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Dear Friends of SBP,

August 29, 2010 marks the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the incredible devastation that still plagues the greater New Orleans area.  August 29, 2010, however, also marks the beginning of the largest and most enduring charitable response in our country’s history. At the St. Bernard Project, we are grateful for the help of 24,000+ volunteers and thousands of funders who have enabled SBP to rebuild homes for more than 300 hardworking, home-owning families. We appreciate our partners and supporters who have helped us open and successfully operate the only free mental health clinic in the area. And, we are enthusiastic about creating jobs for veterans in residential construction. In this letter, we ask for your help to make sure that the 5th Anniversary is commemorated by action and meaningful efforts to solve solvable problems.

While much progress has been made, for too many clients, the 5th anniversary means just another summer waiting to move back into their storm-devastated home. Today, despite our best efforts, nearly 1,000 families own homes but are still living in FEMA trailers because they can not afford to rebuild. Another 6,000+ families who own homes cannot afford to rebuild.  Mental health problems plague the community and post-Katrina rental prices have increased to the point of being unaffordable.

Just as hope and progress were gaining momentum (The New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl, we elected a new mayor, Treme became a national favorite) another threat emerged and inches closer to the Gulf shores — and the precious marshes that protect St. Bernard and New Orleans — with every passing day. As the Deep Water Horizon spill unleashes vast amounts of oil into the Gulf, residents who already lost their homes now face the loss of their livelihood and lifestyles.

Fortunately, there are solutions and you can help.  In fact, SBP and our clients need your help.  During the month of August, please consider joining SBP’s five-fold efforts in New Orleans by matching with your own five-fold efforts from home. To make an immediate and lasting impact on people’s lives in the New Orleans area, you can:

1. Host a fundraiser to benefit SBP. Click here for some ideas and support materials.

2. Vote for SBP to win $250,000 for our Oil Spill Response in the Pepsi Refresh challenge: Voting starts Aug 2 and we will send a reminder and link on Aug 1. You can vote once a day for 30 days.

3. Make a donation or text “NOLA” to 50555 to donate $5

4. Sign up to come volunteer with SBP this fall/winter

5. Use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and blogs to friends, fans and followers to vote for SBP’s Oil Spill Response in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.

Thanks so much for being part of the SBP team!  To be sure, there is lots of work left to do, but as we have shown, the problems are solvable.

To plan an event, or to learn more about SBP’s efforts, please email your SBP contact, or please email Amanda Catalani at amanda.catalani@stbernardproject.org. Five steps from each of us can ensure that five  years from now, we won’t be wishing that we had done more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to travel the globe over the course of the last few years, and there is no question that traveling has absolutely changed my life for the better on multiple fronts. In short – I’m absolutely hooked and certainly have no plans to stop seeing the world anytime soon. As any backpacker will tell you — once the travel bug hits, it’s extremely hard, if not impossible, to get rid of it. And before I get started with this post, let’s be clear about one thing — traveling WILL change your life.

Thinking of buying a new car? Don’t. Spend that money on traveling instead — I can all but guarantee that your outlook on life will be better and you’ll certainly be a more confident person. To everyone who has not traveled abroad, I think you are doing a huge disservice to yourself by confining yourself to your comfort zone and not experiencing all the world has to offer. Don’t accept not knowing what else is out there. Don’t be fearful of the unknown. Ever wondered what the beaches of Thailand were like? Go experience them! Ever wondered what a dreary spring day in London is like? Go find out! Ever want to see how children can enjoy themselves even though they own literally nothing? Go see with your own eyes.

My international endeavors began right after graduation from the University of Washington when my buddy and I decided to hit the trail and backpacked throughout Europe during the summer of 2005. Going on that first trip abroad was easily the best decision I ever made; I was away for 2 months (my friend stayed 4) and I haven’t looked back since. Prior to that first trip to Europe, I had no idea how vast, complicated, and diverse the world really was. Sure, I had read books, seen images on television and pictures online — but there’s still no substitute for seeing something with your own set of eyes. It was a shock to see business owners who really didn’t care about growing their business and instead were perfectly content with the life they were living. Never before had I seen stores close from 2-6 everyday for siesta. I’m from Seattle where bars close at 2 am and there is no real club scene, so massive clubs with 7 dance floors in places like Spain open all night were certainly something new. Never had someone attempted to steal my wallet WHILE shaking my hand. Never had I been locked out of my hotel room on a balcony on the top floor of a 10 story building at 2 am with no way to communicate with anyone. Never before had I taken a ferry across the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. Never had I sat in the middle of a shouting match between grown men where I couldn’t understand a single word (on the ferry to Morocco). I had never seen the streets of Tangiers, Africa and been to a beach where people were completely shocked to see two white people on the beach. The list of firsts goes on and on.

