The History Of The Motorcycle Past Present And Future

By L.J. James

Many of the "facts" in this story are based on Legend and Myth as much of the history of the Motorcycle and it's Culture was lost in the Great Rebellion of 2057.



Taken from a history book in the year 2095... Motorcycles And The Culture They Inspire 1868-2017

Motorcycles started out as steam engines strapped on to bicycles in 1868. Soon after the gas engine took its place and by the 1900's there were Motorcycle shops and Dealers all over the World. For awhile, Motorcycle's were simply used as transportation. In 1907, when Henry Fords, Ford Motor Company, released the Model-T at a price many could afford, the Motorcycle soon went from a necessity to a luxury item.

In the 1940's, the Motorcycle Culture really took off. An organization called the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) held races and events all over the United States of America. In 1947 the AMA held an event in Hollister California. This event was attended by many of the AMA Racing Teams and Motorcycle Clubs. This event marks the beginning of the separation of Motorcyclists which eventually led to the end of Motorcycling in the year 2017. Newspapers, being what they where in 1947, got a hold of some pictures of Motorcyclists having fun at the event. The press decided to embellish the facts and transformed the story into a torrid tale of Bikers taking over a small town! More negative news stories soon followed. Soon after Hollywood began releasing movies that portrayed Motorcyclists as lawless and evil.

The American Motorcyclist Association, trying to end the bad press, responded by basically saying that the Newspapers had lied and that it was only 1% of the Motorcyclists that caused problems. This resulted in the first ripple in the Unity of the Motorcycle World and the Medias' hatred of Bikers. Around the same time, the AMA began adding new requirements for motorcycles to be able to race in AMA sanctioned Races. Those whose motorcycles didn't meet the new AMA requirements started their own Race Leagues. Because the new Race Leagues/Clubs were not AMA sanctioned, they soon became known as Outlaw Race Leagues/Clubs. Although many Bikers raced in both the AMA and Outlaw Leagues, another great separation had begun.

By the late 1960's, the separation of the Motorcycle Community was becoming more evident. There were now three basic Motorcycle groups. The American Motorcycle Association, Outlaw/ 1%er Clubs(All 1%ers were Outlaws, but not all Outlaws were considered 1%ers) and Independent Riders. Over the years, the AMA continued to grow. In addition to racing, they began to champion Motorcycle Rights and Safety. As time went on, others formed independent groups whose goals were similar to that of the AMA. The inability or outright refusal of these groups to work together with each other, resulted in further separation of the Motorcycle Community and Culture.

In the 1970's, rifts began to grow between some of the Outlaw/1% Clubs. By the 1990's, the media had inflated these conflicts into stories that rivaled the tall tales of the old west. These tall tales where ment to invoked fear of the Outlaw/1% Clubs in the public. Everyone was lied to,. They were told to stay away from and fear all Outlaw/1% Clubs. The media began referring to Motorcycle Clubs as Motorcycle Gangs, a term meant to further instill fear into the heart of the Public. Stories and rumors began surfacing, claiming these "Gangs" were ruthless and would kill or maim people for little or no reason at all. By the early 21st Century, every minor conflict between Outlaw/1% Clubs was made into a book, made for TV movie, or docudrama. Titles like "Motorcycle Gang Wars In Your Back Yard" were common. Although real wars, conflicts, and suffering were occurring worldwide, the Corporate owned media chose to report fiction over fact.

In 2009, a conflict between two rival Clubs was captured on Video at a "Biker Build Off" event. The coverage by the media and negative publicity that followed was so overwhelming that in 2010, the United States Government passed a law banning all Outlaw/1% Clubs. In response, the Outlaw/1% Clubs put aside their differences and formed "Bikers United". The Bikers fought back stating the law was unconstitutional and un-American. Even as late as 2010, Many Americans still clung to the misguided belief that they had rights and lived in a free Nation. The Bikers fought hard and came very close to winning, but without the support of the Motorcycle Rights Groups,The many other Clubs, and the Independent Riders, all of whom had been brainwashed into believing the Outlaw Clubs were criminal organizations, they were defeated.

Many of the Outlaw/1% Clubs tried to stay together. The Clubs went underground, but after many raids and constant Government harassment, they all but disappeared. In 2013, in an effort to ensure that the Outlaw/1% Clubs never returned, the Government decided to outlaw all Motorcycle Clubs and organizations. The AMA, the many Clubs and Motorcycle Rights Organizations United in an effort to battle the Governments oppression. They tried to use many of the same tactics and strategies that the Outlaw/1% Clubs used. Unfortunately, the Government was much smarter and stronger this time around. They had learned many lessons in their fierce battles with the Outlaw/1% Clubs, and they used what they had learned against the united Clubs and Organizations. With no Outlaw/1% Clubs left to assist them and without the support of the Independent Riders, the United Clubs and Organizations were defeated.

In 2015, the Government passed a law that made it illegal to even look like an Outlaw on a Motorcycle. The Independent Riders banned together to try and fight the law, but by this time their numbers were few and there wasn't anyone left to show them how to fight for their rights. After a brief protest, they too were soundly defeated. In 2017, What was now a "Global Government", in its infinite wisdom, decided that Motorcycles posed a danger to the public. They passed a law banning the manufacturing of Motorcycle's and their use! They ordered that all existing Motorcyclesbe destroyed. This brought to an end, the History of Motorcycles. It would take until the year 2093 before anything even close to resembling a Motorcycle reappeared.

As a Historian looking back at the History of Motorcycles and the Culture it created, it amazes me how powerful the Motorcycle Culture could have been had they not let every little thing separate them. Instead of embracing something they all had in common and working together to protect it, they instead let their differences, the media, and the government divide them. By the time the Bikers realized how much they were connected and needed each other, it was too late. Their numbers were certainly sufficient to achieve victory, but their failure to come together as Brothers and Sisters and work for the common good ultimately caused their demise. Had they been victorious, it may have been enough to stop all of the oppression and tyranny that soon followed. History is full of stories just like this one, over and over again. The ones who love and honor Freedom the most are taken down first and the rest soon fall like dominoes. Until the Great Rebellion of 2057, we as a Global Society did not realize how important it was to put aside our differences. It may have taken awhile, but we finally figured it out...Just in time!

Your Bro L. J. James AmericanBikerX.com

- 32383

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Home Buying Tips And Related Information For Buying A New Home

By John Goldman

A person who has purchased a home of his own can truly appreciate the difficulties he has to face during the entire process. Even the U.S government is not blind to this problem as is evident from the steps it has taken to solve this problem.

Therefore, the government cannot work only on the basis of charity. In fact, the Housing Department of U.S Government has provided the residents with all the essential information significant to housing that can be immensely helpful all through home purchase procedure.

There are essentially nine home buying tips from housing department of US government that should be followed by people interested in having a perfect home of their dreams.

*Affordability and your limits: It is better to know your limits before you go in for buying any house or property. Try and examine your financial plan neutrally and determine the inexpensive proposition for you. It is better to confirm before hand whether letting out property is a good proposal or not. Your financial conditions of the home should not be affected unfavorably.

*Knowing about your rights: Many nationals stumble due to the fact that they are not quite confident about their own rights of purchasing a house. There are many laws and deeds that relate to Housing and Estate Settlement which should be premeditated in depth before many getting sort of decision.

*Hunt for the best loan: This is the most important step as if you don't get the right kind of loan; you will have to slog repaying it. You should ask FHA for help when it comes to loans. A market research is also very important, as you need to do interest rate comparisons.

