Most nonprofits have their hands full these days with social media – it’s high maintenance to manage your website, Twitter, Facebook and more.

When we reach out to nonprofits to get engaged with the YourCause.com community, we frequently get asked: Why should I use YourCause.com?

(typically commenting thereafter that they already use Facebook Causes and Twitter)

Our innovative technology stands us apart from any other online cause-related network. We provide donors and volunteers a one-stop shop for information about nonprofits while offering immediate engagement opportunities.

On the other hand, we offer nonprofits free administrative rights for their charity page within our total database of 1.4 million nonprofits where they can update charity information, demonstrate impact, upload opportunities and directly connect with each potential/current donors.

 It’s not enough to update individual websites and hope that people will come and find it. Intermediaries have to provide timely, accurate information where the potential donors are.  *

Affluent donors are already active internet users with growing expectations of transparency of an organization’s impact and a desire for active engagement. We’ve developed a platform with powerful tools that fit a more strategic donor and create tangible connections that can turn a potential donor into a passionate individual seeking long-term goals with an organization.

YourCause.com may not be the size of Facebook, but we are a growing community that has fundraised over $1,200,000 for nonprofits of all sizes and directly connecting them with supporters.

Facebook Causes is great for engagement, but we are looking to implement effectiveness and investing donors. With Causes, nonprofits don’t have access to the data of donations that come through and unable to connect directly with donors to build valuable fundraising relationships.

We’re aggregating a community that attracts all type do-gooders on the web, why would one miss the chance to attract a potential donor to invest in their organization?

Some examples of success through YourCause.com:

• Sankara Eye Foundation raised approximately $36,700 in a month during an online campaign

• To Write Love on Yours Arms provided YourCause.com as a resource to their supporters, resulting in over 500 members directly linking their cause profiles to the organization within the first month (multiplying awareness through rich networks)

• The Stanford Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center raised $1,500 for their Bring-It! 49ERS PUSH-UP CHALLENGE within 48 hours

• The YourCause community created viral fundraising campaigns totaling $275,000 to aid Haiti quake victims within the first two weeks it struck

I hope you will join us. Contact us today to learn more and be a featured charity in our community by e-mailing us at charity@yourcause.com!

- Amy Chait

Dirty water now in the hands of America! You can choose flavors such as: Malaria, Cholera, Typhoid, Yellow Fever and more!

As appetizing as that sounds, UNICEF has planted a dirty water vending machine to raise awareness of those who suffer from lack of clean water sources. Did you know just $1 can give a child clean water for 40 days?

Thirsty people can choose their favorite infected water to support the charity – each dollar goes to UNICEF’s efforts to provide clean water to those that need it.

Watch the video below to see how well the awareness worked!

and don't forget to support UNICEF on YourCause by clicking here.

- Amy Chait

If you don't know already...Hi! We're YourCause, a social networking site empowering millions to raise billions! On the other hand, we also provide corporations with social responsibility solutions.

We provide corporations with the CSR Connect employee engagement platform, an innovative deployment of a holistic approach that centralizes all CSR-related programs. Our CSR Connect product is a fully hosted and manageable web-based platform that provides a flexible solution to custom applications suitable for each company’s needs.  It easily adapts for extensions, captures all activity for reporting purposes and abides by corporate branding standards.

We develop technology that empowers individuals and companies with the necessary innovative online tools to connect to their favorite nonprofits, facilitate fundraising/volunteer activities and, ultimately, harness the web to make a positive impact throughout their corporation, community and the world!

We are pleased to announce our latest success - going global! All our CSR Connect tools, including everything available to the average internet user on YourCause.com, will have multi-lingual capabilities.  That's right, you now have the ability to change language settings to Portuguese, Spanish, English or Chinese-Mandarin. In addition, international credit card donation processing is available along with the ability to add or search intercontinental volunteer opportunities.  No matter what features or tools are administered, the ability to track and centralize global employees in real-time reports is always at your fingertips within the CSR

We hope you enjoy the improvements.  Please stay tuned for further updates as we deploy more language capabilities throughout the year!

