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More About GivingConnected
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by
people
with
a
heart
–
those
who
are
passionate
about
something
bigger
than
themselves…
people
who
selflessly
support
and
promote
their
Causes
because
it's
important
to
them.
We're
the
Community
of
dedicated
people,
charities,
businesses,
brands,
celebrities,
teachers,
churches,
and
many
others
that
work
together
to
make
a
difference...
making
each
corner of our world better in some way.
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HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Many Churches invite Missionaries and other Ministries to share their outreach. Two of
these many experiences stand out in my mind as a child. The first was a Missionary to Latin
America. The second was a group of men from Teen Challenge.
Like many American kids, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was until I listened to the
Missionary share his family’s ministry through slides (and no, not the PowerPoint kind). To
this day I still vividly remember the feelings I had: sadness, selfishness, guilt, helplessness. I
wanted to help, but what did I have and what difference could it possibly make – after all I
was just a little kid. So, I decided to do what I could. I rounded up some things I thought his
kids could use (trinkets and such) and grabbed my shoebox of rolled pennies I was saving for a new bicycle (which I
really really wanted but didn’t need). When the Missionary was at the parsonage, I handed them to him. I still remember the tears
in his eyes and his reluctance to take what little I had, even though my parents reassured him I wanted to help. This is my earliest
memory of the wonderful feeling that comes from giving (but I obviously had a long way to go - and still do). I just wish I could
have gotten others to join in and help too. Remember, ‘but such as I have I give to you’.
A few years later as a pre-teen, a group of men from Teen Challenge (a network of Christian faith-based centers intended to help
teenagers, adults, and families with problems such as substance abuse) visited our Church. They needed to eat and get ready
before service, so at the parsonage, being the Preacher’s Kid I helped with whatever I could – running around washing towels,
getting food, etc. They all just seemed like a bunch of great guys. After hearing some of their stories and backgrounds, and the
many challenges they faced, I couldn’t understand why they were so happy. I recall my mixed feelings of sadness and joy, because
in spite of their difficulties they were so full of joy for what God had done in their lives, and this joy was contagious. I
wanted to help, but again – how could I help? Plus, this time it wasn’t for kids like me – these were adults. So, I did what I saw
others doing and put what little money I had in the offering plate and asked God to bless it. But that nagging feeling of wanting
to do more and getting more people to help (however they could) began to grow inside me.
Fast forward a few decades, during which I let life get in the way of my quest. Now that I’m older, I’ve experienced the adult
version of Giving with Purpose and Passion (Volunteering, Donating, Fund Raising, and the like). Giving Back to those who have
so richly impacted my life and who I greatly appreciate (Teachers, 1st Responders, Active Duty Military, and Veterans) is
very rewarding, inspiring, and humbling. Yet I remained frustrated that the best we can typically do is give money. Everyone
(well, almost) asks for money – and why not? It can be used to purchase almost anything needed for a Cause, oh – and it’s
typically tax-deductible (in some countries). Voila! Problem solved. Well, not quite...
hy Us? We believe we have a fantastic Giving and Community Engagement Platform. We care most about helping
people like you do what you were put on this earth to do - make a difference in other people’s lives. One of our goals is to
help you multiply your efforts, not by changing your what, but by improving your how and provide others more reasons for why.
It is a privilege to partner with you and come alongside you (individually, as Ministry and Cause leaders, volunteer coordinators,
teachers, school administrators, PTA/PTO leaders, Non-Profit Directors, Pastors, executives, business owners, brand managers,
1st Responders, and others) and help you be more effective in reaching your world. Our deepest desire is to help you ignite a
passion in others for a desire to Give (whatever they can) and join you in advancing your Cause.
We write software, but we think Giving & Community. Our software is an amazing blend of
useful, practical apps that can truly help you reach your Community (wherever and
whatever that is) with your message, and engage them to work together to make the advances
you seek for the Cause(s) you’re passionate about.
