Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Pig-e-Banks have invaded the city
All throughout Vancouver stores, you will see our beautiful bright-red boxes inviting you to make "Real change from spare change." This is the next extension of what we launched at Halloween with our kids Pig-e-Banks. Over $100,000,00 in spare change is given to charity every year in Canada alone. GiveMeaning wants to show the world (starting in Canada) how much change this change can make.
With a Pig-e-Bank box, retailers collect money for a charity they choose. They collect the money in-store and attached to the box are a set of cards that each person is encouraged to take which directs them to a special web page on our site that explains what charity has been chosen by that retailer and why. Click here for an example. Click here for an example of what a retailer's page looks like.
You too can order your Pig-e-Bank to sit on your desk at work, at a dinner party or even if it's just in your bedroom, get your Pig-e-Bank today.
With a Pig-e-Bank box, retailers collect money for a charity they choose. They collect the money in-store and attached to the box are a set of cards that each person is encouraged to take which directs them to a special web page on our site that explains what charity has been chosen by that retailer and why. Click here for an example. Click here for an example of what a retailer's page looks like.
You too can order your Pig-e-Bank to sit on your desk at work, at a dinner party or even if it's just in your bedroom, get your Pig-e-Bank today.
Labels: charity, coincollecting, coins, community, fundraising, innovation, pig-e-bank, retail, web
Friday, October 27, 2006
Busy Day
Friday's at GiveMeaning are supposed to be an opportunity for us to slow down, eat lunch together as the whole team (it's taking a bigger and bigger table to accommodate us all) and talk about the week that has passed.
The day started with a rush order of another 80 piggies for a church youth group in Vancouver. Jess and I delivered them to the church, thinking we would just drop them off. Instead, I found myself standing in front of the kids explaining the Pig-e-Bank's to the group of kids.
I must admit, I found it difficult to just explain the basics of the Pig-e-Bank at first but found my footing quickly and acted out a little skit (Jess' idea) that seemed to go over really well. But what was most satisfying was after standing in front of the whole room, I talked to some of the kids in smaller groups and was able to get their reaction as they held the box themselves. It was my first direct experience with a kid's reaction to the box and I have to say how proud I was.
It was a great feeling.
I came back to the office to find a great article in today's Vancouver Courier which describes the Pig-e-Bank program perfectly and ends with the first public mention of our expansion strategy for what will be a much bigger plan to make real change from spare change
Kids are starting to come online and activate their boxes. To protect their privacy, I can't post links to their individual pages but suffice it to say, I could spend the entire weekend reading their descriptions of what they're inspired about and why they want to help the charity they chose.
Speaking of the weekend, tomorrow I get my dreaded vaccines. Ouch.
The day started with a rush order of another 80 piggies for a church youth group in Vancouver. Jess and I delivered them to the church, thinking we would just drop them off. Instead, I found myself standing in front of the kids explaining the Pig-e-Bank's to the group of kids.
I must admit, I found it difficult to just explain the basics of the Pig-e-Bank at first but found my footing quickly and acted out a little skit (Jess' idea) that seemed to go over really well. But what was most satisfying was after standing in front of the whole room, I talked to some of the kids in smaller groups and was able to get their reaction as they held the box themselves. It was my first direct experience with a kid's reaction to the box and I have to say how proud I was.
It was a great feeling.
I came back to the office to find a great article in today's Vancouver Courier which describes the Pig-e-Bank program perfectly and ends with the first public mention of our expansion strategy for what will be a much bigger plan to make real change from spare change
Kids are starting to come online and activate their boxes. To protect their privacy, I can't post links to their individual pages but suffice it to say, I could spend the entire weekend reading their descriptions of what they're inspired about and why they want to help the charity they chose.
Speaking of the weekend, tomorrow I get my dreaded vaccines. Ouch.
Labels: charity, coincollecting, fundraising, halloween
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Pig-e-Banks are HERE!!!!!
They're here! What was first talked about on my blog as "Codename: Apple" has been revealed as our "Pig-e-Bank" program (pun intended).
While we were still working under-wraps on our modern twist to the coin collecting box, Unicef surprised us by announcing that they were ending their Halloween coin collection program.
Many people were very sad that this wonderful, simple way of introducing children to philanthropy and fundraising was ending. I'm pleased to announce that this Halloween, schools and individual children can become members of our Pig-e-Bank.
Now, kids can fundraise for any of the 80,000+ charities in Canada and through a very generous grant and some great logistical work on our part, we've figured out a way to take the biggest hassle out of the coin collecting equation and actually pig-up (oops I mean, pick-up, haha) the money from almost anywhere in Canada.
GiveMeaning's commitment is not just to revolutionize online philanthropy but to make all parts of the sector more fun, engaging, transparent and hassle-free for all involved.