I believe it was largely as a result of that first trip to Europe that I’ve shed the materialistic mindset that controlled much of my thought process growing up and throughout high school. Raised by a single mom, I have never been rich, but – that said, I was surrounded by materialism (particularly when I got to high school) and, not unlike most teenagers, my extra spending money used to go toward a new stereo, chrome rims for my car, some DVDs, or computer parts. Nowadays, as a result of traveling and coming to the realization of how truly privileged I am, extra money goes towards traveling, going out and creating lasting memories with friends and travelers, and toward nonprofits such as Kiva, Mothers Fighting for Others, and Vittana.

It took me two years to get back out on the travel trail, but my next international endeavor was visiting my friend Kayla Villnow in the Dominican Republic in fall of 2007 (and again in 2008). There, I got my first up close look at poverty for an extended period of time and saw the impact microfinance has on real people below the poverty line in a gorgeous developing country. That first trip in November of 2007 got me completely hooked on microfinance and its ability to help raise people out of poverty. In 2008, I had the pleasure of backpacking through Southeast Asia for 3 weeks. Cambodia is easily one of the most amazing countries I’ve been to. The people there genuinely cared about me as an individual, whereas in Thailand and Vietnam, people were helpful and kind but seemed to just be after my money. The other highlight from that trip was undoubtedly going to the Hong Kong Sevens and watching rugby for the first time in my life. Since that trip to Southeast Asia, I’ve been to Europe twice again. Once in September of last year for Oktoberfest in Munich (the real one) and I’m residing in Santorini, Greece this summer.

Getting out of your shell and experiencing the world is the single best thing you can do for yourself in you want to live life to the fullest and with meaning. If I had stayed in my shell and never experienced other cultures, I most certainly would not be as avid a supporter of microfinance and other philanthropic work as I am today. The combination of my 2007 Dominican Republic trip and this email from Kayla are the two primary reasons myKRO.org exists, and hence a huge reason I’ve met so many amazing people from the microfinance industry. Without traveling and the impact it’s had on me to live a more meaningful and full life, I wouldn’t have met amazing people such as Sloane Berrent (who certainly needs no introduction here), Casey Wilson at Wokai, Ryan Calkins at SeaMO, Sammie Rayner of Lumana, Kushal Chakrabarti of Vittana, and many other passionate people accomplishing amazing things on a daily basis all over the world.

My travel experiences have led me down the path I’m currently taking traveling the globe and working from my laptop, and I’m loving every second of it.

Don’t just THINK about traveling. Do it; the world is waiting for you.

*****

Drew Meyers in co-founder of OhHeyWorld, a multi-author blog focused on backpacking and travel for Generation X & Y that advocates voluntourism. He is also the co-founder and managing editor of myKRO.org, a blog devoted to exploring the world of microfinance. He worked 4 and a half years for Zillow.com. He currently serves as the marketing manager for Virtual Results and YouReach Media in the real estate vertical and does social media consulting for small businesses on the side. In his free time, he enjoys traveling the world and spending quality time with passionate people.

Twitter | Personal blog

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As a child, summer was always a time to run free – free from dreaded homework assignments, washing after dinner dishes, and free from the tedious chore of layering clothes to keep warm during harsh upstate NY winters.  In my 20s and 30s, summer became a time of extra hours of daylight to celebrate with cocktails/wine with friends, long runs in the park and extra dog walk time.  But over the last few years, summer has meant a zap of extra energy that I could pour into my passion of supporting nonprofit organizations.

This summer seems somewhat different, however.  I can’t pinpoint the exact reasons, but perhaps knowing that I’m shortly embarking on a new career as well as reading the blaring daily headlines about the tragedy in the Gulf, I seem to have even more enthusiasm and energy to support the causes that I’m passionate about.

So here’s my thought.  What if we could take the extra 3-4 hours of sunshine that we are so graciously provided each June, July, August (and even September) and use that time to give back to some of those fabulous organizations that NEED help.  For EVERY interest, passion, category, location that exists, there is a worthy nonprofit organization that is dying for volunteers and support – young and old.  Below, I’m going to share with you some of my treasured ones and suggest you take peek.

