Make a promise.

The positive correlations between educational attainment and economic mobility are clear. But the rising cost of higher education makes getting a college degree seem more challenging for the very people who need it most. I say "seem" because while the list price of a college education has increased dramatically, the actual cost for students from families with low or moderate income has not changed much. How can we ensure those student see college as attainable and worth the effort? Make a promise.

Promise communities have a place-based scholarships that fund all or part of every child's higher education expenses.  The benefits include:

• Increased economic vitality in the community
• Increased enrollment in local schools
• Increased enrollment in and completion of college
• Improved elementary and high school academic performance

As you can imagine, these efforts can be expensive, particularly in larger cities like Kalamazoo, MI, and even in smaller ones like Arkadelphia or El Dorado, AR, But in very small towns, ensuring every high school graduate has a chance to get to and through college may not cost as much as you think. 

In very small, low wealth communities, many of the students will qualify for significant need based financial aid like Pell Grants. And if students receive academic and other scholarships as well, they may be able to cover much of their tuition on their own so that the promise scholarship is only responsible for gap funding. In these communities a well off, though not necessarily wealthy, individual may be able to make a life changing difference for people in her hometown.  

So consider working with a local community foundation or other entity to make a promise in your community.  It can be a game changer for the people and community you love. 

Bank Southern.

I don’t watch a lot of old movies (or movies in general, for that matter), so I saw It's a Wonderful Life for the first time fairly recently. Many of you already know the story - a guardian angel shows a depressed and suicidal banker how much worse his community would have been without him and helps him value his life and the positive difference he makes in the lives of others. I remember being struck by the beneficial role the bank played in the small town. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but the bank was a community development financial institution.

When my family and I decided to move to Arkansas (where I grew up), I took the opportunity to look for a position that made my interest in and commitment to social justice an asset. I consider it a blessing that I found meaningful work at Southern Bancorp.

Southern Bancorp is a community development financial institution and is the largest rural development bank in the United States. Southern channels profits from three community banks (with more than 40 locations) into three nonprofit affiliates. The nonprofits work with residents in the bank service areas to help them improve their communities. This model of social entrepreneurship is making a real difference for the people in the communities we work in, some of which rank among the poorest in the nation.

Southern excites me for two main reasons. First, our work focuses on rural areas in southern Arkansas and the Delta region of Arkansas and Mississippi. Because my mom is from southern Arkansas and my dad is from the Delta, I have family all over the region we serve. So it’s personal. More importantly, Southern is implementing an ambitious and innovative community development model that is proving to be effective, scalable, and reproducible. Southern’s rural hub development strategy is revitalizing communities by educating children, helping their parents find jobs and homes, and creating a myriad of good reasons for people to stay in or return to the towns they love. It’s helping turn dying towns into vibrant places to live.

If this work and these ideas inspire you as they do me, here’s how you can get involved:

* Open an account at a Southern bank branch in your area. By banking at Southern you’ll be supporting your community.

* Open a Certificate of Deposit at Southern. Your FDIC-insured investment will earn interest and support community development work. You can even choose to donate a portion of your interest earnings to the Southern nonprofits.

* Donate to Southern’s direct service nonprofit, Southern Good Faith Fund. Remember, your contribution is tax deductible.

* Search the web through GoodSearch and select Southern Good Faith Fund as your nonprofit. Every search generates a donation to Southern, so search often.

* Shop online through GoodShop for Southern Good Faith Fund. Every purchase results in a donation to Southern.

* Learn more about Southern. Start by perusing the website. You can also watch Delta Dreams. This 2007 documentary focuses on Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, where Southern first implemented its innovative community development strategy. And you may want to read Doing Development in Arkansas for an early history of Southern. It's important to note that Southern's development model has been significantly refined in the years since this book. It is this new strategy that is creating the real results we are seeing now.

*Spread the word. If you are from Southern Arkansas or the Delta or know someone who is, let them know about the many ways to support or participate in Southern’s community development work.

Isn't it nice to read a good story about a bank? Especially these days. Now you know why I'm proud to bank Southern.



