Modest Needs Newsletters

A Credit Card That Cares

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Modest Needs Newsletter

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A Credit Card That Cares

We are so thrilled to announce a brand-new way for donors to show their Modest Needs support, for free. It's our first-ever Modest Needs credit card, courtesy of Capital One!

With this new fundraising program, you can effortlessly contribute to Modest Needs and spread the word about our cause every time you make a purchase on your card. 1% of every purchase -- plus a $25 first-purchase bonus -- will come directly to us. I invite those of you in the market for a new credit card to learn more about this unique opportunity at Capital One.

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Profile in Courageous Generosity

For Gina, a Modest Needs applicant in Delaware, falling in love with a little girl in foster care would come as an enormous surprise. Almost more shocking, however, would be Gina's realization that a $398 fee, hitting right at the worst time, might actually prevent her from adopting the baby who'd so quickly stolen her heart.

I hope you'll take a moment to read this wonderfully touching story of a most unusual application.

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For One Mom, a New Future Unfolds

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Modest Needs Newsletter

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Profile in Courageous Generosity

A few months ago, Paige was an unhappy mom of four, feeling trapped in minimum-wage positions due to her lack of education. She was embarrassed to admit to her kids -- all good students -- that she hadn't even graduated high school.

When her husband's hours were reduced and she was laid off, the vicious cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck became even more crippling. But that harrowing experience turned out to be just the catalyst Paige needed to make a drastic change. Now, a few weeks later, this high-school dropout is on her way to a college degree.

Read the full story in our new Profile in Courageous Generosity.

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Application Spotlight

Whether you've got a soft spot for special needs children, teachers, or stressed-out parents, we've got an application for you this month!

MS: Must See the Doctor!
Are You Crying, Mommy?
Single Mom/Teacher Needs Repair
Help Autistic Girl Play Outside
Family Needs Help w/Rent
Chair Lock for Handicap Van
Hot Water Tank Ready to Blow!
I Am Receiving Treatment for Cancer

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Our Most Amazing June... Ever!

I just wanted to congratulate all of you on a ground-breaking month of June. You might remember our mad dash to reach $100,000 -- the amount we needed to claim an extremely generous matching grant. It was an incredibly lofty goal, but we did indeed reach it, right in the nick of time!

As a result of your EXTRAORDINARY generosity in the month of June, we now have a remarkable $200,000 to disburse to low-income families.

So thank you, and congratulations again. We couldn't have done it without so many of your support!

Life After a Layoff

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Modest Needs May Newsletter

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New Profile in Courageous Generosity

When this single mom from Illinois approached Modest Needs in April after a devastating layoff, she and her children were only a few hundred dollars away from eviction. What a difference a month -- and a Bridge Grant -- can make! Today she's employed, making her apartment payments on time, and on her way to graduating college. It's a heartwarming Modest Needs success story, all for $650.

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Your Donations at Work

"I can't thank everyone enough for your generous contributions to my medical bill. I was struck with a brain tumor in 2008, and the way your hearts have reached out to me has been incredible. I am well on the way to full recovery, and without this debt I will have no burdens of how sick I was. I have true joy and am so very grateful for my life, each of you, and modestneeds.org."

Our Extreme Makeover

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Modest Needs April Newsletter

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A Meaningful Gift for Mother's Day

Modest Needs Gift Certificates make wonderful presents for big-hearted moms everywhere. Not to mention the fact that they're doing double duty in the gift department: Your mom wins, and so does a hardworking family who's crying out for a helping hand during a crisis.

Gift certificates start at only $10.
No mall outings or shipping fees required.
Purchase a gift certificate on our website in just a few minutes.
With a Modest Needs Gift Certificate, you're not simply making a thoughtful gesture. You're giving your mom the power to choose which family she'd like to save from the brink of poverty.

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Your Donations at Work

When a military dad experienced recurring kidney stones just as he prepared for deployment, a $273 doctor's bill felt enormous. That is, until our donors stepped up and paid it off. Here's what his wife, a mother of four who works 60 hours a week to keep food on the table, had to say:

"This will take a huge burden off us... It's really difficult to prepare for deployment with the medical bills and appointments... Thank you so much! You will never know how much we appreciate it!"

One Foreclosure's Happy Ending

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, everyone,

As if the arrival of spring tomorrow isn't exciting enough... I've got some wonderful Modest Needs news to share!

We've been working at a feverish pace these first few months of 2009, as record-setting numbers of low-income families have applied for our assistance. Since the beginning of the year, we've received 7,441 applications – a staggering increase above the 3,413 that arrived during the same timeframe last year. Now you might assume that while our applications are skyrocketing, our donations are probably drying up. But, in fact, exactly the opposite is true.

