While scanning the news this week for reports of Goodness in Action, we saw a flurry of stories profiling social entrepreneurs and volunteers of surprising ages. With nearly 100 years separating the youngest and oldest, these pioneers prove that doing good knows no age boundary. At BiddingForGood, we love celebrating social entrepreneurship, so in this week’s round-up, we’ll share the stories of these entrepreneurs, starting with the youngest.
9 years
With a motto of “doing good and having fun,” Kent Melville gets what social entrepreneurship is all about. The autistic 9-year-old grew his summer lemonade stand into Kent’s Soda with a goal of giving back to other children with autism. As reported in the Huffington Post, Kent has help from his parents in running the business but remains closely involved the operation. He chooses the soda flavors himself, which include a robust offering of root beer, orange, lemonade, raspberry limeade, grape, strawberry and cream soda. Kent is also developing marketing plans, which include a giant root beer volcano - he is clearly living up to his business motto.
Millennials
At the fourth annual Kairos Summit, 350 student entrepreneurs pitched business ideas to 150 executives and political leaders at the New York Stock Exchange. MSBNC reported that a number of these students emphasized that their goal as entrepreneurs was not just to make money, but to make an impact as well. The report highlighted a student right in our own backyard – a senior at Northeastern University – who founded Jola Venture to market solar food dehydrators in Africa, allowing farmers to better preserve and market their crops.
Boomers
This week, The Today Show profiled boomer Jenny Bowen who started Half the Sky Foundation, a non-profit intent on transforming the way China cares for its orphaned children. With no background in business or Chinese language skills, this former screenwriter and filmmaker drew from her personal experience of adopting a baby girl from China and felt compelled to make a difference. Today, Half The Sky has 1,800 staff members in 51 Chinese cities, training every child welfare worker in China and building the official government website for the child welfare system.
105
NBC Miami this week profiled local hospital volunteer Dorrie Aber Noyek on her 105th birthday. Noyek has been volunteering at the hospital for 38 years and shows no signs of slowing down. She says, “Volunteering has been important to me as long as I can remember. I feel I want to give back. I think I’m very fortunate, very lucky, very blessed.” Perhaps doing good holds the key to longevity.
This week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy released its list of the 50 Most Generous Donors in 2011. It’s an awe-inspiring list with a total of $10.4 billion given in 2011, a more than three-fold increase from the previous year. We are encouraged to see charitable giving on the rise and hope the trend continues across all income levels. At BiddingForGood, we celebrate charitable giving from big to small and applaud the honorees on this year’s list for their accomplishments in philanthropy. In this week’s round up, we’ll highlight the top 5 names from the list and share their stories.
1. Margaret A. Cargill
Forbes points out that while 47 of the 50 honorees on this year’s list are men, a woman earned the top spot. The late Margaret A. Cargill, an agribusiness heiress, left a $6 billion bequest to two foundations: The Anne Ray Charitable Trust and Margaret A. Cargill Foundation which support the arts, the environment, disaster relief, and other causes. We are proud to see a woman philanthropist recognized at the head of the list but Ms. Cargill may have been more modest about her accomplishments. According to the Chronicle, Ms. Cargill was “quiet donor who loathed public recognition for her largess.”
2. William S. Dietrich II
The late William S. Dietrich II was a steel executive who died in October 2011. He left $500 million to the Dietrich Foundation, which will largely support more than a dozen Pittsburgh and other western Pennsylvania nonprofits. Several universities with close ties to Mr. Dietrich will also benefit including Thiel College, the Greenville, Pa. institution where his parents had met; Princeton University, where Mr. Dietrich earned his bachelor’s degree; and Carnegie Mellon, where he had served as a trustee since 1997.
3. Paul G. Allen
Microsoft’s co-founder Paul G. Allen, 59, earned a spot on the list for the tenth consecutive year. In 2011, Mr. Allen donated $372.6 million which included a $295 million gift to endow his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and $70 million to the Allen Institute for Brain Science to support neuroscience and genomics-research programs. Mr. Allen also made a $7.6 million contribution to Seattle’s Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum.
