly, what yet can be done.

When the earthquake first struck, the humanitarian effort was almost instantaneous. The United Nations immediately sent an extra 3,000 troops and workers, The World Bank donated $100 million to the area, and in the private sector, some celebrities even donated as much as $3 million of their own money. Relief organizations big and small have given food, water, and manpower to do whatever they can to help. Yet, the country is still in desperate need of trucks to haul out rubble and basic medical supplies to help the wounded. The situation in Haiti is so dire that these efforts have had as many failures as they’ve had successes. In terms of what can be done, the surface hasn’t even been scratched; this is a sentiment that no one understands better than former President Bill Clinton.

The former President joined up with former President George W. Bush to create the Clinton Bush Haiti Relief Fund, but has also had direct involvement with relief efforts through his foundation, The Clinton Global Initiative. With the help of the machine behind The Clinton Global Initiative, Doug Band, the operation has been at the forefront of international aid and philanthropy since its inception in 2005. The CGI has helped more than ten million children gain access to better education, granted more than $150 million in medical research, and has provided treatment to over 30 million people for tropical diseases. Learn more about The Clinton Global Initiative here.

For the relief effort in Haiti, the CGI has sent supplies, gathered funds, and developed plans for the long-term economic viability of the nation in the wake of this disaster. In fact, it’s been said that when the former President was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital he insisted on having his cell phone by his side at all times. Doctors and personal counselor Doug Band did their best to restrict his movement and enforce sleep. Despite their persistence, Clinton remained as steady as he was prior to the surgery, showing that his passion and commitment made the former President ignore his own well-being for the interest of a suffering nation. By visiting the Initiative’s website, you too can contribute to help the people of Haiti overcome this horrible disaster.

Although it's still early, there's one major element of restoration that has been overlooked; Construction. This more or less aligns with the implications of "economic viability" and long term sustainability, posing the questions, "Can Haiti really make it through all the costs of repair and reconstruction?" Infrastructure can take a toll on any economy, especially if the funds aren't there. This goes hand in hand with meeting modern day LEED standards and approaching this in a "greener" sense. Organizations like Architecture for Humanity will make this possible. Architecture for Humanity (1999) is a nonprofit design services firm building "a more sustainable future through the power of professional design." It was formulated through a group of building professionals who's overwhelming passion for construction drove them to provide a way for underdeveloped, suffering countries to rebuild. Through their dedication and hard work, these people will be able to not only create new buildings and infrastructure, but make them bigger, better, and greener.

To touch on just some of the things that AFH covers:

• Alleviating poverty and providing access to water, sanitation, power and essential services
• Bringing safe shelter to communities prone to disaster and displaced populations
• Rebuilding community and creating neutral spaces for dialogue in post-conflict areas
• Mitigating the effects of rapid urbanization in unplanned settlements
• Creating spaces to meet the needs of those with disabilities and other at-risk populations
• Reducing the footprint of the built environment and addressing climate change

The tragedy in Haiti has shown the worst of what Mother Nature can do, but has also shown the best of the human spirit, whether it be through philanthropists and nonprofits or help from the simple individual. People from around the world came together to bring help and aid however they could. Getting this struggling nation back up on it's feet will be a battle, but with the help of organizations like the CGI and AFH, it will be a battle with an undoubtedly positive outcome. Nevertheless, there is still much to be done to not just dig Haiti out of the rubble, but to bring hope back to its people.

Breathe for Cystic Fibrosis

2010-03-01T20:46:00.002+13:00

Ghada at GirlsToys is running a half marathon on May 1. The mere thought of it is enough to make me reach for another slice of chocolate brownie! But she's doing it for a great cause - to raise $4000 for Breath4CF and The Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand.

"Breath4CF was started by Kiwi mum Tracey Richardson. At the time she was a depressed and overweight mother of 2 children with CF. She went on to compete in 2 Ironman events in order to spread the message about CF and the positive effects physical activity had for people with CF. In the process she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and started the Breath4CF Fund."

Not only is Ghada going to be raising awareness for the charity by running a half marathon, but she will be spreading the word about the charity through online fundraising and social media. She will also be running a fantastic auction and raffle from March 22nd.

Donations to Breath4CF can be made through GiveaLittle and you can check out the auction site to see the great items available to bid for - all starting at $5 - $10 dollars!

If We Ran The World

2010-02-12T16:27:00.000+13:00

What would you do if you ran the world?

Join the IfWeRanTheWorld experiment to tap into the "single largest pool of untapped natural resource in the world: human good intentions that never translate into action" and share your ideas . . . and maybe actually get things done!

All you need to do is answer the question, 'If you ran the world, what would you do?' with a tangible, achievable goal: this will be your actionplatform. Your answer might be big or small, global or local . . . Then you'll be asked to break it down into the microactions that need doing in order to complete your actionplatform. Think small, simple, tweet-able. So small, simple and easy to do, in fact, that anyone you invite to microact can only say, 'I'd love to.'

Get started here . . . and turn your good intentions into world changing action!

Little City Gardens

2010-02-07T13:33:00.000+13:00

Search to Save the Rainforest

2010-02-02T12:54:00.000+13:00

Ecosia is a search engine that saves about 2 square metres of rainforest for every search you make!

They earn money from clicks on the sponsored links, which are displayed next to the generic search results. Each click on one of these sponsored links generates a few cents of revenue. About two percent of the search requests end up with a click on a sponsored link.

Ecosia donates at least 80% of this money to a rainforest protection project run by the WWF in Juruena National Park in Brazil.

So far, according to their website, they have over 48,000 active users who have helped to protect 21,006,450m² of rainforest.

You can help save the rainforest for free by using Ecosia for all your internet searches - and by spreading the word about Ecosia. The more people using it the more money they can make.

Christmas Clear-Out

2009-12-29T22:12:00.001+13:00

Merry Christmas!!

If the season of giving has left you with extra clutter, a jumble sale is a great way to restore some order the the chaos!

JumbleAID is an online jumble sale that lets you give your unwanted stuff to raise money for your favourite charity. Of course it also lets you pick up great secondhand goods in return for a donation to a worthy charity organisation.

How does JumbleAID work?

GIVING STUFF

If you have an unwanted item that you wish to use to raise funds for your favourite charity you just list it on the site and you put the amount you would like the item to raise.
You can list it as ‘Get it now’ or for a set period of time, after which, you select the winner who pays the money via the site – then it’s just a matter of collecting or delivering the item.

GETTING STUFF

If you fancy an item on the site you simply place your sealed bid.
If successful you make your payment and then organise collection or delivery.

ABOUT PAYMENTS

All payments are made into a Charities Trust Account. Charities Trust process all donations and distribute the funds to the nominated charities.

Not a penny of any donation goes to JumbleAID.

So get to it - sort out your Christmas clutter today and raise money for your favourite charity!

Celebrate the Five Days of Twixtmas

2009-12-24T03:13:00.000+13:00

Everyone is being encouraged to celebrate a new name on the holiday calendar and do five good things during the five days of ‘Twixtmas’(December 27-31) – to transform the time between Christmas and New Year.

Each of the five days of Twixtmas is themed where people are invited to celebrate themselves, do something unselfish, by celebrating others, do something for a friend, for the planet, or for their future.

To spread the Twixtmas cheer people are being encouraged to give their friends and family a ‘Merry Twixtmas High Five’ hand greeting and share their Twixtmas pledge - the five things they are doing to change their world, as well as spread the word about Twixtmas and what it stands for.

Valuable tips and advice from leading experts in well-being - so everyone make the most of the Twixtmas opportunity – are offered on www.twixtmas.com where visitors can also download their own Twixtmas Pledge form.

The idea for Twixtmas celebrations is being promoted by the Flexible Thinking Forum, a new not-for-profit social enterprise which works to provide training for more creative and flexible thinking among businesses and organizations.

Love Your Body!

2009-12-22T23:48:00.000+13:00

I decided a long time ago not to purchase "women's magazines" after it dawned on me one day that they made me feel terrible about myself. It seemed that everything - from the editorial to the ads was telling me that I wasn't good enough. I wasn't thin enough, pretty enough, well dressed enough, adequately coiffed, shod or made up. It struck me as incongruous that they would throw in the odd "accept yourself for who you are" or "love your body just the way it is" article in between ads of gorgeous models airbrushed to perfection.

