Nonprofit's Web Site Offers Socially Responsible Gift Packages Making It Easy to Feel Good about Your Gift All Year Long
San Francisco December 13, 2007 -- More and more, Americans are using the holidays as an opportunity for socially responsible gift giving. UniversalGiving (http://www.universalgiving.org) makes it easy to do this, with Gift Packages available through their web site that reflect specific international causes the giver wishes to support.
"We want make it easier than ever for people to purchase gifts that make a positive, long-term impact on the world," said UniversalGiving's Founder and CEO, Pamela Hawley."
UniversalGiving offers a large selection of international Gift Packages addressing causes such as education, poverty, disaster relief, health, and human rights. Examples of UniversalGiving's Gift Packages include: gift cards made by orphan children ($20), helping someone start a small farming business in Tanzania ($40), sponsoring a chimpanzee ($90), sponsoring a school in Uganda ($100), and sponsoring a deaf child's education in Vietnam ($600).
"UniversalGiving is an instrumental partner to Sports Gift and our mission to provide sports to impoverished children," says Keven Baxter, President of Sports Gift. "UniversalGiving has made a direct and significant impact on our ability to provide the gift of sports to thousands of children living in poverty around the world."
Greater Impact Per Dollar
In contrast to many other charitable organizations - and for-profit companies that try to profit from these kinds of donations - approximately 97 percent* of Gift Package funding and other donations to UniversalGiving go to the project and organization the giver has chosen to support. No part of the funding or donation is directed towards UniversalGiving's operational costs. Further, UniversalGiving performs due diligence on all its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners using its rigorous, trademarked Quality Model (http://www.universalgiving.org/quality) to assure that only trustworthy, high-integrity organizations become part of the UniversalGiving family.
As Andre Vanier of Palo Alto, Calif., a purchaser of UniversalGiving Gift Packages, explains, "Through UniversalGiving, I identified two extremely worthwhile nonprofit organizations to support. UniversalGiving's evaluation model helps provide the assurance that these Gift Packages will be put to good use."
About UniversalGiving
Based in San Francisco, UniversalGiving is an award-winning, nonprofit marketplace that enables people to volunteer their time, buy gifts, and donate to top-performing organizations and projects all over the world. Visitors simply choose a region (such as Africa) and an issue (such as education or the environment) and receive a list of quality ways to give and volunteer. UniversalGiving operational costs are covered by individual investors, foundation grants and fee-based services it provides to corporations. As a result, the UniversalGiving service is free to the volunteers, donators, and NGOs, and the Gift Package donations go directly to on-the-ground services serving local communities.
Since November 2003, more than $1 million and 5,000 volunteers have been matched through the UniversalGiving website. UniversalGiving is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with an organizational vision to "create a world where giving and volunteering are a natural part of everyday life."
To learn more, visit UniversalGiving on the Web at www.universalgiving.org.
Editors' note: UniversalGiving does not use any of the gift money for operational costs such as personnel or technology. PayPal, a for-profit company, manages the financial processing and does charge of 3.2 percent charge for each transaction processed.
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Monday, December 17, 2007
Last-Minute Gift Ideas For Socially Conscious Giving
Monday, November 26, 2007
Kiva.org Gift Certificates Pay It Forward... and Back Again
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- 11/13/07 -- This year, give someone the opportunity to truly change the life of a person living in poverty in the developing world. Kiva.org, the world's first microlending website, lets individuals purchase gift certificates for friends and family, allowing them to make a loan directly to a developing world entrepreneur.
"A Kiva.org gift certificate is much more than a gift -- it's the start of a very positive cycle of loaning to a deserving entrepreneur, getting paid back and loaning again," said Matt Flannery, CEO and Co-Founder of Kiva.org. "We have seen so many lives changed by what we might consider a tiny loan in this country." President Clinton, who features Kiva.org in his new book, "Giving," said, "Through Kiva.org, people around the world can become micro-bankers to developing world entrepreneurs, who have their own ideas, so we can give them a chance to raise their kids with dignity, send their kids to school, and in troubled places like Afghanistan we can marginally increase the chance that peace can prevail, because people will see there is a positive alternative to conflict."
How it works
Kiva.org gift certificates are easily purchased on www.kiva.org in multiples of $25. Once received, the gift recipients go to www.kiva.org, redeem their gift online and then choose an entrepreneur to lend to, such as Damaso Clares of Bolivia, who needs $600 to buy a dairy cow, or Judith Mumbo of Kenya who needs $175 to purchase a machine for her candle-making business. Lenders then choose the amount they would like to contribute to the loan, starting at $25. Throughout the course of the loan (typically 12 months) lenders receive email updates on repayments made and the progress of the business. When the loan is repaid, the funds are returned in full to the lenders -- the ultimate recycling of money!
