Each year, the United States and Canada salute our hospitalized veterans during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.  We can all help boost the morale of our wounded veterans by making Valentines for Veterans and delivering them to our local VA Hospital.

We asked bloggers to volunteer to make Valentines for Veterans and earn a donation of clothing from Dollar Days for Sew Much Comfort.

I’ve been touring the bloggers who have already posted and am incredibly touched not only by their efforts but also by the comments from their readers–soldiers who are thankful for the support, amputees who recognize the importance of adaptive clothing, people familiar with Sew Much Comfort attesting to this organization’s amazing work, those who never knew about Sew Much Comfort but who want to help, and others who just want to salute our veterans. There’s even a funny discussion about whether or not to “macho” up the valentines for our rough and tumble veterans.

Please show support for the team of bloggers and help each earn an extra $50 for Sew Much Comfort (more will be added as posts come in):

• Fairly Odd Mother
• Life with my Special Ks
• The Ever Changing Life of a Military Wife
• Health, Beauty and Family
• Cora’s Story
• Army Wives Lives
• Mamanista
• Emily @ The Jar Group

You can help our veterans, too!  Here are some ideas of ways to help:

• You can make Valentines for Veterans, too! Locate your nearest VA hospital and call to make sure they can accept your Valentines.  Canada also salutes its vets during this week and has some tips on making Valentines for Vets. Share your project on your blog, facebook, or twitter feed to inspire others to do the same!
• Comment on the posts: Dollar Days will donate $50 retail value in clothing for each post, plus $50 more for each post that receives at least 10 comments.  The total donation will be well over $1000 worth of clothing.  So, please comment!
• Donate to Sew Much Comfort: Sew Much Comfort provides adaptive clothing free of charge to wounded veterans and is able to do so through generous donations and volunteer hours. Financial donations are always helpful and there is also a list of needed clothing and fabric.  Sew Much Comfort specifically would love to receive t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirt or sweat shirts with logos of local sports teams in any area of the United States (size large is most needed). The wounded soldiers love having sport themed clothing but it is hard to get unless you live in that state.
• Volunteer with Sew Much Comfort: Sew Much Comfort relies on its 1600+ volunteer seamstresses to make clothing for wounded soldiers–and they can always use another pair of hands. If you know your way around a sewing machine, find out more about volunteering here.

Photo Credits: US Air Force and Azalea W

Valentines for Veterans is a project to boost the morale of Veterans during National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week (February 7-13).

Sew Much Comfort provides adaptive clothing for wounded veterans, through the volunteer efforts of seamstresses and donations of clothing and fabric.

Dollar Days will sponsor a large clothing donation to Sew Much Comfort in honor of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week.  Dollar Days will donate $50 retail value in clothing for every post that is officially part of the project, plus, to encourage your community to talk about the cause, $50 more for each post that receives at least 10 comments.

We are looking for bloggers who will:

1. Make and deliver at least 12 Valentines for your local Veterans’ Hospital.  You can do this with friends, as part of a playgroup, with a classroom, with a blogger meet-up or tweet-up–have fun with it!  Canada also salutes its veterans on Valentine’s Day and has some great tips for making Valentines for Veterans.
2. Blog about the project by February 8. You can explain your craft project, share photographs of making the Valentines, focus on the idea of helping hospitalized veterans, or let your readers know more about Sew Much Comfort.  Please remember to thank Dollar Days for their donation and explain the mission of Sew Much Comfort.

During Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week, we will be sharing more about how people can volunteer with and donate to Sew Much Comfort and will link up to all of the wonderful bloggers who post on this project.

Please click here to fill out this form (by February 4) if you are interested in participating.  Feel free to share this information with your friends and community if you know of other bloggers who would like to get involved!

Photo Credit: US Government

We had the opportunity to work with Sesame Street Live “When Elmo Grows Up” to arrange giveaways on three blogs, plus provide 12 tickets to New York City-area children’s charities.

Madison Square Garden is no stranger to giving, either: The Garden of Dreams Foundation “makes dreams come true for kids in crisis”.

As soon as we have the charity choices, we will be sharing more information about these wonderful organizations and how you can help out with your local chapters.

