Nickelodeon Stars: How to Help People Combat Cyber Bullying

How to Help People: Nickelodeon has launched a new campaign as part of “The Big Help” program that will involve an interactive initiative designed to help people understand and combat cyber bullying.  “The Big Help” has been an ongoing program for Nickelodeon, one that connects to kids to give them information on responsible and safe behaviors.  The newly designed website will incorporate “digital citizenship” and anti-bullying information and advice from Common Sense Media’s “Rules of the Road.”

The campaign will get help from Nickelodeon stars like iCarly’s Nathan Kress and Miranda Cosgrove, who have agreed to appear in PSAs for the campaign.  The stars will give advice to kids that are being cyber bullied and how to prevent it.  The concept includes idea funding from various sources to help kids understand their responsibilities and options.

“Kids are interacting with digital media every day.  It is second nature to them and an important part of their lives” stated Executive VP of Public Affairs for the Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group, Marva Smalls.  “Nickelodeon provides kids with information to help them have engaging, entertaining and healthy experiences online.  By partnering with Common Sense, we will help young people simplify and improve their digital communications.”

How to Connect Responsibly

“Today’s kids connect, create, and collaborate through media.  But it’s extremely important for them to reflect on the implications of their online actions” said Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer.  He went on to say that today’s kids needed to think critically about how they interacted with others in their online and mobile lives, and that the community needs to know how to help people, especially kids, in making responsible decisions.

Micro Donations Website Partners with Stevie Wonder

Micro Donations News: Stevie Wonder has announced a partnership with Ten O’Clock Classics, a non-profit organization that provides outlets, venues and educational services for up and coming classical musicians.  The site hopes to inspire children to follow their dreams of pursuing careers in classical music.  Wonder, a music legend, has made an amazing impact on the music industry since he wrote his first song at the age of ten.

Wonder has agreed to auction off a personalized Steinway Baby Grand Piano, complete with hand and finger prints or a signed fall board.  The piano will go to the highest bidder with the proceeds to benefit Ten O’Clock Classics.  The value of the piano is set at $60,000 and the bidding on the piano is open until March 30^th.  Bids can be placed online at CharityBuzz.com.

Charity Micro Donations

CharityBuzz.com is a site that assists various stars and high-level auctions in sending valuable items under the hammer.  It also encourages micro donations and crowdfunding for worthy causes.  The organization is well known for working with non-profits around the world through online donations, giving bidders the opportunity to win high level auctions while giving to charity.

Micro donations and crowdfunding are becoming increasingly popular, particularly since people have the opportunity to donate online.  Previously, donations would have to be made over the phone or through the mail, which was a hindrance.  People have often been hesitant to donate small amounts because it may have seemed like small amounts could not make a difference.  Micro donations have made it possible for people to help on all levels, further benefiting the charities.

Africa’s Humanitarian Relief Organizations

It is not uncommon for humanitarian relief organizations to band together to raise awareness about particular situations worldwide. That is just what happened when Girls Aloud vocalist Sarah Harding visited Africa to support Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day. Comic Relief is a well known for being one of the top celebrity disaster relief organizations in the world. The charity was founded in 1986 and is represented by such famous comedians as Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. The charity is dedicated to helping poor people around the world, mostly in the form of disaster relief and helping to make the world a more livable place.

Helping Africa’s Humanitarian Relief Organizations

There are many worthwhile relief organizations throughout Africa. Harding, who had previously dropped out of a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro due to back problems, visited mothers2mothers located in Cape Town. Mothers2mothers is an organization that offers a sustainable model of care targeted toward providing education and support for new mothers and pregnant women living with HIV.

“I’ve supported Comic Relief for many years, so when the opportunity came up to visit a project with British Airways I was keen to go. But having never visited Cape Town, or a township, I didn’t know what to expect. I was told about the poverty here but to be truly passionate about it I had to see it with my own eyes and talk to the people about it.”

Harding, eager to serve humanitarian relief organizations, also says that despite the difficult conditions, she left the country feeling uplifted and hopeful.

Spotlight on Natalie: Fundraising tips that work

Natalie Sando is a MicroGiver whom everyone should know about. She is fundraising to finance stem cell treatment for her hearing loss and has received a flood of support from the moment she launched her campaign.  Her fundraising success is a testament to her determined and genuine character, which I believe are essential traits for all fundraisers. I spoke with Natalie to find out a bit more about her story and gather some tips for running a successful campaign.

1. Tell us about your need. Why have you come to MicroGiving?

Since I was a kid, I’ve had hearing loss that degenerates over time. It wasn’t so bad growing up. As a child, it was not as profound as it is today.

I came to Microgiving because when I first got presented with the opportunity for this treatment, I thought, “How in the world am I going to come up with ten grand?” I’m thinking to myself, “Well, my friends and family could help me… maybe I could set up some website or something!” I searched the Internet for charitable websites that would help, but all of them requested some kind of percentage from the money you raised. I figured, “So, I’m going to put myself out there, stretching far and wide to raise ten grand, and this company is going to use my hard work and take ten percent of it. Well, they’re hosting me, I don’t mind I guess…” But I would still be left short of my need amount. Somehow, I came across Microgiving. You guys do what other websites “offered” … but for free. Without reservation, I immediately signed up, sent in my proof, and requested your help, and I am more than amazed with the results so far.

2. You raised over $2000 in just 8 days. How does it feel to see such an outpouring of support? Was this something you were expecting?

I was definitely not expecting this! My treatment is scheduled for January 2011, and I’m still hoping I can reach my goal. It feels awesome that I have so many great people behind me making sure I don’t fall. I am just blessed that everything got set up as smoothly and quickly as it did. The support from people, even “anonymous”, just gives me such a grateful feeling. I am so happy that people are as generous as they are, helping me to achieve my dreams, both financially and emotionally. It just proves that there is good in everyone, and I hope that one day it’ll be my turn to help someone who is in need as well, with a large sum of money (and love)!

