Posts tagged creative giving ideas
Becoming a #payitforward Ninja #3: exploring some values and virtues of a PIF master
May 12th
Virtue. Virtues. That sounds good. What are they though? Do you know what your virtues are? First let’s figure out what our mythical #pif Ninja has for virtues and then we’ll see if there is any crossover. Afterall we do not necessarily think you have to reinvent yourself to become more Ninja-like. The whole idea is that it’s already in there somewhere. You just have to find it.
A long time ago before there was TV or frozen pizza guys with the big brains had lots of time to just think. And write. So they’d come up with big ideas and write them down. And so guys like me, and girls and guys like you, who are taking the time to read through all this stuff, had lots to say about the the traits and characteristics that make someone good, or successful, or valuble. The great thing about writing about this stuff is that it helps you understand where YOU stand on who YOU want to be. Take old Ben Franklin for example.
Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues:
Apparently, when Ben was a youngster riding a slow boat to Philly (from London, an ~80 day trip….see what I mean about time to think) he wrote down these 13 virtues for “regulating his future conduct”. Think of it as the “Ben Franklin Mission Statement”. He based them on one of his favorite bible verses (Philippians 4:8). They included things like “frugality”, “industry”, and “justice”. The descriptions he gave the virtues included phrases like “make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing” and “eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation” (check out the link to the article and the list of virtues in the post-script of this post). Let us not go overboard on the historical significance Ben Franklin’s personal mission statement- and let us not even go overboard on the content of his virtues. There are two things I take from his virtues that are relevant to a wannabe Ninja. First, have a plan, and stick to the plan. Actually, that’s pretty good advice for almost every situation. Even if your plan doesn’t work out, at least you’ve thought about whatever it is you are doing (living, giving a presentation, having a party) and if the wheels come off you’ll probably have a pretty good idea of when they might, and how you can react. Second, there are a few overarching themes here: Moderation (take it easy, don’t waste your money, don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much, etc). Resourcefulness (be productive, try not to waste time, make sure the stuff you do is worthy of your valuable and limited time). Kindness (almost always better than being mean). You get the idea- Ben came up with 13 things he thought were important to live the life he envisioned living. This is perhaps the best lesson: Ben Franklin had a vision of the life we wanted to have, and he prepared a roadmap to get there in the form of these virtues. Personally, I think 13 is on the high side. Maybe come up with five or ten themes you think are important.
MORE LESSONS FROM GREEKS AND CATHOLICS:
Another source for virtue inspiration are the ancient Greek philosophers (Aristotle, Plato) and later, Catholic Catechism. The Greek guys came up with four: Temperance, Wisdom, Justice, and Courage. Later, the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love (or Charity) were added, to create the concept of the Seven Heavenly Virtues. Again, what you call yours, or how you describe what is important to you is somewhat irrelevant- just check out the themes here and compare it to the three themes listed in the previous paragraph.
HAVE A PLAN. USE OUR RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE YOUR PLAN DOESN’T SUCK:
These virtues are the building blocks for your #payitforward lifestyle. You have to have an idea of what you believe in and you have to live those beliefs to really be a #payitforward Ninja. So try to think about these concepts for your life. Think about which are most important to you. Use the resources in this post to get some inspiration- click through the links to stumble around and find your own resources. Then come back next week and for all of our #payitforward Ninja series to learn some more about becoming the ultimate #pif Ninja. Remember: have a plan, and try to make sure your plan doesn’t suck. Resources after the signature to help with both. Got ideas for us? Hit us in the comments or write us at: contact@foyble.com. GO!
Posted by Brian
Special Internet High Five to Dan “pronounce it ‘stoomer’” Stummer for helping to research this post!
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Thanks for reading the foyble blog and for your continued support of foyble. You can join our movement at www.foyble.com. You can reach the author of this post, Brian Foy, via email at BJFOY@FOYBLE.COM
Resources for this post:
Learn more about Ben Franklin, his boat ride, and mission statement:
http://www.flamebright.com/PTPages/Benjamin.asp
Old Greek dudes, Catholic Catechism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_virtues
A really big long list of possible virtues with some quotes to go with ‘em: http://www.virtuescience.com/virtuelist.html
More old Greek dude Philosophy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_four_cardinal_virtues
Starting the GIVE: Pay it Forward Day in Elkhart, Indiana
Apr 28th
You all know that foyble, Start the GIVE, and Pay it Forward are synonymous. The folks at foyble HQ are always looking for ways to start and spread the GIVE. When we see others committed to the same philosophy, we like to spread the word. Our web alerts went to DEFCON 1 this morning (acts of kindness ready for launch) when we came across this story from reporter Brandon Lewis from WNDU news out of Elkhart, Indiana:
image via WNDU
The city of Elkhart is encouraging people to help a neighbor this weekend as they declare Saturday “Pay It Forward Day”. The idea is to give back to your community, especially if you’ve received help.
There will be a bed race, a tug-of-war, and much more. The winning team will get to donate a check to their favorite charity.