4. George Soros
According to the Chronicle, Mr. Soros is chairman of Soros Fund Management, a New York firm that manages hedge funds. Mr. Soros, 81, gave $335-million to his Open Society Foundations which support the development of democratic institutions throughout Central and Eastern Europe and in the Soviet Union. Other awards were made to support the Institute for New Economic Thinking; Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., for its public-policy institute; and the Young Men’s Initiative. This is Soros’ sixth year on the list.
5. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Mr. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, founded the Bloomberg financial-data and news-service company. This is his eight year on the philanthropy 50 list. Forbes notes that Mayor Bloomberg, 69, donated $311.3 million in 2011 to 1,185 different nonprofits that support the arts, human services, public affairs, and other causes. That’s more than three nonprofits a day over the course of the year!
For more fun facts about this year’s list of the most generous Americans, click here to see an infographic from the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
We’ve got football on the brain this week as our hometown team – the New England Patriots – heads to the Super Bowl. With discussion of the big game dominating everything from media coverage to office water cooler conversation, we thought we’d put our own Goodness in Action spin on it. In this week’s round-up, we’ll take a step back to examine some feel-good charitable stories related to the Big Game.
QB Memorabilia
The Boston Herald reports that a Tom Brady jersey (worn but not signed) has “racked up a $26,620 bid in the Super Bowl XLVI’s NFL memorabilia benefit auction,” which benefits NFL Charities. Reportedly, an autographed helmet worn by Eli Manning in 2008 when the Giants won the Big Game is only going for $5,500. No matter your team preference or which item scores the highest bid, I think we can all agree that these QBs are using their star power for a noble cause.
Super Baskets of Hope
The Super Baskets of Hope project was started in 1995 by the parents of a young girl who had cancer. Now the project’s hard-working volunteers have created about 7,000 gift baskets for hospitalized children in the NFL's 32 cities. On Monday, nearly 1,000 volunteers assembled baskets with items that offer children inspiration, entertainment, and hope. NFL players, coaches, and regional volunteers are delivering the baskets to children in hospitals nationwide. The Indianapolis Star reports it is the first project by a Super Bowl host city to reach across the country.
Blood Donor Wins Tickets
According to the Chicago Tribune, an Indiana woman who became a regular blood donor to repay the units used by her late husband has won a pair of Super Bowl tickets because of her generosity. The Indiana Blood Center hosted the Super Bowl ticket giveaway to encourage more people to become blood donors. The well-deserving recipient of the tickets won for donating blood at least four times in three months.
Remembering MHK
Myra Kraft, the wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, lost her battle with cancer before the start of the football season, but her charitable legacy is anything but lost. The Patriots dedicated their season to the late philanthropist, wearing a patch with her initials, MHK, on their uniforms. The Nonprofit Quarterly takes pause to remember how MHK rolled up her sleeves to make an impact. “Aside from raising money for numerous educational initiatives through the Kraft Foundation, Myra Kraft also served as the first female chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and was the national chair for the United Jewish Communities General Assembly. She served on the boards of directors at the Boston Foundation, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Brandeis University, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American Repertory Theatre.”
Have you heard of any other Super Bowl stories focused on philanthropy? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.
Celebrities and politicians dominate the news this time of year. With awards season underway and the Republican presidential campaigns in full swing, we thought we’d take a look at what some of the boldface names in Hollywood and in D.C. are up to in the world of philanthropy for our weekly round up.