3. Have any of the donors or the donation amounts so far surprised you?

For sure. My first donation was from a friend of mine… who, and I’ll admit it, has been a far better friend to me than I have been to him (and he knows it too!). He has always been there for me and there were times when I was unable to be there for him. Throughout our friendship, he has been nothing but understanding, always helpful, and I haven’t even seen him for three years. Even so, he flat out donated $200 for me! I was blown away.

I had another friend donate a large amount and I was surprised as well. She’s only known me throughout half of college, but the impact she has had on my life has surpassed some friends that I have known for over a decade. Before she donated, I told her I needed her heart in this, not her money. I told her I didn’t want her money, but she went ahead and donated anyway. I’m pretty sure I still owe her a birthday present from May! I didn’t forget, you’ll still get it!

My sister, Nineveh, and her husband donated a huge amount. To be honest, I don’t think I would be able to move forward with this treatment without their help. I’m extremely grateful for their donation, as well as many of their friends who have donated for me and don’t really know me at all. That is an amazing feeling.

We can’t forget the ultimate Microgiver, John, for donating to people – people he doesn’t even know, such as myself – and he’s donated to me twice so far. I’m sure that guy goes to bed with butterflies over his head because he must have such a great feeling everyday with all the goodness he has done for people!

4. What steps have you taken since the launch of your request that have driven people to your page and moved them to donate? For example, are you using social networks, emailing your friends and family, writing letters, telling people in person, etc?

I’ve refrained from using social networking sites. I guess I wanted to see how far I could get without them. Mostly, I am emailing/calling my friends and family. I’m also asking them to email their friends and family as well. I believe word of mouth is the biggest form of success one can get. I’m calling people, bugging them to please send it out – and I’m following up. If those closest to you write about you to those closest to them, then the amount of people you can get from just those two levels are a LOT.

5. What tips would give to people in a similar situation that will help them run a more successful campaign?

The biggest tip I could give people is to write more about themselves. Write your story, everyone loves stories. Even when we were children, we wanted stories. People want to know YOU before they randomly donate to you. And always be honest. You want people to read about you and really feel like they know you or you deserve this. I want people to really know why I’m here, know who I am, and the kind of person I want to be, by reading my story.

Also, always follow up. Sometimes it takes a third email for people to “want to check out your page”. I always told people via email or phone, “Make sure you read my ‘About Me’ section!” That way, if they could put themselves in my shoes, they would understand why I needed financial help.

6. How has your experience been of MicroGiving so far?

Microgiving has been such an amazing experience! It’s so easy to give people a direct link to my page, and they tell me that donating has never been easier. I love that. I think the best thing about Microgiving is the fact that you “verify” people to make sure donations are going toward a good reason.

7. Feel free to tell us anything else that you’d like to share in particular.

I just want to thank everyone for all their love, support, and belief in my success.  I couldn’t do this treatment without their help.

Thanks everyone!

Natalie has already raised a quarter of her fundraising goal. You can help her make her dream a reality by donating to her campaign here.

Annie Lennox Uses Technology and Music in Philanthropy Efforts

Before Annie Lennox became a solo act and involved in philanthropy, she was the lead-singer for the Eurythmics in the 1980’s. “Sweet Dreams” then meant climbing higher in the charts, now it means raising awareness of the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the words of the renowned singer, “The fight is far from over. We still have a long way to go. We need to continue to strengthen our focus on the needs and rights of young women, who are particularly vulnerable to HIV.”

Lennox Released Special Single for Philanthropy

Annie Lennox runs several of her charity efforts through internet and has coined the term “Laptop Activism”. She has sold more than 80 millions records and she is well-known for her philanthropic work with organizations such as Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Foundation and Amnesty International. Lennox’s philanthropy focuses largely on raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. But she has worked with other organizations like UNICEF, Women for Women International, Peace One Day and Save the Children.

In March 2008, working with a 23-member choir of women celebrities, Lennox’s released Sing. “Sing” features a diverse range of women celebrities such as Faith Hill, Celene Dion, Bonnie Raitt, and Madonna. Proceeds from the album were donated to Treatment Action Campaign, an organization dedicated to providing support in Africa against HIV/AIDS. Later that year, Lennox received the British Red Cross’ Services to Humanity Award for her work against the virus. This year, Lennox joined The Body Shop Campaign against HIV/AIDS and she performed at the Global Leadership Awards in November.

Microgiving.com applauds Ms. Lennox’s philanthropy work in raising awareness against HIV/AIDS. Like Ms. Lennox, Microgiving works to make others aware of the needs of many. Please visit our website if you would like to work with Microgiving.com as a donor or you might benefit from our assistance as a recipient. You can also get involved further in philanthropy.

How to create desirable “rewards”… (get more by giving)

Crowdfunding isn’t easy.

In our last post, we shared some tips to help you improve your chances of raising money. To recap, in 5 Tips for Shooting Better Video we discussed the importance of using a personal video pitch to captivate donors, and a few tips to help you make a crowdfunding video that really “sells” your story to friends, family and fans.

If you’ve uploaded a video pitch, you’re half way there. The second most important part to crowdfunding, is offering creative and desirable “rewards”.

Rewards are one of the most effective ways to incentivize your supporters.

Just like video, desirable rewards add another dimension to your fundraiser. Imagine you not only reached your fundraising target, but donations continued to pour in well after you reached your crowdfunding goal. Is this possible? Yes. The answer: rewards.

For example, let’s say you’re trying to crowdfund to produce a music album:

1. You send out frequent emails to your friends and family asking for their support; and post periodic Facebook and Twitter updates letting your social networks know about your fundraiser.
2. Consequently, people visit your MicroGiving crowdfunding page.
3. They watch your video. They see how passionate you are. They even get a chance to hear you strum a few chords.
4. But it gets better. For a $10 donation, you’re giving away a limited edition copy of your album, for $20 you’ll dedicate a song, and for a $50 donation you’ll perform live and in person.
5. Your supporters love it. They click on the “Share This” buttons on your profile to tell their friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.
6. Before you know it, you’ve reached your fundraising goal. And people keep donating because they like you, but more importantly they want the rewards!