Unfortunately though, its not just these magazines telling women and girls their bodies are not acceptable - movies, tv, music lyrics, billboards . . . they are all reducing us to body parts, reinforcing gender stereotypes and portraying us as sexual 'objects'.

As a mother of two young girls, it angers me more than I can adequately express that they are growing up in a world that still undervalues women and actively seeks to undermine their self-esteem in order to turn a profit.

What can we do to ensure our girls grow up to value themselves in the face of such pervasive negative messages?

We can stop buying women's magazines!
We can stop buying from companies that use unhealthy and unhelpful images of women to sell their products - and we can TELL THEM what we are doing and why.
We can be healthy role models for our daughters (and our sons!) - lets not focus on how much we eat, how much we weigh, how many wrinkles we have. Lets show our daughters what REAL BEAUTY is all about.
We can donate to organisations like the NOW Foundation. Check out their website for more fantastic ideas to help promote healthy body image to women and girls.
Share this great presentation from the NOW Foundation with as many people as possible: Sex, Stereotypes and Beauty: The ABCs and Ds of Commercial Images of Women

Image by angela7dreams via Flickr

Christmas Gifts for the Person who has Everthing

2009-12-22T00:11:00.000+13:00

Only 4 sleeps until Christmas - and if you are still frantically searching for the perfect gift for that someone on your list that already has everything, then take a look at these great sites where you can support a worthy cause in their name, or send a gift certificate so they can choose how they donate.

If you're buying for a passionate entrepreneur, you can't go past a gift certificate from Kiva, or Micro. They can help finance a loan for hard working people in developing countries.
Vittana works with microfinance organisations around the world to develop student loan programmes that allow the recipients to finish their studies and get their degrees. If your loved one is someone who truly appreciates the value of their education, or has gone back to University to advance their career, or gets a bit misty eyed remembering back to their Uni days, why not give them a Vittana Gift certificate!
On their website, Microfundo state that their "mission is to connect people through music & ensure that musicians earn a living from their art." They have applied the microfinancing model to the independent music industry - and the result is a great way to support some fabulous artists from around the world. So, if you need a great gift for a music lover who has it all, buy a them a membership at Microfundo. As a member they will get exclusive access to hundreds of FREE live album downloads as they are produced - a ton of great new music, discounts and first access to ticket sales for live events, direct participation in creating the healthiest, most vibrant and prolific music scene you can imagine, and the satisfaction of helping artists from around the world earn a sustainable living from their art.
Do you know someone that appreciates practical gifts, but really doesn't need anything more themselves? Heifer International, Oxfam, and Cool Earth offer meaningful gifts of real items that people living in poverty need to change their lives for the better.
Need a present for a treehugger? What better than a tree!
Mokugift supports the UNEP's Billion Trees Campaign - you can give a tree for only $1 and choose where in the world it will be planted. The Nature Conservancy will plant a tree in their name in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil when you buy a gift tree from their Plant a Billion campaign - trees are only $1 and you can choose how many you plant. Or, you could gift them a tree (or two) in the Amazon with the 12 Trees of Christmas campaign at Cool Earth for only £1 each!
Not sure where their passion lies? Send them a gift certificate from Ammado or GlobalGiving. They can choose from a wide array of projects from all over the world.

Image via Wikipedia

Shop till You Drop (and help Charities) this Christmas

2009-12-15T20:04:00.005+13:00

Image by Alice Harold via Flickr

Better The World is a great platform of tools that allows anyone to raise money for charity just by surfing the internet. On these tools ads are shown; as an added bonus the ads are all from companies that have social responsibility programs, social products and services, have products of interest to BTW members, or are non-profits.

Members then pick a cause they care about and, since Better The World is a social enterprise, 90% of all the ad revenue we raise goes directly to the charities themselves (the other 10% is used to keep the lights on, pay the staff etc).

In the past few months BTW members have:

Provided 2 nights of shelter for a person in need
Paid to send a child to school for a year
X-rayed a child with a broken arm
Bought milk to feed an orphaned rhino for a month
Provided counselling sessions to a woman escaping violence
and more . . .

This Christmas Better the World have another easy way for you to give to charity for free. The EZ Shopping Widget.

All you have to do is download the EZ Shopping Widget once - and then shop online as you normally do. Easy! You get to avoid the crowds in town, buy from your favourite online retailers - and give to charity at no extra cost to you!!

Make a Difference: Support the Children's Hospital

2009-12-11T12:09:00.005+13:00

Come interact with other readers of this blog and help The Children's Hospital at the same time!

BlogFrog is sponsoring the "Give the Gift of Community" challenge to its members to inspire blog readers to connect with their peers in communities this holiday season.

If this blog gets 20 new participants to start or reply to a community discussion, BlogFrog will donate $10 to The Children's Hospital, one of the top 10 hospitals in the country for kids and teens. Don't be shy, hop on over to our community and meet your fellow readers - and don't forget to spread the word!

Happy Holidays!

Name your Cause

2009-12-06T21:27:00.003+13:00

Name Your Cause lets you and your friends vote to provide cash and prizes to your favorite charities. Vote by December 10th and your charity could win a $2500 eBay gift card!

You can choose your favourite charity from the list already there, or even nominate your favourite cause if it isn't listed.

I'm voting for The Girl Effect . . .

Do Good While Looking Great

2009-11-21T10:33:00.003+13:00

It doesn't get much simpler than this . . . you purchase an awesome limited edition designer t-shirt, you look fantastic, and money goes to some wonderful charities.

thehinitiave is a charitable design label founded in 2006 by Li Ling Ng. It provides its charity partners a different way of fundraising and raising awareness through fashion. And, the best bit is that practically all the profit from each sale goes to charity!

Cast a vote for Charity CHAMPS

2009-11-21T00:41:00.004+13:00

Charity CHAMPS' mission is to get more people doing good in small ways by promoting microphilanthropy amongst youth, the most important, but least engaged demographic in philanthropy.

You can help them by voting for them in the Aviva Community Fund Competition - the most popular ideas will get the opportunity to be funded with the $500,000 Aviva Community Fund.

Vote here (you can vote every day) and help Charity CHAMPS boost Microphilanthropy!

Fashion Fights Poverty

2009-10-17T22:41:00.003+13:00

Fashion Fights Poverty's mission is to raise awareness for initiatives that encourage and support creative, effective, and sustainable means of challenging poverty.

Fashion Fights Poverty recognises "designers and organizations who embrace the powerful potential of creativity and design to address issues of poverty by adhering to such principles as fair trade, equitable compensation and the use of environmentally-sustainable materials."

It also promotes responsible consumerism and helps connect ethical designers and the growing population of socially-conscious shoppers.

FFP has supported some fantastic charities such as Nest, Aid to Artisans and BeadForLife.

Keep up with their good works on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace.

1% Can Change the World

2009-10-12T23:10:00.003+13:00

It doesn't take a lot to change the world. With as little as 1% of your yearly income you could help end global poverty or reverse the environmental impact of consumerism. For most of us, giving just $1 out of every $100 we earn won't make a noticeable difference to our own standard of living, but when put together with the donations of others our $1 can truly change the world!

My 1 Percent is a community that exists to help individuals reverse their environmental impact and save the planet. It is launching this month, October 2009, and will help you donate a portion of your yearly income to a network of environmentally focused non-profit organisations.

One of the features of My 1 Percent that I really love is that you can set yourself an annual donation goal and track your progress against it. You can make one off donations or set up recurring donations - which will make achieving your annual goal easier.

Sign up for updates and join the My 1 Percent community when it launches this month!

Sartorial Saturday: Eco Friendly Fashion Feeds the Hungry

2009-10-10T23:17:00.004+13:00

Styles by Stiles - not just another celebrity fashion label!

The clothes might be sold out, but you can still donate to The Lunchbox Fund - a a great organization which provides impoverished children in the township schools of Alexandra and Soweto what is often their only meal of the day.

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 10

2009-10-10T21:21:00.004+13:00

Welcome to the October 10, 2009 edition of carnival of digital philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival and help more people to GET THEIR GIVE ON!

Gin G. presents To Give onto Others posted at Sense Scribe. Learn about how people are raising money for charity from the comfort of home!

Check out the Be the Change Bookclub - the bookclub for readers who want to make a difference. The November read is 'Half the Sky' (you can win a copy here). We'll be reading and discussing this great book - and raising money for Mercy Corps Programmes that help women around the world.

That's it for October's edition.

