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Hello,
Interesting questions often come up in life in seemingly unrelated situations.
For example, last night I was at a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) briefing listening to a CSR specialist talking about the importance of harnessing the power of Social Media. He spoke about how, via cyberspace, we can speak out powerfully about what is happening in our world. "We can even impact corporations that are not being socially responsible," he said.
 The facts (or often rumours) of how things are produced by exploiting others are revealed by people (for example, the factory workers in China) who now have the power to communicate their thoughts and feelings through the ether like never before.
So, how is this relevant to you and me?
Well, this question that came up at the end of the evening, "What should companies do if a bad rumour spread out of their control and if the rumour was not even true?"
The presenter said he could not answer that question and asked it there was any PR specialist in the room. No one volunteered. So the question was left unanswered.
But I kept wondering whether the question really got to the core of the issue.
Perhaps when what we do and how we respond to each other becomes strategic and procedural, we are actually not really listening to the voice of those concerned. It may be about sincerely reviewing what cause and effect our actions (whether it is about our company or our life) are creating and how we care about everything we do. It means inspiring the whole corporate culture to transform at a heart level.
Real success in life or in business is never about own financial gain. People and organisations who really make a difference in our world understand this just like Thomas Edison once said:
I never perfected an invention without thinking of how it would benefit others.
 When the core of our belief is about caring and benefiting others, we are no longer afraid of judgment we may encounter on our journey. Transformation starts from today by small actions we carry out and small inspirations we share with one person at a time.
And thank you for being the one!
‘A pair of’ giving
The giving optometrist
by Paul Dunn
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 If you're like me and you have glasses, you treat them 'not well'.
Mine get (or used to get) pounded. And eventually they simply gave up - first a simple matter of the lens falling out. And then, two days later, they split in two right across the little piece that goes across the nose (I think it's called a 'nose bridge').
 In the past I'd go to the Optometrist and simply buy a new pair. But now, when I go to a brand new 'breed' of Optometrist right in my home suburb, something else happens. And it happens automatically. A disadvantaged person gets to see as well!
And it all happens because of the insight (no pun intended) of Optometrist David Nicolas. David, as he puts it, is now 'proudly' a B1G1 Business.
 And the transaction-based giving process is already attracting extra 'buzz' after only one day. Read more right here - you'll see how wonderful it is.
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Minimonos
Virtual world makes a real-world difference
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 Mother of two Melissa Clark-Reynolds is creating minimonos, a values-based virtual world, so that our children have a place of their own on the Internet – a place that allows them to explore and develop without the constant pressure to buy stuff. minimonos is a compelling world that captures the imagination of children and a world that encourages sustainable behaviour just by its essence. Melissa puts it this way: "We've told kids, 'it's your world, it's yours to take care of. You can keep the water clean. You can make it a beautiful place to live.' "
 Keeping the water clean is profoundly important to Melissa; she realised the need for minimonos when she was snorkelling. While encouraging her daughter Grace to overcome her fear of putting her face underwater so she could see turtles, Melissa wondered how much longer those turtles could with stand ocean temperature changes. She became terrified by the thought that one day Grace would have to tell her children, "There used to be turtles."
minimonos aims to ensure that there always will be turtles by empowering children: to understand that everythingis interconnected, to realise the importance of their own actions and to make positive changes in the real world.  Melissa believesBuy1GIVE1 transaction -based giving provides the direct connection between virtual and real action due to its well-matched causes. Melissa matched Bird India's efforts to provide Indian schoolchildren with uncontaminated water. It's perfectly aligned with minimonos' core purpose of making the world a better place for children.
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Buy1GIVE1 has allowed us to share the joy of meaningful giving with our clients. We can now say to them, ‘By becoming a member of minimonos, you’ve provided clean water to children in India.’ They are the ones making the difference."
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Visit minimonos today and explore the joy of giving world! www.minimonos.com
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Branson and the Green Army on
‘Radical, Positive Change’
A Hong Kong-based ‘army’ changing our world
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 On the weekend I picked up a book from our local library, 'The Secrets of CEOs'. Sir Richard Branson sets the tone in the foreword of the book. "When all businesses puts sustainability at the heart of what they do, we will see a radically positive change in the impact we have on our planet. I believe that day is not too far away," he says.
And that's precisely what Hong Kong-based Green Army is doing every day. CEO Michael Hung has sustainability right at the heart of what Green Army does, supplying packaging products and containers to manufacturers and retailers right around the world. And green Army's products are produced with recycled, biodegradable, organic and other sustainable materials.
 And now as a B1G1 Business, Green Army is able to make an even bigger difference. Through B1G1 every product they sell contributes to support underprivileged children through their selected B1G1 Worthy Cause Partner, Child's Dream.
Many corporate leaders are starting to take actions by changing the way they run their companies like Green Army has done. Building giving and caring into our company's DNA is what really makes the difference – not only to the social and environmental issues but also to our own life – the way we feel about our life and purpose. (And you can see more on that 'embedding giving into the DNA' on one of the B1G1 blog posts right here
 Like Thomas Edison, we know that real success only comes from making a contribution to many others. We're thrilled that B1G1 Businesses really do get that every second, every day and in every way.
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Giving effectively
Featured Worthy Cause projects
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There are so many stories of giving in Buy1GIVE1 community, we hope you find the right one your resonate with to give effectively and in a sustainable way.
If you need any support, simply contact us.
Here are some of the featured causes from our list:
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Habitat for Humanity India
 Habitat for Humanity supports people who lost their homes in natural disaster or who cannot afford building their own house. Most of the projects are created using micro financing where the supported families will return the money over time. The money returned will again be used to build another house for another family.
Project examples (India):
Purchase one brick for building a home $0.10
Provide shelter for one person for a day $0.13
Full sponsorship for building a house $3,390
View all their projects here |
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SoulTalk
 SoulTalk is a local registered Hong Kong charity that works with women in emotional and relationship crisis, has been helping women help themselves for the past 17 years. This Charity is founded on solution- based, results-driven counselling and educational programmes that help women regain their empowerment and take back their lives.
Project examples (Hong Kong):
Feed one woman in crisis one hearty meal $0.30
Educate one woman in crisis for an hour $3.25
Support SoulTalk Women's Centre $50
View all their projects here
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You can check out ALL of the 600+ projects that are now part of B1G1. Just go here. Have a look and choose one action this month.
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Welcome to the world of Buy1GIVE1
- B1G1!
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