Whether you’re recording an album, shooting an independent film, photographing beautiful wildlife, or publishing your first book– one thing remains true: if people desire the reward, they will make a donation whether you’ve met your funding goal or not.

Here are some tips to help you create desirable crowdfunding rewards:

• Start with the project itself.
  What are you doing? What can you offer that is related to the project? If you’re producing a film, offer to put the Donor’s name in the credits. If you’re authoring a book, give away an autographed hard copy, or even name one of the characters after a Donor (for higher donations). If you are producing a music album, offer free digital song downloads, signed copies of your CD’s, and mentions in the album credits. For larger Donors… offer to write them their own song!

• Think scarcity.
  It’s one thing to offer an endless supply of book copies to your Donors. It’s a whole different “story” when only five copies are available. Remember good old “supply and demand” economics? The less supply, the greater the demand. For example, if you’re in a band consider offering a limited number of signed drum sticks used on your last summer tour… dirty finger prints and all! Or the t-shirt you were wearing when you fell off stage (include the mid-motion photograph of you taking the plunge if you have it).
• Be realistic. Match the value of the reward to the donation amount.
  Do you really believe someone is going to hand you $1,000 for a digital copy of your latest white paper? Unless you’re Conan O’Brien… probably not. Ask yourself, “would I pay this price for this reward”? If you wouldn’t, don’t expect others. Make sure the rewards you offer meet your Donors’ expectations.

• Keep it feasible
  Remember, your supporters are trusting you to deliver on your promises. Donors take the time to learn about your project, take an interest, and give you their money. The only thing they get in return (besides altruistic satisfaction) is the reward that you’ve promise. Demonstrate your appreciation for their support by delivering your promise within a reasonable timeframe. If your film is taking longer than expected, for example, just let your audience know by updating them in your blog. This way, your Donors won’t be left hanging…
• Think small, medium, and large
  $5, $10, $25, $50, and $100 are generally the most popular Reward amounts. However, don’t hesitate to throw in a $250, $500, and even $1,000 for those bigger budget backers. Keep in mind, that a healthy range of donation amounts enable anyone and everyone to contribute regardless of their wallet size.

Don’t underestimate the power of “rewards”. A great crowdfunding project that offers desirable rewards can significantly increase the volume of donations you receive. Keep these tips in mind, be creative and don’t forget to include the benefits involved when you create your video pitch!

Raise more money with our new Promo Tools!

As you all know, we recently opened our doors to anybody who needs to raise money to fund a project, idea or dream. To help you reach your donation goal, we added an awesome feature to help you promote your page.

Introducing SPOT—a brand new set of tools located inside your MicroGiving account that will help you promote yourself to friends and family across the web.

So what is SPOT?
SPOT is the place inside your MicroGiving account where you go to manage the promotion of your profile. Basically, it will help you generate awareness for your fundraiser and lead people to your profile where they can learn about your cause and make donations.

Why do we need SPOT?
Creating a fundraising page is only the first step to your success. Raising the money you need requires actively promoting your fundraising page to others. This entails a lot of work. We take the work load off by making it easy for you to push your message out to the right people. The SPOT system is designed to help you solicit the support of your contacts by directing them to your page where they can learn more about your cause and make donations.

Don’t let your fundraising page stagnate. Use SPOT promotional tools to help you spread the word about your cause.

How does it work?
SPOT offers six helpful tools to make promoting your cause a heck of a lot easier:

1. 1. Personalized widget to display on your social networks, blog or website.
   A widget is a little doo-dad that displays a snip-it of your fundraising page (such as your image and a brief description of your fundraiser). You can publish this widget on any of your social networks, blog or website. Anyone who clicks on your personalized widget will be taken straight to your fundraising page where they can learn more about your fundraiser and make a donation to your cause.

1. Contact manager to easily import and export your email list.
   This tool helps you gather all your email contacts straight from your email service, such as Gmail, Hotmail and AOL among others. Group your contacts according to the message you want to send them. For example, you may wish to send a special message to your family, and a different message to friends and acquaintances.

1. Friendly, automatic messages sent directly to your contact list to keep friends and family updated.
   Keeping your supporters “in the loop” is essential. SPOT enables you to create personalized messages to send to friends and family periodically. With SPOT’s message system you can easily manage your communication schedule to keep your contacts updated.

1. 4. Convenient calendar and reminder system to help you manage your fundraiser efficiently.

Use SPOT’s calendar system to organize your fundraising campaign. For example, schedule a specific day and time to send automatic messages to supporters. Or set personal task reminders.

1. 5. Monitor your Project.
   Using our Insight tools, see how people are viewing your fundraising page. SPOT enables you to see which social networks, website or blogs are driving the most traffic to your profile.

1. 6. Awesome tips and training guides to help you attract more donors and reach your donation goal

Want to learn more about successful marketing? We give you everything you need to know in a series of helpful training guides. Learn how to be a Fundraising Guru and raise more money for your cause.

Wow, SPOT sounds great. What else can I do to improve my fundraising page?
1. Make sure you have a video.
Projects with videos are more successful than those without. Video is a chance to show your personality and capture your supporter’s interest in a personal and engaging way. Check out 5 Tips for Shooting Better Video.

2. Keep your message simple and clear.
Most people don’t have endless amounts of time to spend learning about your fundraiser. Keep your message simple. Tell us 1) Who you are, 2) What you are trying to do 3) How much you need to make it happen, and 4) What are the benefits to people who support your cause

3. Promote! Promote! Promote!
Success and the amount of money you raise is directly related to the amount of effort you put into promoting your cause. Use a combination of online and offline promoting to get the best results.
Offline promotion, involves telling your friends and family when you seem them. This is your chance to convey your passion and enthusiasm in a more personal and engaging way. Hand out flyers, or post them in your office break room. Hand write letters to your friends. Get creative!

