Three New Charities in the TisBest 250

Tomorrow—November 17^th—is National Philanthropy Day.  Well, okay, in some places it was celebrated on Monday… and in other places it’s Thursday.  And in more precocious locations, National Philanthropy Day was November 5^th.  We figure it’s like the Orthodox calendar, where the dates don’t always line up but the effect is still the same.  Either way, we’re excited to make an announcement:

In honor of National Philanthropy Day(s), TisBest welcomes three new charities to the TisBest 250!

Nurse-Family Partnership is an organization that provides low-income, first-time parents with a relationship they can count on. A trusted, respected, and compassionate public health nurse visits the mom from the beginning of her pregnancy until her child is two years old.  The program has proven results including effective preventative health care, improved childhood development, and better economic self-sufficiency through a mentor-like role that the nurse plays in the mother's life.  Wow... just wow!

Operation Homefront, developed to support the families of deployed military personnel in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, provides emergency assistance to military families in need.  They give everything from food assistance to household appliances, and build a community around those waiting for their soldiers to come home.  They've also created support programs for those wounded in action.  Maybe I'm a crybaby, but the stories on their site always make me well up!

World Concern is a Christian international humanitarian group that does everything.  From microloans to disaster response, from digging wells to fighting human trafficking, World Concern offers life, opportunity and hope in 22 of the most desperate countries on earth.  They're incredibly well-respected, and effective in so many different ways.  A really impressive organization!

Keep an eye on the blog, as we'll be announcing even more new charity partners in the next few weeks.

Best,
Tegan

"Black November"?

Does it seem like Christmas has come earlier this year? 

No, we’re not noticing a marked upswing in levels of eggnog-related good cheer.  It is not snowing, nor are we already gathered to spend time with family, reconnect with friends, and gorge on traditional delicacies (like my little sister’s amazing orange-glazed cream cheese cake).  No, the part of Christmas that’s moved way up is the part that gets pretty stressful sometimes: the buying of stuff.

A number of stores started talking up “Black Friday” deals the week before Halloween, a sign that the retail industry is moving towards a “Black November” instead of relying on traditional post-Thanksgiving sales.  Wal-Mart, Loews, BestBuy, and Sears have already launched their Christmas bargains.  And Amazon’s “Black Friday” deals started last Friday, while in 2009 those sales didn’t start until November 23^rd.

Sure, this might pump up retail sales in a down economy.  And people will have more time to find good deals on things they might really need (like a new plasma-screen TV—Dexter never looked so good!).  But it’s also likely to result in Christmas burnout much earlier in the season.  What do you think?  Do longer sales mean that people will ultimately spend more on stuff they don’t need, or is this a better idea than stampede-inducing midnight blowouts?

Want

In the lunchroom of the office TisBest shares, I find on the table a cardboard box with a shiny new stainless steel insulated mug inside - no wait - there is a thermos and a mug both!  I want it.  I want the shiny stainless steel with pretty logos and the nice box and the faux-leather carry bag that comes with it.

Then I realize how bizarre this is.  Here I am at TisBest’s office and I am wanting stuff. My family has more than one thermos and travel mug per person at home.  I have no use for this stuff.  But I nevertheless feel a remarkably strong desire to make it mine. 

I ponder.

I have invested a large part of my life in building TisBest because I want to give people an alternative to gifts of “more stuff.”  And yet this shiny new gift set (that I have no use for) captivates me at a deep level. 

Very odd.  I think about it for a few days, and I don’t have any great answers.  I don’t know why I want to own shiny new things in a box that I have no use for.  Is it hoarding?  Is it the inevitable result of a lifetime consuming Madison Avenue output?  Is it a simple lust for more?  I wish I knew. 

-Erik Marks

Facebook Causes Hits California Stores

If you live in California, you might find these hanging next to the iTunes gift cards at your local supermarket.  Facebook Causes now allows its users to make a donation through the purchase of a gift card, and direct the funds online via the Causes app.  The limited California launch means that Causes is testing the water to see how popular these gift cards are. 

While I'm excited to see the idea of the charity gift card spreading and charitable gift alternatives becoming more popular, I'm skeptical of the Causes engine.  Don't get me wrong--people talking about the causes they're passionate about gets other people thinking, and sometimes even doing, and that's a great thing. But there's been a lot of debate over whether or not Causes is an effective tool.