” Just a minute — just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no business man. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anybody else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was...Why, in the twenty-five years since he and Uncle Billy started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry to school, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter. And what's wrong with that? Why...Here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You...you said...What'd you say just a minute ago?...They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait! Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken-down that they...Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about...they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be! - George Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Give the gift of learning.

Every now and then, I take a look at the archives of So What Can I Do to see how organizations have grown and developed since I first wrote about them. Donors Choose is a perfect example of why it's important to revisit organizations. When I first wrote about Donors Choose almost four years ago, they were only active in certain cities. But now, they are nationwide! Want to know why I’m excited?

We all know that many public schools are underfunded, particularly in low-income communities. But every child, regardless of family income, deserves a rock solid education that prepares her to take advantage of the many opportunities life brings. Even with dedicated, caring, and effective teachers, some classrooms still need help.

At Donors Choose, public school teachers from across the US, post the specific needs they have for their classroom, and then we, the donors, choose to fund them. Here in Arkansas, a teacher needs $419 to buy “5 sets of science materials including 10 dissecting pans, a dissecting kit, blood typing kits, and two anatomy videos” for her high school biology class. A teacher in Pennsylvania needs $230 to buy “30 glue sticks, 24 scissors, and dry erase markers” for her elementary students. And a teacher in Nevada would like to buy “8 copies of each of 3 different chapter book series - Freckle Juice, Judy Blume's Fudge Box Set, and the Ralph Mouse Collection” for $457.

You can help these and other educators and students by making a donation a tax-deductible donation of as little as one dollar to support a child’s education. Donors Choose collects the funds, buys the supplies at a negotiated best price, then, ships them to the teacher. I’m so glad this opportunity is now available to all US public school teachers. Ready to get involved?

* If you want to donate, visit donorschoose.org to get started. The teachers will even send you a thank you note!

* If you need supplies for your classroom donorschoose.org to register your class and request materials.

* If you want to help, then spread the word. Tell your friends. Forward this message to a teacher you admire. Encourage others to participate.

What a great way to give the gift of learning.


“Thank everyone who calls out your faults, your anger, your impatience, your egotism; do this consciously, voluntarily.” - Jean Toomer, poet and novelist (1894-1967)

Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 13.

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity. Happy Inauguation Day!

* CFED is currently accepting innovative ideas that will expand economic opportunity for low and moderate income people in the United States. Winning ideas will be showcased at the Innovation Summit later this year. Deadline for submission is April 3.

* Take the Small Things Challenge. For each click, Intel will donate 5 cents to Kiva and Save the Children. Now through Dec 31.

* Is there a child in your life? If so, check out this Razoo article, Raising a Charitable Child.

* Join Operation No Kid Hungry by texting SHARE to 20222 on your mobile phone to donate $5. AT&T will match the first $100,000 in donations.

* Here’s another store in the charity mall: We-care.com.

* The most frequent search leading to So What Can I Do this weekend has been What can I do to make the world a better place?. Here’s the post that is returned: Think Globally, Act Locally.

* This just in (the mail): CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World.



Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time! In the meantime, subscribe to So What Can I Do (see sidebar) or follow us on Twitter (@sowhatcanido).

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James (1842-1910), psychologist and author

Start a “foundation.”

A good friend once told me the story of how she and her relatives lost their family land in Georgia. As I remember it, there was a small subset of the family that had taken responsibility for paying the taxes, but couldn’t afford to do so anymore. They made some efforts to rally the rest of the family, but it was too late and they soon sold the land. My friend got a check for her share of the sale price. It was a windfall, but not a happy one. Given what her ancestors went through to obtain, develop, and work the land, she hated to see her family gone from it so quickly. It wasn’t a huge check – I’m guessing less than a thousand dollars, but given its origin she vowed to do something very special with it.

If you ever come into or accumulate a sum of money, especially one that is meaningful to you, consider starting a foundation. Here are some ways you can participate in long-term charitable giving with less money than you probably think.

