In an effort to encourage giving on #GIVINGTUESDAY, YouHelp is giving away a limited edition Free T-shirt:

Did YouHelp Someone Today?

Make your donation today, and be a role model of generosity with this new limited edition Free T-Shirt.

YouHelp thanks contributors with a "shout-out" on social media. Proudly share our post of your donation onto your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn account to your friends, family and crowd to add to the impact of your donation.  When your T-Shirt arrives in December/January, take a selfie and post it again,  Continue to be a role model of generosity.

 With over 100 eligible campaigns to choose from, on the YouHelp platform, you can donate to the fundraiser that reaches your heart, from single moms' empowerment programs, shelters for puppies and people, disaster relief efforts, domestic violence advocacy campaigns, food for the hungry, building schools or providing fresh water to those in need in Colombia. 

All funds raised on YouHelp will go directly to the campaign. YouHelp does not keep any part of your donation. There are no administrative fees charged.  All funds are sent immediately to the campaign, regardless if the complete fundraising goal is met. 

Be a part of the #GivingTuesday movement today and YouHelp will send you the limited edition Free YouHelp T-Shirt when you donate $50 or more. 

After you make your donation, watch for an email from YouHelp for your Free limited edition T-shirt size request and shipping address.  You may also contact us at support@youhelp.com or (888) 240-1494.

About the Author: The author is a staff writer for YouHelp.com

A supermarket that does not need any packaging, a do-it-yourself solar pump for clean drinking water, or "fog nets" that trap the moisture from evening air and morning dew, are just some of the many good green business ideas and nonprofit projects worth supporting.  Sustainability is all about using fewer resources, producing cleaner waste – and less waste – or no waste at all. 

Unfortunately many of these ideas fail in the early stages due to lack of funding. 

Founders and project initiators can use the YouHelp platform to raise funds. Some campaigns provide thank you perks for those who contribute. 

In addition to our carbon footprint, researchers are looking at our “water footprint,” the amount of water it takes to support our lifestyles and our appetites, and they see that it is rising globally. 

Ella Fuksbrauner lived in Colombia during her childhood and has created a project: Sweet Guajira – Dulce Guajira – Finding Drinking Water Solutions, to find sustainable food and water solutions for La Guajira, Colombia. Donations can be made by clicking the donate button. With YouHelp, all donations go directly to the project.  

Fuksbrauner is offering free songs on her CD for donations depending on donation level, giving a cover song for a mere $10 donation, and the whole album plus a tree in their name to those who donate $50. 

The goal of the Sweet Guajira project is to provide a sustainable long-term alternative for the serious drought issue affecting La Guajira. A preliminary independent preemptive investigation will be done first.  

A number of emerging innovative technologies are being explored. “Our aim is to get a 360% view of the situation, which includes assessing potential partners, technical opportunities, and the grassroots narrative. We believe that by helping farmers of the region with technology and knowledge, the water management situation, as well as the local economy will improve, thus organically providing more momentum to solve the crisis,” she said.

“We wish in turn to be able to create the largest possible impact, and help thousands of people in dire need of assistance. Join us in our efforts, help us create a new, independent opportunity for the region!” Fuksbrauner said. 

Fresh water is the most important resource for life on earth. Almost one third of the world is already water stressed. Global climate change and exponential population growth have led to water scarcity and water shortages in major cities, which is continuing to worsen.

Taking into consideration the arid areas of the world and places with polluted and contaminated water, we need to find ways to produce a lot more fresh water.  In Peru alone, 12 million people (40% of the Peruvian population) lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation. 

New ideas for clean water production include technological breakthroughs in creating water from thin air by researchers at UC Berkley, desalinating projects bringing water from the sea to the table, smartgrids, and  lower tech fogcatchers from The Create Water Foundation in Holland, which are already being used effectively at a low cost in Peru to provide clean drinking water and water for crops.

Technology looks at two main ways to alleviate the impending water crises. One is by making water-intensive processes more efficient. The other is by using technology to create fresh water – from filtering saline ocean water to purifying water that was once deemed permanently toxic to pulling water from ‘thin air,’ even in arid climates, technology promises to save water in multiple ways. 