Have you ever thought of planting a fish?  Now, I know you’ve probably planted a tree before, perhaps ever several, but have you ever considered “planting” an oyster or another sea creature?  Intrigued?  If so, check out Plant A Fish a new nonprofit founded by Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the legendary ocean explorer, Jacques Yves Cousteau!  Fabien’s goal is to help children and communities around the world “replant” key species in their local waterways – rivers, lakes and oceans.  The organization will also be helping with the relocation of various sea animals affected by the Gulf Oil Spill.  If you are passionate about our planet, the outdoor world and the environment, I encourage you to sign up today.  Within the next few years, there will be Plant A Fish communities created in cities around the world.  Follow on Twitter: @plantafish.

Job creation.  Nice thought, don’t you think?  Have you ever considered how much holding a job can mean to someone?  We often take for granted the fact that a paycheck comes every week or so, but there are millions around the world that aren’t so fortunate as that.  What if you could help women in areas of the world affected by war and conflict, build their businesses and create employment – places like Afghanistan, El Salvador, Rwanda and Bosnia?  What if you could use the skills you have acquired over the years to help train others to run more efficient and profitable businesses?  Well, if you join Bpeace, you can do just that and become part of a global network of business women and men that are making a huge different in peoples’ lives.  Whether you choose to visit one of the above-mentioned countries and provide expertise on the ground, or work while at your laptop or mobile device, Bpeace can truly use your brainpower. Follow on Twitter: @bpeacehq

Another very special organization worth a look is ManUp, a nonprofit campaign dedicated to empowering youth around the world to stop violence against women and girls.  You can visit the site regularly to view new advocacy opportunities , adopt an educational or a community activity that you can introduce to your school or community group, submit an article to their blog post a comment on the Man Up Blog, join the Man Up Facebook page, or just keep the dialogue going.  Founder, Jimmie Briggs, previously was a news reporter who witnessed one too many tragedies.  With that he decided to it was time use his voice to make a difference.  You can join him and his team and support their gallant efforts.  As I type, the team is in South Africa about to commence a global conference teaching individuals how to stop such violence in their own communities.

For the teen crowd reading this post as well as moms and dads that look after a teenager or possibly several, check out the fabulous DoSomething.org.  I have literally fallen in love with the team that tirelessly keeps this organization’s engine humming.  The CEO’s title is actually “Chief Old Person” and the mission is ALL about helping teens do just that – DO SOMETHING!  The mission is using the power of ‘online’ to get teens to do something ‘offline’.  Essentially, you can visit the site, search by location and interest and find the organization that is most appealing to your interests and then join – be it helping with animal welfare causes, hunger relief programs, homelessness, human rights issues, or fighting poverty and many many more.  Check it out today.  Follow on Twitter: @dosomething

And don’t forget Witness, founded by activist and musician, Peter Gabriel, in 1992, after he “witnessed” how the video of police beating Rodney King in Los Angeles spread so rapidly around the world.  Witness provides training and support to local groups globally so that they can use video to showcase human rights advocacy campaigns. Beyond providing video cameras and editing equipment, WITNESS helps provide exposure for human rights abuses via key partners in all corners of the globe. Interesting to note, Witness was using the power of social media long before Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube became part of our every day lives.  The organization is always looking for talented volunteers and provide a wealth of information on its website.  Follow on Twitter: @Witnessorg

A final few to mention:  Plastic Pollution Coalition, Executives Without Borders and Women for Women International.

I could go on and on as there are so many truly valuable organizations that exist here in the States and abroad.  Write to me if you have others that I should visit.  Believe me, for every day of the week and every hour of each day, there is a world of good you can do.  Take a few hours of the extra light we are granted to find what will make you shine while helping others along the way…

*****
Susan (@susanmcp1) is a connector and active cause marketer. She is member of the board of Bpeace, a nonprofit dedicated to providing pro-bono consulting to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Rwanda, Bosnia and El Salvador. She also is a member of Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the New York Leadership team for 85 Broads. Additionally, she serves on the advisor to JANERA and The OpEd Project.  Professionally, Susan has worked at PR Newswire for 14+ years in CSR, business development and marketing roles and has just accepted a senior vice president position at Fenton, starting late in July.  She resides in Brooklyn and can be found many summer evenings blogging, tweeting and volunteering from her roof deck garden.

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Photo Credit Kris Krug / Static Photography. View more photos from TEDxOil Spill Expedition on Flickr.

