Tribute: how your blog post can raise $1000 for people living in poverty

I have some great news to share with you! Over the next week Melbourne based business Incentive House will be contributing up to $1000 towards an Opportunity International microfinance fundraiser by donating $100 for every blog post you write for a special project.

First a quick background about how this happened. Last week, out of the blue, I received a tweet from Incentive House asking to discuss my fundraising project and how they could contribute.You see, many years ago the owner had visited the Philippines and witnessed people living in a rubbish tip. The devastating image of poverty never left him.

Images originally uploaded by Simon Oosterman

Within days I met the directors of Incentive House for the first time and shared an idea for a blogging challenge I already had in mind, then we came up with this project! They are really supportive of this fundraising initiative for a group of entrepreneurial poor in the Philippines - which also reflects their business about rewarding success and "giving inspiration to those with aspirations". So let me tell you about this exciting project.

TRIBUTE - a creative fundraising challenge for Australian bloggers.

Between now and the end of March, the generous folks at Incentive House will donate AU$100 for each "Tribute" blog post (up to a total of $1,000) So if ten people can write a post each, you will generate a total of $1,000 towards a group microfinance project in the Philippines!

Here's how to do it:
1. Create a TRIBUTE blog post between now and the end of March 2009.
The entrepreneurial poor in the Philippines are an incredible bunch of individuals who are rising up out of poverty and circumstances to develop their small businesses. The small banks and organisations like Opportunity International Australia who provide them with the loans, training and programs are equally doing a wonderful thing by creating opportunities to end the poverty cycle and impact whole communities. So this is your opportunity to create a Tribute to the entrepreneurial poor. For instance, you may choose write about the benefit of microfinance projects, the women who take the initiative to start their businesses to help feed and clothe their families, or you could share a personal experience about reducing poverty in the Philippines. You could even pay tribute by simply writing a poem or sharing a photo to honour these women.

2. Please leave a comment on this blog post to let me know you have written something for the Tribute project.

3. It would be great if you could mention that I am raising funds for an Opportunity International Filipino Trust Bank on http://wonderwebby.chipin.com so that others can consider making a donation to this important cause between now and the end of June.

I will write a follow up post early April linking to the contributors and letting you know that your contribution has resulted in a donation by Incentive House :)

Stuck for words? Here are some links:

• The similarities and differences between Opportunity International and Kiva
• A YouTube clip explaining microfinance aka microlending
• Some slides I made to explain Trust Banks
• Some information about poverty in the Philippines

I am so excited about this initiative and look forward to reading your Tributes to help raise $1000 via the generous folks at Incentive House. And of course even once we reach the target of ten Australian blog posts to raise $1,000 you can still join in with this project just to help spread the word about making a difference with the entrepreneurial poor!

About Incentive House and the Reward Yourself Card. Incentive House is creating opportunities for business to motivate their staff, through their latest innovative corporate reward product, the multi-store Reward Yourself Card. The Reward Card operates like a debit card, through invited 'aspirational' retailers eftpos terminals. See www.rewardyourself.com.au for further information.

Beyond a Creative Challenge

Following on from the success of the Women's Investment slide project, which raised over AU$500 towards a group microfinance project in the Philippines - it's time for a new creative challenge. I hope you are personally inspired along the way :) All you need to do is respond to this challenge (see basic rules below) and you have a chance of winning a gift set of personalized postcards, minicards and stickers courtesy of MOO and a copy of "World Poverty for Dummies" courtesy of Wiley Australia!

The theme for this creative fundraising challenge is about thinking "Beyond". It's about changing your world. It's about innovation, vision and hope. And it's about making a difference.

Beyond yourself...towards the world.
Beyond the immediate...towards the possibilities.
Beyond having an idea...towards sharing it.
Beyond observing...towards participating.
Beyond poverty...towards empowerment and opportunity.

Image courtesy of Opportunity International Australia

Some basic "rules":

1. Be creative. You could share a story, an opinion, your experience, a motif, a poem, a picture, a short video, a call to action, or…you decide! The idea is to share something that represents a way to think “beyond” and make a difference in the world

2. Place a link on your response to this original post. You could also mention that this is all about raising awareness and funds for a microfinance project in the Philippines.

3. Verify your entry by commenting on this original post. with a link to your response

Examples of what you could write/create:

• a blog post about dreaming big
  
• an example of how someone made a difference by using their imagination
• an illustration about opportunity
• a photo illustrating why we need to think "beyond"
• a video montage of words and images

Get the picture? :)

You have until Sunday December 21st 2008(midnight AEST) to contribute. The winner (as selected by a random draw of all entries) will receive a prize. The prize includes a personalized pack from MOO including 20 x POSTCARDS, 100 MINICARDS and 90 STICKERS valued at around $50

AND a copy of World Poverty for Dummies by Wiley Australia ($34.95)

In addition, any DONATIONS received before 21 December will also be in a random draw for a copy of World Poverty for Dummies.

Winners will first be contacted about their prize and announced later in a follow-up post. I hope you will join in and share your thoughts about thinking "beyond" :) I will be featuring all responses on this tumblelog.

Ultimately this is all about raising AU$10,000 for a group microfinance project in the Philippines through the work of Women's Opportunity/Opportunity International Australia. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Beyond helping just one person, this project will help at least 15 women work their way out of poverty, learn new skills and impact their communities.