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Hot Styles & Charitable Giving Equals a Win/Win

American rapper Nelly in 2007 with Allen Ivers...

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With the success of the male urban clothing line, Vokal, rapper Nelly took a look at the women’s market and saw a definite need in women’s choices. Nelly, along with his business partners, Yomi Martin and Ian Kelly, conceived of the idea of a flattering line of clothes for all women’s sizes and figures.

Nelly off-handedly called the idea Apple Bottom, to the delight of his partners, and the name became legend in the history of feminine hip-hop fashion. Starting with jeans, the brand grew to dresses, tops, shoes, accessories, and most recently a girl line of urban fashionables.

One of the perks that has grown with the Apple Bottom line are various charities that were developed by Nelly to help with children’s health issues and the African-American community. “Sho 4 Kids” is a charitable organization that was formed to help kids with developmental disorders; Jes Us 4 Jackie, named after Nelly’s sister, was organized to increase community awareness about Leukemia, including necessary bone marrow donations.

Apple Bottom clothing has also been known to donate clothing coupons to certain charitable fundraisers, allowing a portion of each coupon to go to the buyer’s charity of choice. This is a great way to give to the needy while also buying good products – and is especially advantageous during holiday seasons.

All in all, Apple Bottom clothing is a hot urban fashion line that was formed to help women find the clothes that fit their particular figure and has also taken the time to give back to the community through charitable giving and helping with needs of the community.

This is known as synergy: the perfect win/win situation.

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Benefits of supporting a charity in the workplace

Walk for Cancer - Miami Country Day School 

Image by miamism via Flickr

Does your workplace have a chosen charity to support?  If it doesn’t now may be a good time to choose a charity partner to support.  There are many charities out there who need not only monetary support but volunteers and donations too.

So, why should your workplace engage with a charity partner?  Here are a few good reasons why:-

  • Team spirit.  You can get your employees engaged and working together right from the beginning.  Get buy-in from team members by asking them to vote for the charity they most want to support.  Once you have some events organised its a great way to give back to the charity as well as a real feel-good and motivational event for your staff.  We all know a happy team is a more productive team!
  • Good for Business.  Its great marketing to show that your business is working with a charity partner, you can share events and fundraising initiatives on your websites, blogs and even industry and local press. Great PR and great advertising for your business. It will demonstrate your commitment to give back and strengthen your business value proposition.
  • The Charity! Needy local or national charities get to benefit from your contributions of time, money and donations not to mention the great exposure they will get through your fundraising initiatives and media releases.

So, take the step towards a positive initiative which will reward your charity and your business.  A WIN/WIN situation!

 

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Donations: Not Just out of the Kindness of Your Heart

Many people probably wonder how so many well-to-do’s can throw a lot of money around to non-profits like it were candy. The answer’s two-fold:

One, because they can; and two, because it helps them, too!

It’s pretty certain that the latter went way above your head. The fact that the filthy rich are so capable of just ‘donating’ their money to whatever is clear. But how can it help them? How does donating help them? And why?

The reality behind the way the financial world works is that every donation — such as a brand-new car, or $500, or a set of poker tables — is like you giving your own slice of cake to somebody else in the room, which means Mommy (or Daddy) rewards you with something else to make up for it.

Image courtesy: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3597/3793637658_59cbdb18a8_m.jpg

Think of our government as Mommy (or Daddy). What you do with every charitable donation is write it off as a tax deduction. Basically, that simply means you’re telling the government that this can cut your tax down some, because you’re making it a gift toward somebody else. You, in essence, will pay less tax than if you hadn’t made that charitable donation in the first place.

Now, yes, why would anyone want to give away something so hefty in price anyway? Maybe they don’t need the item anymore. Maybe they’re upgrading to something better. Who knows. But if the rich out there need to give away some of the stuff they have because they’re not using it, why not write it off as a tax deduction? Smart.

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Things to Remember When Giving to Charity

Walk for Cancer - it's raining!
Image by miamism via Flickr

Donations are always a welcome addition to any charity particularly during difficult times when the need is so high. There are so many needy homes it is difficult for many of the charities to keep up with the overwhelming numbers. These are entire families in need of the very basics that simply can’t afford to buy them on their own. When you are considering cleaning out and giving to a charity it is important to understand the basic needs of the charity. This doesn’t mean they won’t be welcoming to whatever you have to offer be being aware of the things they are in desperate need of can be a big help.

Typically the charities are looking for somewhat current styles or those timeless pieces that never go out of style. They are also in search of good quality clothing in good condition. Though these individuals are in need the charity wants to be sure they are getting items that are in good shape to start with to give them a longer life for those in need as it is unlikely they will be able to replace the items when they are worn. It is also a good idea to confirm with the charity if they will be giving the items to the individuals in need directly or if the plan is to sell the items and use the funds to help those in need. This may change what types of items they are looking for.

Keeping in mind the season is also a good idea. There may be an overwhelming need for winter clothing for the upcoming cold seasons and items like blankets and boots. These are all things to keep in mind when you are searching through the closet deciding what you would like to part with. Someone will appreciate what you have to offer.

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Young Children Like to Help Give Back

Every so often, you see stories on the news about young children who have raised thousands of dollars, or more, for a charity of their choice. These stories tend to pull at us. Children want to go out and help people. When you see children being helpful, you find that you want to help out as well. Many times, the children that see or hear these stories will try to emulate them. They will start a lemonade stand, or start collecting cans. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, it turns out that there is too much time and work involved to keep these children going. Today, though, there are options for young ones to help others.

There are websites today that are dedicated to micro giving. This is a way that anyone can raise money for a project or charity that they are wanting to work with or do. Utilizing crowd funding, or micro giving, a child can easily raise money for an online charity. This allows them to help others, without having to sacrifice as much as their homework time. This makes both the child, and their parents, much happier.

When you are trying to raise money for a charity, make sure that you state exactly what it is you are trying to do. Make sure that you let everyone you know about your work. Whether you want to work on making the neighborhood a better place for other children, or you want to donate to a well known charity, you will find that you are much more likely to raise the money that you need when you are doing it online. With the Internet playing such a big part in our lives today, you are sure to make the money that you need, when you utilize this amazing tool.

Filed Under: Charity, Volunteer Tagged With: , ,