Online promotion entails emailing and reaching out to your social networks on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Myspace.

• Email

Email is one of the best ways to inform your immediate friends and networks about your fundraiser. Keep the tone informal and friendly. Avoid ALL CAPS. This is often perceived as rude. And only send emails to people you know or have permission to contact. Unsolicited emails are considered spam.

• Social Networks
  Social networks are the best place to promote your fundraiser. Use the social buttons on your profile to share your fundraising page with friends and family on your social networks. Post updates announcing the launch of your fundraiser, and keep friends and family aware of your progress by posting updates periodically.

4. Keep your Project page ‘alive’
Getting people to your Project page is a great start. Keep the Project feeling ‘alive’ by posting regular updates on your Blog. Let your audience know how the Project is progressing and any interesting news you may have to share. Even a simple ‘thanks’ to all your Donors makes a great update, and lets us know you are still there working away and thinking of us. People are more likely to donate to Projects that appear to have an active body working towards realizing its goals.

5. Give back
Successful promotion always involves an exchange. Although your mom will donate regardless, most people will want to know what’s in it for them. Offering good rewards is a great way to give back to your Donors. Makes sure your Reward tier is arranged to offer small, medium, and large rewards. Small rewards, in particular, encourage everybody to get involved, as all donations will get something in return. Also, try to match the Reward to the donation amount. Ask yourself, would I pay $500 for a copy of  a book? If the answer is no, you should probably offer a better Reward.

Use our new SPOT promotion tools in combination with these tips to get the most out of your Project’s promotion. Remember to divide your time between online and offline tactics, keeping in mind all the channels available to you. This will ensure a steady stream of potential Donors to your page and surprising results with your fundraising efforts.

Don’t have a fundraising page? What are you waiting for? Get started and raise the money you need to fund your next project, idea, or dream.

5 Tips for Shooting Better Video

You launched a project on MicroGiving. It’s awesome. You’ve waited for donations to pour in. And waited. You’re still waiting…

You may realize by now that posting an awesome project isn’t enough. An awesome project needs an awesome video.

A compelling video is the best way to tell your story to your viewers. Projects with videos tend to be more successful than those without. Here are some tips to help you make a video that really “sells” your story to your friends, family and fans…

1. Equipment

Camera

You don’t need a High Definition (HD) camera to make a good video. If you have an ordinary web cam, use that. If you have a regular digital camera, the video function will work well too. Here are some tips to help you transfer video from your camcorder to your PC computer using a firewire cable. Mac users can bypass firewire transfer altogether via the built-in camera that comes standard with Mac computers.

Sound

Sound is essential. What good is a video if your audience can’t hear you clearly? If you’re using your laptop to record, try to get a microphone with a USB that you can simply plug in. If you’re using a video camera, see if you can get a wired microphone that you can discreetly clip onto your shirt collar.

When you record, make sure you are in a place that is free of noises and echoes. Also take note of any background noises we usually ignore, such as street traffic, lawn mowers, rumbling A/C units, barking dogs and even birds. You’ll be amazed at what your sound recording will pick up. Do your best to remove as much excess noise by choosing the right location and turning off anything that could be in conflict. All of these noises can steal your audience’s attention—distracting people from your message.

Light

Lighting is the most important part of filming. The best HD camera won’t do your video justice if the lighting is poor. An atmosphere that is properly lighted can make an amateur video camera twinkle! Here’s some lighting tips:

1. Always shoot during the day, even if you are shooting indoors
2. Test the picture and move lights around accordingly – try to get light from the front and from the sides
3. Use whatever you can – windows, desk lamps, mirrors
4. Lay thin, white tissue paper over any light sources that need diffusing, such as naked light bulbs (being wary of fire hazards, of course)
5. Make sure to get light reflecting from your eyes, this alone can make all the difference in bringing the picture to life

2.  Planning

This may seem like an obvious one, but failing to plan will guarantee a video that is unfocussed and loses your viewers’ attention quickly. Take just 10 minutes to think through your project and how to convey the most important parts to your audience in a concise way. Although every project is different, here are some tips that will help you during the planning stage:

• Convey your emotions and be sincere.
  People are moved more by a human face and a real story than anything else. Instead of reading a script, try to cover some general points. The end result will be far more natural and compelling.
• Keep it simple.
  Don’t get caught up telling us your life story or every detail about your project. Tell your audience the essentials…
  • Who are you?
  • What is your project about?
  • How much do you need to make it happen? And what will you use the funds for?
  • What’s in it for your supporters?
  • The first 20 seconds of your video is the most important!
    You may have a bit of material to cover, but try to put the punchiest bits at the beginning. The first 20 seconds will determine whether people continue watching through to the end. Don’t leave us hanging. Capture our attention from the start.
  • Location, location.
    Whilst shooting from your bedroom is entirely acceptable, take a quick look at what will show up in the background. Your audience may not take you seriously if you grace them with a clear shot of your long johns strewn over your lava lamp.

3. Recording

Recording is often the hardest part. Don’t expect to run through your whole script in one go. You will almost certainly have to take the best clips and piece them together. But don’t worry, again, this will lend a more natural and “real” feel to your video.

4. Editing

The best videos are no longer than 2 minutes. However, you may have an hour worth of footage to sort through. Cut out the fluff. Stick to your plan (the who, what, how much and what’s in it for your audience).

5. Encoding

This does not have to be as complicated as it seems. The two main things are format and data rate:

1. The format – Basically, if you are using a PC, choose WMV as your format. If you are using a Mac, choose H.264 (also known as MP4).

