In a recent email I recieved some bad news regarding one of my favorite sources of information, the Idealist website. According to this email, Idealist is on the verge of possibly having to close up shop due to the same financial troubles which are effecting all of our lives at the moment. Readers of this blog can certainly identify with all that is involved with having a sudden streak of bad luck. When I first moved to NYC 9 years ago, I found Idealist to be a enormously valuable resource on a day to day basis. In fact, one of my very first jobs outside of school was an internship that I found through their site. It could even be safe to say that somewhere rooted in the idea behind Home Free Organization, at least in the beginning, might have been somewhat inspired by sites like Idealist which pool resources and volunteers around important causes and activism.  Here is just a portion of the email which I recieved from Idealist:

Very briefly, here's what happened. Over the past ten years, most of
our funding has come from the small fees we charge organizations for
posting their jobs on Idealist. By September 2008, after years of
steady growth, these little drops were covering 70% of our budget.

Then, in October of that year, the financial crisis exploded, many
organizations understandably froze their hiring, and from one week to
the next our earned income was cut almost in half.

That was 16 months ago, and since then we've survived on faith and
fumes, by cutting expenses, and by getting a few large gifts from new
and old friends. But now we are about to hit a wall, and this is why I
am reaching out to you.

If over the past 15 years Idealist has helped you or a friend find a
job, an internship or a volunteer opportunity; connect with a person,
an idea or a resource; or just feel inspired for a moment, now we need
your help. I wouldn't be asking, and not like this, if this were not a
critical time.

Idealist needs our help and your help in order to stay afloat. It takes a great amount of courage to put oneself out there as Idealist has above and to me that indicates a level of seriousness which should be addressed-therefore I am doing my part. Every day, Idealist helps connect 70,000 people with 90,000
organizations around the world, in English, Spanish, and French. In addition to our work online, every year we also organize a series of events across North America, including 10 Nonprofit Career Fairs, 20
Graduate School Fairs, and 5 Global Volunteering Fairs. If you or your organization has the funds to spare, please consider donating to Idealist at http://www.idealist.org/donate

I just wanted to let our readers know about new changes to the Home Free Organization Social Network, which is now featured in the Ning Directory here.
For the Currently Homeless 
If you are currently homeless (or Home-Free, rather) you might want to consider joining our social network and use the tools provided such as Google Wave, video and photos and our discussion forum in order to step up your search for solutions, at least until we get our trucks on the streets and in your city.
For Professional Who Would Like to Volunteer 
If you are a professional or councilor who might want to volunteer your services and time for a tax break, join the same community (linked above) and list your talents or skills in your profile so that we may connect you with someone in need of what you have to offer.

For Everyone
Please share this post on Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin or anywhere else on the web  where you have connections with people who care. We hope this is reaching the people in need and it can only do so with YOUR HELP....thanks for your continued support as we make Home Free Organization a reality for many out there who need what we have to offer.

Home Free Organization is a non-profit initiative to eradicate homelessness in urban environments through the provision of free wireless internet, social networking and resource allotment. We take donated bread trucks which have come off route and add donated computers and hardware to create mobile wireless access hubs for homeless individuals to utilize for finding family, jobs, resources and ways off the street. The goal is simple: Provide a resource for the homeless which will allow them to find ways off the street. Of course there are many who prefer the streets to a 9-5 and home life, but for those who are stuck and cannot find there way, Home Free will provide the tools to try.

Dearest Friends, Followers and Supporters of Home Free Organization, we come to you with a small request today which will only take 5 minutes of your time and may do more for the world than you could possibly know. Home Free Organization is currently in search of funding and/or a mentor nonprofit organization (ex. Salvation Army) to take us under their wing so that we can become an accredited charity. If you have just five minutes to spare, please forward Home Free Organization's information to just 10 people or simply make it a point to talk about us at your next business meeting or dinner. As you may know already, Home Free Org is not your normal nonprofit entity as we are not on the streets soliciting monetary donations from strangers.  At this point we are not even asking for cash donations (although they will help)-instead Home Free is asking for individuals and/or businesses to donated their unwanted materials so that we can convert them into usable resources for those in need [a full list of donation types listed here].Nevertheless, if  you prefer to donate cash, we ask at this time that you do so by purchasing official Home Free Organization branded merchandise such as shirts and hats from our Cafe Press store. 

The World Needs Your Network
Everyone out there has someone in their life with a big heart and resources to share.  Home Free Organization needs you to speak with that person and mention us to them.  We are in great need of donations of unwanted bread trucks and computers in order to increase the number of homeless individuals that we can help.  Craigslist is always full of unwanted "bread truck" and "box van" type of vehicles for cheap!  The idea is to reuse what is unwanted and convert it into something useful to help those in the streets find ways to get off the streets.