Thanks to your generosity, we've managed to fund almost DOUBLE the number of applications we did this time last year. It's incredibly inspiring to watch our supporters open their wallets, bucking the (understandable) temptation to retreat into self-preservation mode. Kudos to all of you for your astounding kindness. And keep up the amazing work!

In case you're curious about how your small change is seeing families through this very difficult economy, I invite you today to meet Emma, the subject of our newest Profile in Courageous Generosity. This young woman, who has devoted her career to helping others in need, asked for your assistance when a foreclosure landed, quite literally and unexpectedly, on her doorstep. For $345, you kept a roof over her head. It's one of the few happy endings I've seen in this foreclosure crisis.

As always, thanks for your time and support. We couldn't do it without you!

A Race to $18,000

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, everyone!

Please excuse the double-whammy of emails this week, but I've got an urgent, unforeseen announcement to share. It's well worth the read -- I promise!

I've just received word of a hugely exciting new matching grant of $18,000, effective immediately. Starting today, any donation you make will be DOUBLED in value until we reach that $18,000 milestone.

This new matching grant comes by way of a private, anonymous foundation (not our usual matching grant funder) in recognition of these incredibly difficult economic times. This particular foundation was so taken by our applicants' needs and by your undaunted generosity that they've broken their own "no new grants" policy for 2009 to offer us this remarkable initiative.

The only catch with this new funding is that we can't claim ANY of the grant money until we reach the full $18,000 mark. Just to give you an idea, that amount represents enough to pull 100 Modest Needs applicants and their families through a potentially catastrophic moment in their lives. So time is most definitely of the essence here.

I'm confident that, with your amazing track record, we'll reach that goal by the end of the week. If you're willing to help us claim this much-needed funding, it only takes a few minutes to make a secure contribution of any size.

Every day, we're bombarded with news about the colossal wrath of our economic downturn. But here's a wonderful example of how regular people like you and me have the power to help our neighbors conquer the beast -- with as little as $5.

Thanks for taking the time to read this very important (and very short) news update. Have a wonderful day!

Share the Love

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good afternoon, everyone,

Happy Valentine's Day... a little early!

I don't know about you, but I'm a big believer that February 14th should be a day to honor and share all kinds of love, not just romance. For example, how about spreading some kindness this year by treating your special someone to a Modest Needs Gift Certificate?

We make it easy to indulge your Valentine in a meaningful way for as little as $10. Together you and your recipient can share the memorable experience of choosing which hardworking family to help. And for an individual on the brink of financial ruin, you'll be making a life-changing difference.

As my own little Valentine's Day gift to you, please enjoy a brand-new Profile in Courageous Generosity. When I say that your donations can literally save someone from homelessness, I'm not exaggerating. Just take a few minutes to read "From Homelessness to Hope" to see what I mean. This single mom's story of triumph shows how the compassion you exhibit at Modest Needs is worth celebrating -- around Valentine's Day and throughout the year.

Please take care, and stay safe!

High Points of 2008

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, ladies and gents!

I hope that January is treating you as well as it's treating us here at Modest Needs. Just last week we received some wonderful news -- that our fantastic matching grant initiative has been renewed for an unprecedented 4th year in a row!

What that means is that any recurring contribution you make to Modest Needs via a weekly, biweekly, or monthly pledge will literally be DOUBLED in value by an anonymous foundation. As you might imagine, the potential for good here is immense. A $50 monthly pledge, for example, isn't worth just an extra $50; it's worth an extra $50 EACH AND EVERY MONTH for all of 2009 until we reach our grant maximum.

This generous grant couldn't come at a better time. Right now we're inundated with record numbers of applications every week, as more and more low-income families look toward our donors for assistance. The stakes are high. But if your response is anything like last year's, I can't wait to see how many deserving families we're able to help in 2009.

Speaking of last year...

You deserve an enormous congratulations for an absolutely exceptional performance in 2008. In what was perhaps the most difficult, anxiety-prone economy in decades -- and especially dangerous for low-income families in crisis -- your generosity didn't flinch. Instead, you surpassed my every expectation with a truly incredible showing. Whether you donated $5 or $5,000, you helped make 2008 our most successful year ever, by a landslide, and brought us to a huge milestone in Modest Needs' history: the million-dollar mark! That's right, for the first time ever, we raised more than a million dollars through your individual contributions alone.

Here are a few more 2008 numbers worth celebrating:

- Through careful management of our grant funding, we disbursed $1,469,752 (69% more than in 2007) -- meaning that we gave away $1.41 for every $1 that we received from individual donors.

