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MicroGiving offers a number of opportunities to support charities for children. In addition to providing charitable resources we encourage most importantly that children themselves take action and volunteer in the field of charity.
This post aims to encourage you as a parent to teach your children the importance of charity and volunteer service as an enriching part of everyday life. Childhood years are the most formative and what we teach our children now will have a tremendous impact on their future. Just as we eat, sleep, and breathe—charity for children should be an everyday part of our function, focus, and fervor.
The following tips are ways that you can prepare, shape, program, and wire your child for charity!
Encourage Charity for Children by being an example
Teach your children that there are many ways they can give to charity. Volunteering and giving of one’s time to help others in need is often one of the most effective ways to pay it forward to charities. The most impactful people are the one’s that volunteer their ‘time’. Volunteer work is a more personal and expressive way to show you care about helping children, families, communities, and the world. Illustrate to your kids that they can make a big difference in the world, that they can do something to help others, and their little hands can make change!
There are countless online resources that provide great volunteer ideas for kids and charity opportunities for children to get involved. You might also be interested in locating local places to volunteer in your community.
Encourage your kids to ‘give a little bit’ to Children’s Charity
Explain to your children that they are extremely fortunate to have food, shelter, and clothes when millions of children across the world are homeless, dying, and in great need. Encourage your children to set aside a small amount of money, even if it’s a few coins, to support charities for children. Explain to them that one doesn’t need much to help others in need. They can still make a big difference in a small way.
And don’t forget to give a little bit too!
Don’t allow your financial situation to ever hold you back from supporting charities for children, or any charitable cause for that matter. Apologies for sounding cliché but, “monkey see monkey do” holds much truth!! Teach by example and support charities by whatever means your unique situation permits. If you can’t donate much, at least afford a few dollars to support a worthy charitable cause. If you’re stingy, your children could very well turn out to be stingy too—and nobody likes a Scrooooooge!
Be charismatic about Charity for Children!
Attitude is contagious. Your enthusiasm will influence your child’s perception about giving to charity. Explain to your kids that giving feels good! The more we bombard our kids with positive messages about charitable giving: the more likely they will adopt an altruistic attitude. In doing this, you plant a seed at a very early stage in a child’s youth which will encourage them to grow into the kind of adults that will someday make a difference in the world.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Lets train our children to be strong and impactful human beings, with good character, and with a powerful altruistic spirit to live in pursuit of changing the lives of others. The best way to truly pay it forward is through your children. Let’s not forget they are the future…
How do you give back?
- What are some ways that you encourage your children to get involved in charity?
- If you don’t have children, what are some ways that you can get involved with charities for children, or inspire young people to take action?
We truly love your tips and feedback! Your comments give us all encouragement and insight into the diverse ways we can help and better the community. Please do not hesitate to drop us a few of your thoughts…
**And if you like this post, please share this link with others on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter:
http://www.microgiving.com/blog/2009/03/17/the-best-charity-for-children/
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What is the importance of building better community relationships, and how can building these relationships help promote your fundraising cause?
In this post we share worthwhile tips that will help you fundraise through the power of building better community relationships. Afterall, We want to help you find the support you came to MicroGiving for!
- Build a Better Community through Relationships in the MicroGiving Forum – Remember that you are the best volunteer in your fundraising campaign! Improve your chance of successfully fundraising by taking action and by getting involved! MicroGiving’s forum is a great place to start. Volunteer a little of your time each day to meet and network with other members in our community forum. If you claim to be the ‘giving -type’, then show us! Give verbal encouragement and support to other members in our forum! When we see your involvement in the forum- it shows your commitment and dedication to making a difference in the little ways that you can. Members who don’t make much community effort are rarely successful in raising donations.
- Build Better Community Relationships through our Blog - One of the best ways to draw donor interest is by getting involved right here on our blog! Volunteer some time each day in engaging other members in the comment section. Ask questions and give answers! We have learned a lot about you through your feedback and involvement on our blog. Your tips, stories, and support have inspired us tremendously! When you share your feedback with us you become more human and you make a difference by providing insight that help out other recipients which conveys to donor’s that you care!
