CafeGive Blog

Advocate Spotlight: Lynn Baker

2010-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

If CafeGive was a child, we would be a healthy six-month-old, starting to roll over and master finger foods. Oh, the simple things in life! But we are a healthy six-month-old organization, thus we are starting to master success stories that we’d love to share with you. One of them is the story of Lynn Baker, a CafeGive “Top Raiser” and an advocate for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. Lynn Baker is the Clinic Manager at Virginia Garcia Memorial Hospital at Cornelius. In addition, she is the Project Manager of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and is a friend of CafeGive Co-Founder, Ketan Sampat. The two met while working at Intel and both believed Virginia Garcia would be a great match for CafeGive. When asked how CafeGive has changed her shopping habits, Baker explained, “Yes, anything I buy, I first check out CafeGive.” The primary focus of her shopping is on books and music. To make her online purchases worth her while, she cashes in coupons and free shipping opportunities to save additional money. So far her favorite purchases have been: the Pink Martinis’ new CD, “Splendor in the Grass” (which she also bought for her sisters), Rupa and the April Fishes’ “CafeMundo” and a pair of KEEN shoes. One of the reasons Baker is our Top Earner is because of her Virginia Garcia Challenge, which she posted on her personal Facebook page as well as publicly on the Virginia Garcia Facebook page. Lynn challenged her friends to shop on CafeGive. For the first 10 people to shop on CafeGive and write about it on their own Facebook pages, Baker donated $10 to Virginia Garcia! She spends her time giving demonstrations to friends on how to use CafeGive, showing them how they can cash in on all the “after the holidays” sales! “Learn now, save later,” as Baker put it. For those who haven’t purchased on CafeGive yet, Lynn asks, “Why not? What are you waiting for?” If you’re buying online already there is no reason not to buy through CafeGive. And if you’re buying online for the first time, why not try CafeGive? It doesn’t cost anything extra. Just getting over that mental hurdle is the hardest part, which isn’t that big of a hurdle if you think about it. In summary, Baker says, “Some of the best work I’ve done, the rewarding kind, has been in the non-profit world. Finding new ways to give back is just wonderful. Something I appreciate is the opportunity to do it and CafeGive is just another way to do this.” So take Lynn Baker’s advice, get over that hurdle and start helping out a cause close to your heart, just by shopping on CafeGive!

Virginia Garcia was just named one of the top 15 Portland-area non-profits by the Portland Business Journal. Check out the article at: http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/12/virginia_garcia_health_center.html.

Shop online and support Virginia Garcia by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing great products like those under our Health and Beauty tab. Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter. Involved with Virginia Garcia or another great health cause? We want to know, so be sure to leave a comment here on our blog.

Plant the Seeds of Greatness

2010-02-03T08:21:00.001-08:00

Get out your gardening gloves! It’s time to Plant the Seeds of Greatness in the month of February. This month is not just about planting botanical seeds, but also the seeds of change. If you are unhappy with how your life is going at the moment, this month has been set aside to sit-back and reflect on what you can do to improve your situation. One thing you can do is shop through CafeGive and choose “Friends of the Trees” as your cause. So get out there, plant the seeds of greatness, and help change the world for the better.

Share Your Love... Time is Running Out!

2010-02-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates… You never know what you’re going to get.” Nearly everyone loves chocolate and everyone wants to know you're thinking about them on Valentine's Day. If your loved one is in the small group of people who do not like chocolate, why not give a beautiful bouquet of begonias? Shop for your loved ones through CafeGive at sites such as Organic Bouquet, 1-800-FLOWERS.com and Ghirardelli Chocolate. You still have a few weeks to check out CafeGive's Valentine's Gift Guide and anything you buy benefits great causes such as the Children’s Heart Foundation, so what have you got to lose?

CafeGive Widget

2010-01-29T15:56:00.001-08:00

Featured Cause: FeelGood

2010-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

We at CafeGive are proud to have our newest cause, FeelGood, as part of our community. This non-profit is committed to ending world hunger through two interwoven initiatives. The FeelGood Academy is a training program for college students which teaches them to be more aware of global issues and become better citizens. FeelGood Delis give these students a chance to make a difference by raising money to end world hunger through the sale of grilled cheese sandwiches. Help FeelGood fight the good fight by shopping through www.cafegive.com. Together we can help end world hunger in our lifetime!

MercyCorps' Relief Efforts in Haiti

2010-01-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

CafeGive supports Mercy Corps’ efforts in

Haiti

. On January 12, a 7.0 earthquake hit near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, and destroyed much of the city. It is estimated that over 100,000 people were killed in the tragedy. There are many ways to get involved including monetary donations to their website, www.mercycorps.org, donations of items such as new clothing or footwear, or as always, online shopping through CafeGive. Together, we can help improve for quality of life for the survivors of this catastrophe.

Share Your Love ... Shop & Earn for Your Cause!

2010-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Don't know what to get that special someone for the most romantic day of the year? CafeGive merchants have many ways to say "I love you" and show you care. Whether he or she is an avid reader or an outdoor enthusiast, sites such as Borders.com and Altrec.com can make the search for the perfect gift a little easier. A share of each purchase goes to your favorite cause, so it's a win-win situation. Be sure to visit CafeGive's Valentine's Gift Guide to share your love for your cause as well as your valentine!

Breast Friends Now Raising on CafeGive

2009-12-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

“Every woman in America will be touched by breast cancer in her lifetime. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The other seven will know her. Our goal is to reach the seven in order to help the one.” Becky Olson and Sharon Henifin, Founders of Breast Friends.

Founded in 2000 by two Portland breast cancer survivors, Breast Friends is dedicated to improving the quality of life for breast cancer patients. Often breast cancer patients are in emotional pain but are unable to ask for help. Breast Friends teaches the friends and family of cancer patients specific ways to offer support, helps them understand what the patient is going through, and suggests useful resources for the patient and her family. CafeGive is all about supporting people, our causes, our friends and family, our advocates, and our merchants. It makes sense to team up with a cause that supports those in need with this sensitive issue.

Ever been involved in an uncomfortable issue, where you want to help but don’t know how to? I know I have. I get worried about not doing it “right” or that I might say the wrong thing, etc. Time goes by and I end up not doing anything at all. Breast Friends reminds us that it is never too late to make contact and provide useful and appreciate support to those we love who are dealing with breast cancer.

Breast Friends has developed several different programs to help assist patients and their friends and family members. By providing emotional, spiritual or physical support they need, Breast Friends helps support everyone involved with the disease to create an awesome support team for the patient. Help support our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandparents, cousins, and friends by supporting Breast Friends on CafeGive!

