GiveForward

This year in the United States an estimated 1.6 million Americans will declare bankruptcy. Many will attribute this financial misfortune to fiscal irresponsibility or indulgence in a lifestyle beyond ones means, but a new study done by Harvard University suggests that more than 62% of all personal bankruptcies are caused by the cost of over-whelming medical expenses.

Of the most financially devastating diseases, cancer reigns supreme. The American Cancer Society estimates that the 2010 total cost of cancer in the U.S. rose to $263.8 billion. So perhaps unsurprisingly, a new study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows a close link between cancer diagnosis and personal bankruptcy. Compared to the general population, bankruptcy rates are nearly twice as high among cancer patients one year after diagnosis.  Of the bankruptcies caused by a cancer, a surprising 78% reported having some form of health insurance, de-bunking the myth that medical bills only really affect the uninsured.

According to Duke University Medical Center, the average out-of-pocket cost for cancer patients is currently $1,266 per month. Medical bills for these patients can quickly wipe out retirement accounts, college savings funds, and home equity. Once a patient’s savings have been exhausted bankruptcy may be their only refuge.

Cancer costs billions of dollars each year, but it also can cost us the people we love the most. Eliminating the financial barriers a cancer patient faces can often be vital to their survival. The fact that 62% of all bankruptcies are caused by medical expenses is scary to us at GiveForward. This is why our goal has always been to empower the community to come together and help alleviate the financial burden due to medical bills and cancer treatments.

Cancer takes a heavy toll on our health, our emotions, and our wallets. What can you do to help? To combat the costs of cancer treatments and the risk of bankruptcy create a GiveForward page for a friend or family member in need or consider donating to one of the many fundraisers on our site today.

October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an international health campaign that raises awareness, empowers survivors, and assists in preventing the disease. This year in the United States alone over 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and over 40,000 will die of the disease. There is a good chance that someone you know personally will be affected by this horrible disease in their lifetime.

The affordability of treatment for women diagnosed with breast cancer, the second leading type of cancer among women, has also become a growing concern for recent patients. As health care costs increase each passing year, women with breast cancer are facing mounting out-of-pocket costs for treatment. Breast cancer patients, even those covered by employer-based insurance, average a total of $6,250 out-of-pocket expenses. These women are frequently forced to make decisions based on their finances and not always on what is best for their health.

Thankfully, there are many ways you can support a woman with breast cancer today:

-        Wear pink! For the next 31 days the color will symbolize increased awareness and fundraising events for research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and finding a cure. Every time you wear pink you’re raising awareness for breast cancer. Awareness is key to more screenings and earlier detection. According to the American Cancer Society, the death rate from breast cancer has fallen steadily since 1990, about 3.2 percent per year for women younger than age 50, due to early detection.

-        Check your local papers and websites to find local events you where you can go to support the effort. You can find a breast cancer event near you: Here.

-        If you know a woman or a family struggling with breast cancer consider starting a GiveForward page. By creating a GiveForward page for a family, you enable loved ones and visitors from all over the world to provide emotional and financial support.

- There are several women battling breast cancer on GiveForward today that you can benefit directly by donating to their cause:

Consider helping the family of Leila Grossman. Leila, a single mother of two girls and a talented photographer, is hoping to raise $50,000 to help finance a double mastectomy operation.

Or donating to Brita Corradini, a 31 year-old woman battling stage two breast cancer- all while pregnant with her second child.

Or Danijela Hughey, who is hoping to raise $15,000 to help pay for the daily expenses that come with battling stage 3 breast cancer. You can follow Dani’s awesome blog: Holy Crap, I Have Cancer: Now What? Here.

At any given time there are dozens of women struggling with breast cancer on the GiveForward site that need your help. This October, in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month consider donating to a victim of breast cancer or attending an event that raises breast cancer awareness. Remember that the promotion of a helpful, loving community of supportive individuals is vital for the healing and restorative processes.