As I sit here writing this, up to 100 million gallons of oil has spewed into the gulf and as it continues to do so, it is destroying our fragile ecosystem and people’s livelihoods. We cannot just sit, watch the news and continue to say, “This is horrible!” and, “How could this happen?” without some action to back it up. This problem is our problem now and we need to stand up and help where ever and however we can.

WHO IS HELPING THE GULF COAST REGION?

There are so many groups doing amazing work along the Gulf coastlines.  After days of due diligence and research, our co-producer Sloane Berrent came back to the group with multiple nonprofits to partner with and options but we all narrowed in on the Gulf Restoration Network’s new initiative, Gulf Future, because we all thought it reflected our mission. Support the coastal and fishing communities, restore the marine and costal environments and, maybe most important, make people aware and responsible for what has happened in the Gulf so history does not repeat itself in the future.

HOW ARE WE RAISING MONEY?

Naturally owning The Roxy in Los Angeles, I thought we should throw a benefit concert, but then wondering how to make it really have an impact, it came to me, what if we reached out to our neighbor businesses to see if we could all work together and really take something as simple as a benefit concert and turn it into a wave of action. I then reached out to Casey Phillips, who I knew as a true New Orleans man and someone who had a real “on the ground” pulse of what was happening. Not only was he a native of the area but also the talent buyer for multiple clubs including our own Sunset Strip neighbor, The Viper Room. Casey echoed my same thoughts and went into action immediately bringing in Sloane Berrent and The Roxy’s Megan Jacobs along with a team of people who knew something had to be done now. Three weeks and a couple of thousands emails later, we now have over 50 independent music venues and over 100 bands fighting for the cause.

All the venues will send their gate revenues from these shows directly to Gulf Restoration Network within 72 hours of our shows.  Also, our donation widget send funds directly to the Gulf Restoration Network’s account so we don’t ever touch the donations and they all go directly to the nonprofit partner. We’re making sure it gets into the hands of community groups like Bayou Grace and St. Bernard Community Center within weeks and we’ll be sharing that with those who made donations both online and through attending events through social networks and follow up blog posts with our partners.

WE HAVE VENUES, NOW WE NEED TALENT….

The Roxy, The Viper Room, The Comedy Store and Tipitinas are among dozens of the nations best clubs and music venues that are coming together in solidarity to fundraise for gulf oil spill communities on July, 1st. Plus individuals have planned smaller events to support our efforts across 11 countries, it’s pretty incredible!

This is our call to action as it is for all the bands that our participating in this national one day event and we’ve gotten such incredible talent including:

Rebelution / Galactic / Kaki King / Mickey Avalon / Ben Lee / Guitar Shorty / Iglu & Hartly / Ivan Neville / Cisco & Shwayze / Walter Wolfman Washington  / Sarah Borges / Coco Robicheaux / Beardo / Wicker / Lost Bayou Ramblers / Rotary Downs / Daryl Hannah / Dave Faustino/ Ed Begley Jr

Although I’m unsatisfied with the clean up and the support that the fisherman have received so far, I am inspired to know that all over the world people are signing up and either giving their time and effort or donating money to make a difference in the spill zone. That gives me great hope that when we look to our neighbors, no matter how close or far away they may be, we will always come together to help the ones in need, that is what our great country is best at. What we have put together is only the beginning of a long line of projects that others will continue to do until every drop of oil is cleaned up, every bird and fish healthy and every person who has been directly affected by this has been compensated. We can only accept yelling at the TV after we have done something to make difference so please get involved anyway you can. The time is now!

*****

You don’t have to start a charity or donate hours upon hours of your time to make a difference in your community. Just try cleaning out your closet! This is something that most of us do anyhow, and you can make the most of it by making sure that your gently used garments go to a thrift store or charity that benefits your local community.

Here in Pittsburgh, where I live, I have worked closely with the thrift and consignment stores owned by the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section. Their thrift stores accept all kinds of thrifty goods such as clothing, furniture and home accessories and at their upscale consignment store you will find women’s clothing, shoes and accessories with an exclusive pedigree. Donating items to these stores allows the NCJW to raise money for their many local projects such as Suit Yourself, which provides free business clothing to people re-entering the workforce, and Children’s Rooms in the Courts, which provides ano-cost place for kids to play rather than listening to their parents battle it out in court.

Working with the NCJW, I found that the way to really help them raise money goes beyond donating items, they need you to shop with them for new things! This is how the stores make money and the organization can continue to do good work locally. So if you want to have a cause filled summer, get out and shop for a cause!
Resale stores are not all outdated and unwanted items. I have found some of my greatest finds there. Actually, much of the wardrobe for Sloane Berrent’s Cause It’s My Birthday! tour was sourced from local resale shops that invest in the community. Discounted items were good for her pocket, and she was able to dress in style.

