If you are going to donate to your favorite nonprofit organization this year, today is the day to do it. Today is GiveBIG, the Seattle Foundation’s annual one-day, online charitable event where all credit card donations given between midnight and midnight (Pacific Standard Time) are prorated. There are over 1,400 nonprofits eligible for the prorated donations, and Jolkona is one of them!

What does prorated mean?

Prorated donations are donations that will be “stretched” (up to $25,000 per donor, per organization) by some very generous sponsors from around the greater Seattle area. In other words, the more money you donate, the more money your favorite nonprofit organization will receive from the stretch fund. In addition to the stretch fund, GiveBIG will be randomly giving away Golden Tickets to donors and nonprofits. If a donor is lucky enough to get a Golden Ticket, another thousand dollars will be given to the nonprofit they donated too. In addition, the donor will receive a one hundred dollar gift card to Starbucks, and the nonprofit will receive a round-trip airline ticket, courtesy of Alaska Airlines. If you want to donate, here is a step-by-step guide on how to do so.

How can you help?

1. The Kona Fund

The Kona Fund was created to offset Jolkona’s operating costs, allowing 100% of all donations to go straight to the project of the donor’s choosing. Jolkona keeps all operating costs to a minimal, in order to maintain our over 100 projects going on around the world. Any donation towards the Kona Fund effectively keeps Jolkona running and keeps our over 100 projects in motion.  No donation is too big or too small. Remember, today all credit card donations will be stretched. Jolkona’s vision for the next generation of philanthropists is to make every donation count towards each project they tackle.

2. Donate to a project

Nothing is more powerful than someone donating to a cause they believe in, and Jolkona sends regular updates showing how each donation has made a real change. A donation of thirty dollars will provide supplemental care (i.e. medicine) to people in Kenya infected with HIV. A donation of fifty dollars will help feed a hungry family in Nicaragua by providing long-term agricultural support. A list of current projects can be found on our website.

Your choice to donate today will greatly impact not only our local community, but also impact communities around the world.

If you want more information about GiveBig and the Seattle Foundation, you can follow them on Twitter (@theSeattleFnd and  #GiveBig news) or you can “Like” the Seattle Foundation Facebook page. 

You can also help spread the word by liking Jolkona on Facebook, and by following us on Twitter and Pinterest.

Chances are, if you are reading these words, social media brought you to our blog. It is a trend that has transformed the way that philanthropies operate, and reach out to donors, connecting almost everyone with the opportunities and means to be involved in charitable giving. Here at Jolkona, we use these strategies to inform potential and current donors about our low cost chances to make a difference.

With the proliferation of the non-profit sector in social media, there have been a number of studies of exactly what have been the most effective strategies. For instance, studies like the 2013 eNonprofit Benchmark Study, or those from the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) find who and what are more successful on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Intuitively, posts with pictures included are more likely to spread, and promote dialogues and actions. Less intuitively, smaller organizations have the highest average Facebook fans and Twitter followers, and their posts go more viral. Check out this infographic for more in formation about just how much social media benefits non-profit organizations.

We are seeing a new freedom in the way the nonprofit sector operates. Organizations can find donors and inform people about their causes more easily than ever, no matter how big they are. It could mark a transition away from the reliance on major donors, and influential people, and put philanthropy more firmly in the hands of anyone who wants to contribute.

The biggest online charitable giving event that Jokona will be participating in is the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG event, on Wednesday May 15th. Donations made on the Seattle Foundation’s website will be matched from a “stretch pool,” the size of which is related to how much is donated throughout the day.

This is a huge event, since it allows local Seattle area non-profits to all benefit from matched donations, which can be stretched up to $25,000 per donation per organizations. Last year’s GiveBIG generated $7.43 million in online contributions, demonstrating just how much social media and online charitable giving can benefit non-profits. GiveBIG 2012 more than double the amount given in the previous year, and we can do even better this year! Keep an eye out for Jolkona, and participate in GiveBIG 2013.