Share your fundraising know-how, or spread the word for your favourite cause. Submit your blog article to the October edition of the Carnival of Digital Philanthropy using our carnival submission form. Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Take Action Tuesday: Top 10 Online Petition Sites

2009-10-06T21:50:00.006+13:00

Image by bobster855 via Flickr

Got a burning issue on your mind, something you want to see changed? Why not start a petition! Its a great way to build awareness and rally support for a cause.

Here's a few great places to start an online petition to change the world:

Petition Spot
An easy to use petition site. Allows you to share your petition, or a petition you have signed on twitter, and has a stylish widget you can add to your blog.
Act.ly
Far and away the most striking of the Twitter petition sites! With its read and yellow colour scheme it is definitely eyecatching!

It doesn't just stop at looking good though. It is easy to use and has a couple of great features: 1. You can direct your petition at a specific Twitter account and Act.ly will track how long it takes for them to respond, and 2. It offers and embeddable 'Tweet This' button that will help your petition go viral. YAY!!
GoPetition
GoPetition has active petitions in more than 75 countries! And offers a great set of tools for managing your petition - from filtering swear words to search engine optimisation!
The Petition Site
The Care2 Petition Site has the power of the huge Care2 community behind it. Over a million petitions have been created with more than 39 million signatures collected between them!
TinyPetition
Simple, easy and set up by the good folk at PetitionSpot.
Petition Online
Its not the most beautiful petition site, but it has collected more than 81 million signatures and has tens of thousands of active petitions!
iPetitions
Offers both free and premium memberships. It has some great tools that allow you to customize your question list, set up filters to minimize fraud, and download a real-time database of signatures for your petition.
Twitition
According to Mashable, this is the most simple of Twitter petition sites. All you need to do is create a title and description for your petition and its done! The site tracks all the tweets about you petition. Easy!
Twibbon
Create a Twibbon for your Twitter Avatar to raise awareness about your cause.
PledgeBank
Not your average petition site - more like a peer pressure campaign tool. You set up a challenge to recruit others to take part in a call to action. No one is obliged to do anything until the target number of pledges is obtained.

Become a Hope Monger

2009-10-06T09:29:00.007+13:00

A surefire way to end global poverty is for everyone in the developed world to give MORE. The great thing about Microgiving is that it enables even those of us with modest means to contribute and make a difference.

Today, Oct 5th 2009, Hopemongers launched a micro-giving community that empowers anyone with $10 to make a lasting difference in the lives of the world’s poor. Unlike some similar sites, the organisation charges nothing for its micro-giving services - so 100% of your donation goes to the organisations that partner with Hopemongers to effect real change for people in need.

The HopeMongers micro-giving community connects online donors with specific community projects around the world. You can fund as little as $10 to individual projects such as drilling water wells, building schools, or establishing orphan community care points.

Using social media technology that connects to Facebook, Twitter and mySpace, you can share projects and invite others to join you in the giving initiative. Special community “Cooperatives” on HopeMonger.org allow you to share you passion with other like-minded folk around the world.

Head on over to Hopemongers now. Find a project. Give $10. See the impact!

Sublime Sunday: Paradise in the Middle of the City

2009-10-04T23:46:00.003+13:00

In this age of instant gratification and short term thinking, its rare to find an organisation with a 500 year vision. The Karori Sanctuary Trust is just such an organisation.

In 1995 they began work on the worlds first, fully-fenced, mainland 'conservation island' in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand. Their vision is to restore this 225ha corner of the country as closely as possible to the way it was the day before humans arrived.

The beautiful Karori Sanctuary is home to endangered native flora and fauna living wild. It is open to the public 364 days of the year. A true conservation masterpiece.

Karori Sanctuary Trust is a not-for-profit community conservation charity. The 8.6km pest-proof fence around Zelandia costs NZ$12,000 a year to maintain. You can help with their conservation and ecological restoration work by simply visiting Zealandia (The Karori Sanctuary), by adopting a fence post, adopting an acre of the Sanctuary, or getting your hands dirty and volunteering!

Sartorial Saturday: Eradicating Poverty One Bead at a Time

2009-10-03T22:32:00.003+13:00

Image by NatalieMaynor via Flickr

Everyone loves gorgeous beads (go on, you know you do!) and the beads at BeadforLife are definitely gorgeous!

BeadforLife is an amazing organisation that works with impoverished women in Uganda to help lift them out of poverty. Their beaders make gorgeous handcrafted paper beads from recycled paper and turn them into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, so what was trash becomes beauty, money, food, and hope.

BeadforLife isn't just giving aid to people in need. Instead they are helping them to take some control over their lives and support themselves.

"Our goal is for our members to be independent of BeadforLife within 27 months by being able to support themselves within the Ugandan economy. To assist members in launching their own small businesses or in creating new revenue streams, we provide entrepreneurial training, facilitate savings accounts, and make business funds available.
In addition to buying and selling the beads, BeadforLife sponsors Community Development projects in health, vocational training for impoverished youth, affordable housing, and business development. These projects are supported with the net profits from the sale of the beads, and support not only beaders, but other impoverished people living in Uganda."

You can buy these beautiful beads online . . . or you can host your own Bead Party. You can also donate to BeadforLife (and 93 cents of every $1 you donate goes to community development work fighting extreme poverty!).

Finance Friday: A Social Mission with a Bank

2009-10-02T21:48:00.005+13:00

Banks and Financial institutions are, in general, out to make a profit, and not to benefit the community. Sometimes they might support community endeavours as a sideline, but its not usually their raison d'etre.

Common good banks, on the other hand, will be a new kind of community savings bank, designed expressly for economic justice, sustainability and strong local economies, independent of the dollar.

As they say on their website, they are a social mission with a bank! They will run in such a way that:

All profits will go to schools and other nonprofits.
Depositors will decide what the bank should invest in.
They will provide free local credit card processing for local businesses.
They will offer micro-loans for new businesses and community projects.
They will have available a full range of secure, FDIC-insured banking services.
They will be committed to sustainability and economic justice.

To find out about how a Common Good Bank will work and who is involved in the project visit the Common Good Finance website.

The project is in its early stages and they need YOUR support to make this happen. You can help by spreading the word, actively working to get a Common Good Bank started in your community, signing up as a future participant, or making a donation.

Take Action Tuesday: Eat so They Can

2009-09-30T06:41:00.004+13:00

Take Action Tuesday - its all about finding things that you can DO to make a difference. Today, why not organise a Dinner Party and help feed children around the world who are living in poverty?!

Eat So They Can is an international fundraiser that invites citizens of the world to participate in what is collectively one huge dinner party October 17-18, 2009.

People from all over the world will host a meal and ask their friends and family members to make a donation towards ending child poverty. All donations will go towards GVN (Gobal Volunteer Network) Foundation's Global Children's Fund set up to aid children living in poverty. The money will assist with both short term needs and long-term development projects in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa and Peru.

Please sign up to host a dinner party here

GVN Foundation is an international charity that is working to end child poverty around the globe and has recently been granted special cunsultative status by the United Nations.

MicroGiving Monday: Blog for a Cure

2009-09-29T09:02:00.003+13:00

Hi, my name is Lani. I am a stay at home mom of 22-month old triplets, and Meg was kind enough to let me take over her blog for a day, so I could share some news with you about an event called Blog For A Cure.

I have recently signed up for Team In Training, a fundraising program in which participants train for their first marathon, while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am doing this in honor of my sister-in-law, who is currently battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She is 35 years old, and has a beautiful 7 year old daughter. When someone close to you is diagnosed with a devastating disease, it’s easy to feel helpless. Instead of sitting by, and hoping for a cure, I have decided to use the resources I have: time, the internet, and the support of the great bloggers in the world to help make a difference.

On Monday, Sept 28- Saturday Oct 3, 2009, Who Knew? Reviews will be hosting the first Annual Blog For A Cure, which is a new way to use social media to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, while making new connections and broadening our social media network.

It’s pretty simple:

On September 28th, head over to Who Knew? Reviews, and click on the button to donate $1.00 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you can donate more, feel free to do so, but the minimum to participate is $1.00. The first dollar will earn you 1 entry into each individual contest that you leave a comment on. Each dollar after that, will equal another entry to win one of the contests. For example, if you donate $10, you will have one entry each giveaway, plus 9 more to “spend” as you please on the other prizes. New prizes will be revealed every two hours.
If you are interested in gaining new followers for your blog, sign in to Mr. Linky which will be active on the blog at midnight, Sept. 28.
Cruise the list of other participants, visiting a minimum of 5 blogs.
Click “follow” when you get to those blogs. For each new blog follower that you get, return the “follow”. Feel free to visit and follow each and every other participant that signs in to Mr. Linky- think how many new followers you will receive!
Feel free to check back all week long to meet new bloggers, enter new contests, and gain new followers!
On September 28th, or later in the week, about the Blog For A Cure Blog Party on your own blog, including the link: www.whoknewreviews.blogspot.com. Feel free to copy and paste this text, and encourage all of your blog readers to do the same.