Please head over to support these blogs and, if you are able to attend, enter the contests they are hosting for charity:

• 5 Minutes for Mom
• Real Moms Guide
• Mamanista

I get very emotional when I see, read about, or watch on TV a child in pain. A family struggling to accept the reality of an impaired or afflicted child in their lives. An empty crib, clothes that are never worn, a mother who has lost the light of her life.

Ah, there is so much misery in the world. Every time there is a natural disaster I have the urge to adopt an orphaned child whose parents were taken in the earthquake/tsunami/AIDS crisis/insert here. Don’t tell my husband – we already have two little boys. Someday, when the time is right, I will bring it up.

Until then, my most far-reaching power is here on the internet. This week I am working with a charity called Trisomy 18 Foundation which is a finalist in the Chase Community Giving Challenge on Facebook – it has won a grant for $25,000, and is now among 100 charities up for five $100,000 prizes, or the first prize – $1 million to help pursue a Big Idea! The winner will be chosen by public vote from January 15-22. Will you help spread the word to your readers to visit their Facebook voting page and help them win?

One out of every 3,000 children is born with Trisomy 18. That means that every day in the United States alone, 10-20 families receive the news about this diagnosis, which may take their child from them before he or she is even born. Victoria Miller’s baby boy Isaac was born with Trisomy 18 in 2001. He lived only 11 days. At the time, the support community for families affected by the condition was very small, so Miller started the Trisomy 18 Foundation to raise awareness, improve the lives of the families, and drive research initiatives to focus on prevention and treatments. Miller tells her story in a special video on YouTube.

As a mother, naturally I was touched by the sadness that Trisomy 18 must bring to the families who are affected. But it didn’t really hit me until I visited the Facebook voting page and read the comments written by those parents and relatives who had the joy of knowing their babies for as little as 4 minutes before they slipped away. Those children never had a chance. With funding of $1 million, the Trisomy 18 Foundation can make significant progress toward improving treatment and prevention of this condition.

If you are on Facebook, I urge you to click the badge above and simply vote. You can also visit the Trisomy 18 Foundation information site where there is code for the video and other badges that you can put on your own site. It’s only for a week, but it can make a huge difference in the life of a family.  Please spread the word.

BADGE CODE:

<a href="http://tinyurl.com/votet18" ><img src="http://www.trisomy18.org/images/content/pagebuilder/42812.gif" alt="Trisomy18 Vote" width="202" height="244" border=0 /></a>

—
Kim Tracy Prince is a TV producer in Los Angeles and a mother of two young boys who has been blogging at House of Prince since 2004.  With the community of bloggers and internet users she has built over five and a half years, Kim is hoping to make changes that will help unfortunate people.  She also works with Help a Mother Out, a network that encourages people to donate diapers to homeless and needy families.

Many bloggers are raising funds online and we hope you will open your hearts and donate if you can to support relief efforts.

AJ Lawrence of The Jar Group is offering a matching grant of up to $1500 to members of the social media family who are raising money for Haiti. If you are using your blog to raise money for a reputable, registered non-profit operating in Haiti, or if you are a company or individual that would like to match donations, please feel free to contact us at info [at] bloganthropy.org and to add your post to our facebook page.

Below are some posts raising money for Haiti and matching information, if any.  Please feel free to share this list and copy it.  We will update with new posts and totals as available.  Through these campaigns, you can help contribute and show your support:

• Kelly at The Centsible Life (through January)
• Debbie and Candace at Mamanista (through 1/22; AJ Lawrence matching up to $200)
• Emily at DesignHerMomma (TOTAL = $269; AJ Lawrence matching up to $250)
• Ree at The Pioneer Woman (TOTAL = $7755.00 ;$2585.00 each to American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Compassion International )
• Katie at When Hello Means Goodbye (TOTAL = $110)
• Some amazing bloggers have started an entire site with a benefit auction for Haiti: Hope for Haiti (ONGOING, already up to $4000)

The LA Times has a list of organizations accepting donations for Haiti, including:

• Salvation Army
• American Red Cross (also text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti. The donation will be charged to your cellphone bill)
• Unicef
• AmeriCares
• Yele Haiti (Donations can be made at the site, or automatically by texting YELE to 501501 to give $5)
• Doctors Without Borders

Here are two more excellent organizations:

• Partners in Health: Stand with Haiti
• Care.org

Many of these organizations (@AmeriCares @MSF_usa @RedCross @yelehaiti @unicef @salvationarmy @Care @PIH_Org) also have excellent Twitter updates on their work in Haiti.

