Homeless World Cup

Let me start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who sends ideas along for posts.  A good friend of mine suggested AG cover this cause and I couldn’t be happier to do so. 

The organization is called the “Homeless World Cup”.  It was founded by two journalists, one from Scotland and one from Austria in 2001 with the goal of ending homelessness around the world.  Here is what they have to say about their organization:

There are one billion homeless people living in our world today.

The Homeless World Cup exists to end this, so we all have a home, a basic human need.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. It has triggered and supports grass roots football projects in over 60 nations working with over 25,000 homeless and excluded people throughout the year.

There is a documentary  called “Kicking It” which chronicles teams playing in the cup.

Also, check out this recent article in the NY Times- http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/48-nations-in-2009-homeless-world-cup/

Their website is www.homelessworldcup.org

It’s so easy, a 7 year old could do it…

I recently came across this lil beauty. It’s a great example that fundraising is “so easy, a 7 year old could do it.” Hell, if nothing else, next time you need a fundraising idea just hold a “heptathlon”… Seriously? Who are these kids?!

Here’s the article-
 
YOUNG athletes raised more than £560 with a charity heptathlon.

The event saw 52 members of the Horwich RMI Harriers and Athletic Club running, jumping and throwing in seven different events in less than two hours.

The youngsters, aged seven to 12, presented the money to Derian House children’s hospice.

Coach Mark Dacre said: “As well as being a fun athletic event, this was also a fundraising opportunity, and the amount of money they raised is amazing. They are all superstars.”

For all of you readers who don't think you can fundraise, the answer is "Yes." Yes these kids are laughing at you.

7 “extreme” athletes with a cause

Forbes did this piece on “7 ‘extreme’ athletes with a cause”. I would rename it “7 athletes doing extreme things for a cause”. Regardless of what you want to call it, these athletes are at the pinnacle of athletic fundraising. Some pretty cool stories about just how far people will go to fundraise.

check it: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/24/athletes-creative-giving-personal-finance-philanthropy-giving_slide.html

CNN Heroes

Most good hearted people do what they do because they really care not because they need recognition even though they truly deserve it. Here’s a cool way to recognize your favorite philanthropic athletes and by doing so, inspire others to join the team!

CNN HEROES

Boof against the odds

Katie Hilleke is one of the strongest female athletes on this planet and it runs in the family. Her brother Tommy is an equally strong paddler and both are as nice as they come.

A couple of years ago, Katie was diagnosed with colon cancer as a young woman in the prime of her life. A devastating event no matter how you look at it. Katie however chose to see it as an opportunity.

The paddling community that Katie is such as big part of was able to raise 20k to help her with medical bills. She didn’t feel like she deserved this and decided to pay it forward for the next person in her position by starting a national fundraiser. Katie had people pledge to sponsor her in her efforts to kayak as much as possible over the course of 2 months. People pledged for every river mile she did and she spilt that money between First Descents and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Both of these organizations are very near to her heart after her experience.

This is a perfect example of someone who found a silver lining and used their athletic passion to support a cause that was very important to them. You don’t need to have had cancer to apply Katie’s example to your life. Just follow your passion and use it to help a cause that really means something to you!

To read her story, please click here

Moral Compass

A friend of mine who works at Outside Magazine sent me this link on a story she did for Outside online about a 25 year old man named Paul Ridley.  Paul successfully rowed across the atlantic alone.  An amazing journey that was made even more amazing because he was doing it to raise money for cancer research in honor of his mother who passed from skin cancer.

This is a PERFECT example of an athlete giving to a cause that he/she believes in.  We all stand to learn from Paul and the next time you’re looking to give as an athlete but not sure how, I hope you use him as your guide.

Please watch the video and read the article on Outside online by clicking here

You can also check out Paul’s blog here

Smart Charity

It’s true, Ivy league schools ARE full of smart kids! In the fall of 2006, two seniors at Princeton founded IACT. They believed that the student athletes would be a great vehicle to raise money for charity if given the chance. IACT creates those volunteer opportunities and sends the money raised to the Community House. IACT is smart and has the ability to grow over the next few years to reach other schools. Check out the article here

All that said, when I read the interviews with the founders, I couldn’t help but picture them wearing plaid oxfords, nantucket red khakis and glasses…

Get flocked

This is interesting. Recently a group of high school athletes started “flocking” (click here to read the article) people to raise money. This has the potential to back fire so be careful!

The basics: Buy as many of the MOST OBNOXIOUS cheap lawn ornaments you can get your hands on (they used pink flamingos) and then at night, put them up in someone’s yard. When they wake up, they have to pay to have them removed (yes, the money goes to charity) and they have to tell you who’s lawn to go to next. Obviously, the more obnoxious the object the better chance you have of making big money. I think a nativity scene made of blow up dolls would be your best bet for the big bucks.

This. Is. AWESOME!

I have never found a simpler, funnier or more insightful sight about athletes and their respective charities. This is a great “cliff’s notes” version of what’s out there!

Some of the HIGHLIGHTS:

1. A majority of the foundations focus on “children”. I wish people would actually give to something they really connect with, not just something that’s easy! Take Dikembe Mutomobo’s foundation which paid to build a 300 bed hospital in his native Congo. That’s what I’m talking about!

2. All of the foundations are named after their respective athletes which begs the question we asked earlier, “Are they leveraging their celebrity status for their charity or their charity for their celebrity status.” The proof is in the percent. Check out some of the LOW percentages of dollars actually going towards their chosen causes. WTF?

3. Three of the Keith Brooking Children’s Foundation’s board members included a funeral home owner, a minister and a french teacher. Hey, they always say that you need a diverse board…

This really is worth a read! CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

Here’s how to evaluate your favorite athlete’s nonprofit!

Check out this article from the Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003855928_webevaluate02.html

It tells you what to look for when you’re looking to give to an nonprofit but more specifically examines various athlete’s charities.  My favorite line:  ”Is the athlete leveraging his celebrity for charity - or leveraging his charity for celebrity?”

It talks about what to look for on a 990 form, what questions you should ask and what red flags you should notice.  It’s a bit tedious but nonprofit records are made public for this very reason and if you can learn some basic things to look for, you can make a much more educated donation.