2. The Data Rate (also known as bit rate) – If your footage is low quality or Standard Definition (SD), start at 1500 or 2000 kilobits per second respectively (also known as kbits/sec and kbps). If its HD (high definition), choose 5000 kbps. Depending on your video editor, it might display this information in megabits. For example, Instead of 2000 kbps it will say 2.0 mbps; instead of 1500 kbps, it will say 1.5 mbps. You get the idea.

The list of tips and advice for shooting video is endless, but there is no need to feel overwhelmed. The most important thing is that you try to get a video for your project. Focus on this, and you will guarantee a much better response from your viewers that will ultimately translate into donations.

Small Businesses Use Creativity to Give to Charity

As it is difficult for businesses to give to charity in the current economy, small businesses and entrepreneurs are turning to more creative avenues to accomplish their charitable efforts. From working with business partners to increase their impact, to supporting employee volunteer efforts, small business owners are changing the way in which they donate to charity.

Tight Cash Flows Provide New Opportunities to Give

Employers such as Gumas Advertising, Gentle Giant, Amnet and Idea Marketing may be feeling the strain of the economic climate, but these companies are still working to help take care of their communities and philanthropic causes. Rather than step away from charitable giving, they are using other avenues to help meet the needs of charitable resources. Some of these ideas not only benefit the way in which the employer can give to charity, but they benefit the charity as well.

For instance, Amnet used a charity golf sponsorship to continue support of the local Humane Society, while providing entertainment for its clients.

As another example, Idea Marketing not only provided the creative material for a campaign by Mi Casa Resource Center in Denver, it also used its business clout to negotiate a print and bulk mail discount for Mi Casa.

Gentle Giant, a moving company, used business downtime as a result of the economy to provide logistical services to Partners in Health, an organization that provides medical services to the poor. While providing those services, Gentle Giant was able to strike business relationships with those donating the medical supplies.

Helping People Affect Positive Change in the Lives of Others

Rather than stop charitable giving during tough economic times, these entrepreneurs seek creative ways to accomplish their cause. We at Microgiving.com greatly admire their spirit of genuine kindness and persistance, and in turn, we also seek to work with individuals across communities to creatively meet the needs of the less fortunate.  If you would like to donate online and give to charity, or can personally benefit from charitable assistance, please visit our website.

MicroGiving Introduces New Crowdfunding Functionality

Greetings MicroGivers,

Many of you have probably noticed a few changes around the MicroGiving site. We’ve been working feverishly behind the scenes to implement an exciting new crowdfunding functionality which will add tremendous value for our members.

For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of “crowd funding“– it’s very similar to MicroGiving’s existing model: it’s a way to raise money through the support of people who pool their money together to fund a project, cause, idea or need; the difference being that “perks” or “rewards” are often offered as a way to incentivize people to support your cause.

Effective today, MicroGiving now enables anyone and everyone to raise money through our platform via crowdfunding– artists, musicians, film makers, developers, designers, dreamers, believers, idealists, inventors, entrepreneurs, non-profits, charities and people struggling through an economic hardship such as a loss of housing, medical emergency or natural disaster.

Here’s how it works:

Anyone can sign up and choose from one of three basic Request types:

• Personal Project – anything from a creative idea, entrepreneurial endeavor, wish or dream– such as a personal documentary or film, music album, world travel, small biz startup, shiny red car, whatever you want!
• Charity Fundraiser – anything that provides a social benefit to others, or betters the community in some way such as a neighborhood or park cleanup effort, sponsorship to run a marathon for cancer, or supplies to aid a disaster relief program.
• Financial Emergency – anything that qualifies as a “need” based, economic hardship such as a loss of housing, loss of job, or urgent medical need.

Here’s how our new platform differs from the old:

1. Personal Project recipients can offer their supporters rewards which include sample products, merchandise, signed memorabilia, name recognition in credits, shout-outs, sponsorship placement on website, etc. Rewards are presented in tiers—or a ladder system that increases in value for every incremental donation amount. In other words—the bigger the donation, the greater the reward!
2. A percent of every dollar that a Donor gives to a “Personal Project” is deposited into that recipient’s “Giving Bank”. Once the recipient’s request has expired, he or she can use that money to give to a Charity or Financial Emergency individual of choice on the MicroGiving site.
3. No more Verification stars. Previously we required everyone to send us Supporting Documents to prove their need. We no longer require these docs, however we still accept Supporting Docs and will continue to verify the people on our site as a service to help Recipients prove their authenticity without revealing their personal information to the world wide web. To see a list of the type of Supporting Documents we use to verify people in need, click here.

Note: Recipients are encouraged to send us some form of documentation to prove their need. Recipients who do not send us documentation will see a “Not Verified” sign on their profile page. Additionally, Donors will be receive a warning message anytime they attempt to make a donation to a Recipient who has not provided us with ample Supporting Documents.   Be sure to look for these signs on a Recipient’s profile before you make a donation to anyone you do not know personally:

In addition to the crowdfunding system, you may have also noticed  new social buttons on your profile. This enables you to promote your page easily to friends and family on some of the major social networks like Facebook and via email. We hope this will encourage you to spread the word about your cause and raise more money for yourself!

That sums it up for now. If you have any questions, comments, or even tips that will improve your experience with MicroGiving… feel free to share them with us here!

Kindest regards,

April Stewart
Managing Director

Citizens-Care.org Empowers Communities to Help through Giving Circles

We like to recognize other organizations in the micro philanthropy sector that share the same mission and vision as MicroGiving.

Citizens Care is a Canadian based non-profit that unites giving circles dedicated to assisting people in need in the lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Individuals help by pooling resources and donating to those locally in need of assistance along with providing referrals of people in need within their community. Citizens-Care.org provides an efficient way for communities in Canada to cooperatively select local individuals, families and groups to which they will donate time, funds or other resources.

MicroGiving and Citizens Care share the philosophy that “a small amount can make a big difference”.  Together our mission is to:

1. Empower more people to help individuals and families in need by providing an easy online platform that assists those who cannot pay for basic goods, needs or services themselves.
2. Personalize the experience of giving by enabling individuals to give directly to people in need, with no middle man.