Please permit me to boast that we've really outdone ourselves with these boxes.
We only have a limited number of these boxes for this Halloween, so I encourage you to go over to our site and order a few!
I recognize that it's late in the game. We've done this largely under-wraps with pre-selected schools, individuals and groups but we still have a few left and would love to see every piggy find a home!
On a different note, I have to say how excited I am that I am two weeks away from my first ever trip to Africa. If all goes according to plan, I will spend my first few days alone in Northern Uganda and then join a group of men travelling from Vancouver to three countries in Africa. This is the first time I'm mentioning this trip in public as my schedule has been very much in flux given how busy all of us are at GiveMeaning during the holiday season. I'll be sure to post much more about the trip and I intend to be posting regular updates while in Africa.
For the man who hates to fly, I can't wait to get on the planes that will take me to the continent that I've been wanting to visit since I was a little boy and learning about South Africa at anti-apartheid meetings and rallies that my parents were involved in.
I have to profress my tremendous gratitude to my parents for raising me in a family that from the very earliest of ages, it was made clear to me that we as individual citizens hold the power to change anything. I still remember my first anti-apartheid rally: The notion that Mandella would be freed, that powerful corporations would be forced to abandon political relationships because of pressure from our protests outside gas stations and liquor stores, all seemed impossible even to optimists like my mother and father. And in a relatively short period of time, it happened.
The Power of Plenty. The power of 5 dollars, five minutes always stuck with me. I saw first hand how a little could do a lot when each little bit could find each other and join together.
That's what we've done in some tiny bit at GiveMeaning and what we hope to do better day by day. GiveMeaning's power is in its community. It is not in technology or process or anything like that. It is simply in the collective will, intention and action of those who take the time to participate. And every single day we see more and more people joining existing projects and starting new ones.
I'm very thankful to be part of GiveMeaning. To be part of so many people's dreams and passions is one of the best jobs in the world. Every single one of us in the office is very proud to serve all of you.
While we were still working under-wraps on our modern twist to the coin collecting box, Unicef surprised us by announcing that they were ending their Halloween coin collection program.
Many people were very sad that this wonderful, simple way of introducing children to philanthropy and fundraising was ending. I'm pleased to announce that this Halloween, schools and individual children can become members of our Pig-e-Bank.
Now, kids can fundraise for any of the 80,000+ charities in Canada and through a very generous grant and some great logistical work on our part, we've figured out a way to take the biggest hassle out of the coin collecting equation and actually pig-up (oops I mean, pick-up, haha) the money from almost anywhere in Canada.
GiveMeaning's commitment is not just to revolutionize online philanthropy but to make all parts of the sector more fun, engaging, transparent and hassle-free for all involved.
Please permit me to boast that we've really outdone ourselves with these boxes.
We only have a limited number of these boxes for this Halloween, so I encourage you to go over to our site and order a few!
I recognize that it's late in the game. We've done this largely under-wraps with pre-selected schools, individuals and groups but we still have a few left and would love to see every piggy find a home!
On a different note, I have to say how excited I am that I am two weeks away from my first ever trip to Africa. If all goes according to plan, I will spend my first few days alone in Northern Uganda and then join a group of men travelling from Vancouver to three countries in Africa. This is the first time I'm mentioning this trip in public as my schedule has been very much in flux given how busy all of us are at GiveMeaning during the holiday season. I'll be sure to post much more about the trip and I intend to be posting regular updates while in Africa.
For the man who hates to fly, I can't wait to get on the planes that will take me to the continent that I've been wanting to visit since I was a little boy and learning about South Africa at anti-apartheid meetings and rallies that my parents were involved in.
I have to profress my tremendous gratitude to my parents for raising me in a family that from the very earliest of ages, it was made clear to me that we as individual citizens hold the power to change anything. I still remember my first anti-apartheid rally: The notion that Mandella would be freed, that powerful corporations would be forced to abandon political relationships because of pressure from our protests outside gas stations and liquor stores, all seemed impossible even to optimists like my mother and father. And in a relatively short period of time, it happened.
The Power of Plenty. The power of 5 dollars, five minutes always stuck with me. I saw first hand how a little could do a lot when each little bit could find each other and join together.
That's what we've done in some tiny bit at GiveMeaning and what we hope to do better day by day. GiveMeaning's power is in its community. It is not in technology or process or anything like that. It is simply in the collective will, intention and action of those who take the time to participate. And every single day we see more and more people joining existing projects and starting new ones.
I'm very thankful to be part of GiveMeaning. To be part of so many people's dreams and passions is one of the best jobs in the world. Every single one of us in the office is very proud to serve all of you.
Labels: coincollecting, fundraising, halloween, unicef
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