The price of pregnancies may be prompting some parents-to-be to chose a home birth rather than a hospital stay, at least that is what some suggest in a new article by the Huffington Post.

This article explores why 20% more parents are choosing to have a home birth than in 2004.  It talks with one mother who gave birth at home because she and her husband did not have insurance.

About home birth, Becca Seitz of Portland, Ore. says “It was never on my radar, until we couldn’t afford otherwise.  I’m granola but not that granola.  It cost us $3,300 as opposed to over $10,000 in the hospital.”

While some may site the cost of a hospital stay as the reason for their home birth, according to doula Bridget Foley, “cost is definitely an issue, but for most people, not the main reason they consider home births.”  Rather, she says it is a decision that weighs a number of different factors, cost being one of a number of other considerations.

But it is important to recognize that this article raises an issue that an increasing number of Americans are facing – when you bring home baby for the first time, you bring home some pretty serious medical bills as well.  In fact, Thomson Healthcare estimated the average cost of having a baby was over $8,000.

While baby showers and gifts often cover some of the essentials like furniture and diapers, what about covering the expense of the hospital stay?  We are interested in hearing from you – would you or anyone you know consider a home birth because of cost?  Would a fundraiser to help cover the cost of having a baby change this?  Why or why not?

Those that know Megan Caper say they would describe her as kind, generous, and always willing to help others in need. But now, she needs the help of her community.

Four years ago at age 33, Megan was diagnosed with Stage IIIb colon cancer.   Unfortunately, having a job, health insurance, and savings was no match when it came to the medical bills that have accumulated throughout the past years.

After battling the cancer for years, Megan is now healing and completing a master’s program in Occupational Therapy so she can help others going through medical problems. However Megan has struggled to pay for school, treatment co-pays and monthly insurance premiums that have increased seven-fold since her diagnosis.

Knowing all this, Megan’s family and friends, stepped up to get Megan the help she needs to finally pay off those medical bills.  They started a GiveForward fundraising page on her behalf and are already gaining momentum.

Everyone here are GiveForward is proud to give love and encouragement, and of course send out lots hugs to Megan and her friends.

This story about one of our youngest users is a heartbreaking reminder about why it is so important for communities to come together and support one another during times of crisis.

Born in Manhattan, NY in the early hours of a humid July 10 at 36 weeks, Minty Python weighed in at a modest 4 lbs 13oz. Amazingly, Minty did not even need to go into NICU.

6 weeks later, on August 24, Minty was crying a bit more than usual. Her pediatrician immediately recognized full-blown hydrocephalus, and a CAT scan hours later revealed a mass. A temporary drain was put into Minty’s head that night

An MRI the next day confirmed a tumor at the base of Minty’s brain, and the tumor was removed that night. Minty was discharged on September 11, having undergone 4 head surgeries in 11 days, all before she turned 8 weeks old. The original diagnosis of desmoplastic medulloblastoma was countered in mid-September with anaplastic ependymoma. Minty started on the Headstart III protocol in October, which is 6 rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, ending in an autologous stem-cell rescue of leveled bone marrow.  The aim is to avoid radiation in children under the age of 10 years.

Minty tolerated the chemo well, and with a lot of bouncing in and out of hospital, as well as a couple of 3-week stints inpatient, completed 5 of the 6 rounds. Then, an MRI on March 12, 2010 discovered several lesions that had grown on high-dose chemo. Minty was immediately pulled off the protocol, and multiple doctors/institutions confirmed the diagnosis of approximately 4 new cancerous tumors.

Since attacking the tumor did not work, the next step was to starve the tumors by going after the blood vessels that fed them, (a process called anti-angiogenesis). Minty began chronic low-dosing of 4 oral drugs a day, 7 days a week, as well as working with energy healers. Sadly, she had to be pulled off the antiangiogenesis when she was no longer able to keep the drugs in her system, and Minty left us the day after her 1st Birthday, on July 11th 2010.

All of Minty’s neurosurgery was with Dr. Anderson at Columbia in New York, and all her oncology treatment was at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, and The Stephen D.Hassenfeld Clinic with Dr.Gardner. When not drinking milk (about 8 hours a day), Minty loved to flirt with anyone who’d lay with her, and she endured the many dress up sessions her mum put her through. She loved to honk people’s noses and hear them go “Beep-beep!” The word “baby” sent her into a fit of giggles, and her favorite song was “Rainbow Connection.” Wave anything vaguely resembling a camera in front of her, and Minty would light up, puff her chest out, and basically goes nuts.

We’ll leave you with Minty’s eulogy from her mum:

GiveForward is starting a new feature every week, the Staff Pick Fundraiser.  Now this doesn’t mean we have a favorite fundraiser, we love all of our fundraisers equally, but at the GiveForward office we make an effort every day to reach out and ‘hug’ a person on our site.