If you are a Canadian national in need of assistance, or a Canadian based donor interested in joining a giving circle in your community to support people in need– please visit Citizens-Care.org.

Special thanks to Citizens Care and Ted Caine for reaching out, and for their team’s commitment and compassion to serving people in need.

Mardi Gras Party!

Micro Giving Foundation Mystery Mardi Gras Party Masquerade

Celebrate Mardi Gras 2010 with MicroGiving! That’s right, the Micro Giving Foundation is throwing it’s first Mardi Gras party hosted by SFVIPs and in partnership with LivingFLA… and you’re invited!

MicroGiving’s Mystery Mardi Gras Masquerade party will be held February, 20th 2010 at a “mystery”, underground venue in Boca Raton. Kind of like an old school rave where you didn’t know until the day before! Yip yip yehaw! The venue and exact location of MicroGiving’s Mardi Gras party will be disclosed the night before on February 19th, 2010.

Join us for a night of Mardi Gras party Mayhem benefitting The Micro Giving Foundation. Tickets include FULL OPEN BAR for 3 hours, appetizers, DJ & dancing, casino tables, billiards, foosball and loads of Mardi Gras party fun! But act fast, the Mardi Gras party mystery venue is limited to 150 people, so reserve NOW!

Check out MicroGiving’s event page to learn more and purchase your Mardi Gras party tickets

See you there!

April Stewart
The MicroGiving Team

Charity Spotlight: The APS Foundation of America

APS Sydrome

In the recent passing of our dear friend Jason Strauss, MicroGiving would like to recognize a fantastic organization dedicated to the support, education and awareness of Lupus and related APS syndrome

The APS Foundation of America, Inc. is the only United States nonprofit health agency solely dedicated to bringing national awareness to Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS), the major cause of multiple miscarriages, thrombosis, young strokes and heart attacks.

1. In layman’s terms, what exactly is APS?

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is a blood clotting disorder (thrombosis) related to lupus. Thrombosis blocks the arteries and veins and can cause major complications in pregnancy such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or preterm delivery. APS is also referred to as Hugh’s Syndrome.

2. What does the APS Foundation of America support?

We educate the public– facilitating the latest information about APS and drawing national focus to an afflictive disease which is often overlooked. We also provide emotional support, medical council and suggest resources for individuals and families to turn to in time of need.

3. Roughly how many individuals and families are affected by Antiphospholipid Syndrome?

An estimated 1 – 5% has APS syndrome, or roughly 1 million people. APS is a major concern among women; roughly 75 – 90% of those affected by APS are female. Among those who are affected by Lupus, 40 – 50% of patients also have APS (most of which are not aware).

4. What are some of the symptoms associated with APS Syndrome?

The most common effects of APS  are blood clots which lead to miscarriages, DVT, strokes and heart attacks.

5. What is the APS Foundation of America’s vision for the next 5-10 years?

Our goal is to bring national attention to APS as a common factor in multiple miscarriages, thrombosis, young strokes and heart attacks.  This awareness is vital in order to bring a joint effort to research, funding, early detection, and eventually, prevention and cure for APS.

6. Can you share any accomplishments The APS Foundation has achieved?

We declared June as APS Awareness month (the date of our inauguration) and received recognition across 20 different states including Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (to name a few). We were also spotlighted on the Discovery Health Channel’s show ‘Mystery Diagnosis: Falling through the Cracks’. The show is now also aired on TLC. You can download the document on Itunes.

The APS Foundation of America is a volunteer run, community based, 501(c)3 non-profit Public Charity dedicated to fostering and facilitating joint efforts in the areas of education, support, public awareness, research and patient services for APS syndrome. To learn more about the APS Foundation of America, visit www.apsfa.org

Friday Update: Payment System Notice

Hey guys, hope you’re ready for a great weekend! So here’s the inside scoop…

Our payment system has been down for some time now (in case you haven’t heard). Originally, we were using Paypal to process donations made on our site. However, PayPal didn’t fancy us facilitating money on behalf of third parties. Conclusively, we are no longer able to use PayPal. In an effort to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, we applied to every money processor left, right and center including Google Checkout and PaySimple to name a few. Unfortunately, they closed the door in our face too!

As a temporary solution, we will accept checks made out to The MicroGiving Foundation and issue payouts immediately upon Donor request. We’re are continually working on a resolution, if you’ve got any suggestion feel free to drop us a message to support.

We promise to have this sorted as quickly as possible. Thanks for your understanding =)

Sincerely,

April Jasmine
The MicroGiving Team

MicroGiving’s August Newsletter

Hello wonderful members, it’s time to dish out this month’s newsletter! It’s been a tedious month for us, as we’ve been working hard to improve our site. We’ve been fixing a few glitches in our system, but we’re still going strong!!! In this edition we’re proud to feature:

• Member Spotlight
• Featured Quotes
• Local Charity In The News
• Advice To Make The Most Of MicroGiving

Member Spotlight

This month MicroGiving would like to feature one of our fantastic recipients– Dina Jacobs, who joined our community in December. She’s played an active role in our community for which we’d like to thank Dina.

1. How do you feel about being a part of the MicroGiving community?

   So far everyone has been very friendly and helpful. I enjoy being a part of a situation that is not only about receiving, but giving as well.

2. How do the other members make you feel?

   Have they offered you emotional support or ideas to help you raise funds on your own?It’s nice to know that I am not the only one trying to keep my head above water during these hard economic times. I have felt supported by the Microgiving community every step of the way.

3. If you had a friend in a similar situation as yours, would you recommend MicroGiving? Why or why not?

   Yes, definitely! I believe everyone deserves a chance to reach their financial goals no matter how big or small, and Microgiving offers an opportunity to attain such goals.

Thanks, Dina!

