Are you thinking “That sounds like the type of meal I could get behind”? Let’s explore the Mediterranean diet a bit and see how you can work some of that culinary magic into your Christmas meal, and talk about using flavorful EVOO to add a unique twist to the holidays.

What Is the Mediterranean Diet?

You’ve probably caught wind of the Mediterranean diet, right? Well, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill meal plan – it’s a whole celebration of everything good about fresh, flavorful, and nutrient-packed foods. No wonder this diet has gained fame for its bounty of health perks. Brimming with heart-healthy fats, antioxidants, and a vibrant mix of nutritious fruits and veggies, the Mediterranean diet promotes wellness in the best way possible – through delicious food!

Now, picture this: as you gear up for your Christmas festivities, give it a Mediterranean twist. Imagine your holiday table adorned with colors straight out of the Mediterranean palette – rich greens from EVOO and fresh veggies, deep ruby reds from tomatoes and other fruits, and earthy browns from whole grains.

EVOO steals the spotlight, reigning as the chief source of healthy fats. Think about loading up on fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. And hey, don’t skip out on those herbs and spices – they’re the secret sauce that adds richness and depth to every dish. So, this holiday season, let the Mediterranean diet be your compass to a celebration that’s not just scrumptious but also seriously nourishing.

Christmas with a Healthy Twist

Opting for a Christmas that caters to both your taste buds and your well-being is a fantastic idea. A health-centered Christmas isn’t about compromising on flavor; it’s about selecting ingredients that contribute to your overall health. By swapping out traditional ingredients for their Mediterranean counterparts, you’re not just creating a feast for your senses but also gifting yourself and your loved ones the gift of good health.

Kickstart your Mediterranean-inspired Christmas morning with a breakfast spread featuring whole-grain pastries, fresh fruit, and a drizzle of locally sourced EVOO. Olive oil isn’t just a cooking essential, it’s also a source of beneficial monounsaturated fats for heart health. Use it generously in salads, as a dip for crusty whole-grain bread, or as a finishing touch to roasted vegetables.

For the main course, consider a flavorful roast seasoned with herbs and garlic, perfectly cooked using EVOO. The Mediterranean influence encourages the inclusion of fish and lean proteins, so perhaps try baking some salmon with a delectable Mediterranean herb crust. Pair these main dishes with vibrant salads featuring various vegetables and olives, and, of course, drizzle them with the exquisite Texas olive oil.

And dessert doesn’t have to deviate from the healthy Christmas theme either. Treat yourself to a light and refreshing olive oil cake infused with citrus flavors or indulge in a bowl of fresh berries topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt. By making mindful choices and incorporating Mediterranean flavors into your treats, you can satisfy your sweet tooth guilt-free.

The Star of the Show – Texas Olive Oil

Now, let’s talk about the star of the show. While EVOO is usually associated with the Mediterranean, Texas has stepped up as an impressive player in producing high-quality oils. The climate and soil conditions in Texas are ideal for growing olives, resulting in oils that can rival those produced in traditional Mediterranean groves.

EVOO is obtained through a cold pressing process that preserves its natural qualities with minimal intervention. Look for a golden color, a slightly spicy aftertaste, and hints of grass and green fruits – these indicate a fresh and well-crafted product. If you want a sure winner, consider opting for an award-winning variety from the Texas Hill Country Olive Co.

But EVOO isn’t just a delightful addition to your Christmas recipes inspired by the Mediterranean. It also makes for a thoughtful gift that promotes health-conscious choices. Create personalized gift baskets featuring a selection of Texas olive oils along with recipe cards for Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Giving the gift of EVOO isn’t just about offering something tangible – it’s an encouragement for loved ones to explore flavorful and healthy eating habits.

This holiday season, embark on a sensory journey that combines the warmth of the Mediterranean with the richness of Texas olive oil. This fusion doesn’t just elevate your festive traditions; it imparts flavor and promotes well-being.

The post Planning a Mediterranean Christmas with Texas Olive Oil appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

These 10 scholarships are available to students in the performing and visual arts. They all provide excellent opportunities for students to showcase their creative passions.