You can also help spread the word by liking us on Facebook, and by following us on Twitter,  Pinterest, and Instagram.

The Seattle Foundation is launching its annual GiveBig campaign today, and over these next 24 hours you can have your chance to make an impact – and increase it! The campaign is supporting over 1,300 nonprofit organizations by enlarging donations made to each of those organizations today. Needless to say, we’re delighted to be one of them!

The stretch

Give to Jolkona through the Seattle Foundation’s webpage between midnight and 11.59pm (Pacific Time) today, May 2 2012, and you will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds from their “stretch pool”. The amount of “stretch” depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBig day. For example, if Jolkona receives 3% of the total donations during GiveBig, then it will receive 3% percent of the stretch pool.

Put more simply: the more you give to Jolkona, the more the Seattle foundation will match.

The Kona fund: help us help others

We have over 120 projects at Jolkona. And today we’re asking you to support one of our very own, the Kona fund. By giving to Jolkona via the Seattle Foundation you enable us to continue our mission: to reach out to and connect a new generation of philanthropists with our global partners and their projects through our innovative microgiving online platform.

Give Back. GiveBig

Here’s your chance to help us help others. Give to Jolkona via the Seattle Foundation webpage and watch your donation stretch. To do so, follow the very simple instructions:

1. Go to Jolkona’page on The Seattle Foundation website today between 12am and 11.59pm (PT). (To be eligible for stretch funds, your donation must be made through The Seattle Foundation website).
2. Click on ‘Donate Now”. Donations can only be made by credit card. Give a little – or a lot – and watch it stretch!
3. Tell others about your donation through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Encourage your friends to GiveBIG to Jolkona.

Stretch your donation; enlarge the love. GiveBig.

It’s been almost a month since GiveBIG — my how time flies! Thank you to everyone who made a donation and helped spread the word about the biggest day of giving in King County history. According to The Seattle Foundation, in a 17-hour period on Thursday, June 23, 2011, GiveBIG generated over $3.5 million in total gifts to more than 900 nonprofit organizations, with nearly 19,000 individual contributions.

This is pretty amazing and I am excited to share the results for Jolkona:

• 41 gifts
• $3,656.83 raised*

That’s a pretty incredible number for one day of fundraising. The funds will help us continue our global development efforts, add more partners, and make sure that we have the best giving platform out there.

Thank you, again, to everyone who helped GiveBIG to Jolkona! We could not have done as well without you!

*Total raised is after transaction fees and includes the stretch goal.

Wow! What an incredible day to be a part of the nonprofit community here in Seattle on GiveBIG Day!

• At 11am this morning, the GiveBIG campaign brought in $1,267,558 in donations with 5,690 total gifts made!
• By 1:39pm, donations from individuals crossed the $2 million mark! 
• And nonprofits are flooding Twitter streams, Facebook feeds, and email inboxes making asks for people to be a part of the largest day of giving in King County’s history!

And who doesn’t want to be a part of this movement??!

You’ve heard from three people in our community tell you how they’re going to be a part of GiveBIG day today – one was our board member and tech maven, the second was a recent college graduate and our intern-turned-volunteer, and the third was a friend of Jolkona’s who is a global citizen. Today, I’d like to take a (small) break from appeals and introduce you to another friend of Jolkona, Kenji Onozawa, who is a big part of Seattle’s social media community but doesn’t forget about his offline community.

Interview with Kenji Onozawa, a Social Media Rock Star

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

During the day, I work managing my company’s social media program but when I’m not doing that, I keep pretty involved in the Seattle social media community.

2. Why are you excited about GiveBIG?

I’m excited about GiveBIG because as a Pacific Northwest native, it’s a chance for us to give back as a community and thank many of the people and programs that keep the Seattle area vibrant. I think for most of us (and I’m certainly included), it’s easy to forget that it’s not by sheer luck that the Greater Seattle area is amazing. It’s quite the opposite; there are a lot of extremely hard working people who dedicate their lives to keeping Seattle amazing. GiveBIG is an opportunity for the rest of us to show these people that we care about what they do.

