Chapter 6: A Reflection

[Founder (Greg Unruh)]

I had a couple of hours to collect my thoughts on a flight from Washington D.C. back to my home in Kansas City today, and I decided it would be a good time to craft another blog entry and reflect back on GiveWithoutGiving.org. Much of what I wrote is repetitive to my previous blog entries, but I did include some additional detail I may have previously left out. If you haven't done so already, be sure to subscribe to my Founder's Blog so you get my updates when I post them.

I've been building a giving program since my late father was first diagnosed with cancer back in July of 2000. My mission was to create a platform where friends and family could exchange their thoughts and prayers for a loved one; while in doing so make a financial contribution to help offset unexpected expenses their loved one may be faced with. The original vision has evolved over time, but my Dad has been and continues to be my inspiration for the program.

When my father was being treated for cancer at M.D. Anderson Research Hospital in Houston, TX, a couple of things stood out. What struck me most was that my Dad was one of literally hundreds of patients going through the exact same experience – and that was just one out of many hospitals treating patients like my Dad. Think of the thousands of people faced with life-changing events on a daily basis. I witnessed first-hand the emotional and financial devastation my Dad’s illness had on our family, but I also noticed our situation wasn’t unique. My Mom would run up phone bills in the hundreds of dollars trying to keep family and friends informed back in Kansas. Their retirement savings evaporated due to their insurance provider not covering some of the experimental treatments and medications prescribed by the doctors. There were countless medical and travel expenses that eventually consumed all of their savings as my Dad was fighting for his life. When my Dad passed in July of 2003, my Mom was left with a financial calamity. She ultimately lost any financial security she once had. Now at age 66 my Mom continues to work instead of enjoying the dream of retirement her and my Dad once shared. The sad reality is that this is the norm instead of the exception for many families.

The personal experience I described above was and continues to be the inspiration behind GiveWithoutGiving.org. GiveWithoutGiving.org is a website where friends and family can purchase space on a virtual billboard, and the proceeds are donated to the specific cause the virtual billboard represents. A virtual billboard can represent an individual or family in need, a specific cause, a church or school, a community, or any organization or club one might want to support. When a contributor purchases space on a virtual billboard, he or she can attach a picture that includes a short message they want to share with those who visit their space on the virtual billboard. Contributors can also attach a link directing visitors to an external website they would like to share or promote. When supporters visit a virtual billboard, they move their mouse pointer over the various pictures that were purchased by contributors. As they move their mouse pointer over a contributor’s picture, a short message from the contributor pops up sharing his or her thoughts about the cause the virtual billboard represents. The visitor can also click on any one of the pictures that occupy a space on a virtual billboard, and be directed to an external website the contributor designated when he or she purchased the space. You can essentially think of it as an interactive message board to support a given cause through what we refer to as virtual billboards and virtual real estate.

The key benefit of the program is that 90% of all earnings are donated by GiveWithoutGiving.org to the cause the virtual billboard represents. For example…if you purchased a single block of space on a virtual billboard representing your son or daughter’s soccer club, it would cost you $10. Of that $10, $9 would be donated by GiveWithoutGiving.org to your son or daughter’s soccer club. The same applies if the cause were a cancer fund for a loved one. The program creates a fun and interactive way for people to financially contribute to a cause they support.

The other benefit is that the program is absolutely FREE. If you have a cause you want to support and raise funds for, there’s no charge or fee to register for a virtual billboard. Once you’ve registered for your virtual billboard and have been approved, you simply start sharing it through your network of friends, family, co-workers, church members, or any other group of people that share a common interest with the cause you are sponsoring. Each virtual billboard has a unique web address that you can share in emails, link to on other websites, or publish in flyers or on business cards.

The added benefit to contributors is that their space on a virtual billboard doesn’t necessarily have to be personal in nature. It could be an advertisement for their business that signifies corporate sponsorship for the cause the virtual billboard represents. For example…you might own ACME, Inc. and want to show your support for the Juvenile Diabetes Association represented by the associated virtual billboard. You could purchase a 20x20 space on the virtual billboard and use your company logo as the picture for your space. You could attach a short message describing your corporate sponsorship and support for the Juvenile Diabetes Association, and also include a link directing visitors to your company website. You’re not only illustrating your company’s support for the Juvenile Diabetes Association, you’re advertising your business to everyone else that visits the virtual billboard and shares your common interest with the Juvenile Diabetes Association. It really becomes a community of peers.

In summary, GiveWithoutGiving.org is a supplemental fundraising program that is designed to drive funds to the specific cause a virtual billboard represents. Unlike other programs, 90% of all revenues are donated to those that need it most – the individual or family in need, the local soccer club, the building fund for your church, the band club, or any other worthwhile cause or organization. GiveWithoutGiving.org retains the remaining 10% to maintain the operational status of the program. This program isn’t designed to replace your current fundraising efforts, but rather compliment them. Please visit http://www.givewithoutgiving.org/ and be sure to subscribe to my Founder’s Blog.