Shop online and support the Breast Friends by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing great products like those under our Health and Beauty tab.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and

Twitter.

Involved with Breast Friends or another great cancer support group? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

It's Not Too Late to Shop On CafeGive

2009-12-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

do you still need a gift or two? last minute shopping via CafeGive delivers on time!

Some of us are more organized than others. Some just need a last minute addition. Whatever your situation, here are a few suggestions from CafeGive for gifts which will still deliver on time for the holidays!

email a gift certificate that earns for your cause

click on the link below which takes you to CafeGive. Then click "buy" and look for gift certificates or gift cards on each site. Here are some suggestions of CafeGive merchants that offer email gift certificates:

two day and next day shipping is still an option

Many stores on CafeGive can still get your gifts delivered on time. Here are just a few suggestions:

Holiday giving to your loved ones helps earn for the cause you care about without costing you anything extra!

Shop CafeGive!

Friends of Trees Growing on CafeGive

2009-12-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

In high school I planted a tree for an environmental class and removed invasive blackberry bushes from local wetlands. Anything for a little extra credit that didn’t involve doing actual school work! I think Friends of Trees has the same mindset, only they made a career out of it. Since 1989, Friends of Trees has planted more than 375,000 trees and native plants.

Friends of Trees’ mission is to bring people in the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington metro area together to plant and care for city trees and green spaces. Their two flagship programs, Neighborhood Trees, which offers local citizens discounted trees to plant in their yard and planting strip in the fall and winter. These native plants are tailored to your planting strip width and the growth space available. It costs $75 (max) for the trees, delivery, hole-digging, assistance in planting, mulch and stakes, and a follow-up maintenance check. Friends of Trees has seen neighborhoods come together during these plantings. It is this type of community building that attracted CafeGive to work with Friends of Trees!

Through Friends of Trees’ other program, the Green Space Initiative, volunteers restore natural areas in parks and green spaces along public right-of-ways by planting native trees and shrubs and removing invasive species. This year Friends of Trees led a restoration project along Hwy I-205, which beautified our freeways, increased habitat connectivity, reduced storm water run off, and enhanced bicycle paths. Just another way Friends of Trees is making our community just a little bit better!

We aren’t all gardeners, but we can all shop online to support the Friends of Trees. Check out their profile page on CafeGive, advocate for them and purchase great products like those under “Green” in our navigation.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Friends of Trees or another great environmental cause? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Building Up Hearts with Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley

2009-12-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think CafeGive’s Mary Enderle is my long-lost sister! She loves animals (she brought Humane Society Silicon Valley on board with CafeGive), she loves making a difference in people’s lives (why else would someone work for such a great company, like CafeGive), and now she has gotten Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley involved with CafeGive. I raised a Guide Dog for the Blind puppy, also work for CafeGive, and have participated in the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge. I think our only difference is she lives in sunny California and I live in rainy Oregon. Anyway, back to Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley...

Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley (H4HSV), formed in 1986, is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity is a faith-based organization welcoming people of all beliefs to join in its mission to eliminate poverty housing throughout the world. H4HSV’s mission is to transform families and strengthen communities by building decent, affordable housing for long-term home ownership. Their vision is to be the pre-eminent affordable home builder for hard-working, responsible families with low incomes in Santa Clara County. That are wanting the stability and security of long-term home ownership. Their dream of “one habitat” is why CafeGive is so proud to be working with such a phenomenal cause.

In the past 23 years, H4HSV has built 50 homes in San Jose, Alviso, Campbell, Santa Clara, and Los Gatos. They are currently working on six homes in the City of Morgan Hill.

Core Beliefs:

· Home ownership transforms families and strengthens communities.

· Families willing to invest in their future deserve the opportunity to build and own homes for long-term stability and security.

· Volunteerism provides the opportunity for people to improve their communities by generously sharing their resources.

· Our mission unites people of all beliefs by putting social justice into action.

It’s easy to see how Habitat for Humanity is able to make such a change in families’ lives.

Shop online and help support Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products to help get your own home “Ready for Winter” under the “Ready for the Holidays” shopping tab.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog or Twitter.

Involved with Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley or another Habitat chapter? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Making Dreams Come True Through CafeGive and The “I Have A Dream” Foundation

2009-12-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

I think we can all agree that going to college is a good thing. But did you know that in the United States today, less than 15% of children from low-income families will get a bachelor’s degree, compared to 26% nationwide, and more than 50% in high-income communities? As a recent college graduate, I definitely fall into the 50% statistic here and while in college I also met those who were from the 15% mentioned above. This is where The “I Have A Dream” Foundation makes a difference.

With the vision that one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to pursue higher education and to fully capitalize on their talents, aspirations, and leadership, children will be empowered to have fulfilling careers and create a better world. “I Have Aa Dream” Foundation empowers children in low-income communities to achieve higher education. They do this by providing them with guaranteed tuition support while equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and succeed in college and beyond . While only 50% of students from low-income communities finish college, only one out of seven will graduate from college, but “I Have A Dream” Foundation sites have doubled (or tripled) the local high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

“I Have A Dream” Foundation is in the process of developing an ambitious new plan --, to significantly increase their impact on students and communities across the nation. With a goal of doubling the number of Dreamers at any given time, CafeGive is excited to help out our nation’s future teachers, social workers, secretaries, scholar-athletes, lawyers, etc.and more.

Help support “I Have A Dream” Foundation by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products like Bags, Backpacks and Luggage and Computers and Consumer Electronics.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with “I Have A Dream” Foundation or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

I Have A Dream Foundation – Oregon, Now Live on CafeGive

2009-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

We all have dreams, but for some realizing their dreams seems impossible. I Have A Dream Foundation seeks to empower children in low-income communities to achieve higher education by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and success in college and beyond.

As you know, CafeGive has been working with I Have A Dream Foundation’s national chapter for a couple of months. We have been excited with the progress they have been achieving through our website and now we are excited to announce that I Have A Dream Foundation’s Oregon chapter has also joined the ranks of CafeGive causes!

In our own Oregon backyard, 60-70% of students from low-income communities drop out before finishing high school. I Have A Dream Oregon’s approach has been 10 years of mentoring and college scholarships resulting in a 20% reduction of drop outs! I Have A Dream Oregon has doubled the high school graduation rates and sent 50% of their graduates on to further education! Talk about a successful organization!

