Fundraising and marathons – they go hand in hand. But one marathoner and philanthropist is taking it to the next level by promising $145,000 to families dealing with out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Rather than running one marathon, Brad Feld is running 29 (if you are keeping track – that’s 759.8 miles), and in the process, raising money for 29 GiveForward families.
Brad Feld, investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist has set a challenge – he has promised to run 29 marathons, and donate $5,000 per marathon to 29 families on GiveForward. But he is also challenging others to match his $5,000 gift, for a total of $10,000 for these families.
The first challenge has already started, Brad wants to raise $10,000 ($5,000 from him, $5,000 from others) for Justin Salcedo by May 31st. Justin, a young man from Devine Texas, is battling testicular cancer. Now Brad has joined the fight and is challenging others to do the same.
Here at GiveForward, we have a number of marathoners on staff (please see Ethan’s Bananaman costume for more details) and we can’t think of a more inspiring way to not only help families but to also shine a light on the struggles of families dealing with a medical crisis. Brad Feld, we offer you this virtual high-five by way of thanks.
World Give Day (May 4th) is an annual day that encourages the culture of giving. We at GiveForward were inspired to create World Give Day because we are lucky enough to work in an industry where we see people who give of themselves every day. The goal of World Give Day is to mobilize world-wide philanthropy in a way that has never been done before.
Though there are already ample ways to participate in World Give Day, we’re launching a new fundraising contest for GiveForward users to satisfy those with competitive tendencies.
During the week leading up to World Give Day, fundraisers can participate in the World Give Day Video Challenge, where users post videos on YouTube explaining their cause. The fundraiser whose video has the most views will win a $250 contribution from GiveForward. The winning entry also will be featured on GiveForward’s social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) and displayed at the very top of our Facebook page for one week.
There are a few rules to be eligible to win the World Give Day Video Challenge:
Must have a public fundraiser on GiveForward.com
Must have or create a youtube account to post video
Number of views are not counted if they are not within the contest run time April 27th-May 4th (regardless of when they were initially uploaded)
This is a great opportunity to both promote your fundraiser through video and support World Give Day. Your video should briefly describe your fundraiser and share your thoughts on giving. Remember, the video with the most views will win, so get those creative juices flowing to catch everyone’s eye!
To participate, send your Youtube video link, as well as a link to your fundraiser to worldgiveday@gmail.com no later than 2 PM on Friday, April 27th.
We will add your video to the World Give Day Video Challenge playlist, and keep track of the number views. We will count the views from Friday, April 27th to Friday, May 4th at 2 PM and present the victorious video on World Give Day!
This contest is a great way to integrate video into your fundraiser and cool way to see other fundraisers on the GiveForward website. So grab your camera, boot up your webcam, and get ready for your close up! Enter GiveForward’s World Give Day Video Challenge!!
Also, be sure to join the World Give Day discussion by visiting our blog series or following @WorldGiveDay on Twitter. There’s certainly no shortage of ways to contribute to World Give Day, so go forth and smother the universe in acts of giving!
If you have any questions about rules or participation, feel free to contact a World Give Day expert at worldgiveday@gmail.com.
GiveForward is looking for three interns to start in our Chicago office ASAP. Think you’ve got what it takes? Read up on the positions and send in your resume and cover letter (be sure to tell us which position you are applying for, we’re awesome but we haven’t quite gotten our mind-reading powers down yet).
A little about GiveForward: We’re fun. We’re young. We like burritos. As an up-and-coming Chicago startup (did you see us on ABC or Crains?) we do very serious work, but try not to take ourselves too seriously. We help people raise money for their loved ones battling cancer and other illnesses. We also happen to throw an insanely fun ugly sweater pub crawl every December, and an employee vs. bosses burrito eating contestevery summer. If you join our team, we can guarantee this will definitely be the most fun position you’ve ever had (and hopefully the most rewarding as well).
The three positions we are hiring for are: two PR/Marketing interns, and one Video/Interactive media intern.
Here is what we look for in a PR/Marketing intern:
A passion for helping others.
Experience with social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, Foursquare, LinkedIn, etc.
Experience with blogging, particularly using the WordPress platform.
An appreciation for chocolate, gummi candy and vegetables.
Here are some things that would be awesome to have, but aren’t deal breakers:
Experience with event planning.
Experience with Public Relations.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
Can bring mad tunes to the GiveForward turntable.fm room.