Edited to Add: @KristineBrite has suggested using #blog4haiti on Twitter for blog posts about #Haiti. — Great Idea!

UPDATED 1/17: I’ve found some lists with hundreds of bloggers making pledges for Haiti. I’m adding a Link Widget below so please feel free to add your link if you have a post about your financial donation to a reputable charity working in Haiti:

Photo Credit: United Nations

That is why we are asking you to take the Bloganthropy pledge to choose your own charitable campaign, spread the word on at least two social media networks, and dedicate at least three hours to volunteering.

We believe those three simple steps will build the foundations for a better world.

And we’ll even help you spread the word–just send us your links on Facebook or Twitter (@bloganthropy use the hashtag #bloganthropy). We will also hold a carnival of philanthropy on the last Friday of every month, starting in January 2010.

Click here to take the pledge, today!

Photo by Eric the Fish

Non-Profit Partners: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Schneider Children’s Hospital

Sponsors: Corolle, LeapFrog, Steiff, Scholastic & Klutz

Blogger Team: Debbie Bookstaber of Mamanista, Candace Lindemann of Mamanista & Naturally Educational, Veronique Christensen of Little Elephants, Sarah Peppel of Genesis Moments and DIY Frugal

More About the Project:

Bloganthropy.org bloggers, Debbie Bookstaber of Mamanista, Candace Lindemann of Mamanista & Naturally Educational, Veronique Christensen of Little Elephants, Sarah Peppel of Genesis Moments and DIY Frugal, are bringing Toy Donations from Corolle, LeapFrog, Steiff, Scholastic & Klutz to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Schneider Children’s Hospital on Long Island as part of our first project.

Children recuperating from surgery and battling illnesses benefit from play therapy and from knowing others are thinking of them. Families need to focus their energy on helping their children recover and generous individuals, organizations, and corporations can provide support in the form of products, financial contributions, and volunteer hours.

Corolle, Steiff, LeapFrog, Scholastic and Klutz have all generously donated thousands of dollars in toys as part of the effort.

Our bloggers are delivering the toys and learning more about how volunteers and donors can assist their local children’s hospitals.  Look for more about their experience, soon!

How You Can Help in Your Community

Here are some ideas about how you can help:

• Volunteer: Children’s hospitals are also always in need of volunteer entertainers, tutors, and helpers, who typically must be screened and commit to monthly volunteer hours.
• Volunteer Virtually: Some children’s hospitals have inaugurated closed-circuit television stations, that allow community members to lead craft projects, give performances, or allow the children to interview them about their careers.
• Toy Drives: Children’s hospitals welcome new, unopened toys and books for the patients and the playroom. Playgroups and other organizations can host events at area facilities, charging reduced admission in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy, and then bring the toys they collect to their local children’s hospital. Some young patients are in need of lengthy transfusions, that require them to sit at their beds for hours every month. Video games and DVDs are especially helpful for these children.Ask toy companies or local toy stores for “matching” donations.
• Fundraisers: Work with your local or online group to raise funds–many local hospitals support their programs through community donations.  Ask your local hospital about their needs, establish your fundraising goal, and speak with businesses about matching grants.
• Share Your Expertise: Many children’s hospitals are reaching out in the social media space to raise awareness about their programs and mission and also to provide pre-admission information to patients and their families.  Offer your time and talents to help children’s hospitals help their young patients.

If you have volunteered or helped out children’s hospitals, please tell us! And don’t forget to spread the word on your social media networks–this way your message goes viral.

I spoke with one of the organization’s founders, Jeanine Cozzetti, to determine their organization’s needs.  They had already done an excellent job working with local organizations to secure donations:

• They had a space for collecting and assembling donations at the church.
• They had well-established relationships with Island Harvest, the local fire department, and college campus youth organizations for collecting food and warm clothing.