In 2010, I Have A Dream Oregon is aiming to start a new project each year in the Portland Metro area as well as an additional class each year in other locations in Oregon. Thus being a regular and consistent organization making significant improvements in the lives of at-risk youth in Oregon. This goal can only be achieved if I Have A Dream Oregon can proactively find and engage sponsors as well as raise enough money to start new projects each year.

Help support I Have A Dream Oregon by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products like Bags, Backpacks and Luggage and Computers and Electronics.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with I Have A Dream Oregon or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Give Gifts That Give Twice

2009-12-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Your Personal Invitation to Shop for A Cause

lots of online stores -- find gifts, cards and more!

We've added lots of stores and made it really easy

to shop while you earn for a cause.

Over 200 great stores to choose from ...we have it all,

no need to go to the mall.

choose a cause you want to support!
You'll find local and national causes -- benefitting children,

animals, or the environment.

now that I've told you, pass it on!

Visit cafegive.com and see how easy it is to select a cause,

shop, and create a widget to encourage others to shop.

Check Mate! Chess for Success Now Live On CafeGive!

2009-11-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

Meet Suzie (name changed), she goes to a local elementary school in Portland, OR where 80% of the children receive free breakfast and lunch. She lives with her mom, after her father left them in the middle of the night, taking all their money and their car when she was younger. Thanks to Chess for Success, Suzie went from being a shy fourth grader to a confident fifth grader and a State Champion Chess Player. Chess for Success is an outgrowth of the Portland Chess Project, an after-school chess program founded in 1992.

Chess For Success helps children, like Suzie, develop skills necessary for success in school and life by learning chess. The organization has a presence in 52 schools in Oregon and is teaching over 2,100 children the game of chess. By providing children with a fun, competitive and appealing after-school program, it is easy to see why they keep coming back for more. This program promotes healthy development, enriches their lives, and entices them to attend school so they can keep playing. Chess is proven to enhance cognitive, emotion, and social development of children, hile giving children a sense of self-confidence, patience, self-control and responsibility. Without realizing it, children also develop comprehension, problem solving and anger management skills.

Help support Chess for Success’ mission by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products like books on chess and other games under the Books, Music, Entertainment tab.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog or Twitter.

Play Chess? Lest us know by leaving a comment below!

Advocate Community News: November 2009

2009-11-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

shop 170+ stores to get ready for the holidays!

Shop CafeGive to find all the items you need to be ready for the holidays and winter weather. You'll purchase directly from the online stores so there's no extra cost to you AND you'll be earning for your cause.

party planning -- invitations, flowers, cooking items, home decor, etc.
holiday spirit -- books, music and more
ready for winter -- winterize your home, prep your garden, gear up for snow fun
travel & entertainment for the holidays -- airlines, car rentals, hotels, and vacation packages
gifts -- top brands and boutique brands to meet all your gift giving needs

Shop now to earn for your cause!

extra earnings at CafeGive

It's not too late to take advantage of this special promotion. All purchases through November 30th qualify for an EXTRA $1 for your cause.

You shop ...your cause earns ... everyone wins!

causes receive earnings

CafeGive proudly distributed checks to causes for earnings from the first quarter of beta. Congratulations to everyone that helped contribute to earnings by shopping! Do your part for this quarter's earnings by browsing the great stores found on CafeGive and by doing your online shopping through CafeGive!

Tiny Prints is Now Available

2009-11-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Earn 8% For Your Cause

Tiny Prints lets your style shine with fresh designs, exceptional service

and premium quality stationery products.
To find thousands of premium Tiny Prints holiday photo cards,

seasonal party invitations, greeting cards, announcements and more,
visit cafegive.com now and start earning for your cause today!

Opening Eyes at CafeGive with the Sankara Eye Foundation

2009-11-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

When I was in elementary school, I had a lazy eye. Yes, I was the kid with the weird flesh colored eye patch (way before Captain Jack Sparrow made them cool). Lucky for me, my parents recognized this early and I got the care I needed quickly. Now I’m proud to say I have 20/20 vision. Some people aren’t so lucky, that is where Sankara Eye Foundation comes in.

Sankara Eye Foundation has a mission to realize the goal of 20/20 vision for the people of India by the year 2020. Sankara Eye Foundation initiates and drives community eye care activities in India by working with eye care organizations like the Sankara Eye Care Institution, which runs the Sankara Eye Hospital in Coimbatore, India.

While a majority of Sankara Eye Foundation’s fundraising comes from events, booths, advertising and working with donors, they are trying something new by teaming up with CafeGive. We are glad to have them as part of our community. Sankara Eye Foundation strives to provide 70,000 free surgeries annually, CafeGive hopes to help Sankara Eye Foundation reach their goal and perhaps even exceed it.

Help support Sankara Eye Foundation by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products like eye and sunglasses from Nine West and Forzieri.com.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Sankara Eye Foundation or CafeGive? Or another international cause? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

CafeGive Non-Profit's Receive Checks!

2009-11-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

When we went live just a short time ago, we were inspired by the idea of helping our causes raise funds. That inspiration became reality when we recently delivered checks for the first quarter of earnings. Check out the photos showing the results of our workand your shopping:

SOLV

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery

AfricaBridge

You’ve been advocating, widget building, shopping, and helping spread the news about CafeGive and your causes! We’d like to say THANK YOU! Give yourself a pat on the back! Boy does it feel good to make a difference in this world. Some of the money raised will go to help keep Oregon green, help children and parents build successful families, and help children in Africa overcome the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Could we get a larger cross section of how CafeGive and our advocates are changing the world just by shopping? I don’t think so!

While CafeGive is still in beta, we’d like to share our success stories with you. Because let’s be honest, you’re our first place runners and our cheerleaders. We are inspired and hope you are as well. Keep up the good work! And for those of you who have checked out cafegive.com but haven’t made a profile, created a widget or shopped, now’s a perfect time to join in the celebration. What better way to start off the holiday season then by supporting a great cause?

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, blog, Facebook Fan page, or Twitter?

Cheer us (and our advocates) on by leaving an encouraging message in the comment section below!

OFI's Blog Post About CafeGive

2009-11-13T09:43:00.001-08:00

Check out Orangutan Foundation International's blog post about CafeGive:

"ONLINE SHOPPING THURSDAY THURSDAY November 5, 2009

Hey Everyone! Alright we posted a couple things yesterday on our FACEBOOK page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Orangutan-Foundation-International/68791616148?ref=ts

about something called CAFE GIVE

What is CAFE GIVE?

Cafe Give is an organization that connects individuals to non-profits through online shopping! sounds crazy right?

