Month: December 2013

Nonprofit partners that should make your giving list in 2013

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Alana Ramo on behalf of the Case Foundation:

The year is coming to a close and as we continue our celebration of giving with the 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign, we are reminded of our community’s tremendous efforts to foster impact and change. The Case Foundation is honored to have partnered with extraordinary groups in 2013 that continue to offer revolutionary solutions for some of today’s greatest social challenges.

Our partners are creating jobs, providing students access to computer science programs, speeding up the search for a cure for brain cancer and addressing the global water crisis. In communities across the nation and around the world, our partners improve quality of life, inspire people to effect change and forge cross-sector alliances that amplify impact. These organizations and many others in our network and beyond continue to exemplify fearlessness in their work—and we are honored to call them our partners.

This holiday season we hope you will reflect on the issues that are most important in your life. And, if you need help finalizing your end of year giving plans, we offer you this list of some of our closest partners. We hope you will consider learning more about their work and the ways you can help support their mission. Thanks for joining us in the spirit of giving and we wish you a very happy holiday season!

Entrepreneurship

1776 DC: 1776 DC is a startup incubator connecting entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to take on challenges in education, energy, healthcare and the government. As a global hub of entrepreneurship, 1776 DC hopes to revolutionize critical industries through innovation and technology. GET INVOLVED

Tory Burch Foundation: Tory Burch Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the economic empowerment of women, aims to support budding entrepreneurs through small business loans, mentoring programs and an entrepreneurial education. DONATE NOW

UP Global: UP Global is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, grassroots leadership and strong communities. They mobilize Startup Weekend’s global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate and empower individuals and their communities. GET INVOLVED

Volunteering and Civic Engagement

A Billion + Change: A Billion + Change is an innovative initiative supported by the Case Foundation and Points of Light that aims to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono services from corporations to nonprofits. SEE WHO’S TAKEN THE PLEDGE

City Year DC: City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them skills and opportunities to change the world. Working within the school, team members provide academic assistance to students, lead after-school programming and help create a positive school climate. GET INVOLVED

Give an Hour: Give an Hour’s mission is to develop national networks of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society. Give an Hour delivers free mental health services to U.S. military personnel and their families. GET INVOLVED

One Warm Coat: One Warm Coat provides the tools and resources to help volunteers from across North America organize coat drives to help those in need. ORGANIZE A DRIVE

Technology

Code.org: Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science education by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students. Code.org envisions a core curriculum in education that considers computer science as valuable and math, science and engineering. DONATE NOW

Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring and equipping young women with the skills and resources to pursue careers in computing fields. By fostering an interest in computer science, Girls Who Code hopes to ensure the economic prosperity of women and catalyze social change. DONATE NOW

Big Ideas

Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure: Founded by the late Dan Case together with his brother, Steve Case and their families, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure partners with leading entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers to find a cure for brain cancer. DONATE NOW

MCON: The Millennial Impact report features key trends and comprehensive data revealing the motivations behind one of the largest generations of our time. MCON is a day of conversation focused on mobilizing the millennial generation to connect, get involved and give to causes. LEARN MORE

Share our Strength: Share Our Strength operates under the belief that everyone has the strength to fight against hunger and poverty. Through its No Kid Hungry campaign, Share Our Strength works to equip families with the skills to create their own healthy meals and to ensure accessibility to food. DONATE NOW

Susan G. Komen: Susan G. Komen fuels the best science to make the biggest impact in the fight against breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries. DONATE NOW

Global Innovation

+SocialGood: +SocialGood is an online platform that leverages technology and social media to connect innovators from around the globe who are trying to tackle social challenges. REGISTER NOW

Water for People: Water For People assists communities in emerging markets to improve quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and hygiene education programs. The Case Foundation is particularly proud of FLOW—Field Level Operations Watch, which is a game-changing technology solution that broadcasts instant reports about whether Water For People’s water and sanitation projects are working or failing. DONATE NOW

National Geographic Society: The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge, the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Our CEO Jean Case is proud to serve on the board of the National Geographic Society. DONATE NOW

Platforms for Giving

Benevolent: Benevolent aims to connect nonprofits, donors and people in need. By allowing donors to give to someone to help meet that individual’s specific needs, Benevolent fosters stronger connections and communities. VISIT BENEVOLENT

CrowdRise: CrowdRise is one of the fastest growing online fundraising websites with their unique blend of crowdfunding, social networking, contests, and more. Raise money for great causes and have fun in the process. VISIT CROWDRISE

Global Giving Foundation: Global Giving is a charity fundraising website that gives social entrepreneurs and nonprofits from anywhere in the world a chance to raise the money that they need to improve their communities. You can also purchase Global Giving gift cards to give to friends and family, so they too can find and support great nonprofits. VISIT GLOBAL GIVING

Network for Good: Network for Good makes it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online. They make it simple and affordable for nonprofits to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet. Donors can choose to fund one of 1.2 million charities or volunteer with one of thousands of nonprofits through the site. VISIT NETWORK FOR GOOD

The Gift of Warmth

Posted on by Case Foundation

A special series on the 5 Giving Tuesdays—a campaign launched by the Case Foundation to celebrate the gift of giving this holiday season. Each week we will feature stories and resources showcasing the different ways you can give back to make a greater impact in your community.

