Perpetual Innovation

Category: Charities

  • Funding: Grants from Foundations, Gov and More

    Funding: Grants from Foundations, Gov and More

    All nonprofits need to be able to apply for grants. There are a few good sites that consolidate grant information and allow for searching to find the best potential sources for your charity.

    Before jumping into the grant search process, make sure that all your promotional materials and “trade dress” are in top shape. Your web site, letter head, social media sites (and handles) all need to be organized and ready. Your vision and mission will be prominently available and key brochures/flyers creates. You will want to have a tight budget on specific projects you would like to get funding for. It is usually easier to get money for a specific project like expansion of our tutoring program into a new neighborhood. Look at the checklists and Self-Assessment in Hall & Hinkelman’s (2022) Nonprofit Planning book.

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  • Worldwide Happiness … and Benevolence …

    Worldwide Happiness … and Benevolence …

    Yes, there’s a happiness index. And, yes, there are countries where happiness is much higher than other countries. And, yes, there’s the annual World Happiness Report that tells you all about it. (The UN has designated March 20 as World Happiness Day, now in it’s 10th year of happy days.)

    You would think where the sun doesn’t shine (much) in the dead of winter, that northern countries (and states) that the happiness of the country would be lower. But no. The Scandinavian countries, starting with Finland and Denmark are the happiest countries on earth. Iceland ranks 3rd. Western Europe holds most of the top 20 ranks.

    Israel, ranked #4, would undoubtedly have changes substantially since the terrorist attach on Oct 7th and the ensuing Gaza conflict.  Many countries with poverty and conflicts are low or last.

    Canada (12th) beats out the US (15th). The US is just ahead of Germany and the UK (19th). The Czech Republic and Lithuania were 18 and 20, representing an interesting addition of countries that we don’t always think of as developed countries. In the southern hemisphere, only New Zealand (10th) and Australia (13th) made the top 20 list.

    The World Happiness Report (https://worldhappiness.report/), which is a publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and powered by Gallop World Poll data, draws on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries. Countries are ranked on happiness including several factors including their average life evaluations over the three preceding years, in this case 2020 to 2022. This report creates an index that measures life expectancy, per capita GDP, level of corruption, etc. Several questions are asked about feelings of loneliness and generosity. Add them all together and you should get a very good measure about the “happiness” of the people within the country. Not perfect, but not bad.

    International Happiness Day for 2023 had the theme: Be mindful, Be Grateful, Be Kind.

    Benevolence Factor

    Hidden in this report is a benevolence factor. Well, not really hidden, it dominates Chapter 4.  One of the categories in the survey was generosity:

    Generosity:  “Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?” A clear marker for a sense of positive community engagement and a central way that humans connect with each other. Research shows that in all cultures, starting in early childhood, people are drawn to behaviours which benefit other people.

    CNN article on this report said:

    For one, benevolence is about 25% higher than it was pre-pandemic. “Benevolence to others, especially the helping of strangers, which went up dramatically in 2021, stayed high in 2022,” John Helliwell, one of the authors of the World Happiness Report, said in an interview with CNN.

    “Even during these difficult years, positive emotions have remained twice as prevalent as negative ones, and feelings of positive social support twice as strong as those of loneliness,” Helliwell said in a news release.  (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/world-happiest-countries-2023-wellness )

    There’s some discussion (chapter 4) about how benevolence has remained higher than pre-pandemic. Interesting.

    Since the pandemic, tipping has become more common and more generous. Hmmm… Out of pandemic comes goodness. And happiness too, apparently.