Once a week we come together and share the stories about the people we’ve hugged.   It is a great way for everyone to get to know more about the people using our site and spread a little good cheer at the same time.  After we share the stories we all vote for our favorite story and feature it as the “Staff Pick” for the week.

This week we are kicking it off with a fundraiser that is new to our site: “Help Support Black Family Cancer Fund”.  Jake first came to

our site when he mentioned on Twitter that he was auctioning off action figures on ebay to pay for his medical bills.  GiveForwardreached out to him to offer our services and he signed up.

Jake, a comic author, was initially diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2008.  Like one of his characters, Jake managed to battle the disease, coming out a survivor after rounds of chemo.

Unfortunately, fighting cancer doesn’t end with the physical.  Like most survivors Jake was left with mounting medical bills for the care he received.  Now the Black family is getting support from their loved ones as well as the comic community to help defray these medical expenses.

This week we want to give a big shout out to the “Help Support Black Family Cancer Fund” as our Staff Pick of the week.  Sending lots of virtual high fives your way!

Thanks to all of our amazing Giveasauruses (Giveasauri?) we have officially hit our $4million mark.  That means that over 49,000 donations have been made by people just like you.

These donations have changed lives and helped people cope with everything from an unexpected cancer diagnosis to rebuilding after a fire.  So we want to take a moment to say a big GiveForward THANK YOU to everyone who takes a little time every day to give.  It is donors like the Quinn Family, who made the $4millon donation to the fundraiser “Help Support Margie Bersterman” that are changing the world one dollar at a time.

Way to go, Giveasauruses; you are all rockstars!!

This weekend, the Chicago Tribune took a closer look at crowdfunding, GiveForward, and some of our World Give Day partners.

The Trib spoke with GiveForward, 33needs, EduLender, and IndieGoGo to get an inside look at how crowdfunding is changing the face of philanthropy….

Funding from the masses: Startups try to harness social networks to raise money

At first blush, crowd-funding may sound like just another attempt to raise money online by getting as many visitors as possible to donate to a cause.

But a growing number of startups see the landscape differently. They see the potential that social networks have to raise money in ways that align with how younger generations practice philanthropy.

Click here for full article.

This morning the United States woke up to news of a massive earthquake in Japan, followed by a tsunami that rippled across the world.  Many people immediately asked how they could help. Volunteers started pouring into Japan shortly after the quake struck and now governments, including the U.S. have promised to “spare no effort” to help in the aftermath.

But beyond the work of large government organizations, individuals are asking how they can help as well.  The GiveForward Team has put together a list of some of the amazing international organizations that are snapping into action, and how you can help them.  If you have any organizations that should be added to the list please let us know: info@giveforward.com.

Aid from World Give Day partners

• FirstGiving – Giving you an easy way to select among nonprofits that are working towards relief efforts.
• SXSW4Japan (CauseVox) -Fitting right in with the theme of ‘influence’ at SXSW this year, CauseVox and SXSW attendees are putting their hearts, minds and wallets together to raise support for Japan.
• GlobalGiving -  Global Giving has already set up a great way to donate to the Earthquake and Tsunami relief fund.

Aid Organizations

• Red Cross – the Red Cross is known for its disaster relief efforts.  While no direct fundraising account has been set up for Japan yet, Red Cross officials say donors can text “Red Cross” to 90999 and a $10 donation will automatically be charged to your phone bill, or you can make a donation on their webiste.
• Oxfam Emergency 365 - when disaster strikes around the world, Oxfam’s Emergency 365 group moves quickly to provide life-saving assistance.
• CARE – CARE’s staff in Tokyo is already re-grouping and preparing to help.  Head to their website to make a donation and help their aid work.
• Salvation Army – The Salvation Army in Tokyo is sending an assessment team to the city of Sendai tonight to assess damage and will begin providing basic necessities beginning as soon as possible tonight or tomorrow.  The Army has already opened its main building to shelter commuters who were unable to reach home.  To donate text “JAPAN” or “QUAKE” to 80888 to make a $10 donation to the Army’s relief efforts.

Fundraising for Individuals

If you know someone in one of the effected areas and want to collect aid directly on their behalf, you can create a fundraiser on GiveForward to gather donations.

One of the cool things about being a medical fundraising tool is that at GiveForward we get to see all of the creative and inspiring ways that friends and family fundraise on behalf of their loved ones.

We wanted to share one such story about Jason Noble, who was diagnosed with cancer.   Friends came together to help raise money for Jason and his wife, Kristin, to cover the cost of everyday expenses that exist outside of insurance coverage.

The unique thing about their fundraiser was the way the organizers encouraged donors to get involved.  In exchange for a standardized donation amount, donors received a collection of 12 art prints that were donated by artists from all around the United States.

