Toddler And Baby Help

Due to the latest credit card alterations that are starting up next year, card issuers will have a strenuous time getting teenagers on college campuses to apply for credit cards without their parents’ knowledge. As students arrive on campus, card issuers will be there to meet them at many schools.

“Issuers will try to continue to market to college students between now and the time the legislation takes effect,” said Bill Hardekopf, chief executive of LowCards.com, a site that tracks cards. That means schooling them to budget and handle a checkbook and debit card in advance to having a credit card.

Card issuers main target goal are young adults because people tend to be attached to their first card, said Christine Lindstrom, U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s higher-education program director. Plus, young adults are more expected to carry revolving debt and pay late, creating more interest and fees for the card issuers, she said.

Card issuers also will necessitate a co-signers approval to increase credit limits of a cardholder younger than 21. And issuers won’t be permitted to offer T-shirts or trinkets to entice students. Some credit experts say students need a card to start building a credit history and score.

But there’s no need to rush this, and it can backlash if students mismanage cards. Young adults should worry less about their credit score and focus more on regulating good financial habits between ages 16 and 21, said Craig Watts, a spokesman for FICO, the company that created a broadly used credit score. “The credit score will take care of itself,” he says.

A survey published in April by Sallie Mae suggests that many young adults aren’t adept managers of credit. Undergraduates on average carried record card debt of $3,173, or 46 percent more than four years earlier.

Various schools, out of concern for students, don’t grant marketers to pitch cards on campus. After a few years of living on their own, paying bills and managing credit, they can apply for a credit card under their own name when they turn 21. Never co-sign, advises Janet Bodnar, author of “Raising Money Smart Kids.” Besides, she added, students are more likely to learn money skills if responsible for their own debt.

Mallory McGuinness works for a collections agency that works with a debt collection lawyer. Also, she does pieces on business and finance, the credit industry and collections agencies.

Motorola W230: Motorola has recently unveiled a new entry level mobile phone specifically targeted towards the Indian market the Motorola W230. The W230 is part of Motorola’s MotoYuva series, which highlights music capabilities more than anything else. It therefore comes with a pre-installed memory card worth 256 megabytes. It’s quite the far stretch from the usual 10 Mb that ships with most mobile phones with more features than this one, which is a pleasant surprise. What’s more, it is expandable to up to 2 Gigs that is enough for more or less 500 songs, should one choose to purchase and upgrade.

Motorola ROKR E8: The Motorola ROKR E8 is also known as Moto ROKR E8. It is a GSM or GPRS camera phone that has easy to use controls, which allow a quick transition from the phone to an MP3 player and to an imaging device. This phone has an interesting backlight touch keyboard, a two-megapixel camera with 262K-color display using QVGA, 2 GB of micro SD memory card, and an internal memory of 2 GB. The MOTO ROKR E8 also has a 3.5 mm jack for headphones and an FM radio.

Sony Ericsson W960: Once in a while, we, as consumers, witness partnerships of big name companies that offer us products that either fall short of expectations or thrill and delight us in many ways. Apparently, the cellular phone industry is not excluded from this trend. For most, if not all of us, the names Sony and Ericsson are brands that need no further introduction.

Sony Ericsson T270: Last January 24, 2008 in Delhi, India, the Sony Ericsson merger announced the launch of two new budget phones: The Sony Ericsson T270 and its big brother, the T280. They are a pair of affordable mobile phones with a definite flair for design. The similar looking phones are a pocket sized candy bar featuring a sleek brushed light metal with glass finish and comes in two color combinations; the Silver and Black and the sure to be a hit Copper and Silver combo. The only noticeable difference between the two is the absence of a camera lens at the back of the T270. But before you faint at the idea of a phone not having a camera - be aware first of the target audience of the T270, for it is definitely not a phone not for everyone.

Samsung L320: With the L320, Samsung unveils a sleek mobile phone with the female demography in mind. It is part of Samsung’s La Fleur collection which also includes the Samsung L310. Its design utilizes the smooth operating clamshell type blueprint with dual screens (OLED and TFT) which exudes femininity and modern metropolitan chic. The OLED display works as an external screen to allow quick viewing of information when the clamshell is closed. Once opened, the internal screen of 1.9 inches with up to 65k colors is revealed in all its 176 x 220 pixel glory. I’m guessing the clamshell body would be a definite hit among the female consumers as they can easily drop their mobile phones inside their purses or handbags among other things, without the need to purchase additional protective shells or silicone cases to keep their phones from getting nicked or scratched.