Well the holidays are coming up and OFI has teamed up with CAFE GIVE.

This means…
YOU CAN GO ONTO WWW.CAFEGIVE.COM
And search through products. It is almsot like a huge online department store.
WHY?

Because ANYTHING you need can be bought there!!
Apparel, lugguage, books, music, electronics, flowers, food, GIFTS, baby stuff, green shopping, office, home, travel, pet supplies, jewelry/accessories, shoes, healthy/beauty!!

TRY IT OUT!

Go to CAFE GIVE and Click on SHOP! Then do some browsing!!

BUT FIRST!

Make sure that in the upper right corner of your screen you are “EARNING FOR ORANGUTAN FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL”

Here is the main OFI CAFE GIVE page if you want to see us on the CAFE site!
http://cafegive.com/causes/orangutan-foundation-international

Here you can also see view of the current OFI advocates.

GUESS WHAT??
Here’s What!!

I’m already one of them! Look for Sarah!

Here I am!
http://cafegive.com/users/emmababy17

OK, now check out my WIDGETS!

What the H-E- DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS is a WIDGET!!

It’s a little box that you can post ANYWHERE! Like a mobile website. For Example my Steve Madden Widget is on my FACEBOOK page! This means my friends could click on the Steve Madden Widget, buy some GORGEOUS pumps (oooo shoes!) and 4.8% of the purchase will go to OFI!
Each store/brand featured on Cafe Give (like Steve Madden) has a different percentage that will be earned so look at the amounts getting earned through purchases.

As you can see I have 5 widgets already!
iTunes!
Borders!
Flowers!

So this is super fun and something that will be GREAT during the holiday season!

JUST SHOP CAFE GIVE and EARN for OFI

OR!
Get started on your own
Post your own widgets to your own websites.
Make sure the widgets are earning for the cause you care about!
Let your friends and family know to do their online shopping through your widget or through CAFE GIVE and help the cause!

FUN STUFF!!"

To see the original post, check out: OFI Today.

Involved in OFI? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Ready for the Holidays CafeGive Style

2009-11-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again! Trick-or-treaters have come and gone. Leaves have changed and sidewalks are covered with piles of crisp leaves (unless you’re local then they’re soggy from Portland rain). College students and out of town family are planning trips home for the holidays.

Let CafeGive help you get ready. We’ve created a special category to make it easy to find everything you need to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Here is a Ready for the Holidays Check List, CafeGive style:

· Party Planning:

o Tiny Prints – for invitations and holiday cards

o Cooking Enthusiast – for first time preparers to the pros

o Burkedecor – for home decorations

o Flora2000.com – fresh flowers add a festive touch to any occasion at home or the office

· Holiday Spirit:

o Borders – books and gifts make the best presents

o Apple iTunes – get in the spirit with some new music downloads

o Chronicle Books – great conversation starters: coffee table books!

· Ready for Winter:

o Home Depot – to winterize your home

o Snowshack – your ski, snowboard, snowsports equipment stop

o Green Garden Tools – prep your garden now for spring

o Clean Air 4 Life – with all the dry air, you might want a new humidifier

· Travel and Entertainment:

o Westin Hotel – for those traveling during the holidays

o Bedandbreakfast.com – in need of a little holiday getaway?

o Ticket Network – a great stocking stuffer

o Southwest Vacations – plan a winter ski holiday or a visit to family

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Purchasing something on CafeGive or have another Ready for the Holidays suggestion? Let us know below!

CafeGive on Charming Life Design Jewery's Blog

2009-11-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Below is a blog post about CafeGive that was posted on Charming Life Design Jewerly's Blog:

CafeGive and Charming Life Partner to Raise Funds

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Sandra Morris, a Founder and CEO of CafeGive. Based in Portland, Oregon, Sandra and her talented team have launched an impressive website that helps individuals and communities raise money for non-profit agencies (they call them “Causes”). The idea is simple: You sign up as a member shopper of CafeGive , select the Cause of your choice, and then shop at any of the hundreds of on-line stores they partner with. The Cause and the Advocates then earn funds through CafeGive.

I’m happy to announce Charming Life has just joined the ranks of the CafeGive merchant partners, which include the likes of Banana Republic, The Westin Hotels, The Walking Store, Macy’s, PetSmart , etc, etc. The most exciting part about becoming a member of the CafeGive community is that EVERYONE gets to earn money for their favorite Causes. As a merchant partner, Charming Life Designs is committed to giving a percentage of every Charming Life Designs sale initiated from CafeGive to member non-profits. As a consumer, you get to buy the products you need (or want) AND a portion of those sales goes back to your favorite Cause.

CafeGive’s concept is simple, yet brilliant. Not only can you shop via the CafeGive website, you can actually become an advocate for your Cause and send little links (they call them “Widgets”) to all of your friends via email or twitter, or post them on your facebook page. When your friends make a purchase via your Widget, they are also contributing to your Cause.

In these tough economic times, it is refreshing to run across a business that bolsters the fundraising efforts of non-profits simply by connecting people, their products, and their causes. For more information about becoming a member shopper or a member Cause visit CafeGive’s website.

Thanks for writing about us Charming Life! Have you written a blog post about CafeGive? Let us know so we can add you to our new blog roll!

Do Your Holiday Shopping and Support MountainStar

2009-11-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is an awesome article about CafeGive:

It's a fun way to help out your favorite charity. by Julia Gray

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is helping you with your holiday shopping. Tim Rusk, with MountainStar says they have a new on-line feature that can link you to wonderful shopping opportunities. It's called "Cafe Give". Rusk says: What we've got is a website you can go to, and that is www.cafegive.com and it's a website that matches charities with some great vendors and creates a commission that gets donated to the charity. So there's no additional charge to doing this, but a commission gets generated. Rusk said they are the only program in Deschutes County that provides therapeutic programs, parenting services and family support targeted at protecting babies and toddlers at significant risk for child abuse and neglect. Logging on to "cafe give" is one way that you can do your holiday shopping while helping out MountainStar. You can find a link to Mountain star on the Links page here.

School is in Session at Saturday Academy on CafeGive

2009-10-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

I didn’t even hear the word “job shadow” until my sophomore year of college. At Saturday Academy, pre-college students in Oregon and southwest Washington get the opportunity to interact with community experts and experience professional environments in ways that assist them in developing intellectually and preparing them for rewarding careers. Like take your child to work day, but better. You (the student) get to pick who you want to work with based on what you’re passionate about!