*More Information about the housing programs: There are several grants and curriculum that the US government covers in order to assist the one's who cannot afford to buy a house of their own. The home buying programs are intended for everybody and you have to encounter merely specific qualifying requisite requirements.

*Home hunt: This can stand to be the biggest and the most extended shopping experience of your life. Shopping for the perfect home is a real exceptional task.

*Create a wish-list that can fit in your budget and then strive to get closest. Create a checklist that can be ticked time and again whenever one task is accomplished. You can select the best home for you and your families before you go in for the final purchase.

*Negotiation matters: Negotiating with the seller is an art. There is always going to be something lucrative, but you shouldn't fall for plans like these. Negotiation and bargaining about the cost is a must. If you do not haggle properly, you might just end up paying more than the other buying the same kind of property.

*Official Home inspection: Request the authorities to inspect the home thoroughly before you buy it. A cost evaluation of the house is a must before you sign the deal.

*Get the right homeowner's insurance: Getting your property insured is very influential and hence, finding the precise type of homeowner's insurance is very important. It should be one that will pay right amount at the right time.

*Sign the papers: After the first eight steps are successfully completed, you are supposed to finally sign the papers and finalize the deal to your utmost satisfaction. - 32383

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The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance - Where to Begin to Look for Federal Grant Money

By Michael Saunders

All Federal Government projects, programs, services and activities that provide assistance and benefits to citizens are cataloged in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. All financial and non-financial assistance programs implemented through departments and establishments for the US Federal government are recorded in the CFDA.

The CFDA had its genesis in 1984. The federal government transferred the responsibilities of the Federal Program Information Act from the Office of Management and Budget to the General Services Administration. Included in this transfer was the responsibility for the distribution of all Federal domestic assistance program information through the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

Responsibility for the database of Federal assistance lies with the General Services Administration. The Office of Management and Budget interfaces with the range of Federal agencies on behalf of the GSA delivering the required oversight to the program data related to domestic assistance.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the basic reference manual providing information on all Federal domestic activities. Its most critical function is allowing users to identify programs of particular interest. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance also is a tremendous resource for basic information on Federal assistance programs. Additionally, the Catalog endeavors to improve communications and enhance coordination between State and Local entities and the Federal government.

The CFDA lets grant seekers access all domestic programs managed by Federal agencies and departments in a single resource. All information is cross referenced by Functional Index, subject, applicant, deadline(s) for program application submission, and Authorization Index. All of this information is invaluable as research tools that can make it easier to identify specific areas of program interest more efficiently.

Since 1977 the General Services Administration has published printed editions of the Catalog. Legislation required free dissemination of the CFDA to specific recipients. In 2003 the GSA distributed close to 10,000 copies of the CFDA.

New federal legislation provides discretion to the General Services Administration on how to maintain and distribute the Catalog. In keeping with the GSA's Electronic-Government initiatives, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act the GSA now disseminates the CFDA electronically through the CFDA Website on the World Wide Web. As a result the General Services Administration no longer prints or distributes free copies of the Catalog. - 32383

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Information on Financial Aid for College Scholarships and Grants.

By Marion Jones

Education is becoming more and more expensive as time goes by. Because of this, a large number of students are applying for scholarships and grants in the form of financial aid for college to supplement their wherewithal while in college.

Luckily, there are already various methods to get financial aid for college scholarships to assist these students with their financial needs. The main providers of financial aid for college are the government, individuals, non-profit organizations and private organizations.

However, not everyone is familiar with the ways to access the information necessary when applying for this financial aid for college scholarships. Basically, the following are the possible resources you can use to find the processes for applying for financial aid for college scholarship:

To start with, you can do a college scholarship search in the search engines like Google or Yahoo: just type in "college scholarships and grants" (without the inverted commas). Visit the free sites that link to financial aid for college scholarships search websites and databases. This tool is useful for the majority of people as opposed to other sources because most people probably already have a computer at home.

You just have to do is cross-reference your profile with any number of financial aid for college scholarships where you think you may qualify. Another advantage in using the financial aid for college scholarship search engines is that it is always current. Therefore, you have information on the latest grants and financial aid for college free on the Internet.

You can also reference other resources. You can enquire at the local community and civic organizations, as well as at police departments and fire departments in your area. They might be offering financial aid for college scholarships too.

Furthermore, many of the state government departments provide financial assistance to in-state students. So, you could take advantage of local grants. Usually, the best financial aid for college scholarships is extended to students who excel in the fields of writing, science, math, music, sports etc.

These methods of financial aid for college scholarships and grants do not usually require very high grades: a GPA of 2.0 will often suffice. They are commonly based rather on the students character, circumstances and his or her declaration of why the student feels he / she is eligible for the financial aid for a college scholarship or grant.

But, do not expect get all the scholarship money you need just by putting your name in only one or two programmes. Bear in mind, that applying for financial aid for college scholarship or grants is to do with numbers. So, it is better for you to apply for more rather than less scholarships and grants to be certain that you will be successful in at least one or more of them.

After having found your prospective scholarships or grants in either of the above mentioned resources, you should find out the process for college application next. The following are the most successful ways of ensuring that you obtain a college scholarship:

Search early. The majority of the scholarships are open for a finite period of time. The financial aid for college scholarship or grant will close after the time period for application has closed and then you have to wait for another year to file your application. If you start your search early, you will not just be able to find the best scholarships, but you will also be able to apply for more financial aid for college scholarships, which will give you more chance of winning at least one or more of them.

Remember to be very diligent when you are reading the stipulations for that scholarship or grant. Be aware that, of the large amount of scholarship applicants, only a few will suit the the sponsor's stipulations. So, read the required qualifications with care and only go for those scholarships that you are suited for. If a financial aid for college scholarships or grant does not suit your qualifications, do not even bother with it, try searching for another one.

Fulfill all the necessary requirements. When you submit the application form for the financial aid for college scholarships, you must already have to hand all the documentation required. It is not advisable for you to wait for your prospective sponsor to ask you for something before you know where it is. Most of all, submit your application for financial aid for college scholarships early, and work on the assumption that you will be considered one of the sponsor's scholars. - 32383

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No Colors Policies Are Un American And Illegal

By L.J. James

A few weeks back I received an email from a girl Kim about a Charity Motorcycle event she was working on for Bide A Wee an Animal shelter I worked at when I was younger. As I read the info I was looking forward to attending the event only to find it was being held at Jugs and Strokers the only "Biker Bar" on Long Island that does not allow Motorcycle Club Colors. I was pissed to find out I would not be welcome at this event. I then saw the email had been sent out to many other Motorcycle Clubs on Long Island. Pissed Off, I started writing a reply to the email and sent it out to the MC's here on Long Island. Here is what I wrote.

Hey everyone this is LJ James.

You may not know this but I worked at Bide A Wee in Wantagh for many years. I have some great memories of my time working there. As much as I love the place and think Bide A Wee to be a truly great organization, I will not take off my Colors to go inside Jugs & Strokers to attend this event.

I see this email is addressed to many different Clubs. Some of your beliefs may be different then mine and you may take your Colors off to attend this event. I would hope all of you have more respect for your Club then to do that, but these are my beliefs and may not be yours.

I think it is only fair to Kim who is working very hard for this very worthy cause that she know what your feelings are about the Jugs and Strokers policy in regards to Colors. Kim has spent a lot of time working on this event and I would hate to see her event fail because she is unaware of the Revulsion Jugs and Strokers has towards Motorcycle Clubs!!!