Can take initiative with projects, while completing assigned tasks; freedom to use your individuality to create your own projects that improve GiveForward is highly encouraged.
What will you be working on? Great question! Among other things you will be working on:
Press outreach.
Managing GiveForward’s social media platforms.
Working on our bi-monthly enewsletter.
Updating the GiveForward blog.
Here is what we look for in a Video/Interactive media intern:
A passion for helping others.
Experience with social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, Foursquare, LinkedIn, etc.
Experience with various video mediums including YouTube.
Ability to be creative while multi-tasking.
A love of storytelling.
Here are some things that would be awesome to have, but aren’t deal breakers:
Can take initiative with projects, while completing assigned tasks; freedom to use your individuality to create your own projects that improve GiveForward is highly encouraged.
What will you be working on? Great question! Among other things you will be working on:
Creating weekly videos including video fundraising tips, around the office fun and makeover montages.
Helping to organize GiveForward’s YouTube channel.
Exploring new ways to interactive with GiveForward users.
What we do not look for in any of our interns:
Robots
Someone who color-coordinates their leisure suits.
People who are allergic to helping others.
Evil monkeys
People who use all CAPS. Seriously, don’t yell at us.
Most importantly we are looking for passionate people. We look at resumes but we really care most about cover letters. To apply, please send us your cover letter, resume and anything else you think would impress us (hint…hint…we really want a pony) to jobs@giveforward.com. Or if you have a friend who you think would be perfect for this position, please forward it along! All positions will be unpaid but we are happy to give college credit.
Fundraising online can be a little overwhelming at first, so our head fundraising coach and Director of User Relations, Erica Trzeciak, put together her top 5 do’s and don’ts of fundraising online to get you started. Take a look and add your own in the comments!
Do:
Personalize your fundraising. Write a compelling story that explains whom you are raising money for, what they are going through, and exactly what kind of expenses are needed. Then take the time to personalize donation emails/letters/tweets/carrier pigeons so that your potential donors know how important this cause is to you.
Fundraise for someone else. The person who needs the support may not have the time or the energy to actively manage or promote a fundraiser, as they may be going through treatments, recovery, etc.
Donate first. It is important for you as the organizer of the fundraiser to get the ball rolling. This shows your dedication and commitment to the project, and sets a good example of a generous, thoughtful donation that will inspire others.
Go viral. Ask people to contribute in another way – by taking the time to tell their friends and family about the cause. If they pass it along to their network, and then they pass it along to their network, and make it go viral. This is how the very best fundraisers reach thousands of people and knock it out of the park.
Don’t:
Rely on social media. If you post on Facebook or tweet about your fundraiser, you can’t sit back and expect everyone to just automatically donate. Even though you may have a large social network, it’s likely that those who would donate may not see it, so you still have to actively invite people individually.
Be afraid to ask for help. The age-old saying that “there are no stupid question” will always be true, especially with fundraising. Most people are new at this, so don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who’s been there or can offer expert advice. What’s important is that you have the most successful fundraiser possible to help your loved one, so there is nothing wrong for asking for support when you need it!
Give up! It’s cheesy but true, fundraising takes time and patience. If you are ever feeling stuck, it’s just a chance to use your creativity and try a new strategy.
Do everything yourself. Fundraising is not always easy. Build a fundraising team to help you with some of the responsibilities, especially they have different skills and access to separate networks (i.e. coworkers, family members, old high school friends, etc.
Overthink your fundraiser. Sometimes you just have to dive in and get started. Remember, you can always go back and edit your page and change your strategy as you go along
What would you add to the do’s and don’ts? Add yours in the comments below!
Accidents happen but the outpouring of support for one family following a car crash was no accident. Jeff Shafe was a normal dad, software consultant and soccer coach until December 30th, 2011.
Just two days before 2012, Jeff was in an accident and had to be airlifted from the crash site for treatment and within 48 hours was undergoing spinal surgery. Following surgery he was in critical care for nine days and was told he had almost complete paralysis in his legs and arms.
But Jeff didn’t give up, with his wife and two kids by his side, he is undergoing intense physical and occupational therapy on a daily basis. To add to the Shafe family’s stress, Jeff’s wife, Claire, was laid off three weeks before the accident.
