Advocate Community News August 2009

Below is a copy of the newsletter cause advocates receive.

Congratulations on being one of the first advocates on the new CafeGive website. CafeGive's ability to successfully raise funds for causes depends on individuals like you. Your participation is the beginning of what we hope will become a trend in shopping for a cause.

build excitement on your advocate profile page

Does your profile page reflect the unique individual you are? Create interest in your profile page by personalizing the page so your friends and family recognize you. Make your page engaging so visitors to the page will support your cause by purchasing from your widgets.

make sure you're logged in to access your profile

• If you're logged in, your name appears at the very top of the page. If you aren't logged in, use the username and password you chose when you registered. Click on the edit screen to edit your profile.
• Make sure people recognize you by uploading a photo. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
  

create a compelling statement!

Let people know why you joined CafeGive and why you support the causes you advocate for.

choose a cause!

• Select a cause you want to advocate for or leave it blank if you support multiple organizations.

keep your page fresh!

• Share your successes.

Visit your profile page now so it truly reflects you as an individual.

new products now available

We're constantly adding new merchants to the site. We've added a new category called "New Products" so you can easily check recently added products. Check out a few of our new products:

• Shoplet.com - school supplies, computers and lots more!
• Little Miss Matched,Inc - colorful and fun, this site has something for everyone in the family, check out the socks!
• Team Express - equipment for every sport enthusiast.
• Tennis Boom Inc - The US Open is coming soon. Are you ready? Everything you need: racquets, shoes, apparel, accessories and other equipment.

Check out all our new merchants in the New Products category.

As categories expand, we'll also create subcategories to make browsing as easy as possible. Our "Kids and Baby" category now has subcategories ("clothing and shoes", "baby gear" and "toys and books.")

get ready for "back to school" ***HAPPENING NOW***

The new school year is right around the corner. CafeGive has just the products -- clothes, shoes, computers, school supplies, bed & bath items for college bound students, etc. needed for any back to school shopping you need to do. Get a jump start now with the great products currently on CafeGive, and check back after August 18th when we'll launch our new Back to School category along with new merchants to make Back to School shopping even easier. Remember shopping for school becomes shopping for your cause!

Interested in becoming an advocate for a cause on CafeGive? Please click here!

Already an advocate? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The Power of Small, the Magic of Many

First, giving credit where credit is due, this was an idea that was inspired by an article that I read in an environmental publication a while ago. The author far more eloquently or persuasively that I can – painted the picture of delicate little snowflakes gently piling one on top of another. One by one, until there are billions, perhaps trillions of little snowflakes that form a massive glacier. That massive glacier, the snow flakes collectively really, have the power to move mountains; to scour out deep valleys, to form canyons and gorges, to change the landscape.

Those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest, think about our beloved Columbia Valley Gorge, it was formed by such a glacier.  That glacier got it’s awesome power from all those gentle  snowflakes and may not have moved until the last little snowflake had not joined the many, many others. That is the idea – The Power of Small, the Magic of Many.  This is, at the heart of what many great volunteer, non-profit organizations do.  We are proud to have a one such organization join us on CafeGive – SOLV. SOLV, perhaps more than theres has created permanent change in Oregon, literally changed the landscape for the better with the help of tens of thousands of volunteers, year after year.  The Power of Small, The Magic of Many.

This is also the idea at the heart of CafeGive – we hope to give the tools – widgets -- for thousands, some day millions, of  advocates to help create change for the cause they care about.  It is done through the rather prosaic and seemingly small action of shopping; and reaching out to their social network to join them in that same effort.  The Power of Small, The Magic of Many.

So it is fitting, that with this blog I’m attaching a widget for you to go shop for something small – an iTune of your choice.  Many, many small iTunes shopped for by you and your friends will help SOLV achieve their BIG mission, to build community through volunteer action to preserve this treasure called Oregon.  It also an environmentally fitting solution – nothing will be physically shipped, only electrons moved around. Once again, at the expense of repeating myself – The Power of Small, The Magic of Many.

For more information on SOLV check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate fro them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive?  Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Would love to hear back – what do you think?  Join the conversation on this blog.

