Stay Classy

Stay Classy is the go-to platform that helps non-profits raise money via social landing pages and unique marketing strategies. Stay Classy’s easy online fundraising tools are powerful enough to meet all the needs of running a successful non-profit organization. Some non-profit organizations using Stay Classy include Falling Whistles, Invisible Children and Team Rubicon… to name just a few!

Whichever non-profit organization you support, you should be watching out for it at the most prestigious and unique non-profit award show, the Classys. The Classys is the Grammys of non-profit awards and is held just once a year in May.  These non-profits are nominated by fun categories such as best new charity, volunteer of the year, most influential college student organization and many more. The recipient of the Charity of the Year award this year went to the Wounded Warrior Project.

This award show is not one to miss! The Classys captures all audiences including media attention from US Weekly, CNN and MTV! Make sure you nominate your favorite non-profit for the Classys and become part of the Stay Classy experience!

Your fav celebrity charities

Who grabs your attention more then when it is our favorite celebrity? Celebrities have the power to make us aware of causes that need our support. Check out these amazing charities some of your favorite superstars support! 

Denzel Washington is dedicated to helping military families through the Fisher House Foundation. This foundation provides homes for wounded military persons.  These homes allow the family members of the wounded to be close to their loved ones during this difficult time; whether it be during the hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease. 

The Global Ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, Alicia Keys, is dedicated to providing essential medical care, food and love that help people thrive and fight HIV in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and India. 

Since 1987, singer Paul Simon co-founder of Children’s Health Fund, has been committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically undeserved people. Children’s Health Fund has comprehensive primary care programs in which aid in reducing the impact of public health crises on vulnerable children and help promote health and well-being of all children. 

Awesome charities, all worth checking out! 

 

Top Notch Charities

Keep your eyes open for these awesome charities!  They have profound reviews and are worth looking into if you are in the spirit of helping!

Direct Relief– Forbes rated this charity 99% efficient. Direct Relief is dedicated to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty, disaster and civil unrest. 

Midwest Food Bank– With high hope of dissolving poverties in our communities, this organization’s mission includes food donations from nationwide corporations. Donations are sent to social service organizations and national disaster sites free of charge. 

Project C.U.R.E.– Dedicated to shipping medical relief to countries world wide. You can donate, give supplies or even fundraise. Check out their website and neat programs offered! 

Books for Africa– One of a kind organization dedicated to spreading knowledge and power throughout the world by the collection, distribution of books to students of all ages! This organization is the largest shipper of donated text and library books to Africa. Over 28 million books to 49 different countries have been donated since 1988. 

Globus Relief– Dedicated to the improvement of healthcare worldwide. This organization assists in various efforts to making this world a healthier and safe environment by providing supplies, upgrading medical facilities and basic necessities. 

Matthew 25: Ministries– International humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization. Assists the poor by providing basic necessities, nutritional supplements, and disaster relief supplies. 

Bay Area Food Bank– Located in Theodore, Alabama, this food bank can hold up to 2 million pounds of food at a time. They have several programs including a mobile pantry program, disaster relief and backpack program. 

Medical Teams International– This Christian global health organization helps people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty in 70 countries. They deliver medical, dental care, humanitarian aid and holistic development programs to people in need. Visit one of their real life exhibits in Portland or Seattle and experience it for yourself! 

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio– This neat Ohio organization brings food to the table for families in Crawford, Erie, Huron and Lorain areas. Check out how you can make a difference by donating food to one of their distribution centers. 

Habits to Help the Planet

Here are some easy ideas to get involved and help the planet that do not require a lot of time and expense.

Go fluorescent; change your bulbs from the regular lightbulb to fluorescent. The pollution reduction would equate to removing about one million cars on the road if every household in the U.S replaced one regular lightbulb.

Turn your computer off; better for your computer and for your electric bill. You’ll save approximately 4 cents a day or $14/year.

Skip rinsing dishes; you’ll save time and energy used to heat the additional water.

No need to pre-heat the oven; unless its bread or pastries of some sort. Otherwise, throw it in and turn it on.

Recycle Glass; obviously of course. Did you know you will actually reduce related air pollution and water pollution?

Diaper with a conscience; 3.5 million tons of waste in U.S. landfills each year are due to diaper waste. Be conscious when your selecting your type of diaper.

Hang dry your clothes; your wardrobe will last longer! Buy a clothes rack or dry them by air.

Go vegetarian; even if its just one day a week!

Wash in Cold or Warm; stop the hot-hot cycle and change it up to warm-cold.

One Napkin a day keeps the landfills away; or lesser I should say.  If everyone used one less napkin a day, we could  save a billion pounds of napkins a year from landfills!

Use both sides of toilet paper! No explanation necessary.

Recycle Newspaper; about 69% of newspapers are just thrown away.

Wrap creatively; reuse your old gift bags, bows and paper and get creative!!

Think twice before bottling! Try to avoid buying bottled water, there are several alternatives.

Use rechargeable batteries; invest in a charger with a few sets of rechargeable batteries

Stop paper bank statements; pay your bills online!

Use cotton swabs with paperboard spindles. If 10% of US households switched to using paperboards, the petroleum energy saved each year would be over 150,000 gallons of gasoline.

Fly with a e-ticket; did you know the cost of processing a paper ticket is about $10, while processing an e-ticket costs only $1? Save the airline industry $3 billion a year.