-Lizette Romero

Know somebody who is making extraordinary contributions to help others? Nominate them as a CNN Hero!

CNN Heroes started in 2007 and continues with an All-Star Tribute televised annually in November.  Anybody can be nominated, but remember, it's your words and description that determine whether your nominee advances in the competition.

A few perks of being a CNN Hero include the ability to get up to $25,000 to further inspire, achieve and succeed!

In the past, viewers truly become inspired by CNN Heroes' stories.  Whether their cause is to defend the planet, champion children, protect the powerless, or anything else - their stories and passion remain resilient and remarkable. 

So, think about what makes your hero special.  Then submit your nomination online.  Explain in your best ability as to why their accomplishments need to be watched and heard around the globe.  

Submission deadline is August 1, 2010

-Lizette Romero

“The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know,” Einstein said – a curious scientist and philosopher who feverishly worked towards expanding his mind with knowledge.

Without science, we would not prevail in things like technology and medicine – or perhaps the fashion industry.

Wait, fashion and science?

Fashion and science may not seem like two peas in a pod – until you discover reco® jeans, that is. reco® jeans is a unique denim brand going beyond organic trends and developing the first line of jeans with an innovative recycled fabric. They have created a solution for sustainable manufacturing, only leading to another question:

How is the apparel industry hurting our environment?

More than 20% of pesticides are used to maintain cotton around the world – where poisons seep into the soil and stream into our water supply (harming the Earth and you). reco® jeans’ recycled cotton and other materials go beyond organic solutions by using scraps of fabric that would otherwise be thrown away and reduce fabric waste up to 60% in landfills.

I guess you could say they are the Einsteins’ of sustainable fashion by creating a much more simple formula for consumers to green their lifestyle. By choosing to wear a pair of reco® jeans, you can minimize the harmful effects of cotton farming and reduce the amount of waste entering our landfills.

“With fits and styles for both men and women, reco® jeans makes being responsible look good,” reco® jeans team said.

We may not all be on the same level as Einstein, but could benefit from his lesson that discovering new knowledge can inspire us to take action for the things we learn.

As green issues continue to emerge, there’s much more to be learned, requiring us to continue our education outside of text books. Eco-education is key for reco® jeans— because they strive to provide answers to the rising questions about sustainability with company information including: who they work with, how they manufacture, and fun eco-friendly tips.

In addition, reco® jeans takes science to another level by partnering with Global Genes Project, a grassroots effort to increase awareness for the prevalence of rare diseases and help those affected by them. They are in the process of manufacturing a recycled denim ribbon dedicated to the cause, which will feature particular styles to benefit the organization.

“We understand what it’s like being a smaller company with a large message,” reco® jeans team said, “We’re happy to help people understand the importance of what Global Genes Project is trying to do – one leg at a time.”

So, Einstein was right. The more I learned about reco® jeans, the more I realized I didn’t know that a staple piece of my wardrobe could play a huge part in sustainability. reco® jeans is a fashion forward company that can help us live responsibly through a simple purchase of denim and spark our curiosity through their ongoing educational outreach.

-Amy Chait

We're always updating our content to stay ahead of the curve with trends/development and I wanted to share our latest overview of our corporate philanthropy solutions. Working with clients like AT&T, Dell, ACS/Xerox, Aveda and more --we collaborate with them on expertise in technology and corporate philanthropy to deliver a comprehensive and flexible solution for a variety of csr-related programs.

For more information about corporate solutions, please feel free to e-mail us at sales@yourcause.com!

-Amy Chait

I was excited to receive an e-mail from Matthew Combs (our founder) this morning announcing his idea for Pepsi Refresh is up for a $25,000 grant - and we need your help with votes!

He will be collaborating with Champions Academy to show that a simple basketball hoop can change a child's life! 

Remember: You can vote daily throughout July.

As a team dedicated to doing good, we're always looking for ways to give back and appreciate your vote that will support a fun, impactful cause for youth.

- Amy Chait