Not only is it an old out dated Policy that promotes the Division of Motorcycle Riders, it is also illegal according to NY State Law! I have been working hard to protect and promote Motorcycle Rights and Unity here in NY and world wide. I think it is time We started working hard to change what is wrong here on Long Island! There is an old saying, "if you want to fix the world start in your own back yard".

This is an event that, when I heard about it I wanted to attend. Then I hear it is being held at Jugs and now I am "not allowed to attend".

I am not a bad guy! You all out there know me. How many of your events have I covered in Magazines? How many of you have I DJed for? Not only your Club events but many of your personal family events! I've even preformed wedding ceremonies for a few of you and after I married you I Djed your wedding!!!

You too are also all good people. Your MCs have done many things to make Long Island a better place. You have fed the Hungry, Clothed the poor, and made sure every Child on Long Island had a Toy for the Holidays. Our patches stand for what is great about America! Why should we be made to feel that wearing our Colors is even the slightest bit wrong?

If you ask Jugs and Strokers, they might try to use the excuse "well its not your group its other groups who are the bad guys". That is a cop out, a lie, and an attempt to divide the Long Island Motorcycle Club world!!!

Over the past few years here on Long Island we have seen a Unity in the Motorcycle Club World that many still can not believe. Sport Bike Clubs and Cruiser Clubs riding and hanging together. AMA Clubs and 1% Clubs attend each others events. Law Enforcement Clubs and Outlaw Clubs Breaking Bread and Drinking together at events. I have seen every type of rider hanging out together. This is the Biker dream people!!!

There was a time when we were all told that you could not have a bar on Long Island where all MCs where aloud to mingle together. That there would be nothing but fights and problems. Then JDs Place opened and shortly after that, the Myth was put to rest.

The Motorcycle World here on Long Island has become something We are all very proud of. I call out to all of you MCs, independents, and MROs like ABATE, it is time to end the humiliating practice that Jugs and Strokers has been aloud to inflict upon the Long Island Motorcycle World for far too long!!!

I am tired of this bar being allowed to claim it is a biker bar for bikers, but if your a member of a Motorcycle Club and wear your Colors, you are some how an undesirable, and unwelcome. I say time is up, Jugs and Stokers! You have made enough money off the Long Island Motorcycle world! You need to stop being part of the Problem and become part of the Solution!!!

I'm interested to know what the feelings are of the rest of you!!!

(Because of this reply, Shortly after I wrote this the event was switched to another Long Island Biker Bar "Sick Moon Saloon" That welcomes all who Ride)

LJ James Proud Member Mortal Skulls MC AmericanBikerX.com

Discrimination On The Basis Of Clothing Or Club Membership Is ILLEGAL Article I, Section 11 of the New York State Constitution states "that no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof." Article 4, Section 40 of the Civil Rights Law provides that "all persons within the jurisdiction of this state shall be entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of any places of public accommodations, resort or amusement subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons." The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have the constitutional right under the First Amendment to wear clothing which displays writing or designs. Cohen v. California, 403 US 15 (1971). In addition, the right of an individual to freedom of association has long been recognized and protected by the United States Supreme Court. Thus, a person's right to wear the clothing of his choice, as well as his right to belong to any club or organization his choice is constitutionally protected, and persons or establishments who discriminate on the basis of clothing or club membership are subject to a lawsuit. - 32383

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A School Silent Auction is a Fun Fundraiser

By Keira Adams

If you have never been to a school silent auction, you don't know how much you have missed. These can be one of the most exciting events of the year in your neighborhood. Every one you go to is different, and you never know what kind of bargains you will find. They are a great time of fun, fellowship and food.

Choose someone that is good at organizing activities to head up the auction. Allow her to choose the number of people she needs. Donations will need to be collected, auction sheets will need to be made up, gifts will need to be handed out and money will need to be collected.

Holding your auction during a special season can add an atmosphere of fun. You can have a Halloween pumpkin fundraiser or a mother's day basket fundraiser. The main item to be offered can be something that goes along with the theme. For example, for mother's day a large basket could be decorated in a pretty, feminine way, and the children could bring things they think a mother would enjoy.

Teachers can donate a game of mini-golf or a lunch at a certain restaurant. The older girls can offer a free night of babysitting. Boys can offer to cut grass or rake leaves. Others can bake pies, cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Everyone can participate, and their imagination is the limit.

To increase the participation and fun, a local restaurant can donate a meal to be served at the time of the auction. Some of the parents may want to put together a mini-carnival for the children to participate in while their parents are participating in the auction. Either of these added activities will add a good amount of money to your fundraiser.

Every item to be auctioned should be placed on a table with a piece of paper for the participants to vote on. You can start the bidding at a penny, or you can set a minimum price. Each participant should have their own pen or pencil. They circulate among the tables writing down their name and bid on the articles they are interested in. At the end of auction, the money is collected and the items are given to the highest bidder.

Your school can raise a large amount of money with a school silent auction. Everyone will have more fun if they help to make the auction a success. The more items you have, the more fun it will be. - 32383

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Scholarship Grants or Financial Aid?

By Owen Jones

Just what is the real cost of a college education and is there a financing scheme available? Well, lets face reality - a college education is really very expensive, causing most parents alarm when their children are considering going to a community college or a state university.

There are many of things which make up the total cost of a college education and the tuition fee is just a part of the whole story of getting into college. Other everyday expenditures include meals, transport, accommodation, spending money and other miscellaneous costs, which, when added up can create a significant part when financing a college education.

These days, many families, even those belonging to the upper class, consider applying for financial aid. College grants and scholarships are a very good method of financial assistance. Grant and scholarship programmes do not ask the students or even their families to repay the monies given.

Scholarships and grants are of two basic kinds: (i) scholarships awarded according to financial need, depending on the financial inability of the student and their families to pay for the college education, and (ii) scholarships based on merit, for example the talent of the student in sports is the main consideration. A students academic ability comes under the merit-based college grant and scholarship system as well.

Often, college grants and scholarships combine the merit and need criteria to make the whole financial aid process easier. Many students and their families are on the look-out for this kind of financial aid. However, college grants and scholarships are quite limited in number in spite of the fact that there is an ever increasing community of aspiring students every year.

Qualifying students can get into federal and a number of state scholarship programs. Some of which are the following:

Federal or National Pell Grants " this is a program, funded nationwide, which is intended to give assistance to any qualified undergraduate student pursuing post-secondary schooling. Grants and scholarships of this type are given to those who have not yet finished a baccalaureate degree.

The worth of the grant can vary year after year and will depend largely on the financial needs of the student, the expenses that will be incurred while going to the chosen university or college, and the availability of funds from the national government. This kind of grant will create an opportunity for students to succeed in securing financial aid from the national government.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) " this is a program for ongoing undergraduate students with exceptional financial needs. However, not all students qualify for this type of grant. It will depend on the eligibility of the student and the availability of finances at the school in question.

Another kind of financial assistance that students and families can get is student loans. However, this kind of financial assistance must be paid back. The financial requirements of the family must be considered thoroughly to avoid paying higher interest rates.

It is also a must to understand all the terms of the lending agencies such as the schedule of repayment and interest rates, before making a commitment.

Work study is a quite different kind of financial assistance which requires students to work to keep themselves during their college stay. Work study is usually done on college campus and is the most usual kind of financial aid in all of the universities and colleges in the USA. Typically, students render service to schools for 10-15 hours per week.

