We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus on the site lately due to personal circumstances, but are expecting things to liven up a bit very soon! Stay tuned and keep giving.

over the past few days, i’ve come across a number of sites that are selling prints, with all proceeds going to support haiti. it’s so awesome seeing artist communities giving back like this–doing what they can to help.

such a great opportunity to get an awesome piece of art, while supporting the relief efforts in haiti!! here’s a few sites i’ve come across…

emerging photographers support the people of haiti
charity print auctions
switchcities
lovelight prints
magcloud magazine
bohemian secret actions
michelle moore photography print auction

© scotty perry seen here

know of any other sites, please let us know and we’ll add them here in the post.

have you seen this???

i just discovered this fabulous site today.  photographers donate prints and 100% of the profits go to the photographers’ chosen charities.  as the site states–great photos for the greater good.  how awesome is that!!

i’m going to inquire about participating today.  hopefully i can give.  and hopefully max’s ring of fire will gain all the profits.

ETA: collect. give is not looking for submissions for participation right now.

i’ll keep you posted.  keeping my fingers crossed!

Simple, beautiful, profound — this is a message that our culture needs to hear. Stop shopping meaninglessly — and give meaningfully. See more at the Advent Conspiracy Project.

a couple weeks ago, i kept seeing a commercial…celebrities encouraging giving.  it just so happened that the commercials i saw were encouraging the support of military families. i kept thinking that i had to remember the organization, so i could google what it was all about…but of course, i didn’t remember the first couple times. then the other day, i saw the commercial again and went right to the computer to check things out.

surprisingly enough, i learned that the organization was actually founded 67 years ago by samuel goldwyn.  the foundation revolves around the entertainment industry using their collective powers to raise awareness, fund and create a positive impact in the community–working to gain support for health, educational and social issues, such as military families, well-being, education & children, community health and environment conservation.

if you’ve ever thought about giving, i encourage you to take a couple minutes to check out the iparticipate web site. one of the great things is that there truly is something for everyone.

being a military family, i of course, clicked around the support military families section and found the welcome back veterans organization. on their web site, you can do something as simple as writing a thank you note to a veteran.  how easy is that!

there’s so many ways to create good…
what will you do?

this is a snippet of the commercial i saw…

are you struggling with how to give?

tara whitney’s recent project “whitney wells” is an amazing example of rallying around a cause and supporting it with time and funding. her entire family is on board — her kids even proposed ideas on how they’d like to contribute. Her post and call to action:

This year the idea of ‘giving back’ has been a pretty consistent theme in many of the conversations Jeff and I have. We talk often about the different things we see that are wrong in our world and what might be the best way to change or help them. Jeff in particular is incredibly passionate about this subject and will spend days and hours thinking about things only to come to me and do a complete mind dump rant about his ideas. The one thing that has always been a roadblock for both of us is “which one do we choose?” and “should we possibly start our own charity?” and “if so, what should we do?”

I think a lot of people have the same problem. You have money and time to give but have no idea where to give it. There are so many causes out there that need our help, how do you possibly choose just one to support? There are also scams out there and people who aren’t doing exactly what they say they are with donated money. How do you know who to trust? And even another block for me is the complicated nature of many charities. Where is your money or time going, exactly? Who are you helping, exactly? I want to know those things.

So, when Charity Water landed in my lap I was moved to tears immediately.

I emailed a link to Jeff saying, “I can see us starting something like this of our own.” It was so simple, and so effective, and so personal.

Jeff responded with, “Why start something new? This is exactly what we have been looking for. Lets join up!”

We quickly decided that we wanted the whole family to be involved. We gathered the four kids and showed the video one afternoon. We didn’t say a thing, just asked them to sit and watch. Neither of us wanted to push our agenda, we wanted to see what their reactions would be before we said a thing. We wanted them to WANT to do this. At the end of the short clip, there was a chorus of, “I want to give up my birthday too!” and we were totally delighted and surprised.

The ideas kept rolling in:
“Let’s make cards and fliers and pass them out at school!”
“Let’s give up everything we drink BUT water and donate what we would have spent on soda and juice!”
“Let’s post on mom’s blog and ask for help!”
“We can email our entire family!”
“I can raffle off a photo shoot!”
etc

We let them choose our campaign name: “Whitney Wells” and how much we would love to earn: “$10,000!

$10,000 will give water to five HUNDRED people. One HUNDRED families. TWO entire communities. The idea that my small family of six could be in some way a part of doing this gives me that butterfly feeling in my chest.

We started our campaign with our own donation of $500 – the amount we would spend on our birthdays this year. (There is a frutratingly unfortunate glitch in the system and our first donation isn’t showing up on our campaign page. Ergh! We are in contact with the awesome people at charity water and they have confirmed our donation did make it in and are working on fixing the glitch.)

