Spring into action

Spring seems to be arriving early. I think this a great time for giving birth to new ideas and dusting the cobwebs from our minds to explore possibilities for making a difference.

One of my fellow Poker Face contestants has launched a campaign to help 65 people in her community think possibilities about the differences they could make with £65, so I look forward to receiving their requests in due course.

Come on, let's have a spring clean and spring into action to Go MAD with £65.

New Year Resolutions

Whilst I don't believe in setting New Year resolutions (why wait for New Year? - do it whenever you have a strong enough reason why), many people attempt to make a difference in their lives at the start of the year. So what differences are you going to make?

In 2008, why not use your thinking skills and decide to make a difference in someone else's life? If you would like £65 to help, then please post a request.

£65 for Christmas

I received news last week from one of the Everards Brewery teams who had used £65 to buy a Leicester Tigers Rugby Shirt and get it signed by the players. This was then auctioned for £500 which will provide 12 elderly couples and carers with a 3 course Christmas meal and Christmas gift. £100 will be donated to a multiple sclerosis charity and the original £65 will be given to another team in the business to make another difference.

Well done for demonstrating the difference that can be made with a little effort and teamwork.



What difference could you make with £65 to bring some Christmas cheer into the lives of others?

Turning money into more money for good causes

I have given a couple of £65 away recently to people who have requested the money to buy wool in order to knit scarves which will then be sold to raise money for good causes. Both people are involving others in the workplace (Boots and Royal Bank of Scotland) to achieve their goals and I feel that this is a good example of people contributing time to match the £65 in order to leverage a greater benefit for the end user.

So what difference could you make? If you are seeking inspiration read some of the comments posted in response to my previous blog entries - especially about the bees.

What makes it all worthwhile? - stories like this

Hi Andy

Many thanks for the cheque for £65 you sent to me last month. I had a great week giving it away and I learned a lot from the experience. I aimed to do something different every day and to 'target' a wide age range. Here is what happened:

I bought bottles of blowing bubbles and gave them to a group of older people
A baby had a surprise present of a helium balloon and was entranced and delighted as were the children with her
I gave money to a talented face painter (she was called Namnam, I think she is based in Brighton) and asked her to choose someone - maybe someone who would not have thought of doing this - and paint their face. This was at the Isle of Wight Bestival and when I saw her later she said this treat had gone to a man who had been thrilled at the idea that someone had done this for him. It was a very busy and happy place and I am sure that seeing a jolly painted face will have brought good cheer to others too.
I collected two cinema tickets and then pinned them in a fancy envelope on a college notice board and watched the pleasure they gave - not only to the young people who went ot the cinema but to the others who looked and smiled.
I took a day off work and entertained strangers (now friends!) to a picnic at my beach hut. These people were on a visit here from the US and said it was a highlight of their holiday, having never seen a beach hut before and just enjoying the wackiness of the day.
On my birthday I gave a present to a stranger (something I plan to do every year now!)
The last of my quests did not cost me anything in terms of money but did take time and thought. I was asked to come up with ideas for a work 'awayday' and gave myself time and energy to think creatively around this (rather than just jot down a few predictable activities), coming up with ideas which hopefully will bring surprise and discovery to others. A different kind of gift..
I enjoyed this a lot, learned from it, felt my creativity opening up and found it thought provoking. It was a real pleasure.
Dale

So what differences do you want to make? Let me know.

Keep the ideas coming

A quick summary of some areas that people are using £65 for:

• having a fun weekly adventure/quest
• surprising and helping people with random acts of kindness
• helping young people
• helping old people
• helping people develop their careers/start a business
• creating sustainable projects

Please let me know if you would like £65 to help someone else or make a difference in the lives of others.

Making A Difference - Sustainable Results

Yesterday I received a jar of Go MAD Honey produced by the 5000 bees bought with £65 (see post published 7th May) by Everard Brewery employees. The goal of producing and selling 100 jars of honey has been achieved and each year a local hospice will benefit by £200 through the sale of honey.

This is a great example of having fun, involving others and making a sustainable difference - apparently the bees reproduced to nearly 50,000!

Who could you involve?