Scholarships, grants and other types of financial aid to acquire a college education is really multi-faceted, confusing at times, and even down-right exasperating. However, the good thing is that a college education is a non-refundable and non-toxic form of investment - it is in aid of the student's future! - 32383

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Private Placement Memorandum: How to Get the Investors You Need

By James Scott

Entrepreneurs are being turned onto Regulation D in droves. Regulation D Rule 504, 505 and 506 allow companies a more lenient fund raising process than those who choose to go public by other means. In the past year I've seen more PPM consultants pop up on the internet than ever before and I have to admit I'm concerned. As a veteran in this field I've seen it all, now we have a legion of self proclaimed Reg. D gurus who buy templates, add some text and tell their clients that they are delivering a customized offering memorandum; here's where things go bad and a difficult situation gets even worse. You have this worthless document, now what?

You need to gain the confidence and capital of accredited investors without soliciting as dictated in Regulation D Rule 502c. Now you have a worthless document that you can't solicit investment capital for (which your guru consultant never told you but took your cash anyway) so how are you suppose to raise funds for your company? First, you'll find that you'll eventually need to make your way to an actual PPM author, not a broker so that you can get a PPM that protects you from lawsuits and gives the investor a real breakdown of the upside and downside of your business.

Next you'll need to find a "Investor Finder", yes this is an actual term for an individual or corporate entity that is completely submerged in the accredited investor realm and is able to match your opportunity with friends that he/she has in their database of real, accredited investors. This is the second half of the PPM equation.

Don't kid yourself and don't allow yourself to be lied to; you're going to need a seasoned professional to help introduce you to investors that have the capital to help you get to where you need to be. Friends, family and employees will commit to investing in your company until your PPM is completed and it's time to make good on their commitment; all of a sudden little Johnny needs braces and Sally is in the hospital with pneumonia, this happens all the time. Now what? With a real Private Placement Memorandum and a solid Investor Finder you're problems are basically over. Investigate where the author and I.F. stand in the Internet public domain and after you find a company that meets your needs, get moving and start raising capital.

The internet tells all when it comes to reputations, you'll be able to tell the difference between a seasoned veteran and a startup consultant after on Google Search and a phone call. A PPM can make raising capital quick and easy if you have the right firm in your corner. - 32383

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Accredited Investor Lists and Accredited Investor Database. Where Do You Find The Best Investor Lists?

By James Scott

As the economy worsens it's getting more and more difficult to fund business ventures. After you've gone through the basics of a well written business plans and a private placement memorandum, where do you go from there? One issue that entrepreneurs come into is that they will get stuck on a link wheel that keeps them bouncing from one scam site to the next and they can waste months chasing after investment capital and at the end of the day have nothing but an empty bank account to show for it.

The latest and greatest scams are the omnipresent 'shelf corp.' or 'aged corp.' scam which claims to be able to get you hundreds of thousands of dollars of credit based off of a phony D and B rating and a credit score based off of bogus trade lines. This is an expensive scam, with most of these shelf corporations running anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000. The reality is, you can't get funding with a shelf corp. No one has or ever will get funding from this fraudulent concept. Another scam is the 'forgivable loan' program that is supposedly based in some offshore platform trading process where it allows a company to loan millions of dollars to an individual based off of the humanitarian aspects of their business model, oh, I forgot to mention, they usually require a mandatory cash deposit equal to 20% of the amount of the forgivable loan.

It sounds crazy but professionals that become desperate for funding fall into this trap all the time. The truth is, there are ways to get funding with a credit check using a private placement memorandum and there are companies out there that will make a loan to a company based mostly in the strength of their business process. Actually, if you have a good business model and a solid executive staff there are many companies that will give you money such as accredited investors, private investors, private equity firms, hard money lenders, SBLC collateralize lenders among others.

Just do some research under terms like: list of investors, list of private investors, list of hard money lenders, investor database, list of venture capital firms, private money lenders directory, investor list etc. and find some of the newer online databases that have come into existence within the past year or so. These sites are valuable because they came online when the economy was at it's lowest point so their funding sources are composed of innovative global contacts that are actually lending in this fickle economic environment and not the oblivious land of yesteryear.

The funding game has changed and the process of obtaining capital is more difficult than ever. Arm yourself with a good business plan, strategic PPM and a solid online investor database to raise capital quickly and easily. - 32383

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Take Your Small Business Public

By James Scott

Venture Capital Firms and hedge funds have dried up. Scams like shelf corporations and platform based funding are on the rise so where can an entrepreneur turn to raise capital? It's sad to be faced with the reality that legitimate fund raising methods have fallen into a minority position in today's depressed economy.

Company owners still need expansion capital, start-up companies need seed capital, how can the owners of these companies bypass the learning curve set in place by the online scammers and find the legitimate ways of raising capital? There are two solid ways of raising capital that are supported by the SEC and can have you raising capital without the drawbacks of dealing with people that just want to take your money and run, Private Placement Memorandums and OTCBB.

First, Private Placement Memorandums allow the business to raise capital under the umbrella of three Regulation D rule exemptions: 504, 505 and 506. Also referred to as a PPM or Offering Memorandum, a Private Placement Memorandum allows you to raise capital, legitimately with an SEC supported and approve process that uses the laws pivoting off of the'33 Securities Act that helps entrepreneurs raise capital legitimately and safely. All are protected with a well written PPM.

If you're looking to raise capital in more of a 'public' setting, check out the almighty OTCBB (over the counter bulletin boards), be careful on this one, there are several consultants and broker dealers that will take your money and walk away while you stand there with an entity that is, umwell, worthless. For an otcbb to be successful you need the back end support and ongoing consulting assistance of people that are completely submerged in the industry and know their way around so they can guide you around the trouble makers and into a world of massive corporate growth and funding nirvana.

If you are looking for real, honest, fast acting funding solutions the private placement memorandum and the OTCBB are your safest bet. Steer clear from the bogus formations such as shelf corps and platform and leased instrument based funding, they will only result in losing time and hard earned cash for your company. - 32383

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You Can Easily Go Public With Your Company

By James Scott

Are you a business owner raising capital with a Regulation D Rule exemption (504, 505 or 506) also referred to as a Private Placement Memorandum, PPM or Offering Memorandum? If you are using this mechanism to raise capital then you'll, no doubt, have to have a solid comprehension of the most distinct and important part of the Private Placement Memorandum referred to as the 'Offering Circular'.

When your consultant or attorney is asking you for details on everything from business location to management, from dividends to risk details, you need to make sure that this information is complete and accurate. You'll need to audit the documents after they are completed. A solid Offering Circular has kept countless companies from being sued by investors that didn't get the investment return they were anticipating.

While the business plan is meant to grab the initial attention of the investor or funding source, the Offering Memorandum is meant to spell out the down and dirty details of the venture so that you are protected from lawsuits down the road, while simultaneously exposing the various ins and outs of your venture to give a 'reality check' to the investor before they hand over the cash.

The offering circular needs to be powerful yet very compact without the redundancies of using space to say the same things over and over again to pull the investors attention from the negative to the potential profit margins or management's impressive pedigree. With all this said, yes it's true the offering circular is one of the parts of a PPM spells out the technical aspects of the enterprise with a focus on inherent risk of investing but this can be done in a balanced way to also demonstrate the positive aspects of your venture by giving solid descriptions of your management team and, in place, distribution centers and contracts in place ready for capitalization.

When authoring the offering circular demonstrate the risks with a well balanced demonstration of the system in place to overcome these risks and dominate your market niche. - 32383

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Take Your Company Public for only $5,000 Down!

By James Scott

Is your company finding it difficult to raise the capital you need for your start-up or corporate expansion? Have you considered taking your company public but thought you couldn't afford the fees or you didn't think you would qualify for a public offering?

