Living Philanthropic • Year 2 Plan: Give Back

Year 2 Plan: Give Back

“One person can make a difference and every person should try.” - JFK

Going into the home stretch on my first full year of Living Philanthropic, it feels pretty amazing. I set out on a mission and the sense of accomplishment is starting to swell. I am so thankful for all the support and kind words that I have received. I am also thankful for some of the experiences I’ve been able to have, especially my service trip with Foundation Escalera and had the best birthday ever raising over $2,100 for LiveStrong in memory of those we’ve lost to cancer. I’ve received alot of questions about what’s next? What happens on day 366? I’ve given it a lot of thought, I originally wanted to start a social giving site, but there are so many great ones out there already, that I felt it would be more beneficial to endorse their work than become their competition.

The idea of giving back is not a new idea, it’s not my idea, it’s been around for as long as compassionate people have been around. So, my big give for Year 2 is to give the idea back to YOU. Living Philanthropic is not Carlo, it’s not a brand, it’s a simple way of life and it belongs to all of us. So, I am inviting you to join me for Year 2 to start a movement for ourselves and the world around us.

What’s the plan?: For my part, I will be selecting 12 charities for the next year, starting in April 2011. One featured charity a month, you may see some of my past favorites as well as some newbies. Each month, I will be saving my daily donations (at least $1 a day) and donating that money in one lump sum to featured charity of the month. My hopes are to increase the impact and exposure for the featured charity.

Take the pledge!: If you would like to join me or if you have already started your own mission of giving, why not take the Living Philanthropic pledge? Pledge to take the Living Philanthropic challenge! You can choose your level of commitment and path. I will be creating a page with links to everyone Living Philanthropic.

Tally it up!: After you’ve made your contributions whether time or money, be sure to add your give to the Living Philanthropic total, so we can keep track of our impact! Add your give to the tally here!

Blog with Me!: I want to blog with you! Anytime during Year 2, if you make a donation to a featured charity of the month and would like to write a post about it. I invite you to Contribute a post to Living Philanthropic! You can write anything you want, talk about why you decided to donate or share a personal story relating to the featured organization. My favorite part of year one has been hearing from you, so I want to share as many of your stories with everyone else as much as possible.

Give Every Day. Give Every Week. Give Every Month. : If giving every day is too daunting or stressful for you, dial it down for your comfort level, try giving every week or giving every month.

Donate a Dollar. : Here are some great sites where you can donate just a dollar: Tipping Bucket, Vonate, Philanthropr

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at livingphilanthropic(at)gmail(dot)com