Mitt Romney
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney released his tax returns this week to much fanfare. While much focus was placed on his income level and tax rate, TIME magazine’s Dan Kadlec takes pause noting that Romney’s “charitable giving is extraordinary.” Kadlec believes, and argues in his new book, A New Purpose, that tax payments and charitable giving are closely related. He says, “With tax dollars, the government decides who and how to help. With charitable dollars, you decide. But it’s all for the greater good.” Romney donated roughly 15% of his income to charity last year. We may not all be able to follow suit and match his percentage, but giving within your own means is a message that resonates broadly.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt landed on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter this week promoting his upcoming Make It Right charity event being held in New Orleans on March 10. The event will raise funds to “build sustainable, affordable homes for New Orleans’ families who lost everything to Hurricane Katrina.” Make it Right also works to provide sustainable housing in Newark, NJ and Kansas City, MO for disabled veterans and disadvantaged communities. The star-studded gala will be hosted by Pitt and Ellen DeGeneres with performances by Rihanna, Sheryl Crow, the Neville Brothers and Seal. Guests include Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Spike Lee, Blake Lively, Bennett Miller and Djimon Hounsou.
Kim Kardashian
Kim K is making headlines in a good way this week for her $50,000 donation to The Trevor Project, a LGBT suicide prevention program. The Huffington Post notes Kardashian has been very generous lately auctioning off personal items online and donating some of the proceeds to charity. Back in November following the end of her short-lived marriage, Kardashian donated the value of her wedding gifts (reportedly $200,000) to the Dream Foundation, which grants wishes to adults facing life-threatening illnesses.
What other boldface name charitable endeavors have you seen in the headlines this week?
For more on celebrities and their good work, check out our friends at Look to the Stars.
As many of our readers know, BiddingForGood has been traveling the country to talk to nonprofits about mobile bidding. These seminars have been successful, as well as educational. Our recent Boston event was standing room only, with 200 nonprofit professionals engaged and armed with hours of questions how to incorporate mobile into their events.
It appears we are not alone. I recently came across a company called MobileCause and decided to reach out to them. I wanted to learn exactly what it is they do and how they view the world of nonprofits and mobile technology. They are a for-profit company with a mission to raise as much funds as possible for nonprofits. Sound familiar?
So what exactly does MobileCause do? The company empowers the nonprofit community with mobile giving, engagement, and CRM technology. The current MobileCause suite of services includes tools for Mobile Giving, Mobile Pledging, Mobile Polling, and Mobile Messaging.
During my call with Jeremy Koenig, Director of Marketing for MobileCause, I learned something interesting. I learned that their staff is similar to BiddingForGood’s staff; extremely dedicated and willing to go the extra mile for their mission.
I asked Jeremy why he thinks more nonprofit professionals are opening up to the world of mobile. His response is this: “The world has gone mobile and nonprofit leadership across the country is taking action to cultivate relationships with donors in new and effective ways.” He adds, “More nonprofits than ever before are using mobile tools to increase fundraising revenues and strengthen donor relationships.”
Jeremy is onto something here. In the history of BiddingForGood helping nonprofits raise funds with technology, never have we seen the level of engagement or the excitement that surrounds mobile. In a time where charitable giving is still at one of the lowest points in history and the need is greater than ever, nonprofits are warming up to the idea of change. Implementing new technology is becoming a part of their survival. Literally.
The stats surrounding mobile are astounding. Jeremy stated, “There are now more cell phones than personal computers and with email rates in sharp decline. “He adds, “Think about how many more cell phone calls and voicemails you received 5 years ago compared to today—and then compare that amount to the number of messages, images, links and videos you receive via your mobile phone."
For all the nonprofits out there that are thinking that they just aren’t ready for mobile yet (we hear this a lot), let me tell you: the time is now. The ratio of smart phones to standard cell phones is on the rise—which provides ever-increasing opportunity for mobile communication, mobile donation fulfillment, and yes, mobile bidding!
I chose to highlight MobileCause as a representative of "Goodness In Action” for two reasons. One, they are relevant in our space and prove how important mobile technology has become. Two, their staff is 100% dedicated to the nonprofit community and each MobileCause employee has experience with nonprofit causes in various sectors. (Again, sound familiar?)
