The first Give to the Max Day is a giving stimulus plan created to increase giving to nonprofits based in Minnesota on November 17.  The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation have committed $500,000 in matching contributions to support community needs and to cover transaction fees so that 100% of all donations go to the nonprofit organizations.

Max your contribution to Cheerful Givers by making an online donation on Nov. 17. Go to giveMN.org and click on Cheerful Givers.

When does Give to the Max Day begin and end?
Give to the Max Day is from 8:00 a.m. on November 17, 2009 until 8:00 a.m. on November 18, 2009. The match will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. on November 17 until matching funds ($500,000) are exhausted.

Who can participate in Give to the Max Day?

Any individual may donate. Donations through GiveMN.org to nonprofit organizations are tax deductible and irrevocable (donations will not be refunded). Making a donation during the Give to the Max Day period does not guarantee matching funds. Donations will be matched until the match pool of dollars is depleted. Only contributions to Minnesota-based nonprofits through GiveMN will be matched. Contributions may be made via credit card only.

What organizations are eligible to receive funds?
Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations listed on GiveMN are eligible to receive matching funds. All organizations listed on GuideStar are listed on GiveMN

How much of the donation will go to the nonprofit?
GiveMN funding partners will cover all transaction fees (Network for Good credit card fee rate is 4.75%) to ensure that 100% of the donations go to the nonprofit organization.

Is there a fee to participate?
There is no fee for an organization to participate in Give to the Max Day.

Is there a minimum donation?
The minimum credit card donation on GiveMN is $10.

Is there a maximum donation?
There is no maximum donation limit on GiveMN.

Is there a limit to the amount an organization can receive on Give the Max Day?
There is no maximum to the amount an organization may receive.

Is there a maximum match amount?
Individual contributions are eligible to be matched .50 cents to the $1.00 up to a maximum of $2,500 per transaction on the first $1 million dollars donated on GiveMN. For example, if Ima Giver donates $2,500, the organization receives $1,250 in match money for Ima’s gift. If she raises her gift to $10,000, the organization’s total in match money from Ima’s gift is still $1,250. If Ima donates to another organization, the same rules apply.

How will donors and organizations know if the matching funds have been depleted?
A message will be posted on the GiveMN home page to alert users when $1 million dollars has been raised. In the spirit of Give to the Max Day, we hope that donors will donate throughout the day regardless of the matching funds status.

How will an organization know who has donated to them?
Organizations that have registered with GiveMN or Razoo can track donations in real time online.  Organizations also will receive donor acknowledgement information with their Network for Good check, unless the donor has requested that their gift remain anonymous.

By Kate Smith

The Robert Lewis House is one of the local women’s shelters that receive Cheerful Givers birthday bags for the children that stay there. This month, however, we are shifting the focus from birthdays to Thanksgiving and learning a little bit about how the Robert Lewis House residents celebrate during this special holiday.

The activities that take place on Thanksgiving all depend on how many people are at the shelter that day, according to Support Worker, Sexual Assault Advocate and Safe at Home Application Assistant, Kelli.  

“A lot of times the women go to their families’ houses,” she explained. “But the staff will try to make some type of dinner or help residents cook dinner if anyone is there.”

Kelli recalled a memorable experience cooking a Thanksgiving dinner together with one resident who did not have anyone to visit on Thanksgiving, as her abuser had isolated her from her family. “She was so thankful to have someone help her even though I didn’t know how to cook! She was laughing and teaching me what to do. It was great having that one-on-one interaction and knowing we were making her holiday a little better.”

In addition to the staff helping to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for residents, Kelli stated that sometimes various volunteer groups come in to cook a meal for the residents as well. If you are interested in volunteering this Thanksgiving at the Robert Lewis House in Eagan, visit their website at www.communityactioncouncil.org.

Realizing he needed help, he turned to his friend Max about whom he says “My friend Max has a true servants’ heart and has been kind enough to come along on the deliveries and loan me his truck. There have been a couple of times as we drive and talk, that the reality of what we are doing hits us. We realize we are not just delivering a gigantic load of toys. We are helping deliver birthday bags that go to kids who otherwise wouldn’t get a birthday present.”

Joe also helped out recently at a Birthday Bag Blitz at the H.P. Fuller Company where employees filled 1,000 birthday bags, and he commented “ It is a pretty amazing  thought, when you stop and realize the impact the bags are having on those children. I think this is by far the most gratifying experience I’ve had; the fact that I’m a part of something bigger. I’m a part of an organization that is truly impacting the lives of children.”

In addition to volunteering for Cheerful Givers, Joe recently ran his first marathon which he said “was an incredible experience” and is involved with hockey Ministries. As part of his masters program, he is teaching public speaking in the under grad program and “absolutely loves it.”  In August, he married his best friend, Katie. As to the future, Joe says “Right now I’m  enjoying life, and letting the Lord lead me where he wants me.  I look forward to seeing where life goes, and where my time with Cheerful Givers takes me.”