If you want to help pioneer the new technologies, consider contributing to Finding Drinking Water Solutions this #GivingTuesday or any time.  

About the Author: Anna Kucirkova is a freelance writer who also works at Cornerstone University. She can be reached at: anna@cornerstoneuniversity.co

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From raising money for hurricane and earthquake relief to giving books to children in low income families, #GivingTuesday has become a global movement of giving. Giving Tuesday follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and will be celebrated on November 27th, 2018, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving,

 Is your organization poised to make the most of it? 

This global giving movement was built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in all 50 states and in over 150 countries around the world.  It inspires people to take collective action to improve their communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. 

This global day of giving, "fueled by the power of social media and collaboration,” according to #GivingTuesday.org, demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that they mean even more when we give together. 

#GivingTuesday was created by the team at the for Belfer Center Innovation & Social Impact at the 92^nd Street Y – a cultural center in New York City where they have been bringing people together around the values of service and giving since 1874. 

The Belfer Center brought together a team of influencers and founding partners to collaborate across sectors, offering expertise to launch #GivingTuesday.  They have continued to shape, grow and strengthen the movement, together with leadership support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and generous support from PayPal, with the simple idea, “find a way to give back, then share your idea.”

“#GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.”

Your nonprofit can benefit by joining, if you haven't already.  It's the perfect time to start a YouHelp fundraising campaign.  By joining the #GivingTuesday movement, your giving campaign will be included in their directory to help people find your organization as well as any events you plan for the day. 

YouHelp has joined again this year and YouHelp campaigns can take part with special efforts geared toward #GivingTuesday. 

Social media is a key part of #GivingTuesday communications. It’s also one the of the best ways to engage your donors and community, and to share your organization’s mission and values. Remember to use the hashtag #GivingTuesday and #YouHelp on social media when talking about your Your YouHelp campaign.

Ask your friends and colleagues to retweet and share your campaign updates and help you spread awareness about your campaign. You just need to tag them in your post so they can share it.

Tag Giving Tuesday on Twitter @GivingTues, and on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat and they'll also retweet or share your messages. Their Social Media Toolkit gives even more tips and ideas to boost your campaign.

Growing Each Year – Some organizations find large donors who agree to match all donations they receive on Giving Tuesday. These can increase the donation from two to in some case four or five-fold. JP Morgan Chase encouraged employees to donate to nonprofits of their choice by using the firm’s workplace giving program competition with a $2 for $1 matching gift promotion. In 2017, through interoffice promotion and the incentive, employees raised over $4.7 million for nonprofits around the country, more than a 23% increase from 2016.

Collaboration is the name of the game and the word of the day. NGOs, corporations, individuals, foundations, local nonprofits, local businesses, religious organizations, schools, community campaigns, higher educations, and collaborations between companies, nonprofits, credit card companies and banks.

In 2016, No Kid Hungry set an organizational record and raised over $56,000 in one day to ensure that all children get the healthy food they need to thrive. But on #GivingTuesday, No Kid Hungry set out to shatter their 2016 record by raising $100,000 or 1 million meals. Ultimately, and with a match from CitiBank, No Kid Hungry raised over $310,000 – that’s 4 times their 2016 results!

Take part in Giving Tuesday by raising funds or making a donation to support a cause or causes. In 2017, over $300m. was raised online through 2.5m gifts. The mean gift size was calculated to be $120.40. 

There's still time to start a #GivingTuesday campaign for your nonprofit. Let YouHelp host it on our platform. 

About the Author: The author is a staff writer for YouHelp.

No one should live in fear. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can last a lifetime and cut across generations. It affects people regardless of socio-economic status, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or nationality. Physical violence is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior as part of a much larger, systematic pattern of dominance and control.

Domestic violence can result in physical injury, psychological trauma, and even death. 

Studies estimate an average of 20 people experience intimate partner physical violence every minute in the United States alone, or more than 10 million abuse victims annually. 

