Pitch Your Cause or Organization and Help Me Write My Next Blogher Post

I was assigned to write a piece for the Blogher Holiday guide for this Sunday.  My assignment:  Recommend 10 (or more) nonprofits or causes that people may consider as a holiday gift.   Now, I could go make a list, but I thought it would be such a richer list if you all helped me.  So, here's what you can do:

1.)  Recommend a charity and/or cause.
2.)  Describe what you think a contribution to this charity in someone's honor as a holiday gift would be an awesome gift.  In LESS than three sentences.
3.)  Include a link to the charity's web site
4.)  Extra bonus:  point me to a fantastic image (cc licensed) in flickr that can be used to illustrate the post.

My deadline is Sunday 3:00 PM EST.

DO NOT EMAIL ME.  IT WILL GET LOST.   LEAVE YOUR PITCH IN THE COMMENTS!

Comments

[Teresa Crawford]

A great holiday gift would be to support a Fellow for Peace from The Advocacy Project.

Peace Fellows are graduate students who work with our community based human rights partners around the world. The Fellows provide much needed energy, expertise and enthusiasm while being exposed to to the compelling, challenging, essential and often dangerous work done by campaigners for human rights and social justice. Fellows make use of blogging, social networking, photo and video sharing tools to build communities of support for their host organizations so donors can follow their work and directly share in the accomplishments of our partners.

website - www.advocacynet.org
sponsor a fellow program - http://www.advocacynet.org/page/fellowsponsorship

picture - http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/469921153/in/set-72157600276942270/
all our Flickr pics - http://www.flickr.com/photos/advocacy_project/

And you have prompted me to get AP to relicense their pictures. They defaulted to a closed copyright on all of them. Easy enough to remedy!

[Heather]

Hi Beth,

Love your blog! I'm an avid reader...(I'm always forwarding your emails everywhere)...They're full of tons of useful information.

Anyway, please go ahead and use any photos from the AP Flickr account that you want. We're in the process of switching them all to cc license. I'm not sure how that happened.

Thanks!

Heather

[Shannon Des Roches Rosa]

Hi Beth,

1) I am recommending my special education/social facilitation fundraising project, Can I Sit With You? (www.canisitwithyou.org)

2) Can I Sit With You? is an ongoing book and blog project that shares our schoolyard stories -- both good and bad -- to help current student feel less alone in their social bewilderment. All proceeds from the sale of the Can I Sit With You? book go directly to SEPTAR, the fledgling Special Education PTA of Redwood City (www.septar.org). Can I Sit With You? is co-edited by special needs parents Shannon Des Roches Rosa and Jennifer Byde Myers.

Expanded version of our plea letter available at:
http://canisitwithyou.blogspot.com/2007/11/personal-letter-promoting-can-i-sit.html

3) Support SEPTAR directly: http://www.septar.org/Fundraising.html#Direct
or by buying the Can I Sit With You? book: http://www.lulu.com/content/1466612

4) Here is our book cover:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/squidhead/2070048135/

And even though you didn't ask for this specifically: The project is near and dear to my online heart, because it happened with no money up front through free/shared/print-on-demand media (Blogger/OpenOffice/lulu.com), by volunteers recruited via blogs and email, and even though my partner Jen Myers and I are special needs parents with crazy lives, it took us less than two months from epiphany to publication to make this book a reality. I don't think enough NFP's know that this kind of "free" fundraiser project is now doable.

[Amy Sample Ward]

Hey Beth - I volunteer for an organization and have been trying to find ways to get them into the social media world. The catch is that because of their situation (501c3 status connected via a university), they can not receive any donations/fundraising except through the school. They can be seen elsewhere, but not get the money. I am having a hard time finding prominent places to put their information, like Causes on Facebook or Change.org where you can get around the fundraising part (even if it is just redirecting it, the avenues I have investigated have non-altering fundraising attributes). Any ideas?

