If this week 40 people would give $25 each to New Futures Orphanage, instead of that same amount spread out over a year’s time, the children could buy chickens, fish, plants, and other sustainable food sources that would last over a long time, and wouldn’t have to eat the small increments of money coming in, while they’re waiting, so that they have no future. If 20 of us could give $50 this week, instead of spread out over a year, they could eat all year, instead of just on the weeks that someone gives.

Choose a child from the orphanage photo below, hold him or her in your mind, and picture what eating all year long might do for his mind, his health, and his opportunities. Now picture him wondering every day if there will be rice today. It’s easy to do the right thing: give directly, so 100% of the funds go to the orphanage, which is run by volunteers, take it as a tax deduction (they email you a receipt automatically), and you break even, but their lives are changed.

I first got involved with direct giving to the poor because of the New Futures Orphanage. I was scouring the net, looking for just, real, and direct ways to impact the lives of the poor, with small funds. I came across a [ blog ] kept by an English teacher backpacking through Cambodia.

She’d come upon an orphanage there that needed volunteers to teach some English to the children. Teachers would come through, and some would stay a while and do this, and she was captivated and decided to stay for much longer. I was captivated too, and I looked, and they needed $900 in small gifts - that’s all they were asking for last year, and it was being given in small gifts ($25, $35, $45 at a time) through [ givemeaning.org ] a site that serves as the vehicle for giving directly to such small charities.

They finally met their fundraising goal, which was used to provide some basic things to the orphanage, like cinder block walls and a roof to enclose the toilet. I read the updates from Claire, who was giving her time there. She reported on how the children were doing, their improving skills, what this means for their future. I read what the children thought about their situation, and their hopes for their futures; each one is an individual. I knew I had to help.

Recently, the landlord sold the orphanage and the children had to be taken to a facility that doesn’t have electricity. So they need to raise money to get 12volt battery-powered lighting installed and survive with the soaring food costs. The project has established a funding goal of $1000. I’m asking you to help me help them. Take the cost of a night out, or a new video game, or a month of cable TV, and give directly to them, for this need.

Direct Giving defined: Give in reality, not in theory. Give to people, not to ideas.

Search engine optimization. This is a whole other category of interest, and there are lots of myths out there that have to be debunked first. Suffice it to say, this is where an expert web designer can be invaluable.

A unified theme or scheme. Colors, logos, and structure should all work together to look like the site was planned that way.

Action. A bit of animation or moving text or dynamic content, maybe a little flyout navigation, can make the site seem like someone’s home. In the same way photos (of people shaking hands, of someone signing a contract, etc.) give the appearance of life. A video or two, a contest, a new feed… these continually communicate that it’s alive.
Interactivity. Lead capture forms or surveys are excellent ways of maximizing hits. A blog with comment section or subscription capability is a smart business generator.

Change. News feeds are the simplest example. Ever changing information translates into return visitors. A blog, of course, is the single most powerful means of ensuring that information is constantly updated. Search engines love it, and visitors flock to it.

Information. Weaving relevant personal info, human interest, and business content make the site less like a billboad and more like a representation of a brick and mortar business where you can walk in and shake hands.