- Build a Better Community through Relationships on other Profiles – Another great way to promote yourself is by supporting other Recipient members on their profiles. Leaving kind, caring, and supportive comments speaks loudly of your sincerity and they improve the community here on MicroGiving. Building a consistent relationship with other Recipients (not just Donors!) shows the human, sympathetic side of you. Donors won’t donate to you just because you have a desperate need and because you drop by their page everyday to say hi. You need to show care, support, and interest in other Recipients. How do you expect for Donors to have sympathy for you, if you neglect to show sympathy and support to others who are in the same boat as you?
- Build Better Community Relationships outside of MicroGiving – Get involved in your local public community is a FANTASTIC way of reaching out and networking with other like-minded volunteers who share a “giving heart”. Don’t know how to get involved? Check out, Tips To Help You Get Started Volunteering. Once you find your niche, tell them about the MicroGiving community and the many opportunities to make a difference here in our online community! Establish a ‘Network for Good’ in your local town and neighborhood! There are oodles of online resources that will help you locate places in your community where you can volunteer and network with other like-minded “do-gooders”:
- www.volunteermatch.org
- www.servenet.org
- www.idealist.org
The more you get out there and build a better community through relationships within the MicroGiving and outside networks for good, the more you essentially “promote” yourself. Building community relationships strengthens your credibility as a sincere and compassionate being, who is equally worthy of a little support and compassion!
Give us your thoughts…
- What are some ways that you build a better community & get involved here on the MicroGiving site?
- What are you doing to make a difference outside of MicroGiving?
*Like this post? Share this link on your Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter profile so that others can benefit from it too!
Tags:
network for good
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During rough times, coping with life can seem a lot harder. Stress can enhance feelings of being helpless, while slowing down your performance and productivity.
Maybe you’ve lost your job, behind on your monthly payments, experienced a large recent medical expense, or 101 problems happened to hit you all at once…
During hard times you need peak performance and work stamina to bring in the household flow of milk and honey! There are several things you can do to combat your worries that will help you get back on your feet again.
7 Tips to Overcome Your Stress
1. Identify the problem. Brainstorm a solution.
Target the problem that is causing you to feel worried, and then brainstorm as many possible solutions (be open minded).
-Problem: Your car broke down so you can’t get to work.
-Solution #1: Start your day an hour early and ride your bike. Perks: 1) It’s a long way, but the fresh air will blow away some stress. 2) Exercise (and you complained you never had time)! Those endorphins will make you feel great. 3) Your being green!
-Solution #2: Learn the buss system, save gas, and make better use of travel time by reading a self-enhancement book like Generation Debt by Carmen Ulrich (a great book about basic money management).
-Solution #3: Learn where your fellow co-workers live. Maybe your home crosses route. I’m sure they’d be more than willing to help you out and give you a lift for a few gas bucks.
2. Breathe
Breathing really does make a big difference. Studies indicate that proper breathing reduces stress and stress related medical conditions—like anxiety, asthma, chronic pain, and high blood pressure. Breathing soothes the autonomic nervous system. So if you feel stressed, take in several deep breaths and exhale slowly.
4. Step back
Turn away from the problem momentarily to think about things that make you happy – maybe an upcoming vacation trip, or plan a beach day with your family.
5. Laugh
The best stress remedy ever! In fact, laughter has been clinically proven to reduce stress levels. Laughter relaxes tense muscles, lowers your blood pressure, and sends oxygen to the organs in your system. Get your mind off of stressful things by watching a comedy, or calling up that old friend that makes you cackle so hard your neck snaps.
*Read up on the story of Norman Cousins – a man who did a medical experiment and successfully overcame cancer by laughing.
6. Change your outlook
Your perception of a situation or problem can have a tremendous impact on your ability to handle stress. Look at it several ways: 1) Your problem will eventually pass, 2) Maybe its not such a big deal? 3) Some people have it a lot worse! 4) There’s nothing I can do about it so why fret?
