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Oprah’s “Big Give” Winner Brings Us Giveback.org. Like Disney (only totally not), it’s a must see…

Posted by on Apr 23, 2012 in Model Citizens | 0 comments

We just got back from Disney World. I definitely need a vacation to recover from my “vacation” (as one friend said, Disney is a “trip,” not a vacation). Only there’s no money left for a vacation or a trip, because Mickey Mouse took it all. I think next time my kids get a hankering for Splash Mountain, I’ll suggest calculating how much money we could save by not sacrificing our sanity for the sake of the dear little monsters, and put the money toward something heartwarming rather than nerve racking. From the comfort of our home, we can all visit Giveback.org and do some princess-free good.

Disney Princesses

On my son’s eighth birthday, I set up an account or “foundation” for him on Giveback.org and deposited $100. That money was instantly tax deductible, but my son could choose when and where he would donate the money. (Not exactly the same as choosing which ride to go on next, but Giveback has no lines and offers a life lesson that is more useful than Jedi training.) All charities in the US are linked into Giveback.org. If my son does some chores or gets more birthday money, a portion can go into his foundation. Better yet, if we need to buy a birthday gift for one of his friends, we can shop on Giveback’s portal and the merchants’ (400 of them) will kick back a portion of the purchase price into his foundation. (I noticed that the Disney Mickey’s 1st Birthday Ultimate Party Pack for 16 will yield 5% of the $111 price in do-good money, so there are ways to make Disney about giving.)

Giveback.org is the brainchild of Stephen Paletta, winner of Oprah’s “Big Give” show. Read my interview with him here and find out how he went from construction guy to Oprah mentee and philanthropic innovator.

(And Walt, your utopia is pretty cool too—when it’s overcast, anyway—so I’m just joshing. Sort of.)

 

See how bullying victim Karen Klein and Giveback.org’s Stephen Paletta have teamed up to promote kindness: Karen Klein Anti-Bullying FoundationÂ