[Kristin]

I'd like to recommend buying a GlobalGiving gift card (you can check out this organization at http://www.globalgiving.com). It's quick, it's easy, it's a fantastic way to help friends and family do something good during the holidays, and it has personal relevance to the recipient (they get to choose a project to fund that speaks to them). On top of all that, the gift cards are biodegradable!!

[Sarah Symons]

I recommend The Emancipation Network and MadeBySurvivors.com, where people can help survivors of human trafficking and slavery to rebuild their lives and to have sustainable income, education and hope. MadebySurvivors sells beautiful handicrafts and awesome gifts all made by survivors and people at very high risk for slavery. People can also make a donation to TEN charities, a 501c3 non profit, or sponsor a red light district child for school. Its so all good!

[Shaping Youth]

I'd say Shaping Youth.org, but that would be self-serving, oui, mon ami? Then again, media and marketing's impact on kids is HUGE and as I say when I'm speaking, "the price we pay to mine their childhood will ultimately cost us all."

But since I don't have my PayPal donor button even embedded properly waiting for the main site redesign, I'm going to go with the AGE OF CONVERSATION to benefit VARIETY, THE CHILDREN'S CHARITY. Why?

a.) Because 103 global marketing bloggers launching a social media philanthropy effort for kids without making a penny is news in itself and fits well with BlogHer's hub.

b.) Because nonprofits and for profits all benefit from the advice within the pages to create a 'shared' economy of conversation, collaboration, and participation. (new era, new media, new value)

c.) Because Variety, the Children's Charity has been helping kids globally since 1928, when a baby was found with a note pinned to it on Christmas Eve on a seat at the Sheridan Square Theater. Can't get much more pertinent for holiday hope than the gift of human beings caring for one another!

Here's a link/post with all the embedded info, http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=626

It's available on Amazon and on DEC.14, we're all going to blog our hearts out for the cause and see what we can raise for the kids by year's end! (e-book remains on lulu.com)

Great social media/gift that benefits children worldwide!

[Jonathon D. Colman]

1) The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre of Rainforest program

2) When you give someone the gift of an acre of rainforest in Costa Rica, you're helping to protect and restore one of the world's most extraordinary yet highly threatened regions now and for future generations. You're making a tangible, lasting difference for both people and nature.

3) Link to web site: http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adoptanacre_hgg

4) Here's three great photos on Flickr of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula that are CC-licensed:
- http://flickr.com/photos/dmason/491305493/
- http://flickr.com/photos/whappen/1337584290/
- http://flickr.com/photos/whappen/1337580112/

[PaulHyland]

RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

I went to NPowerDC's technology award ceremony last month, and saw a very moving presentation by RAINN. They operate the only national sexual assault hotline, and work with local rape crisis centers nationwide. They recently launched the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, and are in a push to increase the hours to 24/7 operation. This is a really great use of technology to reach a younger generation of victims who might be more comfortable in an IM session than a phone call.

http://www.rainn.org/

The Flickr photos aren't great:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherlin/tags/rainn/

But how about a MySpace Video?

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=22937067

You're Not Alone

Add to My Profile | More Videos

(embed code above just looks like links here; code also on MySpace page)

[Donna]

I'd like to nominate eBay Giving Works. It's not exactly ONE charity, but it's a way for all the holiday shoppers of the world to buy "stuff" at eBay where the seller is giving away a portion of his/her proceeds to a charity. A two-fer.