Bill Bowman reviews and shows you how to find BlackBerry Car Chargers and Fragrance Gift Sets online.

Keeping children’s toys in order can be a real pain, especially if you have more than one child, any parent of toddler aged children will tell you this. Toys tend to get spread all over the house and into a total mess, this is why good storage is needed. Whilst shelves can be useful they can also look very untidy if toys are crammed onto them. With this in mind toy boxes are a really good storage option and there are many different styles to choose from, such as:

One type of box for toys is the traditional wooden box. These can come in a range of different sizes and some have the child’s name carved into them. Many people who want a traditional look to their child’s room opt for this type of box.

Stacking boxes - boxes that stack can be really useful for storing toys in. They come in a wide variety of different colors and are very durable. Due to this they are a good choice for younger children who tend to be a little more heavy handed with boxes.

Children who are into certain cartoon characters love to have boxes with them on. These boxes are especially good if the child’s room is decorated in the same theme. In fact most children like to have these types of boxes as they are fun and great to look at.

Another type of box that can be used for another purpose are boxes with cushioned seats on the top. Not only can these be used to store toys safely they are also ideal if the child’s bedroom is quite small. This type of box can also be used in other rooms to add extra seating for parties and so on.

Knowing a few of the different styles of toy boxes comes in helpful when you are choosing one for your child’s toys. So opt for something that will not only be the right size but that is made from the right material. After all it is important that a toy box lasts a long time and is durable enough to cope with even the roughest child.

Don’t know much about toy boxes? A toy box is what you need for any room of your house. You can buy all sorts of storage solutions to keep your house organized!

The effects of acne scars can be devastating both physically and emotionally. The wounds, although cured, leave behind spots and marks that are rather unlikeable. Nothing has been found to totally wipe out acne scarring. However, an knowledge of your skin may help in easing your acne problem s possible long-term ruins.

Acne is the cause by reaction between bacteria and sebum released by the glands present in skin, resulting to an infection. During the healing period of this condition, a fibrous protein called collagen is made. When the collagen is in excess, there is a lump and when its generation is below normal then it leads in tiny craters on the skin. Acne scars grow in both these situations. Teenagers are commonly most prone to acne as the hormone levels increase during puberty resulting more sebum discharge.

An acne scar is a result of our tissue s power to remedy itself after getting an injury. After the human skin sustains injuries, which includes acne, the body attempts to heal the busted tissue. However, the tissue cannot always be repaired to its pre-injury condition. There in truth is no accurate work linking why some individuals finish up with acne scars and why some simply do not. To attempt to explicate this, people have postulated that scarring simply runs in the blood . Thus, scarring is considered a hereditary nemesis. Some also scar permanently, while some individuals have scars that eventually disappear through time.

Since we have very minute understanding on acne scars, the safest way to avoid acne scars then would be to hamper its source which is acne.

Acne must be cared for early. The more irritated the acne, the greater probability that it will leave scar. Also, it is critical not to peter, poke or touch your pimple. Let your dermatologist handle a safe and right extraction to hinder acne scars. It is also critical to recognize that the healthier you are, the faster your body will recuperate. You should not forego the basics such as eating the appropriate foods with the right portions, drinking lots of water and other healthy liquids, and getting just plenty of rest. It is also important to protect yourself from the sun s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Stay away from toxins that harm your body such as alcohol, nicotine and other things that causes free radical harm.

Learn more about the most effective Acne Treatments that will surely help you avoid having Acne Scars.

During a visit last April to jolly old England, President and Mrs. Obama gifted her royalness with a new I POD filled with some inspirational music. Although a gift of an I POD to the matriarch should have been enough to raise eyebrows. Just when you thought something’s would never change, the Queen gets an IPod.

One day, when the Immigrant Song came blaring over the radio for the ten thousandth time that morning, I went begging to my wife for her hand me down MP3 player, not knowing it would afterward send me into a flurry of shopping for MP3 accessories. This gave me the idea of coming up with a small shopping list.

