A New Year

So 2010 is finally over, and 2011 is getting under way. For us at GBP, 2010 was a rollercoaster ride with an incredible amount of great experiences, including some major press coverage (check some of it out in our Press page).

The end of a year always seems to be the perfect moment to take a step back and reflect on what we've gone through. There are things we are grateful for, like good friends and a loving family, and things we are focused on fixing that will dictate how we live in the coming year.

In that vein, I read about a pretty interesting project called 'The Gratitude Book' where 365 authors wrote small paragraphs about what they were grateful for. As an additional, and very relevant in this case, bonus, a portion of all proceeds goes to FeedAmerica, the ASPCA, Make a Wish Foundation and Women for Women International. Check out the book here.

What are you grateful for?

Pay What You Want at Panera

I saw this story earlier in the month about Panera, a chain of 'fancy fast food' restaurants. They have started a non-profit concept called "Community Cafe" that lets people choose what to pay for their food. It's meant to work as a soup kitchen, without the stigma associated with it. And their goal is to have enough customers that pay full price (or more) to have it be self-sustaining as a business.

They've received an overwhelming show of positive support, but I think the real test will be in the months to come once the shine wears off. Can they make this work? I hope they can, I love the idea.

This made me think not just about GBP but about businesses that help others in general. It's not enough to have good intentions, you need to provide a product that people actually want and, more importantly, you need to do it in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. You can help more people by surviving as a business for ten years than if you do a large volume of donations in one year but go bankrupt because your expenses are above your income. Hopefully their model works out and it expands.

They were profiled on USA Today. Check it out.

-Daniel

The Joy of Giving

When I was a kid there was no better day for me than my birthday, followed closely by Christmas. Those were the two days in the year when receiving was at its max, presents, presents and more presents.  Over the years, those two days have constantly lost importance in my life, to the extent that even some of my close friends comment on the fact that I don’t like my birthdays anymore. What changed? What happened? Does this happen to everyone?

I am going to go ahead and partly blame my adorable niece, Andrea, for my “issue”. Since I don’t have any children, Andrea is as close as it gets to my own child. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we are 3,000 miles apart, I only get to see Andrea about 2 or 3 times a year. The only thing that I MUST take with me when I go visit my brother is a present for Andrea. Seeing the extreme excitement in her face whenever I open the bag to take out her present is, like the MasterCard commercial would say, priceless. She was the one that showed me that I get more joy out of her happiness than out of mine own.  Sure, I still love receiving, but I truly believe I gain more when I give than when I receive.

GBP helps me attain the feeling I get from giving to Andrea thousands of times. Whenever things get tough with GBP, I remind myself of the happiness that I get when we do the backpack drop offs. I remind myself of the smiles in the kids’ faces; the happiness and relief that those kids’ parents feel when they realize their kids are getting the tools to attain the world’s most powerful weapon, education. I urge you all to give, any way you want, maybe by making your significant other a nice breakfast in bed on a random Saturday, maybe by holding the door open for someone, maybe just getting your train conductor or your doorman a coffee one morning, anything to make someone else happy, if you do this I guarantee you will experience true joy.

-Nick

The Groupon of Social Giving

There's a new group buying site hot on the heels of the incredibly successful Groupon.com ( 17 million subscribers across 230 cities) and it has a conscience. Deals For Deeds was started by two entrepreneurs in Washington D.C. that thought there was nothing wrong with helping others as part of a business plan - a philosophy we applaud and very dear to our GBP hearts. 

We actually partnered with Deals for Deeds over the 2010 Labor Day weekend and received a great response. They were nice enough to give us three full days of coverage (usually organizations get one) and it's definitely a partnership we want to repeat in the future. As we come up with new products (stay tuned!) we'll want to spread the word as much as possible and partnerships with organizations like these are one of the best ways for us to do that.

If you live in the D.C. area go ahead and check them out and let us know if you have heard of similar groups that are doing something good for their communities.

-Daniel

Not just a backpack

Scene one: cute little girl in a uniform
Scene two: cute little girl screaming while fighting with her vest and skirt

As I saw a little girl attempting to strip out of her uniform this morning, I couldn't help but think of my own elementary school days. I'd wake up and put on my socks half asleep. I'd grab those khaki shorts I wasn't sure were made for men or women but I knew I had to wear anyways. I'd be dropped off in a school where both girls and boys wore the same exact outfit; not exactly style at its best. The only thing that let me stand out, my most cherished possession at 13 was my purple backpack.

While the rest of the kids had the typical Jansport backpack, mine was unique. My best friends and I had bought ours together. We had chosen one that would represent us as a group. It was special because there was meaning behind it, because of the story it told. To a child, a backpack can be more than just a bag for all their stuff; it can be the one thing that lets them demonstrate their likes, what they believe it. This is why we believe in the importance of backpacks. We are happy to share our story through our backpacks and invite you to become part of a greater movement; one that you'll be proud to represent.


Nahila

Advancing Millennium Development Goal #2

The Millennium Development Goal #2 is to Achieve Universal Primary Education. The first target, to "ensure that by 2015 children everywhere - boys and girls alike - will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling", is both ambitious and needed.

Education provides the opportunity to prevent poverty, to create wealth, and lift all economies. In our interconnected world, a rising tide does indeed lift all boats.

From policy and advocacy to actual teaching, the ways to become involved are numerous - and the smallest investments reap multiple rewards.

What are your favorite ways to advance education? We would love to hear from you!

The Team at GBP

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml
http://www.chindiarising.info/

Miami Herald Interview

A special thank you to the Miami Herald today. They came fully equipped with their professional photographer Chris and ultra kind writer Daiana. The GBP Team was there to show them a day in the life of packing, sorting, counting, filling and packaging backpacks. We're extremely excited to share the story of our movement to all of South Florida and continue to build the buzz that has everyone talking about GBP. Well the wait is short and the article is coming out in Sunday's edition and the placement of it is TBD but we will let you know as soon we find out!