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Becoming a 'Citizen' of the Buy1GIVE1 Global Community
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Choosing to become a part of the B1G1 Global Community is a great way for you (as a non-business owner) to play a part a part in this wonderful Global Giving Movement.
Once you’re part of the Community here, you’ll be getting inspiring, fun, life-changing stories delivered to you each month so that you can share in the joy we’re creating together. You get connected to a ‘smart’ online community of people willing to make a difference.
There are two specific ways for you (as an individual) to become part of the movement:
- As a visitor (if you'd like what you've experienced so far and you'd like to join now totally for free as a visitor, just click here and follow the prompts)
- As a fully-fledged Citizen supporting the Village and contributing more
As a fully-fledged B1G1 Village Citizen, you're able to do even more.
Specifically, you're able to find great causes you can support and spread the joy of giving in the world. You're able to give back and contribute in the most effective way to Worthy Causes making a real difference in our world. You can connect, communicate and inspire.
PLUS, you're able to bring you're own favourite Worthy Causes on board with you. (And instantly when you become a B1G1 Village Citizen, you're feeding and educating a lot of kids too.)
Importantly, as a full Citizen, you’re supporting the on-going growth of this movement to make it possible to keep giving 100 percent (that’s incredibly rare) to all the projects supported by B1G1 Citizens and Business Members around the world.
If you'd like to join us now for free as a Visitor just click here and follow the simple prompts,
If you'd like to explore Full Citizenship (for just $10), just continue reading.
Thank you for continuing. Let's quickly give you some additional insights and information so that you can become inspired enough to become a Global Citizen of the B1G1 Village now (and feel free to click on the APPLY NOW button at any time).
It's just a once-off $10 to become a B1G1 Citizen. And the moment you join, you make some great things happen.
Here’s what happens the moment you become a Citizen of Buy1GIVE1
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- You’re giving a nourishing meal every day for 10 days to an underprivileged child
- You’re getting a free download of one of the most impactful books you've ever read
- You get your B1G1 Citizen Pass delivered in the mail (with a little gift) PLUS you’re helping to provide education to an underprivileged child to help lift them out of the poverty cycle
- You become entitled to nominate your favourite Worthy Cause (that’s how we refer to charities) to be part of Buy1GIVE1 so that they can receive more support from around the world by joining you in this unique community
- You receive full access to our "Global Giving Community Site" where you can connect with others like you who are passionate about giving and caring for the world and take exciting actions together.
And this is only the beginning. By you becoming part of this unique community, you are helping this movement to become even bigger, more profound and even more effective.
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The beginning
Buy1GIVE1 (or B1G1 as it’s now more widely known) began in July 2007. A small group of individuals like you got together and imagined our world as one that was full of giving. They believed that the world’s increasing issues like starvation, extreme poverty, life-threatening diseases, environmental destruction, lack of education and economic turmoil were telling us something.
Put simply, they believed that giving is the only way to transform the world simply. ‘The world is TOO complicated. Let's make it simple!’ was their mantra.
They believed that world full of giving they’d imagined would become a reality when they built a ‘system’ and a global community where each and every transaction made a positive difference; automatically. And that (and much more) is precisely what Buy1GIVE1 is.
Today, Buy1GIVE1 has become a real movement. Everyday it continues to attract more and more people, inspiring businesses owners and individuals alike to be part of this new way of giving – the most impactful giving process in the world.
Right now, Buy1GIVE1 is working with a staggering 556 projects globally with the giving for those projects starting from just 1 cent.
Think about that – you buy (or indeed sell) a cup of coffee and a child in Africa gets access to clean, pure water for a day. Stunning isn't it? Small amounts from every day transactions making measurable differences – and happening every second, every day and in every way.
You can be a part of it right now and receive your B1G1 Citizenship Pass (that’s right, a kind of 'passport' to enable you to truly embrace and belong to this new world of effective giving). By getting your Global Village Citizenship, you’re not just becoming a ‘citizen’, you’re instantly making a difference right away.
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A new way forward
As you know, we are now seeing more and more giving around the world. Just as one example of that, Bill Gates wrote in a recent article in TIME magazine:
He put it this way:
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"We want to help create a world where no one has to live on a dollar a day or die from a disease we know how to prevent. People all over the world want to work for a company that they feel good about. Show them a company that helps the poorest and they’ll repay that commitment with their own dedication. I hope more people will join the cause."