3. Why do you support Jolkona?

Why do I support Jolkona? Truth is, there’s a lot of different organizations out there and while they’re all great in their own unique way, for me, Jolkona is at the top.

First off, I support Jolkona because if you donate through them, you’re not stuck dedicating to one cause, and that’s perfect for a person like me who cares about a lot of different things. Through Jolkona, I can support causes having to do with the environment, providing basic needs, and the environment in increments is as little as $5. Furthermore, Jolkona can help as local or global as I want; they work with organizations all over the world so it’s great for the times I want to support programs here in the Seattle area or for other times when I want to help people abroad.

Secondly, I like Jolkona because I don’t know another organization that can literally show me the impact of my money. It’s pretty cool that they can provide me proof that my money is actually helping someone is really incredible. Before when I gave to a cause, it felt like it was going into a black hole, never to be seen or heard from again; my money was just magically taken away, but I never knew if it actually impacted the person I intended it to. Well, Jolkona can provide me a picture of the exact person I was able to help – How rad is that?

Lastly, I’m happy to support Jolkona because I’ve met many of people involved with their organization and they’re some of the most passionate and intelligent people I’ve ever met. For me, knowing that my money and support is going to a group like that, makes doing more that much easier.

4. What are you pledging to do on June 23rd.

Truthfully? This is a lame answer but I don’t know yet. I’ll likely give all over the board because I care for a lot of different causes, but most of it will go to providing people with the basic necessities like food, water, and shelter.

Did you GiveBIG today?

If you haven’t, why not? It’s easy and will only take a few minutes out of your day. Here’s what you do:

1. Go to Jolkona’s page on The Seattle Foundation website today between 7am and 11:59pm PDT. (To be eligible for stretch funds, your donation must be made through The Seattle Foundation website).
2. Click on “Donate Now.” Donations can only be made by credit card. Give a little – or a lot – and watch it grow!
3. Tell others about your donation through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Encourage your friends to GiveBIG to Jolkona.

Bonus: When you give to Jolkona through The Seattle Foundation today, you will be eligible for the golden ticket which, if chosen, will award an extra $1,000 to Jolkona! The Seattle Foundation will choose one donor at random every hour throughout the day. Talk about increasing your impact!

Let’s keep this day on the map!

Make Your Donation Go Further

Give to Jolkona through The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG challenge today, June 23rd, between 7am and 11:59pm PDT and a portion of your gift will be matched. In other words, the more you give, the more of the $500,000 stretch pool we’ll get!

Help Us Grow Our Impact

If you’ve ever donated to our partner projects, you know that 100% of your gift goes to the project as it’s how we ensure that every donation makes the biggest impact.

Today, we’re asking you to support Jolkona itself, so we can continue our innovative global development efforts and ignite the next generation of philanthropists. For example, a $200 donation will allow Jolkona to vet one new partner organization and add it to our website to receive donations.

How to Join the Biggest Day of Giving in King County* History:

1. Go to Jolkona’s page on The Seattle Foundation website today between 7am and 11:59pm PDT. (To be eligible for stretch funds, your donation must be made through The Seattle Foundation website).
2. Click on “Donate Now.” Donations can only be made by credit card. Give a little – or a lot – and watch it grow!
3. Tell others about your donation through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Encourage your friends to GiveBIG to Jolkona.

Bonus: When you give to Jolkona through The Seattle Foundation today, you will be eligible for the golden ticket which, if chosen, will award an extra $1,000 to Jolkona! The Seattle Foundation will choose one donor at random every hour throughout the day. Talk about increasing your impact!

On behalf of the entire Jolkona team, thank you for your support!

Cheers,

Nadia Khawaja Mahmud
CEO & Co-Founder

* Even though this will be one of the biggest days of giving in King County, anyone can donate, even if you live outside of King County, Washington.