    #Happiness #NonprofitPlan #Benevolence #HappinessReport #Generosity #ImpactfulGiving

    World’s happiest countries for 2023

    1. Finland

    2. Denmark

    3. Iceland

    4. Israel

    5. Netherlands

    6. Sweden

    7. Norway

    8. Switzerland

    9. Luxembourg

    10. New Zealand

    11. Austria

    12. Australia

    13. Canada

    14. Ireland

    15. United States

    16. Germany

    17. Belgium

    18. Czech Republic

    19. United Kingdom

    20. Lithuania

  • Chief Shoe Giver, The Art of Business Giving

    Chief Shoe Giver, The Art of Business Giving

    “ ‘Chief Shoe Giver’. That is the job title Blake Mycoskie had at Tom’s Shoes from 2006 to 2019. Others would call him the founder and CEO [of TOMS shoes]” Thus begins a daily inspirational and motivation blog post by Harland Merriam, Nov 12 2023.

    TOMS is world renowned for giving away a pair of shoes for every pair sold. They moved 40% of their production to the countries where they were focusing their charitable giving. TOMS https://www.toms.com/us/impact.html

    Very cool discussion about the power of business giving. Business giving is rather tricky. TOMS (shoes) and Bombas (socks) seem to have very good intentions and have worked very hard to get it right. Giving out shoes (and socks) for every pair sold has potential to undercut the local economies and increase a sense of dependency.  

    Bombas cofounders David Heath (pictured) and Randy Goldberg pledged to donate a pair of socks for every pair sold. Bombas’s mission since day one has been to help those experiencing homelessness. That’s why for every item you purchase, we donate an item on your behalf. https://shop.bombas.com/pages/about-us

    I discuss the art of giving and the art of giving for businesses in my book on nonprofits & impactful donor giving (Hall, 2022). But the main thing for all donors is to be vigilant in looking for unintended consequence of donations.

    TOMS has gotten some criticism and has adapted to improved information about poverty and homelessness.

    Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toms_Shoes) provides a good overview of the history of the TOMS and its “one for one” give-back program.  In 2019, Amy Smith, TOMS’ Chief Giving Officer, announced in their 2019 Impact Report that the company would no longer be following the “One for One” business model that TOMS pioneered. “We made the decision to decouple our impact from the One for One model we pioneered, and to expand our giving portfolio to include impact grants. This way, we can support organizations working to address some of today’s most pressing issues.”

    Since 2019, TOMS has updated its impact model to donate 1/3 of its profits to grassroots for good. (See TOMS impact statement https://www.toms.com/us/impact.html ) TOMS’ mission is to use business to improve lives. This core value is embedded in everything we do.

    Both businesses were designed as part of their mission to do good deeds. Both companies are certified B Corps. Both companies have lots of challenges with the giving part of their mission.  TOMS, for example, has abandoned the sell-1-give-1 and is much more flexible in the way that they give 40% of their profits to charitable causes.  Bombas works through carefully monitored channels for charitable giving.

    Even the best intentions and the best plans need to be monitored and managed. That is, the supply chain for charitable giving also needs a lot of care and feeding. Kudos to TOMS (& Bombas) for doing good things to make the world a better place, and for being adaptable and willing to adjust to better ways.

    #Nonprofits #Charities #BCorp #ImpactfulGiving

  • World Water Day 2023 – Accelerating Change

    World Water Day 2023 – Accelerating Change

     [With AI contribution from Bard.]

    World Water Day 2023: A Call to
    Action (https://www.worldwaterday.org/).
    Act like the humming bird, be
    the change you want to see in the world.

    Approximately 750m people worldwide
    do not have ready access to clean water. Double that for people without clean
    septic/sanitation. The health and wellness of these 2b people can be improved
    dramatically with clean water and safe septic.

    World Water Day is observed on March
    22 each year to raise awareness of the importance of water and to advocate for
    the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year’s theme is
    “Accelerating change.” This means that we need to take action to
    address the water crisis. We need to find ways to use water more efficiently,
    and we need to protect our water resources.

    Water is essential for life. It is
    used for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and irrigation. Water is also
    essential for the environment. It provides habitat for plants and animals, and
    it helps to regulate the climate.

    However, water is a finite resource.
    The world’s population is growing, and the demand for water is increasing.
    Climate change is also causing changes in the distribution of water. These
    factors are putting a strain on the world’s water resources.

