Let’s win $25K for Waterkeeper!

Living Philanthropic’s featured charity for May is the Waterkeeper Alliance. Waterkeeper Alliance helps communities stand up for clean water and believe that clean water is a basic human right for everyone. 

To celebrate Earth Day, Groupon is giving $25K to the green charity that raises the most funds on Crowdrise. I would love to be able to get this needed support for Waterkeeper. If you would like to help, please join the team, spread the word, or make a donation. The contest ends on May 15th, 2012. 

Also, if you donate $10 or more to Waterkeeper on Crowdrise before May 8th, you will be entered to win an Eco bike from New Amsterdam Bikes!

Join the team and show your support here: http://www.crowdrise.com/lp-waterkeeper

Day 292: Greenpeace

I was looking at the other organizations that Groupon was fundraising for and was thinking how I can incorporate in my daily giving, I noticed Groupon was giving $15 credits to anyone who donated to Greenpeace. So I thought, well I will use that $15 credit (when it comes in April) to pay it forward to another charity, makes sense to me. 

Here’s how it works: Groupon is collecting donations from individuals to help Greenpeace save the whales. People can purchase a $15 Groupon to save the whales and when they do, Groupon matches that by giving the person $15 in Groupon credit. Once I get the $15 credit, I’m going to use it to donate to another charity on Groupon. 

Greenpeace wages a constant campaign of peaceful protest and communication to expose a global audience to environmental injustice and to find solutions for a safer future. Volunteers use non-violent confrontation to inspire informed public debate on topics such as global warming, deforestation, and toxic pollution.

Amount Donated: $15

To support Greenpeace, please visit: http://www.greenpeace.org or buy the Groupon and get $15 Groupon bucks to help another organization or treat yourself. 

Day 291: The Tibet Fund

During the Super Bowl there was a commercial for Groupon that has caused a lot controversy. It boldly makes light of the human crisis in Tibet, murder and human suffering is never something to make fun of, even if your intentions are good. I could have made better use of the 3 million + spent on that ad. But, the curious mind in me decided to dig deeper as to why Groupon would release an ad such as this. Here’s the reason why: http://savethemoney.groupon.com

Save the money is Groupon’s attempt to promote philanthropy and get back to their ThePoint.com roots, by encouraging users to make donations and have those donations matched by Groupon. 100% of the contributions go directly to the charitable organization.

While their method is insensitive and reeks of poor communication, I hope it provokes many people to dig deeper and make a contribution to the organizations Groupon is trying to raise money for. Instead of reacting negatively to a negative ad, I am opting to take positive action and donating to the Tibet Fund and making Groupon pay for their misstep and match my donation. I’m sure the apology is coming, but let’s focus on the positive action we can take to help these causes.

The Tibet Fund was founded in 1981 at a time when the international community had seemingly forgotten the people of Tibet, though they remained under Chinese occupation. In the early years of exile, the refugees’ survival depended on the generosity of the governments of India, Nepal and Bhutan, the UN High Commission for Refugees, foreign donor agencies, and the hard work, faith and tenacity of the refugees themselves.

Over the past 28 years, The Tibet Fund has worked closely with the Central Tibetan Administration to address the health, educational, cultural, economic and community development needs of the refugee community. While the Fund has steadily increased its program support to more than $5.5 million annually, the arrival of thousands of refugees each year is placing a severe strain on the existing settlement system. The Tibet Fund will continue to focus its efforts on strengthening the exile community, for it is here that Tibetan culture and national identity are being sustained.

Amount Donated: $15 (matched by Groupon)

To support The Tibet Fund, please visit: http://www.tibetfund.org or Donate Here and make Groupon match your donation!

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday!!

Thanks, Kiva Team! I appreciate the support. I love all that you do and what you make us capable of doing to empower the world. Go, Kiva!

***Friends, there are less than 3 days left to pick up at discounted KIVA loan from Groupon, check it out here. Makes an excellent stocking stuffer! Give the gift of giving!***

kivateam:

Carlo, one of our Kiva tumblr team members, was a staff pick!!

Congrats, Carlo!!!  You’re an amazing person and what you are doing this year is pure awesome.

If you aren’t following Carlo or know of his story, go check out his tumblr..everyday this year, he is donating to a different charity..everyday for 365 days.

