Efforts for Good: Denver Botanical Garden’s Summer Challenge

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Giveo

Last week we introduced the Mordecai Children’s Garden and the enchantment, awareness and education it provides for kids of all ages. Their campaign however, which is still running strong, is only one of two that the Denver Botanic Gardens is currently running.

Thanks to the GiveoFuel platform, the Gardens can run two campaigns simultaneously, allowing them to raise funds and awareness for more than one program to benefit their efforts.

Their other campaign, entitled “Summer Challenge”, asks “What is the Denver Botanic Gardens for you?” A peaceful place to work? A world of exploration and discovery? Whatever it may be, your donation will help provide a place of learning, relaxation and play for your friends and neighbors for years to come.

The Gay and Lesbian Fund of Colorado will generously be matching any gifts given before September 9th.

So where is your gift going? The Denver Botanic Gardens has provided a list of exactly what your donation can provide: $25 could allow one low-income family to attend a Family Workshop, $120 could replace a weather damaged tree, and so on.

Join the challenge today! With your help, the Denver Botanic Gardens can continue to provide educational offers, world-class exhibits, innovative research and so much more.

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Efforts for Good: The Mordecai Children’s Garden Inspires Future Generations

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Giveo

From Trailhead Terrace to Marmot Mountain to Pipsqueak Pond, the Mordecai Children’s Garden, part of the Denver Botanic Gardens, offers youngsters a place to play, explore and discover what nature has to offer.

With over three acres of flora and fauna, kids can learn how plants and animals live in harmony, they can race pinecones down the stream or they can hunt for bugs in the grasslands. No matter your child’s age, there is something for everyone.

The Mordecai Children’s Garden needs your help.

Over the next month and a half, the Denver Botanic Gardens will be accepting donations to help maintain the Children’s Gardens lush plants and exciting exhibits through the seasons, for kids to enjoy year after year.

Also, from now until Labor Day, your donation can make an even bigger impact! Every gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation.

Help us continue to inspire future conservationists, botanists and nature lovers for years to come. To learn more about the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Mordecai Children’s Garden or to donate, please visit their website.

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – CauseBeats, Part 2

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Giveo

A few weeks back, we introduced you to a revolutionary new organization called CauseBeats that connects popular recording artists, fans and nonprofits to causes with a mission to fundamentally change the face of philanthropy in the music industry. Currently, they’re working with teen pop icons Mindless Behavior on a campaign called “Just Dance. Just Give.” Kids from Boys and Girls Clubs across the Denver area have submitted videos of themselves dancing to one of the groups songs and now that submissions have closed, the voting has commenced!

During the submission phase, CauseBeats received over 60 video submissions though the Giveo platform and 20 videos are now qualified to win a party at their Boys & Girls Club chapter, hosted by the boys of Mindless Behavior. Now that it’s entered the voting phase, Just Dance Just Give allows participants to vote 5 times a day, encouraging fans to continue coming back. The voting phase will last from July 11th to the 26th and once it’s closed, 10 winners will be showcased on July 27th. From there, Mindless Behavior themselves will pick the winner on July 28th. We’re excited to see the results, and couldn’t be happier with being a part of such an incredible cause!

If you’d like to learn more about CauseBeats, their current campaign and vote on the submissions, check out their website.

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – Save Our Youth

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Giveo

Did you know that only 25% of male minority youth who are juniors and seniors graduate from high school in Denver. Did you also know that only 51% of area high school seniors in Denver graduate? The numbers are shocking; and something that Save Our Youth, a Denver mentoring project, is passionate about changing. Their mission is to transform the lives of at-risk youth through mentor relationships, providing the skills for success in educational, emotional and spiritual development.

Their site states three goals, the first of which is educational development. This is where they seek to improve youth’s connection and commitment to school. Their secondary focus is emotional development, where their goal is to improve youth’s connection and commitment to their mentor, other adults and other peers. Finally, Save Our Youth focuses on spiritual development, where they improve youth’s connection and commitment.