The first thing needed is a case. They can be found in glorious splendor from silver and black to my daughter’s favorite purple. I opted for MP3 accessories in the really cute orange, pink and green geometric patterned safety case and as an afterthought grabbed a pink one, it didn’t hurt it benefitted breast cancer as well.

The MP3 accessories showing the most prospects for personality may be the clips. They could be as simple as a pin for hats or ornate enough to match your best 1980’s acid washed blue jean jacket. Couldn’t you just see the brooch with Bluetooth technology streaming Kenny G and lulling her highness into a state of grace?

Armbands are also one of the accessories that allow you to include your Blackberry, I Phone or Taser along with your MP3 player for Clint Eastwood ease in handling. These really come in handy for the jogger or exercise type. I wear one while mowing the yard. Mainly because I don’t have to worry about brush knocking my MP3 player to the ground.

Docking stations are the greatest in MP3 accessories. They have come a long way from a place to charge your IPOD. They now allow you to blast your musical tastes into the ears of everyone around you. You can even have then hard wired into your electrical systems, hang them in your shower so you can pretend you are the greatest singer since Freddie Mercury, or you can hook them into your computers and televisions to allow access while doing the very important things you do on your computer.

The most versatile of MP3 accessories are headphones and earbuds. They can be a few dollars or a few hundred dollars, depending on if you want them for audio clarity or because they look like Mickey Mouse. They can be large, hard, squishy and gooey but are there for your choice in comfort and taste, just don’t eat the ones that look like M&Ms.

The best accessory of all is the user. They are the ones that load their choice of music, play it at ear bursting decimals and listen to the masses. It really doesn’t matter what you are listening to, as long as you are listening to something. Anything else would be just beastly.

Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Touch Screen Mp3 Players which provides top deals on touch screen MP3 players From Creative Labs, Coby, Visual Land and more.

You already own the greatest reading acceleration device that has ever been developed. It is simply your hand that will help you read faster. People have spent thousands of dollars attempting to increase their reading speed. But no inventions or machines can do what your hand and your pacing finger can do for you to improve your reading speed — once youve been trained in our 4 special techniques.

Did you know that your eyes jerk around, looking and searching, bouncing here and there while you are ‘trying to read’. That can make reading a very trying experience. Your eyes tend to fixate for a moment or two and then move on again causing you wonder what’s going on here. Does this sound like you?

We call this “trying” to read. By learning the speed-pacing movement that Ill personally teach you, you’ll learn to control and accelerate your hand-to-eye coordination. This is called PACING. It is one of the 4 techniques taught in Speed Reading in Only One Hour.

Aim for the best results for the type of reading material you read, but creating the best person environments: arrange your study area: textbooks, research material, and even a hi-lighter. Remove or unplug: magazines, unless study material, stereo, radio- just turn them off. If you wise, you’ll have an ipod with studio music without works, nature sounds or the like. Pachelbel Canon in D minor is one of the best. Get privacy, no brothers, sisters, friends, etc. And also remove you mate, spouse, lovers - they can easily distract you. Food can break your focus and reading patterns. Alcohol and drugs - don’t even go there, being stoned and studying is a sure fire failure. Cigarettes fog your thinking. Nicotine is a drug. Marijuana, cocaine, speed - don’t got there because your foggy brain is useless during an exam. Set your voice mail. Set the mood with relaxing baroque music, get your reading and studying materials together - and get ready for a study experience.

By organizing your study area, you’ve set the stage for a successful experience of study and learning. Using the tools that we’ll provide you, you’ll enjoy that you’ve found a great learning method to increase reading speed, comprehension, memory and recall.

Study the self-taught course that helps collegegrad students Study Straight A’sStudy Straight A’s, and Learn to Study Great Grades You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.

One out of every 10 individuals in America are said to have at least a single tattoo on their body. Previously a practice that has been frowned upon and has been stereotyped as unhygienic and rebellious, tattooing is now gaining a wide acceptance in the whole world. No longer are tattoos viewed in a negative light, but are rather seen as a means of self-expression and creativity.

Thus, from the oldest to the youngest, whether a corporate individual or a free-spirited biker, one would sure have a tattoo or at least plan to have one. Apparently, the practice of tattooing has already crossed boundaries.