* Contact your local community foundation. They may be able to help you set up a scholarship or donor advised fund that will allow you to direct your charitable giving and reduce your taxes. This is especially powerful if people pool their resources. When a dear friend and classmate passed unexpectedly a few years ago, her colleagues, friends, and family established a fund to support her favorite organizations and activities. It has been a nice way to honor her.

* Open a Calvert Giving Fund for as little as $5000. The principle is tax deductible and you direct your earnings to your favorite charities. Calvert says theirs is “the only 100% Socially Responsible Donor Advised Fund”. That means your principle is doing meaningful work as well.

* If the sum is a bit larger or if you are pooling it with others, you can start a foundation. The Council on Foundations has a helpful guide to get started.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways you can give. You can simply make a donation to your favorite organization, or invest in microloans and let them permanently revolve. Regardless of the method you choose, make sure you use the money in a way that is as meaningful as how you received it.

”What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?” - Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Be a Netraiser.

Ten bucks doesn't buy as much as it used to, but it's enough to save a life. When you donate $10 to Nothing But Nets, the malaria mosquito net campaign of the UN Foundation, you will send a net and save a life, by protecting someone from the deadly malaria parasite.

Now you can join the So What Can I Do Netraiser team to raise money for more nets. Our goal is $4350 because this is the 435th post on So What Can I Do Why should you join? Because NETS SAVE LIVES. Want to know more?

--> 41% of the world's population lives in places where it is (Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Hispaniola, and Oceania).
--> Over one million people die each year from malaria, most of them young children.
--> In some parts of the world where transmission rates are high, there can be as many as 2 deaths per minute from malaria.
--> Life-saving treatments for malaria are relatively inexpensive: $0.13 for chloroquine, $0.14 for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, and $2.68 for a 7-day course of quinine.
--> "Insecticide-treated bed nets can reduce transmission as much as 90% in areas with high coverage rates."

Your ten dollars goes solely to providing the insecticide-treated net and education a family on how to use it. It lasts 4 years and can mean life for a pregnant woman, HIV positive person, or young child. So . . .

Be a netraiser. Be a buzzkill. Send a net, save a life. Join the So What Can I Do Netraiser Team and put your ten bucks to good use.


"The failure of attempts at culture have led me to believe that the microbe of malaria lives outside the body in the parasitic state and I suspect in the mosquitoes which are abundant in malarial areas and which already play a very important role in the propagation of filariasis." - Alphonse Laveran in 1894, winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

IM or email for the greater good.

Hotmail has a great program about which I am happy to spread the word. You can raise money for your favorite charitable causes simply by using Windows Live™ Hotmail® and Windows Live Messenger (instant messaging) as you normally do. When you open or register your account with the i’m™ Initiative, MSN will donate a portion of their advertising revenue to the cause of your choice, every time you use their service.

This is a great way to make what you do everyday a little more meaningful. The more you email, the more your IM, the more you contribute. Thanks for the tip, Ingrid!

“Reject hatred without hating.” - Mary Baker Eddy

Use social media for good.

Some folks are really into social networks. Although I'm not too busy on Facebook, MySpace, and some other more popular ones, I do have three networks on Ning, including the XO Users Group. So when I first heard about SocialVibe I was a little curious.

SocialVibe is a social networking site with a social entrepreneurship twist. When you build a page on SocialVibe, you select a sponsor and a cause. Then every time you connect with friends, add photos, add to your profile, link your page to Myspace, Facebook and the like your sponsor donates money to the charitable cause of your choice. I'm sponsored by Mac (on whose computers I do all my work and blogging - except when I'm on my XO) and my cause is Donors Choose.

So click below to visit my page at SocialVibe. Your click will contribute to Donors Choose. And if you like, build your own page, get a sponsor, and start earning money for your favorite cause.

"Truth never damages a cause that is just." -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)

Pull together for change.

The New York Times had a great story yesterday about Katherine Commale. She's the seven-year-old girl who with her mother and little brother's help raised $43,000 for the Nothing But Nets campaign against malaria. She's a great example of someone who saw a need and found a way to contribute to the solution.