What separates Save Our Youth from other mentoring programs? On average, a mentor match will last for nine months, hardly enough time to make an impression on a youth. SOY’s average mentoring match will last three years, solidifying a meaningful and lasting relationship. Additionally, 90% of mentees graduate high schools while only 30%-40% of minority students graduate from Denver public schools. They don’t just transform lives, they save them.

Starting Monday, Save Our Youth will be running their “What Drives You” campaign, an effort to help the success of the youths entering their Summer Academy. So what drives you? A scooter? An SUV? By donating the cost of one tank of gas, you’ll be helping steer youth toward graduation, and onto a better life that they never would have dreamed possible. To learn more or donate, visit their campaign page or their website. Together we can save our youth!

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – Nonprofit Success Stories

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Giveo

Over the past few months, we’ve shared some incredible campaigns with you that we at Giveo have been proud to provide the tools for. But what has become of these campaigns? Some of them have come to an end, and some of them are still going strong. Below, we’ve gathered some highlights of a few campaigns we’ve featured and what Giveo has helped them accomplish with their personalized campaign platform.

9Cares Colorado Shares recently wrapped up their summer drive, one of two campaigns they run each year to support the food banks of the Denver Metro area and the Front Range. Held at 21 different locations in 11 cities, 9Cares Colorado Shares was able to collect 82,716 pounds of food. Additionally, thanks to King Soopers, cash donations reached an astounding $97,598, $1,000 of which was raise though their Giveo-powered campaign page. This was a 754% increase over last summers drive. They’ve distributed the food to over 125 food banks that needed restocking, bringing hope to thousands across Colorado. But the effort isn’t over. If you want to help your fellow Coloradoans this summer, donations can still be made on the 9Cares campaign page.

A few weeks ago, Blue Sky Bridge held their annual Moveable Feast, a major source of revenue in their efforts to help abused children and their families. Through a night of delicious food, fun and friends, they were able to sell out 12 of their 14 dinners and raise just under $98,000. Participants bought tickets to their preferred dinner through the Giveo platform, which tracked their goals on a micro-level. To learn more about Blue Sky Bridge, check out our previous post about them or their website.

Next up is the Denver Foundation: a passionate organization dedicated to helping families across the Denver Metro area cope with hunger, especially in the summer months when children don’t have the luxury of school-food. Their recent campaign, focused on precisely this issue, ended in a huge success… reaching their goal! With the help of the Giveo platform and the support of community partners such as Mad Greens, Chipotle, Curious Theater, the Denver Outlaws and a generous matching gift from Little Pub Company, the Denver Foundation’s Campaign for Hunger Relief raised $31,194. This will help to lessen the number of children who experience hunger during the summer months. Be sure to visit their website to learn more.

Finally, Flobots.org, a philanthropic effort of none other than the widely popular band, The Flobots, recently ran a campaign to support music mentorship programs in middle schools throughout the Denver area. Through the Giveo platform and the generosity of local businesses that matched donations dollar for dollar, Flobots.org was able to raise over $10,000 for their after-school music programs, which they believe can have a fundamental impact on a child’s life. To learn more or find out how you can get involved, check out their campaign and their website.

We hope these success stories have inspired you to get out there and create one of your own! Not sure where to start? Contact Giveo today and we’ll get you on the road to successfully managing and promoting your campaign using our software and services. Together we can change the future of giving. Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and we’ll see you next week for another installment of Effort’s for Good!

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – F3, Let’s Move & The Lunch Box

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Giveo

In 2009, Chef Ann Cooper—an accomplished chef, writer and advocate of healthy food for children—became fed up with the food being served to kids at schools. She decided to found a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to healthy food at school. And thus, Food Family Farming Foundation, or F3, was born. Their mission? To provide tools that enable all schools, parents, advocates, students, administrators, teachers and food service staff to progress from serving highly processed, unhealthy food to serving fresh, scratch-cooked food.