If you do not want to donate, you can still help by blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook about this event, to help us spread the word and raise as much money as possible. Just imagine what a difference we could all make, if we all just donated ONE dollar.

Just think about it.

Oh, and the PRIZES!! Every 2 hours throughout M-Th, I will post a new giveaway on Who Knew? Reviews. Winners will receive prizes from Kolcraft, StephieMc Designs, La Plates, Orglamix mineral makeup, Krizzy Designs, and Boojiboo Aprons, Passion Moon Potions, Silver Mermaid Jewelry as well as many other prizes. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 5^th on Who Knew? Reviews.

There will also be a prize for the person who refers the most participants. When you get to the main link-up post, leave a comment on the post with Mr. Linky, with the name of the blogger who told you about the blog party (in this case-Meg!). The blogger who refers the most participants will receive a special, personalized gift from Stephie Mc Designs. If you are interested in promoting your business or blog, and would like to sponsor a prize, please contact me at lanik58@yahoo.com.

Grab the button below to start spreading the word about this event!

Let’s do something- together- to make a difference.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, and thank you for your support!

Sublime Sunday: Lake Rotokare

2009-09-27T23:57:00.006+13:00

Sublime Sunday's are all about highlighting efforts to save the world's beautiful places. Like Lake Rotokare in Taranaki, New Zealand.

Photo: Ruth Stewart

Rotokare Scenic Reserve is a stunning 230 hectare forested hill-country catchment, extensive wetlands and 17.8 hectare natural lake.

Aerial photo Rotokare Scenic Reserve.

The Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust formed in 2004 amid concern that the habitat was in decline. They are now creating a 'mainland island' inside a predator proof fence to protect the native flora and fauna in the area and to create a 'flourishing indigenous ecosystem'. Its a truly amazing community conservation project!

Volunteers on a Planting Day

You can help by volunteering in the reserve on a Sunday or by making a donation to the Trust.

Sartorial Saturday: The Uniform Project

2009-09-26T21:50:00.007+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

Who says fashion and charity don't mix? On Sartorial Saturday's I'll be bringing you the most charitable fashion on the interweb! And who better to kick things off than The Uniform Project.

1 Dress, 365 days and so far $14,105 donated to The Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit founded in Mumbai in 1990 through the volunteered efforts of college students devoted to bringing education to children living in the slums.

If you think wearing one dress all year would be dull, The Uniform Project proves it is anything but. Every day Sheena is allowed to 'reinvent' the dress with accessories, layers and other adornments. Check out the pics on flickr - you'll be inspired!

You can contribute by donating something fabulous to be worn with the dress or by making a donation to Akanksha.

The Future HOPE Project

2009-09-24T23:18:00.005+12:00

Being a new Mum is hard work. Being a new Mum in a developing country can be particularly challenging. In Uganda AIDS, hunger, and diseases wreak havoc on new mothers and their babies daily. Statistics show that 76 reported infants out of every 1,000 born alive in Uganda will die before their first birthday and 137 children will die before their 5th birthday.

You can make a difference by helping to provide some basic needs for new Ugandan mothers at the Mugusu S/C Maternity Ward.

The Future HOPE project is working with Hope Aid International to send care packages to Uganda to help babies get off to a bright start. You can help by donating money, or by sending a care package to the Future HOPE Project.

Care Packages should include:

3 cloth diapers
6 diaper pins
2 plastic diaper covers
1 receiving blanket
1 small travel size baby powder
1 pacifier
1 bar of baby soap

Click here for more details of where to send them and how to donate to the Future HOPE Project.

The Guarani Need You

2009-09-21T21:14:00.004+12:00

Image by Survival International

There are some 46,000 Guarani living in Brazil today. They are the country's most numerous tribe.

They are a deeply spiritual people, for them land is the origin of all life. They have been profoundly affected by the loss of almost all of their lands over the last century. The Guarani suffer a wave of suicide that is unequaled in South America.

The Guarani have been forced off their lands by violent ranchers and now live on tiny patches of land or camped on the roadsides.

Survival International are working to help the Guarani defend their rights, lands and futures. Here's what you can do:

Donate to Survival’s campaign for the Guarani
Write to the Brazilian government using Survival’s online letter-writing tool
Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress (US).
Write to your local Brazilian embassy
If you want to get more involved, contact Survival

Knitting for Charity

2009-09-14T02:58:00.004+12:00

Share your knitting know-how with someone in need by knitting for charity. It's as easy as knitting a square (or more!) to send to the Soweto Comfort Club to help warm and comfort children in need.

Knit-a-Square aim to collect donations of enough squares for 10,000 blankets in 2009. The blankets will be distributed to abandoned children and AIDS orphans in southern Africa.

So get your knitting needles out, grab a bunch of knitter friends and help make a difference to kids affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS.

Can't knit? You can donate to the Knit-a Square project here.

Fight Poverty with Literacy

2009-09-08T00:01:00.002+12:00

World Map of Literacy via Wikipedia

Reading is the gateway to knowledge. It empowers people. It opens up the world.

It is a sad reality that one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; 72.1 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.

In Cameroon, Wendy Lee, a young Peace Corp volunteer is working to change this by establishing 30 bilingual libraries in schools and community centres.

Its a huge project that will have a huge impact. But not without your help!

Please donate to help send a 40-foot container of 22,000 English books to Cameroon for this project. Your donation will help end poverty by giving the gift of literacy to kids in Cameroon!

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 9

2009-09-07T00:01:00.003+12:00

Welcome to the September 7, 2009 edition of carnival of digital philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival and help more people to GET THEIR GIVE ON!

Meg A. presents Where to Get Your Books - Magazine - Be the Change Bookclub posted at Be the Change Bookclub. Be the Change Bookclub is a place for readers who care to discuss the books that matter and be inspired to make a difference!

Tom DeRosa presents 3 Ways to Use Microcredit to Invest Your Students posted at I Want to Teach Forever, saying, "I discovered Kiva in December of last year, and I'm trying to promote the idea of teachers and their schools using it in the classroom."

Cynthia Coleman presents Welcome to Applause For A Cause posted at Applause For A Cause.

Joe E presents 9 Incredibly Useful Charity Sites for Philanthropists posted at Huddle Up - Huddle.net's Official Collaboration Blog, saying, "There are so many charities out there to choose from, so it's often hard to narrow down your search to find the perfect charity for you. Here is a great resource that can help you do just that..."

That's it for September's edition.

Feed the Hungry from your Blogger Blog

2009-09-06T09:45:00.007+12:00

Check out the great new addition to my sidebar from SocialVibe. You can have one too if you blog with Blogger!

How do I get one? I hear you ask . . .

It couldn't be easier (the hardest thing is choosing which great charity to support!). All you need to do is:

From your Blogger dashboard, click the Layout tab. Then, click the Add a Gadget link. Next, click Add your own. In the textfield, add the URL http://www.socialvibe.com/s/blogger/gadget
Choose the Cause you want to support from the drop-down list. If you want to customize the size and title, here is where you can do that. You'll see a preview of your badge underneath. When you're satisfied, click Save.

When you've got your widget installed come back here and add your blog to the comments so we all know where to go to make a difference!

Oh, and while you're here, don't forget to click on my SocialVibe widget to help end world hunger!

Donate Books for Free with Everywun

2009-08-30T21:32:00.003+12:00

Everywun offers you a way to donate books to needy kids in Africa at absolutely no charge to you. Its easy, fun - and a great way for even the most cash strapped among us to make a difference.

Everywun works with Books for Africa. An organisation that collects, sorts, ships and distributes books to childen in Africa. They are the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African continent. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped over 20 million high-quality text and library books to 45 African countries. Millions more are needed.

Click on the badge above and join Everywun to help Books For Africa to send even more books to children in Africa who are hungry to read, hungry to learn.

You can also donate directly to Books for Africa here.