The nice thing is that most everyone can find a way to motivate their family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, classmates, and others to contribute to a good cause. Here are two more examples:

* Eric's 25 for Angel's Place - Eric Gamble has pledged to lose 25 pounds in support of the New Orleans charity Angel's Place which "provides a loving and caring environment for children diagnosed with life-threatening illness." Sponsors are asked to pledge $1 per pound in support of his efforts.

* The 2wheels4water is a project by Alison and Tim Lowry. They are riding a Vespa moped through North and South Carolina to raise money for clean water projects around the world. Sponsors are asked to pledge per mile. "Every mile driven on a moped costs just 3.5 cents. Every mile in a typical car costs about 17.5 cents. We’re asking you to pledge the difference: 14 cents for every mile we cover."

These are just three examples of how everyday people, people just like you and me, are making a difference by motivating those they know to pull together for change. What will you do to support the causes you care about?

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." - Mark Twain

Improve your vocabulary, take 2.

Fans of the popular FreeRice.com now have even more ways to learn words and make donations. In March, aidtochildren.com was launched to "bring aid to children in need through learning." When you visit aidtochildren.com, you'll be presented with a word a four possible definitions. Choose the right one and .25 cents will be donated to World Vision, the "relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice." Another fun and educational way to make a difference in someone's life.

Thanks for the heads up, BlueSky!

Envy not the oppressor and choose none of his ways. - Proverbs 3:31

Donate a meal.

For many reasons, food prices are increasing - all over the world. That can make preparing a meal challenging - whether you're an elderly woman on a fixed income, a child who won't get school lunch now that school is out, or a family who has to make choices between buying food, paying a mortgage, or getting medical care. Thankfully there are many ways we can work to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. I generally prefer sustainable solutions, but there's plenty of need for stop-gap measures too. There are incredibly easy, fast, and free ways to make sure someone eats tonight. Regular readers already know about click-to-donate sites and freerice.com. Now here's another way to make a free donation: www.YourFamilyTable.com.

"Country Crock is teaming up with 5-time Grammy Award-winning singer Amy Grant and America’s Second Harvest for the second year in a row, and invites people to share the little things they do to improve their family’s health. With each small change shared, Country Crock Omega Plus will donate a meal to a family in need through America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network." So surf over to www.YourFamilyTable.com, and enter your story. Stick around to read others' stories. It's a great way to make a difference in someone's life. I'll share one of my small changes in a later post.

"It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglass

Support US microloans and microlending.

Regular readers know that I am a big supporter of mircoloans. There are many benefits of mircolending and though much of the press is about microloans availability outside of the United States, microloans are also available in the US. Here are just a few organizations to consider:

* Grameen America "is a microcredit lender whose mission is to help entrepreneurial individuals, especially women, build credit and defeat poverty." This is a subsidiary of Nobel Larueate Mohammed Yunus' Grameen Bank which really popularized microlending. They are "Bankers for the Unbanked."

* Accion USA makes loans to small business people of up to $25,000 and provides financial literacy education.

* Prosper is a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending agency where almost anyone can request a loan that almost anyone can fund.

* LendingClub is also a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending agency. Again, almost anyone can lend or borrow.

* Virginmoneyus.com is another P2P agency that facilitates lending between family and friends. The loans can be for business, real estate, or personal purposes.

Note that only Grameen and Accion are dedicated to reducing poverty and are purposefully designed to raise standards of living. If you are a borrower, compare your options to see which plan will work best for you. If you are lender, consider your needs: Do you want to make a donation or would you prefer to be paid back? Would you like to earn interest? Do you want to choose who you lend to? Consider the options, then choose the organization that works best for you.

With all these options and ethical goals, maybe Shakespeare's Lord Polonius was wrong when he said "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway

Build a website.