- Your donations overall increased by a whopping 51%.

- Modest Needs' total revenue increased by 31%.

And perhaps most exciting, do you remember my very ambitious personal goal for our annual appeal -- funding more than half of all the pre-qualified applicants on our website between December 4th and 31st? Well, you exceeded it! In all, you rescued more than 300 families. In fact, dozens of you donated within the last 48 hours of 2008, funding 40 applications during those 2 days alone.

As one last thank-you for a truly memorable year, I thought I'd share a new Profile in Courageous Generosity, if only to remind you how sincerely your donations have been appreciated. Numbers are just numbers. But what we never forget is that behind every single one of those numbers is someone like Mary, a woman with stage-4 bone cancer, a $20,000 dental bill, and an outlook on life that you wouldn't believe. I invite you to read her amazing story.

And congratulations again on a great 2008!

A Ray of Light for the Newly Unemployed

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, everyone, and happy 2009!

We're only a few days into the New Year, and you've already managed to amaze me! We've been scrutinizing our donation roster for 2008, and it's clear that you came through for Modest Needs applicants like never before. Shortly, I'll send out a detailed update on the impact of your 2008 donations. But in the meantime, I have more fantastic news to report: a new grant type that can't come soon enough for people who've recently lost their jobs.

In light of the current economic crisis and the ever-increasing number of layoffs every month, we've just launched an exciting new "Bridge Grant." With it, we're inviting newly unemployed people to apply for short-term financial assistance as a way to ensure that they survive those very precarious first 90 days of joblessness.

Why did we create this new grant? For many, a month without income -- during a time when they're out looking for work or waiting for their unemployment benefits to kick in -- can have disastrous consequences. Imagine losing your car, your childcare, your electricity, or even your home, just as you're trying to find a new job. That's exactly the predicament we're trying to prevent with this new Bridge Grant. My hope is that, through a crucial few hundred dollars, we'll eliminate the paralyzing financial hurdles that could otherwise sabotage our applicants' job searches, and therefore their ability to get back onto their feet.

If you're like me, you probably know at least a handful of people who've been laid off recently. For months, in fact, I've been hearing from newly unemployed acquaintances and friends alike, people who've always been financially responsible, who now have fear and uncertainty in their voices. The truth is, I've been mulling over the idea of this Bridge Grant for a while now.

Historically, Modest Needs has always required our applicants to demonstrate their financial self-sufficiency before we approved their applications. We go to great lengths, in fact, to confirm that our applicants are fully prepared to support themselves once their emergency expense is paid off. But as I listened to more and more jobseekers describe the uncertain, anxiety-filled first days of unemployment, I began to realize that this period represents a short-term emergency not unlike the others we deal with -- a time when a few hundred dollars can mean the difference between securing your livelihood and falling through the cracks. And actually, it was an exceptionally moving email from one applicant in particular that inspired me to get this Bridge Grant into motion as soon as humanly possible.

It wasn't easy, but I'm so extremely proud to tell you that we're now accepting applications for Bridge Grants. With your help, we'll give newly unemployed individuals and their families the little boost they need to start seeing paychecks flow in again.

For anyone interested in applying, please review our full eligibility details. And, as always, if you'd like to contribute toward applicants in this difficult situation, we welcome any amount of donation.

As you all know, the holiday season represents our most popular time for charitable giving. But January and February promise to be some of the toughest months on record for low-income families facing job loss, illness, and other unexpected crises. During this time, any contribution you might be able to afford will be greatly appreciated. I'd also love to enlist your help to spread the word about Bridge Grants to individuals in need. The more people who know about this Bridge Grant, the more families we'll ultimately be able to assist.

So thank you again for reading. Here's hoping we can make a real difference for out-of-work individuals as we keep rolling into 2009.

And with that, I wish you all a safe and happy start to the New Year!

Gifts with Heart

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, everyone!

I hope you're all extremely well and enjoying the first week of December. As the holiday countdown begins and you start choosing gifts for family and friends this year, I wanted to remind you about Modest Needs Gift Certificates, which are available for purchase on our website, 24 hours a day.

When you choose to give Modest Needs Gift Certificates -- which start at only $10 -- everybody wins.

You'll feel good knowing that your very thoughtful (and tax-deductible!) gift is literally changing the life of a hardworking family who feels abandoned this holiday season. What's more, your gift recipient has the opportunity to take an active part in actually selecting the applicant they'd like to help. And, of course, the family who receives your helping hand won't just benefit from the money, but from the knowledge that someone like you even exists. Someone who cares enough to give to others at this critical time, when we've all got less in our wallets.