Why Lend
Kiva Lenders are attracted to the personal connection they feel with the entrepreneur whose business they have invested in, and the feeling of mutual respect and dignity encouraged through lending rather than donating. Ann, a lender from Seattle, said: "This was my opportunity to invest in someone else's dream. It's rewarding to know that you don't have to give much to make a huge difference in someone's life."
Lenders even find themselves "addicted" to the Kiva.org website, watching their portfolio of investments grow as loans are repaid, reloaned and new loans added. Kiva Lender Steve, of Illinois, compares his Kiva portfolio to his personal banking investment portfolio: "Conventional investment wisdom is to have a diversified portfolio of investments; this was the first time I considered emotional rewards as something I could expect besides the occasional dividend. It certainly is habit-forming." More testimonials can be found on the Kiva.org website.
Since its launch in Q4 2005, more than $14 million has been loaned by 140,000 Kiva Lenders to 22,000 entrepreneurs in 37 countries through Kiva.org. The organization has been covered by "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Today Show," The New York Times, PBS, ABC World News, CNN, Time, BusinessWeek, and the BBC, among others.
About Kiva.org
Kiva.org (www.kiva.org) is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to an entrepreneur in the developing world. Founded in 2004 by Matt and Jessica Flannery, Kiva.org's mission is to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty. Kiva.org currently connects lenders in more than 50 countries with entrepreneurs in 37 developing countries, through 65 microfinance partners. Kiva.org is headquartered in San Francisco.
CONTACT:
Fiona Ramsey
Kiva.org
(415) 358-7515
Email Contact
Friday, September 8, 2006
56-years later and still unique: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2006 campaign finds inspiration in its roots
NEW YORK, 8 September 2006 — For the 56th consecutive year, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF will launch its time-honored Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign this fall. This year's campaign will focus on the great tradition and history of the program that was started by children in Philadelphia. The signature orange Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF box and other materials for this year's campaign are now available.
Boxes and free educational materials can be ordered by calling 1.800.4UNICEF or by logging on to www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat. Hi-resolution Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF images are available for media to download at www.unicefusa.org/files.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, the original Kids Helping Kids® campaign, began as a door-to-door collection on Halloween that was inspired by reports of children suffering in Europe as a result of World War II. On Halloween, 56-years ago, five concerned Philadelphia children went door-to-door to collect money for kids overseas. These children donated the money they collected, $17, to UNICEF. It was their innovative and philanthropic spirit that created the nationwide program known as Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Since 1950, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF supporters have collected over $132 million.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has empowered generations of children to save and improve the lives of children in their global community through education and fundraising for the world's leading children's organization, the United Nation's Children's Fund. In fact, this year's Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF spokesperson, Sarah Jessica Parker, also Trick-or-Treated for UNICEF as a child.
"The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program has undergone many changes throughout its existence, yet the values, commitment and passion that are at the root of the program have remained the same," said President of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Charles J. Lyons. "With the support of parents, educators, and community leaders, American children have the potential to save the lives of their more vulnerable peers. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF gives them the resources and the vehicle to achieve their goals."
Last year's campaign encouraged schools nationwide to compete with each other for the most money raised, resulting in over $5 million being generated that year. Three schools—Middlesex Middle School in Darien, CT, Olivenhein Pioneer Elementary School in Carlsbad, CA, and Lakehill Preparatory School in Dallas, TX—won last year's competition. The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Challenge, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, will continue this year with an expanded category. Now, individual kids and groups of kids can participate in the competition. This year's winners will each have a $125,000 donation to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF made in their honor by Procter & Gamble, a photo appearance on the Cartoon Network and Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF t-shirts. To enter, children simply send in their Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF donations between October 1 and December 30, 2006 and they will automatically be entered into the challenge.
For the first time ever, 3,500 Hallmark Gold Crown® stores will offer the traditional orange Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection boxes throughout the months of September and October. Additionally, select Hallmark stores will sell UNICEF Halloween greeting cards. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF partners Pier 1 Imports and Pier 1 Kids will also distribute the collection boxes at over 1,200 stores in the U.S. during the month of October. Cartoon Network will produce PSA spots featuring characters from the hit show Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, encouraging kids to participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. The spots will air throughout October on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TNT, TBS, and CNN as well as through participating cable affiliates. For the tenth year in a row, donations to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF can be made through Coinstar® Centers self-service coin counting machines located in major supermarkets nationwide.
About UNICEF
Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of children in 156 countries and territories through immunization, education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For more information about UNICEF or to make a donation, please call 1.800.4UNICEF.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Kiní Schoop, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Media, 212.880.9132
Marci Greenberg, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Media, 212.880.9132