To find a resale shop near you check out the National Association of Resale Professionals. However, this site does not list if stores are charity-geared, so please call ahead to check.

If you are not in the mood to shop, there are many options for donating to charities where you know the pieces will be worn and loved by someone. You are never going to wear that prom dress or bridesmaid dress again and there are thousands of high school girls around the country who cannot afford a new prom dress. Try doing a search on DonateMyDress.org for a gown drop off near you. Rather than piling up in a thrift store, where your dress may be selected as a Halloween costume, the charities listed on Donate My Dress give the gowns to young girls who need them. This a great self confidence booster and can make such a difference in someone’s life.

There are many other options for how to donate your unwanted clothes and accessories in a meaningful way. What I really wanted to convey here is that giving back to your community can be as easy as cleaning out your closet, everyone can do it and it is a small amount of effort to make a big difference in the lives of those around you.

On top of all the goodwill that recycling your clothes will create, also consider the green aspect. If we all shopped more at resale shops, rather than buying new every time, there would be far fewer pesticides and less energy used to produce new fabrics and garments. The ultimate eco-friendly fashion is reusing existing items. Try hemming a vintage dress to mini-skirt length, or dying a yellowed white blouse hot pink to refresh pre-loved items.  Vintage items also tend to be better made and will last longer than fast fashion finds.

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Tori Mistick has been recognized as one of the top young professionals in Pittsburgh.  She has worked for a lifestyle magazine, an eco-friendly fashion accessories company, a national high-end retailer and for an ad agency as the in-house Social Media expert. Tori holds a Certificate in Fashion Promotion from London College of Fashion and a Bachelors degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Duquesne University. Combing these two specialties and passions, Tori recently started her own eponymous company doing social media marketing consulting for small businesses and boutiques.

Tori believes the worst crime of fashion is to blend in, and vies to be unique in everything she does for herself and her clients. In addition to managing social media for a variety of clients, Tori can often be found in the city’s parks with her chocolate lab or putting the finishing touches on one of her own fashion designs.  She is continually inspired to use existing items in new ways, especially when it comes to fashion. Check out her blog Eco-Fashionista for eco-friendly fashion news and ideas. If you are up for it, also visit Tori’s other blog Free Fashion Advice for the ugly truth on Pittsburgh style.

A huge thank you to Jill Foster, Geoff Livingston, Dan Morrison, and May Yu. Through Citizen Effect’s #CitizenGulf campaign, they came to explore the Gulf Coast, meet with nonprofits and find out how they could best help the efforts going on here for recovery and to encourage citizen philanthropy (a favorite topic of mine you all know).

Since I’m smack in the middle of co-producing tomorrow night’s Gulf Benefit Concerts (85 and counting in 11 countries), I couldn’t be with them during the day as they went to St. Bernard Community Center, to visit Catholic Charities and other wonderful groups, but we did get together for dinner last night at Cochon to talk about giving, New Orleans, my experiences here (and frankly travel stories I hadn’t told in awhile including tales from my Burma trip last summer).

To be around such incredible minds, giving souls and dedicated citizen philanthropists was engaging and inspiring. And then it was even better because they were able to help promote tomorrow’s events through the iReport above and also through an exciting blog post tomorrow (publication TBD) and their own social networks.

They kept saying, “Thank you so much for taking time away from the benefit shows to have dinner with us, we know you have so much to do!”

But really, it’s a thank you to them. For coming here and learning. For being open to the experience and being emotionally drained and exhausted, for wanting to keep giving and find more ways for their communities (online and off) to be engaged down here. It was the least I could to do give them my 110% (the very best Sloane I could be) because the emails, the follow up, the Gulf Coast stuff – that was there waiting for me when I got home to my place in the French Quarter last night.

Offline comes before online always. Remember that.

If you like what I’m rapping about in the video above, I hope you’ll attend a benefit concert in YOUR area tomorrow night (or get some friends together for an awareness party if your city doesn’t have an event) AND MAKE A DONATION to support our efforts. After all, 100% of donations are going to Gulf Restoration Network and it all then goes directly to the communities in need. No loopholes. No delay.

Tomorrow isn’t just the day of the benefits, and it’s not the end of this effort by any means. It’s only the beginning.