Everyday, more and more people get online. Not just to use email or read an online newspaper, but often to establish an online presence. For example Kwadjo and I both have websites as do many of our relatives and friends. Building a site doesn't have to be hard, but services like Squidoo make it much easier. As they say, "Everyone’s an expert on something!" And here's the kicker, a portion of the money your website makes will be donated to charity.

Squidoo makes money from ads and affiliate links. We give 5% of what we earn, right off the top, to charity. We keep 45% to cover our overhead and stuff. That leaves 50%. That goes to charity or to the people who build the pages. And we leave it up to you to choose one or the other.

You can donate your revenue to any of over 70 nonprofits. If you run a nonprofit consider registering your organization so Squidoo webmaster can donate money to your organization. You may even want to build a page for your organization. What a great way to develop an online presence and make money for your favorite cause! What will you write about? There are sites for selling items, political activism, social activism, and much much more. No wonder over 40,000 people are building sites at Squidoo. See you online!

"Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Double your microloans.

You may already know that you can make a microloan through Kiva. The nice thing about Kiva is that when the loan is repaid you get your money back. Donations to other mircroloan agencies (focusing on the US and other countries) may be be tax-deductible.

Now, Kiva and Advanta have joined forces to create Kiva B4B. When you become a Kiva B4B cardmember, every dollar you donate using your card will be matched by Advanta up to $200 per month. That means your efforts will have twice the impact. You'll also get 5% statement credit for donations to Kiva and other nonprofits, and purchases.

So visit kivab4b.org to learn more. (It's a great webpage!) Read the fine print and see if this credit card is right for you. If you is, you'll double your microloans, double the difference.



"We should try to be the parents of our future rather than the offspring of our past." -Miguel de Unamuno, writer and philosopher (1864-1936)

Join the Carnival for Change - Booth 3

Welcome to the Carnival for Change where we explore the web for interesting items relating to social justice, health, education, and opportunity.

* The Social Edge Opportunities Page lists numerous conferences, fellowships, award programs, contests, competitions, announcements and other opportunities for those interested in social change and social businesses. If you are a social entrepreneur or want to be, this page is a must click.

* Ideablob is a site where "entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas – and have a chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them." More opportunities for social entrepreneurs. Thanks to No Sweat for the tip.

* The Christian Science Monitor has a great story about city-based scholarship funds and how one is revitalizing the town of El Dorado, Arkansas. Thanks for the tip, Kwadjo!

* Social Change Websites lists over 900 websites dedicated to making a difference. Happy surfing!

* Britt Bravo over at Have Fun * Do Good has a nice post about Bill Somerville's book Grassroots Philanthropy.


Thanks for visiting the Carnival for Change! If you'd like space at the next booth, send your items to me with "Carnival for Change" in the subject. See you next time!

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." -Desmond Tutu, clergyman (b. 1931)

Invest in your community foundation.

One of the sponsors of National Public Radio on KUAR is the Arkansas Community Foundation. I love their slogan - "For Good. For Arkansas. For Ever." but I didn't know much about the work of community foundations. Once I found out, I had to spread the word.

According to the Council on Foundations community foundations are "tax-exempt public charities serving thousands of people who share a common interest — improving the quality of life in their area." They make grants, promote charitable activities, identify current and emerging regional issues, direct resources in ways that address community needs, and help their local area prepare for the future.

Community foundations are found in every state. Just enter your zip code and use this community foundation locater to find one near you. There are over 700 community foundations in the US, so you're sure to find one in your area. Once you do, here's how you can get involved:

* Donate. You will support the work of the foundation, charitable agencies near you, and the life and development of your community.
* Volunteer. Perhaps you can serve on the Board of Directors. Or maybe you can offer your services to the agencies your community foundation supports.
* Apply. If you run a locally focused charitable non-profit, you may be eligible to apply for support from your community foundation. You can then use the fund to improve your community.

So learn more about community foundations and see how you can help. As they say, charity starts at home.

"Our power is in our ability to decide." - R. Buckminster Fuller

Give and get happy.

It's carried by Associated Press, talked about on NPR, and blogged about in the New York Times - the news is out: Giving to others makes you happy.