At the end of the day, it is the power of great companies who use technology for social good that really makes a difference. There are strong technological trend lines for nonprofits these days. One day it is software, the next day it is mobile. I don’t know what is next, but I am happy to know that there are social entrepreneurs and tech geeks that do!
Want to learn more about MobileCause fundraising and engagement tools for nonprofits? Go to www.mobilecause.com/mobile-giving.html to learn more. You can also check out their portfolio of nonprofit causes from all sectors at www.mobilecause.com/blog.
This week we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and remembered his work as an early champion of social consciousness. With the New Year in full swing, 2012 is showing promise as THE year of socially conscious shopping and business. We’ve collected a few stories for you here in our weekly round up that demonstrate the consumer and corporate mind-shift toward social consciousness.
A recent study mentioned in AOL Daily Finance revealed that “87% of American consumers surveyed believe businesses need to place at least as much weight on society's interests as they do on business interests.” We couldn’t agree more and are embracing the idea of Creating Shared Value for the emphasis it places on the connections between causes and companies. This concept digs deeper than CSR and challenges companies to be inherently good. At BiddingForGood, we just learned this week that each of our employees has personally raised almost $738,000 for good causes over the last year. Talk about inherent goodness!
Smartphones have changed the way we consume content so it makes sense that charities are increasingly their emphasis on mobile initiatives in 2012. In a blog post on Huffington Post, Gingerbread, the U.K.’s national charity for single parents, discussed their decision to harness mobile technology in order to reach more single-parent families. Smart charities and fundraisers are getting smartphone-friendly for 2012. Could mobile push social consciousness into mainstream? We think so and are excited to get our own In-Room Mobile Bidding started.
The final article we’d like to share this week speaks to social consciousness at the highest level – the White House. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, President Obama this week appointed a former nonprofit leader, Cecilia Muñoz, to be his top domestic-policy adviser. The article states that Ms. Muñoz will oversee the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, the White House unit that has the most contact with nonprofit leaders. Congratulations to Ms. Muñoz, and we look forward to seeing your work promoting innovative social projects to advance social consciousness.
I’m very excited to introduce the first post in our ‘Getting to Know… video blog series. I wanted to have an opportunity to sit down with a BiddingForGood employee to get to know them better both professionally and personally. So recently I interviewed Lisa Besteni, our Vice President of Operations.
As you will see she is smart and really funny. Personally, after being on multiple projects together, Lisa is a great person to work with. She brings fun energy, knowledge and a calm demeanor into the B4G universe. She is also a favorite of many around the office to chat, have lunch, or grab a drink with.
Many thanks to Lisa for being so open and willing to answer all of my questions. I hope it was conveyed how integral Lisa is to the BiddingForGood team. Look for more video interviews from other B4G employees in the near future! And if you want to see Lisa and the rest of the team in our recent holiday video, check it out here.
It's not all about the money or is it? How often have you listened to the people in your life talk about how they're looking for meaningful work? They want to live their life with purpose. They want to find meaning in their job as well as in the rest of their life. There are many professions that offer tangible rewards every day, tangible ways of having impact, of making a difference. There are the healthcare professions. It must feel meaningful to save people's lives everyday, right? There are a host of professions that fit that bill.
But how many of us can say that we have personally raised almost $738,000 dollars for good causes in one year? No, really. $738,000! You may be thinking... well... development professionals in large organizations do that all the time. But how many people who are web designers, or client services representatives, or accountants, or software programmers can say that. Let's think for a minute about what $738,000 buys in a world full of need.
It would feed 61 families of 4 people for an entire year. It would feed and care for almost 400 dogs for one year. It would fund 15 special education teachers for a year. If I think back to my time running a professional theater company, $738,000 would fund our entire educational outreach program for several years.
