Everyday Giving Blog

Fundraising Is Alive in the Virtual World

I am not totally clueless about the virtual worlds that real people from around the world participate in. My son has fun playing in these worlds. Runescape is one that comes to mind that he and several of his friends spend time in. However, I am amazed and excited that fundraising for charities has become a real part of some of these virtual communities. Second Life has a virtual Relay for Life event that has raised real money for the American Cancer Society. There are several more charities that have benefited as well. Check out the article at http://www.onphilanthropy.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6643 to learn more.

Did You Miss Your Lawn and Landscaping Service on Monday?

Hundreds of lawn care and landscape professionals, industry suppliers and manufacturers swarmed the Arlington National Cemetery and the Historic Congressional Cemetery for a day. It was not an organized protest in Washington DC. They donated their time to improve the grounds of these National landmarks! Check out the details regarding this act of giving at http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/news/news.asp?ID=4550.

Huge numbers of visitors visit each of these locations. Just at Arlington National Cemetery,      more than four million people visit  every year. Many of these visitors are from other countries.

You may not think of lawn care and landscape companies making a difference by helping to improve the world. Their desire to voluntarily shut down their businesses for a day and give back in a way that directly influences how these National sites are seen by millions of people each year was nothing short of outstanding.

Want to Meet James Blunt in Person?

James Blunt is raising funds for charity by auctioning himself off on his North American tour. Read about it at http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=190112386&p=y9xyy3x9z.

Auctioning off personal dates or meetings has been a way some celebrities have been raising a significant amount of money for worthwhile causes. Hmm...I wonder how much I could raise for a lunch meeting? Don't answer that!

More Reasons to Give in August 2006

Have you exhausted your brain trying to come up with new reasons to do something for someone?  There are always reasons to do something for someone (if you need an excuse). Take advantage of these upcoming observances for August 2006:

• National Back To School Month
• International Clown Week - 1-7 August 2006 - http://www.internationalclownweek.org
• International Friendship Day - 6 August 2006 - http://www.friendship.com.au/friendday.html
• International Youth Day - 12 August 2006 - http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm
• International Left-Handers Day - 13 August 2006 - http://www.lefthandersday.com
• Be an Angel Day - 22 August 2006
• Kiss and Make Up Day - 25 August 2006
• National Dog Day - 26 August 2006 - http://www.nationaldogday.com
• Women's Equality Day - 26 August 2006 - http://www.nwhp.org
• Be Kind to Humankind Week - 25-31 August 2006 - http://www.bekindweek.org

Youth Group Gives Hope for the Future

I was doing some research on my computer this morning and discovered a blog that got my interest. It was by a Christian youth group that traveled to Washington DC this past week. They made the trip to help others in a variety of ways while also finding opportunities to share their faith. You can check out the "One Step Closer '06" blog at http://onestepcloser06.blogspot.com. Make sure you submit a comment of encouragement to them while you are reading their posts.

There are many other youth groups just like this team that are unselfishly giving their time for others. It is great we have parents, teachers and leaders that teach the importance of giving and encourage our youth to put it into practice. It was clear to me that this group of young people didn't take the time to help because their parents made them go. They were enthusiastic to go and do what they could for others they didn't even know.

Doesn't that give you hope for the future? Doesn't it encourage you to find other ways you can give to others? It should!

Get Creative to Raise Money for Charity

Many charities sponsor events to raise funding for their cause. Does this mean that you are limited to those events for raising funding for your favorite charity? You shouldn't be!

Raise funds in a creative way. Charities tend to organize similar events at the same time of the year. Because of that, they are competing even more with each other for people's time and money. Even the message regarding what the charity stands for can get diluted.

I had more than one person this past year tell me he or she was excited to be participating in the same walk I was supporting. After some discussion, we discovered he or she was actually supporting a different health-related walk that was occurring in the same city on the same day or month.

Why not do something creative and stand out from the others? I read about two events this morning that have received publicity outside their local area because the event was "different."

First, New Jersey state legislators held a harness race to raise funds for a number of charities. The 2006 New Jersey State Legislators Challenge was held on July 21 at the Meadowlands. Assemblyman Fred Scalera of Nutley, New Jersey was the winner of this exhibition race, but the real winners were the charities the money and publicity went to. Go to http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=40824 to read about the charity event.

Second, Mathew Topper got the idea to race back and forth across Edinburgh (he even wore a costume while doing it). Where were his destinations as he crisscrossed the city? They were the locations of a city-wide artistic cow exhibit called the CowParade! The National Museums of Scotland even stayed open until midnight to allow Mathew access. You can read about Mr. Topper's fundraising event at http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1066722006 and www.lemoos24.org.

Get your creative juices flowing. What do you enjoy doing that can be used to raise funds and awareness for your favorite cause? How can you use it in a way that your "event" will stand out from other events in your area?  Get permission from the charity if you use their name in promoting the event or while raising funds. Then, make it happen. You might just be surprised at the interest you generate from others by taking one of your ideas and acting on it.

Celebrities Can Make a Difference

Celebrities are sometimes viewed as greedy stars who are only out to make millions of dollars for themselves. For those who put their wealth to good use, I am glad they are making those millions of dollars each year. Many celebrities are getting more exposure than ever for donating some of their wealth to great causes.

However, donating their personal wealth is not the only thing celebrities are doing. It can take a celebrity to get the World's attention and support regarding serious needs.

An example is what Michael J. Fox is doing for Parkinson's disease. Much more attention to Parkinson's research has resulted from Michael's involvement. Both in the public eye as well as in the political arena. I have a long time friend that suffers from Parkinson's disease that I hope will benefit from the added attention. Go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research website at http://www.michaeljfox.org to learn more.

Another example recently occurred. Diane Lane had her hair cut off on national television for the purpose of donating her hair to a to a charity that gives wigs to women battling cancer. The result was a different kind of celebrity donation than we normally hear about and world-wide publicity about the cause and how others can get involved. Check out www.beautifullengths.com to learn more about this charity and Diane's gutsy donation.

The next time you hear about a celebrity reaping significant rewards for their work, first think about the potential they have to help the world. Many of them are making a difference by using their fame and wealth to help others and the world around us.

Volunteerism Publication Available

If your interests include the area of volunteerism, then you will want to check out the new professional journal entitled "The International Journal of Volunteer Administration." The first four issues of the journal in 2006-2007 will be available on-line for free. If you serve in some capacity in the global volunteer community, go to http://www.ijova.org to learn more about the journal and view the first issue that is already available.

Insurance Agency to Donate Half of Profits to Charity

A new insurance agency has recently been started that is going to donate 50% of the profits to charity. Go to http://www.courant.com/hc-goodworks.artjul15,0,7393991.story?coll=hc-headlines-home to read an article about this philanthrpic promise by GoodWorks Insurance. They are going to do it without adding any additional costs to the consumer. Will this start a trend? Maybe the gasoline companies will be next...

The Top 25 Most Generous Companies

The top 25 most charitable corporate foundations were announced this week at Forbes.com. The results You can view a slide show describing the level of giving for each at  http://www.forbes.com/leadership/citizenship/2006/07/10/leadership-corporate-citizenship-cx_intern_0711quietersidephilanthropy.html. You might want to consider this list in your decision when you are shopping for your next product or service.