Princeton Corporate Solutions has an incredible turn-key process for any business of any age and just about any industry to take your company public fast for only $5,000 Down, our massive investor database will be sent a proposal on behalf of your business and if they like the idea, they will flip the bill to take your company public on the OTCBB.

We even have dozens of market makers and broker dealer relationships in place so when you are public, you will have a solid company selling your stock to the global masses! We take your business plan and write a Private Placement Memorandum and then send out an 'investor alert' to our database of over 2.2 million qualified and extremely active investors, when you have raised your first round with your PPM, we move to phase two, the public offering.

We make going public, fast, effective and extremely affordable. If you need capital for your business, you absolutely must call Princeton Corporate Solutions to get more information about taking your company public.

No other consulting service can do what we do for such a minimal price with such lightning fast turnaround! Stop wasting your valuable time with banks that will only turn your company down for a loan or line of credit. Stop wasting time with shelf corporations and platforms that will never succeed in making you a dime. Taking your company public is the perfect way to raise capital to take care of your short and long term financial needs. Call Princeton Corporate Solutions today! call: 267-233-0183 - 32383

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Business Credit Building Tips

By Brian Welks

In today's competitive and often unstable business world, becoming a successful entrepreneur depends a lot on your credit rating. If you're out to make it in the business world, make all attempts possible at keeping a decent line of credit. Things can be a bit rough, but maintaining a decent credit rating can truly mean everything in the long run.

Borrowing money in the form of a loan is the easiet method of establishing credit. Be sure that you have a viable business plan and provide some interesting revenue projections, upon approaching any lender for money. You might want to see financial help elsewhere if this is your first business attempt, such as family or private firms. Lenders, however, don't readily disprove loans if you can make your monthly payments.

If you expect to make a financial impact to the investors you seek as your business grows, buying the needed services for your business can either be a good or a bad thing. The reason for this is that the companies you do business with can either be your friend or your enemy, because they can report information to credit agencies. It's best to maintain a good business to help your credit rate increase, thus placing you on the road to credit stability.

And now we come to assessments. Most lenders often require an assessment before you can even begin to think about gaining good credit stability. You will definitely want to assess your business' credit, and you may also want to assess all the services you rendered for your business. Maintaining a good business depends on how lenders will handle the information you provide.

It is advisable that you look into and research other businesses. You can then get a grip on what vendors you might want to deal with, and you will also learn about who could be future investors for your business. Researching businesses who can provide for your company a good credit rating is also beneficial, because personal credit checks or guarantees are often messy.

It should be noted that it is not necessarily a difficult measure to establish a good credit rating, though maintaining your credit can have a positive or negative impact on your business. In order to get yourself on the road to good credit, don't be weary of doing some research. And don't be weary of asking for help from others who have been in business. - 32383

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Go Public With Your Company

By James Scott

Take Your Company Public for Less Than $5,000
OK, you're ready to take your company to the next level and your CFO and legal counsel have advised you to go public to raise capital as well as to retain some of those prize employees with stock options and to bait that new sales executive with a signing bonus made up of stock options. You've looked into everything from pink sheets to reverse mergers to OTCBB to IPO and you have come to the conclusion you're going to need to take on investors so that you can afford to follow through with your plan. If you're lacking the funds to dive right in and start creating your public structure, here is a way that just about any business can afford to go public.

First, get a real business plan. Your business plan needs to sizzle and reel in the investor and clearly paint a picture of your vision to the investor and their advisors. Next, you'll want to raise an initial round of cash quickly so that you can afford to take your company public without hindering your current company structure with additional ancillary costs. You're going to need something fast and affective; you should consider having a professionally authored private placement memorandum put together for your company.

If you are trying to go public via OTCBB a Regulation D Rule 504 exemption will suffice, if you are trying to achieve an IPO you'll need to go with a Regulation D Rule 505 exemption (pink sheets and reverse mergers into shell corps are not very successful in immediate and long term success so I would suggest you stay away from these structures). Build into the PPM verbiage that you are raising an initial round of capital that will be used to take your company public. When savvy investors see that they are investing in a real, viable pre-IPO or pre-OTCBB formation you will see investors climbing out of the woodwork to give you cash if your business concept is sound.

Next you hire the consultants (usually the same firm that wrote your PPM) to start the process of taking you public. On the PPM your Mini/Maxi should allow you to use capital almost immediately to get the ball rolling on your public company. You can count on a solid OTCBB going for between $75k and $250k and an IPO going for $1M+ so have your PPM written accordingly. If you follow the path set forth above you will notice something extraordinary.

The only out of pocket expense you had was for your Private Placement Memorandum (and your business plan if you didn't have one) and 100% of the capital needed to go public was supplied by greedy investors who are excited to invest because of the quick payoff of their investment when you go public. This process means you can literally take your company public for less than $5,000 (the typical cost of a strategic Private Placement Memorandum. This is a simple, strategic and inexpensive way to get the capital you need for your company quickly, without using your limited financial resources in the process. - 32383

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Raise Money With A Quiz Night

By Mike Tants

Organising a quiz night as a fundraising event is an excellent idea - they are cheap to organise, especially if the prizes are donated and they are very entertaining.

Getting the questions right:

Try not to exclude anyone when writing your quiz questions - make sure all eras are covered as you may have people of different ages entering. Ensure you cover a wide range of subjects, including general knowledge, music, cinema, science, nature, etc.

Make sure there are not too many really hard questions - if the teams don't know the answer they should at least have the opportunity to guess. This won't make people feel like they are stupid - if the questions make them feel like this they won't have fun!

I aim for 20 percent of the questions to be easy, 60 percent of the questions to be medium difficulty and 20 percent of the questions to be hard. This enables most people to answer the majority of the questions, but also includes enough tough ones to separate the winners out.

If you decide to write your own quiz there are plenty of free resources online to enable this. Be prepared to put in the time though to ensure you have a good range of questions and to ensure the answers are accurate. It may be worth buying a quiz pack from a reputable supplier as they only cost a couple of pounds and can save you hours.

Organisation:

Plan in advance!! Make sure the accommodation is adequate, with enough tables and seating for all. On the night ensure there are enough pens and that you have printed enough answer sheets for participants. If necessary, ensure the PA system works and make sure you have spare pens and answer sheets.

How much can a quiz raise?

When planning a fundraising quiz night think about the number of people who are going to enter and think about the price for entering. A recent fundraising event I went to had around 50 people paying 3.50 to enter. The prizes were all donated and there was also food and drink to buy. 50 * 3.50 = 175, plus the food which was probably around 2 per person, which is another 100, so almost 300 for a quiz night, minus the cost of hiring the hall, which can be as little as 20. So between 250-300 for a quiz night for around 50 people. Double that for 100 people, etc. Not a bad fundraiser for the amount of effort required. - 32383

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College Athletics and Viral Promotion that Will Get The Offers Coming in Fast

By James Scott

The important element to increasing awareness for your athlete client is to take full advantage of huge, targeted internet traffic available to benefit the athlete. The solution to the big challenge of targeting exposure is to corner the websites that are common information sites for the major decision makers that hold the key to that next step in the evolution of your client. Make your client's expertise relevant to the needs of the decision maker.

Show empirically how the client's ability can correct the ailments of the coaches or personnel directors who are in a position of need. Corner, the decision makers and hook them with catchy titles that will embed themselves in their memory.

It's important to add that you must translate the role of your client for a singular position while leaving the ultimate decision of their athletic qualities to the imagination of the coach or individual assigned to recruitment. This same process can be used for a high school athlete with ambitions to gain entry into a top tier university program or a university student on the verge of graduating with an eye toward a career as a professional competitor.

