Givology - give to learn, learn to give

Givology: Blogs

• Tia Tuenge's Art for a Better World Show

  Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 05:12:02 AM by Catherine Gao

  Artists Tia Tuenge and Kendra Elstad hosted a wonderful benefit art show for Givology in December. They raised $1,108 from all the artwork sold.
  
  Pictures and photos can be found at Tia's blog: The Inspired Life
  
  Thank you to Tia, Kendra, and all the wonderful students who contributed their creativity and generosity to this fundraiser.
  
  
  
  
  
• Artist Tia Tuenge Will Host Gallery Show to Benefit Givology

  Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 03:45:13 PM by Catherine Gao

  This coming weekend, Artist Tia Tuenge will be hosting a Gallery Show to benefit Givology and the work that we do. We’re always inspired by the creativity and generosity of Givology community members, and wanted to share Tia’s story with you all.
  
  How did you first hear about Givology?
  · “I heard about Givology in the book Half of the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Givology was one of the recommended charities that was really effective on the ground.”
  
  What moved you about Half the Sky?
  · “I have always been really interested in women’s issues. I have a daughter myself and being a woman, I really think that women are an underused asset on the planet. If more women were empowered, we would have a much more peaceful planet. I felt really moved by the tragic stories but also by the optimism of the heroines. And the courage of the women, they’re so amazing.”
  
  What inspired the Gallery Show idea?
  · “I am an artist myself, and it’s really important to me to give back. It’s also important to teach my daughter (Age 8) to give back. In my view, we are all obligated to try to make the world better. I have a space to hold an event in, and I have a lot of paintings to sell. My daughter also said she wanted to make a painting and to get her classmates to help. Their thinking is that everybody should be able to go to school.”
  
  What will the Gallery Show be like?
  · “It’s going to be a really fun event. One section will be dedicated to the kids’ artwork. We will also feature blurbs from the Givology website to showcase the work that Givology does. We’re going to be auctioning the kids’ paintings off, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Givology. One thing that we’re also doing is that each kid’s painting will be accompanied by why they think every kid should have the chance to go to school. We will also be selling my and a fellow artist’s artwork. There will be live music, cocktails, and hor d’eouvres."
  
  Why are you passionate about education?
  · “I think knowledge is power. If you are literate, you have the means to learn anything you want. Literacy and education empowers you to create a different life. If you don’t know anything different, your expectations don’t raise. If you have the ability to inform yourself, you don’t have to rely on others. It gives you that extra leg up.”
  
  Thank you for your support Tia, and we look forward to hearing about the show!
  -Givology Team
  
  Please find more information about Tia’s fundraiser here: http://tiatuenge.wordpress.com
  
  
  
• Focus on Education: Dr. Carol Fixman, Philadelphia Education Fund

  Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 02:07:39 PM by Catherine Gao

  
  
  Carol S. Fixman, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Education Fund. Under her direction, the Ed Fund is actively engaged in issues of school reform, teacher quality, college access, and community engagement in support of public education.
  
  Prior to her appointment at the Ed Fund, Dr. Fixman was Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Philadelphia University, where she provided leadership for more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs in business, design, architecture, engineering, science, and health.
  
  She has held positions directing international programs at Temple University and at the AACSB, the main professional and accrediting association for collegiate schools of business. She has also served as Director of the Philadelphia Education Fund's College Access Program and the Philadelphia Scholars, a citywide initiative to improve access to and success in postsecondary education for Philadelphia public school students.
  
  Dr. Fixman holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in German literature from Brown University and a B.A. in Russian literature from Indiana University (Bloomington).
  
• Focus on Literacy: Poorvi Kunzru

  Monday, April 4, 2011 at 04:46:09 PM by Catherine Gao

  Day 2: Poorvi Kunzru, Kitab Korner Educational Foundation
  
  
  
  Poorvi Kunzru is the Founder and President of Kitab Korner Educational Foundation. The Kitab Korner Educational Foundation (KKEF) creates simple, sustainable library centers in the heart of underprivileged Indian communities, including slums, rural villages and government schools. Each library center is known as a Kitab Korner. Poorvi is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania double majoring in Economics and Philosophy and minoring in French. Originally from India, Poorvi has grown up in 8 different cities, traveled to over 35 countries and visited over 30 states in America. She is also the Secretary-General of the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference, the second largest college-level Conference in the world. She loves to travel, play golf, and embark on adventures with her family and friends.
  
• From Philadelphia to Madrid: The Givology Ford Focus Story

  Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 05:06:47 AM by Catherine Gao

  
  
  A couple of months ago, the Givology team received an email from Joyce, Givology’s CEO, that our organization had been selected as a finalist for the Ford Focus Global Test Drive. As a Ford Focus finalist, Givology received a $10,000 donation from Ford as well as two all-expense paid trips to Madrid, Spain to test drive the 2012 Ford Focus. Being selected as a finalist has been an incredible opportunity for Givology to expand our NGO partner network as well as to further our mission of supporting students and grassroots education initiatives worldwide.
  
  This opportunity would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of this year’s Givology Management 100 team. Each fall, a group of 10 students from the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School Management 100 class works with Givology on a semester-long project that builds awareness for Givology’s mission and has several key deliverables determined by the team. The class is meant to teach students about leadership, teamwork, and communication through field projects with nonprofits in the Philadelphia area. This year, our Management 100 team created a short video highlighting what Givology does and the positive impact of our work. We later submitted this video and followed up with an interview conducted by Ford with Givology’s Chapter and PR Coordinators, Yuqing Fan and Timothy Chai.
  