We’re two days away from GiveBIG, an event that is designed to encourage you to donate to your favorite nonprofit and be a part of one of the biggest days of giving in King County history. Of course I’d love for you to donate millions and millions of dollars to Jolkona on GiveBIG Day, which is this Thursday, June 23rd, and help us snag the largest stretch goal, but what I’d rather see is a lot of donations to Jolkona at the amount you feel comfortable with to help us grow our giving community here in Seattle.

Yesterday we shared the stories of how two people who work with Jolkona are going to GiveBIG – one was a tech maven and the other was an intern-tuned-volunteer. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Monica Mendoza (aka @feistyfeaster), a Seattleite who is a local and global citizen.

Interview with Monica Mendoza, a Local and Global Citizen

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

I’ve always been interested in helping others and often look for ways to support the community I live in and our global community. Back in January of 2010, I was really saddened by the turmoil the people of Haiti found themselves in after they were hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that claimed over 200,000 lives. I was moved to help and I was able to get the support of 16 local restaurants. They set aside one evening on which they would donate a portion of their proceeds towards supporting relief efforts.

It was such a great experience and it inspired me to look for more ways in which I could help by working with local nonprofits.

2. Why are you excited about GiveBIG?

There are so many local nonprofits doing great work, but they really need support from donors in order to be able to continue in their efforts. GiveBIG day is day for them. An opportunity for them to get that needed financial support. The Seattle Foundation is introducing many of these nonprofits to people who are interested in volunteering their time and making financial contributions. I admire organizations who work on behalf of other nonprofits and who’s goal is to make more and more people aware of how they could contribute.

3. Why do you support Jolkona?

I love how Jolkona brings to life the impact you are making when you make a contribution. Jolkona has brought together a great list of deserving projects. They’ve done the research on each organization they partner with and they also make it easy for anyone to donate online. When you make a donation thru Jolkona you will soon find out exactly where your contributions are going and the type of impact they are making.

4. What are you pledging to do on June 23rd.

GiveBIG is an exciting opportunity for non-profits in King county to get the kind of support that will allow them to continue the great work they are doing. On June 23rd, I will be making my own contribution to Jolkona. I hope that not only will others will do the same, but that they also rally together friends, family, neighbors and coworkers on this day. I know I’ll be using social media to get the word out!

Are you a local or a global citizen, too?

Monica supports her community here in Seattle and also around the world as they need the help. That’s one thing that I appreciate about the projects we feature on Jolkona.org — you can help someone get job skills training right here in Seattle so they can earn a liveable wage as well as educate artists on how to sell their work down in Nicaragua.

So the question is, are you a local or global citizen or are you both?

GiveBIG Day is coming!

But in order to maintain the level of diverse projects on our site and all of the features that make giving fun, we need your help. This Thursday, June 23rd, please make a donation to Jolkona through the Seattle Foundation.

On this day, all donations made to Jolkona through the Seattle Foundation’s website will count towards the GiveBIG goal and will help us receive part of the $500,000 to stretch match — increasing your contribution and maximizing your impact.

For more information about GiveBIG, read this blog post and Save the Date for June 23rd!

Photo credit: Kieran Lynam

GiveBIG day is right around the corner (literally!). In today’s post we’re featuring two people currently involved behind the scenes here at Jolkona: Valeria is a veteran in the tech industry and currently serves on Jolkona’s board; and Keegan Falk is an intern-turned-volunteer at Jolkona and recent graduate of Seattle University.

My GiveBIG with Valeria Cole

Board members, Barri Rind and Valeria Cole, at our Charity Poker Tournament at Canlis Restaurant.

1.     Tell me a little about yourself:

I’ve worked in tech for over 15 years and the funny thing is I’m not a technology geek in any way. I believe technology is meant to simplify lives and make the things we do easier (such as giving!).