- Ketan Sampat, Founder, CafeGive

Africa Bridge Joins CafeGive to Raise Funds

Right after I graduated high school I went to Honduras on a mission trip. For the next two weeks, I spent a lot of time picking up trash with locals and supervising the burning of these trash heaps. The whole time I was thinking, “There has to be something more I can be doing than just picking up trash, why can’t we work with the locals to organize a sanitation division?”

This is what I love about Africa Bridge. They don’t just go into Tanzania and fund programs! Africa Bridge empowers East African communities to improve the lives of children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Established in 2000 by Barry Childs after re-visiting Tanzania, Africa Bridge seeks out local best practices and partners that share their desire to improve the lives of children. Africa Bridge economically empowers families in rural villages to accept responsibility for the care of orphans and vulnerable children. These families have developed sustainable programs touching the lives of over 3,000 children. This model puts the responsibility back on the community yet helps the community enable themselves to take on the challenge.

While the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa serves as the foundation upon which a bridge can be built linking the Western and African worlds, it also serves as a springboard of hope, by sharing complementary lessons and gifts, and creating possibilities for those in need. Africa Bridge celebrated a very successful year in 2008 including the accomplishments below:

• 3,084 vulnerable children were cared for by 1,596 families in two wards.
• 560 of these children cared for by families who have formed into 20 income generating cooperatives.
• 1,153 children provided with primary and secondary school scholarships.
• Africa Bridge’s life skills program (including HIV/AIDS education) adopted into the basic curriculum at eight schools.
• 2,481 children provided with psychosocial support, 243 children given health access, 211 children provided with nutritional support, 194 children given shelter support and 59 children provided with legal services.

Won’t you help Africa Bridge have a successful 2009 by creating widgets and purchasing items supporting Africa Bridge through CafeGive?

For more information on Africa Bridge check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved in Africa Bridge? We want to hear from you! Please leave a comment below.

Back to School Shopping on CafeGive!

It’s that time of year again! Summer is winding down. Between cramming in that last family vacation, getting rid of those tan lines and BBQ-ing the rest of those hot dogs and hamburgers, parents and students alike are getting ready to head back to school.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a mother sending off your first born to kindergarten or a college senior preparing for your last year of formal education. CafeGive is the place for your back to school needs. Get all your necessities, which you need to buy anyway, and have the a percentage of the purchase price go to a cause of your choice – who can come up with a better combo?

Check out CafeGive’s new category designed specifically for Back to School shopping. From this fall’s clothing trends and shoes to computers, school supplies and backpacks. CafeGive’s got something for every student no matter what grade or age.

For more information on CafeGive check out their website, Facebook fan page, blog or Twitter.

Are you a back to school shopper? Give us suggestions on what you would buy on CafeGive!

Friends of the Children Now Earning on CafeGive!

At the grand old age of 22, I can look back on my life and pin-point all the amazing mentors I’ve had, from my parents, coaches, teachers, faith leaders, and bosses. All who have made a positive impact in my life in some form and count myself as blessed. Where would I be without them?

Friends of the Children is a mentoring program dedicated to improving the lives of children who aren’t as lucky as me. Providing each of their children with twelve years of mentoring from a Friend with only one job to do – enriching their children’s future. This is the reason CafeGive is so excited to work with Friends of the Children. Their innovative program is unique in the way they work with children. They have the stats to prove their success:

• 92% attend school regularly
• 80% graduate the program have earned a diploma or GED
• 60% are the first in their families to earn a high school diploma
• 92% are not involved in the juvenile justice system even though 60% have at least one parent who has been incarcerated
• 97% avoid early parenting despite the fact that 60% were born to a teen mother
  

These kids become models of change and a part of promising statistics and for their own futures. While this practice comes with a bigger price tag, it also comes with the knowledge that when Friends of the Children becomes part of a child’s life – that life is changed. FOREVER.

Won’t you help Friends of the Children expand the number of children they can serve by creating and purchasing items that support Friends of the Children with CafeGive widgets?

For more information on Friends of the Children check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Friends of the Children or CafeGive? Let us know by leaving a comment. We’d love to hear from you!