Lack of healthy food in schools is a major problem that many adults overlook. Think back to the days of when you were in elementary school, eating lunch in your cafeteria. Chances are you, like many Americans, cringe at the thought of what was served. After Michelle Obama caught wind of the changes F3 was striving to make, her Let’s Move! initiative began a beautiful collaboration to begin “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools”, a grassroots effort to bring 6,000 salad bars to schools across the nation in just three years. Giveo, working with the Salad Bars to Schools initiative, has created a text-to-give campaign that lets you contribute to the revolution. You can also learn more and get involved by visiting their website.
The final arm of the F3 Foundation is The Lunch Box: a web portal that provides free and accessible tools, recipes and community connections to support school food reform. In March of 2011, Giveo was charged with obtaining greater insights into the composition of the audience of The Lunch Box. After analyzing their base of supporters, Giveo provided F3 with a detailed segmentation and insights report to provide them a better understanding of the make-up of their database, improve their outreach efforts and increase and strengthen supporter engagement.

This report for F3 was all part of what we like to call “Giveo’s Blueprint for Amazing Campaigns”. The design for successful campaigns starts with insights, segmentation and an environmental scan to drive strategy. These are the elements we’ve perfected to give your campaign what it needs to succeed and gain traction in today’s competitive Web 2.0 environment. In February during Michelle Obama’s one-year recap of Lets Move! Salad Bars to Schools, she noted that they were on track for reaching their goal in two more years and have accomplished more than she could have dreamed. If you’d like to see the same results for your cause, don’t hesitate to contact Giveo today to see how we can help. Keep eating healthy & we’ll see you next week for another segment in Giveo’s “Efforts for Good”!

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – 9Cares Colorado Shares

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Giveo

Since 1983 when they started in the 9News parking lot, 9Cares Colorado Shares has been working to feed, clothe and provide basic necessities to less fortunate families across the region. In just over two decades, their food drive has grown into one of the largest one-day food, clothing and toy drives in Colorado. 9News has made it their mission, responsibility and privilege to enhance the quality of life in their community and this summer, they need your help.

Most people think of summertime as the time of year where kids and families can relax. But what many don’t realize is that families across the state struggle during the summer months to feed their children without the help of school lunch programs. This season, 9Cares Colorado Shares is taking online donations in an effort to help provide basic necessities for families in need throughout the community.

With the current economy, food banks have seen a 35% decrease in donations for families in need. But with your help, 9Cares Colorado Shares will be able to purchase goods such as peanut butter, tuna fish, soups, stews, mac n’ cheese, canned fruits and veggies and toiletry items that will help supply more than 125 food banks across the metro Denver area and along the Front Range.

By donating just $20, they’ll be able to purchase two bags of food. $50 will purchase five bags of food and $100 buys ten bags. This summer, help your community by joining 9Cares and give kids around the state a healthy, happy and fun summer. To learn more about 9Cares Colorado Shares or learn how you can get involved, visit their website. Happy summer, everyone!

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – EFAA

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Giveo

Summer is finally here! For many of us, that means less stress and more time spent relaxingon the patio, sun-soaked days on the beach or in the park and enjoying bountiful barbecues. But, for hundreds of families, summertime can cause extra financial stress when it comes to feeding their kids without the support of the school lunch program. EFAA, the Emergency Family Assistance Association, addresses this problem head on and serves as a hand up forfamilies when life takes a downturn.

As the oldest, most comprehensive and reliable resource for emergency basic needs assistance in Boulder and Broomfield Counties, they make it their main priority to provide a safety net for those that want to remain self-sufficient when experiencing temporary economic challenges, often due to situations beyond their control. In 2010, EFAA helped over 4,000 families with their basic needs, and EFAA’s food bank gave out over 500,000 lbs of food, valued at almost $1,000,000.

Currently, EFAA is running a campaign with a goal of raising $5,000 by June 18th for Boulderand Broomfield county families who need assistance with summertime basic needs. With your help, your neighbors won’t have to worry about feeding their children and canconcentrate on what summer is really about: having fun with family and friends.