Duffy Books in Homes

2009-08-29T20:55:00.007+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

If you have an interest in NZ Literature (and movies) than you will more than likely have heard of Alan Duff. He's the author of Once Were Warriors (among other works). He set up the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation after a visit to Camberley School in Hastings, New Zealand in 1992. He found that the majority of those children came from bookless homes and showed little, if any, interest in reading.

The idea behind Duffy Books in Homes is to inspire a love of books and reading in children so that they grow into adults who inspire a love of reading.

The philosophy behind the programme is simple - to break the cycle of 'booklessness'. Kids who can't read become adults who can't communicate and that's a serious disadvantage in a world that operates on the written word.

The Books in Homes programme was officially launched in 1995 with 80 schools, 16,000 students and 14 sponsors, and has grown to encompass 558 schools, over 100,000 students and 182 sponsors in 2009. Its success has inspired offshoot programmes in the Pacific Islands, Australia and the USA.

Duffy kids are given 5 books a year, which they choose themselves from the Books in Homes catalogue. It costs around NZ$50 to provide a Duffy kid with all the services that the Books in Homes programme provides. You can donate here - your support of this great literacy project makes all the difference!

Books for Kids

2009-08-27T17:34:00.003+12:00

The Literacy Site works with First Book and Room to Read to make books available to children around the world. With the generous support of their sponsors, each click provides 1% of a book.

Kids LOVE books. Fostering a love of reading early on stands them in good stead for the future - and literacy is key in breaking the poverty cycle.

So visit The Literacy Site every day and click to donate books to kids!

Room to Read

2009-08-26T23:05:00.008+12:00

"Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship "

- Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General

Its International Literacy Day on September 8th. So between now and then I'll be highlighting efforts to improve literacy and education around the world.

Why is literacy so important? In a letter to G-8 leaders, Mary Robinson, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mohammad Yunus wrote: "Without skills such as literacy, numeracy and problem-solving, millions of children and adults are trapped in poverty. Education is the key to unlocking inter-generational deprivation as it offers the knowledge people need to live healthy, happy lives."

First up is Room to Read. Room to Read is dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. Founded in 2000, the organisation is based on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Since then, the organization has supported over three million children by providing better access to higher-quality educational opportunities. Room to Read has established more than 700 schools and over 7,000 bilingual libraries with five million books, and continues to support the education of nearly 7,000 girls. Room to Read is providing opportunities that change children's lives and communities throughout Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia. By 2010, Room to Read hopes to improve literacy for five million children by establishing over 10,000 libraries and distributing nearly nine million children's books.

Find out how YOU can get involved and support Room to Read today!

A Garbage Patch Bigger than Texas!

2009-08-20T00:05:00.005+12:00

Image by superdumpa via Flickr

In the middle of the pacific ocean there is a toxic garbage patch more than twice the size of Texas. Lindsey Hoshaw, a recent Stanford journalism graduate now working as a freelance environmental journalist, is preparing for a month long voyage to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to take photos for a New York Times article.

The report aims to educate the public about marine debris. It will bring new light to ocean pollution and provide one of the first reports about how toxic chemicals are entering our food chain. Many scientists believe that ocean pollution will be one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, this slideshow will be one of the first to show direct footage from the Garbage Patch.

If you want to be part of this great work, you can help by donating to help pay Lindsey's travel expenses. You can donate at Spot.us or at her Facebook Causes page. You can also follow Lindsey on Twitter - @lindseyhoshaw

25 Years of Suffering

2009-08-16T15:30:00.004+12:00

Image by obbino via Flickr

On December 3rd, 1984 just after midnight, a cloud of toxic gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal. Some 8000 people died in the first few days after the disaster, and at least 25,000 have died as a result of the leak since then. The site has never been cleaned up and it continues to poison the residents of Bhopal.

The Sambhvana clinic, in the worst affected area of Bhopal, is the only clinic offering free, rational treatment to those affected by the gas and water poisoning. They need your help!

2009 is the 25th anniversary year of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal. With more than 100,000 people in the city still seriously ill, with thousands more falling sick from the poisoning of their water supply by the factory, and still no sign of proper compensation or any kind of justice, there is a huge need for the free medical care that we provide. 2009 is our biggest ever opportunity as the world remembers a quarter of a century of suffering.

Click here to donate to the Sambhvana clinic. And while you're at it, contact Dow Chemicals (who brought Union Carbide) to remind them to do the right thing too. Its about time they fronted up to their responsibilities for the suffering in Bhopal!

Just Skip It

2009-08-05T21:46:00.008+12:00

Skip1.org is asking you to skip one thing for one day - and donate the money you save to to Skip1. Every cent of your donation goes towards funding food and water projects around the world.

Simple.

You could skip a meal, a movie, a coffee, a pair of shoes, a haircut, a new car . . . most of us reading this blog are fortunate enough to live in relative luxury - skipping the extra treats and indulgences isn't a big ask to make sure that people in developing nations can have their basic needs covered.

So join up and start skipping it today!

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 8

2009-08-03T23:58:00.006+12:00

Welcome to the August 3, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Digital Philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival and help more people to GET THEIR GIVE ON!

CBCreations presents Making Doing Something for Charity a Little Easier posted at Measure of All Things, saying, "Some lessons from my experience of trying to help (its more difficult than it seems)."

Alvina Lopez presents 100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs posted at Online Bible College Degrees - Online Bible Colleges. This is a fantastic list - if Giving is your thing you need to check it out!

At Better The World August is The $5 Give. If you haven't joined up yet do it today - Better The World will donate $5 to charity for every new member in August!

That's it for this month's edition.

Share your fundraising know-how, or spread the word for your favourite cause. Submit your blog article to the September edition of the Carnival of Digital Philanthropy using our carnival submission form.

5 Ways to Save the Elephants Online

2009-07-31T21:51:00.004+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

Whatever cause is close to your heart, there's a way to support it online.

I am a big softie when it comes to elephants. They seem so . . . well . . . human. They are intelligent, have highly complex social networks and are capable of showing empathy and self-awareness.

Elephants need plenty of space to survive - and unfortunately we humans are continually encroaching on their land, cutting off their access to water, and poaching them for their ivory. They need our help to survive!

Here are some great ways we can ensure the continued survival of Elephants:

1. Join the 'Be a Voice for Elephants' cause on Facebook. Invite all your friends - and download the causes toolbar so you can raise 1 cent for the charity Elephant Voices every time you do a search.

2. Help the IFAW save the elephants. They work to eliminate human-elephant conflicts, stop poaching and secure elephant habitats.

3. Sign up with Better the World and help the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy restore an old migratory route for Elephants in Kenya. You can also support them by joining their Facebook cause.

4. Donate at JustGiving to help save the last of the Mali Desert elephants. The worst drought in 26 years is threatening them with extinction. All the donations go to Save the Elephants.

5. Join the African Wildlife Foundation's Elephant Conservation Research Project. Join their cause on Facebook and download the causes toolbar to raise money for their work ensuring that we don't have to live in a world where Africa is without elephants!

Got any other great online ways to support Elephant conservation efforts? Share them in the comments!

The New Causes Toolbar

2009-07-27T21:45:00.004+12:00

Image by kqedquest via Flickr

If you're on Facebook, you can earn money for your favourite causes using the Causes toolbar. Every search you make generates 1 cent for your favourite cause. Easy!

At the moment I'm raising money for the Sea Studios Foundation through the cause Stop Trashing the Ocean: The Great Garbage Patch. Who would you raise money for?

Download it and start making money for the causes you care about today!

Give a Greenlight to Socially Responsible Shopping

2009-07-21T17:13:00.003+12:00

Want to help make socially responsible shopping easier?

Become a backer for Greenlighted. Its a tool designed to help consumers find companies that are concerned with the environment, human rights, social justice, animal protection, and community involvement in their corporate practices.

Pledge your support today!

Donate Your Email

2009-07-16T15:14:00.010+12:00

What better way to make a donation than to have someone else pay for it!

Replyforall is a free cause email signature that inserts automatically into your outgoing email messages. It looks something like this:

All you need to do is to pick the cause you want to raise money for. You can choose to help

end poverty
find a cure for cancer
stop global aids
defend animal rights
protect children's rights
fight global warming
provide clean water
support education

Then you personalise your signature and you're all go! Replyforall then shares the advertising revenue with its non-profit partners and you get to donate without paying a cent! You can also monitor your impact so you can see the difference you are making!