Founded in 1983, Saturday Academy provides instruction to more than 145,000 students with innovative programs open to second to twelfth graders. These engaging sessions provide motivated students hands-on, in-depth learning and problem solving skills by connecting them with community experts as instructors and mentors.

Their emphasis on math, science, engineering, technology and healthcare makes Saturday Academy a great fit for CafeGive. We look forward to helping them fundraise so they can continue to be an integral part of the future these children will live and work in.

Have you or someone you know taken a class at Saturday Academy? We’d love to hear your story about your experience. Use the comment box to share your story.

Find an item you want to purchase on CafeGive to support Saturday Academy and send it to friends and family.

Help support Saturday Academy by checking out their profile page on CafeGive, advocating for them and purchasing products like Computers and Electronics and Bags, Backpacks and Luggage.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Advocate Community News October 2009

2009-10-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

shopping just got easier on CafeGive

We are excited to announce the launch of CafeGive SHOP.. just in time for all your holiday shopping! Now, in addition to shopping from widgets, you can shop right from CafeGive.

You can click through to your favorite stores by clicking on the word "buy" below each store banner, on any "buy now" link or through the original way - by clicking the shopping cart of a widget.
The logo at the top of the site identifies the cause that will earn from your shopping. CafeGive automatically recognizes your cause if you arrived at our site through a widget or through a link associated with your cause (in an email, from their website, etc.), or if you identified a primary cause in your advocate profile. You can easily change your cause at anytime by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

Check out the updated site to see our new home page and to experience just how easy it is to shop.

extra earnings at CafeGive

There is a lot to celebrate at CafeGive - our site changes, your participation, the holidays and the great organizations you support. So, we came up with a way to recognize our community. We're offering "Extra Earnings " on each transaction over $10. Between now and November 30th every purchase over $10 made through CafeGive earns an

EXTRA $1 for your cause.

Celebrate with us by shopping to earn extra for your cause. Today's an "extra" good time to shop your favorite stores through CafeGive for:

Buying everything your home needs for the upcoming holidays (linens, decorations, holiday cards, etc.)

Getting started on your holiday gift shopping!

Do you want to support your cause, but you're not sure how to get started? Here are a few tips to get you going...

Challenge yourself to make all your online purchases through CafeGive.
Challenge your family and friends to make their online purchases through CafeGive.
Build a widget with your favorite store to send via email, or to post on Facebook.
If you tweet, tweet about CafeGive, if you blog, blog about CafeGive. Help us spread the word about shopping for a cause.

If you haven't purchased through CafeGive yet, now is the perfect time to start shopping.

You shop ...your cause earns ... everyone wins!

Extra Earnings Happening On CafeGive!

2009-10-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

Do your friends and family need an extra push to give shopping on CafeGive a try? Well we have a solution: Extra Earnings!

Here is how it works. For ever purchase, over $10, made through a link from CafeGive or through a CafeGive widget earns an extra $1 on top of the earned commission between October 16th and November 16th. Say you buy two Halloween (just around the corner) costumes with our Costume Express Widget and the total is $100. You get free shipping (for all purchases over $75), 6% of your purchase, so $6 goes to support your cause. SOLV for example. CafeGive will add an additional $1 to your purchase. That means you just raised $7 for SOLV. Plus you just saved yourself the hassle of dealing with those Halloween warehouse super stores.

Want to help spread the news? Email, Facebook, Blog and Twitter the news! Here is an example of what you can say:

Dollar Days at CafeGive
Shopping through CafeGive just got better! From now until November 14th, [insert your favorite CafeGive cause here] earns $1 extra for every transaction made through CafeGive. CafeGive stores are a great place to:

• Shop for Halloween costumes, decoration and more!
• Buy everything your home needs for the upcoming holidays!
• Get an early start on your holiday gift shopping!

Shop directly through CafeGive or build widgets to share with friends and family. Every purchase over $10 made through CafeGive earns us an EXTRA $1. If every [cause name] supporter made two or more purchase through CafeGive and encouraged just two more people to shop through CafeGive, we’d really start to see a difference.
If you haven’t purchased through CafeGive yet, now is the perfect time to start shopping. You shop…we earn…everyone wins!
For more information on Extra Earnings Days check out CafeGive’s website.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Emailed, blogged, Facebooked, Twittered this message? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Improvements on CafeGive

2009-10-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the improved CafeGive! We are thrilled to welcome new faces to CafeGive, and we have added quite a few over the months. Welcome to our causes – organizations that have an interest in earning to change the world through programs for families, children, adults, the environment, animals and pets, and their owners. Welcome to our advocates, who have helped us during our beta period to date to understand how to make our mission work. We have this group to thank for the improvements we are making. And to the merchants who have agreed to work with us - here’s to them. We thank them and hope to add to their e-commerce success this holiday.

The site may look a little different to you, as we have made some improvements to our core activity of shopping – just in time for the holidays. The fundamental premise of our promise remains. By shopping online, you can earn a percentage of the purchase for your cause. You can still make a widget featuring your cause and an online store or products you love, and you can still share it through email, social networks or other web sites. The big change is that you can also shop and earn for your cause without making a widget or using a widget. CafeGive recognizes your cause when you come to the site, and the pairing of your store happens anytime you hit the “buy” link under the banner or the “buy now” link in the selected product area. Any purchase you make at the online store you selected by clicking on one of these links or on a widget will earn for your cause.

Let the shopping begin! We are ready for the holiday season with some new fun merchants, some tried and true brands, and with a new CafeGive experience. Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.

Mercy Corps Gets Bigger and Better on CafeGive

2009-10-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I interviewed Danielle Wheeler, who runs the Phoenix Fund (a non-profit venture fund) at Mercy Corps to learn about their new World Headquarters here in Portland, Oregon opening on October 9^th. When asked “what is the best part of the building?”, Danielle responded “the Action Center, a public place to learn more about Mercy Corps.” The Action Center has technology stations where users learn how to support Mercy Corps through an interactive experience. These stations are geared towards kids and Mercy Corps has actually started relationships with local schools to help develop curriculum using the Action Center.

Danielle, who is passionate about international development, is in charge of growing the Phoenix Fund from four projects to ten by the end of 2010. From setting up recycling programs in Kosovo to solar power projects in East Timor. It is easy to see how Mercy Corps’ team of 3,700 professionals is helping to turn crisis into opportunity for millions around the world. I love this quote from their website “By trade, we are engineers, financial analysts, drivers, community organizers, project managers, public health experts, administrators, social entrepreneurs and logisticians. In spirit, we are activists, optimists, innovators and proud partners of the people we serve.”