    There are many things that you can
    do to help accelerate change on World Water Day. You can:

    • Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
    • Take shorter showers.
    • Fix any leaks in your home.
    • Plant a tree.
    • Donate to a water charity.

    These are just a few examples of
    things that you can do to make a difference on World Water Day. Together, we
    can accelerate change and create a more sustainable future for our planet.

    In addition to the above, you can
    also:

    • Educate yourself and others about the water crisis.
    • Support organizations that are working to address the
      water crisis.
    • Contact your elected officials and urge them to take
      action on the water crisis.
    • Make changes in your own life to reduce your water
      consumption.

    By taking these actions, you can
    help to make World Water Day 2023 a success. Together, we can accelerate change
    and create a more sustainable future for our planet.

    Water Related Charities

    There are many great water-related
    charities, but here are a few of the best (CharityNavigator ratings):

    • Charity:Water is a non-profit organization that
      provides clean water to people in developing countries. (91, 4 Star)
    • Water.org is a non-profit organization that works to
      ensure everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. (95, 4 Star)
    • WaterAid is a non-profit organization that provides
      clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education in developing countries. (91,
      4 Star)
    • The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization that
      builds wells in developing countries. (80, 3 Star)
    • Planet Water Foundation is a non-profit organization
      that provides water filters and sanitation solutions in developing
      countries. (79, 3 Star)
    • The Safe Water Network is a non-profit organization
      that provides water filtration systems in developing countries. (93, 4
      Star)

    These charities are all doing
    important work to help people around the world have access to clean water. If
    you are looking for a way to make a difference, consider donating to one of
    these charities.

    Water and Rotary
    Action Groups (WASH-RAG)

    Rotary International (100, 4 Star)
    and its collection of clubs worldwide take on 7 specific areas of focus
    including water and sanitation. Rotary groups help initiate sustainable fresh
    water and sanitation projects. (Rotary has almost 40,000 clubs worldwide in
    more than 200 countries.)

    WASH-RAG is a group of Rotarians who
    are committed to helping Rotary clubs effectively plan, finance, implement,
    monitor, and evaluate water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. WASH-RAG
    operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency
    of, or controlled by, Rotary International.

    WASH-RAG provides a variety of
    resources to Rotarians, including:

    • Information on water, sanitation, and hygiene projects
    • Tools and templates to help Rotarians plan and
      implement projects
    • Training and support to help Rotarians evaluate
      projects
    • Access to a network of Rotarians who are working on
      water, sanitation, and hygiene projects

    WASH-RAG is a valuable resource for
    Rotarians who are looking to make a difference in the lives of people around
    the world. By working together, Rotary clubs can help to create a more sustainable
    future for our planet.

    Clean Water Saves
    Lives

    According to the World Health
    Organization, an estimated 2.2 million people die each year from diarrheal diseases,
    which are caused by a lack of clean water and sanitation. If everyone had
    access to clean water and sanitation, it is estimated that 2.2 million lives
    could be saved each year.

    In addition, clean water and
    sanitation are essential for preventing other diseases, such as cholera,
    typhoid, and dysentery. These diseases can cause serious illness and even
    death, especially in young children.

    Therefore, providing clean water and
    sanitation to everyone is essential for improving health and saving lives around
    the world.

    Thanks BARD (from Google) for
    assistance with this World Water Day blog post.


     

    #SustainZine.com #NonprofitPlan.org #WaterForLife #BardAI


     

  • Smile no more. Amazon.

    Smile no more. Amazon.

    For years credit cards, Amazon, eBay and others have had “affinity” programs where a charity could be designated to receive money associated with normal sales activities. In the case of Amazon, Amazon Smile program, 0.5% of qualifying sales goes to your favorite charity. “You shop. Amazon Gives.” The program has been very successful growing since inception in 2013 to more than a million charities and about $400m donated over the decade.

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