Here is a link to eBay">http://givingworks.ebay.com/">eBay Giving Works

and here is a link to an eBay logo on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10202447@N04/1022592122/

:)

[Kay]

Tooting my organization's horn again :)...I'd like to recommend a gift to Church World Service's Best Gift catalog - particularly in the Opportunities for Women section - https://secure.churchworldservice.org/catalog/display.php?category_id=44

CWS helps to fund so many worthwhile projects that provide opportunities for women to change their lives. Literacy training, micro credit loans, and many other seemingly small steps that make a big difference -

[John Frost]

1.) I recommend Give Kids The World for its great mission of fulfilling the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses and their excellent stewardship of their funds. They're rated 4-stars by Charity Navigator and have an administrative ratio of 7.0% (meaning for every dollar spent $0.93 goes to its mission).
2.) Give Kids The World is a non-profit, 70-acre resort that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. For more than 6,000 families each year, Give Kids The World provides a week-long dream vacation to Central Florida that includes accommodations, attractions tickets and meals, at no cost to them. With your gift, you share the joy of a dream come true for a child and help Give Kids The World fulfill its mission to never turn away a child in need.
3.) http://www.gktw.org
4.) This photo on Flickr is cc-licensed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gktw/2091821410/

Thank you for the chance to be included in your BlogHer Holiday Guide.

[flipthebucket]

Hi Beth,
I sent a pitch for Partners Relief and Development to your e-mail. I did a 2500km solo bike ride in Australia this year for the 5 Alive Campaign. Partners works among the Internally Displaced People in Eastern Burma. It is such an atrocious situation and it is so easy to help. Thankfully we don't have to deliver aid - two people died last year taking aid, support and to the IDPs from land mines and one was imprisoned by the Burmese Army and killed in imprisonment. Now his wife delivers aid for him.
Hope this helps.
I sent two e-mails because I wasn't happy with the first pitch.
Thanks again.
Love your blog.
Thanks again for your encouragement the other day.

[John Powers]

1. I recommend Life in Africa (LiA) for a present for that special someone.

2. LiA makes a great gift because it's not just a gift, it's an experience. There are many ways to connect with Life in Africa's war-affected communities in Uganda: shop for community-made gifts that make a difference, invest in the LiA community through a Kiva loan, help Ugandans plan projects online, or my favorite, give to help provide school fees for 200 orphans in LiA households. More than just a gift, LiA is an experience that makes Africa feel closer
http://LifeInAfrica.com/

3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinafrica/1355977961/

4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinafrica/504983684/

[Erica DeWolf]

Beth,

1. I am recommending a very local, traditional cause. My Father's House of Erie is a transitional house for women and children who have been victims of domestic, relationship, physical, or verbal abuse. This program has been around for about ten years. They have recently renovated a beautiful house in the Victorian style, which can hold up to six families.

2. My Father's House of Erie has everything in place to open this new house, with the exception of operational costs, which happens to be the most difficult type of funding to receive. Contributing to this organization would be an incredible way to make a difference in an organization which would otherwise not be able to help as many families as it has the physical capabilities to. For anybody who knows somebody who has suffered abuse, this would be a great way to donate in honor of that person.

3. Learn more about the organization here: http://mfherie.org
To donate via PayPal or mail, visit this site: http://mfherie.org/donations.html

4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastofnorth/38380422/

[flipthebucket]

Thanks for the e-mail to say no e-mail.
Here's the pitch.

Partners Relief and Development - Five Alive Campaign http://www.partnersworld.org/5alive.html

When Partners asked the Internally Displaced People of Eastern Burma what they needed to stay alive while they hid from the Burmese army, they named it: 75kg of rice, 5kg of salt, 1 cooking pot, 1 machete, 1 lighter, 1 plastic sheet for shelter. Five basic essentials that will help a family of five survive in jungle hiding for one month. Help a family of five stay alive.

Partners Relief and Development
http://www.partnersworld.org

Flickr CC photo of Mae La Refugee Camp where about 50 000 of the Internally Displaced have escaped to and currently live - Partners is linked to this camp by running health programs and schools.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackol/440538736/

[Sarah Symons]

I would like to add some pictures to my recommendation of The Emancipation Network and www.madebysurvivors.com:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8810882@N07/

[Sharon Ober]

Hi Beth,

1. I'm recommending the nonprofit where I've been a full-time volunteer for several months -- the Community Center of St Bernard.

