Category: General News

 

I interrupt your regular programming (daily posts about previous months' charity nominations) to bring you these important messages.

Nominations for the month of November end tonight at midnight NYC time! If there's a cause that's near and dear to your heart, nominate it on Charitocracy so we can all learn about it, too. It only takes a couple minutes to find in our 501(c)(3) database and write up a brief description of why you think it's a great cause. Or just post a YouTube or Vimeo link and let it do all the talking for you!

Also, if you're like me and have some pre-election jitters, why not harness your nervous energy by warming up your voting muscles over at Charitocracy? Remember you can split your vote across up to 5 causes, and during the first 2 weeks of each month -- before the Top 10 list is cast in stone -- any nominated cause is eligible to receive your vote(s)!

Over the next 24 hours, please do your charitable duty and your civic duty and bring out your vote!

There are exactly twice as many Facebook users who like Charitocracy (244) as there are donors on the site (122). While I risk sounding like an NPR pledge drive, here goes nothing: "What's it going to take to get you to donate?"

We're so close to passing the $500 mark. We hit that mark in September with the help of some one-time "sweeten the pot" donations from enthusiastic donors. This time, thanks to our enlarged donor base, we're poised to do it naturally. We're just a few signups shy of $500 in monthly donations! (That means we'd be starting at $500 in November.)

So why the reluctance, you other 50%-ers? Help me understand! Maybe I can convince you? Here are some fun facts to consider:

• It takes about 2 minutes to sign up. You supply your name, email, a username, optional zip code for the neato donor map, and your credit card info, which your browser might already have memorized. Done.
• You can sign up from your phone, tablet, mainframe, whatever you prefer.
• Your donations are tax-deductible. We're a 501(c)(3) and we'll email you a receipt within seconds.
• Each individual in a family can have a separate account, with a separate voice and separate vote. (Partners/SOs, do not throw away your shot!)
• $13 per year is pretty reasonable considering you'll automatically support a dozen different causes throughout the year, whether you actively participate (vote, nominate, etc.) or not. I spent this much on a sandwich and coffee just trying to come up with ways to persuade you.

Just 3 days left to sign up and get your vote in for October!

Today is the last day of The Year of Benj™.

Tomorrow I return to my day job. I'm looking forward to tackling problems and improving technology that benefits millions of people. I'm looking forward to the camaraderie of my colleagues. And I'm looking forward to getting paid again!

But... I'm already mourning the loss of my Charitocracy productivity (Charitivity™) which can't possibly sustain its present level after today. I'll prioritize the most important new features to keep Charitocracy thriving, and make the most of my moonlighting hours. Charitocracy in its present form practically runs itself, so it'll be fine, right? I just can't wait to build it into so much more...

I simply need to remind myself that Charitocracy isn't a race. The pace of development will depend on the demands of my day job and the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance. If you donors keep on voting, nominating, and sharing Charitocracy with your friends and family, I'll keep making it better. Deal?