85% of recruitment of an athlete pivots around the exposure achieved through media hype. Hype is a process that can easily be created with the proper internet strategy which normally has a combination of press releases, article distribution, photo distribution and video clip promotion on video hosting sites.

These particular media outlets will rapidly gain massive exposure that has a localized identity that will command nationwide attention. When publicizing the achievements of an athlete who has intention of pursuing big dreams it's the publicist's job to pave the way through various combination's of exposure strategies, the rest of the burden falls on the shoulders of the athlete to perform to maintain the interest that you've help generate. - 32383

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So You Want To Take Your Company Public?

By James Scott

Raising capital has become quite a chore in this depressing economic state so entrepreneurs are thinking outside the box when it comes to obtaining funds for their start-up corporations or businesses in expansion. Institutional lenders are a thing of the past, liberal hedge fund lenders are a mere cast skin of what they once were and with the massive infiltration of scams like shelf corporations and public shells leave the minds of individuals trying to raise funds in perpetual skeptic mode. Though the banks have brought small and medium size business lending to a screeching halt, there are still various turnkey methods that one can facilitate in order to raise the optimal amount of funds needed to pursue their venture.

Have you ever considered taking your company public? Don't be scared off by the nightmare stories of needing millions in financial backing or the critical and ultra costly SOX 404 audits that can make or break your efforts. There are several ways to raise public capital in a cost effective and rapid turnaround process. If you are considering a public offering in the United States, your options are OTCBB, Pink Sheets, Reverse Merger (not recommended), IPO and Private Placement Memorandum. Obviously the IPO is the most sought after method of raising public funds but it is the most expensive and longest route to funding. OTCBB and Pink Sheets are a great way to raise capital without the expense of an IPO but be prepared to battle investor skepticism and 'pump 'em and dump 'em' securities scrappers who can have you on cloud nine and swimming in a surplus of cash one day and broke as a joke the next.

The next method that one will run into on their trek to raise capital is the mysterious reverse merger into a public shell. You'll hear many entrepreneurs talk about this method but few actually understand the intricacies of this process and sadly don't realize it's high failure rate until they are sitting alone at their office at 2 am holding their head in their hands when faced with the reality that 99.9% of reverse mergers into shell companies don't work and they just threw away $300k.

The safest, cheapest and quickest way to raise capital from the public is by way of Regulation D exemption rules 504, 505 and 506. This process is also referred to as a Private Placement Memorandum, Private Placement Memo, Offering Memorandum or PPM. After simply having a professional business plan authored and geared toward raising capital with a PPM, the next step is to see a professional about the Regulation D facilitation. You can pay $20k to an attorney or you can spend around $5k to use a consultant, most companies choose the later. After you've had the PPM docs customized, you're ready to go! Most Private Placement Memorandums only take 2 weeks to put together and file (form d) with the SEC office and then you're off to the races!

PPM's are becoming more and more popular as informed entrepreneurs are seeking capital but want to hold on to a majority share of their company. If you are trying to raise capital for your small or medium size business or wish to increase your company value exponentially in an expedient manner, start looking into having a Private Placement Memorandum authored for your company. It is absolutely the fastest and easiest way to raise capital for your business without all the expense and red tape of other public fund raising processes. - 32383

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Fundraising for Community Groups

By Peter Thomson

Fundraising has always been a major source of income for many organisations like community groups, sporting clubs, and the Parents and Friends (or Parents and Citizens) Associations of schools. With restricted financial help from governments, many of these establishments wouldn't be financially viable without the wonderful and tireless fundraising exploits of their members. For example sporting clubs charge membership fees but with expenses ever growing, it would not be possible for them to exist financially without fundraising.

The types of fundraising opportunities these days are many and varied. There's a plethora of fundraising entities about trying to entice organisations to utilize their services. From selling bottled water, wrist bands, homewares, clothing, jewelry and show bags to horse back riding, shopping tours and engraving bricks and pavers. The selections are truly amazing and seemingly endless.

Schools and sporting clubs have traditionally stuck by the period honoured ways of fundraising by selling donuts, lollies, chocolates and biscuits. Over old few years, although, due to child obesity issues from poor eating characteristics and beneath working out, most of these conventional fundraising products have started to fall out of favour with fundraising entities.

This has allowed the less traditional fundraising ideas to get a foot in the door so to speak of this multi-million dollar industry.

So where do you become when you want to get rolling with fundraising? Say for example your child is in their second year of school, and you have chosen to become more actively engaged in the comings and goings of their school. You attend the first P and C Association meeting of the year, and you end up on the Fundraising Committee for the year. You like to impress your peers; you would like to make a difference and do the job successfully.

There are many factors why the school might have to fundraise. It might need funds for some extra computers in the library, or new playground equipment or perhaps they would like to see a roof over an innovative walkway. What to do, where to get going to raise the required funds? These days most people are turning to the internet.

The internet has in a very short space of time become the most popular and powerful tool for locating info, much more widely used now than the local newspapers or the yellow pages. When searching for ideas or information, most people now don't consider any options other than the internet. There are many search engines for sale to the internet user, such as Yahoo!, Bing, Altavista, Ask and Lycos. But by far the most popular search engine on the internet is Google.

ComScore is a marketing study company that provides marketing information and services to many of the internet's largest businesses. According to estimates released by comScore at the finish of 2008, Google ended the year with 63.5 percent market share of all search queries performed in the U.S that year! That's a large slice of the pie.

Google provide a Keyword Tool, which allows access to information regarding the most popular search phrases used by internet users when searching on Google. The hottest search terms used for Google for fundraising are in point of fact fundraising, fundraiser, school fundraising ideas, fundraiser ideas, ideas for fundraising, fundraisers and fundraising ideas.

The upshot from all of these searches show a wide variety of sites that the user can access, the majority of them being fundraising directories that list many hundreds of fundraising entities offering their services.< - 32383

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Reasons To Take Your Company Public

By James Scott

There are several reasons why a company would decide to go public; here are some of the advantages. Liquidity is a popular reason for going public via OTCBB or IPO, many global lenders and private equity groups will lend against stock collateral. Private companies lose time jumping through hoops with various FICO driven line of credit and lending programs with outrageous interest rates while a public company can strategically offer stock for sale or collateral. Run a solid company with growth and a sea of content stock holders and you've got your own cash register to grow your company.

Another popular reason for going public is to offer stock options to key employees which creates and retains loyalty while reducing cost of compensation. There is no better way to have employees go the extra mile day in and day out than rewarding them with a piece of the company. Stock options are also a way to attract those prized executives that are in demand.

Having a public company allows massive buying power from the perspective of growth through acquisition. Find a company that is the perfect strategic alliance and buy them with company stock. This method of expansion has served the interests of top tier companies since Standard Oil.

What about those companies owned by an individual or a close knit group of entrepreneurs who are getting up there in age and need to start thinking about an exit strategy? Public companies demand higher sale prices and sell faster because of the flexibility of the structure. We could go on and on about the advantages of going public.

Start-up companies wishing to investigate this concept of fundraising you may want to consider the OTCBB, this is a solid and regulated formation to trade your stock publicly with stock holder confidence as opposed to a lesser trusted option called Pink Sheets. For corporations with some age and capital and IPO may be the best way to go, though this process is expensive and can take more than a year, it's worth it for the right - 32383

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How To Increase Charity Ratings

By David Anttony

Charity ratings are a fickle thing with highly rated charities holding the number 1 position today being overtaken by new charities coming from nowhere. Charity Water is a recent and amazing example of this. Originality and the power of the Internet, are driving the ratings of brand new charities through the roof. A charity may not know today with a non-existent rating, but tomorrow it can be rated as number one by the New York Times as being the most amazing charity ever, and wham their rating goes from zero right to the top overnight.