Looking for a special take on the traditional stocking stuffer? Perhaps there's one particular family member who'd appreciate this feel-good present? We make buying a gift certificate simple and quick.

In celebration of December's arrival, I'm also very happy to bring you our last Profile in Courageous Generosity of the year -- "Joy and Peace (of Mind)." It tells a story you don't hear very often, but one crying out for attention: the harsh reality faced by so many senior citizens who find themselves scraping by on fixed incomes. For at least two of these people -- Larry and Cheryl, from Texas -- your generosity won't soon be forgotten.

And finally, because I understand that your inbox is probably already bubbling over at this time of year, this will be our last Modest Needs newsletter for the next 3 weeks. In the meantime, thank you for your unwavering support, and please know that you have my personal best wishes for a wonderful and memorable holiday.

California, Here We Come!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good day, everyone!

If you've been a part of Modest Needs for any length of time, then you already know that when we go for a month or more without any news, it's because we're about to make a really big announcement. And after a month of radio silence, I'm back with you today to announce a genuine Modest Needs milestone:

It is with great pleasure that I announce to the Modest Needs community that this morning, at 9:00am Pacific Time, Modest Needs opened its first physical expansion ever - a new office located in San Francisco, CA, and dedicated to the service of donors and applicants living in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Why did we decide to venture beyond New York City to open a second Modest Needs office - an office on the West Coast nonetheless? First and foremost, particularly since Modest Needs was featured in Forbes and other similar publications, the demand for Modest Needs' services on the part of both donors and applicants simply caused us, very quickly, to outgrow the small office from which we always have operated in New York City. We just didn't have the space to accommodate the additional staff necessary to continue to provide the superior client and donor service that have always been the foundation of our work at Modest Needs.

This left us with two options: get a larger office in New York City, at a significant increase in cost, but with no benefit to the persons we serve other than 'more space' for us, or open a 'satellite' office - at significantly lower cost - that would allow us finally to serve persons living in the Mountain and Pacific time zones during what are 'normal' business hours to them.

After careful consideration, we decided that if we could open an office for less than it would cost to expand our current office and simultaneously provide better service to more than half of the country than we've ever been able to offer before - well, that's not exactly a difficult decision. And best of all, because they too believe in the importance of this work, our friends at the Herb Alpert Foundation have fully funded the set-up and operation of our West Coast satellite office, not just for a week, or for a month, but for the entire first year of its operation.

That's right. Thanks to the generosity of some folks who really believe in the work that we're doing together, our donors have borne absolutely none of the cost of this genuine Modest Needs milestone.

More than this, in honor of this milestone and the good work we've done together this year, the Herb Alpert Foundation has upped their 2008 matching grant by an ADDITIONAL $300,000.00, from half a million dollars to $800,000.00 this year. That too, I think, is cause for genuine celebration celebration amongst the members of the Modest Needs community.

Going forward, low-income families in Mountain and Pacific time zones will benefit from a full staff of one-on-one Client Advocacy Specialists available during business hours that are convenient to them. Funded applicants based in the West will receive their checks in an even timelier manner than in the past -- ideally within one day rather than five. But most importantly, I expect the San Francisco office to draw new applicants and donors from a crucial part of the country. And we all know that reaching more people in need means helping more people in need, and that's what Modest Needs is all about.

Finally, to celebrate this milestone in Modest Needs' history, I've just published a brand-new 'Profile in Courageous Generosity.' This one - which I've called 'the Future of Philanthropy' - is not your usual PCG, but I promise you, you'll come away from this piece with a new appreciation for the far-reaching effects of the personal kindness that so many of you demonstrate at Modest Needs every day.

This new 'Profile in Courageous Generosity' is available for you now, and you can read it simply by following this link. I hope you'll take a few minutes out of your day to ready this truly inspirational piece (and who couldn't use a little inspiration right now?), and perhaps even to share this piece with your friends and family.

Of course, if you have comments about this newsletter or latest Profile in Courageous Generosity that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you. You can write to me directly at the address listed on our Contact Information Page. You'll find the contact information for our new West Coast office on that page as well.

Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to read what I hope you agree was an update that was well worth the wait. I'll be back in touch soon with more big news and another Profile in Courageous Generosity, but until then, here's wishing each of you more health and happiness than your lives can possibly contain.

Take care, and be well!

Modest Needs' Mystery Donor Revealed!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good day, everyone!

And it IS a good day at Modest Needs. I'm here today with a few very exciting (and quick!) announcements to brighten your week. And if you're a fan of the work we do at Modest Needs, brighten your week they will!