For more information on Mercy Corps and how to bring the spirit of activism to those in need check out their profile page on CafeGive and become and advocate for them. Consider purchasing some bags, backpacks and luggage for your world traveler in support of Mercy Corps.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Mercy Corps or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Joy Rx Now Prescribed on CafeGive

2009-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Most people know someone who has had cancer. For me, it was my grandfather “Pop” who had lung cancer. I guess I can count myself lucky that I don’t know many kids who have cancer. But for those who do, Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) is a great organization. They are all about offering resources, friendship and fun – creating moments of respite and hope in the midst of life-threatening illness. They call this Joy Rx.

Children’s Cancer Association, founded in 1995 by Regina Ellis after her daughter, Alexandra, lost her battle with cancer, fills a need for non-medical care unmet by hospitals and community organizations. Located in Portland, Oregon, CCA provides services all over Oregon and Southwest Washington while reaching out to those across the nation. In 2008, CCA provided services and assistance more than 28,000 times, free of charge. Their programs include:

The Music Rx Program: brings the healing power of music directly to hospitalized children and teens, with music therapists and a mobile music cart loaded with instruments.
The LifeSupport Family Enrichment Program: brings hope, joy and understanding to families facing a child or teen’s serious or life-limiting illness.
The Chemo Pal Mentor Program: matches trusted adults with children and teens undergoing chemotherapy, helping and encouraging them with the power of friendship.
The Caring Cabin: is the only family retreat home in the Western United States, a one-of-a-kind oasis on the Oregon Coast where families can get away, at no cost, to build precious memories together.

Purchase something for a child you love from one of the many CafeGive stores such as Gap Kids, Baby Earth, Dimples and Dandelions, Land of Nod, ShoeBuy.com and help bring JoyRx to those who need it most.

For more information on Children’s Cancer Association and how to bring a little more Joy Rx to those battling cancer check out their profile page on CafeGive and become and advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Children’s Cancer Association or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Tiny Prints Now Available on CafeGive!

2009-10-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Making connections. That is what CafeGive is all about in a way. We are connecting great causes, great people and great products together. It is really fun for us every time we bring on a new cause. We love to check and see who advocates for them, and the types of widgets and shopping that is inspired. It’s a real treat. And we have to say the same about new online stores. We seek a variety of brands, stores, and products that can earn for causes. It has been exciting to have some big, well known brands join our site; it has been equally fun to seek out special, niche shops that are offering unique products for shoppers who love finding a special gift or unique purchase.

And so – we’re thrilled to add TinyPrints as a featured offering for holiday cards, special occasion photo cards, photobooks, stationary and invitations. This site has a lot to offer to CafeGive advocates. The team at TinyPrints has been great to work with; they are committed to the CafeGive mission of earning for nonprofit organizations and supporting consumers who want to do so.

Make sure you take a look at their site – we know you will love the quality. Which takes us back to connections. No holiday season is complete without them and at TinyPrints, you will find beautiful and personal expressions to connect with the people you love and care about. You get great cards, and your cause gets a great earning. Thanks TinyPrints!

CafeGive Going Green with Humane Society Silicon Valley's New Animal Community Center

2009-10-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

The great thing about working at CafeGive is you get to work with great people. One of my favorites is Mary Enderle, a dog lover just like me. Mary was instrumental in helping the Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) join the CafeGive community.

The HSSV has been serving both people and pets for over 80 years. Recently, they moved into their new home in Milpitas, CA called the Animal Community Center. This Center, the first environmentally “green” certified animal facility in the US, offers an adoption program as well as other pet and community services including:

Medical center with affordable spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping and testing services
Dog park
Doggie daycare, boarding, training and grooming
Education center with programs for children and teens
Community room available for groups
Whole pets store
Pet-friendly café

Mary has been involved with HSSV for over four years in a variety of ways, from marketing volunteer to cat socializer. She calls HSSV a “true animal community center”. And like CafeGive they focus on the community, a great social network of employees, volunteers and donors. They believe in making a difference in not just animals’ lives, but the people who love them.

If you love pets or know someone that loves pets, send them a shopping widget featuring HSSV and one of the great online pet stores featured on CafeGive: The Natural Pet Store, PetSmart, 1-800-PetMeds, EntirelyPets.com, Sitstay.com.

To learn more about the great work done by Humane Society of Silicon Valley check out their profile page on CafeGive and become and advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Humane Society of Silicon Valley or CafeGive? Or another animal shelter interested in getting involved with CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Halloween Shopping through CafeGive Raises Funds

2009-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween is around the corner
Halloween planning is in full swing whether you're 7, 17 or 37. Are you ready? Shop CafeGive's Halloween stores for:

Have a howling Halloween knowing your purchases help earn funds for your cause. Shop today!

does your Facebook wall boast a shopping widget?

Be the first of your friends to have a CafeGive shopping widget on your wall. Post it to your Facebook wall so your friends can shop from your widget. Your cause earns from each purchase made.

If you open Facebook in a separate window it will be easy to move between the two sites.

click on the widget's "share" link!

Select a widget to post then click on the "share" link. A menu of sites that work with the widget will appear. Select Facebook.

compose your personal message!

Enter the text which will appear in the "what's on your mind?" area. Make sure you tell your friends to shop through your widget so they can help support your cause. Remember, your cause only earns when people buy!
Click "share" and it should post to your wall.

Black Women In Sport Foundation Now Raising Funds on CafeGive

2009-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

If you've ever participated in a sport of had a child that participated in a sport you know firsthand what a difference that participation can make. Added confidence from being part of a team, confidence in what your body can do or just added social skills, participation in a sport can significantly impact the life of a young woman.

Since 1992, The Black Women In Sport Foundation (BWSP) has been dedicated to facilitating the involvement of Black women in every aspect of sport in the United States and around the world, through the "hands on" development and management of grass roots level outreach programs.

CafeGive is all about grassroots funding, which is why we believe Black Women In Sport Foundation is such a great "fit" for our community. Their active involvement in sport as an activity, and athleticism, as a way of life, are character-building endeavors that every young woman (and especially black women) all walks of life need. The Foundation is unique in its ability to address the needs and wishes of young black women and girls, and to define the best ways to guide and support them in their path to life-long achievement.

While the Foundation has enjoyed many years of continued success, much more can be done. Young women in urban and rural areas still lack the financial, emotional and spiritual support necessary to rise to the level of their own brillance. The Foundation's future focuses on reaching out to these young women and girls, by incorporating emerging internet technologies, increasing sports clinics, expanding sport opportunities for young black womena nd girls, providing consulting serverices for athletic program development, and devoloping collaborative programs with educational institutions and corporate stakeholders to design, manage and promote athletic programming.