And now we are asking you. Please help give the world clean water. Turn your tap, flush your toilet, push “water” on the door of your fridge and be so, so grateful for what we have. And think of the agony so many people in our world go through every day just to get a single sip.

Please donate any amount that you can. Nothing is too small. Any amount helps us to reach our goal. Just $20 gives ONE PERSON clean water for TWENTY YEARS. If four of you donate $5 we reach that goal for one person.”

charitywater.org

We love the idea at the give ten project and are going to start by giving $10 to the cause. We’d other give ten readers can do the same. Support the Whitney Wells Charity Water project here. Or, start your own campaign here.

Have you begun a campaign for a cause that’s near and dear to your heart? Do you have a story that will inspire giving? Share it with us in the comments or via email.

last weekend, i flew to san diego, to photograph a couple families.  but what i want to write about here is what happened on the flight home…

i was glancing through spirit, the airplane magazine, and came across an article entitled your entrepreneur handbook. and it was there that i read this powerful message:

chase the vision, not the money. make sure that your business has a greater purpose beyond the bottom line. figure out what you’d be so passionate about doing that you’d be happy doing it for 10 years even if you made no money from it. and then go do it. the ironic thing is that if you are actually chasing the vision and not the money, the money will follow because your customers and employees will be able to sense your passion, and they will want to help you succeed.

the words were from tony hsieh, founder of zappos, when he was asked, what is the best advice you can give a new entrepreneur?

incredible words of wisdom, huh?
be passionate.
love what you’re doing.
be happy.
have a greater purpose beyond the bottom line.

yes. incredible, inspiring, encouraging indeed!

operation smile

Are you ready to help create a smile?

Family Portrait Month is a national promotion during October, allowing professional photographers and families to raise money together for children in need of smiles.

If you are a member of PPA, you can support Operation Smile by participating in Family Portrait month starting in October. According to PPA, “the only requirement is those minimum $25 donations to PPA Charities for each family portrait session occurring during October. Otherwise, you are free to decide how much to contribute–an entire session fee, part of a session fee, a percentage of each sale, or a specified amount of $25 or more. If you choose, you can even accept donations for Operation Smile year-round, not just in October.”

For only $25 you can help make a difference — that’s less than a dollar a day for the month or about 8 Starbucks Lattes.

Get more information on PPA’s web site here — or continue reading for FAQ’s about the program.

FAQ’s (from the PPA web site)

In developing Family Portrait Month as a high-profile charitable marketing promotion, PPA Charities’ leadership has intentionally left it up to individual studios to decide how they wish to market and raise funds to benefit Operation Smile.

How can I participate?

Any PPA-member studio can participate in this promotion if they:

* Make a minimum donation of $25 to PPA Charities (an annual donation, payable each year that you choose to participate in the promotion).
* Contribute a minimum donation of $25 per session made during the national Family Portrait Month promotion.

What are the requirements?

The only requirement is those minimum $25 donations to PPA Charities for each family portrait session occurring during October. Otherwise, you are free to decide how much to contribute–an entire session fee, part of a session fee, a percentage of each sale, or a specified amount of $25 or more. If you choose, you can even accept donations for Operation Smile year-round, not just in October.

Other options?

If you prefer, you can make a personal donation PPA Charities on behalf of Operation Smile. Remember that it takes only $240 to buy the gift of surgery for a deserving child. So ask yourself: How Many Smiles Can I Buy?

What information or help will I get?

Once registered as a participant (and your $25 minimum donation to PPA Charities is processed), you will receive helpful information and ideas, and your own information will be listed in several places.

* You will receive an e-mail that provides password-protected access to marketing tips, written resources, and downloads. On this site you will also find real-world information on how different photographers have used Family Portrait Month in their own marketing programs, and other ways in which they have contributed to Operation Smile.These online resources are for your inspiration and use.
* We ask that you check this site often to learn about additional promotional ideas and news items about PPA Charities, Family Portrait Month, and Operation Fee. By subscribing to our RSS feed, you will be notified whenever no items are posted. To do so, click here.
* You also will receive PPA Charities and Family Portrait Month news through a periodic PPACH newsletter and email blasts.
* Your studio’s information will be listed on www.familyportraitmonth.com, on Family Portrait Month materials, and through Operation Smile’s promotional materials and Website (www.operationsmile.com).
* As a participant in Family Portrait Month, you will have access to special offers made by industry vendors as they become available.

What are the important dates?

Remember that Family Portrait Month fund-raising activities can take place year-round and are not limited to October:

NOW!