Replyforall is supported by both Firefox and Internet Explorer and works with Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and Outlook 2007.

Sign up today - and tell your friends. The more people who join, the more money the sponsors pay and the more money your cause receives!!

Create a Butterfly for Justice

2009-07-13T21:55:00.010+12:00

"In the run-up to the August anniversary of the end of World War II, Amnesty International is calling for justice for former 'comfort women' in Japan.

During the war, up to 200,000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. These women and girls were kept in 'comfort stations' in China, Taiwan, Borneo, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Indonesia and many of the Pacific Islands.

Women were abducted, deceived or sold by extremely poor parents. The majority of woman were under the age of 20 and some were girls as young as 12. These women and girls were kept for months or years on end.

The women who made it home at the end of the war often kept silent about their experiences and suffered severe psychological and emotional trauma. Many survivors died without talking about what happened to them. In recent years, however, a number of women, now very elderly, have courageously been speaking out. They hope that justice can still be achieved in their lifetime.

The Japanese Government's apologies so far have been inadequate and the government has refused to accept any legal responsibility. Over the past few years there has been growing international pressure on the Japanese Government to accept responsibility and apologise for the abuses of 'comfort women'.

Sixty years on, this lack of justice for 'comfort women' is a human rights abuse. Given the age of the survivors, there is an urgent need to act on this issue. We must never forget the atrocities committed against these women. Japan still has the opportunity to right this terrible wrong.

Amnesty International is calling on the Australian Government to pass a motion in the House of Representatives urging the Government of Japan to:
Accept full responsibility for the abuses of 'comfort women'
Officially apologise for the crimes committed against the women
Provide adequate compensation to 'comfort women' or their immediate families
Accurately describe the sexual slavery system in Japanese textbooks on World War II

Since 2007, the US, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, the European Union (with 27 member countries), South Korea, Taiwan and three city councils in Japan have all passed similar motions. It's time for Australia to do the same."

The survivors have chosen the butterfly as their symbol of hope.

You can help by creating your own unique butterfly. Each one is sent to the Prime Minister of Australia. By uploading your butterfly as your avatar on social networks like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace you can help raise awareness.

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 7

2009-07-09T02:32:00.003+12:00

Image by arimoore via Flickr

Welcome to the July 8, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Digital Philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival.

Check out 10 Online Resources to Help You Become an Expert for Your Cause at How to Make a Difference.

Lee presents 30.000 Calorie Challenge to Feed Kids posted at Givealittle Blog. Sponsor Lisa to burn 30,000 calories to raise money for UNICEF. So far she has raised $702.95.

Thats it for this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Digital Philanthropy using our carnival submission form. Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Win a Trip to Nepal with Capital Cause

2009-07-02T19:35:00.003+12:00

The Capital Cause Charitable Trust was founded by a group of friends in Wellington, New Zealand with the aim of connecting people with great causes.

Up till now Capital Cause has run events in Wellington, but this winter they are going global. They have chosen to help a fantastic orphanage in Nepal that was set up by 3 travellers - one of whom is Kiwi Amanda McKay.

Capital Cause is running a global campaign to raise money for the Orphan Help Centre, using Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, the Capital Cause webpage and online donation site Givealittle.

All you have to do is guess the weight of the Capital Cause backpack and you could win a trip to Nepal! Entry is easy - simply check out the backpack photos, make a $5 donation and enter your receipt number and best weight guess on the Capital Cause webpage.

So, get your give on and enter today!!

5 Fun Ways to Give to Charity on a Budget

2009-06-22T23:49:00.009+12:00

Image by tstadler via Flickr

With all the messages of scarcity and economic gloom that dominate the media these days, its hard to feel secure enough to be able to give money to charity. But at times like this, your contibution is needed more than ever!

If you are finding it hard to fit charitable giving into your budget, check out these fun ways to give that don't cost the earth!!

1. Form a Giving Circle with Friends
Even if you only have a couple of dollars spare a week for charitable giving, by getting together a group of friends and pooling your donations every month you can really make a difference.

Nothing is more fun than hanging out with your friends - why not make a night of it each month to decide who will get your combined donations and to toast your own generosity!!

2. Grow a Vege Garden
Gardening is fun! And good for you - and it saves money which means you have more to give away. How about also planting more than you need and giving it to your local foodbank.

3. Hunt out Free Ways to Give Online
There are plenty of them! Try Better the World, NeoAid, Everywun or We Care. For more ideas check out 'Help From Home', an initiative that provides information on easy, no commitment volunteering opportunities that can all be performed from the comfort of home.

4. Volunteer
Volunteers are the lifeblood of most non-profit organisations. Even if you only have a few hours a month, there is bound to be something you can do! You get to learn new skills - or use ones you already have for a good cause. You'll meet new people and discover new things.

5. Host a Garage Sale
Organise a Garage Sale in your community and donate the profits to a local charity. Most of us have at least a few things lying around that we don't use - a garage sale is a great way to declutter, recycle and raise money for charity!

Share your ideas for philanthropy on a budget in the comments below!

Bake Bread – Give Dough – Feed Africa!

2009-06-17T23:54:00.005+12:00

The Worldwide Blogger Bake Off launched on October 15, 2008 with the aim of raising $1 million dollars for hunger relief in Africa.

The Bake Off is the idea of Breadline Africa. The money raised will be used to support grass roots community projects aimed at ending poverty and hunger in Africa. Breadline Africa will be placing container kitchens, vegetable gardens and more in poor communities, as well as sending emergency food relief to places where it is needed and helping poor communities to help themselves.

How does it work?

There are plenty of ways to take part. You can bake bread, donate or simply spread the word.

You could bake a magnificent loaf of bread, take pictures and write about your culinary masterpiece in your blog.
Download the Bake Off widget and tag your 5 favourite bloggers to do the same.
Hold a local bake sale to raise funds for the campaign
Submit your favourite bread recipe and get everyone you know to vote for it - the recipe with the most votes wins $250 Amazon Vouchers

If you spearhead the most donations you win the honour of having a container kitchen named after you - and $500 of Amazon Vouchers.

So get baking already!!

Cause Networking at its Finest

2009-06-14T14:23:00.003+12:00

Contribune is an awesome new site that allows you to post news, videos, journal entries or other information about your favourite causes in order to inspire others to action - whether that be to donate, sign a petition, volunteer or . . .

Its still in beta - so you have to apply for an invite to join up. But it sure looks like a great way for Charities & Activists to get exposure for their cause.

Check it out here . . . and follow them on twitter to stay in the loop as they continue to develop their site.

Contribune from Adam Bonnifield on Vimeo.

Choose Your Cause. Donate for Free.

2009-06-10T19:59:00.002+12:00

Embedded giving is the (apparently) increasingly common practice of building a philanthropic gift into another, unrelated, financial transaction. For example, rounding up your phone bill to make a gift to charity. Or using your own grocery bag and donating the nickel that the store gives you to a local homeless shelter. Or using a specific search engine because it donates a small portion of its advertising revenue to charity.
- Lucy Bernholz

NeoAid is a way of making conscious decisions in your daily activities to benefit people and the planet.

Donations are generated when you search, shop, sign up for specials & freebies or use their free software. The money doesn't come out of thin air - the companies that Neoaid partners with pay Neoaid for directing customers to their site. NeoAid donates 90% of its net revenue to the charities its users choose to support. So far the donations NeoAid users have generated come to over $2900!

You get to choose which charities you support. Currently you can select from any one (or more) of seven non-profit organisations but in the future they intend to extend that!

Its easy to sign up - only takes a couple of minutes to be up and running generating donations for charity and it really doesn't cost you a thing!

Learn more...

Volunteering in your pyjamas

2009-06-09T11:19:00.005+12:00

This is a guest post by Mike Bright

'Help From Home' is an initiative that provides information on easy, no commitment volunteering opportunities that can all be performed from the comfort of a person's home. Almost all of the 450 plus actions listed on the site will cost nothing or very little to complete and take no more than 30 minutes to accomplish. Some can even be performed in under 10 seconds without getting out of your favourite chair or pyjamas!

There are 3 main categories of easy actions to choose from, each one having the potential to benefit all sorts of worthy causes. Here's just a brief taster of what's included on the website:

Good Causes – Helping charities and worthy causes
- Feed a starving person for free with a simple click of the mouse.
- Make a very seriously ill child smile with just a letter or an email.
- Play games that donate to charities for free
- Install free software to help fight cancer with your pc.

