It makes me really proud to be part of the YourCause.com community, which raised more than $275,000 for Haiti Relief efforts.  (Read more about our Haiti response here.)

It makes me even more proud to be a part of the humanitarian corps that emerged globally.  Total donations up-to-date include: more than $1 billion from governments, including $575 million from Europe and $316 million from U.S. government, in addition to $470 million in donations through private U.S. charities, according to the Associated Press. 

Yet, news coverage dilutes and the American Cross reports that donations dwindle down by 50%.  Still - I'm proud that as I make my way over to YourCause.com, a donation was made less than thirty minutes ago to the American National Red Cross.  

Haiti still needs your generosity.  And, while I watched Mary J. Blige nearly sing to tears along with Andre Bocelli to "Bridge Over Troubled Water," my pride carries on.  Even the Grammy Awards contributed to Haiti relief efforts, showcasing the duo to sing a song that will be available for purchase at iTunes.com/Target beginning February 1st.  One hundred percent of all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross.  It's a creative way to give and we encourage you to purchase the special grammy performance!

We also like to think that YourCause.com allows you to creatively donate too.  If you aren't already, become part of our caring online community and join the Helping Haiti Quake Victim's group, made by YourCause.com's founder Matthew Combs.

Help build the bridge over troubled water. Keep hope alive!

-Lizette Romero

Or at least they are coming to YouTube. Funny yet informative, the Green Police are out to defend Mother Nature.

Click here to subsribe to their channel!

Hello again!

Today is Friday and we’re feeling the good vibrations at YourCause.com.  Are you? We hope so!

 Today is also the last day for the Chase Community Giving campaign, where our number one linked charity on YourCause.com competes against 100 other charities to win 1 million dollars. 

We don’t like to play favorites with charities but, like I said, they are our number one linked charity and we definitely want to support them!

They’re called: To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).  It’s a mouthful, I know, but these guys are amazing.  In a little less than a week their street team set up 249 cause pages on our site!  They really have the passion and backbone to make their vision and mission unfold.  Let me tell you a bit about them….

TWLOHA is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and invest into treatment and recovery.

And, like I said, they are competing to win a 1 million grant by Chase Bank.  With this grant they wish to launch an online crisis program, which I think is just brilliant.  Most people don’t feel as comfortable having to talk to someone on the phone about their troubles and, in this techno-forward world where social media networks seem to be the IV drip of society, I think online help is the right step in solution.

TWLOHA plans to launch “IMAlive” that will allow crisis responders to reach millions of people through custom-built instant messaging service. 

So, support TWLOHA.  Currently in third place, they need your help!

And don’t forget to check them out at YourCause.com!

-Lizette Romero

I know what you're thinking: What an innapropriate question. But bare with me....

I've always been told that Americans have "too much stuff."  And it’s true.  And I’m guilty of it.  I’d like to say I have a minimalist style but I’d be lying.  I want my apartment to have that coffee-lounge-type-of- look: books spilling over shelves, intriguing trinkets glazed over the mantle, rugs layered upon rugs. But I’ve also come to terms that I have everything I need ….and more.  So I’ve stopped myself from buying more apartment décor, which was my guilty pleasure.

We could all use a cultural diet.  I've bought books that I only hope to read, that I hope will make me a little better at Trivial Pursuit.  I’ve bought Sundance Film Festival DVD collections I only got half way through.  Board games – well I never knew how fast they aged (especially the pop culture ones)before I wanted to replace them.  I’ve just sort of hit this wall where, I think, enough already.  I don’t need another coffee mug just because it’s neat.  I don’t need another mirror just because it fills up a wall.  I. Don’t . Need. Any. More. Stuff.

Then I saw this website, “How Rich Are You?” which supported my point even further.  No wonder I have so much stuff.  Even if you make $1,000 a year you are about sixty percent richer than the world’s population!

Go ahead: Try it.  I guarantee you that you’re richer than you think.

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

So – hopefully this inspires you to stop buying more stuff and start making stuff happen!  Visit YourCause.com to get it going.

- Lizette Romero

At YourCause we know the power of social media.  We see how nonprofit organizations use social media to deliver activism within social networks.  As more and more nonprofit organizations join the plight, we can only assume that it’s working (see: American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign).  It’s working because it’s simply just another tool and space for people to meet, activate and engage in positive change.  

There’s this great website part of the Tactical Technology Collective which helps advocates utilize information, communications and digital technologies to enhance their work.  I thought this would be great to relay onto our members since we want them to use the YourCause platform as well as they can.  Here are some tips, brought to you via infoactivism.org mostly focusing on visual stimulation like photos and videos that may help capture attention and communicate your cause:

1. Mobilize People – Mobilizing people around an issue requires a strong message, clear goals and a good plan.  Video is a powerful tool to bring people together to take action.  Always end in a ‘call to action’ whether it’s to rally at a certain time or buy food products locally. 
2. Witness and Record – Record rights being abused as they happen.  Become a citizen journalist.  Witness, record, broadcast and expose. 
3. Visualize Your Message – Don’t always rely on words.  Be creative.  Animation lends a license to take on many difficult subjects that normal filmmaking cannot. 
4. Amplify Personal Stories – It’s easy to get lost in the big picture.  Bring a personal experience to the front line.  This makes it harder to ignore. 

Back in October I was privileged enough to attend the TEDxSMU conference (I happen to be a total TED fanatic), and one of my favorite talks from the event has been posted.

Bobby Haas immediately intrigued me with his Arial photography shots, and inspired me by applying his photography to why a lofty view will change everything for us.

Please watch the video below— I hope the talk moves you as much as it did me.

- Amy Chait

Bobby Haas at TEDxSMU from tedxsmu on Vimeo.