WOULD YOU DONATE A DOLLAR if it changed a life?

1. 72

   Dorsiposted 14 years ago

   I am getting ready to start a non-profit helping everyday Americans. I feel that we can help one another - through the power of just one dollar.
   
   So I am doing exploratory work into how people perceive this - if you were asked to donate one dollar through PayPal to help homeless people have shelter - would you do it?
   
   The whole idea being is not asking for even 5,10 or 20 dollars/ Times are already hard but through very small contributions we can change lives. One dollar can equal change....
   
   yes or no?
   
   (And thanks for any advice you can give me on this concept)

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      Mike's Cornerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think asking people to give a dollar might be effective -- it's good to have some kind of gimmick or angle when fundraising, to catch people's (and hopefully the media's) attention. I've tried fundraising  a few times and it's tough -- I think you need to tell a good story and you need to get your message in front of as many people as possible, which is where getting the media to run with some angle of your story can be really helpful. In the end, it's sales, and sales is always a numbers game -- the more people you pitch to, the more will bite.
      
      Speaking of fundraising, I have a fundraising campaign going right now -- anyone know if we are allowed to post fundraising links in this forum?

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2. 71

   Cagsilposted 14 years ago

   I've done it in the past.

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3. 0

   Motown2Chitownposted 14 years ago

   Knew someone once who had a plan such as this...I think the premise is a great one.  I would donate.
   
   

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4. 73

   Eaglekiwiposted 14 years ago

   Not sure, to be honest.
   
   I would rather support the idea of teaching people to grow vegetables or budgeting ideas etc.
   
   Kinda along the lines of 'Teach a man how to Fish' ( and he will never be hungry) theory

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5. 72

   Dorsiposted 14 years ago

   @Cagsil) How did it work out?
   @Eaglekiwi) The homeless people is an example - but it actually has more to do with helping families STAY in their homes that have been affected by the economy.
   @Motown) They never did anything with it?

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      Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't a clue. I certainly hope you do better than the average charity/non-profit and really do some good.
      
      Just in case you didn't know- all of my Celebrity hubs generate revenue for multiple purposes. Not to mention, my homeless hub that is for a specific community center I want to build.

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6. 65

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Respectfully (and this truly isn't meant to come across as "a riot act"), I'm not a big fan of the "teach-a-man-to-fish" thinking being used all the time.  Why?  Because, for example, when I had to leave my marriage, I ended up living in my car for no reason that had anything to do with my "not knowing how to fish".  I actually went to a women's shelter once for an interview, and the nun who ran the place said, "We save your money for you, and we teach you how to manage it."  I was close to 40, had more than managed finances at home and in an employment setting, etc. etc.  They reject me as a resident because she said there were "cultural differences" (essentially, that I wasn't a 19-year-old kid who didn't know how to manage money).  (Oh, I was also told I would be expected to do my share of the work at the shelter, with "all the other girls"; and I could learn how to clean (after leaving my nice, well kept, 8-room house).   
   
   One of the worst, worst, things for people who find themselves in awful situations through no fault of their own, is the assumption that they were too stupid to know how to manage their money, or that they must have otherwise done something to get themselves into that situation.
   
   My thing at that time (and it was years ago now) was that I needed $600 to be able to work and get a sticker for the car I was living in, and needed in order to work.  Honestly...  I was offered free turkeys, food stamps, welfare medical insurance, job training (and when I said I had plenty of experience and marketable skills and background in a few areas and didn't need job training, the woman said, "Well, maybe you'd like some anyway."      )
   
   What I've seen is that unless someone actually sees how they can end up in a bad situation no matter if they've done everything right, and if they have skills and good sense, etc. etc., it's pretty hard to believe that it can happen to anyone who hasn't "at least done something a little wrong, or isn't just a little bit lacking to be in that situation". 
   
   When I went through that (and I'm far from alone) the one thing I needed (which was a measly $600 in cash (and before that all I needed was a measly $68 to be able to file for divorce first, rather than last), was the thing nobody was about to "hand over". 
   
   Also, I once heard a guy on TV who ran a shelter for homeless veterans say, "Don't give them cash.  Give it to us.  We know how to use it best.  They'll only drink it, smoke it, or scam it."  Having known what it was like to be out in the Winter even for short times, without having somewhere warm to be; and having known how a person separated from children, or else feeling as if he can't deal with being in the cold and wind one more minute; can feel as if he's going to lose his mind; I say, in view of the fact that nobody's going to solve that person's overall problem immediately (and in view of the fact that he can't do it himself), give him the cigarettes or the vodka or whatever it is that will help him get through the next hour, rather than risking his having some kind of breakdown, or else maybe killing himself. 
   
   If he's already got an addiction, what difference does it make; and if he doesn't, better he develop an addiction than either go insane or kill himself.  (I have a feeling this is why a lot of homeless people end up truly mentally ill and/or addicted to something.)
   
   It was in January when I was told I had to leave my house and kids after a lawyer failed to represent me adequately, and after a bunch of lies got presented to "court people".  I can tell you, the last thing I would have done would be to grow my own vegetables.  I was infuriated when all the local church offered me was a free turkey (and the guy who offered me that, by the way, has just recently lost a bunch of his chaplain jobs over some accusations).  The only thing that kept me going and sane was that I was told it was all temporary (no date, though).  I can't imagine how people (usually fathers) who get kicked out and are told it's forever manage to stay sane.  No wonder so many of escape with alcohol (right or wrong).  I was able to survive on my maternal instinct, but men often don't have that.
   