Featured Quotes From Our Members

“Since Finding MG I was able to keep my car and finish out the semester. Not only did this site help me financially but emotionally when my Mother was in the hospital and I was scared of losing her. The support the members gave me kept me sane and gave me hope I made a promise to give back as soon as I am on my feet. I will keep that promise and am excited to help someone as MG has helped me.” -Erica

“MicroGiving gave my family hope when we least expected it– the people are caring and compassionate. MicroGiving is more than an extra hand, it’s an emotional refuge!” -Linda

“Thank you MicroGiving for helping me with the gift of site! If not for the generosity of the members of MicroGiving, I would not have been able to get my eye exam!  I’ve also signed up as a donor and have been able to help in very tiny amounts! God willing, I will be able to help out more in the near future! I am still fairly new to your site but I’m starting to feel like it is “home”. I have some friendships that are starting to grow!” -Tammy Lynne

“Life felt unbearable until I found MicroGiving. I felt lost and nowhere to turn, but MicroGiving helped me get through a rough time in life. Strangers reached out and helped me just when I needed it the most.” -David

Charity In The News

Helping Hands, a non-profit charity, located right around the corner from MicroGiving’s headquarters recently experienced a damaging fire. The fire is suspected to be an act of arson. Reports that the fire started in a clothing closet and witnesses report having observed an unidentified vehicle parked close by which disappeared after the fire. However suspicions have yet to be confirmed by authorities and the investigation continues.

Hats off to our local community who responded immediately and donated 10 computers and workstations to assist Helping Hands, and the support of St. Andrews School who came to their side to clean up the mess after the fire.

MicroGiving would like to recognize Helping Hands and encourage our members to lend a “hand” in whatever way you can.

Advice To Make The Most Of Microgiving

To make the most of our fundraising tool, we encourage you to get out there and network with your friends and family. Don’t sit back and expect the world to know you exist… introduce yourself and voice your cause! The internet is the most effective place to get your message across to a large volume of people.  Take advantage of the powerful voice of social media to spread news about your cause!

That’s it for August. Looking forward to a new month and new opportunities to show the world we care!

Yours truly,
The MicroGiving Team

Send us your stories

MicroGiving is always looking for fresh inspiration! Got a success story you’d like to share? Has a particular person on the MicroGiving site made you feel special? Do you know of anyone in your community doing something cool to make a difference? Email support@microgiving.com and tell us!

Tell a friend!

If you love MicroGiving, the best way to support us is by spreading the word! Tell your friends, family and community about us. Display MicroGiving’s banner on your Myspace and Facebook profile. Don’t have a MicroGiving banner? Email support@microgiving.com and we’ll gladly give you one! Interested in learning more about ways you can support our mission? Contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

Funtastic Friday Updates!

Hello fantastic members,

A few friendly updates! We’re pleased to announce a few exciting initiatives to take place in the coming weeks ahead of us. Firstly, our team has been working on optimizing our website to increase our visibility in search engines. As of right now, we’re not ranking when people search for charities in engines like Google and Yahoo. Our expert team is making improvements to increase our position so that more people will find us. What does that mean exactly? Well, exposure in search engines will bring more traffic to our community!

Also, the development team has improved our internal search system so that all Level 3 Recipients are displayed first.  Previously, when Donors searched for Recipients they came across a good number of blank or incomplete profiles. Many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to complete your profile and send us your supporting documents for verification.

Regarding payouts, we are still issuing checks to those of you who have asked to withdraw your donations. We encourage you to make sure your mailing address is correct. If you have recently changed your address, you can change this information from your account settings. We are still toiling away at getting a new system in place. Please know we are working very hard and our team has put in many late hours to resolve a new system.

Lastly, the MicroGiving team wants you to know…we care about you and our community very much. We’re working hard to improve your experience with MicroGiving. If you ever have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email… we’d love to hear from you =)

Cheers!

The MicroGiving Team

Funtastic Friday Updates

Happy Friday everyone! Just a few updates to finish off the week! First, the development team has been working on a few exciting design changes. In an effort to improve your experience, our team has pinpointed a few areas that will make it easier for you to navigate and use the site. If anyone has any suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Your voice makes it a heck of a lot easier for us to identify ways we can improve, so don’t be shy!

Some of you have voiced difficulty in posting pictures on their profile. To upload a photo, simply go to the [Profile] tab located in your account, and click on the [My Media] tab. There you will see the option to upload your picture from a folder stored on your computer. Don’t forget to check the box next to each image that is labeled [share] so other can see your pictures.

Also, for those of you who have recently joined our community… don’t forget to send in your supporting documents. In order to verify your request, you need to send us proof that your need is in fact legit! If you have questions about your supporting documents you can always shoot us a message at support! Or check out our helpful FAQ section.

That’s all kids, have a great weekend =)

Funtastic Friday Updates

Happy Friday everyone! Just touching base regarding a few things in our community:

Firstly, we’d like to thank all of you who have responded to our profile tips. We’re noticing that many of you are posting pictures, updating your biographies, changing your headlines and completing your requests! Nice turn around peoples, nice! Our site is slowly coming together with your help. By ensuring that your profile is completed, you help us make our site more appealing to newcomers.

Secondly, you may notice that every month we feature three new members on our home page. We choose these guys specifically because they’ve done an excellent job on their profile and detailing a clear and to-the-point Request. If you’d like to see yourself on the front page of MicroGiving – make sure that you send in your supporting docs, that your documents support the Request you make, upload a nice, smiling mug shot of yourself (or your family if you prefer), include lots of great pictures in your photo album, complete your bios, and be sure to include a catchy headline!

Thirdly, we’d like to congratulate Rayhawk one last time. Rayhawk is our latest addition to the MicroGiving Team. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read our Newsletter posted last Wednesday – Rayhawk is our Official Community Leader. You can go to Rayhawk with questions, concerns, or any suggestions that you have. We’re very pleased to have her officially aboard =)

Fourthly, we realize some of you are having difficulty knowing what to send us regarding your supporting docs. All we need are items that can prove your need is legit! For example, if you have a medical expense… send us a letter from your doctor verifying your medical need. If your roof is leaking, send us pictures of the damage. Everything you need to know is detailed in our FAQ section, which we encourage you to read. To learn more about the kinds of documents to send us, check out our FAQ!