Because the general public are swayed so much by the charity ratings the press and media give, a brand new charity can flourish very quickly with a flood of charitable giving being thrown its way. And of course when the media lose interest, then the charity rating can drop out of the sky overnight.

Directory listings of charity rating

With scepticism running quite high with charity watchdogs pinpointing charity problems such as misconduct, having exceptionally high amounts of funds spent on admin or the misappropriation of funds, charity rating directory lists are flourishing. It's so funny that philanthropic organizations that set out to give to others are now under the eye of charity watchdogs. Philanthropy is becoming a little complicated!

Givespot.com, Guidestar.org etc. are institutions that give a detailed list of charity ratings. The list of Givespot.com is known as GiveSpot 100 list, which gives a list of charities that are rated as the top 100. Then there are other institutions like charitynavigator.org which has a charity check systems and also gives a list of the Top Ten charities so that searching for a charity becomes easy. The biggest US charity directory is Guidestar.org and it offers a wide range of charity information some of which is available for free while some of the data require payment. In USA Better Business Bureau is also a charity directory that provides a list of non-profit institutions as well as commercial enterprises.

So if you want to find the 100 top charities then there are so many charity rating guides out there and yet maybe charity ratings are actually about something else. What makes a charity stand above the rest often has nothing to do with its ratings at all. There are special ingredients that make any charity or non-charity organisation successful.

Charity Ratings and trust in the public

According to a YouGov poll of 2005, even well known charities like Save the Children and Oxfam did not enjoy a high amount of faith by the majority of the British population amounting to 56%. The public seemed to have faith only in about 15% of the charities even among those that had good charity ratings.

Charity Critics' Warnings are profuse

Trust in charities has dropped a lot in recent times. Yet who can blame the public. Charity watchdogs tell unsettling stories of very highmanagement salaries, charities taking as much as 60% of donations for overheads with their being little left for the actually charitable giving.

Recent studies show that the average costs of raising funds in the UK and Australia are 18% or 22% respectively. In the USA, the Association of Fundraising Professionals found the statistic to be around 30%. These figures do not even include admin expenses, which are often much higher. Some charity givers see this as a key issue especially with charitable giving often in the media spotlight like it was in Singapore a fewyears ago. The additional negative focus tends to reduce charitable giving which is not good.

Charity ratings secret revealed

There is not much difference in the way in which charity organizations and commercial organizations try to get money. How they eventually use that money may be different, but their modus operandi for attracting that money is essentially the same.

To promote the charity rating and also to ensure better cash flow, there is a one and only formula - enticement.

When we see a thing and might prefer to buy it, or would consider putting money in it, or creating a bond with it, we are likely to make the decision based on how enticing the whole idea is. If it is a very attractive proposition, we might instantly choose to opt for it while if it is not very enticing, we may not do it immediately.

Charity Water is highly attractive and hence why it's charity-rating sky rocked so quickly and the media got behind the idea. The simple idea of selling a bottle of charity water for a premium price with the extra profit been giving as a donation to the needy to access clean water was highly attractive.

The elements making up the attractiveness for Charity Water and boosting it's ratings are quite obvious.

* They have the perfect name - Charity Water that makes people easily respond to the obvious passion of the founder to the idea, and his eagerness to share it with others.

* The message and objective are clear, straightforward and singular - sell water and give water - Buy One Give One

* They focused on the solution and not the problem. This is the number one mistake that loses charities rating points lowering their charity rating in people's minds. No one wants to feel guilty and sad. They want to feel uplifted and happy. In this case happy to know they could make a difference in the lives of others by buying a simple bottle of water.

How to let Charity Ratings plummet in a second

The quickest and easiest way to lose attraction or attractiveness and thus your ratings is by focusing on the problem. No one wants to listen to anyone complaining how bad things are. Yet everyone will listen to someone who has high energy, enthusiasm, drive and determination to create something better.

To prove this, all we have to do is look at ourselves in the company of our kids and know how our response is positive when children make a request in an exuberant, polite and eager manner. The same request, if made in an irritating or maudlin way, might elicit a negative response.

The picture a charity projects would strongly affect its ratings. By projecting an arousing and motivating picture of itself it will be able to influence people well. Then people will be ready to give more in response.

Social Enterprises improve Charity Ratings and solve the problems in Getting Funds

Social Enterprise is a new business pattern that evolved a few years ago. This combines trading with a social purpose. This pattern is a result of the interest of some businessmen who have social objectives but does not find the type of functioning of charitable enterprises satisfactory enough.

The medium of a conventional business enterprise may not be suitable for many businessmen whose ideas of ethics and integrity would be contrary to the way decisions are made in a commercial world. Such people use a social enterprise to use their acumen and ability to create a profit and effect great changes in the social arena. A typical example of such a social entrepreneur is Muhammad Yunus who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his rich contributions to improving social conditions.

A comparatively new global social venture, Buy1GIVE1, also known as B1G1 (Buy 1 Give 1), combines commercial activities with noble causes and charity organisations across the globe. Buy1GIVE1 has reduced the costs of administration and fundraising so completely that it is able to give away the whole of the funds it gets. It functions in a way quite similar to online enterprises like Kiva.org, which has been given support by Bill Clinton; Buy1GIVE1 is a substitute for the conventional style of direct giving to charities. Lots of people find them a more practical way for making donations while receiving valuable things in return.

Successful businessmen, who are searching for a chance to give back richly to the society and to provide for deserving charities, fully understand the importance and properly structured working credos of institutions like Buy1GIVE1. Every single sale is able to affect a change somewhere - not only altruistically. It has also the ability to forcefully influence things in such a way that each act becomes a unique marketing story. There is a world of difference in the way in which Buy1Give1 works and those charities which give away thousands and thousands of dollars work, because Buy1Give1 lets their customers know what the joy o f giving is. Buy1Give1 transaction-based giving is a perfectly beautiful way of giving.

Businesses like Buy1GIVE1 profile charities and it tends to be the charities or worthy causes as they call them, that are the most attractive that receive the most contributions. Intrinsically business owners understand the power of attraction and they tend to go with non-profit causes that have the best story rather than look at their direct rating. They intrinsically know that their customers will connect with a better story and not ever think about a charities rating.

Maple Muesli of Australia has allied itself with a charity called Midday Meals in India, in the city of Mumbai. As a result when a packet of muesli is bought, a needy kid is given food in Mumbai. Since a simple meal is available there at the cost of 30 US cents, Midday Meals daily manages to feed about 125,000 kids. The charity feeds these children in schools and it helps substantially in protecting children from begging and other harsh realities and abuse of street life.

Maple Muesli has helped to put Midday Meals on the map as a worthy and well-rated cause in Australia. Maple Muesli share their giving story with all their customers increasing the natural rating of this amazing organisation in Mumbai without Midday Meals doing anything other than feed children. Effective Giving - The Era for Plain Charity Donations is ending

We will surely see a change in the landscape of the top 100 charities over the coming years as new and innovative and far more effective ways of giving are created. These days we are spoilt for choice on how we can make our charitable giving. Not all of them are efficient ways to make a difference.

Alternative Charity Ratings

Methods of charity have changed over the years and newer ways are making their presence, some of which are rated below. Comparison Points of Charity.