Tattoos come in all shapes and sizes. The most common are dragons, koi fishes, Japanese and Chinese characters, and of course, roses. In choosing a tattoo design, careful consideration must take place for this becomes part of your life in more ways than one. After all, you wear the tattoo not like a simple accessory which you can take on or off at will. Rather, it will be with you for the rest of your life. In fact, removing a tattoo is a very painful and expensive process.

Thus, before one finally decides to have one, careful planning and decision is required. Because most individuals want to wear something that represents them, a perfect choice of tattoo design would be a zodiac tattoo. All individuals have a zodiac sign which reveals something about their personality, their tastes, characteristics and preferences. Interestingly, few people think of getting a tattoo of their zodiac sign. For one thing, you are born with a zodiac sign and you cannot erase that fact. So a tattoo with your zodiac sign is one fact that you can always have with you forever. Then it becomes an interesting start of any conversation. You can actually make more friends with your zodiac tattoo.

Each individual has a corresponding zodiac sign depending on the month that they were born. Accordingly, there are 12 zodiac signs for each month: Aries, Gemini, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

However, one need not worry that ones tattoo would turn out to be exactly the same as another person who was born on the same month. You can actually ensure that the tattoos are done in a unique and special way to match the client’s preference and taste. Thus, no two tattoos would turn out to be exactly the same.

Zodiac tattoos could be customized for the client himself or herself. You can choose from a photo gallery that presents an array of pleasing designs. Thus, the procedure usually involves choosing an initial design from a wide variety of designs available. For instance, if one wants a Leo tattoo, there would be a wide variety of images to choose from. One could therefore either choose among the designs available or choose a design and then have it customized according to one’s taste.

One could view the different designs available from their photo gallery which would eventually help an individual decide on what tattoo he or she would like to have.

An additional feature at http://www.zodiac-tatoos.com/ is that they provide resources for individuals such as horoscopes as well as additional information regarding their zodiac sign. Zodiac tattoos are the perfect choice to have on one’s body as a means of self-expression and creativity.

Remember the little red wagons called My Little Red Flyers? The same company that produced the classic little red wagon has a line of scooters. The Radio Flyer Scooter comes in several different models so that children as young as two years old can successfully operate a scooter. An example of the company’s products includes a My 1st Scooter.

For a youngster to get excited about a new scooter, it must be in line with the physical abilities of the child. The early childhood Flyer scooter is designed to be safe for the child to operate. Falls and collisions are inevitable, but scooters must also be fun for the child. The physical abilities will improve over a few months during this period of the childhood. Learning to operate the toy safely will help physical and mental development.

My 1st Scooter by Radio Flyer is designed to be more stable than other scooters. The platform is a foot wide. There is a single rear wheel and a double wheel in front to give better balance. A scooter for a more coordinated child may have a single front wheel and double rear wheels. My 1st Scooter takes more effort to turn, but this also means that it is less likely to tip over.

The original metal wagons with the red and white motif were famous for durability. My 1st Scooters carries on the famous name with the durable plastic body in red and the white lettering. Scooters in red mimic the post-World War II Flyers. In addition to the historical colors, scooters can also be purchased in pink.

Safety is an important consideration for this age group. The scooter design provides a safe mount and dismount design. Children don’t have to climb up and over the frame of the tricycle. They just need to step up onto the platform and push off with the other foot.

Radio Flyer also manufactures a scooter with a more traditional 2 wheels in the rear and one in the front. This model is called Radio Flyer Little Red Scooter. It is suitable for slightly older children, but a five-year-old might be too big for riding comfortably. The platform is a bit too short for the older child, so ankles tend to get banged and bruised.

Because the Little Red Scooter is so maneuverable, it can be operated on the carpet or on any relatively smooth surface outdoors. The single front wheel means the scooter turns sharply. Because of this feature, the scooter may end up going a little faster that safety would dictate. Crashes are not unusual, especially if the operator tries to turn a corner too quickly and loses control of a scooter.

To protect your child while riding a new Radio Flyer Scooter, you should make certain that necessary safety equipment and clothing is part of a safe riding outfit. A lightweight helmet to protect the child’s head and elbow pads to protect from skins and bumps is key to safety in play. The child also should wear knee pads and shin pads for protection from scrapes and bumps. Because the equipment doesn’t weigh much, children are more likely to choose to wear it.