Example: Your stressed out because your stuck in traffic and running late for work. Shucks, there’s nothing you can do about it. So change your outlook. Tell yourself out loud: “Shucks, there’s nothing I can do about it”. In the interim, turn up your radio and sing like an imbecile.
7. Give!
There’s nothing in the world that will make you feel better (and blow some steam), than giving! Give someone flowers just for the heck of it, give a little of your time to help someone with a project, give your kids lots and lots of kisses, give lots and lots of smiles, give a few bucks on Microgiving!
At the end of the day, remember that stressing about your worries comes to no avail. Try these tips and please share a few of your own…
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It’s hard enough as it is to make ends meet these days without the feeling of fatigue hindering your productivity at work. With the ever-present burden of bills and supporting your family—tiredness can place an extra strain on your performance. Have you examined your health lately? Your body might be trying to tell you something. The following are six causes of feeling tired and…
6 Ways to Fight Fatigue
1) Not Enough Sleep
Don’t over-look the obvious! If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you’re bound to feel fatigued through the day. The National Institute of Health Recommends a healthy 7 to 8 hours of beauty sleep every night!
How to fight it: Turn off the late night television.
2) You May Have Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can interrupt a good night’s rest. Sleep apnea restricts your breathing during the night, causing you to wake up momentarily (although you may not realize it). This can stop you from getting a night of solid sleep, even though you’re technically in bed for the recommended 7 to 8 hours.
How to fight it: Sleep apnea sometimes occurs due to smoking or for overweight individuals. If you fall under this category, maybe consider trying your old “New Years Resolution” again.
3) Eating Habits (or lack thereof)
Fatigue often has a lot to do with your eating habits. If you’re not fueling your body with enough energy (or the right kind of energy), you’re bound to feel tired throughout the day. How is your body supposed to fuel itself properly on an empty belly? Also, unhealthy foods like doughnuts, or triple chocolate chip muffins can cause you to feel tired. Foods that are full of sugar cause the insulin levels in your blood to sky-rocket (aka. “sugar-rush”), that is until it wears off leaving you sluggish.
How to fight it: Do what mommy always told you—Don’t Forget to Eat Breakfast! You should include foods that are high in protein and complex carbs (like eggs and whole grain toast). Protein and complex carbs make a dynamic duo, as they make sustainable energy.
*Tip: If you’re not hungry in the morning, try gulping down a glass of water. I’ve found that it boosts the metabolism and jump-starts your appetite.
4) Iron Deficiency
A low supply of iron in your blood can cause anemia (this is particularly common in women). Anemia causes one to feel tired because there is not an adequate supply of red blood cells in your blood to carry oxygen to your organs. If you’re organs can’t breathe… they don’t function!
How to fight it: Visit your doctor and have your blood tested. You can also try changing your eating habits by introducing foods into your diet that are rich in iron (like spinach, beans, lean meats, and cereals).
5) Too much Starbucks
Yes, caffeine can actually have a reverse effect on your energy levels. Coffee, sodas, teas, and chocolate are temporary, synthetic doses of energy. Remember that the energy rush from these foods eventually wear off and leave you feeling tired.
How to fight it: Save your wallet and your waistline on that triple shot mocha grand latte.
6) Diabetes
Millions of people have it, yet many still don’t know what it is. Diabetes can cause fatigue because it prevents the body from converting sugar into energy.
How to fight it: Changing your diet can help you combat the effects of diabetes. Insulin therapy and certain medications can also help your body with processing sugar.
Quick Fix for Fatigue!
If you experience mild tiredness throughout the day, try introducing more exercise into your daily routine. Studies have shown that people who exercise have more energy. In fact, I did a little experiment myself to see if exercise boosted my alertness. For one week I woke up an extra 30 minutes early in the morning to jog. The following week, I stopped my morning exercise. I found that my alertness and productivity was significantly better when I introduced light exercise into my schedule. Plus it boosted my appetite!
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MicroGiving