Heels on the Move to Heal, a Texas based nonprofit is just one organization that helps women who’ve had to flee from abusive relationships. They posted a crowdfunding campaign on YouHelp.com, to raise money for domestic violence assistance, which is open to donations on YouHelp.. When a woman flees her home after being a victim of domestic violence, the situation may be so dangerous that she leaves without shoes on her feet. Ongoing research estimates that one in four women have been a victim of domestic violence.

Diverse City of Refuge Ministries, Inc of Wilmington, Delaware, is in urgent need of expansion and renovation of its battered women's shelter.  They seek to house women and children who are victims of domestic violence, provide food, clothing, counseling and a path to return to the workforce. On a daily basis the battered women's shelter is full and the staff scramble to find vacancies for women at other shelters.  They are in dire need and are trying to raise money for domestic violence funding to help cover their expenses.

Both these organizations and many more like work hard to raise funds needed to provide programming that empowers women and families to succeed and thrive. 

Currently available domestic violence assistance grants for nonprofit organizations.

Currently available domestic violence assistance grants for agencies, small businesses and individuals. 

Many grants can be found on GrantWatch to benefit nonprofit advocacy groups, who provide community-based assistance.  Here is one example of the many grants available throughout the United States to nonprofits that work to provide domestic violence assistance.

Grants to Colorado Nonprofits to Benefit Children and Families, Victims of Domestic Violence, Hospice Patients, and More  – Deadline: 12/15/18

Grants to Colorado nonprofit organizations for programs, projects, and services that benefit victims of domestic violence, children and families, hospice patients, mental health clinics, students pursuing degrees in social work, and shelters serving homeless clients. Applicants will be asked to describe the impact of their work (i.e., how many clients received services or otherwise benefited from the program, directly or indirectly).

During and after a domestic abuse experience, women battle with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, self-discovery, and starting over. Women sometimes have no skills or inadequate skills for job placement. 

Be a Source of Support: Ways to Help 

Want to help out? Create a campaign in support of a domestic violence organization or victim or contribute to a YouHelp.com domestic violence campaign 

Nonprofits, community-based groups, and battered women's shelters seeking grants to provide services for survivors of domestic violence can identify funding opportunities on GrantWatch.com. Sign-up on GrantWatch and receive the free weekly GrantWatch newsletter which features geographic-specific funding opportunities. 

About the Author: Staff Writer at YouHelp.com

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In the past few years, crowdfunding for fundraising has become all the rage. Another popular trend is the idea of "mindfulness."  Here's a way to bring them together for success and for more work-life balance.  Practicing the mindfulness principle, dampa sum, from Tibetan Buddhism, and developing this skill, can keep you focused, on track and enhance your enjoyment at work and in all you do.  

These steps are keys to crowdfunding success and everything you underatake: purpose, practice, and pensive reflection. 

In her book, How We Work, Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity and Embrace the Daily Grind, mindfulness expert Dr. Leah Weiss writes about “dampa sum,” meaning “good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end,” in the Tibetan language.  

To practice mindfulness, you don't need to sit silently or add any new activities to your busy schedule.

Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere at any time. It's a way of meditating at every moment, the entire day, whether at home or work, alone or in a crowded room. Dr. Weiss, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business who studied with the Dali Lama, teaches that this is possible.  It just requires that we redefine (or rather, correctly define) the word “meditation.”

The word “meditation” is a translation from the Tibetan word “gom.”  A more literal definition of this word, says Weiss, is simply “familiarization” or “getting to know your mind and heart.”  When explained this way, we can let go of preconceived notions and expectations and embrace every moment as an opportunity to “familiarize” ourselves with our own hearts and minds.  In fact, anything we do –  can become a meditation. 

Mindfulness is a state of conscious awareness in which we calmly acknowledge and accept our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations from moment to moment. It's a way of living in the present moment, doing our best at each moment, and getting back on track quickly the moment we become aware that we've fallen out of that state.  It's recognizing the humanity and commonality of everyone you work and interact with. 

It's developing an attitude of gratitude and staying in the present moment. 

Weiss likens dampa sum to design thinking and the scientific method: Hypothesis, experimentation and conclusion.  "This goes for anything and is a continuous feedback loop,"

"These concepts can be applied to everything we do, including each phase of writing a grant or launching a crowdfunding campaign," said Libby Hiking, CEO and founder of GrantWatch in a recent conversation.  