'Green' Actions – Tackling environmental and energy issues
- Lower pc power consumption by using free software.
- Save the rainforests by planting a tree for free just by using a search engine.
- Donate your excess food, plants and seeds to be redistributed to needy causes.
- Help predict climate change with your pc.

Advocacy Actions – Highlighting injustices and wrongdoings
- Posters for Peace. Print them out and display them somewhere prominently
- Send a pre-written email to a decision maker on global poverty
- Join a Virtual March on global warming
- Boycott socially irresponsible companies

Help From Home's aim is to encourage people to see that volunteering for worthy causes can actually be conducted from within their own house. It reckons that if people were collectively able to volunteer between 1 to 30 minutes of their time spent at home on a one-off, daily, weekly or monthly basis, it could potentially make a huge impact into the goals and aims of initiatives that are attempting to create a better world for us to live in.

So, if you've ever felt like helping out a worthy cause, but didn't want the comittment or the impact it might have on your time or finances, then Help From Home's website might be just the answer. Put on those pyjamas and change the world. It's so easy to do!

Do You Believe in Zero?

2009-06-05T23:06:00.005+12:00

This month 12 for 12k has partnered up with UNICEF to promote their Believe in Zero campaign aimed at bringing the number from 25,000 to 0.

Its terribly cliched, I'm sure, but as a Mum of two gorgeous, bouncy, infuriating, loving, inspiring, precious pre-schoolers, this campaign really speaks to me. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it must be to bring up your babies in a world where life is so precarious. Where, through no fault of your own, you can't provide them with the very basics - nutritious food, safe shelter, clean water.

Having what it takes, doing whatever it takes—this is the essence of UNICEF, the organization that has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world.

UNICEF’s accomplishments are the result of more than 60 years of on-the ground work all around the world, led by experts from a range of disciplines, who have unparalleled influence at the highest levels of government, and the courage, resolve and commitment to get the job done.

More children are alive today because of UNICEF. And yet, impressive as these results are, we have a higher obligation.

UNICEF’s unmatched reach, expertise, access and influence, innovation, efficiency and resolve mandate that we do whatever it takes to put an end to the unnecessary deaths of 25,000 children who die every day from preventable causes. This is where the Believe in Zero campaign aims to make the difference.

That even one child dies from a preventable cause is completely unacceptable—especially when simple, basic and affordable interventions exist to save lives.

What your money can buy:

Water is life. Yet one billion people do not have access to safe water, and 2.6 billion people live without proper sanitation. Water-borne illness is the second highest cause of childhood death in the world. When water is unsafe and sanitation non-existent, water can kill.

$10 can provide 400 children with enough clean drinking water for one day.

Malnutrition plays a role in the majority of the deaths of children under five. Malnourished children are too weak to fight off illness, and they often become physically and mentally stunted. And malnutrition keeps children trapped in the cycle of poverty.

$20 can provide one carton of high energy/protein biscuits containing minerals and vitamins, developed for malnourished children during emergencies.

Every child has the right to an education. Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that so many children are caught in. And an educated child will make sure her own children receive an education.

$20 can provide 50 notebooks and pencils to children in schools.

Today, UNICEF provides vaccines to 40 percent of the world’s children and helps saves two million lives a year. But thousands of children still die needlessly every day from diseases like measles, which kills more than 600 children every day.

$40 provides measles vaccines for 150 children.

As you can see, it takes just a little to make a huge difference to so many.

Please join 12for12k in supporting UNICEF this month and help realize the dream of turning 25,000 unnecessary child deaths into zero.

Got Shoes on Your Feet?

2009-06-03T23:35:00.000+12:00

More than likely you have at least a couple of pairs of shoes in your closet to choose from each day. Lucky you - its not the same for everyone. There are people around the world who don't own a single pair of shoes and while it may not sound like a big deal, a good pair of shoes protects people from cuts, scrapes and contaminants that can lead to serious health issues.

The good folk at Cool People Care have teamed up with Soles4Souls with a goal to distribute 50,000 pairs of shoes to people around the world. But they can't do it alone!

Luckily they have made it super easy to help! Simply head here to donate. Just $5 will provide two pairs of shoes. But if you can spare more there is something in it for you!

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 6

2009-06-03T16:48:00.002+12:00

Image by arimoore via Flickr

Welcome to the June 3, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Digital Philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival.

Stacey Monk, inspirational founder of Epic Change, presents Tanzania Votes - The Hard Way on The Epic Change Blog. This is a truly inspirational post from a truly inspirational charity.

Greg Laden presents Rhoda's Story posted at Digital Rabbit. Rhoda is a 10 year old girl from Malawi - read how the construction of a borehole in her village to provide fresh water has made a huge difference in her life.

This blog has been nominated in the BlogLuxe awards under the "Most Inspirational Blog" category. Please vote for Digital Philanthropy - it only takes a few seconds and will go a long way to helping build this Carnival and bring awareness to the causes we champion!

Thats it for this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Digital Philanthropy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Join the Summer of Social Good

2009-06-02T22:55:00.003+12:00

It might not be summer at this end of the world, but that is no reason not to take part in 'The Summer of Social Good' by Mashable.

The goal of the Summer of Social Good is to use the power of "Social Influence" via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Blogs and other online media to money for the Summer of Social Good fund benefiting The Humane Society, LIVESTRONG, Oxfam America and WWF. The campaign runs
from June 1st until August 28th, 2009.

100% of funds raised will be donated to charity through the Summer of Social Good fund. All proceeds will be split equally to between the four charities.

Donate $10 or more using the widget above and start spreading the word today!

The Currency of Appreciation

2009-05-27T18:33:00.006+12:00

Image by jaredchapman via Flickr

Twitter really is a great place to do good! Epic Change have used it to great effect with their Tweetsgiving campaign, then there was Twestival successfully raising $250,000 for Charity:Water and TwittaCause working to raise $1 million for charity. Now there are Twollars!

Twollars are Twitter's currency of appreciation. They are designed to do good by rewarding positive actions on Twitter - posting a great link, sharing a useful tip or inspiring tweet.

How do you get them?

Every Twitterer starts off with 5o Twollars to pass on to other Twitterers as a Thank You or donate to Charity. When you run out you can buy more from a Charity registered on Twollar (so far there are 27 to choose from) at an exchange rate of $1 for every 10 Twollars.

Passing them on is easy - all you do is tweet something along the lines of @acfusa 5 Twollars for doing great work.

Twollars is a great way to help out some great charities even if you have no funds to donate. It offers charities an opportunity to raise awareness for their cause by having supporters tweeting Twollars to them. Its also a great way to launch a campaign via Twitter - supporters can help by tweeting Twollars or by purchasing them for cold, hard cash.

Join the appreciation economy - its booming!!

Vote for an Epic Idea at IdeaBlob

2009-05-22T20:29:00.004+12:00

I've mentioned Epic Change a couple of times in this blog (here & here to be exact) - they are one of my favourite charities - mostly because they are a wonderful example of how a group of committed individuals really can create epic change.

This month they are finalists at IdeaBlob and in the running for $10,000.

Here's a note from Stacey Monk - founder of Epic Change - telling what the funds will be used for and how you can help them win the $10,000:

We plan to use those funds to create a technology lab at the school in Tanzania so that children, teachers and parents in the community can access a whole new world of information enter global conversations by using social media to share their stories online. Already, Mama Lucy is blogging on our site, and has just gotten a Facebook page where she's already posted a note asking folks to begin voting tomorrow ;)

So far, we've had 20 great laptops donated and have procured basic software through TechSoup - now we just need to get the computers to Tanzania, build a facility that will also serve as the school's first library, and imaginatively get this remote classroom access to the web. This award could be very helpful in moving us closer to these goals - especially in economic times like these where small nonprofits like ours are having a more difficult time raising donor funds.

We Need Your Help!!
Here's how you can help if you're so moved (and I really hope you are!):

Vote! Beginning tomorrow, you can vote for Epic Change on our IdeaBlob entry or on the front page of Ideablob. If you haven't already voted on the site, you'll just need an email address as they'll send a registration confirmation email before allowing you to vote.
Write a post on your blog sharing why you support our work and asking folks to vote for Epic Change on IdeaBlob. Remember, voting begins tomorrow and ends on 5/31, so posts between Friday and Tuesday especially would be SUPER helpful.
Help us win even more! Another company, Zemanta, is currently hosting "Blogging for a Cause" , an effort to get bloggers to spread the word about their favorite causes. If you include the following copy in your blog post, we could win a share of the $6,000 they're giving away to the most "blogged" causes. Just include this text at the bottom of your post:

This blog post is part of Zemanta's "Blogging For a Cause" campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

4. Spread the word to friends, colleagues, family, fellow bloggers and other folks who have a few minutes to spare to change the world ;) Use Twitter, Facebook & Email!!