2. St Bernard Parish was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and by the largest domestic residential oil spill in US history (Murphy Oil spill in Chalmette). Two years later only 39% of residents have been able to return, and many of them are still living in FEMA trailers, waiting and waiting for the help they were promised. Contributions to the Community Center of St Bernard will allow us to continue offering essential services like food
and clothes for low-income residents, free access to internet and phones, and community events that help restore a sense of hope and normalcy to these hurricane survivors.

3. www.ccstb.org

4.http://www.flickr.com/photos/21739224@N08/2096044509/ has a photo that is cc-licensed.

Thanks -- and it's really interesting reading the wide variety of causes that people have nominated!

[Becky]

Hi Beth,

Thanks so much for doing this! Here's my pitch!
Help us build a school for Tibetan girls that gives them a high quality education, gives them the same opportunities as boys, and prepares them for today's world with the best of modern western education and Tibetan values. After visiting Tibet and witnessing the dire conditions and systematic destruction of their culture, I realized how essential it is that we create places outside Tibet that support and cultivate their culture and spiritual beliefs. Young girls will enter this program, and be provided with a profoundly strong education that will serve them in the world, whether as an 'Ani' (the female equivalent to a monk), or as a secular citizen.

The first young nun for the school arrives:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaverpond/2095757277/in/set-72157603405799576/

Facebook Cause
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/6587?h=plw&recruiter_ id=2187943

Vikramasila Website http://www.paldensakya.org/

Network for Good Charity Badge
http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=105820

[Mike Podanoffsky]

1) I recommend the SP Foundation. They address a particular rare type of motor neuron disease known as HSP and PLS. PLS is a special long term form of Lou Gehrig disease (also known as ALS) that may well hold the key to unlocking this mystery. Why do some people get one and not the other.

They are an all-volunteer effort. Every dollar raised goes to fund research grants. Our goal is to raise $5 Million.

I read with great interest your use of social media and wonder whether it can be used to create a sustainable model for raising funds.

2) Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) are disorders largely unknown to the public which cause progressive weakness and spasticity in the muscles in the lower body which usually leads to complete disability. With no known public figure/celebrity spokesperson afflicted with either disease, the 24,000 Americans suffering from HSP/PLS have even less of a public platform. This began to change with the establishment in 2002 of the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF) whose all-volunteer effort raised over $1.5 million in five short years for critical research on these and related neuromuscular areas.

3) http://www.sp-foundation.org

4.) This photo on Flickr is cc-licensed: http://flickr.com/photos/34323117@N00/2097306546/in/pool-578524@N20/

Thank you for the chance to be included in your BlogHer Holiday Guide.

[Meron Moroz]

Hi Beth! This is a wonderful idea.

1. I would like to recommend The G.R.O. Foundation: Global Relief Outreach.

2. Think of how much change could be created if instead of a new sweater or CD we all were able to give a Holiday gift that meant survival for a starving family, or an education for an orphaned student. The G.R.O. Foundation has created the 2007 Gifts of Hope campaign in order to do just that; meaningful giving can bring hope, protection and security to the most vulnerable of our global family. The G.R.O. Foundation's Gifts of Hope have been created to initiate a revolution in giving – where every gift, no matter how significant, directly supports students and families in Lesotho, southern Africa that need it the most and so we can take back the season and make it one of true giving.

3. http://www.grofoundation.org/ (You can find the gift catalogue here.)

4. The picture thing has caused a delay in my submission. The founders of The G.R.O. Foundation (Jean & Jamie) are currently in South Korea teaching in order to pay off their student loans! but we are working on it and I'll get it to you right quick.

Happy Holidays!!!

[Meron Moroz]

Rats!!! I guess I should have paid attention to the time difference ... it is 3:00pm here on the wet/snowing coast. :D

[Meron Moroz]

Hi Beth,

Just in case I'm not too late here is the picture for The G.R.O. Foundation:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2317/2098887395_9c88c96a2a.jpg?v=0