We talked about reaching out to corporations for future years and she said that this year they could use more volunteers, so we concentrated on social media volunteer recruitment efforts:

• V4LI already had a facebook group page and a touching YouTube video of their volunteers Feeding the Homeless in 2008.
• Their website was leading to an error screen.  I got to work creating a simple website and in the meantime used the facebook page for the landing page.
• I launched a @Volunteer4LI on Twitter and used We Follow to find Long Island people on Twitter.

I hit the jackpot when I found Long Island Tweet-Up (@LITweetUp).  As soon as I messaged individual twitterers about the event, they began to re-tweet out the details.  Within hours, Volunteer 4 Long Island had dozens more fans on facebook and messages coming in from interested volunteers.  Jeanine was astounded by how effective and quick a few simple tweets could be in recruiting more local volunteers than they even needed.

By recruiting local people on twitter who have demonstrated an interest in their community, Volunteer 4 Long Island was able to efficiently reach their target volunteer audience.  Once volunteers reached the facebook page, they could join the group, making it easy for the organization to message them about future events.  When they joined, they also further spread the word through their facebook profiles.

Building Twitter Lists and Facebook group or fan pages is an effective way to establish and maintain a local community of volunteers for your organization.  Both Twitter and Facebook have applications that enable you to target your message locally and then empower your messengers to share with their friends and followers.

What is your social media charity project volunteer recruitment success story?

In 2007, Debbie Bookstaber and Candace Lindemann started Mamanista.com, a product review blog for moms, with the hope that they could raise revenue for charities.

Impressed by the energy and compassion they saw in their fellow bloggers, Candace and Debbie began brainstorming ways to build on their initial fundraising goals and involve all of the brilliant and committed bloggers they had met.

After BlogHer 2009, people took to Twitter and their blogs to discuss proposed FTC regulations, free products (aka SWAG) abuse and obsession. Debbie and Candace were dismayed by the negative perception so many had of bloggers. Since Mamanista’s creation, they had donated thousands of dollars as well as products to charity. This was not the blogging community they knew and loved.

Through conferences such as BlogHer and online events such as the weekly #GNO Twitter chats, they knew how many other bloggers were committed to charity and to using the influence and power of social media to improve their local communities.

They also understood how eager companies were to connect with bloggers, but bloggers weren’t necessarily going to write about cleaning products and new soups. In many cases, cleaning products and granola bars just weren’t a fit for the blog’s format or readers.

As Vice-President of Strategy and Business Development at The JAR Group, Debbie understood corporate giving initiatives and marketing. Frequently, she had reached out to her contacts to obtain donations for charities and to connect her social media friends with the appropriate resources in the business world.

As the editors of Mamanista, they were inspired by corporate charity campaigns that looked beyond donations to empowering bloggers as philanthropic leaders in their communities. Debbie and Candace wanted to make it easier for companies and bloggers to connect through charity and corporate giving, so they founded Bloganthropy and began the 501c3 registration process to obtain non-profit status.

Bloganthropy combines the power of social media with the resources of corporate giving. Our goal is to connect companies and bloggers in order to make the world a better place.

Blending social media and philanthropy is nothing new. There are so many instances of Twitter users and bloggers joining together to raise money or to help someone in need.

Bloganthropy, a non-profit organization, aims to help these efforts by connecting social media users with corporate giving and PR departments.

The Importance of Corporate Giving:

It won’t come as a surprise that profit is a primary motivation for corporate giving. Despite the economic downturn, many companies have continued or even increased their corporate giving efforts. According to the Cone Benchmark Survey, 52% of American feel companies should maintain their level of financial support for social and environmental causes and nonprofit organizations regardless of economic conditions, and 25% expect companies to give even more.

A majority of consumers are more likely to buy a product that’s associated with a cause they care about even if the product costs more. Increasingly, consumers are listing corporate responsibility alongside price and quality as a key factor in their purchasing decisions.

According to the Cone Benchmark Study, 79% of Americans would be likely to switch from one brand to another brand if the other brand is associated with a good cause. Amongst Millennials ages 18-24, the percentage jumps to 88%, making cause marketing one of the most effective ways of reaching this group.