#ZenspiredGiving on #GivingTuesday

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Hi Everyone,

In honor of the upcoming #GivingTuesday on Tuesday, November 28th, I am inviting the entire Zenspirations® community to join me in making a difference in the world.

 

If you aren’t familiar with Giving Tuesday, it’s a global giving movement which connects “diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.” This is a Zenspirations drawing I did in 2012, the same year that #GivingTuesday was started:

zenspirations_by_joanne_fink_november_29_2016_blog

In 2015, 98 countries participated in #GivingTuesday, collectively raising $177 million for worthy causes. This incredible generosity was fueled by the power of more than two million social media engagements. If there is a cause you believe in– especially one that you support through the gift of your time, talents, financial and material donations– #GivingTuesday is an opportunity to promote your favorite cause and help them reach their fund-raising goals. 

In addition to millions of individual donors, many corporations are participate in #GivingTuesday. Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are BIG supporters of #GivingTuesday, and this year have each pledged to match up to $1,000,000 in funds raised for nonprofits via Facebook— up to $50,000 per nonprofit and $1,000 per Facebook fundraiser.

Here’s how the Zenspirations® community can help promote #ZenspiredGiving:

  • Tell us about the organizations you support and why you would like the Zenspirations® community to consider supporting them. I’ll vet the organizations by looking them up on charitynavigator.org or charitywatch.org to find out how they are rated, and what percentage of donations goes to administrative expenses. I’ll post the charities which receive stellar ratings in next week’s blog, so we can learn about causes which are important to other members of the Zenspirations community, and decide if we would like to support them as well.
  • Promote your favorite charitable cause on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, SnapChat and other Social Media using the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #ZenspiredGiving.  On Facebook you can help your favorite non-profit by creating a  Fundraiser, writing a Post or going Live. 
    • Visit Facebook.com/fundraisers, click “Raise Money” and select from 750,000 nonprofits for your fundraiser. I’ll be raising money for my favorite charity, the Modern Widows Club (MWC), a 501(c)3 non-profit which was established in 2011, and serves to “empower widows to lean into life, build resilience and make a positive difference in society“.
    • Post: Write a post and tag your favorite nonprofit. You’ll be able to add a donate button after you post.
    • Live: Tap “Live” at the top of your News Feed and click “Add Donate Button” from the menu.

I love the thought of ‘Zenspired Giving’ where our community shines a light on causes we care about, and inspire others to make a difference in the world by giving! It will be fun to see how many #ZenspiredGiving hashtags we can generate this week.

Since this week’s blog post is all about giving, I have a Thanksgiving gift for you. It’s a fall leaf coloring sheet. If you have access to an 11 x 17 printer, you can use them as placemats for people to color.

Click the link below to DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ZENSPIRATIONS THANKSGIVING LEAVES COLORING SHEET.

 Zenspirations®_by_Joanne_Fink_Blog_11_21_17_Thanksgiving_leaves_to_Color

The tag line for Zenspirations is ‘Live by inspiring others to fly’. My friend Dawn Winburn made this using some of my Zenspirations® Spellbinders Rubber Stamps. If you are looking for a crafty holiday gift, please check out the stamps, stencils, books and other goodies in the Zenspirations webstore.

Like many people, I keep a gratitude list, and one of the things I am especially grateful for is the connection I have forged with members of the Zenspirations® community. I feel incredibly blessed to be part of this creative, caring and compassionate community, and am continually inspired by the creative work and heartwarming stories which are shared in the Zenspirations Create, Color, Pattern, Play Facebook Group. Here is my Thanksgiving wish for all the Color & Creativity Enthusiasts in my life:

Stay Zenspired,
Joanne
PS Please share this blogpost to inspire others to do some #ZenspiredGiving on #GivingTuesday.

22 thoughts on “#ZenspiredGiving on #GivingTuesday”

  1. That’s so kind of you Joanne.
    For #GivingTuesday I’m supporting Canine Partners for Life, the organization that raised, trained and partnered Bud my Service Dog with me. Since we have been together in June of 2013, my quality of life has improved so much.
    Bud is actually a finalist in the CPL 2018 calendar contest. Voting will be on #GivingTuesday by making a donation of $10 or more and saying it’s for him.
    If it’s ok to share the link this is it: http://k94life.org/2017-calendar-contest-full-service/
    To me paying it forward by educating people, advocating for those unable to, and help to fundraise for a non-profit that charges a very nominal part of the $30,000+ each Service Dog costs to raise, fully train, place and follow up has been my purpose since sustaining my multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries.
    There’s a quote by Helen Keller that I love, “Alone we can do so little, Together we can do so much.” That to me is what giving back and #ZenspiredGiving is about.

    ((Hugs))
    Toni (and Bud )

  2. What an inspiring message, Joanne. Thank you once again for your giving spirit.

    I nominate FaithPoint United Methodist Church located in Frederick County, MD and everywhere within the reach of the Internet.. Unlike most churches, we don’t have a building. We thrive in public places, in homes and around the ‘Net. Check out the schedule for interactive contemporary worship at online.faithpointum.org . The text-to-give number is 301-327-2747.and gifts are accepted online at https://faithpointum.breezechms.com/give/online .

    Wishing you all the best for this Thanksgiving holiday. Safe travels everyone.

  3. Thank you Joanne! I support Horizon International, Inc. (https://HorizonOrphans.com), a faith-based organization dedicated to “creating a world of hope THROUGH African orphans.” Horizon joins with African partners to provide food, school uniforms, tutoring, community, and other needs to orphans and their caretakers in order to help raise up a generation of leaders able to transform their impoverished communities.

