Wish Upon a Hero

Did you see this recent story in the news? It's amazing! ABC's Person of the Week

Go right away to the Wish Upon a Hero web site and sign up to start making people's wishes come true. It doesn't necessarily cost money -- you can give a little or a lot. You can write cards or letters and do a lot of other amazing things. Join up as a group with some of your friends and take on a bigger wish. Or make connections... maybe you can't pay for someone's dental expenses, but maybe you know a dentist who can help!

Be creative, be proactive, be a hero!

Time Banking

Thanks to JM Donahue, I get to tell you about Time Banking!

This is such a fascinating and beautiful "budget philanthropy" concept and works on the premise that you earn one "Time Dollar" for each hour of service you provide to another person in your community. This is people helping people directly.

Here's an example below:

• Bob earns time dollars after spending two hours grocery shopping for Daisy.
  
• Bob spends his dollars having Mary tidy his house.
  
• Mary spends her dollars having Lucy watch her kids while she gets a manicure.
  
• Lucy spends her dollars when Bob comes over to mow her lawn.
  

The web site has a directory of existing Time Banks and also has information about how to start your own Time Bank if you don't have one. I looked up on the list and there are none in my state! (I live in a very rural area.)

The concept is so elegant because it doesn't depend on returning any favors or having to pay something forward. Since you work with a group of people from a database, you don't have to know a lot of people or wait a long time for a way to earn or spend dollars. And best of all it doesn't cost money. It's all about giving of yourself and spending time to make life better for someone else. And that's what we're all about here at Spread Change!

Even if you don't want to join a Time Bank, please go learn all about them so you can at least spread the word about them. This is a unique and worthy service that deserves promotion and can help change lives in small, but significant ways. And if there's no Time Bank in your area, would you consider starting one? Just think how many lives you could change by being a Time Bank leader.

Alfred Edmond Strikes Again!

Wow! Remember the story I posted a few days ago about Alfred Edmond, the man who repaid a policeman $8 about 20 years after the policeman helped him out of a jam?

Well, now the cop has been so inspired by Edmond's integrity that he has decided to "pay it forward" and start his own charity initiative called "Give 8 Ask 8" to help the homeless.

The idea is you donate $8 and ask 8 of your friends to do the same. This is EXACTLY the kind of budget philanthropy we've been talking about all this time. See the power of it? See the magic of it?

I've got goosebumps. You can read the story: at this news page

What will Alfred Edmond inspire you to do today?

Modest Needs

This site fits right into our "budget philanthropy" or "microgiving" theme. The name "Modest Needs" describes the grants that you can fund at this site. For example, a single mom who needs to pay some auto taxes at the DMV or an elderly gentlemen needs a little extra for his electricity bill.

You donate money to the site and your dollar amount is converted to points which you can apply to any grant request on the site. It puts your dollars exactly where you want them to go.

Go check it out and read some of the stories. If you're participating in a giving circle this might be a great one to donate to as one of your causes! (This organization is non-profit and your donations are tax deductible.)

Support Local Libraries

According to an article over at The Consumerist, public library usage is up, possibly due to trouble with the economy.

• MODESTO, CA: Checkouts are up 15 percent at the main library.
  
• BOULDER, CO: Circulation of job-hunting materials is up 14 percent.
  
• NEWARK, NJ: Usage of the public library is up 17 percent.
  
• SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Library card requests have increased 27 percent in the last half of 2008.
  
• BOISE, ID: Reported a 61 percent increase in new library cards in 2008.
  
• BRANTLEY COUNTY, GA: Library computer usage was up 26 percent in the last quarter.
  

Public libraries can make you feel like a king if you're on a tight budget. I was raised by a single mom and times were often tough. I remember the first time I walked into a library and someone explained to me that I could get any book I wanted there and they were FREE! I felt like it was some miracle that was being visited upon me. I remember looking up at the big library stacks and not knowing where to start. It was a breathless and defining moment.

Libraries are underfunded, in my opinion, considering the service they provide a community. What can you do to improve your library system? Brainstorming this question will reveal many ways you can help, besides the obvious monetary donations.

• Donate books in good condition
  
• Volunteer to be on staff or board of directors
  
• Offer to teach free classes or workshops
  
• Read to the kids at story hour
  
• Randomly pay a buck or two on someone's library fines
  
• Purchase books at the book sales
  

What are some other ideas you can come up with? Are there any librarians out there who can tell us great ways to help our community libraries?

[photo credit: brungrrl]

Give Away Free Money

Have you seen The Changepot? It's a fun blog about a family who is constantly on the lookout for money that other people have dropped.

In the first three years of their blog, the Humphreys collected $1032.46. They have collected almost $50 since the beginning of the year.

How about this for a philanthropy project? Start your own "free money" changepot. Get a big jar and put a sign on it that tells the name of your particular cause. Then just watch for the change. Train yourself to have an eagle eye. Looking at The Changepot's blog it's easy to see how it all adds up.

At the end of the year, donate all the money to the cause you've been saving up for. All it cost you was a little time and attention.

Photo credit: Darren Hester