GiveForward

GiveForward is excited to announce Minty Python as the winner of the first ever Giveasaurus Challenge, in partnership with World Give Day! The fundraiser was for Araminta “Minty” Python, a little girl discovered to have a brain tumor within weeks of being born. Before she even turned eight weeks old, she had endured four head surgeries in just eleven days. Minty went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, but an MRI recently revealed that her tumors are still present. Now Minty must take multiple oral medications a day in the hopes that they will attack the tumors.

Fortunately, Minty has a lot of friends that care about her. A “Minty Python Benefit” was held on May 1st in Brooklyn. Minty’s mother has worked as a crew-member on many movies, including the Sex and the City movies, and because of that, attendees of the benefit included the Sex and the City stars as well as other celebrities. There was even a special “Minty Python” cocktail being served up by celebrity bartenders! The benefit for Minty raised $18,000 during the Giveasaurus Challenge, and over $20,000 in total. And as the winners of the Giveasaurus Challenge, GiveForward donated an additional $1,000 to their fundraiser! read more…

Co-founder and Second Banana Ethan Austin was recently on Making a Difference Radio discussing new fundraising methods, such as online donations, that reinforce the idea of people giving to people. Ethan joined Barbara Talisman (@BTalisman) of Talisman Associates, Inc., a consulting firm working with non-profit organizations, and Kristina Carlson (@kristinacarlson) of Ketchum, an organization that works to help non-profits fundraise. Kristina noted that GiveForward is unique in that is allows people to give to someone immediately–”friends don’t have to wait for a nonprofit letter asking for support.”

To listen to the entire podcast, please visit Barbara Talisman’s blog.

We are excited to announce that over 30 organizations have joined GiveForward in launching the first annual World Give Day! Explore some of these fabulous partners below:

826Chi is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

African and American Friendship, Inc. address the issue of low-income, at-risk, disadvantaged children and youth in Boston’s challenging neighborhoods.

AmeriFace provides information and emotional support to individuals with facial differences and aims to increase public understanding through awareness programs and education.

The Answer Inc. empowers families and caregivers affected by autism and other developmental disorders. read more…

On May 4, 2010, GiveForward and 32 other organizations are announcing the First Annual World Give Day (@worldgiveday).  People all over the world will come together in support of the causes that matter to them the most. The goal of World Give Day is to mobilize world-wide philanthropy in a way that has never been done before. Through partnerships with non-profit organizations all over the world, World Give Day is encouraging people to give back through donating, volunteering, or raising awareness about their favorite causes. The purpose of World Give Day is to serve as motivation for people to unite in one day of giving, and inspire people to make giving back a priority in our everyday lives.

People all over the world have shown our ability to unite for a cause on a global level. In 1985, December 5 was designated International Volunteer Day by the United Nations, and is now observed by more than half of countries around the world. International Volunteer Day was established to recognize all that is achieved through the efforts of volunteer work, and serves as a means to increase public awareness of the effect we can have on society. Global Youth Service Day, established in 1988, is now the largest service event in the world, being celebrated by over 100 countries. Global Youth Service Day mobilizes millions of children and youth to address the world’s most critical issues through service and service-learning. Most recently, people all over the world came together to participate in the fourth annual Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a global call to action that encourages millions of people, businesses and communities to join together and turn off their lights for one hour in order to recognize our responsibility towards our planet.

World Give Day is working towards achieving this same global success through what is truly a grassroots effort, inspiring people all over the world to make a difference in the lives of others regardless of how much time or money we have to give. Making an impact on World Give Day could be as simple as posting a link to your favorite charity on Facebook or Twitter, or reminding those around you to get involved in whatever way they can, because World Give Day is based on the underlying belief that every effort, no matter how big or small, can have a significant effect on our society.