A few years ago, a few friends of mine had a vision. Not the kind with hallucinogenic drugs involved. The kind with social good involved. The Martin Luther King Jr. kind.
As the story goes, Lionel and Misha Thompson have, for years, loved giving money to people anonymously. They’d often slip it under their doors or put wads of cash in mailboxes. The trouble was that they could never be sure that the person received the gift; nor could they ever have any feedback whether it was meaningful or not.
At one point, a close friend went through a serious financial crisis.
Misha and I gave as much money as we could to them. They lived in another country at the time, so it was impossible to send it anonymously.
Much to our dismay, our gifts seemed to change the dynamics of our relationship. The warmth and camaraderie we had always shared with them dissipated.
Out of that came the idea of Giving Anonymously. It provides the feedback loop we longed to have when we were slipping cash under others’ doors. It also creates a way to give to friends in need while protecting our relationships.
Giving Anonymously was created as a method to facilitate pure generosity. There’s nothing to gain, not even a tax deduction. It’s pure giving.
We hope this inspires a new wave of giving that passes through, into, and from all kinds of communities.
Spanish Class Tempe Arizona
nate
Kevin Thompson
Joao Carlos Caribe
Posted by Amber on May 17, 2007 at 10:47pm
Fantabulous idea!
I know someone who tried to send an anonymous cashier’s check, but then discovered the bank required a signature on checks for over $1K. And then there’s that whole sketchy feeling of putting a cashier’s check in the mail and wondering if the donation was ever received.
This is so much better. Bravo!
Posted by nate on May 18, 2007 at 12:54am
Thanks Amber. We’re pretty fond of it.
And by the way, if you’d (anyone would) like to help us get the word out, we’d be more than grateful. We don’t plan on advertising it except via word of mouth at this point. So, please use it, tell someone you know, tell people who write articles or do radio shows or podcasts.
Thanks again!
Posted by Amber on May 18, 2007 at 07:32pm
Already submitted it to a few places, including *drum roll* my dad’s financial radio show.
And how about a MySpace page for Giving Anonymously? I’d link to it.
Posted by nate on May 19, 2007 at 01:34am
Amber, you’re awesome! That’s so rad. Yes, I just said rad.
Your dad contacted me this evening, left a message for me to call in to his radio show tomorrow morning! I’m stoked! I really truly hope it’s a big break for the service. It would be fantastic.
As for the myspace page, I’d have to think about it. I really really hate myspace. I know everyone and their dog has a page, but I don’t, and I’m kinda proud of that fact. I’m not even sure what I would do with one. But, if you insist, I’ll go work on it. :)
If we had a myspace page, what would you suggest would be good for us to do with it? How would it help?
Posted by Amber on May 19, 2007 at 11:35am
I heard you on the radio this morning! Excellent job. I think that particular show has the right listeners for you. Can’t wait to see what happens.
I have no love for MySpace.com, just my people on it. However, I’ve noticed my friends tend to post about different charities and add friends like campaigns to Free Eric Volz. Perhaps people would add Giving Anonymously as a friend and help spread the word. It’s also free advertising.
And technically, YOU still wouldn’t have a personal myspace page.
Posted by nate on May 19, 2007 at 11:41am
Amber, you’re outstanding. I will be watching my stats for the site. I hope folks use it. That would be incredible.
As for MySpace, I think you’ve got a good point. I’ll get a page for it soon and post back here when I do. Thanks for the suggestion.
Posted by Amber on Sep 11, 2007 at 10:22am
You know, I should have remembered your service the other day but like an idiot mailed a check instead. We sent some friends a donation and thought we wouldn’t hear much about it from them. Wrong. We have since been the recipient of all sorts of overtures, gifts, and dinner invitations - which is really nice of them, but we never wanted them to feel indebted. And then it gets awkward whenever they mention a need. Money stuff is tricky. I’ll keep Giving Anonymously in mind.