   Anyway....   yes, I'd give my dollar(s) (although I would want to see clear reason to believe that the organization was reputable (etc.) - not so much because I'd mind wasting a dollar if it weren't, but out of "the principle" of not wanting to support something that might, at all, be "non-legitimate".

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   1. 71

      Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      *Standing Ovation Lisa*
      
      Awesome rant!
      
      You go girl!

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      1. 65

         Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Cagsil, thanks.    I've been ranting for about 18 years now, and I don't see stopping in the near future (unless it kills me, of course).     In all seriousness, I know I live with "an attitude problem" because of how things happened, and I know, too, that attitude problem comes out lots of times when - really - it's a little (a lot?) too much.        (and by the way, the guy who offered me the turkey didn't even consider that I may be a vegetarian!! (which I was)      

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         1. 71

            Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            You don't have an attitude problem. It's the rejection and deceitfulness of almost everyone you encountered. I wouldn't be happy with it. That's why I started "Cagsil".
            
            Check out my "Help Homeless Project" hub- you'll see my plan for the future.

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         2. 71

            Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Btw- You're welcome. You're an inspiration to everyone who hears your story.

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               Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks again.  Read it and commented - and now I need to get my heart rate and breathing back to normal.   

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                  Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  I know what you mean about the heart rate. Every time I read that page, which is my reminder, it troubles me. Thank you very much also.

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   2. 73

      Eaglekiwiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for sharing Lisa and sure I can appreciate the last thing on your mind would be learning any new skills. No doubt  in any case you would be best suited to be the teacher,not the student.
      
      I guess I understood the OP to be suggesting an initiative that is already in place i.e shelters etc. And while they seem to be a very necessary establishment in a large nation such as the U.S ,I couldnt help thinking that more education was needed as well.
      Not of the 'talk,talk,talk, variety ,but in the work to eat type of scenerio.
      
      For instance back in New Zealand now ,many of the low/medium (offending) Prisons have work programs or education programmes in place. It is compulsory. I used to live 10 miles from a huge Pig Farm ,soley raised and worked bt prisoners.
      They were also used to repair roads and in exchange the Prison got some new Water system.
      
      I dont have any problem donating ,but  the show a man to fish,and sadly it is usually 'the man' is more about people getting their dignity back ,instead of depending on handouts willy nilly.
      Of course people need a handup,of in some cases just a better family court system in the first place!..
      I did experience a little of the welfare system while living in SC, as hubby was layed off. He was quite sick for 2/3 months and the bills caught up.
      Scary ,luckily it was summer ,so we stayed in one of those fishing cabins for a few weeks,so small you couldnt swing a cat inside. Showered in cold water because something wasnt hooked up.
      But the part that shocked me was this.
      When my hubby applied for housing assistance ,he was told ,because you dont have any drug or alcohop issues past or present ,we cant really help you!!!! I mean ,come on whats up with that??
      
      Hubby really had a melt down ,when the particular Gov Dept asked him if he needed assistance to go back to school? ( He graduated)
      I can still hear hubby now responding with great gusto!!! (always wondered why they have security guards at those places) lol his sarcasm didnt go down well.
      
      To your best life Lisa

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7. 89

   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   yes, I would, and do. I donate monthly to charitable causes, not always monetarily, but I have no qualms with helping those in need. As Lisa said, it can happen to anyone. Sometimes it's not about teaching someone how to do something, but showing that you believe in them. 
   When we stop caring for those in need, we're in trouble..
   
   I'll stop there before I go on a rant.. plus I'm tired. signing off..

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   1. 65

      Lisa HWposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's also about seeing them as equal to you.  The minute a person loses a job, doesn't have a working car, isn't going out to work at 8:00 and dressed up each morning, and - worse - doesn't have the house or apartment; a lot of people start treating that person as if his IQ points, mental health, and/or character have all but disappeared.   I had people talking to me as if I was a kid or an idiot.  Some people were nice but condescending.  Then, if a little attitude leaked out, they'd think I had no right to have such an attitude ; or else they'd think I had unwarranted confidence in my ability to support myself and managed my life (and "unwarranted confidence" is a sign of a paranoid personality!).    I found it so, so, disappointing to realize how many people measure others by whether they seem "on the ball" and "up and coming", as measured by houses, cars, jobs, clothes, etc. etc.
      
      Once when I walked in my suburban town for groceries, some older lady offered me a ride.  I thought it was nice because I had a lot of groceries.  The minute I got in the car she started to tell me about rehab for people with drinking problems!!!!!     I'm almost a non-drinker, except for a couple of inches of Arbor Mist fruit wine in a glass, every - maybe five months or so; and a cocktail before dinner every - oh - nine, ten, years.   :rolleyes;  Someone else suggested I must have a "drug problem" (and - really - if anyone saw me......      )  I can't  put all the insulting, condescending, stuff that people did - and all because I had been ordered out of my house and eventually couldn't drive my car.
      
      One of the reasons I started doing some writing online was that I had nothing external that "impressed" people, and I was feeling as if all I had to show that I wasn't stupid or nuts were my words, and the color choices/music choices I used on things like blogs.  It wasn't that I thought people I ran into would see my writing, but I figured that at least I'd have some "concrete" indication that I wasn't a rebellious fourteen-year-old who had "run away from home", and that I was a capable adult who string sentences together.  Since then, it's not why I write; but that's why I started.

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