Today we’re kicking off the fourth week of our 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign with a special focus on giving the gift of warmth—donating warm clothing items to help others in need. Why is this important? Health experts report that even a two-degree drop in body temperature can result in a reduced heart rate, loss of coordination, and confusion. With those conditions, adults often cannot work effectively and children find it difficult to learn. For most, a warm coat solves the problem. Yet for the now nearly 15 percent of Americans living in poverty, a warm winter coat is a budget “extra.”

Here are three ways you can get involved today!
Commit to Give: Join in on our celebration of giving by entering The 5 Giving Tuesdays sweepstakes and help us to award $100,000 in grants and prizes ($90,000 to nonprofits | $10,000 to individuals)! We invite you to commit to “Give the Gift of Warmth” and donate warm clothing items such as coats, gloves, or scarves, or pick one of the four other featured acts of giving.

New prizes are up for grabs each week! This week 10 lucky winners will each receive a $100 shopping credit to Twice As Warm, a clothing retailer specializing in warm weather gear and accessories. The purchase of each product results in a donation of the same item to an individual in need. Enter today!

One Warm Coat: One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to collect coats and distribute them to people in need, free of charge. The organization helps individuals, groups, companies, and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute them in their local communities. One Warm Coat’s goal is to ensure that anyone who needs a coat can get one. Providing this simple yet vital need helps people live productive lives year round. Nearly 4 million coats have been collected and distributed through One Warm Coat activities since 1992.

Twice As Warm: Twice As Warm is a movement to help neighbors in need stay warm. Each purchase of Twice As Warm apparel is matched with a donation of their same apparel to children and families in need. The organization’s mission is to provide warmth, hope, and support to people in need, and create a sustainable way of providing new winter clothing.

Share your story of giving with us on Twitter (@CaseFoundation).

Gift of Presents that Give Back

Posted on by Case Foundation

A special series on the 5 Giving Tuesdays—a campaign launched by the Case Foundation to celebrate the gift of giving this holiday season. Each week we will feature stories and resources showcasing the different ways you can give back to make a greater impact in your community.

Today we’re kicking off the third week of our 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign with a special focus on the gift of presents that give back. How do you know if the item you are giving gives back? Perhaps part of the proceeds help to support an issue, the item aims to raise awareness about a cause, or your purchase of an item allows someone else to benefit from the purchase in some way—those are what count as presents that give back. Presents often bring joy to not only the recipient, but also the giver, so why not take the opportunity to extend your reach and impact by giving a present that gives back?

Here are four ways you can get involved today!

Commit to Give: Join in on our celebration of giving by entering The 5 Giving Tuesdays sweepstakes and help us to award $100,000 in grants and prizes ($90,000 to nonprofits | $10,000 to individuals)! We invite you to commit to “Give the Gift of Presents” that Give Back and choose to give a gift that helps others or pick one of the four other featured acts of giving.

New prizes are up for grabs each week! This week 10 lucky winners will each receive a $100 gift card or shopping credit of their choice to Eco Vessel, TOMS, or Tory Burch. Winners get to choose so enter today!

Eco Vessel – Specializing in water bottles and food storage containers, all of Eco Vessel’s products are BPA and phthalate free, recyclable, and environmentally friendly. Eco Vessel is passionate about giving back. Part of their mission is to support organizations that work to provide clean drinking water around the world. Eco Vessel donates one percent of the purchase price of every product to Water for People (a grantee of the Case Foundation), whose mission is to provide long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in the developing world.

TOMS – TOMS believes business can be used to improve lives. But it takes more than belief to make that a reality. So, TOMS recently launched the TOMS Marketplace, a platform to help other social entrepreneurs succeed. The Marketplace is about emerging companies, their products, their causes, and it’s a new destination for making a difference. Some products available through the TOMS Marketplace provide improved economic opportunity to individuals who otherwise might not find employment. Other products use a portion of their proceeds to support education, fight hunger, or fund reforestation. What they all have in common is a belief that everyday purchases can create positive change.

Tory Burch Foundation – Inspired by her own experience as a business owner and working mother, designer Tory Burch launched the nonprofit Tory Burch Foundation (TBF) in 2009. The Foundation supports the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. through small business loans, mentoring programs and entrepreneurial education. You can support the Foundation through purchases on the Tory Burch, Shop for a Cause site featuring an assortment of accessories. All profits from the purchase of items benefit TBF. You can also donate directly to the Tory Burch Foundation.

Share your story of giving with us in the comments section below or on Twitter (@CaseFoundation).

Gifts that Give Back

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Alana Ramo on behalf of the Case Foundation:

In the stressful scramble to find the perfect present, we can lose sight of the spirit of giving. Maximize your purchase power and give to a good cause with our holiday “gifts that give back” guide. These gift ideas will fit nicely on your shopping list and support conscious businesses that create meaningful jobs, protect the environment and support our veterans.