1. Benjy Grinberg Scholarship

The Benjy Grinberg Rostrum Scholarship is intended for students in performing arts, visual arts, and other creative careers. It is a $1,000 award. Scholarships like this one can be a great steppingstone toward academic and career success.

In order to be considered for the Benjy Grinberg Rostrum Scholarship, students need to write a 750-word essay responding to the prompt “What is a passion or hobby of yours, and what role does it play in your educational journey?”

The scholarship is available to current students at the undergraduate or graduate levels, as well as high school seniors who are accepted to a college or university. This year’s deadline for the scholarship application is May 31, 2021.

2. Beverly G. Alpay Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is targeted toward graduate and undergraduate students from Southern California institutions. Students are invited to submit their artistic works to be displayed in the Palos Verdes Arts Center’s scholarship exhibition. One student will receive a $5,000 scholarship. The deadline is March 15, 2021.

3. Arts for Life! Scholarship

The Arts for Life! Scholarship is awarded to 25 Florida high school seniors in the amount of $1,000. Students must demonstrate artistic and academic excellence in creative writing, drama, dance, visual arts, or music.

Applicants need to write an essay explaining how the arts have positively influenced their lives, along with a portfolio of their work. The deadline is February 1, 2021.

4. Elaine Sirkin Forbes Scholarship

This scholarship was created by the Pittsburgh Foundation in honor of Elaine Sirkin Forbes. Only students from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania may be considered for this award, which averages $1,000 annually. Students must be interested in visual, media, or performance arts majors to be considered. The deadline is March 31, 2021.

5. George Heller Memorial Scholarship

The George Heller Memorial Scholarship was instituted by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Only members of SAG-AFTRA and their legal dependents may apply. This is a $2,500 award for students majoring in performing arts. Applications for this academic year opened in December 2020.

6. CBC Spouses Performing/Visual Arts Scholarship

The CBC Spouses Performing/Visual Arts Scholarship is awarded to constituents of Congressional Black Caucus members. It supports African American students who are interested in careers in the performing and visual arts. 10 awards are given each year in the amount of $3,000, and students may reapply each year. The deadline is April 30, 2021. 

7. Celebrate the West High School Art Competition

For residents of the Western states and Pacific Territories, the Western Governors’ Association has founded the Celebrate the West High School Art Competition. Students are challenged to create works of art that celebrate their state. High school students, as well as homeschooled students, may apply. The award is in the amount of $1,500, and the deadline is April 30, 2021.

8. Create Real Impact Contest

This award was created by the nonprofit organization Impact Teen Drivers. The program encourages students to create works that educate teens about the dangers of reckless and distracted driving. Creative writing, visual arts, and film are included. The award is in the amount of $10,000, and the deadline is November 12, 2021.

9. Walt Disney Imaginations Design Competition Project Challenge

The  Disney Imagineering Department created this competition to foster creativity in students throughout the country. Students are invited to design a community installation that inspires local residents and students. Students need to be at least 18 years old and currently enrolled as juniors or seniors in college. Graduate students and recent graduates are also eligible. The deadline is October 11, 2021.

10. Iowa Scholarships for the Arts

This scholarship was created for Iowa high school seniors. It is a $1,500 award for students interested in pursuing the visual and performing arts. Students must also enroll in a college in Iowa to receive the award. The deadline is March 1, 2021.

Supporting Careers in the Arts

These ten scholarships can form an important part of a performing and visual arts student’s financial aid package. Each scholarship that a student receives can lessen their need for student loans. All of these opportunities will encourage students to excel in their chosen field and help them reach new heights in their artistic careers.

The post The Benjy Grinberg Scholarship and Nine Others for Students of the Performing and Visual Arts appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

KFC Wedding Proposal Results in a Dream Wedding

Hector Mkansi proposed to Nonhlanhla Soldaat while they were eating a meal at KFC. The proposal led to a dream wedding and Hector picked the location as it is her favorite place to enjoy a meal. A bystander caught the proposal on video and KFC South Africa tasked their followers to find the happy couple. 