Skip the coffee stirrer? Come up with a more eco-friendly alternative such as a piece of pasta.

Choose matches over lighters; they are much more easily recycled.

Give it away; donate your goods before throwing them away! Several organizations such as freecycle.org offer ways to connect people and things!

Go to a car wash; if everyone would just take their car to a car wash we could save nearly 8.7 billion galloons of water a year.

Cut down on the junk mail; the average american receives 40lbs of junk mail a year, destroying 100 million trees.

Telecommute; work from home! Save money and gasoline! This is with your employers approval of course.

Maintain your vehicle; extend the life of your automobile as well as the earth by keeping your car maintained.

Buy local; consider the amount of pollution created to get your food from the farm to your table. Whenever possible, buy local!

Use cruise control; get up to 15% better mileage.

Adjust your thermostat; adjusting it one degree higher in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter can save about 10% of energy use.

Get your own coffee cup; cut down on waste and find your very own special cup!

Ban bath time; have a no-bath week instead! Baths require twice as much water.

Try a few of these new habits, you might be surprised with the little changes you will see and make!

 

Helpful tips to make your contribution go far

Ever come across that gut-wrenching commercial, photo or ad and want to help immediately? WAIT!

Here are some important tips to consider before you make your special contribution.

• Do not send supplies
• Be cautious of email solicitations
• Seek out the Charity’s authorized website
• Think before you text
• Consider the nature of the Charity’s work

According to Donate Life, 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor. Make sure you take the proper steps to ensure your donation is accepted and used by the organization you desire.

Two Organizations helping to Save and Protect Animals!

See what these 2 organizations are doing to help save and protect animals abroad!

IAR- International Animal Rescue– provides aid of the suffering animals with hands-on rescue. IAR helps return animals to their natural habitat, and provides sanctuaries for animals that can no longer survive in the wild. IAR also is a big partner with other organizations and government departments who work together to develop sound legislation to protect animals.

SPANA– Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad provides free veterinary care, emergency response to animals in foreign countries and helps the families that are dependent on these animals. SPANA also provides educational programs in schools to give children a better understanding of the welfare of animals and the protection of the the environment!

Ever wanted to build a house?

Well now you can build a house for someone in need! Habitat for Humanity Global Village volunteer teams travel to exciting destinations in the United States and around the world. Volunteers advocate for better living conditions and raise funds to help those in need.

So…Who can help?

Anyone who wants to make a difference! As long as you are healthy, and know how to use a hammer and nails, you are qualified!

By becoming a global village volunteer you will get the opportunity to work with members of the host community to build decent, affordable houses. In addition, you will be directly involved in the fundraising and be an advocate for improved housing and quality of life around the world. You will help recreate villages full of love, hope and community.

Habitat for Humanity offers several opportunities to travel and provide a helping hand in villages all throughout the world. See a schedule here for a list of the upcoming trips!

You can also become a part of this movement by sponsoring someone to be a part of ths global village volunteer program! Sponsor someone today! Give a little now and help someone fulfill their dream of building a home!

For more information click here. 

HelpUSA: Homeless in America

HelpUSA has been one of the leading providers of jobs, homes and services for America’s homeless. Services offered at HelpUSA include employment training and placement, life skills education, domestic violence counseling and childcare. HelpUSA provides the skills and services needed in order for the homeless to take control of their life and start a new beginning.

Take action today by donating or volunteering. Become a part of one of the several of the programs HelpUSA has to offer!

Programs include:

• Mentoring
• Street Soccer
• Domestic Violence
• Veterans
• Housing
• Families in Crisis
• HIV/AIDS services
• Job training and employment services
• Homeless Prevention Programs
• Client Case Management
• Youth Programs

Visit HelpUSA.org for more information.

Spread the Power of Knowledge in the Middle East!

Currently, 774 million people world-wide, age 15 and over are illiterate! Can you imagine not being able to read?

Within the Middle East along with the social unrest and government issues, children are struggling to receive a basic education. Education is an essential part of strategies to improve individuals’ well-being and social and economic development.

Afghanistan has the largest illiteracy rate of 72%, followed by Pakistan with 50% and Mauretania with 49%. Overall about half and more of the population within these large countries are unable to read!

By spreading the power of knowledge and providing children with the appropriate resources to receive a proper education, we can help steady population growth, fertility and infant and child mortality. We can help children grow by spreading the power of knowledge and help pave the way for these individuals to a successful future. Help today! 

Transforming Education in America

Currently, one of the main issues in America includes public education. Charities have been in focus of improving student achievement and drop out rates in the United States. These organizations are put in place to help educate students with the necessary tools and techniques in order to succeed. Astonishing statistics show that 8.9% of students in 2009 did not receive a high school credential. Unfortunately most of those without a high school diploma will struggle throughout their life and within their career path. Fortunately charities have come together to offer support and assistance to those individuals.

Through these organizations we can help reduce the astounding number of high school dropouts and overall help struggling students succeed. These organizations provide everything from the appropriate environment, mentors, resources and education. With these organizations students can build their confidence by getting a helping hand  and assistance along their path of education. Ultimately, these organizations give way to making students feel like they have a chance in obtaining a basic education and bring success.

Become involved with a charity helping to serve the education of America’s students! Every one deserves a fair chance at learning!