  This campaign kicked off with a launch event in Madrid, Spain to test drive the new Ford Focus. The theme was Start More than a Car. Throughout the weekend, I personally witnessed Ford’s dedication to this theme and saw it manifest through the work of the 40 incredible non-profit winners. Numerous online and social media personalities were also invited to Madrid and helped create the excitement and social buzz around the kick-off weekend.
  
  The first night consisted of a fancy gala dinner that gave us the opportunity to meet the other non-profit finalists as well as the internet bloggers. Throughout the night, the MCs interviewed various attendees about their backgrounds and their non-profit work. During dinner, I got really excited each time the MC interviewed a participant who was involved in an education-related non-profit, since I’m always on the lookout for potential Givology partners! Throughout the next couple of weeks, Givology plans to blog about the various non-profits we’ve met in Spain to highlight some of the amazing work that they do. The first blog post about the More than Me Foundation can be viewed here.
  
  The first night was also interesting in that we had the chance to interact with influential social media and internet journalists. I was fortunate to be seated next to a blogger from Mashable. It was really interesting learning about the work that she does and getting her view on where the future of social media is headed. As an online giving marketplace, Givology relies on the power of social media to help spread our message and to engage our donors and supporters in helping us to achieve our mission of providing education to all.
  
  The second day of the weekend consisted of test driving the Focus at the INTA test tracks. Professional drivers, Tanner Foust and Justin Bell, joined us for the day. The entire day was characterized by a lot of fun and laughs. We first participated in the “Drive Faster” challenge and had to drive the Focus around a test track as fast as we could. Another fun challenge was driving the car into a giant soccer ball to score a goal. Givology ended up excelling in the “Drive Smarter” challenge, in which we were asked to create a short video highlighting the unique attributes of the Focus. Thanks to our partners from the Jubilee Project, we created a sweet video that emphasized the theme of focusing on the family.
  
  
  
  The weekend wrapped up with a short excursion and a tutorial on the Ford Focus to better prepare each non-profit for the ownership of a Focus for 6 weeks. Givology plans to use our 6 weeks with the Focus to launch a unique campaign combining social media and the cities of Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and New York City. For every day of the 6 weeks, we plan to release a short 60-second video that highlights a particular theme such as education, literacy, giving, etc. The purpose of this campaign is to showcase an inspirational speaker and the work that he or she does in the education space.
  
  Overall, the weekend was quite incredible and an amazing way to kick off each non-profit’s campaign. My favorite part was meeting all of the participants and learning about their work with their respective organizations (stay tuned for our subsequent blog posts about the non-profits we met in Spain). A big thank you to Ford and Action Marketing Group for being such great hosts in Madrid and helping various non-profits connect with each other. The 2010 Focus is not just a car, but rather a symbol that we can all be vehicles of positive social change (no pun intended) in this world. Stay tuned for Givology’s 6 Week YouTube campaign as well as our $10,000 for 10 Schools Benefit this weekend in New York City.
  
• The Importance of Governance

  Monday, August 3, 2009 at 03:15:07 PM by Catherine Gao

  Last Friday, I attended a talk on Charity Governance. It was very insightful and interesting. Whether you’re talking about the private sector or the public sector, governance is an issue that is absolutely critical to the success of an organization.
  
  Why is Governance Important?
  
  In the public sector, good governance is incredibly important, because a charitable organization is often entrusted with other people’s hard earned money. Donors expect that the organization will keep and use the funds in an efficient and effective manner. Accountability and transparency are essential when maintaining trustworthy relationships with stakeholders. Good governance is a primary way to showcase an organization’s level of accountability and transparency.
  
  And this is why I think Givology is such a great organization. Transparency is one of our core values. For example, when several of the students we had funded dropped out of school, we immediately notified the donors and refunded their donations. While Givology has made great strides in helping our students and impacting their lives, we also understand the harsh realities and circumstances that may arise. Our fundamental belief in the importance of accountability and transparency is simply a reflection of our high standards and effectiveness as an organization.
  
• Online Giving Marketplaces

  Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 04:49:11 PM by Catherine Gao

  Stanford University's Social Innovation Review hosted one of the first conferences about Online Giving Marketplaces. It was a one day event last October (2008) that brought together 16 leaders of global online giving marketplaces and other philanthropists to talk about the changing face of the social sector. The organizations in attendance included Better Place (Germany), Bovespa Social (Brazil), Conexion Colombia, Donors Choose (U.S.), eBay Giving Works (U.S.), Give Meaning (Canada), Give India, Global Giving (UK and U.S.), GreaterGood South Africa, Help Argentina, Kiva (international), Modest Needs (U.S.), Net4Kids (Netherlands), Rangde (India), Wokai (U.S.).
  
  http://www.ssireview.org/onlinegiving
  
  Wouldn't it be great if other schools could start hosting similar conferences?
  
• UPMUNC 2008

  Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 01:26:52 AM by Catherine Gao

  This year, the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) chose to sponsor Givology at its 4-day conference. UPMUNC brought close to 1000 college students from all over the nation and world to debate and write resolutions on current issues facing our world today. During the course of the conference, we were able to raise over $550 to donate to Givology!