Rating and comparison has been done on some better known and lesser known charities and Social Enterprises on issues that concern those who donate to these.

THE SALVATION ARMY

ROUTE TO GIVING: DIRECT GIVING

The Salvation Army is one among the most well-known 100 charities of the world - Both individuals and enterprises make contributions directly to it.

TRANSPARENCY - B - Lack of transparency - Sum of money is contributed - but result is not fully measurable.

BENEFIT FOR THE BUSINESS - C - Contribution to Salvation Army gets mention in the press even if it is a one time contribution.

EXPENSES FOR RAISING FUNDS -B - Heavy expenses are incurred for raising funds.

DONORS' CHOICE POTENTIALS -B- For those who want to give directly, there are plenty of charities to choose from.

POTENTIAL FOR REAL GLOBAL CHANGE - C- Nothing new to offer in terms of market change.

PRODUCT (RED)

WAY TO GIVING: MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Product (RED) is a brand licensed to partner companies, to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa.

TRANSPARENCY - B - Lack of transparency - sum of money is contributed for every purchase - but result is not fully measurable.

MARKETING VALUE TO BUSINESS - A - People and businesses love to support (RED) as it is backed by adored personalities like Oprah & Bono. Marketing results a little hard to track though.

FUNDRAISING COSTS - C - Spends hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising - could have just given that money to Africa.

DONORS' CHOICE POTENTIALS - C - Enterprises that partner with them have limited options in where their money should go - all needs are in Africa.

ABILITY FOR EFFECTING A CHANGE - B - All those who collaborate with Products (RED) are big enterprises and all the income is spent on Africa.

THE BODY SHOP

PATH TO GIVING : BUSINESS TRADE & GIVING

The Body Shop has a purchasing program known as community trade to help Third World countries; and from the income they generate, substantial contributions are made to charities.

OPENNESS - B - Not sufficiently open - Plenty of money is being collected - but the results are not always completely clear.

BENEFIT FOR THE BUSINESS - A-tve - Customers are interested in community trade and it increases their interest to do business with the venture. Visibility is not entirely sufficient.

EXPENSES FOR RAISING FUNDS - A - Costs are kept low - Business design is good enough to attract large contributions and further community trade.

DONOR'S CHOICE OF CHARITY - A - Enterprises are at liberty to choose where their contributions should go.

PROMISE FOR GLOBAL CHANGE - B - The potential for giving back to the community is substantial - but not everyone have the impetus and the extra energy to impel the change.

LIVE EARTH

ROUTE TO GIVING: EVENT FUNDRAISING

Live Earth consisted of a string of global musical programmes which set in motion a three-year campaign to battle climate change and was held on July 7, 2007.

OPENNESS - F - Intelligent Giving had reported that the takings from the concert tickets sales were not accounted satisfactorily.

ADVANTAGE TO BUSINESS - B - The sponsors of the business benefitted by the good press coverage, though by being a single occurrence results were not properly assessable.

FUNDRAISING COSTS - C - Spent millions of dollars on advertising on what some say was an unsuccessful event, which had no real goals.

DONORS' CHOICE POTENTIALS - C - Funds were made available only to three charities.

PROMISE FOR GLOBAL CHANGE - C - Such events can be held just once or at the most once a year. The amount collected generally goes to better known charities.

Buy1GIVE1 (B1G1 )

WAY TO GIVING: SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

B1G1 is a brand licensed to collaborate with any enterprise - uniting them with any cause across the globe. A fully comprehensive model.

TRANSPARENCY - A - One for one giving ensures funds given are used for what they were intended. Customers know their giving translates into real change (e.g. numbers of trees planted, numbers of children fed).

BENEFIT FOR THE BUSINESS - A+tve - Superb marketing value as a result of:

* Measurable giving * Media attraction * Good stories * Word of mouth * Repeat customers

FUNDRAISING COSTS - A+tve - Zero costs - B1G1 can take care of a charity's fundraising needs including a large percentage of admin as well. 100% of funds received go to the charity.

DONOR'S CHOICE OF CHARITY - A - Any donor can contribute to a specific charity, or they can insist on giving to specific causes such as food, environment, or instruction.

ABILITY FOR AFFECTING A CHANGE - A - Infinite. If increasing number of businesses can team up with charities worldwide, the possibility for real change is boundless.

You Would Think Giving away Money Would Be No Big Deal!"

Donating money may not seem to be a difficult job - it is just a question of handing over some money as cheque, cash or via the credit card. Still, someone like George Sores, who is as generous a donor as could be, agrees that effectual giving is no cakewalk. Underprivileged communities and countries receive millions of dollars in aid and still the situation remains much the same year after year.

People asking smarter questions will bring about the needed change. Social Entrepreneurs like Mohamed Yunis, Nobel Prize winner, creating innovative solutions to poverty and environmental issues with Micro Finance are carving the way to a new future where business initiatives, social enterprise and conscious consumerism transform our world. Initiatives like The Body Shop's 'Trade - Not Aid' need to be replicated. New ideas like Buy1GIVE1 need to be embraced. The value of social enterprise needs to be recognised.

When queried as to how someone can effect a change in the world, Bill Gates pointed towards organisations like Buy1GIVE1 (www.b1g1.com) and Kiva.org which reward the giver richly. Kiva.org ensures that those who sponsor a business get regular updates via email from those businesses. Buy1GIVE1 also ensures this. With such communication, customers get a clear picture and come to know the stories behind the charities. For example, when they buy a laptop, someone who badly needs a computer might be getting it at some other corner of the world.

Other methods for improving your Charity Ratings

Adopt a questioning mind, hop onto a wired laptop, and with a few hours to spare look at some of the new and amazing giving systems that are being created. Most of these new systems are network based and driven from the Internet.

The present situation is that if a venture is not allied online with global networks of good standing, it stands to lose quite a lot whatever its charity rating is, by tomorrow things are likely to change -- completely.

Many enterprises emerge out of thin air nowadays and grow enough in the matter of maybe three years to be sold for more than a billion dollars. This was unconceivable ten years ago, though today it has become a routine state of affairs. All these online enterprises are doing the same thing - drawing on international networks or themselves making international networks.

Buy1GIVE1 (Buy One Give One)

Buy1GIVE1 is a rather new entrant to the world of Social Enterprises and was launched in 1997 by a Japanese lady called Masami Sato. Any business can avail a membership in Buy1GIVE1, and membership charges for smaller ventures will only be one dollar a day and donations can be as little as one cent on a sale. Buy1GIVE1 is in the forefront of the Buy One Give One transaction-based giving world movement. Joining hands with Buy1GIVE1 is totally uncomplicated for businesses as well as charity needs. The working pattern of Buy1GIVE1 is perfectly controlled and practical. It connects the products or services of any given business to a needy cause (Buy1GIVE1's or their own) and after that whenever a sale is closed, it has to be recorded and the contribution percentage sent to the charity at the end of the month or end of quarter year directly or through Buy1GIVE1.

You are strongly advised to create lasting bonds with Buy1GIVE1 and also motivate your business associates to join Buy1GIVE1. It is a singular and wonderful organisation doing stupendous work and no one can afford to ignore it.

A new era of charity giving

Institutions that no one had heard about even a few months ago, are today bombarding the cyber world with booming user acceptance. People strongly prefer have a place on sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, NING or TipJoy. One should also create strong bonds with companies like Buy1GIVE1, Kiva or The Present. These are the realities of the future which are imperative for sustaining and building charity ratings. Now is the chance to fashion an ideal new future. - 32383

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