Donor Squad uses Madness to help FareStart in their Quest to end Homelessness

Introducing the Donor Squad March Madness Online Tournament: Brackets for a Cause.  On March 13^th, the OH so sacred Selection Sunday will kick off the highly anticipated Donor Squad tournament.  After the picks are announced on Sunday afternoon, March Madness brackets will open and the beasts will be released.  Let the games begin!

Our ferocious competitors will be battling for a pirate snowboard and some good eats.  We invite competitive types of all lands and kind to participate. The easiest way to sign-up for the tournament is through our Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/hhmtnf.  For those of you who prefer to live in the Dark Age, go to http://donorsquad.mayhem.cbssports.com/e, and enter the password: squadmadness.  We are collecting donations at www.paypal.com to benefit FareStart.  Please send your donations to paypal@donorsquad.com.

Alright, now I will tell you where FareStart comes in.   This year, Donor Squad has decided to bundle up all the energy associated with March Madness, clean it up a bit, and gift it to a good cause.  FareStart, a Seattle nonprofit working to end homelessness, will have the pleasure of benefiting from our first tournament.     

Now the reason we chose FareStart is because they make charity work look good.  Seriously, I have never seen an effort to end homelessness executed with such precise grace and style.  Not only has FareStart served over 4.5 million meals to disadvantaged individuals and homeless families, they have helped nearly 5,000 people change their lives forever.  With their culinary job training and placement programs, FareStart is making the dream to end homelessness a feasible reality. 

FareStart has a restaurant, café, and catering services allowing their students to benefit from real life experience in the field.  All proceeds from the restaurant go directly back into the job training and placement programs.  Students even get the chance to work with some of the most premier chefs in Seattle, thanks to the weekly Guest Chef Night.  Check them out at www.farestart.org.

Well, now that your mouth is watering and your heart is pounding with competitive aggression, join us in the Donor Squad Online March Madness Tournament: Brackets for a Cause.  Fill out your March Madness bracket and meet us in the chat room.

WARNING. Donor Squad will not be held responsible in the court of law, nor in the eye of the beholder, for any harassment, name calling, badgering, bragging, sweat, stress, tears, hurt feelings, broken hearts, conniptions, or meltdowns.  Please enter the Donor Squad March Madness Online Tournament at your own risk.   

You could be this guy...

Living La Vida "Local"

Ever wonder where your money goes when you donate to charity? Of course, why wouldn’t you. Ever donate to huge corporate charities because you’re not sure where to donate? I think we’ve all been in that situation. The truth is, all charitable giving is wonderfully encouraged, but it is truly important we don’t ignore smaller charities, they need your help!

If you hear of a small charity in your community, don’t hesitate.  You can expect your hand-me-downs and extra cash to benefit local causes and local people. Sometimes local charities will support the same causes as well-known charitable organizations, but they aren’t spending a lot of time advertising. Here are some reasons why people volunteer locally, and why you should too:

1. Small charities are in more need of donations because they usually don’t get those large corporate sponsorships
2. More of each donation actually goes to the people in need because small charities have lower overhead
3. Small charities are typically local, so you can usually expect money donated in your area to help people, animals, and causes in your area instead of being shipped off to corporate

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for the best charity in your area, hit the web! Charity Navigator, Volunteer Match and Seattle Works are great resources for finding information on local charities.

On Charity Navigator and Volunteer Match you can narrow down your search by city, size, and type of cause. The first time I did this I found Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville Washington, which is hidden about one block from where I live. Seattle Works is a great place to find volunteer opportunities and support the community. On Twitter you can simply search for people or organizations in your area that exist to inform you of charities you can support.

So what are you waiting for?

CharityNavigator.org

VolunteerMatch.org

SeattleWorks.org

Homeward Pet Adoption Center

Donor Squad is a Seattle start-up committed to connecting people with local nonprofits.  To learn more, visit the Donor Squad Facebook Page.   To join the Donor Squad Meetup group, go to Donor Squad Seattle.