Everyday at GiveForward we witness thousands of people, across the country, showing incredible compassion for loved ones and friends in need. Through donations and virtual hugs we’ve seen powerful impact that empathy and kindness can have on families in a time of need. In all this selfless giving, one aspect of compassion is often overlooked- the compassion we have for ourselves.  Are we treating ourselves as well as we treat our friends and family? This is the question being addressed in new psychological research: What effect does our self-image have on our health ?

Research has shown that many people, who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, frequently score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, criticizing themselves for perceived failures, like weight gain and unfulfilled career aspirations.  A recent study in the Journal of Research in Personality suggests that by “going easier on ourselves,” and accepting our imperfections, may be the first step toward a healthier life.  Individuals that have high self-compassion tend to be less depressed, less anxious, and more optimistic and happy.

Nevertheless, practicing compassion toward ourselves may be the most challenging behavior of all to master. Many of us build our lives around a “contingent self-worth,” meaning that we construct our self-esteem around the character evaluations made by others. We are only okay as long as other people tell us we’re okay. According to Wendy Stragar of Care 2 Make a Difference: “Having your sense of self hanging on the evaluations of other people and outside events is deeply emotionally destabilizing because it is so impermanent.  High self-esteem moments are fleeting and attaching our self worth to the temporary successes and failures that make up life is unreliable at best and crazy-making at worst.”

It is important, for our own health, to be kinder to ourselves and accept our closeness to humanity.  Many people resist practicing self-compassion in the fear that they’ll become too self-indulgent. This fear can be overcome by understanding the difference between self-pity and self-compassion. Pity, by nature, separates us from other people’s suffering. Pity isolates us by making us feel sorry for ourselves, believing that we are the only person that has the capacity to understand our struggle. While compassion recognizes that everyone at some point experiences suffering and that your experience is one of the “fundamental unifying experiences of being a human being.” Self-compassion is being kind to yourself and others because, as people traveling on the road of life, we understand that all people will have to negotiate over difficult terrain from time to time.

So, today ask yourself: Am I treating myself with kindness?  If you find that you’re not, give yourself a break…it may be the first step toward a healthier life. While you’re at it, keep an eye out for friends and family who might not be practicing self-compassion, because they might need your help.  The easiest way to encourage a friend in need and lead them down the road toward self-empathy is to show them support. If you know a friend or family member with mounting medical bills consider starting a GiveForward page for them. It may be the simplest way to ease the burden of your loved one’s suffering. Your example of kindness toward a friend or family member may lead them to a greater empathy for themselves.  The greater our capacity to practice self-compassion, the more open we are to the power of human kindness and the experience of life.

September marks National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, drawing attention to the leading cause of death by disease in children throughout the United States. The rate of children diagnosed with cancer has increased steadily over the past twenty years with thirty-six children in the United States being diagnosed with cancer per day. Over 40,000 courageous children and devoted families endure the lasting effects of cancer treatment each year.

Despite the increased number of cases of pediatric cancer, 80% percent of childhood cancer cases are treated successfully. While most childhood cancers are considered highly curable, survival often comes with a “cost.”  Two-thirds childhood cancer survivors face at least one chronic health condition and many survivors will receive on-going monitoring and continued physical and psychological care throughout their adult lives.

Beside the lifelong health implications, treating childhood cancer often comes at a great financial cost to families. The average out-of-pocket cost for a family with a child battling cancer is over $9,700. Even in cases where health insurance is available, expenses can add up quickly. In addition to the cost of cancer diagnosis and treatment, the hidden costs of: food, transportation, and accommodation often add to the financial burden for these families.

Thankfully, there are ways you can help.

You can visit: Alex’s Lemonade Stand a foundation committed to finding a cure for childhood cancers. On their site they list: 30 ways you can raise awareness and funds throughout the month.

If you know a family struggling with pediatric cancer consider starting a GiveForward page. By creating a GiveForward page for a family, you enable loved ones and visitors from all over the world to provide emotional and financial support.

There are also several families on GiveForward who you can benefit directly by donating to their cause.  Consider helping the family of 4-year old, Mia Deligeannis, who has been battling Leukemia the past two and a half years. Mia’s family is half way to their goal of raising $5,000. Or Tucker Reeves battling cancer of the spinal cord. The Reeves family is hoping to raise $6,000 to offset travel and accommodation costs while Tucker receives radiation treatment in Miami, Florida. Or 19-month old Idalya Estevez, who has been diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Her family is hoping to raise $10,000 to counterbalance her extensive medical expenses.

In honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month consider donating to the victims of childhood cancer as they fight on in the hope of a better tomorrow.

Surviving cancer is an amazing feat, one that Mary Osheskie accomplished after being diagnosed with stage 3 squamos carcinoma (tongue cancer).

While Mary bravely battled the cancer, the side-effects of the treatments and radiation left her in need of dental care.  Now, her doctors tell her she will need a set of dentures to counteract the side effects of the cancer.

Thankfully, insurance will cover part of the costs associated with the dental care but in order to cover Mary’s out of pocket expenses for the procedure, her friends and family have gathered together to raise $7,000.  So far they have already raised an amazing $6,124.

Everyone here are GiveForward wants to send a big Giveasaurus hug to Mary and the amazing community that has rallied around her to show their support while she fights.  Please take a moment to check out Mary’s story and send some love her way.

Friends of LaNette Gutshall would describe her as a mom to everyone she meets. Whether it is her biological children or just others who need a hug, LaNette is never hesitant to give unselfishly.

As close friend April Rockey describes it, “No matter who you were or what you were doing, LaNette was always mom to us. She was always the shoulder to cry on, the needed hug that you wouldn’t ask for, and even the little whisper of common sense when we needed it. She was in all purposes, our mom. None of us would know what to do without her.”

Because of this, friends and family were devastated when Lanette was diagnosed with cancer. Currently, LaNette has been through 6 rounds of chemotherapy, but requires another 2. Though she is passionate to keep fighting, the medical bills continue to pile up.

Understanding the severity of the financial burden, LaNette’s friends and family started a GiveForward page in her honor, hoping to raise enough money to cover the expenses of her medical insurance. Since the fundraiser was started, it has gained momentum, but could use an extra push in the month of August. As April puts it, “She has always taken care of us so please join me in trying to take care of her!”

Here at GiveForward, we are honored to be able to share LaNette’s story with our readers, and are sending endless love and encouragement her way.

This is the second post in a series about how to win and be awesome at Excelerate Labs.  If you missed the first post you can find it on the GiveForward.com Blog.

You’ve survived the insanely frenetic pace of mentor month where you’ve been averaging about 5 hours of sleep per night for the past month and it’s starting to catch up with you.  Fortunately, now is the time to catch your breath, kick back and enjoy your MBA month.  You’ll listen to some interesting lectures, hang out with your classmates, and take a break from all the mischigas that was mentor month. Most importantly, during this month you’ll have time to develop real relationships with a handful of mentors and start thinking more deeply about your business.

Here are three things you should do during your MBA month:

(1) Organize a social event with your fellow Excelerate classmates

The Excelerate 2010 class is probably ten times closer now than when we were in the program.  It wasn’t until the third month of Excelerate that we really started to bond.  And that’s because Excelerate was such as whirlwind experience and we were so focused on our businesses and mentor meetings, that we didn’t realize we were surrounded by great mentors everyday. Excelerate is a mentorship driven program, and the experienced mentors that participate are truly phenomenal.  But don’t overlook the value of peer-mentorship. There is a ton you can learn from other companies who are in the thick of it just like you.  If nothing else, going through the highs and lows with friends is great group therapy.  Getting to know your fellow classmates sooner rather than later will serve you well.

(2)  Find Your Tim

You’ve met with a million people during the first month, but the second month is really about developing deeper relationships with a small handful of mentors who will help you during Excelerate and beyond.  We were very fortunate in that we found one mentor, Tim Krauskopf, who really took us under his wing.  He helped us strategize about the business, hone our pitch and pitch deck when it came time to raise our round, and even helped us secure the first half of our seed round through investors that he knew.   Tim has been an invaluable asset to us.  He has since joined our board and we email or speak with him weekly.  If you do one thing during July it should be figuring out who is going to be your Tim.