The video gained popularity which resulted in KFC paying for the wedding planner. Other companies like Audi offered to cover transportation and airlines even offered free flights. The couple had their honeymoon paid for by various companies, celebrities, and online personalities. 

Ocean Spray Enthusiast Receives a Reward

Nathan Apodaca’s truck broke down on his way to work. He decided to skateboard with Ocean Spray cranberry juice, his drink of choice. He videoed his journey to work while drinking his juice and listening to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. He posted the video on TikTok after initially not intending to share it which resulted in over 40 million views.

Ocean Spray decided to deliver a truck of Nathan’s drink of choice and he was able to keep the truck too! Ocean Spray shared this on Instagram and a number of celebs recreated the video across the world. Nathan then had to find one of the best car insurance companies so he could actually drive the truck lol.

Burger King Baby Finds Mom

In 1986, a baby was found in a Burger King bathroom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3 decades later, the baby had grown up and had a child of her own. Katheryn Deprill wanted to find her mom and posted a picture of herself on Facebook pleading for help.

The picture gained traction and was shared thousands of times. Her biological mom reached out and the two met. Her mother explained she couldn’t provide for a child at this time. Katheryn and her mother are planning to continue a relationship and her mother plans to be involved in her granddaughter’s lives. 

Special Birthday for Charlie 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to six-year-old girl Charlie Manning’s birthday being canceled. The Kamloops, Canada native was upset she could spend the day with family from the US. Charlie’s auto took to Facebook asking people to share to make her birthday one to remember. Charlie received 173 cards and 15 packages which made the day quite special.

Students Catch a Big Break

Jashika Khan and Mohammad Azajuddin from Kolkata, India were videoed flipping on the way to school in the morning. The video would eventually go viral in 2019. The video made it on to TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter as the teacher of the students posted it. 

Nadia Comaneci who is considered one of the best gymnasts of all time retweeted the post. This all resulted in free gymnastics training for the children and meals paid for with the Sports Authority of India footing the bill. 

We Rate Dogs Twitter Account Helps Dogs in Need 

Matt Nelson created the We Rate Dogs Twitter account that eventually when viral but this was not his intention. He posts pictures of dogs with ratings and has over 8 million followers. Matt used this followed to start GoFundMe pages for dogs in need of medical care. A 12-year-old golden retriever needed a wheelchair and Matt’s followers delivered over $700 in a matter of hours. 

Woman Uses Social Media to Help Save Injured Hawk

Madeleine Weatherhead saw a hawk that seemed to be dazed on her walk to work in NYC. She called the Animal Care Center without an answer. She took a picture of the bird and took to Twitter for assistance. After the post, Special Operations Offices showed up to catch the red-tailed hawk which was taken to an animal sanctuary to make a full recovery. 

Seeing-Eye Dog Gets a Second Chance 

Cecil Williams lost consciousness only to fall onto subway tracks in New York in 2013. His seeing-eye dog Orlando sprung into action by jumping down and licking his owner awake. Cecil and Orlando got to the middle of the tracks as the train passed over them. Cecil stated he couldn’t keep his dog as Orlando was too old and insurance only pays for working service dogs. 

Law student Grant Kirsh saw the story and started an Indiegogo campaign. Money was donated at massive rates with over $103,000 for Cecil.

Using Social Media for Good

The world is full of great stories and people in need. Use social media to help people going forward as it is one of the most powerful platforms in the world today.

The post 8 Social Media Stories That Will Bring a Smile to Your Face appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

It’s no secret that nonprofits rely on social media to draw in supporters and get their message out there. As a company that works with nonprofits’ social media strategy, we wanted to research large nonprofits’ social media usage trends and effectiveness rates to use as benchmarks for our clients. However, we didn’t find as much research on these niche users as we hoped we would. Being the problem-solvers that we are, we decided to conduct our own study and report on our results.

This culminated into Brick Factory’s “The Social Media Usage of America’s Largest Nonprofits.” This study examines how the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States are using three major social networking sites: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Three of the key points nonprofits should takeaway are: engagement is 10 times higher on Instagram than on Facebook, videos get twice as many shares than any other type of post on Twitter, and weekend posts perform better than weekday posts on Facebook.

