Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bloggers, charity, donations, groupable, groups, mashable, meetings, social media, social networking, sponsors, twitter
I am sure that we have all had this idea, “Hey I love to do __________ (insert your passion or interest), and I know _________, ______________, and _________ (friends, colleagues, random yahoo’s) who love it too. And I bet there’s a whole bunch of other people who would be happy as a pig in mud to go on a trip to ___________ (fabulous place to do above mentioned interest)! Wow, I wish we could all afford to go do that together!”
(Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/07/08/groupable)
Now you can! Groupable is an “online community of groups and sponsors looking to match interests, goals, passions and needs,” (Parr, 2009). The sponsor organizations “connect [with] groups,” and the Groupable dashboard can track statistics on sponsorships, map out group locations, manage sponsorship levels, and even can take sponsorship donations via credit card, allows sponsors to create a profile, add videos and photos, and measure sponsors and activities” (Parr, 2009).
So how easy is it? Supposedly, as long you are a Groupable member you can “sign up, find a sponsor and connect,” (Parr, 2009).
The home page is easy to navigate and has some interactive features, but looks clean and like it’s easy to get started. There is a sponsorship video, some articles about why firms still sponsor and contribute to worthy organizations, and a featured group, which is the 2009 International Black Women’s Film Festival, (Groupable, 2009). And Groupable even has a sponsor, currently it is Adobe, featuring the Student Edition Creative Suite, (Groupable, 2009). This sponsor is mentioned in the far right hand bottom corner, so it is not in the way of the context of the site, and is mentioned in an ethical manner as the “Featured Sponsor.” It appears they have a blog and are also on Twitter, and a contact phone number is prominently displayed on the home page! (Unlike the shady peeps at Verizon who seem to not want you to find the number to call, so they bury it 20+ mouse clicks and wrong turns deep into their site, aaaaaaarrrrrghhhhh!)
Blogger Allen Stern states, “the challenge for Groupable will be getting enough supply of sponsors into their network. But at the same time, they need to get enough groups in to meet a sponsor’s requirements,” (Stern, 2009). But currently, it is free for both groups and sponsors to register on the Groupable site, making it easy to join and find out more. This being said…get out there and join!
References:
Groupable. (2009). “Home Page.” Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.groupable.com/
Parr, B. (2009, July 8). “HOW TO: Find a Sponsor for Your Group.” Mashable. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://mashable.com/2009/07/08/groupable/
Stern, A. (2009, February 19). “Groupable Helps You Find Sponsors.” Center Networks. Retrieved July 8, 2009 from http://www.centernetworks.com/tag/groupable
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: airfare, charity, donation, facebook, military, pay it forward, social media, social network, wish
I haven’t talked to my friend Samantha in about 3 days, but what an interesting 3 days it has been!
It seems that she is suffering a family crisis: her husband (in the military and has been in Q-West Iraq since November) has to make an emergency trip home as one of his family members is having serious medical issues. The government pays for him to come home to see his family in this trying time, but that’s in Texas and Sami lives in Washington State. Sami has two young kids, (ages 3 and 1) and would have to take all of them to TX in order to be supportive and see her lovely husband and in-laws. This is VERY expensive and she can only afford about half the cost right now (crippling economy, you know). She had actually called the airlines that service her area and their ‘bereavement’ fares were higher than a regular ticket on Expedia or CheapTickets! She just didn’t know what to do.
In a last ditch effort, she made a plea on Facebook, “does anyone have 2 tickets from Seattle to Dallas that they are willing to part with? …hubby gets to come home from Iraq but we don’t have the means to get me and the babies there. Can’t hurt a girl to ask,” (Sami FB, 2009). She received many well-wishing comments and support from friends, but didn’t make any headway in her goal. The next day she tried a new approach: “Only $150 from being able to go to Texas to be with hubby and his family. Anyone care to donate $10 to a good cause?” (Sami FB, 2009).
And that’s where the AMAZING part comes in. Within 6 hours she had received enough small donations from friends and acquaintances alike (via their searches for her on PayPal) that she could afford to make the trip with babies in tow!
We read a lot about how the internet can be used for good causes, but these are generally for large, well-known national issues. Or we read that some jerk has created a phony cause to bilk good, trusting folks out of their money, and we lose faith in humanity, if only temporarily. I think it’s great to see an instance where several people (14 to be exact) made small individual gestures, that became so much more when compounded and are giving one family the opportunity to come together, share in their fear and sorrow and feel the goodness of man.
(Both Photos Retrieved from Sami FB Photo Albums with Verbal Permission.)
It hasn’t been easy for this family for the last few months; husband away serving our country, Sami struggling to raise her family by herself and having her own health issues, having to move because her last landlord wouldn’t make necessary repairs that were a safety hazard to little ones, etc. The response to her ‘just putting it out there’ was quick and positive. Some of the comments:
• “It’s on its way. Good luck!!”
• “I’ve got at least one friend sending you money too. So be aware of names you don’t know coming. Hopefully you’ll see more than one!”
• “I sent a contribution. I told you last night I’d fund the whole thing if I could! But here’s my contribution. And you do NOT pay me back, understand?”
• “I sent you 10. A worthy cause if I’ve ever heard of one. Don’t pay me back, pay it forward. 
”
• “I agree…just pay mine forward too,” (Sami FB, 2009).
Sami reached her goal, plus a little extra for travel food money and summed up her gratitude by telling everyone that she was “FLOORED by the generosity of her friends!! I have enough (actually now just a few extra $) to go buy the tickets!! Thank you all sooo much! There are no words to express just how much today has meant to me,” (Sami FB, 2009).
I hope that we are all so lucky when we need it most!
Reference:
Sami FB. (2009). Retrieved July 1, 2009 from http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?&new_box_added_id=9981647979#/samiunderwood?hiq=samantha%2Cunderwood