Last, we’re putting together a testimonials page. If you’d like to be included drop us a message at support and tell us why you love MicroGiving!

That’s it for now… have a smashing weekend, but don’t get too wild and crazy!

MicroGiving’s August News

Hello MicroGivers,

Welcome to the August edition of MicroGiving’s smashing newsletter delivered fresh and piping hot monthly. Here’s a quick update to keep you posted on some exciting highlights:

1. MicroGiving Welcomes New Members
2. Newest Addition To The MicroGiving Team
3. Stories In The News
4. Member Concerns
5. Tips For Success

1. MicroGiving Welcomes New Members

This month MicroGiving experienced an influx of new members joining our community. We’ve noticed a lot of friendly chatter and warm welcomes buzzing around. The MicroGiving Team would like to thank our community members for your kind and friendly involvement in our community. During these hard economic times, a few words of encouragement towards someone hurting can go a long way!

2. Newest Addition To The MicroGiving Team

MicroGiving is proud to introduce our Official Community Leader. Congratulations to Becky Raymond (aka. Rayhawk), as she will be joining the MicroGiving Team moving forward! We decided to bring Becky on board with us for several reasons. Firstly, Becky has been the backbone behind many of the communications with our Recipients. She’s incredibly informational and resourceful, and has kept our community together in that capacity. Moreover, Becky is an exceedingly hard worker, quickly responsive to communications, efficient in her work and has a heart the size of MicroGiving! If you have any questions or concerns, Becky is the go to gal!

3. Stories In The News

For your entertainment, we thought we’d share a cool story we came across in the news:

Larry “Curly” Haubner, a 107 year old man nearly lost his home until the kindness of strangers came to his rescue. Larry has lived through many exciting times, however on his 107th birthday he outlived his savings and could no longer afford to continue paying for his assisted living facility. If not for the kindness of caring people, Larry would have been homeless. A local campaign came to Haubner’s aid and raised over $56,000 in donations. Contributions ranged from as little as $2 to over $1,200. Mark Ellmore, a candidate running for U.S. Congressman in Virginia’s 8th District stated praised the generosity of people who came to Haubner’s rescue despite present economic difficulties. To read the full story click here.

4. Member Concerns

Many of you have voiced concerns regarding your Supporting Documents. Why is it that MicroGiving requires all Recipients to mail in their Support Docs, rather than email or fax? Isn’t email or fax quicker and more efficient for all of us?

This is something we have struggled with for some time now. Obviously, scanning and faxing the documents is a lot easier than mail them for both the recipient and the MicroGiving Team. The problem was many recipients were having trouble scanning them, posting too much information as well, and sending us illegible and blurry documents that we could not read. In short, they made the site look bad and only hurt recipients.

As far as faxing documents to the team – while it seems convenient for everyone, it caused more problems than solutions. Again we ran into the problem of illegible documents. Recipients were faxing blurry docs that we could not identify properly. Moreover, many Recipients claimed they were sending more than we received and blaming us for “losing” their documents where we never received them in the first place.

In short, all of the above caused many headaches for the team, didn’t help verify anyone’s cause and took up way too much time. We were spending so much time on documents that we weren’t able to focus on what was important – promoting MicroGiving and reaching out to more donors!

5. Tips For Success

Over the years, we’ve found that many new members who join the community are a bit lost when it comes to ”packaging” their profile into an award-winning promotional piece! So we put together a list of tips and advice to help you improve your profile and increase your chances of reaching your fundraising goal.

The most common mistake that many make is simply failing to upload a nice photograph. Pictures really are worth a thousand words! We’ve found that Recipients who have a nice picture of themself and/or their family are generally more successful. The fact is, you only have a few seconds to capture a Donors attention on the internet so its important that you put your best foot forward! This starts with a great picture. Make sure the picture you post is a clear and visible shot of yourself and/or your family. The best profile pictures are heartfelt and communicate the personal side of you. Remember, first impressions are imperative to success!

How To Reduce Your Electricity Bill

Electricity is one utility we often take for granted and it’s one bill that tends to keep rising! However, it’s actually easy to reduce electric costs. It’s more of a behavioral modification than anything. Learning to use manual tools in place of electric tools is a matter of asking “how did they do this before homes had electricity?”. The fact is, people managed quite well before homes were equipped with the amenities we take for granted. Even today many live willingly without electricity and get along just fine. Here are some tips to help you save on unnecessary electricity expenses:

• Box up electric items you don’t absolutely need like can openers, blenders, etc
• Turn your water heater on low – this can save a lot of money at the end of the day
• Use oil lamps or candles more often. Candles make for a great atmospheric dinner!
• If possible, invest in motion sensing switches or light bulbs to ensure lights are not on longer than they need to be
• Line dry your clothes outside. If you live in an apartment I suggest getting a clothes rack and drying them in your bath tub
• Tell your teenage daughter to spend less time in the bathroom blow drying her hair!
• Program your thermostat to run at intervals, or turn off when you are away at work. According to energystar.gov you could save yourself around $180 per year
• Keep your air conditioning filters clean as dirt and dust can prevent proper air flow
• Switch your light bulbs. Changing to a 19-watt CFL bulb can save you $30 a year (energystar.gov)
• Close your curtains to keep the sunlight from heating up your room
• Unplug electrical gadgets in your house when not in use such as your microwave, toaster, and even cell phone charger. These items consume energy and generate heat even when they are not being used

As we all struggle to make ends meet these days, cutting the cost of your electricity will free up some much needed money! What do you do to cut costs around the house?

Special thanks to Becky (aka. Rayhawk) for contributing this post!