In the world of philanthropy, World Give Day is a relatively new kid on the block compared to many of the other celebrated days of awareness. As a non-profit in our infant days ourselves, development is something we can relate to, which is why World Give Day gets our vote!

This year, World Give Day turns 2 and will be celebrating its third annual event. Friday May 4th is World Give Day 2012.

World Give Day came about when GiveForward co-founder realized that while there were a few days set aside in the philanthropic calendar to encourage people to volunteer (last week’s National Volunteer Week being one of them), there weren’t any devoted specifically to encourage people to give. She decided to fill that void, and thus World Give Day was born.

What is it about?

The idea is wonderfully simple: creating unexpected joy by giving. And similar to Earth Day, there aren’t any rules or regulations about what and how you give. You can give your time volunteering, you can give your money by donating to a project, you can even give someone a smile or a hug. It truly doesn’t matter. At its epicenter, it is about getting more people to become actively involved in their community to raise awareness about their favorite cause. If there’s something you’re passionate about, then give in that name and show how a small gift can make a big impact.

Spread the word: Crowdfunding

One of the best things you can do to participate in World Give Day is simply by telling people about World Give Day. Start a conversation with a friend, like the World Give Day Facebook page, follow World Give Day on Twitter and tweet using the #giveday hasthtag. When people start talking, things start happening. And when things start happening, then crowdfunding happens.

What is crowdfunding? It is the collective effort of people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. These supported efforts can be anything from disaster relief and non-profit support to political campaigns or startup companies seeking fundraising. Crowdfunding has preserved communities, saved lives, and transformed our capacity to give entirely with our hearts and visibly see the effect of our giving directly.

We like crowdfunding at Jolkona. It epitomizes what we’re about – people making small donations that make a big impact. And every small donation, like a drop of water, collects to make that ocean of difference.

With over 120+ projects you can be the difference and we will show the change. Be the difference, see the change here. Participate in World Give Day.

This post is part of a blog series inspired by World Give Day and hosted by GiveForward. To find other posts in this series please visit www.worldgiveday.com or follow the hashtag #giveday.

A few weeks ago I was introduced to GiveForward, a crowdfunding site that empowers individuals fundraise money online for medical expenses like chemotherapy, organ transplants, mission trips, and their favorite non-profits. Their values and approach are very similar to Jolkona as they encourage you to use your small-scale donations to create a big impact. They do it by allowing individuals to start campaigns and raise money for a very large expense. And we do it by partnering with nonprofits around the world to find with cost, high impact projects and let you track the impact of your gift over time.

Small donations are the backbone of philanthropy

Mission statements aside, our vision is to cultivate the next generation of philanthropists by showing that you, our community and donors, can make a difference today for as little as $5. This vision and the idea that small-scale donations are the backbone of philanthropy is a thread that connects us with GiveForward and a number of other nonprofits and social enterprises that are part of the paradigm shift in philanthropy.

It’s the idea that you can make a difference no matter how much or how little you have to offer. For example, one of our projects allows you to provide group housing for the future leaders of Rwanda for $45. While that project alone may not mean anything, if you consider the fact that the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and AIDS epidemic has produced the largest percentage of orphans of any country in the world (825,000 orphans in a country of 10 million people), providing housing for an educated society will give these ambitious students a safe home and support system that will allow them to further their education and rebuild their country. The life-long impact of this single donation is huge. Can you imagine what that student will accomplish because of your gift?

The ripple effect you can create from one small gift is limitless.

How we are celebrating World Give Day

To celebrate this approach to giving and philanthropy, we’re excited to partner with GiveForward for World Give Day, a day where people all over the world are coming together to celebrate the causes they’re most passionate about.

You can give in a number of ways – by donating to your favorite nonprofit (we have 96 active projects for you to choose from), donating to someone in your own community, giving your time, or even giving a hug. The idea and motivation for this day is to celebrate the culture of giving. In their words: “World Give Day is based on the underlying belief that every effort, no matter how big or small, can have a significant effect on our society.”

We are also excited to share with you a number of blog posts from our community who wrote about the idea of small-scale donations being the backbone of philanthropy. They are:

• It Doesn’t Take a Lot to Make a Difference by Melissa Kowalchuk on Melissa Kowalchuk
• Giving (and Receiving) by Chi Do on A New Beginning
• World Give Day by Lindsey Tramuta on Lost in Cheeseland
• World Give Day by Sam Davidson on Cool People Care
• World Give Day, and Small Scale Donors by Shanley Knox on Voye’m
• How I Define Giving on World Give Day by Laura Kimball on lamiki (yes, that’s my personal blog)
• What Gives? by Melinda Moseler on Melinda Sue
• Free Hugs on World Give Day (and Every Other Day) by Nikita Mitchell on Journeyful Life
• More to be added throughout the day!

You can read more posts from World Give Day Blogger Buddies, here.

We will be celebrating World Give Day here on our blog, on Facebook, and Twitter throughout the day. You can also take part in the real-time conversation on Twitter by following #giveday.

Thank you, Ethan, Desiree, and Cate at GiveForward for organizing World Give Day!

How are you starting your own ripple effect of change?