The organizers assumed it would take at least six weeks to reach their goal of $15,000.  Instead, during the first day donors from the U.S., Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and Canada had donated.  Within 12 hours of its launch, their fundraiser met and surpassed its goal, raising over $16,000!

Now, over a year later, Jason is on the road to recovery thanks to the support of his amazing group of friends.  We were inspired by not only the work Jason’s loved ones put into this fundraiser but the creativity they showed in their efforts.  A big GiveForward high-five to everyone involved in this exceptional fundraiser.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be tough.  GiveForward’s team is here to help you get started with a few easy steps to get your fundraiser up and going.

Here are the best of the best from our Fundraising Coaches:

1. Personalize your fundraising page. People want to know the person behind the cause.  Explain who or what you’re fundraising for and why it is so close to your heart.  If your friends and family see that you are passionate about your cause they are more likely to give generously.  Need inspiration?  Check out these ideas on how to personalize your page.

2. Get the word out. The more people you tell about your page the better it will do.  Talk about it with everyone you meet, you never know when someone might be interested.

• Email everyone you know!  Even if you haven’t spoken to them in years you’ll be surprised how many people will decide to donate.
• When you reach out to your friends and family, ask them to share your cause with their friends and family.  We have an easy to use “Tell-a-friend” button on your page, encourage them to click away!
• Set up a Facebook group that includes a link to your GiveForward fundraising page.  This is another easy way that friends and family can spread the word to their networks as well.  Tell people to invite others and get the word out there.

3. Send updates. This ties into personalizing your cause.  By keeping friends and family updated on the progress of the fundraiser and the cause, people will be much more invested in the outcome and will be inclined to encourage others to get involved.  Plus, while some people may donate the first time around, for most people it takes 2-3 friendly reminders to get them to make a donation.  It is OK to be respectfully persistent.  Read more here about how and when to send out email/Facebook updates.

4. Be strategic. While it is important to let everyone know about your efforts, we suggest emailing your closest friends and family first.  This is a great way to build momentum.  Your inner circle of friends and family will tend to be the most generous donors and if they donate first they can set the tone.  If colleagues and other acquaintances head to your fundraising page and see donations from others, they will be more likely to follow suit and make similar sized donations. Read more about strategic fundraising.

5. It is OK to adjust your goal. Again, building momentum can really impact how successful your fundraiser ends up.  People love watching how their donations bump that little needle up on your fundraising meter.  But if your goal is too big, donors may feel like their contribution didn’t have much of an impact.  By setting a modest goal for yourself and quickly reaching fundraising milestones like 10% and 25% of your goal you can build a lot of momentum and get your donors excited about helping you reach your goal.  If you end up flying through your fundraiser and think you need to increase your goal – go for it! Read more about why people who set modest goals end up raising more money.

6. People like to win stuff. A great way to get people to donate is by offering them a raffle prize.  For instance when you email your contacts you might include a note that you will be raffling off a $25 Starbucks gift card to the first 25 people who donate.  This creates extra incentive and encourages people to donate sooner rather than later.  Check out more tips here.

7. Tell your story. Local media is usually more than happy to write about your efforts, particularly if you are holding an event such as a fundraising dinner or bake sale.  Check out our simple tips to learn how to get your story in the paper.

8. Make your campaign go viral. The most successful fundraising campaigns are the ones that go “viral” on the internet.  The results can be incredible with hundreds of people donating across the country and raising thousands of dollars for a cause.  Although not every campaign will go viral, here are some tips to help get you there:

• Make sure to get off to a good start with a big donation off the bat.  This will give you great momentum and get people talking about your campaign.
• Ask friends and family to spread the word.  When you send out your email appeal, make sure to ask everyone to forward the email to others or share the GiveForward page by using the “Tell-a-friend” button.
• Start a Facebook group with a link to your fundraising page.  Invite all your “Facebook friends” and ask five “real friends” to invite everyone they know to your group as well.
• Create a 24 hour Facebook Awareness Campaign where everyone donates their status message for one day.  Learn how here.
• Get bloggers involved.  If you know anyone who blogs, reach out to them.  Bloggers are always looking for new content but make sure it fits in with the theme of their blog (ex. if they’re a mom who blogs about parenting, make sure to highlight how your fundraiser is helping kids).

9. Thank your donors. Make your mom proud by displaying your good manners and thanking people who have supported your fundraiser.  When you create your fundraising page you can draft a thank you message that automatically goes out whenever someone makes a donation.  Additionally, you can send a thank you email to each donor individually by logging into your account and clicking on the “My Donors” tab.  From there you can send a personalized thank you email.  For those who go the extra distance by spreading the word to others or making a big donation, make sure you go the extra distance for them as well and send a hand-written note.

10.  Have fun! Last but not least, always remember to have fun.  Fundraising shouldn’t be a chore but a way to spread the word about something you care about.  If you’re excited and positive about the fundraiser’s progress your friends and family will be too.