Buy your children a toy from your past, the Radio Flyer Scooter. None of the other scooters are quite like this one. Your children are guaranteed to have a great time on this scooter. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own unique content version here.

Do not think it is a daunting task to make your home healthy

Putting together a nutritionally sound home is the first step to assuring the health of your children. Begin by making the right food choices. This will allow your children to begin an affirmative association with healthy food. Your children will learn what they should and should not be eating by following your lead.

The following are ten great tips to get your children to eat healthy food:

1. Never restrict food from your children. Doing so actually increases your children’s risk of developing eating disorders later in life, such as bulimia and anorexia. Also, food restriction tends to hinder growth and development, as well as leading to bing eating later in the day. Bing eating leads to weight gain.

2. Stock you home with healthy choices. Kids tend to eat what is easy for them to access. Take advantage of this fact by keeping fruit in a bowl on the kitchen table, rather than in the refrigerator. Limit the high calorie, high sugar, high fat foods that you keep around. Keeping healthy food choices will educate your children on making the healthy choices when it comes to food.

3. Avoid labeling foods as healthy and unhealthy. Rather, associate foods to areas of interest to your children, such as sports, school, and favorite hobbies. Make your children aware of the fact that certain super foods, such as turkey and yogurt, provide the physical and mental energy to strengthen their sports and academic achievement.

4. Let your children know how proud you are of their healthy food choices with a smile and telling them how smart they are. Your positive assurance will encourage your children to keep making the right food choices.

5. Don’t nag about unhealthy choices. If your child chooses unhealthy foods infrequently, ignore it. However, if your child always wants fatty, fried food, redirect the choice. You might try roasting potato sticks in the oven (tossed in just a bit of oil) instead of buying french fries. Or, if your child wants candy, you might make fresh strawberries dipped in a little chocolate sauce. Too busy? Then keep naturally sweet dried fruit at home for quick snacks. With consistent effort taste buds change and soon your child will be craving healthy foods.

6. Absolutely avoid rewarding children with food. Doing so often leads to weight problems later on in life. Rather, you should reward your children with a healthy activity, such as going swimming, or a trip to the park.

7. Sit down to family dinners at night. If this isn’t a tradition in your home, it should be. Research shows that children who eat dinners at the table with their parents have better nutrition and are less likely to get in serious trouble as teenagers. Start with one night a week, and then work up to three or four, to gradually build the habit.

8. Dish the food out in the kitchen. In the kitchen, you the parent can place healthy food portions on your children’s dinner plates. Over the course of time, your children will be able to see what a healthy portion of food looks like.

9. It is okay to give your child a choice in what they like to eat, and what they do not like to eat. However, when they like something healthy, take full advantage. Serve healthy foods which your children enjoy more frequently, and offer them the foods which they dislike less frequently. This gives your children a voice in deciding what they eat.

10. You should always confer with a pediatrician prior to putting your child on any diet. Whether you child needs to gain or lose weight, seek a professional opinion prior to making significant changes in your child’s diet. If your child does need a change, then find a book which will guide you on the subject.

Learn more about weight loss for kids. Stop by Megan Hillard’s site where you can find out all about weight loss for children and what it can do for your child.

Definitions of words often change quite quickly these days. In the distant past the meaning of words was often set in stone. Today the meaning can change in a blink. With new faster ways to communicate with wider and more culturally, socially and education

There is a growing significant movement happening global where consumers are asking businesses to look after the things they care about such as the environment and the less fortunate in society. The request is still mainly tacit and despite it being an ironic request it still signals we are in a time of great change. Consumers these days want their ‘toys’ but they don’t want the environment to be destroyed in the creation of these. They want cheap products but they do not want workers to be paid a pittance to create the cheap products.

There does not seem to be an answer to this conundrum and yet one does exist. It exists in the recoining or reforging of a single word. This word is a simple one - GET. Today, new movements of people who want to get but give at the same time are reforging it. It is being transformed into the word GIVE.

Every day automated email notices arrive from Google Alerts for two keywords - B1G1 and BOGO. I see all the new places these words are being used on the Internet. I can now see that the new meaning of these words is coming alive ‘poco a poco’ -little by little.

The B1G1 and BOGO acronyms both stand for Buy One GET One free. You buy one and you get given an extra one for free.