"We're all so busy, who has time to meditate? What struck me about Dr. Weiss' book was the idea that we don't have to do something different than we're already doing, just change our perspective. We can apply the concept, good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, to everything we do." 

Good in the beginning 

Set the right or a good intention in the beginning for how you're going to do something according to the result you want to achieve.  For crowdfunding this means researching and defining your target audience, how much you need and wish to raise. Determine how to market your campaign, keeping in mind the possible requirements and expectations of your contributors. Research both the market and the competition to create an ideal marketing strategy for your target audience. 

Good in the middle

Doing the thing with clarity obtained by setting our intention.

This means taking the steps in the process toward achieving your goal with an awareness in alignment with your intention. Stay positive.

In relation to crowdfunding you would fully create your campaign, blog about it regularly, send out press releases to local, municipal or larger media, depending on the scope of your campaign, keep building your email list(s) and send out professional looking emails and email blasts.  Email is a great way to promote your content, upcoming events, or any special deals you can offer.  

Keep getting the word out on social media. Ask friends and family to like your posts and to repost them. 

Make the most of your immediate connections and cultivate more.  Link your YouHelp campaign to all your social media. Get out there and post to FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and any others you might  have. Invite friends to Like your campaign and your posts and to repost or retweet them. Keep up that attitude of gratitude and staying in the present moment. Think of your intention to achieve your goal.  SO many great ideas will come to you of how to market your campaign while you are good in the middle and positive.

Good in the end 

'Good in the end' means reflecting on how it went (or how it's going, if it's still going on). 

So set the proper intention and keep it in mind as you proceed.  Remember: Purpose, Practice, Reflection."Dampa Sum" is about nothing less (and nothing more) than seeing clearly, putting your mind and heart into what you're doing, and understanding how you can change your eperience, by changing your perspective and behavior.

It's a way of being in the world and can be applied to everything you do. 

Crowdfunding has made raising funds quite accessible and easy for businesses and nonprofits, but it doesn't happen automatically. When you market your campaign effectively, you can turn your dreams into reality. There's a saying, "Everything will turn out good in the end. So, if it's not good yet, it's not the end." Never give up, and always thank your funders. 

YouHelp.com helps nonprofits, NGOs, individuals and small business owners launch campaigns to fund their mission. YouHelp is powered by GrantWatch. For more information on starting a campaign, contact support@youhelp.com or (888) 240-1494

About the Author: The author is a staff writer at YouHelp.com.

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With over 25 years of experience as a mental health professional specializing in trauma and PTSD recovery, licensed professional mental health counselor Susan Pollard decided to pass what she'd learned in the field onto the next generation. Pollard shared that early in her career, clients who had suffered severe trauma started coming to her for sessions.  Some of them were so negatively affected that they weren't able to access their memories or talk about their experiences without going into a worse state than before.  Wanting to provide as much assistance to her clients as possible, she began delving into different modalities in complimentary, aka alternative medicine, for answers, becoming an early adopter of CAM therapies. 

From Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to Reiki, EMDR to Bach Flower Remedies, Pollard and others like her have found ways to help their clients in the best and quickest ways possible. She found that long-term therapy wasn't for everyone. Some people lacked the resources to spend years in therapy and their insurance would only cover eight to ten visits. First working for agencies and later in her private practice, Susan's resourcefulness led her down new paths (new at the time), exploring little-traversed terrain in her efforts to provide the best therapies for her clients. 

She found that conventional talk therapy wasn't making a dent in improving their states of mind or ability to function in their daily lives. Sometimes, talking about their experiences seemed to reactivate the trauma. She knew she had to find another way to help them recover, and started exploring the mind-body connection and holistic approaches to healing mind-body and spirit over 25 years ago and began incorporating what she learned into her sessions whenever possible. There weren't many conventionally trained psychologists or therapists studying or researching the field at that time.  The workshops and trainings weren't offered for continuing education at that time, as they are today. 

