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Local campaign challenges Canadians to change charitable giving

The scenario: The new Starbucks coffee splashes in front of the screens of your sparkly eyes, in all it's chocolate-covered whip cream glory, as you hold a cold latte.

The challenge: Don't buy it.

Are Canadians only willing to give to charity when asked? [Insert blank stare here.] Yes, according to a Vancouver-based 'One Year One Percent' campaign, which challenges Canadians to alter their charitable giving habits and to commit to give one per cent of their income to charity in 2013.

So, can you imagine a lifetime of packed lunches, or less drinks at the bar? It's possible, and it's exactly what the campaign is encouraging people do: save one per cent, so they can release it back into the world in the form of warm meals for the homeless or clean water for a community in need, or whatever they want. Because that's the power of one per cent.

“Currently, Canadians willingly give to charity, but usually only when asked,” campaign creator Sarah Shandl said. “Young adults generally give to charity by supporting friends or co-workers that are growing mustaches or running and walking for a cause, but they don’t necessarily have a personal connection to the cause, do research into the organizations they are funding, or give on a consistent basis. We’re looking to change that.”

Through the One Year One Percent campaign, Canadians are urged to think about cause they are most passionate about, whether it’s poverty relief or preserving wildlife, and to set aside a "tiny fraction" of their income towards it, via the Charitable Impact (Chimp) Foundation, another local organization.

Giving one per cent through the Chimp Fund, which acts as a charitable bank, is as simple and convenient as logging into Facebook. Except more rewarding. Just commit to a budget first, and decide on the gift later.

Happy feelings all around.

The big question: Are you willing to give it up? (See below)



A little bit goes a long way.....

Those accepting the challenge will be encouraged to have an amount of their choosing pulled automatically (or at their discretion) from their credit card into their own personal Chimp Fund.

Users sign up sign and open a “savings account” and can set up a recurring deposit of any amount into it just for giving. Itʼs their Chimp Fund, and user. From there funds can be sent at any point to any charity in Canada. By separating the withdrawal act from the donation, being charitable seems less like spending and more like giving.


For more information on Charitable Impact Foundation, go here.

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