The online (micro)charity organization ‘Crowdrise‘ has grown in presence and influence since its founding a bit over a year ago. Its goal was/is to raise money by encouraging people to sign onto ‘teams’ that use their social-media presences to reach out to their friends. The team thus pools its time and the money collected, and a whole bunch of $10-$20 donations can mean big bucks to some wonderful organizations.
Sure, if you are a regular reader of our blog you are quite familiar with the concept of micro-donations. And as we neither invented the concept of micro-donation nor were the first to praise its great influence, you likely have heard of it anyway. But what makes Crowdrise a bit special is that it encourages your participation through humor and sarcasm, the sorts of things not often linked to helping cancer survivors.
Serious crises are dealt with by various groups on Crowdrise: educational groups in the US and abroad, clean drinking water in Africa, AIDS research, even fundraising for individuals in need of medical treatment. But the home page makes clear how the organizers of the website want to differentiate their efforts in the charity world:
Please only read all this if you’re super bored or you’re writing a paper on ways to give back and you’re looking for something to plagiarize… [We were!]
Crowdrise is about volunteering, raising money for charity and having the most fun in the world while doing it. Go here to see a beautiful picture showing How Crowdrise Works [Easy registration takes two minutes – then given whenever/where ever you can]. Go here if you want to see an even more beautiful Picture of a Napkin [Not that pretty, but made of recycled paper].
But the founders are well aware of the power their good humor can wield:
Quintas at Crowdrise spent the entire month of December writing this. We’re including it only because he worked so hard on it but you probably should skip it… “Our goal at Crowdrise is to make fundraising so fun and addicting that everyone wants to do more of it. The power of the crowd is real, lots of small donations really do add up, and the Crowdrise community can have a monumental impact on causes around the world.”
A number of celebrities have stepped into the Crowdrise, and Will Ferrel is raising funds specifically for ‘Cancer for College,’ a charity that helps cancer survivors concentrate their own resources on their medical bills, yet still have an opportunity for a higher education.
Families dealing with cancer use every last resource to fight the disease in the effort to keep their child alive. Life savings and retirement plans are drained by medications, operations and experimental procedures often not covered by insurance. How do you plan for the future of a child who might not make it through year’s end? College dreams are forgotten just trying to keep your child alive.
This is why Cancer for College was started.
For only $28-plus you will get three bottles of Will’s own ‘Sexy Hot Tan’ 30-SPF sun lotion – a lovely gift for anyone who spends a good deal of time outdoors and who is in danger of developing melanoma. As my birthday is in February, you have plenty of time to make your donation and offer a bottle to me in time for the summer growing season.
Better still, poke around Crowdrise for teams you want to join and causes you want to support. Giving is fun and addicting!
