@UniversalGiving
Filed under: Easy Ways to Give, Fun Ways to Give, Give to Children, Giving, Inspiring Young People, Leadership, Poverty, Social Change | Tags: change, children, commitment, community, environment, generosity, geography, giving in hard times, Inspiring Stories, service, take action
By Karis Ingram
I wasn’t always the most athletic kid growing up, but I did love to play. I remember not being able to wait for break in school, so that I could play handball, kickball or double dutch. Once the recess bell rang, I would race my friends to the playground to get first dibs on a ball. I lived for playing and having fun – it was my life. Playing sports and games helped me improve my health habits, and helped me develop socially, physically, and mentally. I can’t imagine what my childhood would have been like if I had to sit in a classroom all day long without being able to play.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where some kids don’t have this outlet. Many kids around the world do not have access to clean, safe playgrounds or the equipment necessary to play the games that I so looked forward to as a child. Because of this, too many children are not getting the proper exercise and play necessary for child development.
Fortunately, there are ordinary people, like you and me, who seek to change this. Like Trevor Slavick, founder of Little Feet Foundation, is working to create opportunities for kids around the world to have access to soccer balls and healthy play programs. Using the One for One business model, Little Feet Sports matches your purchase of a soccer ball by sending an additional ball to a child in need. For example, if I buy a soccer to try to become the next Mia Hamm (highly unlikely!), Little Feet will send a ball to an underprivileged child in need around the world.
Talk about giving back! This is such an amazing idea, why didn’t I think of it first?
In its first few years, Little Feet Foundation has already donated soccer balls to over 20 countries. They’ve also recently branched out from an online store and have added the sale of Little Feet soccer balls at the national chain store, Sports Chalet. You can now pick up a life changing soccer ball at a California Sport Chalet near you!
Aside from their work providing soccer balls, and developing sustainable soccer programs, Little Feet is also seeking to help local economies worldwide. With the discovery that coffee farmers are only paid less than a penny from a $2 cup of coffee, Little Feet created a unique and sustainable way to help the kids and local farmers. If you want to help Little Feet reach their goal of building 8 soccer fields and soccer programs by 2014, you can do so by purchasing Little Feet Coffee. Buying Little Feet coffee will help local farmers receive better prices for their hard work, while also funding soccer programs and fields!
By purchasing a Little Feet Soccer Ball or Little Feet Coffee, you can do your part too and help kids in need race their friends to their local soccer field in hopes of becoming the next David Beckham. Check out Little Feet’s website and buy a ball for a friend, one for yourself, or your whole family!
Filed under: Holiday Giving | Tags: awareness, change, charity, children, Christmas, climate change, education, environment, generosity, giving in hard times, hope, Peace, Santa Claus, sharing, take action, Volunteering
By Cheryl Mahoney
It’s that time of year again. Garlands are strung and lights go up and the malls are packed and kids write letters to Santa Claus. And sometimes, adults do too. Here’s what I might ask for, if I were to write to the man at the North Pole.
Dear Santa Claus (or St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas, or Kris Kringle–whoever’s listening),
I hope you, and Mrs. Claus, and the elves, are all well this year. In the enchanted land of Santa’s village, I’ve no doubt you are. Out here in the rest of the world, I can’t complain for myself, but the world in general has quite a few troubles. But you’re likely aware of that, considering you have eyes everywhere! So for Christmas this year, while I would like Michael Crawford’s autobiography or the complete Star Trek DVD box set, there are a few bigger matters you might look into.
To start with the most pressing, time-wise, I’d like world leaders at Copenhagen to feel some of that giving, harmonious spirit you embody, and do the right thing for all of us by coming to an agreement for reducing carbon emissions and protecting the planet. Perhaps you’ve encountered the problem of climate change yourself, Santa–have you noticed any melting near the North Pole? If leaders can’t come to an agreement though, please, no coal this year. How about some CFL Lightbulbs instead? Could be a good way to change with the times…
My mother’s been asking for world peace for Christmas (and sometimes birthdays and Mother’s Day too) for years. I think we’d both settle for peace in the Middle East though. And in Darfur. And the Philippines. And…well, perhaps you’d better aim for world peace after all.
I don’t need money, but a few millions would be nice–a million trees planted and a million mosquito nets for Africa and a million soccer balls for kids in refugee camps. And a million girls going to school and a million babies born safely and a million letters sent to old friends.
I’d like unemployment rates to go down, and charitable donations to go up, for volunteering rates to increase and for UniversalGiving’s follower count on Twitter to reach 2,000. I’d like people to think about others who are in need of a little help, and to think about reaching out. And to keep that spirit into the new year.
And in the spirit of “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” I suppose I’m not really writing to the man at the North Pole at all, but rather–to whoever is listening. Santa might be the only one who can help everyone all by himself (with some help from elves), but everyone can help someone.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”
Filed under: Fun Ways to Give, Inspirational Thoughts | Tags: charity ideas, dating, giving in hard times, Inspiring Stories, Maine
By Cheryl Mahoney
Love and charity. I can’t actually think off the top of my head of a famous quote or a Bible phrase where those two are combined (if you know of one, let me know!) but they do seem to be concepts that go hand-in-hand. And I recently happened across a story about a fun new way to combine the two.