Have we piqued your interest yet? If so, we’re about to help you kick your nonprofits’ social media presence into high gear. If you want to learn more, download the full study at https://www.thebrickfactory.com/report/nonprofit-social-media.  

Engagement is 11 times higher on Instagram than on Facebook.

The average nonprofit has many more followers on Facebook than they do on Instagram. In order to give everyone a fair playing field, we normalized the data by looking at engagement if each nonprofit had 100,000 followers on each network. What we found was interesting, but not surprising.

An average nonprofits’ Instagram post got more than 11 times the likes of the average Facebook post.

We’ve also discovered that nonprofits are unlikely to take advantage of this trend. From our research, nonprofits are more likely to have a Facebook account than an Instagram account.

Videos get twice as many shares than any other type of post on Twitter.

When it comes to Twitter, videos are more likely to be shared than any other type of post, with a median of 16 shares per post. Directly following Twitter videos, photos and links were the second and third most likely type of post users would share, at a median of 7 shares per post. The least likely Twitter post type that users would share were text posts with a median of 2 shares per post.

Despite the evidence that videos are most likely to be shared on Twitter than any other post type, only 3.6% of a nonprofits’ Twitter posts are videos.

Weekend posts perform better than weekday posts on Facebook.

Facebook posts had higher levels of reactions and engagement when posted on the weekend compare to weekday postings. The best day on the weekend to post on Facebook are Sunday, with a median of 206 likes, 40 shares, and 5 comments.

Compare that to Wednesday, the worst day to post to Facebook. Wednesday saw a median of 138 likes, 27 shares, and 4 comments.

Even though our clients are less likely to post on the weekend, doing so may increase their engagement levels by 29%.

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We hope that you find this extensive study on America’s largest nonprofits’ use of social media useful, and that you can utilize these trends and helpful tips to further advance your nonprofit’s social media presence. Kick-start your nonprofits’ social media today by downloading the full study at https://www.thebrickfactory.com/report/nonprofit-social-media.  

The post The Social Media Usage of America’s Largest Nonprofits appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Bill Gates

While Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may have dethroned him as the richest man in the world, Bill Gates continues to maintain his reputation for one of the most generous tech CEOs in the world.  Gates, who co-founded Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen, has been known to frequently give back. Gates co-founded The Giving Pledge with Warren Buffett, in an effort to recruit other wealthy people to donate at least half of their net worth to philanthropic organizations.  Individuals signing up for the pledge have the option to place their donation either during their lifetime or after death. The Giving Pledge has attracted many noteworthy people, including Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg.  Aside from The Giving Pledge, Gates continues to take part in charitable causes and pays it forward as often as he can.

Michael Dell

Founder and CEO of Dell Technologies Michael Dell has long been known as one of the most charitable figures in technology, and continues to show that through The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, a charity he founded with his wife.  The foundation focuses on improving the lives of children living in urban, impoverished areas by improving aspects of health, education, and home life.  Since 1999, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has pledged $1.563 billion to non-profits and other causes in the U.S., India, and South Africa. Michael Dell is undoubtedly one of the most generous tech SEOs on the scene, and continues to show that through his efforts.

Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller of Polycom has dedicated a large portion of his career to philanthropic efforts.  The company’s former CEO most notably supports the Moment by Moment Foundation, a charity that recruits volunteer professional photographers to photograph terminally ill children and their families.  Miller frequently provides financial support to the foundation, and has become a pillar of the charitable effort. Miller has also taken part in Beyond Differences’ “No One Eats Alone” program, which promotes social inclusivity and teaches children how to make friends during school lunchtime.  Miller continues his involvement in various charities and organizations, solidifying his status as one of the most charitable tech CEOs out there.

The post The Most Charitable Tech CEOs appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

There’s a new app on the market that can do just that. It’s called Rescuer, and the all-in-one emergency assistant boasts four unique features that can save lives. Rescuer makes it easy for you to feel safe and connected no
matter where you are — without even having to touch your phone.

