Q:  How did Living for a Cause get started, and why?

A:  Our Vision:  We are a small group of citizens and social entrepreneurs who have all worked for different worthwhile philanthropic causes.  Working in the world of cause-related marketing, we decided to break the binds of traditional giving and design a model where people have a choice where they want their time and dollars to go.  

 It was also important for us to ensure that this model provided a level of transparency so donors would know exactly where the money or donation went.  With an online platform, and no overhead costs, a minimal amount goes toward administrative costs, directing most of the funds to the selected cause.

Q:  Who are the co founders and how did you meet?

A:  Again, we all have pasts rooted in philanthropic organizations, but we all actually met at a very well-known National organization I was a board member, two of my partners worked in marketing, development and communications, and my other partner is a colleague from the art world. Mary Stabile, Marisa Bolognese, Laura Quinn and Colm Rowan  are the Trustees of the Board.

Together, we founded Living for a Cause in 2009, just this year, as a way of providing a better giving venue to the world.  No walls, no borders……. Just direct giving that is accessible, reliable, and responsible!

Q:  Why is tangible giving so important in today’s economy?

A: In any economy, people want to give back.  When you create an opportunity for giving or the venue, they will come!   We have carefully researched charitable organizations and the need for “accountability exploration” when it comes to credible charities.  Such criteria as: (List here)

We decided we would create peace of mind for the donor.   The donor not only knows that their gift will be used optimally, they also “experience” the tangible nature of giving because they do the “choosing”, and they can see the results.  We fund results.  Monetary giving is only one way of giving… people can contribute time and items such as a respiratory machine to a hospital for example. Medical supplies, food for animals.  We identify an immediate need and seek to full it, but not by giving money, by buying what may be of need.

Q:   Being transparent and passionate about your mission, do you find people pay attention?

A:  A wholehearted YES!  We just launched this organization this year, and I cannot tell you the amount of positive feedback that we’re receiving…  Mostly, people find that it is so refreshing to have the opportunity to give so directly and in such a tangible way that they FEEL the giving through experience.  Living for a cause provides the pathway to giving  We all want to give from the heart, and know what we have given, is truly being used for those purposes.  Living for a cause, I guess, in a way, provides each heart with the opportunity to do just that.  It was once said that “the highest kind of giving, comes from the bottom of the heart.”

How do you fund some of your causes?

By the generosity of the people who believe in our mission, who are willing to reach into their hearts and give that dollar or two.