A few weeks ago I watched Oprah talking to the winner of her 2008 television show, Oprah's Big Give, Stephen Paletta. As the final winner, Stephen was awarded $1,000,000 (yep one million ;) to give back to the causes that he wanted to support. What he learned along the way was that alot of people also had causes and communities of their own that they wanted Stephen to help support. So Stephan founded the organization GiveBack:
GiveBack was conceived and built around the idea of empowering people to start their own foundation and then giving them more money to give back to the causes they care most about. GiveBack was launched in 2010 with the help of star athletes and Mission Skincare co-founders Serena Williams and Steve Nash, who wanted to be a model for doing good on and off the field of play. GiveBack was built to make everyone a big giver.
In 2010, Stephen launched the Give Back Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity created to help people give back. The Give Back Foundation (EIN 26-2449481) was established to allow any person to join GiveBack and set up their personal foundation account. The funds that accumulate in that account are part of the Give Back Foundation. Each member has the ability to direct the funds from their account to any charity in good standing with the United States Internal Revenue Service. Together, all of the members’ accounts are gathered under one Give Back Foundation account awaiting the direction of each member. The members can give their money away whenever they choose, either as a single donation or as part of a group of people coming together to support a cause. 100% of the money that is directed to a charity is sent to the charity. The Give Back Foundation doesn't charge you or the charity anything for the transaction. Any money that a member adds directly into their GiveBack account is immediately tax deductible to the full extent allowed. Any additional money that may be added, either by our corporate sponsors or other individuals, is not deductible by the member. At year end the Give Back Foundation will issue every member a consolidated giving statement that may be used as an IRS tax receipt. (Images and foundation information from here.)
So on that show, (April 8th...oh my time flies ;) Stephen kicked off a new giving campaign, "100 Days of Giving," with a surprise gift of $1,000 to each Oprah audience member to give away. A total of $500,000 will be given away over the next 100 days.
SOOOOO...I just created a foundation account with GiveBack and could win $50K for my favorite charity. Donate to any charity, centralize your giving experience, and even fund your account with shopping rewards. Interested? Check it out: right here!
Next time you find yourself shopping on-line be sure to check out all the vendors who sponsor GiveBack and Love Shack Giving...big names like Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Sears, KMart, Macy's and much, much more.
There are daily deals and, soon to expire deals, as well that you might want to take advantage of. I'm not advocating spending money and accumulated MORE STUFF...no I'm simply asking that if you find yourself shopping, please take a few minutes and check out my foundation, Love Shack Giving before you head out the door. Every little bit helps and it's a win-win situation for everyone.
Fondly, Roberta
That is awesome. I clicked the link but couldn't find your foundation, do you have another link?
Posted by: Cortney Lyon | 06/06/2011 at 12:11 AM