The app uses cutting edge technology, like voice recognition, to make you feel safer than ever before. The best part is, it runs in the background and can be activated any time there is an emergency. Rescuer has four life-saving features:

1. Voice recognition: Say your customized key phrase, and Rescuer will hear it, even your phone is locked away in another room. Rescuer then immediately sends out emergency messages with your GPS coordinates and
pictures of the crime scene to your pre-set emergency contacts.

Imagine! You’re having a heart attack, but your phone is all the way on the other side of your house. You need to call help fast, and you’re running out of time! Just yell out your voice recognition key phrase, and Rescuer will automatically call for help. Depending on the phone, the voice recognition works up to 50 feet away!

2. Volume button toggle: Silently call for help by pressing your phone’s volume buttons to send emergency messages to your contacts. Rescuer will send them your coordinates and photos of the emergency without you having
to utter a word.

3. Remote Location Tracking: Allow your worried loved ones to send a quick text to Rescuer to find out your location and safety status — no more forgetting to let your friends know you got home safe. Rescuer does the job for you!

This feature is great if you’re a parent, because you can track your kids just by texting them a message! All you have to do is create a “secret code in the app. This can be anything, from “raspberry” to “8f4s#78”. Whenever you text your kid the secret code (assuming you’ve set yourself up as a qualified contact on their phone), their device will automatically respond with its location. Teenagers never seem to like picking up the phone (I wonder why!), but this is the perfect solution. Just text them the “secret code” and you’ll immediately be notified with their location.

4. Quick access help widget: Already have your phone open? Just press the giant red help button on your home screen and emergency messages and pictures of the crime scene will be sent in no time.

Just For SME Readers:

Here’s the best part: The app creators are gifting the first 200 users that use the promo code “SME” in the Rescuer app the premium version (a $9.99 value), for 100% free, in order to democratize public safety and spread the word of the new lifesaving technology. If you have family or friends with Android phones, sharing the app to them might help them out in the near future as well!

Hopefully, you’ll never have to need to use Rescuer. But, if you’re ever in an emergency, the innovative app has your back.

The post New All-In-One Emergency App Rescuer Saves Lives appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

In this final post of 2013, I asked a few people for their tips on keeping generosity alive in 2014. These are real people with really practical ideas.

Here are my two favorite.

Easy ways to keep Giving Tuesday generosity alive in 2014

1. Explore payroll deduction

   “If your employer has a program setup, make charitable contributions through payroll deductions. The advantages of this are:

   • It is much easier than having to write a check or enter your credit card online
   • It makes it easier to consistently donate, once you set it up, you don’t have to worry about it anymore
   • It makes your contributions more valuable if your employer has a matching program
   • At the end of the year, you have a record of exactly how much you gave for tax purposes
   • You can typically choose from a variety of organizations (both local and national) to give to

   Click Here for more information on how to give through payroll deductions.”

   Jay Kelly, VP-Operations, Social Media Explorer

2. Don’t wait for “influencers”

   “Be generous with your invitations; everyone has something to offer.

   “In this social media realm of experts, followers and Klout, it’s tempting to only extend opportunities and partnerships to certain ‘influencers.’ But this year, I’ve been amazed and humbled by what less ‘established’ people offer when invited to contribute. Be open to giving everyone a chance; the potential rewards are worth it.”

   Marlene Oliveira, Founder and Managing Editor, Nonprofit MarCommunity

What will you resolve?

Those are a couple ideas for helping keep generosity alive in 2014. What will you resolve to do?

Tell us in the comments!

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Tell Social Media Explorer about My Donation for Aggregated Reporting Purposes Here

Read more about Social Media Explorer’s #GivingTuesday program.

The post Keeping Giving Tuesday alive all year – #GivingTuesday appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Donations doubled this year compared to last, and many nonprofits around the world saw a typically quiet Tuesday become a fundraising day!

Keep Giving Tuesday going all year, $1 at a time

Many of us aren’t the philanthropists we’d like to be. But we can still make a difference.

One easy way to keep the Giving Tuesday spirit alive is the One Today app by Google. (Download it at the Google Play Store.)

This simple app alerts you each day about a cause that you may be interested in. You can learn more about it or search for other causes.