Elizabeth Dunn's research suggests that spending money on others makes the giver happier than spending money on herself. And the level of happiness seems to correlate with the amount of money given.

There's still much more research to be done to fully understand to role of altruism on human emotion, but you can do some experiments yourself. Give your time, your money, your materials. Give generously, give regularly, give selflessly. Now how do you feel? I know how I feel, that's why I strive to make giving a way of life. Try it for yourself and see you you feel.

Happy giving, and happy Spring.

"There is no greater gift to an insecure leader that quite matches a vague enemy who can be used to whip up fear and hatred among the population." - Paul Rusesabagina, humanitarian (b. 1954)

Read, and be inspired to action.

I recently visited the Headquarters of Heifer International in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have an amazing Platinum Level LEED certified building that is really in synch with their sustainable development programs. I also enjoyed their gift shop, which has a great book selection. I've certainly been inspired to action by good books and in that spirit offer these reading suggestions:


* The Difference a Day Makes: 365 Ways to Change Your World in Just 24 Hours by Karen M. Jones


* Mentioned previously on So what can I do.
* 365 Ways To Change the World: How to Make a Difference-- One Day at a Time by Michael Norton


* Our Day to End Poverty: 24 Ways You Can Make a Difference by Shannon Daley-Harris, Jeffrey Keenan, and Karen Speerstra mentions So What Can I Do. Thanks for the shout out!


* Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by fellow Arkansan, Bill Clinton. Learn more about the Clinton Presidential Center and Clinton School for Public Change


* The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World edited by Heather Zydek was reviewed in So What Can I Do.


* How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas by David Bornstein

Got a book you'd like to recommend? Let me know! And note that when you order through these links (or the ones in the sidebar) you support So What Can I Do. Thank you, and happy reading.

"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit of doing them." - Benjamin Jowett

Participate in America's Giving Challenge.

Want to help your favorite nonprofit raise much-needed money? America's Giving Challenge can help. From December 13, 2007 through January 31, 2008, Parade Magazine is hosting a contest to deliver money to America's favorite charities. There are two ways to participate:

* Champion a Cause and have the chance to get $50,000 for the charity of your choice. The eight individuals whose charity badges attract the most unique donors through the America’s Giving Challenge will get $50,000 for their cause.

* Give to a Cause and help the charity you care about get $1,000. The 100 nonprofits with the greatest number of total donations made to them through America’s Giving Challenge will each get $1,000.

Visit parade.com/givingchallenge to learn more, make your donation, and spread the word. Happy fundraising!

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Sir Winston Churchill

Give and get back or give and grow.

I happened upon a press release from echoDonations.org today. What a cool organization! They have developed a way for everyday people to give an interest-bearing donation to their favorite charity and earn a return on their gift. It's called a Charitable Mutual Fund and they've been in use for years, but only for those who can make very large donations. Using the power of the internet, echoDonations enables people to participate with only a $25 donation (or more).

Here's how it works: You make a donation to your favorite charity through echoDonations. They invest the money in the charitable mutual fund. There are two choices on what to do with the interest earned: Give & Get Back™ or Give & Grow™.

* Give & Get Back™ - With this option, the interest is split between you (or your beneficiary) and your charity. Each of you gets a yearly check for the interest, and when you die, your charity gets your original donation. Use this option to get Lifetime Cash Rewards™.

* Give & Grow™ - With this option, the charity gets half the interest in a yearly check. The other half is reinvested in the charitable mutual fund. When you die, the charity gets the original donation plus all the compound interest it has earned.

--> Use their gift calculator to determine what your gift will mean to you and to your favorite nonprofit. echoDonations is a nonprofit so your contributions are tax deductible, but the amount you can deduct is based on your age at the time of donation.

echoDonations.org is a wonderful way to make a meaningful donation to an organization you care about. And it is particularly nice that both you and your charity can benefit from the interest. What a great way to get your money back. Enjoy!

"Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil. Capital in some form or other will always be needed." — Mohandas K. Gandhi