Whether you or someone you know needs new sport equipment, athletic apparel (check out the sports tab) or something from one of the many other CafeGive stores, you can help Black Women In Sport Foundation reach more future athletes by purchasing through CafeGive.

For more information on Black Women In Sport Foundation check out their profile page on CafeGive and become and advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Black Women In Sport Foundation or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Halloween Shopping with CafeGive

2009-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

“What did one ghost say to the other ghost?” … “Do you believe in people?”

Ha-ha! I love Halloween. It is hands down the best holiday of the year. Changing leaves, hot apple cider, jack-o-lanterns, costumes, and candy! What isn’t there to love? Now you can make Halloween extra sweet by purchasing everything you need for the greatest holiday through CafeGive and support an awesome cause. To get your mind going on all things ghoulish here are some suggestions:

• Ghirardelli Chocolate: For a special treat for your loved ones.
• Kodak Gallery: For pictures of your little princess and Superman.
• Costume Express: Avoid the crowds at those Halloween Warehouses.
• Celebrate Express: For all your Halloween decorations and party gifts.
• PetSmart: Because Fido makes the cutest pumpkin.
• Moon Costumes: Shop for costumes in the privacy of your own home.
• Nothing but Costumes: I believe the name speaks for itself.
• Gap: Great Fall clothing for those with an office job during this wonderful season .
• Old Navy: Halloween clothing for babies to dads.

For more information on Halloween stores check out the Halloween products page on CafeGive and start creating widgets and shopping.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

What is your favorite Halloween purchase on CafeGive?

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is Raising Money on CafeGive

2009-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

One summer in college I interned at a safe house for teenage mothers. While these girls faced the challenge of being young mothers, I got the chances to hear their stories. A lot of them come from broken homes and abusive relationships. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery works to prevent child abuse and neglect in young children. It provides crisis intervention and a therapeutic classroom for at-risk children and support for families through parent education classes, mental health services, respite care and basic needs support. A highly visible and respected local non-profit located in Central Oregon, MountainStar provides support for babies and young children aged 6 weeks to 4 years in age. Based on a model that is over 30 years, it’s easy to see how MountainStar Family Relief Nursery has served over 348 children (and families) in 2007-2008.

Their work builds on the family’s commitment to provide their children a loving home and a solid foundation for growth and development. MountainStar fundamentally believes their work can change the community over time. Most issues facing communities (think prison, suicide, drug abuse and drop out rates) occur because of abuse in the earliest years of life. Happy safe babies, lead to happy safe families, which ultimately leads to happy safe communities. Not to mention MountainStar Family Relief Nursery helps children escape the possibility of being abused! MountainStar Family Relief Nursery gives a voice to children who would otherwise not have a voice and keeps an eye on the most vulnerable of children. Did you know that 90% of your brain develops before the age of three? Abused children’s brains are physically smaller than babies born into healthy families.

CafeGive is excited to work with MountainStar Family Relief Nursery. We believe in their cause and their opportunity to make a huge impact in the community.

Won’t you help MountainStar Family Relief Nursery be even more successful by purchasing items through a CafeGive Widget that support MountainStar Family Relief Nursery?

For more information on MountainStar Family Relief Nursery check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved in MountainStar Family Relief Nursery or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on our blog!

New Merchants Coming Soon to CafeGive

2009-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

When you do great things for good causes your success becomes a magnet and soon others want to be part of that success. CafeGive will soonhave even more stores for your shopping pleasure! The more brands we bring in, the more people will find what they are looking for through our site and thus the more funds we will raise for your causes. It’s a win, win, win, win!

Check out the great stores coming soon to CafeGive:

Old Navy – Gap’s younger sibling
Piperlime - Gap's shoe brand
Banana Republic - Gap for the professionally dressed
OnlineShoes.com - great source of shoes online
Beauty.com - purchase name brand beauty supplies here
Ebags - luggage and bags super store
KL Sport - for all your sporting needs
The Artful Home - get something new for your home like a piece of art
Forzieri.com - Italian leather goods
As We Change - clothing for women over 40

Already Available on CafeGive:

Gap - Classic clothing
Athleta - Gap's athletic clothing line for women

What is your favorite Back to School purchase on CafeGive?

Help Make a Difference in the Life of Migrant Farm Worker Family by Supporting Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center

2009-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Most parents take for granted the ability to take their children to a doctor should the need arise. For many migrant and seasonal farm workers who are parents, that is not the case. When 6-year old Virginia Garcia cut her foot, it became infected. Due to economic, language and cultural barriers in healthcare, Virginia died from what should have been an easily treatable wound on Father’s Day, as her own father worked in the fields, unaware of the tragic turn of events. Determined to prevent similar tragedies from occurring, the community rallied together to open the first Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (VGHC) in a three-car garage.

There are many dedicated folks who passionately believe in this mission and have jumped in with both their feet -- one of them is Ketan Sampat (one of CafeGive's founders) good friend, Lynn Baker -- she started out in a volunteer position on their Foundation Board and eventually believed in Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center's mission enough to take a hefty pay cut and left the for-profit world so she could dedicate herself fully to this task.

The Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center has expanded considerably since then and now provides over 110,000 office visits to more than 30,000 patients a year at four primary care clinics, three dental offices and two school-based health centers. VGHC provides high quality, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary healthcare to the communities of Washington and Yamhill counties (the only federally qualified health center) with a special emphasis on migrant and seasonal farm workers and others with barriers to receiving healthcare. In addition they provide outreach to schools, community health fairs and to migrant and seasonal farm workers at local camps through a mobile clinic.

Some facts about the patients served at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center:

68% of patients are at or below the Federal Poverty Level (which translates to earnings of $20,500 a year for a family of four)
48% of patients lack insurance
63% are best served in a language other than English

Won’t you help Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center expand their care even more by creating and purchasing items that support Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center with CafeGive widgets?

For more information on Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center or Cafegive? We want to know, leave a comment here on the blog.

Save the Cord Foundation now raising funds on CafeGive

2009-09-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Save the Cord Foundation is dedicated to helping parents making the decision of banking their baby’s cord blood or donate it to help others as simple as possible. By providing unbiased, educational information regarding cord blood preservation and its life-saving qualities. Cord blood is currently being used to treat over 70 diseases (like cancer, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders) and research has shown even more potential (like regenerative medicine). Unfortunately, 97% of cord blood in the US is discarded as medical waste because of lack of education and awareness.