Over time she's developed a unique understanding of how to work with people who've suffered from trauma and PTSD that she'd like to pass on so others don't have to keep reinventing the wheel.

As a result, like many professionals, Susan is seeking funding to get her manuscript published without depleting all her personal resources. "I'd like to pass my experience on to therapists, psychologists, counselors, holistic practitioners and individuals struggling to help themselves through trauma, PTSD and Complex PTSD," she said in a recent interview. The working title for her book is "Unlocking the Puzzle of PTSD, A Holistic Guide to Restoring Inner Peace."  

The topic is so timely, she doesn't want to risk waiting to find a traditional publisher who could take years to get the book to press. Susan isn't the only one who feels this way. More and more professionals are turning to self-publishing or collaborative publishing to get their message out. 

Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a new idea to many people. But, for entrepreneurs and artists, it is a tried and true solution.

Crowdfunding is when many people, just like you see a worthy cause and donate. Nonprofits, businesses, and people who need help or want to help someone in need use crowdfunding to raise money. 
You can create a free campaign through YouHelp, and raise funds from family, friends, colleagues, coworkers, clients or the general public.

According to the Nonfiction Authors Association, contributions range from small ($20) to larger contributions of $1,000 or more. With crowdfunding, contributors aren't just making a donation – they generally expect to receive something in return. “The strategy here is to pre-sell copies of your book before it is published, as well as offer other items or services based on different investment levels. For example, you could offer a t-shirt based on the theme of your book or consulting time with you." 

They recommend that would-be authors study completed campaigns to see how the most successful ones were designed. Most funds seem to come from people the author knows directly, so don't be shy about asking or posting about it across social media.

Getting Sponsors
Enlist a corporate or nonprofit organizational sponsor to back your book. For instance, for a book like Pollard's some organizations that might be interested in sponsoring her work are the VA or domestic violence advocacy groups. Others could be the member organizations for Energy Psychology or individual practitioners of EFT, EMDR or other CAM therapies and modalities.

Some sponsors will be happy with an acknowledgment, but others might want to see their name on the book, so be sure if that's something you're comfortable with before accepting their assistance. Some might want some free copies to give out as gifts to their members, which could be a great win-win all around. 

Enlist the Assistance of Nonprofits
Sometimes a nonprofit might help you promote your project. Be open to whatever assistance they might be willing to give. Get creative and don't be afraid to ask. They might even have a budget for projects such as yours and be willing to fund it, if it closely aligns with their mission. For Pollard's book, it would be worth a scan of GrantWatch.com and MWBEzone.com under the mental health category, as they add new grants daily.

Invest in Yourself
When the time comes to publish, don't cut corners. Calculate in costs such as getting your book professionally edited and typeset and having a professional cover design. Don't despair if you don't get all the funding you're looking for in advance of publication. Treat your project in a professional manner, it's not just a hobby or a pipe-dream. Consult your accountant as to which expenses can be deducted from your taxes at the end of the year, so you may have some extra funds to reinvest into a cause you believe in.  

Now more than ever, opportunities abound, so good luck pursuing your dream and making it a reality.
Susan Pollard can be reached through her website: senseiservices.com or by email: susanp113@gmail.com. 

YouHelp is a crowdfunding site where you can set up a fundraiser for free. Sign up today to help fund your project. 
    

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For school teachers like Malerie Schreiner who spent nearly $800 of her own money on supplies for her classroom last year, the writing on the wall is in plain English.

School budgets are even tighter this year.

Schreiner, a 25-year-old English teacher in the Cincinnati Public Schools, has done the math. That’s why she turned to crowdfunding, an online fundraising tool that is becoming increasingly popular in the teaching community.

YouHelp.com, a free crowdfunding website, offers teachers a platform to raise money for their classrooms without having to dip deeper into their own pockets. Teachers like Ryan Fromoltz post classroom requests and concerned donors from the community can select those projects that they wish to support.