Yours,
Sloane

*****

On the 43rd floor in Downtown Los Angeles, I trouble-shoot multi-million dollar water projects with a talented team of engineers at a corporate civil engineering firm. Although I’ve served as a water resources consultant managing Southern California’s water issues over the last decade, I had recently found myself longing for more. There was something inside of me that was trying to come forth; it was a piece of me that I had not yet explored.

At the age of 29, I was somewhat familiar with this feeling; the inkling to grow, give, foster. I knew that volunteering was a great way to discover a little more about myself, as I had experienced through philanthropic efforts with Answer With Action, Step Up Women’s Network, and Thirst Project. My career as a water resources consultant gave me much to be proud of; I had secured over $25 million in funding for water projects and managed the implementation of $500 million under the Proposition O water quality bond measure for the City of Los Angeles. I was implementing innovative engineering projects to protect our natural environment and public health. However, my life was off balance, my passion was fading and I was searching for that something else.

In January 2010, there was a feeling in the air. It was the start of a new year and I was at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market when I received a flyer about a new eco-friendly yoga studio opening up just down the street from my apartment. YogaCo was a new donation-run studio in Santa Monica offering a Yoga Teacher Training program. After 10 years of practicing yoga, I wondered if there was more to yoga aside from all those postures. I decided to say yes to this new opportunity and I enrolled in the course.

Tamal Dodge led me through 3 months of intense study of Yoga Asanas (postures), Anatomy, and Yoga Philosophy. An amazing group of 25 individuals embarked on this journey with me. Over the course, I felt that inkling inside grow and expand until it took over my entire body and it became me – or rather I became it. I was full of wanderlust and enthusiasm. It was as if I became a child again, curious about life, people, energy, beliefs. I let go of fear, societal expectations, and insecurities and what I found was more profound than any sweat-dripping, back-bending, arm-twisting, vinyasa flow sequence; I found myself.

It was at this moment that I opened up and said, “Ah!” and I knew that I was here to share this feeling of self-realization with others. It’s a process of letting go and reconnecting with who you truly are. I realized that the best way to change the world is not by mimicking Gandhi or Mother Theresa, but by simply being you. In our purest form, free of the world’s attachments, we are all perfect. After the training, I immediately reduced my corporate hours and started teaching Vinyasa Flow Classes at YogaCo, teen yoga at Crossroads, and private sessions throughout Los Angeles.

Teaching yoga has been an incredible experience. I watch my students blossom into being during every class. It has truly brought a balance into my life, letting me flow from the high rise to the yoga mat with ease. I am here to help others achieve this balance of pure joy and happiness, and I plan to do it one “Ah!” at a time.

*****
Joey Soto has served as a pioneer in water issues over the last decade through her work as a water resources consultant and community philanthropist. With her technical expertise and visionary perspective, she is known for bridging the communication gap between engineers and scientists with members of the community and public officials. She has voluntarily conducted presentations for community groups and served on panels related to water issues and social change. Most recently, Joey has assisted the ThirstProject with raising awareness of global water issues for schools across the U.S.

Joey has been a yoga practitioner for the past ten years and recently completed the 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training at YogaCo, a new eco-friendly studio located in Santa Monica, CA. Joey teaches Vinyasa flow – all levels classes to public and private clients. Ms. Soto currently teaches at YogaCo, volunteers at Crossroads High School, and teaches Private Classes throughout Los Angeles. You can find her on Twitter via @JSotoH20.

What to help and GET INVOLVED? Read more or skip to the get involved part!

Along with Nic Adler, owner of The Roxy on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, CA; Megan Jacobs of The Roxy, Casey Phillips, talent buyer for venues including Tipitina’s in New Orleans and Viper Room & The Mint in Los Angeles, and a terrific support team, we have over 25 venues on board nationally to support this effort with 100% of proceeds going DIRECTLY to the Gulf Restoration Network (@healthygulf on Twitter) and their community-based effort called Gulf Future.

Daryl Hannah, Dave Faustino, Ed Begley Jr., Rebelution, Nicky Avalon and venues like The Roxy, Viper Room, Spaceland, The Echo, The Mint, Fais Do Do, The Comedy Store, Tipitina’s, Press Room and more are involved have enlisted their efforts to help! Volunteers in each city and music industry heavy-hitters are jumping in. Now it’s YOUR TURN!

Is it ambitious to gather music venues around the country to donate ticket sales on July 1st and create an online giving platform that encourages donations to the relief efforts? You betcha. But the people, wildlife and wetlands affected need our support and we’ve combined efforts and networks to make this successful and meaningful for those in the Gulf Coast.

