Tag Archives: microphilanthropy

CharitySub.org — Simple. Collective. Giving.

3 Jan
2012

New subscription for giving, launching with Childhood Obesity in January.

BROOKLYN, NY, January 1st, 2012 — CharitySub.org, a brand new social enterprise for charitable giving launches this month. CharitySub brings the stories of causes and charities to life to inform givers on where to donate and how their donations make a difference. With their subscription for giving, individuals come together to collectively impact causes in need, $5 at a time. January’s featured launch cause is Childhood Obesity.

In developing the concept for CharitySub.org, the four co-founders wanted to address three specific areas: researching relevant causes in need, finding the relevant charities to donate to, and ensuring a meaningful donation through collective giving. In doing so, CharitySub takes the guesswork out of giving for their subscribers, making it fun and easy for everyone to make a difference as part of this great community of people improving the world.

How it works: Each month, CharitySub.org handpicks 3 non-profits that make a difference within that featured cause. Subscribers then select which of the 3 charities will receive their $5 donation. After each charity has put their donations to work, CharitySub will report back on the impact made by the collective community, bringing your contribution full circle.

The team’s belief is that by coming together to learn, give and share, their subscribers make a big impact on those in need. Even though each CharitySubscriber donates a small amount of money, the power of the collective will make a real change.

January Launch Cause — Childhood Obesity:
On the first of each month, a new cause will be featured to bring awareness to topics and issues that need our collective help. January’s launch will focus on the Childhood Obesity epidemic our country is currently facing. With 1 in 3 children falling within the overweight or obese categories, this may be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. By becoming a CharitySub member, you have the ability to learn about this cause and the 3 non-profits working hard to curb this epidemic.

About CharitySub.org
Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, CharitySub.org is an online social enterprise, established in October 2011. The organization officially launches on January 1st, 2012 with a focus on telling stories of causes and non-profits to bring awareness to those in need and drive educated giving, $5 at a time.

Contact:
Amy Vermeer Crews
Co-Founder/Director of Communications
(917) 287-0475
amy@charitysub.org
www.facebook.com/charitysub
@charitysub

Advertisement

Tags: , , , , , , ,

ioby Goes Guerrilla

15 Apr

On my way to work yesterday I spotted a sign near Penn Station that caught my eye. I recognized the logo immediately and knew it belonged to my friends at ioby (‘in our backyards’), so I forced my way back against the morning rush of commuter foot traffic to get a better look. The sign said “with ioby I could be..” with the blank filled in to say “a Farmer’s Market!” 

After doing some online digging and calling Erin Barnes, one of the co-founders of ioby (much easier than digging), I found out that this sign was part of a guerrilla effort carried out by ioby supporters, with the intention of encouraging people to ‘reimagine’ spaces they see in their communities, and that ioby can help those ideas become realities. Erin explained that “ioby is a move out of the environmental movement’s NIMBY past. ioby is all about saying, ‘This is my neighborhood and I want positive change right here. I’ve got an idea and I’m going to make it happen with my neighbors.”

The Reimagine signs were placed all over Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens (and maybe the Bronx and SI, but I couldn’t recognize the other boroughs in pictures). Each sign had it’s own message; some people imagined spaces could be community vineyards, murals, rooftop gardens, and more. You can check out all of the reimagined spaces on ioby’s Facebook page.

Sadly, this particular sign was already taken down by this morning, but it was cool while it lasted. As someone who works in advertising, I really appreciate the appropriateness of a grassroots marketing effort by a grassroots organization; getting creative, getting dirty, and going guerrilla.

~

ioby connects donors and volunteers to environmental projects in their neighborhoods to inspire new environmental knowledge and action in New York City. If you’ve got an idea about making your ‘backyard’ community a better place and want to make it happen, check out the ioby website to see how they can help.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Pando Projects: Service for the New Millennial

18 Feb
2011

I recently came across the website WhatGives?!, which is dedicated to spreading the good word about volunteerism, organizations, and causes, using social media to help raise awareness and funds for nonprofits. It’s teeming with useful information I love to read about and is now on the top of my bookmark list. More importantly (and relevant to this article), is that I read about Pando Projects for the first time. A new start-up based in New York City, it’s mission and platform immediately caught my attention and I needed to know more. Enter: Milena Arciszewski. Ask and you shall receive; I was able to get on the phone with Milena and learn more about Pando, and confirm that she is, in fact, as cool and candid as the voice she writes with on her site and blog.

Pando Projects is a nonprofit that “empowers people to step up as leaders and develop new, local solutions to the problems in their communities.” The Pando platform that was created will allow project leaders to create personal sites for their local causes to raise money, manage volunteers, organize events, and share their experience and results. As projects are completed, the leaders will become mentors to 5 more up-and-coming Pando Project leaders; with Pando as the catalyst, this is sure to become a chain reaction for change and create a true social network for good.

Though Pando Projects accepts applications from anyone over 18 years old, their primary demographic is Millennials: us young people born between 1980 and 1994. This includes Milena herself, who told me that our generation has big ambitions to change the world but we’re bored with what’s out there. Millennials don’t necessarily want the traditional volunteer experience, they want to create their own project and make change happen on their own terms. This is sure to harness the passionate energy of millennials not only to start their own projects, but also to donate to local projects to which they feel most connected. When I asked Milena about whether Pando Projects would serve mainly as an online platform or something that connects people in real life, she said that “Our platform definitely encourages off-line action. The idea is that we give Millennials the encouragement and tools they need to start amazing initiatives in their own communities.  But then they come home and share their experience on their website and then distribute the update through Facebook, email, and Twitter.  It’s offline action that’s documented through social media.”

I love the concept of Pando Projects, and I’m really happy that Milena chose New York City as her base of operations. In such a big city it’s easy for a lot of smaller, local community issues to go unnoticed and unfixed. Pando Projects is ready to empower New York’s ambitious Millennials to step up and fix the problems they see in their own backyards. I can’t wait to watch how this progresses as projects are successfully completed and the network of NYC do-gooders begins to grow through the mentorship program.

The pilot has officially begun- check out the inaugural projects by visiting http://pilot.pandoprojects.org. You can sign up to volunteer or make a donation on the individual project page you’re most passionate about (or more than one-they’re all pretty interesting!).

~

And if you’re wondering why it’s called the “Pando Project”: Pando is the name of the largest aspen forest in the U.S. whose trees are all connected with one root system. <<insert ‘The More Your Know’ jingle here>>

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,