While you’re in the spirit of giving back, we hope you’ll join us this holiday season in our 5 Giving Tuesdays holiday campaign. We are celebrating the act of giving by highlighting five ways you can give back to your community. Tomorrow we kick off our Gifts that Give Back week. Make a commitment to purchase a present that supports a nonprofit organization and then use the list below to pick the one that bests suits you!

Have an idea of your own? Please share it with us in the comments section or on Twitter @CaseFoundation!

Eco Vessel – Eco Vessel produces environmentally friendly bottles from sustainable BPA free materials. Committed to providing clean drinking water around the world, Eco Vessel donates 1% of the purchase price of every product to organizations like Water for People (a grantee of the Case Foundation). SHOP NOW

IAVA – Get the gear that supports the IAVA movement through IAVA’s online store. Or, shop on eBay from December 16-23 and give during your checkout. Showing support to our veterans never looked so good. SHOP NOW

Just Good – Just Good is an online marketplace that connects conscious products with consumers while influencing good buying behaviors. They sell watches whose proceeds go to planting trees, shirts that fund safe drinking water, and scarves that empower women across the world in an effort to spark dialogue around conscious living. SHOP NOW

Network for Good – Give the gift of giving! The Good Card® is a gift card with stored value preloaded for quick donations. The gift recipient can disperse the funds as a donation to any organization within Network for Good’s community of 1.2 million charities. SHOP NOW

Sword & Plough – Repurposed for a purpose, Sword & Plough is a quadruple bottom line bag company that works with veterans to repurpose military surplus fabric into stylish bags. SHOP NOW

TOMS – TOMS believes business can be used to improve lives. But it takes more than belief to make that a reality. So, TOMS recently launched the TOMS Marketplace, a platform to help other social entrepreneurs succeed. The Marketplace is about emerging companies, their products, their causes, and it’s a new destination for making a difference. SHOP NOW

Tory Burch – Inspired by her own experience as a business owner and working mother, designer Tory Burch launched the nonprofit Tory Burch Foundation (TBF) in 2009. The Foundation supports the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. through small business loans, mentoring programs and entrepreneurial education. You can support the Foundation through purchases on the Tory Burch, Shop for a Cause site featuring an assortment of accessories. SHOP NOW

Twice As Warm – Twice As Warm is a movement to help neighbors in need stay warm. Each purchase of Twice As Warm apparel is matched with a donation of their same apparel to children and families in need. The organization’s mission is to provide warmth, hope, and support to people in need, and create a sustainable way of providing new winter clothing. SHOP NOW

Warby Parker – For every pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker will donate another pair to someone in need. By giving glasses and training low-income entrepreneurs to operate their own glasses store, Warby Parker is building a community to address the 15% of the global population that cannot effectively learn or work. Adorn your loved ones with chic, socially conscious glasses and help someone else see clearly for the first time. SHOP NOW

Nelson Mandela: A Fearless Social Activist For All Time

Posted on by Case Foundation

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

With the passing of Nelson Mandela, we say goodbye to one of our greatest leaders, visionaries, and heroes. Steve and I had the privilege to meet President Mandela a few years ago, and I have long admired his courage, persistence, and fearless spirit. With his passing at age 95, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on a man who so embodied the spirit of what it means to be fearless and who has influenced me personally.

President Mandela personifies the fearless values we talk about so frequently: taking risks, being bold, and letting urgency conquer fear. Perhaps most importantly, President Mandela pressed for a cause that he believed was right when most said the challenges he and his fellow activists faced were insurmountable. His selflessness, his perseverance, and his focus have been an inspiration for activists and changemakers around the world.

As a young man in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Mandela experienced firsthand the impact of apartheid—where racial segregation, unequal rights, and poverty among the black majority were the norm. As he fought for social justice he faced opponents that were internationally recognized, better funded, and backed by a standing police force. He was called a terrorist, a traitor, and a criminal by those within his country and watching from afar. And he was sentenced to life in prison in 1964 on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government.

These kinds of challenges would likely stop most of us in our tracks, but President Mandela pressed on. On several occasions, the South African government offered his freedom on the condition that he abandon his activism. Each time, he refused. His tireless work sparked an international movement of individuals and eventually governments that lobbied for his release and for an end to apartheid. And, his release from prison was a historic moment—courage had triumphed over fear.

President Mandela did not stop his work at the end of apartheid. He then started what proved to be a nearly equally challenging task of governing, and of bringing a country together that had been ripped apart by the struggle for equal rights. He knew that his work was not done, and he knew that he needed to inspire the next generation of South Africans to continue to press for unity, for growth, and for equal opportunity. As President, he continued to take risks and bold actions, working with all parties to bring the country together–beginning at the outset of his presidency, inviting his former jailer to be a VIP guest at his inauguration.

I thank you, Nelson Mandela, for being an inspiration for all of us. We applaud you for being fearless in the face of so many obstacles, for learning from adversity rather than hiding from it, and for showing us that we all can lead movements that can change the world.

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