Super Awesome Pro Tip: Be proactive about pursuing the mentors you want on your team.  Sam Yagan will tell you a thousand times over that finding mentors is like dating.   I liken it more to middle school dating: awkward.   You don’t know if the mentor likes you and you’re kind of scared to ask her out.  Here’s the reality – the mentors are just as unsure about the process as you are.  Don’t wait for a mentor to make the first move.  If you mesh with someone, let them know that you’d love for them to continue helping you.  They will be flattered and impressed that you asked.  And if they have been casually talking with two companies but only have time to get deeply involved with one of them, asking them directly will make the decision easier for them.

Super Awesome Pro Tip: Find mentors without day jobs.   They are awesome.   Mentors that have had successful exits, are retired, or are between jobs have the time and energy to focus on your company, so seek them out.

(3)  Listen to your heart

During your June mentor meetings you are going to get a million and one disparate ideas on how you should be running your company.  Something we realized after hearing Michael Krasney speak is that you need to follow your heart.  At the end of the day, you need to do what feels right for your company.  If it doesn’t feel authentic, chances are it’s going to fail.

Super-Awesome Pro Tip: Write down your company’s core values and put them on your website.  Start living them.  This is something we did after Excelerate ended but I wish we had done it sooner.  Creating values, a mission and a vision for your business makes it easier to filter out the noise and focus on what’s important.

Okay.  That is all.  Relax. Have fun.  Make friends. Get to know your mentors and  enjoy your MBA month.

In honor of Father’s Day, the GiveForward staff wants to send a shout out to all of the dads out there who never ask for help, but could probably use a hand.  Lets take a little time this weekend to show our support by donating to some awesome fathers.

Dads are usually the first one to step in and take initiative when someone needs help.  But they also tend to hold off when it comes to asking for help themselves.  That is why when a dad is in need, it is critical for loved ones to come together to show their support.   Fathers Day is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

This weekend, in honor of Fathers Day, why not make a donation and tell your friends about your favorite GiveForward Father?  Take a look at some of the awesome dads on our site and chime in with a dad you think deserves a little extra love this Father’s Day.

• Mike Stenger
• Black Family Cancer Fund
• Go Bob’s Never Give Up Cancer Fund
• The Bronco Project
• Fred Meier Cancer Benefit
• Randy Carpenter

There are, of course, so many more great dads on our site, so please check them out and give a little something this weekend.

Dear Excelerate Class of 2011,

Last summer, we participated in the first ever class of Excelerate Labs. At the end of the program all these smart people wanted to give us money. It was pretty awesome. Here is my guide on how to win at Excelerate.  I hope this summer is awesome for you too.

Love,

Ethan

PS – Excelerate is broken down into three distinct months:  Mentor Month; Mini-MBA Month; and Pitch Month. I’ve broken this love letter down into a three-part series (in part to correspond with the different months of the program but mostly because I’m too long winded to get my points across succinctly in one normal-sized blog post).

First off, we’ll start with How to Win at Mentor Month and in future posts I’ll cover How to Win at Mini-MBA Month and Pitch Month.

How to Win at Mentor Month

STEP 1: DO YOUR HOMEWORK

At the beginning of the summer you’re going to get a list of mentors.  Do your homework. Google them, read their blogs, their Twitter feeds, their LinkedIn profiles.  Find out what their interests are and what you have in common with them. You create your own luck.  The more prepared you are for your mentor meetings, the more likely you are to connect with a mentor and create a long lasting relationship.

Super-Awesome Pro Tip:  There will be days when you meet with 6 or 7 mentors in a row. You’re probably not going to have time to do 20-30 minutes of research on each person.   On days like this, split up the cyber stalking between you and your co-founder and then brief each other before the meeting.  It’s not as good as doing the research yourself, but sometimes there’s just not enough time.

Super-Awesome Pro Tip:  After each meeting, make sure to send a thank you email within 24 hours.  (This is probably an obvious point to most people but worth noting).

STEP 2:  LISTEN MORE THAN YOU TALK

Your mentor meetings are short, typically about 20 or 30 minutes long.  So naturally, you’re going to want to cram in as much about your business as possible.  But trust me on this one, it’s more important to listen than to talk.