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When you ‘join the cause’ for a non-recurring $10 as a B1G1 Citizen, you’re helping to make transaction-based giving an everyday commercial practice. Together we’re making giving and social contribution a part of everything we do.
Small yet sustainable regular contributions are significantly more powerful and even more effective than one-off lump-sum donations. Even when the financial world is in turmoil, we’ve made sure this giving does not stop by making it simple easy and rewarding.
 And together we dramatically reduce (and eventually stop) charities ‘begging’ and spending massively to get funds. That way of doing things is just SO ineffective and inefficient (let alone massively expensive!)
That’s part of what makes Buy1GIVE1 so dramatically different. And when you join Buy1GIVE1 you play a part in making change happen more quickly and more powerfully. In Buy1GIVE1 you’re coming together with people who really 'get' the power we all have to make a difference and put that into action.
And the real point is, of course, that we no longer have to wait for something big to happen in the future. We can all start our giving now. And we can do that not out of guilt but just because we are grateful for the things we have, for the things we can do and for who we are. It’s truly sharing the joy of giving. It's transforming, it's exciting and it's inspiring.
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Inspiring stories about what happens
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Everyday there are moments that really take our breath away. We come across unbelievable outcomes we never even imagined when we started.
Here is just one such story from a businessman who joined Buy1GIVE1 in 2008.
His name is Alex Teh. He runs a blind-installation business in Perth, Western Australia called Blinds Couture (www.blindscouture.com.au) which was featured in our April 08 newsletter. We connected Alex’s business with a school lighting project covering 50,000 schools in India. The schools have (or rather had) no power and no lighting. They were incredibly dark with kids trying to study with their books 3 inches from their faces.
 Alex’s first automatic contribution (every time he sells blinds, a school gets lit up) immediately benefits over 2,000 children.But even more than that, it now keeps benefiting all the future students, each and every year. Imagine the difference it makes to the learning environment of the children who have been struggling to readin the dark! But it is not only about the physical results being created. We received this message from Alex. It says everything about why we do what we do at Buy1GIVE1.
 “I feel so privileged to be able to see this Magic happen. What made me realise is that with the comfortthat the kids will experience,they will grow up with a better chance in life. I am so touched by the idea that maybe in the future some of these kids will be leaders in their respective fields and that I have had a chance in contributing a small way to them achieving their successes.... in fact broke down in tears the other night when sharing this thought with my wife..... this is an extremely emotional experience for me, and I definitely GET it now. Thank you for making all this happen.”
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And we’d love you to start exploring the power of giving. Like Alex, you’ll see the change in your own life just through your giving.
There are already so many others in the B1G1 community whose lives are changed through giving. They know that when we act together, we can make an even greater difference.
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What people are saying about Buy1GIVE1
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The wonderful thing I feel has happened since B1G1 is there is a subtle new 'feeling' to everything.
- Nicky Meehan, Gold Coast, Australia
I just know B1G1 works for any business. It is a simple idea that has the power to transform the world.
- Dijuruanto Tardjiono Bong, Jakarta, Indonesia
Being with Buy1GIVE1 has generated more business and increased the amount of developers that I can work with. And now, thanks to you, we’ve got a wonderful partnership with Habitat for Humanity too.
- Marcus Edwards, London, UK
The whole Buy1GIVE1 ‘space’ grabbed us - this is what we want. Buy1GIVE1 is just so easy.
- Tim Tsagaris, Perth, Australia
It's a great concept and it resonates so well with me, my family and my staff as well as the type of clients that we have.
- Alan Hewitt, Perth, Australia
I am so excited to connect and share with entrepreneurs the idea of Buy1GIVE1 so they can find the spirit of their enterprises.
- Dave Rogers, Business and Success Coach, Singapore
We have had an exceptionally wonderful experience of getting two businesses to support our project in just one month.
- Radha Krishna, Midday Meals, Mumbai, India
I would like to introduce the Buy1GIVE1 initiative to lots of others. It’s a very mutually supportive and beneficial relationship.
- Mark Falzon, Sydney, Australia
Buy1GIVE1 was a real eye-opener to a new world of giving for me. It took me all of three seconds to make the decision to join.
- Zabrina A. Bakar, Author. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I can't believe how simple this is.
- Berris Burgoyne, Sydney, Australia
I am glad that Thavibu Gallery decided to be a part of Buy1GIVE1 where each artwork sold makes a real difference to someone who cannot see through their own eyes.