Revenues from ticket sales will be donated to help the fishermen and their families along the Gulf Coast cope with this disaster and aid wildlife and wetlands restoration for the Gulf Coast. Over 25 venues have been confirmed and more are being added every day. Artists performing include national as well as local acts across the US.

“We know through music and the generosity of people that we can help make a difference in the Gulf Coast.” Adler says. “We hope this inspires others to make a donation, attend an event and get involved.”

The wetlands and wildlife are in desperate need of our attention now and we can’t wait for BP to take care of those in need. Many of our fellow Americans will have no livelihood, are preparing to leave their homes and are now lining up for food handouts. With hurricane season on the horizon, there is reason for great concern and it’s crucial the affected communities be prepared for the worst.

What YOU can do!
1) Make a donation! We’re using a WhatGives donation widget where 100% of donations go to Gulf Restoration Network. GRN is distributing the funds directly to community groups after July 1st. You can also put this donation widget on YOUR site!

2) Attend one of the 25+ shows around the country on July 1st! The venue lineup is almost complete. The website and Meetup Everywhere widget are being updated daily. Or go DIRECTLY to the venue’s website and buy tickets. Invite your friends. Have them buy tickets. 100% of proceeds from the door are being donated. Venues from LA to Kansas City and Portsmouth to Aspen are participating. Don’t see a venue in your city? Plan an event of your own on Meetup Everywhere or make a straight donation!

3) Follow @gulfbenefit on Twitter and friend us on Facebook. Put our Twibbon on your Facebook and Twitter profile!

Stay involved! Post the following message:

#RockTheSpill with @GulfBenefit on July 1st at a venue near you! http://bit.ly/gulfbenefit #oilspill #gulf #bp

4) Blog about it! Email your friends! Tell your press and PR contacts that this is an awesome story to cover. You can use copy from our online press release or from this blog post. Every little bit helps.

5) Join the Google Group! We’re creating conversation about what people can do to help – yes for these concerts but beyond this as well. Join TODAY and enter our conversation about more ways to help.

There is a lot of work to be done between now and July 1st. I’m tireless and fearless when it comes to lending a hand and helping others. Are you? Questions, comments, feedback – I welcome them all!

Email me at sloane@thecausemopolitan.com or contact me via Twitter through @sloane.

To a better tomorrow than we have today,
Sloane

I was recently invited to speak at the Association of Fund Raising Professionals (AFP) Fund Raising Day NYC. It’s their largest single-day conference dedicated to the development and fund raising professionals and a huge honor. I was invited into the Internet and Technology track and presented on emerging technologies and tools that nonprofits could use to help fundraising online.

Full details:

Emerging Channels, Emerging Prospects: Building Community Using the Next Generation of Web Marketing and Social Networking Tools.

Questions like “Why aren’t you on Twitter? What’s your Facebook or YouTube strategy? How do we monetize our investments in social media?” are increasingly common. It’s not enough to just have a presence. Organizations need to have clear direction for maximizing their social media resources. Two experts in this emerging field will provide real world case studies for devising effective social media strategies and integrating these channels into your sustainable marketing efforts and what this all means for your budget and staffing.
You’ll Learn:

* To look at social media as part of your overall donor cultivation strategy.
* Strategy tips and case study examples for fundraising campaigns that have been a success, those that haven’t and the why & why nots.
* Tech tools, APIs and tools from the insider’s toolbox to use at your organization, no matter the size or bandwidth.

A huge thank you to Steve Jacobson from JCA who invited me to present and to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, who featured me in a story based on my Cause It’s My Birthday campaign to raise money for malaria nets through an online fund raising campaign and offline series of parties. It was that campaign that I used for the first case study in my presentation, which you can see above from SlideShare.

I was thrilled to be joined by Christopher Maddocks, Director of Information Management and Technology, Children’s Hospital Boston as we split our presentations across different tools included listening and monitoring tools, social media and social network management, and ways to engage with donors.

I come from a traditional fund raising background and felt so at home at the conference all day. The keynote speaker during lunch was Geoffrey Canada, CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone and he was irreverent in his story telling and jokes that ONLY a fund raiser would get. We all laughed together and it was amazing to me to think it that room of 1,000 that we ALL look to the giving and philanthropy of others to push social action in nonprofits forward.

I was reminded of the ambient intimacy I feel with fund raisers. Though I’m not in their midst daily, I do always have my fund raising hat on and I think about PEOPLE and COMMUNITY all the time.