To learn more about EFAA and their vision of building a more caring community and a betterfuture for families in crisis, visit their website at EFAA.org. You can also help out families in your area by making a donation at EFAA.giveo.com. Everyone deserves to celebrate summer, and thanks to EFAA, hundreds of families will have an opportunity to do so, worry free.

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Future of Cause Measurement – Our Review of #CMF11

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Giveo

Phew!
Well, Cause Marketing Forum 2011 is finally behind us, and boy, what a conference it was. Five hundred individuals from agencies, non-profits and corporations alike, all driven by social good, gathered together in Chicago for three days of cause marketing goodness. Sessions were had, networking was done, and we’re confident that everyone came away with a better understanding of where the industry is heading in the next year.

One of the hot topics during the conference was measurement.
Questions such as “How do I measure the impact to my brand?” and “How do I quantify engagement?” were asked time and time again, and addressed by various presenters, each with their own opinions on the matter.

What do we think cause marketers should be measuring?
Here at Giveo, we’ve seen that measurement for Web, mobile and social media is still largely focused on brand-level metrics like site visits, views, number of fans, and number of followers. What’s encouraging is that the discussion is slowly starting to include looking at conversion, and not just big picture numbers. Sure, you had 500 visitors to your site today, but did any of them donate? And how much did they donate?  Did they buy your partner’s products?

So this leads us to the question that will define social media marketing:

How do we tie social engagement metrics to real conversion?
During her presentation, Kami Watson Huyse of Zoetica discussed how folks are focused on measuring social engagement, which is great.  We also want to help people marry social engagement with real conversions, like donations, product sales, and petition signatures.

For instance, let’s clearly connect the impact of 5,000 new Facebook followers and 3,000 social shares with the amount of donations made or products sold during the campaign.  Engagement is the base of the pyramid; without engaged and loyal fans and followers you would have a hard time finding new donors. This progression of thinking will help us better convert loyal fans and followers into donors for a cause.

What’s Next?
These are just a few of the questions that Giveo has been working to answer for non-profits and corporations alike. We help brands and non-profits engage with their followers and fans on social media sites and make the act of donating easy and clean though our white-label software. Additionally while helping to convert fans and followers to donors, Giveo’s software provides insightful statistic on whom your donors are and where they are coming from.

Social media offer promotional access to constituents and consumers that cause marketers can no longer ignore, but must also measure.  We had lots of discussions around measurement last week, and we all know that the industry is heading into a bright and exciting future.

We Can Help!
If you want to be at the head of the caravan, contact Giveo today and see what we can do for you and your cause.

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Efforts for Good: Giveo’s Featured Client of the Week – CauseBeats

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Giveo

From Elvis to the Beatles, it’s hard to deny that music has transformed the world time and time again. In the last decade alone, the core of the music industry has been uprooted and re-planted in an increasingly digital era thanks to a device known as the iPod. But recently, one organization sought out to harness the power of music on a mission that would fundamentally change the face of philanthropy in the music industry forever.

Welcome to CauseBeats: a campaign that connects popular recording artists, fans and  non-profits to social causes and mobile giving. Through the influence that music artists have on their fans, CauseBeats aims to provide meaningful opportunities for them to get involved and make an impactful contribution to their community.

Currently Mindless Behavior, one of the nations hottest up and coming boy bands, is kicking off the program by supporting the Boys & Girls Club of America, with a  partnership in Denver. They’ll be sponsoring the “JustDance. Just Give.” video contest, where the winning Boys & Girls Club will receive a party hosted by the boys of Mindless Behavior themselves.

As CauseBeats grows, so does their artist list. Their goal to leverage the collective power of digital technology behind music and social technology to engage and inspire fan bases is quite within reach. They believe that artists and fans can be empowered to make a difference together, and in doing so, hope to utilize music to change the world for the better. To learn more about CauseBeats, get involved or stay up-to-date on the latest news, be sure to check out their website and their blog. And remember: Just Dance, Just Give(o)!

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