We’re giving a big shout out to Tammy Tibbetts, President of She’s the First.  Together Tammy and her organization are helping girls rock and using GiveForward to make it happen.

As Tammy described in her Huffington Post article, her organization is focused on supporting education for girls around the world and one universal language they all share is music.

During Internet Week New York, She’s the First held a benefit concert called GIRLS WHO ROCK to help raise money to educate girls in an AfricAid project.  By utilizing GiveForward and social media to spread the word and gather donations, they managed to bring in $6,000 which funded six full years of education for three girls.

We’re so proud of Tammy and the work done by She’s the First.  Keep rockin’ girls!

Tammy Tibbetts

President, She’s the First

Posted: February 22, 2011 12:32 PM

Music is Universal, Education Should Be Too

Girls around the world fascinate me endlessly. Although I’m 25, I’m able to develop a bond, and an awareness of their dreams, through social media. I’m focused on girls in my day job, where I tweet for a teen magazine, and after hours, when I’m burning the midnight oil working on She’s the First, a not-for-profit supporting girls’ education, and its benefit concert, GIRLS WHO ROCK.

One of my favorite girl stories from last week starts with Lady Gaga. If you’re among her 8 million followers, you may have seen her tweet, “Can’t stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future.” She linked to a video that’s now a YouTube phenomenon: 10-year-old Maria’s cover of Gaga’s new single “Born This Way.” Maria’s rendition, sung while playing her keyboard and wearing a plain white T-shirt, is the purest version of the original, which Gaga first performed when she broke out of an egg on stage the Grammys. Isn’t it amazing how universal music is?

Here’s another highlight: In an email I received on Saturday from Elizabeth David, the 18-year-old Tanzanian girl sponsored by GIRLS WHO ROCK, the benefit concert for She’s the First during Internet Week New York, she wrote, “My favourite musicians are Jordin Sparks, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Willow Smith, and Shontelle.” In a country where more than half of the population subsists on less than $1 per day, there is still a following for the same artists I listen to on my iPod. Music is universal.

It was the realization that education is not universal that led me to create She’s the First with a team of Millennial women in November 2009. She’s the First sponsors girls in the developing world who will be the first in their family to graduate — maybe even the first to read and write. Did you know that of the 130 million children in the world who are not in school (an atrocity in itself), 70% are girls? In countries like Tanzania, where Elizabeth is from, 95% of girls don’t graduate secondary school. Yet research shows educating girls results in healthier, happier families and communities and stronger economies. You can read about the high return on investment in TIME magazine’s Feb. 14th article, “To Fight Poverty, Invest in Girls,” or at length in the book Half the Sky by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

She’s the First is a social-media-enabled, grassroots response to this global call to action. We partner with NGOs already working with local communities to provide education in the poorest of countries. We help our partners tap into an enthusiastic, creative donor base that they may have overlooked: Millennials, or teens, college students, and young professionals, those born between 1980 and 1995. Our supporters creatively fundraise among their social circles — whether it’s a game night fundraiser in their NYC apartment (one sponsored six girls in Tanzania) or tie-dye cupcake bake sales in their dorms (University of Notre Dame students raised $900 to sponsor three girls in Nepal). We understand most of our donors can only afford $10 here, $20 there — money they might otherwise budget for entertainment. But together, we can change a girl’s life trajectory with these small donations.

Our marquee event, the benefit concert GIRLS WHO ROCK, is one of our best ways of showing the philanthropic power of our generation. Last year, our first concert — produced entirely on volunteer effort and in-kind donations — raised $6,000, funding six full years of education for three girls in AfricAid’s Kisa Project. With a Facebook event and @GirlsWhoRockNY Twitter feed pushing ticket sales, as well as Live Tweets, Livestreaming, and online donations through giveforward.org and eventbrite.com, we showed how online action drives offline impact. Year-round, we show our donors how their support has impacted Elizabeth and her classmates Happiness and Grace, by publishing emails, photos, and videos to the She’s the First blog. My co-founder Cynthia Hellen devised our tagline, “Music is universal. Education should be, too,” and it couldn’t strike a deeper chord.

In 2011, we aim to make GIRLS WHO ROCK bigger and better, to benefit another girls’ sponsorship program. The journey is just beginning, so no matter where you live, we invite you to rock the world for girls’ education with us by following @GirlsWhoRockNY and @shesthefirst on Twitter and Facebook. That’s the first step.

Now, speaking of Twitter, I’ll admit that I was monitoring the feed for @shesthefirst while writing this post. A 13-year-old Tweeter/YouTuber started following us. Her dream? To be president of the United States. Her location? The White House (someday). Her Twitter background? A photo of Sasha and Malia Obama going to school. I couldn’t ask for a better illustration: Anything is possible with an education.