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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!

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November 2018 winner Epilepsy Foundation

Charitocracy's 27th check to November winner Epilepsy Foundation for $1701

We have good news about November winner Epilepsy Foundation, right after this quick update...

Happy Giving Season!

Since Thanksgiving we've been spreading the word about Charitocracy by offering $1 for each new page like and $5 for each share. That resulted in an extra $240 in the November pot, and hopefully will have a positive impact on the December pot as well. Keeps those shares and page like invitations going out to your connections on Facebook and elsewhere!

The best way to help grow Charitocracy's donor base and increase the size of the monthly pot is to give Charitocracy to a friend. Gifts start at the same $12 as signing up yourself. $1 or more goes into each monthly pot for a year, and your recipient can vote for the winners. You'll immediately receive a PDF (like this) with the gift redemption code. It includes a foldable gift box and cheat sheet describing how Charitocracy works. You can hand-deliver or email the PDF to the lucky recipient at the time of your choosing. And perhaps the best part is that your gift is tax-deductible!

Meanwhile, Donor Erin Burke had a great idea she shared on Facebook a month ago: if all 200+ active donors at Charitocracy were each to give Charitocracy to at least one friend or family member, we could double our numbers. Ambitious? Yes. Would it be awesome if it happened? YES. Heck, I'd be happy to boost our donor count 10%, never mind 100%! Let's get some new faces on board before the end of the year. For $12/each, you could make it rain Charitocracy love onto your entire shopping list. 💦☃️🎁🥰

November 2018 winner Epilepsy Foundation

Last night we voted in Charitocracy's 27th monthly winner. Congratulations to Epilepsy Foundation, and to donor Coppcarr for nominating it. She discovered Epilepsy Foundation while seeking resources and support after her daughter's epilepsy diagnosis. You can find their web site here.

Now you have a week to further sweeten the pot with a special one-time donation of any amount, which we'll add straight to the check we write to Epilepsy Foundation next week.

The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is:

To lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives.

The Epilepsy Foundation, a national non-profit with more than 50 local organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against seizures since 1968. The Foundation is an unwavering ally for individuals and families impacted by epilepsy and seizures. The Foundation works to prevent, control, and cure epilepsy through community services; public education; federal and local advocacy; and supporting research into new treatments and therapies. The Foundation works to ensure that people with seizures have the opportunity to live their lives to their fullest potential.

Before you go, check out Epilepsy Foundation's great video explaining epilepsy to children, and feel good about your part in our collective $1701+ grant to help with their work!

Have a great December and be sure to log into Charitocracy to update your votes or nominate a new cause!

Spotlight on nominee HIAS

Nominee HIAS: Welcome the stranger. Protect the refugee.

Next in our series of posts about new Charitocracy nominees, we have nominee HIAS, nominated by donor r.a.y.. They protect, advocate for, and help resettle refugees in the U.S. and beyond. You can find their web site here.

A few words on Charitocracy

Firstly, for newcomers: here's how it works. Donors pool their monthly contributions, as little as $1. The cause with the most votes each month wins the pot. No matter how much or how little you contribute, each donor at Charitocracy gets one vote. This is where charity meets democracy. So please share this post and ask your friends to join us and vote! That's how we spread the word and, as a result, grow the monthly pot. The bigger the pot, the bigger our positive impact on the world!

About nominee HIAS

Vision

HIAS stands for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety, and freedom.

Mission

HIAS rescues people whose lives are in danger for being who they are.

  • We protect the most vulnerable refugees, helping them build new lives and reuniting them with their families in safety and freedom.
  • We advocate for the protection of refugees and assure that displaced people are treated with the dignity they deserve.

Guided by our Jewish values and history, we bring more than 130 years of expertise to our work with refugees.

So visit HIAS's page on Charitocracy to vote for, like, or discuss this cause! And watch this video of a recent HIAS-led trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to bear witness to the crisis affecting families and other asylum seekers:

October 2018 winner American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Charitocracy's 26th check to October winner American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for $1366

We have good news about October winner American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, right after this quick update...

Happy Halloween, and now bring on [Thanks]Giving Season!

Together we added $44 more dollars worth of likes to the October pot. Also we added $31/month for the next 12 months thanks to 6 new double-matched donations and matched donation upgrades! Strong work, crew.

So keep those likes and sign ups coming, and we'll keep the matching funds flowing! Next stop: 900 likes? Please go spam your friends now.

Finally, one last heads up before we announce October's winner: Giving Season is fast approaching, so start thinking about giving Charitocracy as a gift to friends and family. More on this later in the month, but feel free to get a head-start! Maybe we should make Thanksgiving gifts a thing?! Anyway, you get an email instantly after you purchase. Then you can forward the email or hand-deliver your Charitocracy gift when the time is perfect. So there's never a bad time to start your holiday shopping at Charitocracy.

October 2018 winner American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

At the stroke of Halloween midnight, we voted in Charitocracy's 26th monthly winner. Congratulations to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and to donor Stephanie for nominating it. She lost a close family member to suicide this summer, and our love and sympathy continue to be with Stephanie and her whole family. ❤️ You can find their web site here.

Now you have a week to further sweeten the pot with a special one-time donation of any amount, which we'll add straight to the check we write to AFSP next week. It's in support of Stephanie's AFSP Lost Satellite Team for the Out of the Darkness Walk. They walked on October 27 in honor of her brother-in-law, Robert Todd.

Mission: Save Lives and Bring Hope to Those Affected by Suicide

Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.

AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by engaging in the following core strategies:

  • Funding scientific research
  • Educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention
  • Advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention
  • Supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide in our mission

Check out AFSP's video about fighting suicide, and feel good about your part in our collective $1366+ grant to help with their work!

Have a great November and log into Charitocracy to update your votes or nominate a new cause!