The biggest takeaways (technology examples and case studies were included with each)…

• Fish where the fish are – use social networks to engage donors
• Quantify giving – where does that $25 donation go?
• Be transparent in where donations go and what you take for overhead
• Customizing campaigns matters – spending the extra time targeting donors pays off
• Use free technology tools to analyze your efforts. Every act online is measurable
• You can never say thank you enough when acknowledging donors

So get out there and happy fund raising!

Photo Credit Kris Krug / Static Photography. Photo on Flickr. View more photos from TEDxOil Spill Expedition on Flickr.

Here in the Gulf Coast, the effect from the oil spill is overwhelming. An entire way of life is gone forever. It’s not an overly dramatic statement. The entire fishing industry will never recovery and people who have worked on the water their whole life (or whose professions rely on water-based industries) are now without a viable way to make money. What’s worse is that many of the areas hardest hit are actually the same areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. What that means is that many of those communities are still repaying loans from Katrina and are unable to take on a second loan from the SBA, even with deferred payment.

A phrase heard from natives about natural and unnatural disasters that have attacked this region is, “When CNN goes away, the lawyers come out to play.” How tragic and deplorable to think that if the national media veers their attention that BP won’t hold itself accountable for decimating the livelihood of thousands of families, recreation activities for the entire region and destroying the wildlife and wetlands that the entire country depend on to keep our fragile eco-sysytem in place.

I therefore implore you to do what you can to keep this topic top of mind. That can mean using your own social networks to tell stories, re-share photos taken, signing petitions to lawmakers, making donations to nonprofits doing direct relief work, create ways for your industry or business to give back and keep pushing forward. The “disaster fatigue” is upon us that sets in during enormous devastation and I applaud so many of you out there reading this for your hard work and precious time in helping those who need it. You inspire me.

Yours in better times,
Sloane

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Edited from an original post published on June 20, 2010 as a NOLAlicious special edition called “Gulf Oil Spill Special Edition.” For more information on NOLAlicious or to sign up for the weekly e-newsletter, visit our website NOLAlicious.com.
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News Updates

From The New York Times Interactive Map to the Oil Reporter Mobile Application, there are many resources gathering information and sharing photos, videos, blog and news updates from the entire Gulf Region. One site to bookmark is WWOZ’s BP Oil Disaster Resource and Update page. You can find more information like what is listed here that can help build your own resource guide of information surrounding the disaster.

Donate

There are many small community groups making an immediate impact in the Gulf Coast region where your donations will be put to use immediately. To help you, follow this Twitter list of organizations to support. Another great opportunity to give is during Monday night’s 2-hour CNN telethon special. You can direct your donations to one of three national nonprofits, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy or the United Way. If you remember, the CNN Haiti telethon raised over $5 million, and these national endeavors are critical fundraising channels for giving back on a national scale.

Gatherings for Good

Follow @TEDxOilSpill, or attend the event June 28th in Washington DC where leaders around the country and across industries including government agencies, NGOs, and environmental groups are coming together to tackle the tough questions raised by the recent and ongoing environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Topics will include mitigation of the spill and the impending cleanup efforts; energy alternatives; policy and economics; as well as new technology that can help us build a self-reliant culture. There are 72 Meetups happening around the country that day (including this one in New Orleans) so you can participate where ever you are.

Volunteer

LA Gulf Response is collecting names for possible upcoming volunteer opportunities around the Gulf Region. Its important to note that the health affects of the oil spill and it’s air-borne particles are not known, and most relief agencies are looking for skilled volunteers or to hire those from the local community who need income to help. Much of the area around the oil spill is highly-restricted, follow the agencies supporting this response effort for more information.

Purchase Power

Most products supporting Gulf Coast nonprofits have sold out in a heartbeat (including this one from Threadless) but one to jump on is the collaboration between Fleurty Girl and the Audubon Institute’s Louisiana Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Rescue Program (LMMSTRP). 100% of the net proceeds from the sales of this T-shirt, called “Rescue Me”, go towards the Audubon program. Another is from We Add Up, with your custom number on the shirt totaling people making a difference.

Lagniappe

@BPGlobalPR is NOT actually the BP PR team on Twitter. It’s an account started by humorist Leroy Stick. His satire is sharp while raising awareness to the actions of BP and those responding to the spill. The account has over 160,000 followers (versus 12,000 for the real BP Twitter account). It’s not a laughing matter, but these tweets will bring a smirk to your face and we all need something light hearted. His “BP CARES” T-shirts can be purchased here and 100% of the proceeds go to the Gulf Restoration Network