non-profit

McTeigue & McClelland Designs Necklace to Help Afghan Children

A necklace may be the key to a child's future in war-torn Afghanistan.

Indeed, McTeigue & McClelland, a New York-based jeweler with roots dating back to 1895, has designed a necklace, called "The Ariana Necklace," with all of the proceeds donated to the Rebuilding Afghanistan Foundation. The foundation is a U.S.-based 501 (c) 3 non-profit dedicated to bringing education to Afghan children by building schools and developing educational programs in Afghanistan. The proceeds from each necklace will provide enough funds to educate three Afghan children for one year at the foundation's Mayor Elementary School in the province of Wardak, Afghanistan.

The butterfly design was inspired by the Micropsyche Ariana species, which is the smallest butterfly in the world. The butterfly is unique to Afghanistan while its name translates to "tiny souls of Afghanistan." The pendant measures 1.5" in length and 1" in width and comes with an 18" sterling silver chain.

McTeigue & McClelland handcrafted the necklace in sterling silver. It will retail for $250 and is available by placing an order at http://www.rebuildafghanistan.org. The necklace is available for a limited time only.

Tags: afghanistan, afghanistan relief organization, afghanistan war, AfghanistanReliefOrganization, AfghanistanWar, charity, jewelry, McTeigue McClelland, McteigueMcclelland, non-profit

Philanthropy Not as Screwed as Financial Markets

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Big Givers

We're gripped by an unusually strong bear right now. He's squeezing financial markets viciously. And, it comes as no surprise that charitable giving is suffering. Nonetheless, philanthropy is staying ahead of investment hits. Even with stock market calamity, we're still able to find the occasional heart of gold out there.

Don't get me wrong, the situation's grim for the nonprofit sector. Craig M. Joseph of InQuest International, a full-service philanthropic consultancy, observes that the USA Giving Index – calculated by the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University – is down 35 percent from its 2007 peak. That year, $306 billion in charitable gifts were made. With the steep decline over the past two years, though, a lot of organizations won't get the funding they need.

Of course, it could be worse. If philanthropy followed the Dow, gifts would have fallen more than 40 percent to less than $184 billion – rather than the estimated February 2009 level of $199 billion. With numbers this large, $15 billion may not seem like a lot, but in the hands of an efficient charitable organization, it can change a lot of lives.

For now, the news is "less negative," but there is still a lot of pain that still has to be pushed through the markets, as much of the Wall Street calamity likely has yet to be visited upon consumers. Let's just hope that we still find some room in our wallets to support our favorite charities.

Tags: charitable, charitable contributions, charitable giving, charitable organizations, CharitableContributions, charitablegiving, CharitableOrganizations, charity, financial crisis, FinancialCrisis, giving, non-profit, nonprofit, philanthrophy, philanthropist, philanthropists, philanthropy, recession, stock market, StockMarket

How To Win A Ferretti 76

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Here's a unique idea to raise money for a good cause. Positive Buoyancy, a non-profit that collects money for children affected by HIV and AIDS, has a announced the 128:1 project which rewards the winner with a new Ferretti 76 yacht and a two-year management package that includes a crew and a Mediterranean berth. The prize is valued at around £3.4 million. Each entry costs £5,000 and the contest is limited to 1,280 tickets. Contestants compete in a skills-based competition on the Positive Buoyancy website. The most accurate 128 entries are entered into Phase Two which gets you all-expenses-paid weekend in Monte Carlo to participate in rounds of elimination events to determine the final winner. All 128 finalists will receive prizes of increasing value and one person takes home the 76-foot Ferretti 761.

[via Sail World]

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Tags: contest, ferretti 76, Ferretti76, non-profit, yacht