During your first 20-minute meeting, chances are you’re not going to  solve any of the world’s problems.  Your goal with the first meeting is to simply to get another meeting.

How do you do this?  You let them do all the talking.

Seriously, mentors love to tell stories and talk about themselves.  How do I know?  Because I’m mentoring some young entrepreneurs at a company called JoinStart right now and I absolutely love, love, love to hear myself talk and say awesome stuff!

Last week, when I met with the JoinStart founders for the first time, I already knew I liked them.  Why? Because they didn’t try to spend the whole hour talking about JoinStart.  Instead, they  asked a few questions and then let me ramble on for an hour telling stories while they took notes.  By the end of the meeting, I knew a decent amount about their backgrounds, about where they grew up, and what motivated them to start this business and they knew an absolute TON about me.  I still didn’t know a whole lot about their business, but that’s okay.

The reality is I liked them because they listened to me and most importantly they thought I was cool (obviously true). If they ever want to schedule a second meeting, we can get down to real business then.

Super-Awesome Pro Tip: If you have a 20-minute meeting here’s a basic breakdown of how to spend your time.  Spend the first 3 minutes chit-chatting about common interests. Spend the next 2 minutes telling them about your business. Then spend the last 15 minutes listening to their stories and advice.  And take notes! It will give you stuff to talk about in your thank you emails.

STEP 3: SEND OUT UPDATES ON YOUR PROGRESS

In the startup world, you hear the word “traction” thrown around all the time. Traction is really just a schmancy word for progress.  i.e. does your startup have revenue and paying customers?  If so, you’re in business. Investors love to see these things because they’re looking to mitigate risk.  The more traction your company has, the less likely it is that their investment in you will go belly up.

Now, if you want any of the angels, mentors or VCs that come through Excelerate to invest in your company at the end of the summer, you’re going to want to show them some traction. But don’t wait until Demo Day to pitch them. Build rapport with them throughout the summer by communicating your company’s progress.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to periodically send out a simple email newsletter to the mentors, angels, and VCs you have met.  But remember, these mentor types are busy, so keep it brief. 4-6 bullet points should do the trick.

Super-Awesome Pro Tip: Of course you want to highlight the important stuff in your newsletter, but that doesn’t mean it has to be super dry and chock full of  business sounding words like “margins” and “Lifetime customer value”.  Investors like to laugh just as much as the next guy.  Show them that you are  a real human by throwing in a quick joke every so often and you’ll be amazed at what a better response rate you will get.

STEP 4:  DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOW YOUR CARDS

When we went through Excelerate, we often wondered how much info we should disclose to our mentors.  Mentors are like doctors.  They can only diagnose your business if you are 100% honest with them and they fully understand your problems.  If you have a purely mentor-protegee relationship with them, then you obviously want to disclose everything to them.

On the other hand, if you envision that some of your mentors are potential investors do you really want to show them all your cards?  Now, I’m sure others probably disagree with me on this, but I say show them what you’re holding.  Think about it this way: if a mentor is going to take the leap and invest in your pre-revenue company, what she is really doing is investing in your team. At such an early stage, she doesn’t have enough hard data points to make an informed decision based on the economics of your company, so she has to base her decision to invest on whether she has a solid understanding of what is going on inside your head and in your heart.  If you don’t open up and share these things with her, you’re all but closing the door for her to invest in your company.

STEP 5: UTILIZE TROY, SAM AND BRIAN

After just one year, Excelerate Labs was already ranked the third best Startup Accelerator in the country behind TechStars Boulder and Y Combinator. And the reason is simple. It’s all about the team running the show.

Sam, Troy and Brian are incredibly passionate about helping the Excelerate companies succeed.  In terms of strategy, they’ll give you honest, no BS and often times blunt feedback.  In terms of connections, between Sam and Troy they know just about everyone on the planet.  Seriously, these guys are the best mentors you could ever ask for. If you’re not talking or emailing with Troy, Sam and Brian on a daily basis, you’re not getting your money’s worth.