If you look on Wikipedia you will find these definitions for BOGO (there isn’t a definition yet for B1G1) -

* An acronym in the retail industry that stands for Buy One Get One. For example, you could say “Buy 1 DVD, Get 1 FREE!

* An acronym in slang British that stands for Britons Of Greek Origin or Greek Britons.

* Bogo, Cebu, a city in central Philippines.

* An alternate name for the Bilen ethnic group of Ethiopia or their language, Blin.

* Norway, a village in Norway.

* The mascot of the ITESM CEM.

* BogoMips, an unscientific measurement of CPU speed

* Bogosort, an ineffective sorting algorithm

BOGO light

There’s an entrepreneurial business in the USA called SunLight Solar which was founded by Mark Bent. They’ve created a special torch that’s not only an amazing and sturdy solar-powered light; his company also gives a free torch to that in need in developing countries every time one is sold. If you look up their website you will learn more about their “BOGO light”.

“The BoGo - our Buy one/Give one - program has successfully provided lights to many, many thousands of people in the developing world, changing lives because of your purchase and participation.” - BOGOlight.com

Mark Bent turned the acronym upside down when he started to use the word as part of his product name. For him now and the thousands who buy his lights, BOGO now means Buy One GIVE One. Each person gets to give a light every time they buy one for themselves. So now with each sale, people who do not have the luxury of electricity can harness the power of the sun to support their lives.

There are many other well known and less well know businesses now doing Buy One Give One giving or transaction based giving as it is becoming known. Some of the famous ones are One Laptop Per Child and TOMS Shoes. Some of the less well-known ones (in the USA at least) are based in Australia, New Zealand and the UK - Maple Muesli, Blinds Couture, Earthstar Publishing, Figure 8 Body Chains, Honestly Women magazine, Sunsplash Homes and Thavibu Gallery based in Thailand are just a few special businesses that are leading the Buy One Give One movement in their parts of the world.

Many Buy One Give One businesses are uniting under the common banner of Buy1GIVE1 run by a social enterprise based in Singapore. Buy1GIVE1 is the home of transaction-based giving. Any business based anywhere in the world can now start doing Buy One Give One giving with ease. It is becoming like a ‘CSR plug-in’ allowing a business to instantly start giving from each and every product or service sale, starting from just one cent. And it is no longer about giving an equivalent product to someone else; instead it is about contributing to a project that resonates with a company’s activities. So for example a restaurant can feed a child, a TV manufacturer can give a cataract blind person the gift of sight (Get Vision-Give Vision), a magazine publisher can plant a tree for every subscription and a builder can build a low-cost family home for those in need (Buy1BUILD1) - the list is endless.

The stats now add up saying consumers do care. The 2008 Goodpurpose global study of consumer attitudes revealed that nearly a huge 68% of consumers would remain dedicated to a brand during an economic slump if it supported a charity cause. This study also highlighted some other key points as well such as:

* Half (52%) of consumers globally are more likely to recommend a brand to others when it supports a good charity cause over one that does not.

* and 54% would champion a brand to promote a product if there was a good cause behind it.

* And going even further globally, consumers are voicing a strong desire for marketers to connect their brands to social causes or action. Forty-two percent say that if two products or services are of the same quality and price, commitment to a social purpose trumps factors like design, innovation and brand loyalty when choosing one product brand over another.

Getting becoming Giving

In the minds of consumers, Buy One GIVE One is sure to replace Buy One GET One as the global giving movement led by Buy1GIVE1 ripples out. Certainly with the large consumer demand shown for products from companies like BOGOlights, TOMS Shoes and One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), this tide will continue to spread.

I did a recent Google search to find the top 25 keywords associated with the keywords BOGO and B1G1. The results were interesting indeed seeing none of them contained the word Give. You can see the results below. It will be interested to repeat this experiment in 12 months time to see what changes. Consumers are now starting to drive significant change and despite them wanting to receive free gifts (as in traditional BOGO/B1G1), they equally want to help others and the environment. This feeling is validated by 2008’s Goodpurpose global study.

Here are the results:

Free, shopping, pics, join, prose, photography, blogging, discount, boots, groups, music, dallas, togo themes, wallpapers, buy, applications, skins, values, coupon, gift, sharing, networking, African.