  4. Joanne I’m grateful for your beautiful soul and giving spirit. I’ve always been real odd about asking for help and try to raise funds on my own to help others, but I’m inspired to try something new and start up a fund for Faith Children’s Home, Costa Rica. They are a tiny rural children’s home run by two missionaries. This year they lost use of the cabins the children reside in when tropical storms and an earthquake happened within months of each other. I’d love to help raise funds not only to rebuild the home, but to provide the children with care for sickness, educations and other basic needs of life. They are such a giving place and I think getting back would be a nice treat. I made my coloring books to raise funds and now going to push the envelope a bit further thanks to your #zeninspriedGiving idea!

  5. Happy belated Thanksgiving!
    It will come as no surprise to Zenspirations followers that my giving Tuesday organizations all support veterans and active duty military:
    – USO: This organizations provides support, services, a quiet space, and telephone capabilities, among other things, to service members in transit and those deployed overseas.
    – Wreaths across America: This organization strives to continue serving those that gave their lives in service by working to decorate every grave in veterans cemetaries have wreaths at Christmas
    – Military experience & the Arts: This organization strives to work with veterans through written and visual art to help them heal from the invisible wounds associated with Service.
    Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share this information with the group!

  6. My grandson Jacob is 3 1/2 and was born with a seizure disorder called tuberous sclerosis. He is a happy boy who attends a school program. Early intervention has helped him achieve many milestones but he has to be monitored carefully every day. My family contributes to the organization tsalliance.org for research and many programs that help the families.
    Thank you Joanne for highlighting Tuesday as a day of giving!

  7. Hi Joanne,
    I give to the Navajo Water Project which is a program of Dig Deep Right to Water Project. Navajo are 67 times more likely than other Americans to live without running water or a toilet, which I feel is unacceptable in America.
    https://www.navajowaterproject.org/

  8. Harris County, Texas Hurricane Harvey : https://patch.com/texas/spring/al-roker-lend-hand-series-help-85-houston-area-families – This church has been assisting and providing volunteers who do physical work in the cleaning and restoring process rebuilding lives, and providing “Food Pantry” Assistance. Currently working towards an “adopt a family” for christmas gifts for both the flood victims as well as foster children who may not receive christmas gifts.

  9. The charity I am most passionate about is Hope for Hispaniola…http://www.hopeforhispaniola.org/index.html. I have gone on 6 mission trips through the organization and was in charge of the Dental clinic. We do construction, which we helped build a church in the center of the town of Higuey, we do Medical, Eye and Dental clinics, VBS, Pharmacy needs, and most importantly Evangelism, sharing the love of Christ to the Dominican people is the main focus. We have built and help support a school for 50- 60 kids and provide meals to the elderly in the small Haitian village of La Higuera.
    Thanks for doing this nice gesture.
    Sending Love <3

  10. SAving Grace is an organization that offers traditional housing, education and support to girls ages 18-25 who; (1) have aged out of the foster care system with nowhere to go (2) are facing homelessness or (3) have a home life that is not conducive to a bright future. They can house 15 girls at a time and are doing amazing work. Check them out at www savinggracenwa.org

  11. New lipsticks for domestic violence victims, Find Your Fabulosity – http://FindYourFabulosity.org. All lipsticks go to women’s domestic violence shelters across the U.S., in all 50 states. The shelters distribute them free to residents (victims). Thank you, Joanne, for your generous heart.

  12. http://www.nccfoodbank.org
    Thank you for encouraging us all to Give More on Giving Tuesday!
    I am a volunteer for the North County Community Food Bank in Battle Ground WA
    Through them, I am working on my personal mission of NO Kid Hungry in our community!
    It is a small but mighty organization, doing wonders with what they have!
    Thank your for considering my fav!!
    bev

  13. I’m on the board of the gift industry’s volunteer fund-raising organization called Gift for Life, which raises money for DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS.

  14. In honor of my nephew’s niece: “At 9 years old, Gabriella Miller was diagnosed with DIPG – Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma – an inoperable brain tumor, which is terminal upon diagnosis.  Her tumor was the size of a walnut. Childhood Brain Cancer is THE Most Deadly Cancer in kids under 18,
    and is one of the Least Funded for Research. (nih.gov) She founded the Smashing Walnuts Foundation to change that. Less than a year after her diagnosis, Gabriella passed away surrounded by family and friends who promised to continue her work. Today our organization provides funding, lobbying and directed resources to develop better treatment protocols and a cure. We partner with government organizations, lawmakers, businesses, nonprofits, communities and children who share our goal.” https://smashingwalnuts.org

  15. Thank you very much, Joanne. I volunteer for Soaring Spirits International, an inclusive, non-denominational 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Simi Valley, California that provides peer-based programs to support the widowed community. We hold three Camp Widow events each year (Tampa, San Diego and Toronto); host Widowed Village, a 24/7 online community; publish Widows Voice, a daily blog written by 8 different widowed people; provide same gender Widowed Pen Pal matches; support regional social groups throughout the US and Canada that meet twice each month in their local communities; and provide You Are Not Alone cards and Newly Widowed Packets upon request. All of our programs are offered at no cost except for the Camp Widow events, thanks to the fund-raising of our Board of Directors. http://www.soaringspirits.org/

  16. I have personally served as a volunteer in Kenya, Africa with OWI, “Outreach To The World, Inc.”. I’m passionate about helping out any way I can. A smaller charitable organization, OWI was started by one courageous woman, Marjaana Seilonen, nearly 20 years ago and supports 100 orphans in the rural town of Kiminini, Kenya. The orphans live in families, often with a widowed grandmother or other relative, who without our help would not be able to support the child. We provide our orphans with school fees, uniforms, school supplies, health care, supplemental nutrition and support by our compassionate social workers through a sponsorship program at $50/month. To sponsor a child, contact us at [email protected]. http://outreachtotheworld.org

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