I found this article about WeClick. It’s a speed-dating service, with a philanthropic twist. It works basically like the usual run of speed-dating–set in a cafe somewhere, singles move among tables to have five minute chats with potential soulmates. But here’s the key: at least ten percent of the registration fee goes to charity. There’s a different charity each time, advertised before-hand. At their first event, the entire proceeds went to Heifers International, with the tag line “get social, give goats.” Two concepts that you’re less likely to see together…
One thing I love about this is that it’s a perfect example of taking something people already do, and turning it towards a socially conscious purpose. No one has to change their lifestyle or give anything up or make a space in their budget to give to charity–it’s happening as part of something they’re already doing. And that can be so powerful. I also love what an innovative idea this is–and it’s just sheer fun too!
Now, I admit, if you don’t happen to be a single in Maine, this is probably not something you’re actually going to do–though if it becomes a widespread idea, remember that you heard about it here first. So this is a little less relevant than some of the stories we’ve posted here, but just for the enjoyability factor I thought it would be worth sharing anyway. And if you do happen to be a single in Maine, then maybe you should try it out. Love and charity might not be the only ones that end up hand-in-hand. 
Filed under: Giving, Social Change | Tags: giving in hard times, resources, service, take action
By Cheryl Mahoney
Have you ever found the same person or idea or organization turning up in your life in a lot of different places, all around the same time? When that happens to me, I generally figure that the universe is trying to tell me something. Lately, it’s been happening with Jolkona Foundation. First there was a comment here on Philanthrobuzz (thanks, Joy!) Then Jolkona Foundation and UniversalGiving joined Social Actions at the same time. And I think I also saw them on Twitter, and they were mentioned in a couple of articles, and my memory blurs on where else, but it was enough that I decided the universe wanted me to look into this. Of course, another time I thought that was when four or five friends independently recommended the same author, and then it turned out I didn’t actually like his books very much. But I’m happy to report that I’ve read the universe’s signals better this time, and Jolkona Foundation looks like a great site.
“Jolkona” means “a drop of water” in Bengali. I assume the symbolism is that one small donation is like a drop of water, but many drops, and many donations, create an ocean and an enormous impact. Jolkona Foundation lets you search for very specific projects to give to, you can donate right through their site, and they’ll give you proof of impact on your gift. The idea is to make giving easy, and to let people have control over where they’re donating their money. Jolkona also wants to appeal to youth, and to bring together the collective power of many small donations to make a big difference. Sounds like values we can thoroughly embrace!
Jolkona looks like another example of shifts in the nonprofit world in response to trends in giving. People seem increasingly concerned about the impact of their charitable donation–as they should be. I think some of it is the economy–if people are forced to give less, they want to make sure that what they give has as much impact as possible. There’s a few key ways I’ve observed to do that: know exactly where your money is going, so that you know it’s a cause you really care about; give to quality organizations, so the money is going to people who know how to use it to the best advantage; give internationally, where a dollar’s high value lets a seemingly small amount do so much more than it could here.
So if you want to take advantage of all those ways to make an impact with your donation, Jolkona Foundation is a good organization to check out. And, of course, so is UniversalGiving. 
Filed under: Easy Ways to Give, Fun Ways to Give, Giving, Poverty, Volunteering | Tags: change, charity, free ways to give, giving in hard times, random acts of kindness, San Francisco, service, take action
By Sarah Keyston
I just returned from serving lunch at Glide Memorial in San Francisco with three others on the UniversalGiving team, including our founder and CEO Pamela Hawley, as well as some members of other foundations in our office community. And I have to tell you, it was a truly humbling experience. We walked over from our office to begin our shift at 11:30am, and when we arrived, there was already a line of people waiting to eat. We donned hairnets, aprons, and gloves—and took a few funny pictures!—in preparation for food service.
UniversalGiving team hard at work
My job was scooping white beans into one of the spots on the tray. Though the compartmentalized trays reminded me of my plates when I was five years old, the divisions were certainly helpful in our speedy assembly of hundreds of meals. The meal today was a fish and pasta stew with white beans, juicy strawberries, and garlic bread. Definitely a hearty meal, though one adorable man (shorter than I am, and missing a few teeth) came back for a TENTH helping. We volunteers were absolutely blown away by the amount of food that he put away, although it was probably his only chance to eat that day.
Robert, a seasoned member of the Glide team, informed us that the 500-some meals that we served between 12 and 1:30pm comprised a slow day for the kitchen, which often feeds over 1000 people in a single meal. Glide serves three meals a day, 364 days a year (their only day off being New Year’s Day) to many grateful individuals. While some there were quiet and seemingly melancholy, one particularly jolly man asked if we were “forced to work” at Glide, to which we replied that we were merely volunteering. He replied, “Volunteering? Well God bless you then!” I smiled—it is hard to top the feeling of warmth and fulfillment that I get from helping others.
Characters come through the door from all walks of life: homeless, struggling with substance abuse, unemployed. Robert pointed out four people who owned their own homes but could not afford to eat—and even more of a shock to me—five with college degrees. In these tough economic times, an even larger variety of people are suffering from hunger.
Though we often promote international giving opportunities as that is the nature of UniversalGiving, it is always important to remember our local communities. Something like serving meals at a local shelter or church is so easy to do, yet such a small gesture as sacrificing my own lunch break goes a long way in terms of showing compassion towards some very appreciative and hungry San Franciscans.
