Back in July we ran our Give Health campaign, successfully raising some $9,000 + for our partners and their projects the world over. One of the non-profits we cozied-up to during the campaign was Socializing For Social Change (S4SC). They threw us a big party and taught us a thing or two about how socializing and social media can lead to social change.

We liked what we learned. For example, did you know that people are more likely to join digital social change conversations than start one? So we’re asking you to join a digital social change conversation today by tweeting @jolkona, liking/sharing us on Facebook, or pinning something of ours onto your Pinterest board.  We want everyone to know that anyone can be a philanthropist. Help us create awareness; help us encourage change. Social media = social change.

If you don’t believe me, check out this infographic, then check out our project our page. Choose a project, donate, see the change, and share the good news (via social media, if you like).

Give today to any of our 120+ projects and tell your friends about it.

We do social media, too: on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

On Thursday of last week, a group of passionate individuals got together in a trendy building on Lenora and 1st to celebrate Jolkona and make their impact. That’s right, Socializing for Social Change‘s (S4SC) event benefitting Jolkona was a great success! Here’s the story of how the night went, and in true Jolkona fashion, a report of the impact the event had.

Volunteers from Jolkona and S4SC assembled at Maker’s Space at 4:00 to get ready for the event. They prepared food, put out the raffle station, hooked up the sound system, and set up two projectors; one highlighting different Global Health facts and Jolkona projects, the other broadcasting any tweets featuring #S4SC live. At 6:00, guests started arriving.

They were greeted at the door, and given a nametag featuring their twitter handle and the project they donated to with their ticket. They then got food, drinks, and raffle tickets; a chance to win one out of four fabulous prizes. At 7:30, S4SC founder Antonio Smith officially welcomed everyone who attended, and introduced our very own Nadia Khawaja, who gave guests the rundown on Jolkona. At 8:30, the raffle tickets were drawn, and everyone received swag bags filled with great prizes. By 9:30, the event was over, and volunteers helped return the space to the neat order it was in before.

I felt that the evening was very successful; S4SC created a lively atmosphere and a great forum to talk about Jolkona and giving. This kind of event is a great way to attract the vibrant and young community that Jolkona loves. Seeing the twitter wall live, and hearing about the potential amount of publicity for Jolkona, showed me yet again that each and every one of us, each drop of water counts towards making a difference.

The Impact:

-The hashtag #S4SC potentially garnered 30,000 impressions the night of the event!

-80 Event tickets were sold, meaning:

-10 youth will be sponsored to attend the Kick It with Kenya soccer/leadership conference.

-23 children will receive diarrhea treatment in Kolkata, India.

-8 Women will receive training to be community health promoters in rural Peru.

-56 Raffle tickets were bought; and Jolkona received a total of $1,100 for Global Health, finishing our Give Health matching campaign!

A huge thank you from all of us at Jolkona to Socializing for Social Change! Their work and partnership is what made this amazing and fun event possible.

See the total impact our Give Health Campaign had. If this event sounded fun, get ready for Corks N’ Forks on October 4th! Read more Jolkona on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Image credit: Karen Ducey

A few weeks ago, I attended the 2011 Social Innovation Fast Pitch held at the Seattle Center. This event provided support by highlighting and donating funds to organizations aimed at making a positive impact in the community. Among the finalists, a remarkable number of groups were founded by local high school and college students. These students saw problems that existed in the world and used ingenuity to craft effective solutions. I loved hearing a recent high school graduate discuss how she was inspired to create her non-profit after observing how alienated disabled student felt from their peers. Despite her youth, she is making a tangible difference in the world.

As a recent college graduate myself, I am happy to see that young people are getting their due credit as a powerful force in philanthropy. Students and the under-25 year old demographic are increasingly more engaged with the world and addressing disparities. Through internet and smart phones, we are readily connected to all parts of our global community. Minutes after the devastating earthquake hit Japan last March, Twitter feeds and news articles exploded with images and information. Immediately, youth from Japan and beyond engaged in the global response; donating time, money and resources to help the cause. It was inspiring to see young people work together to aid in relief efforts in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

As part of the team for NextGen powered by Jolkona, I feel lucky to be part of our efforts to engage more young people in philanthropy. I first started with Jolkona because I wanted to help but didn’t know how. The wide variety of projects along with proof that my pledge made a tangible impact inspired me to do more than just be a donor. It interested me in engaging more of my peers in philanthropy. It doesn’t take a huge financial pledge or large time commitment to make a difference. We’re in a time of giving where people can pool a little to create a significant impact; for example, one $5 donation helps a rural Guatemalan child become computer literate. Together, we can help an entire community become educated. Everybody can turn their small change into big change!

One of the best things about working for Jolkona is I get to interact with our donors online, in real time, and share their excitement about making a difference. When we launch a campaign like Good Deeds, the level of engagement spikes and new connections are made and am reminded of how important our donors are on a inter-personal level.

Today, I want to introduce you to one our all star donors and will introduce you to another one next week. All of our donors are amazing, typically it their awesomeness doesn’t start or stop with supporting global development projects through Jolkona or by helping us kick the Good Deeds campaign. It comes from a place of wanting to make a difference and it’s a core part of  who they are.

Please allow me to introduce you to, Kiran, our first Good Deeds donor!

Meet Kiran Beg of Seattle, WA

Kiran graduated from the University of Washington in 2010 from the Human-Centered Design and Engineering program and now works at Boeing as a Publications Specialist. She loves to play tennis, watch movies, and spend time with her family.

When she’s not donating to Jolkona, she likes to support causes that promote public health and empowerment, around the world. She also loves traveling to different countries. Recently, she visited Pakistan, which opened her eyes to what poverty really is, motivating her to become an active donor in helping people around the world.

1.Why do you give to Jolkona?

Jolkona displays their projects really well, with a story behind each one. When I found out that donations were being matched, I browsed through the different projects. Each and every one of them opens your eyes to the unfortunate situations around the world. The stories are really powerful and brought to me a sense of thankfulness and gratitude for what I have. With that, I was very happy to help and give whole-heartedly to those that are less fortunate around the world.

2. Did knowing that your donation would be matched motivate you to give during this campaign?

Yes, knowing that my donation would be matched did motivate me to give.

3. Which project did you give to?

I gave to the ‘Assist Safe Houses for Women in Iraq‘ project. I came across this project and after reading the story behind it, I was in shock about how unfair these women were being treated. It really opened my eyes and makes me feel good that I can help these mistreated women.

What to make a difference?

After Kiran made her donation on Tuesday and shared it on Twitter, Waggener Edstrom saw that she made a donation and made an additional on-the-spot $25 donation to Jolkona in her honor.

Want to be a part of this campaign? Donate to any project on Jolkona through Monday, October 24th and our partner, Waggener Edstrom, will match your donation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000. And for every gift made during Good Deeds, you will receive two proofs of impact – one for the donation you make and the second proof for the donation Waggener Edstrom matches.

Let’s give!

Interested in sharing your story as a featured donor on our blog? Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or send a good ol’ fashioned email to contact@jolkona.org.