Save the Cord Foundation is working to make the collection of cord blood the standard of care in hospitals throughout the nation and to make public cord blood banks a national priority with the following three goals:

1. Save the Cord Foundation wants to be a clearing house of information for hospitals and other programs looking to start a cord blood donation program. This involves gathering information from hospitals that have already established a successful cord blood collection program and using best practices to help others do the same.
2. Save the Cord Foundation has initiated a pilot program with a hospital in southern Arizona and hopes to expand the program throughout the country. This hospital-based program will provide an on-site health educator, who will be solely dedicated to educating expectant mothers about cord blood and their options for donations, or private banking.
3. Save the Cord Foundation hopes to have legislature in all 50 states mandate that cord blood be collected following each birth and public blood banks that are easily accessible.

Cord blood is the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of the child. It’s a potent and non-controversial source of stem cells. The mother and child are not harmed in the collection of cord blood and the collection does not interfere with the birthing process. Cord blood is becoming the favored source of stem cells used in transplant therapy. It is easy to collect, store and access quickly for transplant. Other advantages of cord blood stem cells include the fact that cord blood is rich, natural, controversy-free (unlike embryonic stem cells – and is backed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, legislatures and religious institutions) source of life-saving stem cells.

Won’t you help Save the Cord Foundation accomplish their goals by creating and purchasing items that support Save the Cord Foundation with CafeGive widgets?

For more information on Save the Cord Foundation check out profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Already involved in Save the Cord Foundation or CafeGive? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Back To School Blog Post #3

2009-09-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

It’s weird being a recent college grad and not having to go back to school. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy right where I am. No more finals and writing papers on topics I don’t care about or boring required courses.

But what I do miss from when I was younger is back to school shopping. As I shop at Office Depot, memories of Lisa Frank folders, boxes of markers, and begging my mom for things that I really NEEDED, but something I knew she wouldn’t deem necessary come flying back to me.

Whether you’re shopping for a preschooler or a senior in college. If you’re a parent, student, grandparent or teacher, CafeGive has something for you! Here is the list of Back to School products being offered right now on CafeGive. Why not make someone’s day a little brighter by giving them the tools to succeed in their education and through our causes help those who might not get such an opportunity.

• Miss Matched – great source of school supplies
• Soccer Garage – soccer is a fall sport (Kick n Chase to Varsity gear)
• Apple iTunes – everyone needs a little pick me up song
• Office Depot – avoid the crowds (and begging) by ordering online
• Borders – get all the required readings here (we won’t tell if you didn’t do the assigned summer reading)
• MacMall – better selections than Apple for home electronics
• Bagsbuy.com – great place to get backpacks and purses for the fall
• CookiesKids – brand name back to school clothes at discounted prices
• The Land of Nod – great clothes for young kids (who wants to be a trend setter?)
• Team Express Football – football is also a fall sport (PeeWee to Varsity gear)
• Adidas – gym clothes to running shoes for Cross-Country (another fall sport) or just everyday school wear
• Adobe – help your college student be successful with this suite package
• HP – seems like kids need computers younger and younger these days
• NB Web Express –if you’re not a fan of Adidas gear – New Balance is a great option
• Exclusively Green – dorm supplies (twin XLong – never forget this)
• Shoplet.com – another great source of school supplies
• BestBuy – for all your electronics needs (blank CDs are a must for back to school)
• RosettaStone – planning on visiting your kid while they are on study abroad? Might be a good time to brush up on the Spanish you took.
• Keen – back to school shoes and bags (I’m a personal fan of the backpacks made out of recycled rice bags.)
• Shoebuy.com – great source of back to school shoes

Coming soon (sneak peak benefit of coming to our blog): Gap, Athleta, Old Navy, Chocolate.com, Ghiradelli, Teavana, Tea Forte, Gaiam, Naturals of Ashland, SitStay.com, 1800PetMeds.com, Western Bikeworks, Flower Delivery Express, Academic Superstore, In the Hole! Golf, illy caffe, Isabubu Designs, iThreads, and Mom Agenda.

For more information on Back to School products check out the products page on CafeGive and start creating widgets and shopping.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

What is your favorite back to school purchase on CafeGive?

Hands on Greater Portland Now Raising Funds on CafeGive

2009-09-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

I’m a firm believer that volunteering makes you a better person. I think my fellow staffers at CafeGive would agree with me on that one. Not only does volunteering have a huge impact on a community, there is something about volunteering that changes your heart and puts things into perspective. Hands on Greater Portland believes everyone can do something for the community. They help develop this potential by connecting people with opportunities to feed the hungry, teach children, house the homeless, restore the environment and meet other important community needs. Just imagine a community where everyone volunteers.

Last year Hands on Greater Portland:
• Made 14,848 volunteer connections with 263 partner organizations
• 8,773 connections by creating volunteer projects
• Engaged 150 volunteer leaders
• 89% of volunteers said participating in a Hands On Project helped them learn about a community need and 90% took an action.
• 95% of volunteers said participating in a Hands On Project made them more likely to volunteer again or take other action in the community

By purchasing or creating widgets to share with other purchasers, you’ll be helping Hands on Greater Portland connect more volunteers with community organizations and in doing so you’ll be making Portland a better place to live, work and play.

Check out the Hands on Greater Portland profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

Interested in learning more about CafeGive? Check out our website, Facebook Fan page, blog and Twitter.

Involved in Hands on Greater Portland or CafeGive? We want to know, leave a comment here on our blog!

Support Your Cause with Back To School Shopping

2009-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Let your back to school shopping support a cause you care about!

CafeGive now has a wide selection of great stores to meet all your back to school needs.

Do you have kids heading to primary school in September? If yes, buy their supplies, sport equipment and uniforms at CafeGive and feel good knowing a percentage of the purchase will go to your favorite cause.

Is your teenager off to college? Then you'll be needing dorm room essentials and possibly a new computer. Check out the great options at CafeGive and have all your purchases earn funds for the cause you care about.

Here are a just a few of the great stores to choose from:

MacMall -- all things Macintosh

Office Depot -- school supplies

CookiesKids -- uniforms, backpacks, shoes and more

Shoebuy -- shoes for students of all ages

Bagsbuy -- backpacks, computer bags and luggage

Little Miss Matched -- bags, school essentials, socks

itunes -- all the tunes you need

and much more!

Visit CafeGive for all your back to school needs.

What has been your favorite back to school purchase on CafeGive?