* Start planning your 2009 Family Portrait Month marketing strategies.
* Download resources from the Marketing Ideas section.
* Order promotional materials so you can have handouts ASAP. You’ll need them to encourage clients and prospects to book early.

ANYTIME

* Mention Family Portrait Month in upcoming newsletters or online studio entries.
* Put promotional cards in finished orders as a low-cost way to spread the word.

AUGUST

* Complete your media schedule, including direct mailings.

OCTOBER 1

* Start your Family Portrait Month sessions.

DECEMBER 1

* Final date to forward Operation Smile donations to PPA Charities.

How do I send in Operation Smile donations?

Your Family Portrait Month clients should make all payments directly to your business. Once each week, calculate how much you wish to contribute from each client’s session. Write a check for that week’s total contribution, making it payable to PPA Charities. PPA Charities will compile the funds for Operation Smile. Send it to:

PPA Charities
Attn: Bert Behnke
20600 S. Old Wolf Road
Mokena, IL 60448

we wanted to share that this site is not just for photographers.  we’re two photographers that have come together, in the creation of the give ten project, but truly anyone can give.  in saying that, i wanted to share a couple non-photography stories of giving:

a while back, i was attending a workshop at balboa park, in san diego.  outside the door of the workshop, in the middle of this huge park, stood a young man holding a sign that said “FREE HUGS”.  it was interesting to watch people as they walked by.  some did their best to avoid the young man altogether and walked as far to the other side as possible.  others just walked by, doing their best not to catch a glance with the man, as they past.  and some just stopped and gave the man a hug.  later, i asked the man what he was doing there.  was he a part of some group or something?  no.  he wasn’t.  he was a man, simply wanting to give free hugs.  nothing more.  nothing less.  it was his second day of giving free hugs and he had already been standing there for hours.

and recently i read a story on a blog, where someone was going to give $1 a day for 100 days.  i thought this was an interesting idea, even to do it for 30 days.  i mean really, how easy is it to spend $30 buying starbucks every month.  i keep imagining the faces and reactions of people as you give them the one dollar bill.  i think giving $1 a day is such a fun giving idea–a great way to give a little something, while also making someone’s day a bit brighter. i am hoping to start this project soon.  when i do, i’ll share here.

have a feel good giving idea?  please share with us, in the comments.  we’d love to hear from you.

there are a million ways one can give, from a one-time giving project to long-term.  i wanted to share about one of my personal projects, a long-term project, where i gave to a family, who had a young boy battling stage IV neuroblastoma–an aggressive, difficult-to-treat, under-researched and under-funded childhood cancer.

my  journey with max and his family actually began with another story of giving.  i had heard of a seven year old, sam, battling neuroblastoma, through my daughter’s deaf itinerant.  sam had become hearing impaired due to the chemotherapy.  during a period that sam was doing and feeling well, i longed to photograph him for his family.  i emailed a note to kiele’s deaf itinerant, who in turn forwarded it to sam’s parents.  i didn’t hear back from them, which was okay (i knew how busy they were); i just wanted them to know the offer was there.  then one day, i was at the school doing photos of kiele’s classmates for a holiday project.  on my way out, i stopped by sam’s class to see if i could take a few photos of him.  i was able to and a couple weeks later, i gave sam’s teacher a box of photos, to give to sam’s parents.  that was only the beginning.

a few weeks later, i was contacted by sam’s parents, to see if i would be willing to do some marketing photos for their foundation.  i didn’t hesitate for a second.  and it’s there that i met max and his parents.

not long after, i had read on max’s blog that he was not doing well; he was urinating blood clots and hospitalized.  it was at that point that i wanted to do and give more to max and his family.  and i had an idea…i emailed max’s parents to see if they would be interested in my photographing max weekly.  we would look at our schedules, figure out a time when we could get together, and i would shoot max and whoever else was there at the time–no matter where they were or what was happening.  i had hoped, in doing this, that i could facilitate increased awareness for neuroblastoma and max’s fight.  i wanted to show more than just a child’s portrait.  i wanted to show the world a glimpse of what max and his family were really going through.  shortly after getting started, max’s dad emailed me, sharing that he had created a blog, where i could journal and post max’s photos– mashed potatoes for breakfast.

our journey together continued until august, when max so sadly lost his battle with neuroblastoma.  i still keep in touch with max’s parents and do for them what i can.  max and his family will forever have a special place in my heart.  and i’m so happy that what i did for max’s family has the ability to keep on giving, as they continue to use max’s photographs for a variety of websites, projects, etc.

one of my favorite photos of max

at the celebration of max’s life, two biplanes flew by, to honor max

at max’s school, every tree had an orange ribbon tied around it.  orange was max’s favorite color.

do you have a special story of giving that you would like featured here?  email us.  we’d love to hear from you!