You are a great inspiration to us all!  Thank you for what you do.

Try this at home: Gifts that Give Back

With all the craziness that is about to ensue on Black Friday, it’s important to remember the spirit of Thanksgiving and give thanks for all the small blessings in our lives. With this in mind, I thought about all the people Christmas shopping on Friday and wanted to put together a list of great gifts and buying ideas for your holiday gifting that will also benefit charities as well!

Because Charity is the New Black Friday.

Gifts for the Fashionably Conscious:

Rachel Roy, an up-and-coming Indian/Dutch-American designer, is selling a $20 tote to support flood relief in Pakistan. 100% proceeds go to UNICEF. You can read about it here and pre-order it here.  “Kindness is always fashionable.”

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we’re all about. The TOMS mission transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support. Browse the TOMS Catalog here.

Thorn Clothing Fashion sewing hope and battling illness by helping provide clean water to those in need. Every item provides clean water for a person for an entire year. Code word: BOGO gets you a FREE tee with purchase. Check out Thorn’s catalog here.

Gifting through the Gift Shop:

Many of your favorite charities may already have shops online, check them out for additional apparel and other great gifts that help support the organization. Some of my favorites include Charity:Water, To Write Love On Her Arms, Jane Goodall Institute, St. Jude Children’s Home, OneNOLA, War Child, F Cancer, WWF. Find yours or your loved ones and get them a great gift and give back at the same time.

Gifts for your Socially Conscious:

Holstee: is dedicated to eco-friendly design with a conscience. They hold every design accountable for the impact it has for on all people, our planet and the product’s quality. 10% of all Holstee revenue is used to empower entrepreneurs in the developing world through micro lending. To browse their eco-friendly catalog, click here.

Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Their stores generate income for thousands of artisans and their families in over 40 countries through fair trade. The Sunshine Hammock for $48 looks very welcoming, browse their store here.

Gifts for your Everyday Philanthropist:

Groupon Kiva Deal: Save $10 on a $25 Microloan Gift or Credit to Help Global Entrepreneurs through Kiva.org. Only 7 days left to get this deal, but this is a great way to give your little philanthropist a way to keep on giving. Kiva empowers the distribution of microloans to highly motivated, low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world and beyond, cultivating a universal community of humans connected through lending. Learn more about the Groupon deal here.

Heifer International: Give a gift of giving and help children and their families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant and help eliminate poverty and hunger. You can view the whole catalog of Heifer International gifts here.

Gifts you can eat:

Dancing Deer Baking Co: Traditional and homey. Includes a Dark Chocolate Sweet Home Project House Cookie, Deep Dark Gingerbread Cake and 18 Molasses Clove Cookies - our favorites! These cookies and cake are scratch baked and artfully packaged in a gift box. 35% of the price goes directly to help homeless mothers and their children fund educations, find jobs and move into homes of their own. Pick up yours here.

Aspire Coffeeworks: Each order helps create new jobs for people with disabilities at Aspire CoffeeWorks. This work includes grinding and packing freshly roasted coffee, as well as preparing gift baskets and orders for shipping. Aspire CoffeeWork’s staff work right alongside Metropolis Coffee’s team at our roasting facility, on the North Side of Chicago. Pick up a pound of inspiration here.

Shop online and Give back to charity at the same time:

iGive.com: SELECT your favorite cause (or add a new one). Register with iGive and SHOP at brand name online stores through the iGive Mall. A portion of each purchase is donated to your cause. SAVE money with exclusive coupons/free shipping deals. Plus, when you shop within 45 days of registering they’ll donate an extra $5 to your cause! For more information or to Select, Shop, Give, and Save, visit: iGive.com

Shop For Good:  Offers conscientious consumers a way to support their favorite charity/non-profit every time they shop online at no additional cost. With over 600 retail partners to choose from, ShopForGood.net donates a portion of the net sale of purchases to the user’s charity of choice. For more information, go to: ShopForGood.net

GoodShop: One more shop and give site. Every time you click over to one of the partner merchants from the GoodShop site and then make a purchase, your charity or school earns money. The more you shop, the more they make! 100% of the donation displayed on GoodShop goes to your designated nonprofit or school. For more information, go to: goodsearch.com

If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments section below.