That is some kind of impact and it feels great! At BiddingForGood, the clients we serve are all phenomenally committed to the organizations they serve. The nonprofit sector is filled with people who do "meaningful work." That is one of the reasons that our company is so proud and happy to be working with so many nonprofits. We are all making a massive difference in the world - each and every one of us.
So the next time you are listening to someone lament the fact that their work has no meaning, tell them to take a little time out of their life and go volunteer at some local nonprofit that is making a big difference. The need is there and so is the reward. Here's to us all finding meaningful work in 2012.
In last week’s round-up of news, we told you about one blogger’s prediction that mobile auctions would really take off in 2012. In several stories we came across this week, it seems that it’s not just mobile auctions, but also mobile giving in general that is really gaining steam. A report hot off the presses from the Pew Research Center found that charitable donations from mobile phones have grown more common in recent years and that these contributions are often spur-of-the-moment decisions that spread virally through social networks.
The report studied the “Text to Haiti” campaign, which took shape after the devastating 2010 earthquake. It found that 64 percent of American adults now use text messaging, and 9 percent have texted a charitable donation from their mobile phone. Three quarters of the “Text Haiti” donors (73 percent) contributed using their phones on the same day they heard about the campaign, and a similar number (76 percent) say that they typically make text message donations without conducting much in-depth research. We think the mobile giving space is certainly growing and making it easier and more convenient to contribute to worthy causes.
But sometimes, it's not just about making it easier to donate to charities, it’s remembering to do it! The next article we wanted to share is from The Next Web and it details a new app called “Instead” that will give you that reminder. Once the application is downloaded and you configure your desired settings, it will remind you to make a donation when you are making a purchase. If you were at Starbucks for instance, you would get a reminder that instead of spending $4 on a coffee you can make a donation of the same amount to an organization you care about. We thought this was a really interesting concept that makes giving-on-the-go a reality.
The last story we want to share is from MediaPost and it was written by our own Perry Allison. It talks about ways brands can work with non-profits to grow their affluent base. Perry thinks the most important first step is finding the right non-profit to work with. She says it is critical to find an organization that has a social media presence and has run an online auction. She says that the brands that partner with these non-profits will attract increased visibility because their auction items are open up for bids from a wider audience, not just people confined to one room at a gala or live event.
We agree with Perry, and think that by partnering with the right non-profit you will not only benefit from the sponsorship attribution and media exposure for your contribution but you’ll also be doing well by doing good. And that is putting goodness in action.
Working at BiddingForGood, I have the luxury of being part of "all things good" everyday. It is part of my job description (how cool is that?). Today in our company wide meeting, BiddingForGood CEO, Jon Carson informed us that each BiddingForGood employee was responsible for raising $738,000 for non-profits across the country in 2011 alone! This made me feel good and got me to think about other companies that will allow you to feel just as good!
I did some research and came across the Taproot Foundation. Taproot Foundation is a nonprofit organization that makes business talent available to organizations working to improve society. The foundation provides access to the “luxury” of business services that are not ordinarily financially available to them in the areas of marketing, human resources, strategic management, design, or information technology. The result of the services obtained can have a huge impact on how these nonprofits can increase their efficiencies and their reach to multiply the good of the work they do in their communities.
Most organizations tackling social problems don’t have access to the marketing, design, technology, management or strategic planning resources they need to succeed. Without this talent, few are able to have their intended impact on critical issues like the environment, health and education.
Taproot engages the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono services both through their award-winning programs and by partnering with companies to develop their pro bono programs. Their vision is to one day having organizations with promising solutions to be equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges. Their mission is to lead, mobilize and engage professionals in pro bono service that drives social change.
The Taproot Foundation is always on the lookout for professionals to help. Typically, a project will take about 6 months to complete and require a personal time contribution of about 3-5 hours a week. If you are interested in starting your new year with some goodness by offering your professional services, please apply here.
Are you a nonprofit in need of pro bono services? Apply here.
Either way, it is all about creating philanthropic shared value.