If you would like to discuss whether or not we’re a good fit and would be able to help your
Ministry, Cause, Business, Brand, School or other Organization engage people in your
Giving Back and Social Responsibility Programs, Cause awareness, fund raising, and other Giving efforts, we would
appreciate that opportunity. We might even learn a thing or two from you :)
That said, please explore this website, look around the internet to see if we’re just blowing smoke, and when you’re ready to
start talking with us, click here to get started. We look forward to hearing from you!
– The GivingConnected Team
Why Does GivingConnected Exist?
Our
mission
is
to
help
build
a
closer,
more
rewarding
Connection
&
Relationship
between
dedicated,
generous
people
from
all
over
the
world,
and
the
Causes
they
passionately
support.
We
do
this
by
providing
internet-based
software
(think
of
it
as
a
platform
or
network)
to
Connect
People
(individually,
or
through
a
Business/Brand
relationship)
with
all
types
of
Causes
throughout
the
world
for
the
purpose
of
deepening
&
broadening
Social
Responsibility
(individually
and
collectively),
and
Giving
Back
.
We
make
it
easy
and
enjoyable
to
Make
a
Difference.
(For
more
information on why GivingConnected exists, see the personal letter from our Founder below).
W
PASSION + COMPASSION + PURPOSE + ACTION
= GIVINGCONNECTED
ABOUT US
I’m Passionate about Giving. Count Me In!
Hop on our mailing list and join others who faithfully make a difference,
feel great about Giving, and Support what’s important to them too.
The World’s Most Flexible and Engaging Platform for Giving
continued…
Connect with us
hello ~at~ givingconnected.org
Please note: Content for some of the above links coming soon
- page 2 -
As I got older, I wondered…
•
How can we thank and Give Back to those who have blessed us throughout our lives (Teachers, 1st Responders, Veterans,
support groups/causes, and others)? How/where can we show our appreciation through action, not just words?
•
How can we create Giving Opportunities for everyone in one place? How do we engage people that want to give
something other than money or their time? What if people had ‘stuff’ they’d gladly Give, but didn’t know who could use it?
•
Where can you easily find like-minded people sharing the same passions for helping similar Causes and actually get plugged-
in to do more than read updates or donate money?
•
Where can somebody go to learn more about the Causes they’re interested in and be introduced to new ones too?
•
How does a business, brand, band, or celebrity engage their many Followers and influence them to do more (i.e. to
actually make a difference) than just gobble up the latest marketing information or buy the latest thing (nothing wrong with
that, but is there a better win-win)? Concrete Action is what we’re aiming for (do-gooder is really not a bad word ya know).
•
How do we demonstrate that selflessness is truly much more rewarding than selfishness?
•
Where can businesses provide Giving opportunities for their employees along with unique options that are engaging on an
individual basis?
•
How do we inspire people so more of them will tap into their innate desire to help?
•
How do we overcome the common distrust (sometimes justified, sometimes not) of Causes requesting help (after all let’s be
frank: some people are legitimately concerned with what will actually be done with their hard-earned money)?
The answer to this puzzle was eventually realized during my darkest days (following some of the biggest mistakes I had ever
made during a suicidal period of my life). After years of notes, plans, ideas, and layouts/sketches on napkins & paper, followed by
years of actual programming, you’re finally looking at the answer to the mystery that has dogged me since childhood.
Welcome to GivingConnected. Together let’s make each corner of the world a better place. Please join me in experiencing the
true joy, blessing, and happiness that come from heartfelt Giving - through whatever you can do to advance the Causes that
ignite passion in your heart. This is the place to tap into those passions!
So ... What’s in your shoebox?
With deep gratitude and joy,
your servant,
s. gregory
PS. If you truly want to make a difference and be a part of something more meaningful than just ‘likes and updates’,
you’ve found a home here. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together as we Experience the Collective Power of
Giving!
Over 6 years have been spent building GivingConnected internally
to support some of our favourite Causes.
We've noticed that lots of people struggle to engage and support
Causes because the right solutions just aren't available or are too
expensive (or how shall we say this politely… they’re sort of lacking).
So we thought, why not make our great apps available to you :)
Our goal, plain and simple, is to help you grow support for the
Causes you’re passionate about in new, engaging ways.