- Jrn Middelborg, Bangkok, Thailand
Buy1GIVE1 is such a gift. It has made a huge difference to me and the girls I support.
- Dr. Lynelle Kerr, Singapore
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There are so many more people who, like us, would love you to come on board. Because we can only make massive difference by acting together.
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If you haven’t yet joined, you've probably got questions.
These are the questions others asked us before they joined.
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- Is Buy1GIVE1 a charity or business project?
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Buy1GIVE1 is set up as a Social Enterprise as well as a Charitable Foundation in Singapore. The aim of Buy1GIVE1 has created a sustainable movement of giving. The commercial enterprise part of Buy1GIVE1 supports companies to integrate transaction-bases Buy1GIVE1 giving into their business activities while creating a sense of connection around the enterprise, which naturally results in their own ability to prosper and thrive (rather than simply ‘surviving’). The Buy1GIVE1 Foundation continues to support other charity organisations to prosper, making their activities even more effective, sustainable and visible. Buy1GIVE1 inspires and connects all of us as one. Yes, that sounds big. But as Steve Jobs once said, “The people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do".
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- What does it mean to become a Buy1GIVE1 Global Village Citizen?
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It's a sign of and recognition of your commitment to be part of something great – something that's actually bigger than ourselves. The moment you use your $10 to become a Buy1GIVE1 citizen, you instantly make a difference to a life of a child by providing food and education as a first step. You'll also start hearing all the inspiring stories and educational information and gain a stronger sense of connection. Your participation also lends additional weight and support for Buy1GIVE1's current and future activities and initiatives.
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- Why should we be a part of Buy1GIVE1 giving movement when we already have so many charity activities happening around the world?
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Individual effort is always limited no matter how hard we try. There are millions of charity organisations around the world already but most of these organisations struggle (and spend a lot of money!) to raise funds. Some of them even spend over half of their resources for fund-raising and administration. Even though they are doing great things, you've got to say that there has to be a better, more efficient, less resource-hungry way of doing things. Buy1GIVE1 is that way. Companies are now supporting their selected Worthy Causes regularly from each and every business transaction. The giving becomes automated and more effective. It's yet another example of how collaboration changes everything. Now as an individual, you can play your part as well.
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- What happens once we join?
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Joining as a global citizen itself is a great start in making a difference. Your $10 Citizen Pass application fee is used to support an underprivileged child immediately. But this is only the beginning. Once you receive the special Citizen Pass in the mail (yes, the physical mail), you start receiving inspiring stories and news about giving in your inbox about every 4 weeks. You'll be invited to listen, watch and read. But if you want to do more, there are physical activities you can participate in to really find your purpose, your values and your passion. You can also invite your friends and family as well as the businesses you know to the Buy1GIVE1 Village. You can also invite a Worthy Cause of your choice to Buy1GIVE1. You can now be actively creating the world you want to be part of. And if you own or run a business, you will also be invited to integrate Buy1GIVE1 giving directly into your business activities.
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- I own (or run) a business. Can I make it into a Buy1GIVE1 Business?
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Yes, of course. And that is so simple to do too. Just go right here right now.
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- So how is B1G1 funded if 100 per cent of the giving goes to the Worthy Causes?
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Great question. It’s funded in 3 ways; by Businesses who join as B1G1 Businesses, by Sponsors and by individuals who share in the vision.
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- And is it affiliated with a religious group?
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No. Buy1GIVE1 unites the word through giving. It's as simple as that.
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- Or is it affiliated with some particular charity?
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No. Right now, for example, there are 600 Worthy Cause projects that are part of Buy1GIVE1. Buy1GIVE1 can work with any great charity organisations around the world. And more than that, as a Citizen of this Buy1GIVE1 Village, you can even bring your favourite Charity on board so that they benefit sustainably from B1G1 exposure and reach. And once you are a Citizen, your recommended Charities can come on board totally for free.
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All of us on the team here hope that you'll be part of this Global Giving Village.
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Thank you for reading this and ’exploring’ with us so far. We hope you will (well actually we want you to) join us because we know it’s only by acting together that we can make a real difference. We’re looking forward to you adding in your vision, your passion, your contribution and your purpose.
We are all here to add our unique value to each other – as one. 
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Welcome to the home of the most impactful giving in the world!
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Oh, you can also email us more questions or call us today +65 6898 2446 (Singapore) if you need help.
We love hearing from you.
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