In past school years, Fromoltz has put out around $700 of his own money for basic supplies. He still does. But now, in addition to paper and pens, he needs batteries and microphones for his students to participate in a broadcasting class at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, cuts in school budgets have forced many teachers to decide whether they want to put their own financial interests ahead their classrooms. The choice can be costly. In Ohio, teachers spend an average of $600 of their own money each year on school supplies, according to the state auditor’s office. No wonder, more than 900 initiatives specific to classroom and teacher needs in Ohio, alone, have been posted on crowdfunding websites entering the new school year.

Gabriel Soliz, a teacher in the Columbus City Schools, used social media to promote his crowdfunding initiative. Because most of the school districts in Ohio do not have policies that cover crowdfunding, he kept a careful log of where the $1,800 he raised for much-needed physical education equipment was appropriated.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 94 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies. Math teacher Torri Martin, who figures she extends about $500 on-average of her own money each year, doesn’t want to add up how much she has personally spent to integrate technology into her classroom at the J. Graham Brown School in Louisville.

The eighth-grade teacher does know there is power in small numbers. Donations of as little as two dollars to her crowdfunding campaign quickly multiplied, leading toward the purchase of two Chromebooks.

YouHelp.com, a 100% free crowdfunding website, is a popular fundraising tools for forward-thinking teachers, school administrators, nonprofit organizations, small businesses and concerned citizens who want to connect education-based initiatives to the public. The process is simple: decide on your goal, write a compelling message, and garner initial support (contributors) excited  about your fundraiser and committed to sharing it out on their social media — and launch. When you share your campaign on social media, if the idea is deserving, people will pledge their support.

About the Author: Staff Writer for YouHelp

A group of young filmmakers just out of college aren’t about to pass time waiting tables or taking on other food service jobs assuming their big break will fall into their laps. Instead, they’ve begun working in New York City on a movie called “Magnetic Deviation,” and they are banking on crowdfunding to raise enough cash to cover the cost of producing the short film.

After watching previous attempts to release a movie fall short because of funding issues, Daniel Kirby, a writer/actor, is excited to be working on “Magnetic Deviation.” Filmed in Crown Heights, the movie is about two friends facing their last days of employment at a warehouse.

Libby Hikind, founder and CEO of the crowdfunding website YouHelp.com, said filmmakers face the same obstacles as small business owners and start-up nonprofits looking to get started with limited funds. The good news is that crowdfunding on YouHelp provides a free way to raise money for the arts, entrepreneurs, nonprofits and small businesses across all industries.

Crowdfunding pitches are very much like applying for a grant or business loan. Reasons for producing the movie, rather than what it is about, should be conveyed to an online audience that would most likely want the film to be successful. If the objective resonates, donors and, perhaps, foundations will pledge small amounts of money that will add up to a lot of money. “Veronica Mars” raised more than $5.7 million dollars from 91.5K backers and remains one of the most successful crowdfunded films to date.

Before filmmakers launch their crowdfunding campaigns, Hikind encourages them to read the fine print. Crowdfunding websites including Kickstarter (5% fee) and Indiegogo (5% fee) charge campaign fees. And, if a project does not reach or exceed its funding goal, the campaign does not receive any money.

Unlike Kickstarter and Indiegogo, with YouHelp (0% fees) you get immediate access to your funds no matter if you meet or exceed your goal The money your campaign raises is immediately deposited into the campaigns account.

In the process of gaining financial backing, crowdfunding campaigns can also serve as a stage for filmmakers to preview their movies to fans, and offer incentives including tickets to the premiere and names in credits, t-shirts, and DVDs to reward contributors.

Sarah Boneysteele, the producer of “Magnetic Deviation,” said the movie’s marketing team has distributed blu-rays of the film and signed posters and scripts. Crowdfunding also allows donors to feel like they're a part of the project. Boneysteele said she is already hearing a buzz about the movie beyond friends and family.

YouHelp.com offers the best in crowdfunding capabilities to nonprofits, businesses, artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, and people in need who want to raise money for their cause. The process is simple: set your fundraising goal, and write a compelling ask for money, upload the campaign image and launch. If your campaign is worthwhile and you do the work to share out your campaign to a wide crowd of people who will care about your cause through social media, email marketing, WhatsApp, press releases and text messages people will contribute.

About the Author: Staff Writer for YouHelp