New logo is here!

Hello do-gooders,

The new logo is up!  So grateful to a special friend who designed it for me.  Let me know what you think!  New posts coming shortly.

xo Jessica

Coming soon on GBIE!

Stay tuned, do-gooders!  Coming soon is a new logo.  I am also working on updating more often, even if it's little tidbits to help you do good one step at a time.  Please feel free to leave me feedback in the comments or pop me gmail at givingbackiseasy!

xoxo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Check out the Courant, do-gooders!

Hey do-gooders,

The Hartford Courant has a great article today listing local volunteer opportunities for the holidays.  Check it out here!

xoxo Jessica

Give Back in a Flash: Thanksgiving help for the Veterans at Harkness House!

A note from our friends at the wonderful Columbus House:

Can you donate some Thanksgiving joy for our Veterans at Harkness House? 

We're hoping to get four Thanksgiving dinner baskets with a turkey and all the fixings--one for each of the four apartments. Each apartment is home to four guys. 

Email swarfield@columbushouse.org if you want to help!

Give Back in a Flash: Turkey and a Twenty is back in 2011!

Dearest do-gooders,

This post is a little nostalgic for me since my very first blog post last year was about this wonderful program and I'm so glad it's back again this year!  Foodshare presents it's Turkey and a Twenty Campaign. 

All you have to do is purchase a turkey from any grocery store of any size and bring it to your local drop-off location.  A list of local drop-off locations can be found here and drop-off events like Turkey Trots and more can be found here. Foodshare will use the turkey that you donate to help out a low income family in the greater Hartford area so that they will be able to have a special Thanksgiving celebration that would not otherwise be available to them. Then when you donate a $20 bill to Foodshare when you drop off the turkey, you can help Foodshare to help these low income families for the whole year!

Even easier way to give back?  Chip in with some friends for the turkey and split the $20! There's strength in numbers!  You can also donate enough money for a turkey and the $20, if you're strapped for time, right on Foodshare's website.

Want to up-level your giving? Volunteer to collect turkeys for Foodshare or join the 1000 Turkey Challenge!  Make a team with your friends and try to collect at least 20 turkeys and $20 bills to meet the 2011 challenge!

What you should know. Most collections are day-dependent.  For instance, the UCONN School of Social Work in Hartford is collecting turkeys ONLY tomorrow, November 4th.  Most places are collecting sometime between November 15th and November 20th.  Check the drop-off location for your area now to see when and where is most convenient for your drop-off. 

Start your holiday season by giving back easy!

xo Jessica

Loan a little, get a lot, do-gooders!

Happy fall do-gooders!

I recently discovered an amazing website that makes giving back ridiculously easy.  I had heard of microfinance loans before, but was never really sure what it was all about.  Kiva is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through the use of loans.  Here's how it works!

Basically, you browse the thousands of entrepreneurs on Kiva's website who don't have access to traditional banking systems or bank loans throughout the world but who have a great idea or a business already up and running that just needs a little more money to get moving.  You select someone or a group of people whose work really speaks to you, and you lend them as little as $25 for their project on Kiva's website.

Since Kiva was founded in 2005, over 600,000 people have made loans amounting to $248 million directly to those in need with a 98.87% repayment rate.  That's pretty astonishing.  Plus every penny goes directly to the borrower.  Kiva takes no cut of the money and charges no interest to the borrowers!

This morning, I loaned $25 to Ajala Hamza in Msambweni, Kenya who is now 55% of the way to her goal of a $225 loan.  Ajala is a widow with five children.  Three of her children have finished high school and two are still in school.  The family lives in a house without running water or electricity.  Ajala has a vegetable business but it is difficult for her to transport her vegetables to the market.  She is hoping to expand into raising chickens so that she has something more sustainable than the vegetable business which barely provides enough for her to feed her family.

There are thousands of people like Ajala who could use a loan to jump start their business venture.  Kiva offers agricultural, housing, educational, and business loans, and there are people and groups all over the world that you can help.  Plus, it's a loan--so you're actually investing and giving back at the same time!

Could giving back get any easier?

xo Jessica

UPDATE: Since this post, Ajala has raised 100% of her goal. Amazing!!!  There are so many others in need of a loan on Kiva.  Let's see if we can help them too!

Give Back in a Flash: Motorcycle Run to Help Homeless Vets!

Dear do-gooders,

I'm not much of a motorcyle-rider, but I know a lot of you are, and here's a fun and easy way to bring out your bike for a great cause.  Columbus House, one of my favorite shelters (though they do so much more than simply provide shelter), has an initiative called The Homefront which helps homeless Veterans.  The Homefront provides stable housing, educational and vocational training, encouragement and support for Vets in need.

So here's where you come in!  On September 17th, Columbus House will have its 3rd Annual Motorcycle Run to Benefit Homeless Veterans.  You can get more info and buy tickets online here and you can see great photos from last year's event here.  The ride will begin at Hope Christian Church and will be a 50 mile ride roundtrip.  Come early for bagels and coffee.  After the ride, stick around for a BBQ lunch, live music, and silent auction.  100% of proceeds go to the Homefront.

Like me and not a rider or just can't make the event?  Click here to make a donation, or call 203-401-4400 ext. 116 to contribute with a credit card over the phone, or mail a check to Columbus House, ATTN: Homefront, P.O. Box 7093, New Haven, CT 06519.

Last year over 65 riders participated in the Run.  Can we help beat this number this year?

Here are the all the details:

When: Saturday, September 17th, 2011
Where: Start at Hope Christian Church, 211 Montowese Ave, North Haven, CT
Time: Registration is at 10 am, Bikes leave 11 am
Length: 50 miles roundtrip
Cost: $20 for motorcycle and one rider, $10 for each passenger
Tickets available: Here!

Give back easy, do-gooders!

xo Jessica