If you plan to blog about us, please send me a tweet (@StaceyMonk) or jot me an email (stacey@epicchange.org) so I know to look out for your post and can create a link to it from a summary post at the Epic Change blog.

This blog post is part of Zemanta's "Blogging For a Cause" campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

#charitytuesday

2009-05-20T22:12:00.005+12:00

Image by Swamibu via Flickr

Tuesday is Charity Day on Twitter!

The #charitytuesday tag is a way to find charities who tweet and was started by John Carnell and others to help Charity organisations (and their supporters) raise awareness for their cause.

Here's a selection of the tweets from this week:

@Lamplightdb @Th3MissingLink add the #charitytuesday tag to get your message out to a wider twitter audience (on tuesdays!). See @JohnCarnell @bullyinguk

@chickensrule We collect eggs during our Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup meetings and donate them to a food bank. Get your friends on board! #charitytuesday

@mmgalvan21 Help 4 hurting Chicago (land) teens at http://www.houseofhopeillinois.org #charitytuesday

@ssigafoos #charitytuesday be sure to check out @LIfeRollsOn - an advocate of young people whose lives have been affected by spinal cord injury.

@RizzoTees RT @dlayphoto: @RizzoTees Can u help? #Eric needs a new heart. Please spread the word. http://weloveeric.com #fryretweet #charitytuesday

@AnnetteSzczepan CANCER IS HARD! WALKING IS NOT! PLEASE RETWEET! http://tiny.cc/aHJ0E #charitytuesday

@louisekearney RT @mealexchange: 7% of goal - Grocery Cart Challenge - $28 will provide 34 meals. Please donate and RT #charitytuesday http://bit.ly/OGIMJ

@bullyinguk Ty so much RT @charityshops: http://bit.ly/jxCLa #charitytuesday officially takes off - well done to everyone for making it such a success!

Don't forget to join in the fun next week!

Night Night Sleep Tight

2009-05-19T21:22:00.005+12:00

A good night's sleep makes the world of difference - and for kids living with the insecurity of homelessness, a good night's sleep can be hard to come by.

Project night night aims to provide some basic bedtime comforts to transient and homeless kids across America.

Project Night Night donates individual tote bags each filled with a security blanket, an age-appropriate book, and a stuffed animal to children (ages 0-10) in homeless shelters.

Want to help? You can get involved by making a donation of money, volunteering your time or skills or hosting an event to raise funds.

This blog post is part of Zemanta's "Blogging For a Cause" campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

For the Love of Liz

2009-05-13T21:41:00.003+12:00

Liz Logelin died on the 25th of March 2008, leaving behind her husband, Matt, and one day old daughter Madeline.

Matt Logelin had been writing a blog to keep friends and family up to date throughout Liz's pregnancy. He continued writing after her death and a supportive community of individuals formed around it. His blog became a place where he could share his joys, frustrations, sorrows and challenges. Where friends and well-wishers could offer support and where other widows and widowers could find friendship and comfort.

The Liz Logelin Foundation sprung from this community and has been created to offer assistance to families who find themselves in the heartbreaking, catastrophic situation of having lost a spouse, life-partner, and parent. The Foundation’s goal is to financially assist these families as they deal with the loss of their loved ones, and struggle to move forward.

You can help the Liz Logelin Foundation by joining their community of donors and donating $7 on the 7th to help families who have lost loved ones.

Get Blogging for a Cause

2009-05-06T14:51:00.005+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

Want to earn your favourite charity a share of (at least) $6000?

Silly question. Of course you do!

The clever folk at Zemanta have been working with Social Actions, an initiative that aggregates civic causes from more than 50 databases, to create a tool that recommends charitable causes to bloggers while they write. In recognition of their great work they were awarded 2nd prize at the Change The Web Challenge.

Zemanta have chosen to donate the $3000 prize money to charity - and the good guys at Social Innovation Greenhouse @ Weber Shandwick have generously offered to match that donation. But its up to bloggers to decide who gets the money.

All you have to do is blog about your favourite cause - and get as many people as you can to join with you! The 5 charities with the most blog posts get to share the money! You have until the 6th of June to get your post out there!

You need to add a wee snippet of code to your blog post so that Zemanta can find it. You can get you code here.

Who are you going to blog about? Add the link to your Blogging For A Cause post on the comments below!

Nothing is Certain but Death and Taxes

2009-05-05T16:03:00.013+12:00

Image by kiddharma via Flickr

Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
-Benjamin Franklin

As much as we don't like to think about our mortality, we all have to die some time. Most of us expect it will be something that sneaks up on us quickly and hopefully painlessly - but as any good Life Insurance salesperson will tell you this is not always how it happens. Many of us will need some palliative care at the end of our lives.

May's 12for12k Charity is the Hospice of Peel. Located in Mississauga, Ontario, the Hospice of Peel aims to be recognized as the foremost provider of, and resource for, hospice care. When illnesses can no longer be treated medically, the volunteers and trained professionals of the Hospice of Peel are the emotional response for those affected.

Many people do not realise that hospice is a philosophy of care, not a building. Hospice cares for the whole person; not just their physical needs, but also their emotional, spiritual and social needs. We care for families and friends as well, both before and after a death.
- from Good Magazine

To be able to offer this kind of caring and support for the patient and the family, the Hospice of Peel relies on both its volunteers and donations from the community, locally and nationally.

Its Hospice Awareness Week from May 11-17 - so its a great time to donate to the Hospice of Peel below:

If you are in New Zealand, grab a subscription to Good magazine before 14 June and they will donate $9 to Hospice New Zealand.

Epic Change Needs Your Help

2009-05-03T20:50:00.004+12:00

Epic Change needs your help to win a $25,000 social media makeover from MindComet!

Inspired by a volunteer trip to Tanzania, Stacey Monk and Sanjay Patel created Epic Change in 2007. They realised the power of the local stories they heard during their journey, and believed that they might be a means to raise funds to support the impoverished communities they visited and others around the globe.

Epic Change uses donations to provide interest-free loans to local partners to finance their community improvement efforts. They then facilitate loan repayment by helping their partners to share their stories through projects that generate income. Finally they "pay it forward" by recycling repaid loans and creating Epic Change in other communities.

Their first project is with Shepherds Junior, a small primary school in Arusha, Tanzania. So far, Epic Change has provided loans that have enabled the school to purchase land, build 5 new classrooms and a refurbished school bus. The school roll has doubled in size and in November 2008, Shepherds Junior participated in national exams for the first time. The school ranked #1 out of 117 participating schools in the Arusha district.

Through the sale of a line of cards and gifts that share the stories of the children of Shepards Junior, the school has been able to pay back over 15% of their initial loan in just over a year!

Every year, Mindcomet chooses a non-profit organisation to work with and provides free-of-charge agency services and donations. So far they have worked with Orlando History Center, Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, Race for A Cure, and Toys for Tots.

This year, they couldn't choose a favourite. So they launched CommuniCause to help them select the organization to receive their pro bono social media services. So you get to nominate and vote for your favorite charity to help them win the grand prize of a Social Media Makeover valued at $25,000.

A winner will be randomly selected from the top ten charities that receive the most votes and upon awarding the winner, MindComet will provide the winner with expert consulting services to help improve their social media presence and fundraising outreach.

Carnival of Digital Philanthropy Volume 5

2009-05-01T21:11:00.005+12:00

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to the May 1, 2009 edition of carnival of digital philanthropy.

Please Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival.

Elaine at Lipstickdaily presents One Mom at a Time posted at lipstickdaily.com, saying, "Lipstickdaily supports microfinance - empowering women in Africa."

Kathryn Hawkins presents A Grown-up’s Guide to Six Causes That Kids Love posted at Razoo.

Gunnar Engblom presents Lobbying Ashton Kutcher for conservation. posted at A birding blog by Gunnar Engblom.

Christine presents Celebrate World Environment Day - Let?s do the SIFT! posted at Sustainable Initiatives Fund | Blog.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of digital philanthropy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.