Meantime thousands of students at Elkhart schools will be involved in assemblies to learn what it means to pay it forward and do good deeds for others. Classrooms will also teach kids that there are a lot of simple ways to make a difference.
“A lot of times things don’t cost money or very little money to do something nice for somebody,” said Debbie Micola from Santa’s Pantry Inc. “So that’s what we really try to get through to the kids that they can do something no matter how old they are.”
Micola introduced us to Art Jones, an Elkhart resident who exemplifies what it means to pay it forward. He’s helping make it easier for others to make a difference. Jones started a web site called “Basic Needs” that allows people to buy items at discount prices, and then he delivers them to local charities. For example, tooth brushes or canned food items. Even though he’s been battling cancer for several years, Jones says the project is good therapy.
“It gives me a good purpose in life.” said Jones. “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of people helping me. And then what I’m doing hopefully will give something back to the community that’s helped me so much.”
Brandon’s original story with related video can be found here.
We love this idea and send out mad foyble love to the city of Elkhart, Debbie Micola, Art Jones, and all the other residents of Elkhart that are participating in Pay it Forward Day this weekend!
Posted by Jerry
Exploring the virtues of a #payitforward lifestyle
Apr 21st
Here at foyble HQ, we like to think that we are pretty obsessed with #payitforward. We have all these google alerts set up so we see all the stories that are posted to the internet with that subject. We search twitter and facebook for those hashtags. We bought over 100 strangers lunch once just to see what would happen. We believe in #payitforward. Recently, Dan and I were talking and we wondered about what characteristics people who commit act of kindness might share. What are the attributes that best prepare a person for a lifestyle filled with paying forward? What would it take to become a #payitforward expert? What skills do the #payitforward ninjas practice everyday? And more importantly, how can we model our lives to become more like those ninjas? Finally, why is it important to live a life with these values?
This conversation spawned an idea: let’s put together a series of posts that explore these questions. Let’s distill these posts into a separate page on the blog with resources people can come back to. More >
A few pay it forward stories
Apr 1st
Below are three great stories about paying forward around the country. Enjoy!
A credit union has set up a foundation to sponsor random acts of kindness in Shelby County, Alabama. The only thing better than starting the give is PERPETUATING the give!
Orthodontists in Florida give patients credits towards their bills for volunteering in the community. These guys give their patients TWO reasons to smile! More >
Four ideas for starting the GIVE on spring break
Mar 24th
It’s spring break time! When I was younger this meant something different than it means to me now. These days, I’m excited to see the crocuses blooming, pining to get my garden planted, and enjoying pretending that 57 degree weather makes me happy.
I have three kids. They are five, three, and 6 months old. Next year, my wife and I will have to schedule our vacation around SCHOOL. This blows my mind of course. But many of you already have kids in school and are used to waiting until spring break to vacation with your family. So we thought we would think about how you can spend your precious spring break time with your family but not lose track of the give while you’re out and about. More >
Massive Earthquake in Haiti. Here’s how you can help.
Jan 13th
Image via AFP.
An earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter Scale rocked Port-Au-Prince, Haiti collapsing buildings and killing untold thousands yesterday. You can read more on the earthquake on every news outlet anywhere, so pick your favorite.
What’s important for us, is how you can start committing foybles to help this impoverished nation in the very long road to getting back on their already fragile feet.
foyble co-founder John Frazier supports a missionary in Haiti that builds schools and health clinics. You can find them at www.lifeline.org.
An article from The Huffington Post via Yahoo shares several ways that you, (YES YOU!), can help the people of Haiti. You can make a difference whether you donate $1.00 or $10,000 or more. You can also donate supplies. Here are their ideas and they are all foybles for you:
•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
Five Winter giving ideas
Jan 12th
Never mind. I'll use the valet.
It’s been pretty brutal here in Chicago and all over the midwest, weather-wise, for the last few weeks. We’ve had a few snow storms and temperatures in the teens or twenties for a few weeks straight. But we think it would be shame to waste a whole season just because the weather is terrible. Below are a few ideas we have for making the cold winter months productive giving months.
1) Use the time to research some new organizations to get involved with once the weather breaks. So you’re stuck inside because it’s 10 below and the driveway is unpassable? Go with it. Stay inside and let your internet do the walking. Use our resources page to find a new organization. Or search for them on your own- using your fave search engine use search terms for things that you’re interested in like “soccer” or “little league” or “gardening” and pair them with good giving ‘action’ words like “giving”, “volunteerism”, or “helping”. Throw in your city or a nearby larger city for good measure. Check this ‘gardening volunteerism’ search result on google.
Tools for givers: Dexterity Consulting
Jan 4th
Happy New Year! We’re hitting the ground running with a post about another great giving tool: Dexterity Consulting.
From their site: Dexterity Consulting approaches philanthropy the same way you approach your wealth management. By aligning your values with your philanthropic goals a community investment plan is developed. More >