One of the things that I love about working with Jolkona is it combines technology and giving. Young people pretty much communicate all through technology; it’s all about connecting young people, technology and philanthropy

2.     Why are you excited about GiveBIG?

It’s a great opportunity for a smaller foundation like ours to:

1. Get visibility, exposure to the community
2. Get to a level of funding that will get us to the next level.

Here in King County people are big givers and are really into philanthropy. People rally around the community and it’s exciting because the response can be huge. It’ll be exciting to raise money for our causes that we so desperately need.

3.     Why do you support Jolkona?

I have never come across an organization that could reach such a broad audience and target that audience so effectively. I have three teenagers and come across many young people wanting to get engaged but there’s no other way to do so. Jolkona brings it down to a level where they can donate. How many organizations are there where a young person can give and make an impact across the world?

4.     What are you pledging to do on June 23rd?

I want to go on the site and make my big donation for the year so we can get the most out of it.
I am also going to communicate to the givers that I do know. Hopefully this initiative will get great exposure for Jolkona and see great results from the Seattle Foundation.

My GiveBig with Keegan Falk

Keegan in the back on the left, posing with the Jolkona team at Canlis, photo by Rishi Sanyal Photography.

1.     Tell me a little about yourself:

I am a recent graduate and volunteer at Jolkona. At Jolkona I help with day to day tasks when it comes to social media and other marketing needs. I am passionate about sports, social media and Taylor Swift.

2.     Why are you excited about GiveBIG?

I am excited about this initiative because of the scope and goal of the Seattle Foundation. Taking on the challenge of biggest giving day in King County history is a large task but very ambitious. I hope that rubs off on other nonprofits and donors here in Seattle and creates an even bigger giving community.

3.     Why do you support Jolkona?

The leadership and dedication of the volunteers at Jolkona cannot be beat. They way Jolkona is using technology to change giving is the future of philanthropy and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

4.     What are you pledging to do on June 23rd?

I am pledging to make sure everyone I know is aware of GiveBIG. During this week I will be helping Jolkona spread the word through social media and making sure everyone is part of the biggest giving day in Seattle history.

Make sure you save the date for June 23rd. All donations to GiveBIG and Jolkona need to be done through the Seattle Foundation website. Seattle Foundation is providing $500,000 to stretch match all donations.

For more information about GiveBIG, read this blog post and Save the Date for June 23rd!

For those of you from Seattle, or even those that aren’t, you may have started to hear the buzz around GiveBIG hosted by The Seattle Foundation. Well, this year Jolkona will be participating so I hope you save the date for June 23 to GiveBIG with us!

What is Give BIG?

GiveBIG is an initiative by The Seattle Foundation designed to encourage community philanthropy. To do so, The Seattle Foundation has raised $500,000 to match contributions from local donors who give to various non-profits through their website on Thursday, June 23rd. The fund won’t match every donation dollar for dollar, but rather match the portion of total giving that each charity receives. They’re calling it a “stretch match.” We hope you join us in being a part of the biggest giving day in King County history!!!

Why Should You Donate to Jolkona on This Day?

We always ask for you to support our partner projects, but today we’re asking for you to support Jolkona. By making a gift, your donation – no matter how big or small – will be stretched, allowing us to continue our innovative global development efforts and engage the next generation of changemakers and philanthropists.

GiveBIG Day and Give More

June 23rd is the big day! From 7am – midnight (PST), all donations made to Jolkona via Seattle Foundation’s online Giving Center will be eligible for the stretch match so your donation will go further. So on June 23, please visit our page on The Seattle Foundation’s website and make a donation that will grow!

For more info on GiveBIG, check out Clay Holtzman’s article, Seattle asked to ‘Give Big’ on June 23.

From all of us at Jolkona, thank you for your support and for being a part of giving history in Seattle!

P.S. Click here to RSVP to GiveBIG on Facebook and receive updates throughout the month.

P.P.S. If you give to Jolkona, throughout the day on June 23rd, donors will be chosen at random by The Seattle Foundation to receive a golden ticket worth $1,000 extra to Jolkona, in addition to part of the stretch match! (Bonus: they’ll be giving out one golden ticket every hour!)