The most awesome thing about Facebook Causes is that it's a grassroots tool.  Everyday people are encouraged to start their own Cause, recruit others to it, circulate petitions, and hook their Cause up with a nonprofit that reflects their goals.  Any money raised for the Cause goes to the nonprofit.  If Sally thinks dogfighting is horrible and starts a Cause to end it, she'll create her own messaging, recruit her own friends and acquaintances to join, and connect her Cause to the ASPCA, who campaign against dogfighting as well.  Any donations made will not go to Sally--who doesn't really have the tools to stop dogfighting--but to the ASPCA. Grassroots growth is the future of nonprofit, and Causes is a great tool for that.  So far, so good.  

There's one catch: so far, Causes has not been an effective fundraiser.  Sally's anti-dogfighting Cause might take off and gain 100, 150 members--maybe even a thousand.  But statistically, most of the members will click "join" and promptly move on, wallet firmly shut.  It's too easy to be all talk on Facebook.  If a Cause is going to raise substantial funds for its nonprofit, it's got to have a well-planned, extensive marketing strategy and a tireless, loud-voiced person behind that.  Only a few Causes have managed really successful fundraisers.  Some of these successful Causes are built and operated by the nonprofits they fund, which is fine--but hardly the grassroots movement that Causes was meant to embody.

None of this is really that bad.  Even if Causes isn't a perfect tool, it's a great idea, it does make people aware of organizations and their needs, and there's no saying what it will evolve into in the future. And a Causes gift card is certainly a smarter purchase than Farmville dollars.  

Best,
Tegan

KaBOOM! and Viral Volunteerism

We were excited to hear a story about KaBOOM! on NPR's Morning Edition in the car on the way to work this morning.  KaBOOM does amazing work building playgrounds in under-served neighborhoods--and according to the interview, their volunteers built this entire playground in one day.  


We're always excited to hear when our charities get recognized.  But the coolest thing about KaBOOM! is their focus on fueling volunteerism.  One of their seasoned volunteers made a bet that at least one person from each build will remain an active volunteer:  "It may not be building a playground, but they will have caught this volunteer spirit and go out and do other projects."  


I believe it.  We've watched the non-material gift giving movement spread the same way.  I'm willing to make the same wager that KaBOOM did: If you give a half-dozen Charity Gift Cards, one of those people you gave to will love the idea so much that they turn around and give them to others.  The seed of giving is a powerful little concept, and that kind of organic growth is way more powerful than advertising. 


Best,
Tegan 

Cute Animal Picture Alert - Seattle Humane Society Visit

Yesterday afternoon we met with the Seattle Humane Society to talk about partnering together.  Each TisBest staff member is a dog, cat, and/or rabbit lover so meeting the animals in the adoption facilities was a blast.  Here a few pictures from our visit:

This lab practices his agility skills in the auditorium.

A warehouse full of donated pet food the SHS collects and delivers to low-income families.

This guy can't wait to find a lap to call his own!

There were several more highlights on our tour of their campus.  Seattle Humane's facilities are clean, cheerful, and have this great, bustling sense of optimism about them. The animals are treated with the greatest care and affection by a passionate and caring staff.  We look forward to serving their worthy cause in the future! Check 'em out at www.seattlehumane.org/.

Chad Edwards
TisBest Charity Gift Cards - www.tisbest.org

Alexandra's Donor Story: Giving Across Generations

Alexandra shared with us the wonderful story of how she decided to use TisBest Charity Gift Cards to teach her grandkids about giving.  She already sets a positive example for them with her own charitable efforts, but wanted to show them first-hand how great it feels to know you’re doing good for others.

"I was not raised in a family that thought about charity. We were so darn poor growing up, my parents struggled just to put food on the table.  But the older I get the more I realize how blessed I am. Not in material things… but in love and a sense of security because of that love.

"My grandchildren are blessed with a stable loving family and they never want for 'things.' How will they know that there are people in this world who haven’t, for whatever reason, been blessed in that same way?"

Alexandra found TisBest online and says she thinks the gift cards and easy-to-use online database are “brilliant.”  She and her daughter guided the kids through the TisBest website and helped them think through where their gift would go.

"I hope they will carefully look at the charities and see which ones help someone, somewhere, to get a little boost so they can help themselves. 

And here’s the thing. I know right now my grandkids could care less about researching and making an informed decision. But I am planting a seed. It took me a long time to learn the lesson of sharing and the miracle of emptying your cup so it can be filled again. I’m hoping they will learn that lesson a lot earlier.

When I am long gone, I want to think that they will be teaching their grandchildren the fine art of sharing their blessings. Selfishly, that thought brings me great comfort."

Thanks for reading,
The TisBest Team

www.tisbest.org