The best part? Google makes is ridiculously easy to donate $1 to the cause (or more). It even helps you rally your friends if you want to (but that’s not required). They even make it incredibly easy for you to challenge your friends by matching their gifts.

As you give to projects on One Today, the app learns what projects interest you and will show you more and more causes in line with your values.

For a fundraising guy like me, this app is pretty cool.

Make a gift today

To get started, just download the app at the Google Play Store.

Giving has never been easier!

If you’re a nonprofit, you can learn more about registering for One Today at http://www.google.com/onetoday/nonprofits.html.

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Tell Social Media Explorer about My Donation for Aggregated Reporting Purposes Here

Read more about Social Media Explorer’s #GivingTuesday program.

The post One Today – #GivingTuesday appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

We don’t need an organized day on the calendar to give.

Nichole Kelly started SME off on the giving path last Christmas. Since then, C.C. Chapman and Marc Pitman, two of the most incredibly kind and passionate people you’ll meet, have given us profiles of dozens of organizations and causes to support. If you’d like to review, we’ve got a whole category of #GivingTuesday posts here.

But our focus on #GivingTuesday is not a content strategy. It’s not a one-off idea to fill the coffers here so the search engines have something to feed on. It’s so we can enlighten you, our wonderful readers, about the opportunities you have to help organizations and efforts to help make our world a better place.

So we’ll keep doing #GivingTuesday posts. We figure you won’t mind and will even occasionally enjoy supporting the organizations we tell you about.

The effort I want to tell you about this Tuesday is, ironically, a little selfish, but in a very altruistic way. As you know, my day job is now at CafePress. We’ve recently announced a partnership with the American Red Cross that will allow us to not only support the fantastic, life-saving organization, but also respond quickly as a company to disaster relief efforts and other urgent needs the Red Cross sees.

(Trust me, giving money away as a publicly traded company is complicated. This partnership allows CafePress to immediately turn fan designs and other products our community creates in the wake of a disaster and immediately put profits to good use!)

To kick off the partnership, we thankfully don’t have to respond to a disaster. What we have done is launch custom holiday ornaments that you can create using your own art, family photos or designs. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to the American Red Cross. We hope it will be the first of many opportunities we have to drive donations while giving the donator (that would be you) something in return — an ornament, tee shirt or other product.

Whether you go get a custom ornament or not, don’t let Dec. 3 be the only #GivingTuesday. It’s not at Social Media Explorer. We hope it isn’t for you.

The post Every Tuesday is #GivingTuesday at Social Media Explorer appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Yet, I have not seen a single news story about Giving Tuesday which is today!

It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Be a part of a national celebration of our great tradition of generosity.

Instead of only focusing in on how you can spend money on yourself and gifts for others, this day was created so you could take some of your energy and dollars and put them towards worthy causes.

Last year, we started the #GivingTuesday weekly column here to shine a light on organizations that needed it and to encourage you to help. Today we want you to take the time to step up and make the world a better place.

Take and Share an #UNselfie on Instagram & Facebook

Upload a selfless selfie to your Instagram account and use the hashtags #UNselfie and #GivingTuesday to let the world know you support the cause.

Tweet Your Support

Here are a few tweets that you can copy and paste to help get the word out.

• #GivingTuesday is a day for everyone, everywhere, to GIVE! @GivingTues
• Celebrate #GivingTuesday- donate to a @GivingTues partner at givingtuesday.org
• Enough shopping –time for GIVING! Happy #GivingTuesday! @GivingTues

Post on Facebook to Show Your Support

Handy dandy status updates that can make a difference.

• Join the worldwide #GivingTuesday movement – take a moment to visit givingtuesday.org and donate to an organization that speaks to a cause you believe in!
• #GivingTuesday is a day for everyone, everywhere, to GIVE! Find a cause that matters to you at Givingtuesday.org
• Tell me how YOU are participating in #GivingTuesday. Take a video of your #GivingTuesday activities or take an #UNSelfie, and share what you’re doing on Facebook. Twitter or Instagram!

Change Your Avatars and Photos for the Day

We all know people may not notice when you get a haircut, but they do notice when you change your avatar. Consider using one of these to get even more attention.