End Homelessness, Support Home Free Organization

It is going to take a lot of heart and word of mouth to get to this next phase and we need your help.  Please forward this to anyone you know who might be willing to brainstorm and help. Thank you for your time and effort know...you are doing a great thing. 

Home Free Organization is on the front lines and in the streets with new and emerging technologies connecting to anywhere at anytime. With new and emerging technologies available to the world daily Home Free is committed to make the most of what is offered to in turn provide seamless access to much needed support mechanisms to the Home-Free. The diagram to the left is a peek into how we at Home Free are able to provide this much needed access.

There are quite a few more people behind the goals of Home Free Organization today...quite a few hundred! As previously mentioned, College of Charleston Magazine featured our growing cause in their latest Alumni Issue, which can now be read by visiting the magazine's website. You could also order a copy for print even if you're not a student or alumni if you wish.  We are really pleased with the way that the article turned out and excited to have so many more compassionate individuals involved with the project.

There are just a couple of things that we would like to note for those looking to get involved. First, our Home Free social network is setup and available for volunteers and those in need to join and begin networking for change. This will give every volunteering person involved their own profile page for showcasing exactly which talents, skills or professional background that respective members are bringing to the table. As for those who are Home-Free and are in search of assistance, this will be a safe and discrimination-free place to easily describe those issues which are holding you back. 

Where can I Find Home Free Organization at Work?
We are still working out the bugs in the prototype truck and accepting material donations (not asking for money at this time) and hope to be in the streets of NYC before the end of the year.  However there is much work to be done in the background and that means volunteers can start helping by committing a small amount of time just spreading the word.  With that said, you can find Home Free Organization building an army on any of the following social networking sites.  If you happen to be a member on these sites, lets be friends.

TIP: If you are a person who might be well connected with someone who owns a bread company or some other business which uses delivery vans, by all means, please mention us to them as we are going to need all the trucks we can find.   Maybe you're not this person but rather a terrific speaker on behalf of organizations such as our, please contact the Salvation Army and put in a good word for us as we would love to ultimately become a mobile version of their cause.  And a final tip, if you just happen to have cash laying around and would like to contribute to our cause, a great place to start would be trying your local Craigslist and searching for "bread truck" or "box van," as many cities have individuals looking to get rid of their unwanted trucks cheap! Diesel trucks work best as per our wonderful relationship with TriState Biodiesel (Brooklyn), however gasoline trucks can be converted by our friends at Diesel Depot (of Georgia)!

Home Free Organization is now on Google Wave as beta testers which is extremely exciting as both volunteers and the home-free can now communicate (including the sharing of all forms of media) in real time. 
What is Google Wave?
Google Wave is a browser-based collaboration tool that combines messaging, document writing and discussions in real time. I participated by proxy in an experiment with the tool last week that involved fellow content management professionals.You can watch a video about using Google Wave here and read this Google Wave User Guide and an in depth guide on the Mashable blog.  Google Wave is of course new to everyone in the world, so lets work the bugs out together and make this a problem solving machine for those in need.

Thank you for all of your support towards helping Home Free Organization help those in need help themselves to a better life.  Feel free to email any questions to homefreeorganization@gmail.com and one of us will be happy to speak to you when it is most convenient for you.  Take care and remember you are not homeless, you are Home-Free!

The term grassroots seems loosely used. Do we know it's true definition ? It has been convoluted with political agendas. Most of us jump on a band wagon because we know the term is recognized and acceptable. It's warm and fuzzy. The term grassroots simply means fundamental, basic, common ,ordinary, general, average, regular, no special distinction, community, local, foundation, I think you get the idea. This adjective is usually used in conjunction with the word movement or initiative. In other words WE THE fundamental, basic, common ,ordinary, general, average, regular, no special distinction, community, local, foundational PEOPLE should be able to bypass government, corporate or association rules, regulations and guidelines to establish how WE THE PEOPLE choose to resolve the real need of WE THE PEOPLE, agreed?

The current economic crisis around the globe is severely and rapidly diminishing government, corporate and association giving to non-profit organizations, charities and projects. Creative ingenuity by spirited individuals such as Justin Farrow of HomeFreeOrg and Stephen Mills of The HUV Project seem to be reviving the need for a new grassroots movement or initiative: Grassroots Fund Raising. Let's look at a few of the early Grass Roots Fund Raising Initiatives. Did you know that America was in a similar crisis over 30 years ago?

In 1976, The Marriot Corporation, a "for profit" company formed a partnership with March of Dimes, a "non-profit" organization to help raise funds for birth defects. The promotion was conducted simultaneously in 67 cities throughout the Western United States. It exceeded all goals to become the most successful promotion in the history of Chapters West of the March of Dimes, while providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in free publicity and stimulated the record-breaking opening of the Marriott entertainment complex. The program was conceived and directed by Bruce Burtch, who went on to become a nationally-recognized catalyst for cause marketing and reinventing the away America successfully donated.

