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