Imagine how the simplest of gestures can make a big impact. That’s what the students at a Brooklyn Park work training program are experiencing. The group of teens, living with a variety of disabilities and special needs, has adopted Cheerful Givers as a community service project. The students regularly work together to assemble big colorful birthday bags, filled with toys, books, games and treats, for younger, disadvantaged children. The bags, complete with ribbons and handmade birthday cards, are then distributed to Second Harvest Heartland where parents in need can pick one up for their child’s birthday.

The students attend Intermediate District 287’s Vocational Evaluation and Training (VET) Northland program. “Our program partners with local businesses and nonprofits to provide our students with job training skills and a sense of teamwork that helps them work toward greater independence,” says Michelle Hald, work experience coordinator/program facilitator. “A number of years ago we began partnering with Cheerful Givers, to assemble the birthday bags, and it’s turned into a great project for our students. They are always excited to see how many we’re sending out.” The school is expecting to create nearly 25,000 bags by December, Michelle adds.

The work of the students is helping serve an important need in the community. There are thousands of children around us whose parents don’t have the resources to provide  a birthday gift, a tangible way of showing them how special they are. The students and staff at District 287’s VET Northland program are a big part of Cheerful Givers’ success and are to be commended for their hard work and big-hearted efforts.

Several on-line merchants, who have been generous in-kind donors, are now willing to support us further as well as offer some discounts for you when you make purchases from their websites.

Check out these sites for fun gift ideas:

• DelSol (www.delsol.com) – Great color-changing apparel and accessories – COOL stuff! You receive 10% off your purchase during the month of November, plus they’ll donate $3 to Cheerful Givers for every order received (coupon code: “GIVER”)
• A Glove Of Their Own (www.agloveoftheirown.com) -  A children’s book that is touching hearts across the nation. When ordering, choose Cheerful Givers on the drop-down menu, and $3.00 per book will be donated to Cheerful Givers
• Adams Animals (www.adamsanimals.com) – Adam and his mom sell the best pencil toppers, erasers and tiny toys on the planet! Adam will donate a percentage of the profits to Cheerful Givers until Dec. 10 (code: CGIVERS)
• Educational Toys Planet (www.edutoysplanet.com) –Their toys are designed to bring joy to children while enhancing their ability to think, analyze, and create. You get $5 off purchase (any promotional free shipping offer would apply), plus 10% of your order will be donated  to us (key code:  55123CHGV)
• Kangaroo Boo (http://www.kangarooboo.com/give/cheerfulgivers) – Unique, exceptional quality wooden toys, handmade and handcrafted toys and smart children’s products. We will receive 10% of each purchase
• LB Toys (www.lbtoys.com) – A wide selection of toys and games that will stimulate little minds and create hours of fun (no batteries required). 10% of every sale will be donated  (Charity code: CHEER)
• Paper Tiger Pro (www.papertigerpro.com) – Sports-themed activity books, coloring pages, posters and more. Special pricing applies AND $1 of each item purchased  will be donated; click on our logo on their home page for details
• Tattoos4Kids.com (www.tattoos4kids.com ) – A large selection of temporary tattoos, stickers and body art that kids love. You receive 10% off your order until December 22nd AND 10% of the purchase will be donated (coupon code: cheerful)

If you need assistance with any of these offers, please contact nancy@cheerfulgivers.org.

Special guests participating in the event were Brooke Kilgarriff, Miss Minnesota 2009 and Marianne Richmond, children’s book author.

Event sponsors inlcuded Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the Buscaglia Foundation. Gift bags are being donated to the Community Action Council, Eagan Resource Center as well as various shelters and food shelves in Minnesota.

Some Make A Difference Day activities (including ours) are featured in today’s USA Weekend insert in newspapers across the country.

After filling birthday bags, the kids were asked questions about birthdays.

Q:  Why is it important to remember a child on their birthday?
A:  If you didn’t have a birthday you wouldn’t know how old you were.

Q: What is the most important part of a birthday?
A: So your mom and dad can see how much you have grown and changed

Q: What is the true meaning of a birthday?
A: A birthday may mean that you have a new special person in your life

World Smile Day, held on the first Friday of October, is a day dedicated to “good cheer and good works.” The idea behind this special day stemmed from the creation of the smiley face icon in 1963, now one of the most recognized symbols in the word.

World Smile Day (on October 2nd this year) has a mission: Do an act of kindness – help one person smile.

Harvey Ball created the smiley face image in 1963 as a freelance art project meant to boost employee morale for the State Mutual Life Assurance Company. Harvey’s smile symbol was used on buttons, cards and posters. He later reported this drawing took him 10 minutes, and he was paid just over $200 for the entire campaign. The likeness of his image grew in popularity, and by 1971 the smiley face was the hottest selling image in the country. According to www.worldsmileday.com, an estimated “fifty million smiley buttons alone had been sold, and the image appeared on countless other products” World Smile Day was created by Harvey in 1999 to help facilitate the mission of giving back. Let’s all dedicate some time this month to spread good cheer and Cheerful Givers is one great way to give back!

Flickr photo by Olivander

While their husbands were busy winning the baseball game, MN Twins wives were busy filling birthday bags with toys they purchased earlier in the day. Many thanks to this giving group!
Read more about this event.