While Claire assists Jeff as his sole caregiver, friends and family were determined to make sure the Shafes didn’t face this alone. They started a GiveForward page to raise money for Jeff’s recovery after the accident. Everyone here at GiveForward sends lots of love to the Shafe family and all of their amazing supports, we encourage you to take a moment to read their story and leave a donation or note of support.
Family caregivers are getting the recognition they deserve. This month, President Obama declared November “National Family Caregivers Month“. The goal is to pay tribute to the individuals who care for the health and well-being of their relatives and loved one.
This month why not take a little time to show some recognition to the caregivers in your life? If they need extra support, start a GiveForward page to help gather financial and emotional support.
Often family caregivers take on the role with little or no caregiving background. If your favorite caregiver needs to find resources that are dedicated to guiding them through the caregiving process we highly recommend checking out our friends at Aging Info USA. They provide a great resource network full of experts in the caregiving field.
Another great way for friends and family to coordinate ways they can help their loved ones is through the site Lotsa Helping Hands. Our friends at LHH provide a free community website where friends and family can get organized on the group calendar and share tasks like cooking dinner or giving a loved one a ride to the doctors. This site is a great way for friends and family to give caregivers a respite from the tasks at hand.
Beyond just the site, Lotsa Helping Hands provides great resources and insights into the live of caregiver. This month they are teaming up with UnitedHealthcare to provide a Webinar for caregivers and those wishing to support them. During this month’s webinar, you can learn about the most common challenges that family caregivers experience and solutions for caregivers including financial, legal, and advanced planning tips. Register today at www.lotsahelpinghands.com/webinar.
Want the caregiver in your life to know they aren’t alone? Why not share The Working Caregiver with them? Written by Susan Avello the blog covers every angle of the life of a working caregiver. Whether tackling tough topics like coping with Alzheimers or preventing elder abuse or common issues like how someone can balance their work life with their caregiver life, Susan covers the broad spectrum of issues.
These are just a few ways that you can support a family caregiver, but we’d love to hear from caregivers and the people who love them. This month, how are you planning on showing your appreciation to the caregiver in your life? Or if you’re a caregiver, what is the best way for someone to recognize your dedication?
At GiveForward we often see stories of family and friends coming together to raise money for funeral expenses for loved ones. When we read the heartbreaking story of 9 year old Julianna Marie Radilla, everyone in the office was overwhelmed with sadness and our hearts went out to the entire Radilla family. Sometimes inexplicable tragedies happen that remind us how fragile our lives are- and because of this we decided to make Julianna’s fundraiser this week’s staff pick fundraiser.
Covering the cost of an unexpected death can be a scary prospect for a family already coping with a grievous situation. But this week’s staff pick fundraiser is an example of how friends and family can rally around a family to allow them to focus on what’s most important during their time of distress. Julianna was out with her grandmother and brother, returning home from a fun day dirt biking. As they were crossing the street in a crosswalk, a driver ran a red light and struck Julianna. Julianna was immediately flown to U.C. Davis. Tragically the amount of trauma little Julianna suffered from and several failed attempts at a blood transfusion, her body was too weak to recover and she passed away. Family and friends are showing their love and support by setting up a GiveForward fundraiser to help alleviate some of the funeral costs.
Everyone here at GiveForward is sending the Radilla family positive vibes during their time of need. We ask you to keep the Radilla family in your thoughts and take a moment to appreciate your loved ones. Please take a minute to read Julianna’s story and send some love and support to the Radilla family.
Making it easy to give is key to increasing donations when you are fundraising. That is why GiveForward has worked diligently with PayPal to add PayPal as a payment option to our checkout page and make it easier for donors to show their support.
We are excited to announce that as of today, organizers have the option of activating PayPal on their fundraisers. When donors visit the checkout page of a fundraiser with PayPal activated they will be given the option of donating via our standard credit card payment processing or via their PayPal account.
What does this new addition to the GiveForward checkout page mean? A few things:
PayPal allows for quicker payment after a fundraiser closes.
When GiveForward fundraisers activate PayPal as a payment option, they tend to see a 20% increase in donations (though results will vary).
The simplified check-out process allows users to donate on their mobile devices, which means they can donate anytime, anywhere!
As always, we’re excited to offer another way to simplify the process of giving support to a loved one in need. Happy fundraising from the whole GiveForward Team!
Fundraising and marathons – they go hand in hand. But one marathoner and philanthropist is taking it to the next level by promising $145,000 to families dealing with out-of-pocket medical expenses.