Another of the first examples of a "cause-related marketing" campaign was initiated in 1979 by Rosica, Mulhern & Associates for Famous Amos cookies. In this campaign, Wally Amos became the National Spokesperson for the Literacy Volunteers of America. According to the organization, Wally has alerted more people to the illiteracy problem than any other person in history. This strategic cause-marketing tie-in helped to tell the Famous Amos Cookie story while maintaining visibility and is responsible for many new and expanded literacy programs. This case study is now used in university classrooms nationwide as an example of successful "cause-related marketing".

The creation of the term "cause-related marketing" is attributed to American Express, and it was coined to describe efforts to support locally based charitable causes in a way that also promoted business. The term was then used to describe the marketing campaign led by American Express in 1983 for the Statue of Liberty Restoration project. A penny for each use of the American Express card, and a dollar for each new card issued was given to the Statue of Liberty renovation program. Over a four-month period, $2 million was raised for Lady Liberty, transaction activity jumped 28 percent and the concept that doing good was good for business, was born. The terms "cause-related marketing" and "cause marketing" continued to grow in usage since that time. The term has come to describe a wider variety of marketing initiatives based on the cooperative efforts of business and charitable causes.

Through time, corporations realized the profit involved and stopped this type of marketing to receive direct donations. Committees then determined how many dollars would be donated. For example, you’ll see this on Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon when a corporate CEO hands Jerry a check. It has left the hands of the GRASS ROOTS, we the people. Now corporate giving is coming to a halt. Today's economy has caused companies to put on the "donation" brakes.

Fast forward .... Today we learn from this history. We become educated on choices and alternatives. What did our predecessors do? How can we use this grassroots fund raising to help homelessness errr homefreeness ? What corporation will create a partnership? What kind of program could raise the funds for non-profits like HomeFreeOrg or ingenious creations like The HUV Project ?

The possible benefits of cause marketing for nonprofit organizations include an increased ability to promote the nonprofit organization's cause via the greater financial resources of a business, and an increased ability to reach possible supporters through a company's customer base or in this case donor base. The possible benefits of cause marketing for business include positive public relations, improved customer relations, and additional marketing opportunities.

New on the NON-PROFIT organization scene: Brave-Aid, Inc a 501(c)3. Brave-Aid, Inc. is a wounded veterans assistance fund that was created as a non-conventional vehicle whose goal is to give financial, emotional, and when requested, spiritual assistance to the veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom Brave-Aid, Inc. also extends its support to the families of those veterans who gave their lives for our country. The mission is not only to provide assistance for our heroes, but also provide an ethical, honorable and honest employment opportunity by procuring assistance for our veterans. Like other organizations that rely on donations, Brave-Aid,Inc was failing to raise funds due to America's economic crisis.

Through cause marketing, a FOR PROFIT company, Operation Warrior Support partnered with Brave-Aid, Inc. OWS has been created in order to meet the needs of our wounded, disabled and homeless veterans – we owe them our freedom! OWS is an income opportunity for all returning veterans, for the spouses of veterans serving abroad or who have fallen and for anyone who is suffering in this failing economy. This unique program, “Earn While Giving” offers "Referral Rewards" (think flyer miles). This grassroots program was developed BY veterans FOR veterans.

The income opportunity (think flyer miles) grows into yet a compounded fund raising opportunity for various non-profit organizations, causes, or projects like HOMEFREEORG or THE HUV PROJECT who have enrolled as a Fund Raising Donor. Can this take Cause Marketing to a level that is altruistic for our individual cause(s)? Do you think this can help more than one cause simultaneously with one donation? You bet it can! Because we the people are standing in unity to retro fit the America we want to embrace. We the people need we the people.

By participating ONCE through cause marketing to Brave Aid, Inc via Operation Warrior Support through HOMEFREEORG's replicated website, YOU can help veterans who have served throughout history, those deployed, those returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan and multiple homeless projects through one minimal donation to Brave-Aid,Inc.

THIS ladies and gentleman has not been done before. One $20 tax deductible monthly donation could raise up to $40,950 which 100% of goes directly to the veterans via Brave-Aid, up to $6200 to HOME FREEORG AND and up to $6200 to YOU to use at your discretion all per month, every month. How? Hard to believe? Watch this 12 minute video “Call to America” and let it speak to you the people.

CALL TO AMERICA

You can be a part of historical resonance. Through the creative spirit and compound giving effect WE THE PEOPLE become the grassroots fund raising initiative to help Justin Farrow complete his mission to return homefree citizens to their identity and help Stephen Mills provide Homeless Utility Vehicles to those in need simply and effectively by becoming a Fund Raising Donor through HomeFreeOrg’s Operation Warrior Support link We the people are standing in unity. JOIN US NOW.

http://homefreeorg.warriorsupport.us