Visit GivingTuesday.org to Find Out More

Take the time to find out as much as you can about this movement because I hope we can all agree it is better and more important than any of the other “special” days around Thanksgiving.

Giving Tuesday has a great website full of information. Be sure that you don’t miss their partner list of organizations who are actively involved.

Thank you for helping make this years #GivingTuesday a big success!

The post TODAY Is #GivingTuesday appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

The Haitian Kreyol word for “hope” is “espwa.” And that’s exactly what Project Espwa does for the children in the community of Leogane, Haiti. One of the reasons I’m impressed by Project Espwa is their staying power. Their initial projects were in 2010 in direct response to the earthquake, “doza janvie.” Most groups would’ve stopped there, trusting some other entity to fill the long-term needs. But not Project Espwa. They kept going back.

Each time, they learned more and more about the community and adjusted their response accordingly. Over the years, they’ve determined that healthy bodies and strong minds are foundational to a solid future, so now they focus on projects that promote good health and quality education. They started with projects securing clean water systems, reliable power, and permanent shelter. They have earned enough trust that they were recently granted property to build a school and orphanage in a town called Gracie! Their current projects include:

1. Build and equip a top-notch private school in the Leogane area of Haiti – to serve up to 200 children.
2. Partner with medical professionals to establish a health clinic in close proximity to the school.
3. Establish a “Sponsorship” program to help fund the cost of education for at least 100 students.

Make a gift today

You can make a gift today to support their work by clicking on the “Donate Now” button or going directly here on PayPal. Your donation will continue the ongoing work in Haiti!

You can see pictures of their work in the gallery on their site at, http://www.projectespwa.com/gallery/.

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Tell Social Media Explorer about My Donation for Aggregated Reporting Purposes Here

Read more about Social Media Explorer’s #GivingTuesday program.

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Time and time again you’ll hear me stress that giving is more than just writing a check and I want you to keep that in mind as we head into the holidays this year.

We all know that this is the biggest fund raising time for most organizations, so you are going to be seeing tweets, letters and commercials all asking for your donations.

Make Sure Your Money is Being Used Appropriately

Use a site like Charity Navigator to learn about any organization before you give them money. They have details on all legitimate charities (currently 1.6 million of them) and I like to use them to see how organizations spend the money they are given.

Plus, they keep an updated Donor Advisories page for all to see.

Buy Gifts That Give Back

For years, I’ve loved to give gifts that help a nonprofit at the same time.

As an example, if you want to help the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines you could donate directly to the Red Cross or another group. But, you could also buy one of these beautiful prints from artist Len Peralta like I did.

I’m also planning on buying gifts this year from Project Bead, fashionABLE and ONE.

People love getting gifts with a story behind them and it is the perfect way to introduce your favorite causes to your friends and family.

Don’t Forget Local Needs

It is very easy to get caught up in trying to save the world at large. I know from experience.

But, don’t forget that there are tons of groups just outside your front door that could use your time and resources too. Look online for local events happening where you can donate food, clothes or other items to help your community. Call up your local soup kitchen and see if there is some way you can help.

Join a Board

I’m proud to say that I am on the Board of Directors of two great organizations.

Wediko works to improve children’s lives through a range of therapeutic services and programs which are tailored to fit each unique child and situation.

The Hockey Foundation’s mission is to use ice hockey to reinforce character strengths, improve the quality of life and empower children in less fortunate regions of the world.

It is hard to put into words how good it feels to give back on a day-to-day basis by officially being involved with a charity. When you find a group that is close to your heart and you want to help, let them know your interest. They may not have an opening now, but I’m sure they’ll take any help you can give them.

Don’t Forget To Give Back

This is the reason #GivingTuesday was first created.

We all hear the hype, commercials and news reports about Black Friday and people would rush out to spend money.

Giving gifts is great, but helping out those who need it is even better.

Please take the above advice and find the charities that appeal to you and then find the best way to donate to them this holiday season.

Thank you.

The post Be Smarter With Your Holiday Giving This Year appeared first on Social Media Explorer.