Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.
BlogCause is a new website with a mission “to create and support a community of bloggers who volunteer on a regular basis & share their volunteer stories.”
Launched in July of this year, founder Emily Wavering started the initiative because of her love for blogs and community service. (Can I get an Amen?) She tells the story of how she was inspired by a volunteer gig in Southern Maryland that involved picking up trash in a wooded area. She noticed that you can never underestimate the value of people working locally to get things done. She also noted the camaraderie that comes with volunteering.
“Ultimately, my goal is for BlogCause to be a strong, diverse online community of bloggers who volunteer in their local communities, and blog about their volunteer work”. ~ Emily Wavering, founder of BlogCause
Emily is optimistic in BlogCause’s potential for growth. She is already receiving positive feedback from bloggers and nonprofits alike.
In telling these volunteer stories, the hope is that BlogCause bloggers will:
- Inspire and support each other.
- Inspire their readers to become similarly involved.
- Give a voice to nonprofit organizations that might struggle to publicize the good work that they do.
To get involved, all bloggers need to do is head over to the Join BlogCause page, sign up, and then post the BlogCause pledge to their site.
There are also a few badges you can add to your blog’s sidebar.
Seriously. It’s that simple.
I added the badge to my blog and plan on blogging about a new volunteer opportunity that I’m hoping to start soon with my family.
As for the future of BlogCause, Emily reveals in a recent BlogCause background blog post that she has three goals:
- FEATURED BLOGGERS+BLOG POSTS+NONPROFITS [because we're dying to promote bloggers doing awesome work]
- AN ONLINE FORUM [because we want to foster conversation and really make this a community of volunteers]
- VOLUNTEER EVENTS [because let's be real, we all want to get offline and go have fun together]
Can you donate four posts per year to volunteering?
This article was also published on pplkind
This is an interesting concept….very cool! Thinking about what I can do. The Fresh Air Fund is the main organization I get involved with.
Michelle recently posted..Ladies Only Blog Share: No Kids Allowed Edition
I think your work with The Fresh Air Fund is perfect to blog about. And you’ve already written one post!
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You really do build friendships and camaraderie with the people you volunteer with. My husband and son had a regular gig at our community food pantry this summer and they adored the people they worked with each week. I’m totally looking into this group. We do more than 4 volunteering posts a year and I don’t see that changing! I always look forward to Philanthropy Friday. I learn so much!!! –Lisa
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That’s awesome to hear, Lisa. And I know you won’t have any problem at all blogging about your volunteer work. You already fit those stories in! Love it.
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I could definitely do this. You inspire so much social good Jen, by your example. I love that our family had a “cause” in New Jersey (fostering dogs) and I can’t wait to get back to that cause again, once we have our own house, or find some other way that we can contribute to our new community. When I find our new cause, I will be happy to blog about it!
Ilene recently posted..Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas
I’m sure you’ll find your cause, Ilene. Once you settle down and get to know the place, it’ll come to you. Maybe you can walk shelter dogs on the beach!
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I’m with Michelle – thinking about how I can take part. If anyone has ideas, please send them my way. We can do something!
Eli@coachdaddy recently posted..Guest Post: Melany from Melany’s Guydlines Talks Fatherhood with Coach Daddy
Do you get paid to coach your daughter’s soccer team? Sounds like a pretty committed volunteer gig to me. Just saying.
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Wow, this is awesome. I have a pretty regular volunteer gig here, but I don’t think four posts per year is even very much. I’ll check out the site!
Tamara recently posted..Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party: No Kids Allowed.
It’s nothing! And you’re really just sharing stories about your experience. Easy peasy, right?
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Oh wow!!! I really must look into this!! What an AWESOME and incredible thing for us bloggers to do!! I just love this, Jen. I need to look into this!!!
Chris Carter recently posted..Live deeply. Find Your Riches In The Every Day…
You really should, Chris. I’m sure you’d have no problem writing about your volunteering experiences!
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I think this is an excellent idea. When my children were growing up, I actively looked for opportunities to volunteer in which we could participate as a family. I highly recommend taking your teens with you to volunteer because it really changes their perspective on life…as well as your own. I have lots of stories about how my children and I participated with local, national, and international volunteering and I’d love to share them. I haven’t done as much since my divorce because I have had to devote my time to earning a living and being a single parent.
Does leading a support group count?? Because that is what I am now embarking on…a support group for those going through divorce.
That’s wonderful that your got your kids involved. I think it’s important to set an example for them as well. And I totally think that leading a support group counts! I can’t imagine you get paid, and I’m sure you put a lot of time and effort into it!
Thanks for stopping by the blog.
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Thanks again for this post, Jennifer! And thank you to everyone who has expressed an interest in BlogCause! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any additional questions!
My pleasure, Emily. I’m so glad we connected!
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I love this! I definitely have an inspirational story to contribute.
MomChalant recently posted..The Meaning Of Labor Day I Used To Believe
Awesome! That’s exactly what they are looking for bloggers to do – share stories to inspire others!
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I regularly blog about 2 organizations where I volunteer. Both generate a lot of good exposure for the organizations and it’s one more way I can give back.
Thanks for sharing about Blog Cause. I hadn’t heard of it before.
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Happy to share, Karen. I think it’s great that you write about where you volunteer. I have no doubt you inspire those that read your posts!
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