Late last we year Intent decided to try something new. We asked people to support our Intent to give back, and for every support we said we would give $1 to a cause recommended by the community. We received over 130 supports, and decided to chose three foundations to donate $136.
To be honest, it’s not a lot at this stage, but our hope is that we can expand this concept of community supporting intents with action that is not just emotional, but tangible through petitions, volunteering and donations.
Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Kiva have reinvented ways to raise funds for companies, non-profits or causes through crowd sourcing. Intent is eager to work with such platforms to support people’s intentions by providing resources and sites for tangible action. We have people stating their intentions to help others every day – hopefully, we can provide meaningful and trusted suggestions for how we can translate our intentions into action.
Tomorrow, February 7th, I am participating in the Pure Philanthropy Conference – a new, exciting forum that is bringing together the top philanthropists in Canada with social thought leaders to think about the rapidly evolving new paradigm of philanthropy. You can learn more about the conference here (and I know they have plans to do more in Canada and expand it to the US, as well.)
I would love your thoughts on philanthropy today, as well as sites and platforms you think are creating inspiration, ease of use, motivation, and action.
And, last but not least, here are the three foundations Intent will make a donation to based on your suggestions:
1. American Red Cross Disaster Relief
Mission: Each year, the American Red Cross immediately responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made disasters in the U.S., ranging from fires to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents and explosions. People count on the Red Cross to help them in their darkest hour.
Why we chose them: For their remarkable work in helping people during Hurricane Sandy and for all the other people they help each year.
2. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
Mission: To find cures for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases through research and treatment. And no family ever pays St. Jude for anything.
Why we chose them: St. Jude’s is not only taking care of our world’s sickest children, they’re actively working to find cures for the diseases that ail them. St. Jude’s is a pioneer in both clinical treatment and scientific research, and they’re saving countless children’s lives.
Mission: Cutting across platforms to ignite the change needed to put an end to the oppression of women and girls worldwide, the defining issue of our time.
Why we chose them: Led by world-renown journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDun, Half the Sky has launched a transmedia project that uses video, websites, games, blogs and other educational tools. We, as a media company ourselves, are inspired by the way they’re using online media to promote social good.