Transactional or transaction based giving

Unlike normal charitable giving Buy One Give One giving is transactional. What is meant by that is: every time you buy something you give something. In the case of SunNight Solar they give a physical light for every light sold. In most cases, businesses that become part of this special form of transaction-based giving, give in a different way. At Buy1GIVE1, giving can start from just USD 1c contribution per sale. At this amount no business in the world can say they cannot give and 100% contributed goes to the cause.

The actual amount given from each and every sale is not the point of focus with Buy1GIVE1 transaction based giving. It is not about saying 10% is contributed or 5c from each sale - instead the focus is on the story and sharing the simple joy of giving. In the end, if you think that 1c is not a lot to contribute and is not likely to make much of a difference think again and consider the following.

From its origins in Ethiopia, where the main coffee production is still from wild coffee tree forests, coffee consumption has spread globally. Brazil is still by far the largest coffee producer in the world producing on average 28% of the world’s total coffee. In 2006 Brazil produced enough coffee to make 216,400,000,000 (216 billion four hundred million) espresso coffees. If we were to calculate across global production then we get a daily global consumption of around 2,117,416,830 cups of coffee - wow. The figures are somewhat hard to track down but let’s guess that 40% of the world’s coffee is sold and consumed in coffee shops then we would get that 846,966,732 cups are sold commercially each day globally - nearly 900 million. This would equate to about’5,485,714 cups in the US on its own seeing they purchase around 21% of the world’s coffee.

Now imagine that for every cup of coffee sold a child was given clean drinking water from its own well. It costs just 1cent per person per day to do this. Any coffee shop could afford to contribute this amount from the sale of a cup of coffee. Instead of clean water a coffee shop could contribute for the education of coffee farmers’ children, costing from 23cents per child per day. The options and stories are unlimited as well as the potential difference that Buy One Give One transactional giving can make to the lives of many.

Transactional giving is the story of the thousand-mile journey starting with that first single step. Digging a well costs a few thousand dollars so it’s a big barrier for communities in developing nations. However if you break the cost down it only takes the sale of a cup of coffee to give clean water to a single person for a day1. This is the power of transactional giving. It is like the compound interest of giving - a little turns into a lot very quickly.

Of course any company can do transaction-based giving with any of its products or services and do it on their own as some are like TESCO in the UK giving school uniforms to kids in Africa in partnership with Save the Children. And yet if companies choose to join together under a commonly recognised banner/brand they can have a powerful effect. The ripple that a single company creates is added to that of another and the ripple grows into a tidal wave of giving. This is the power of giving and doing things together.

Everyone wins with Buy-One-Give-One transaction-based giving. The consumer wins - at no extra cost to themselves they’ve made a difference to the lives of others through their purchasing choices. The business also wins in so many tangible and intangible ways. And of course the charity partner wins because they are now able to receive small amounts from numerous sources aggregated and paid in a lump sum on a regular basis allowing them to focus on what they do rather than raising funds.

A new start - a new world - new thinking

If you check Wikipedia today you should find that a new definition has been added for BOGO. It is time for a change. A change from focusing on GETTING to focusing on GIVING. The subtlety in the words that we use so often point to a deeper underlying meaning. I added this small addition to Wikipedia, “… an acronym in the marketing industry that stands for Buy One GIVE One.”

Just imagine our world where every time you shopped and bought something you gave something - automatically and seamlessly. This is the simple joyful magic of transaction based giving.

This is the world I choose to be a part of.

And remember - you don’t ‘get’ giving till you get giving.

References:

http://www.buy1-give1free.com/index.php/Partnering/Worthy-cause-charity-projects.html

http://www.dep.org.uk/globalexpress/13/page1.htm

http://www.tesco.com/greenerliving/what_we_are_doing/ethical_clothing.page

http://www.scfnw.org.uk/site/article183.html

http://www.scfnw.org.uk/site/article183.html

http://www.goodpurposecommunity.com/

http://www.tesco.com/greenerliving/what_we_are_doing/ethical_clothing.page

Footnotes: 1 The daily cost for clean well water per person is calculated by taking the average cost to dig a well then dividing that amount by its average expected life without major maintenance then divided it by the number of people in the community benefiting from the well on a daily basis.

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