First things first. I'm very proud to announce that, a week or so ago, your work with Modest Needs was featured in what ultimately turned out to be a four page spread in Forbes magazine (in their 'Revolutionaries' column, yet!) The best part of the article - aside from the fact that it includes what amount to four full 'Profiles in Courageous Generosity,' complete with photos - is that, at long last, in that article, the identity of our mystery 'matching donor' has been revealed.

But that's not all. On Thursday evening of last week, the Forbes article featuring Modest Needs was syndicated to the homepage of AOL. Within just about ten hours, newly-minted philanthropists from across the United States and around the world funded more than $22,000.00 worth of requests for help - mostly via contributions of $10.00, $20.00, or $30.00 at a time.

And thanks to your ongoing support, that trend is continuing. Today, we're slated to fund an additional $10,000.00 or so of applications for assistance, and as you continue to support Modest Needs, the number of persons who are getting the help they need to remain self-sufficient is growing like never before!

Friends, nothing - and I mean NOTHING - feels as good as saying 'yes!' to so many deserving persons in need of the kind of short-term helping hand that, really, only we are able to provide. And this new level of interest in Modest Needs is due in no small part to what I'd say is probably the single best, most comprehensive and most compelling story to run on Modest Needs in at least the last two years.

So, if you'd like to read some terrific 'Profiles in Courageous Generosity' and see for yourself who it is that has been matching your weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly contributions to Modest Needs since 2006, I invite you all to take a look at this beautiful article. You will definitely find it well worth a read, and I hope you'll end up sharing that piece with at least some of your family members and friends.

And speaking of that matching grant, our 'mystery donor' (I don't want to give away the surprise just yet) has been so happy with your support of Modest Needs in 2008 that our matching grant amount has just been increased from $300,000.00 to a full half-million dollars in 2008!

I know you'll agree that this is nothing short of fantastic news, and I'd like to encourage you to help us take advantage of these new matching dollars. If you've been thinking about supporting the work we do at Modest Needs - or if you're an occasional donor and wouldn't mind converting your one-time gifts into a pledge (doing so doubles the value of your contribution), please consider making the recurring contribution of your choice. You can do this in two seconds or less just by visiting our online donation page.

Keep in mind that with every recurring contribution, you not only double the value of your contribution each time it posts (this helps us help more people), you bring us one step closer to having our matching grant renewed beyond the current year. So there just couldn't be a better time to start supporting Modest Needs (or to take that plunge and make a pledge) than right now, and I'd like to thank you in advance for helping us to claim the entirety of this year's remarkable half-million dollar matching grant.

Next, I wanted to let everyone know that, thanks to your input, we've just implemented a website update that many of our donors have been consistently requesting.

A common concern we've heard in recent months - particularly from donors - is that our registration process won't allow for persons living in the same household to create individual Modest Needs accounts that will allow them to separately contribute to Modest Needs, and to separately track those contributions.

Well, when you're right, you're right. We all understand that two people who share a mailing address may very well not share financial information with one another, and those persons deserve to register, and accrue Modest Needs points, separately.

So, we've recently updated our registration process so that our system can tell the difference between people who register primarily as donors, applicants, non-profit organizations, or social workers. Persons who register with Modest Needs as donors can create as many donor accounts for their household as they would like - but those types of accounts can't be used to place new requests for help (you'll need an applicant account for that, and applicant accounts are still limited to one per household, for obvious reasons.)

Admittedly, this is an unglamorous, nuts-and-bolts-type new feature that will mean A LOT to some donors and very little to others. But as a small nonprofit, we pride ourselves on being flexible enough to implement the donor suggestions that super-sized organizations can't, or won't. We hope that you'll keep telling us what you'd like to see happen at Modest Needs. And we'll keep putting your requests into motion.

And finally, as promised, I've just posted a brand-new 'Profile in Courageous Generosity' (one that you WON'T see in Forbes') that I think will really change your perspective about WHY the work we do together at Modest Needs is so important.

I'm calling this one 'Kindness: The Best Medicine,' and it's available for you now via the Weekly Columns section of the Modest Needs website. Again, I hope you'll take just a minute to read this remarkable story behind the story of yet another Modest Needs miracle that you have helped to make possible. I can guarantee that the five minutes you spend reading this column will be the most inspirational five minutes you spend this week.

As you might guess, the one-two punch of Forbes and AOL has generated a LOT of email, and I must return to answering your letters (and I really do try to send a personal response to every letter I receive.) I'll have more news for you shortly (and believe me - there is MUCH more news to share), but in the meantime, I'd like to encourage you, your spouse, roommates, grown children, and anyone else in your household who's interested in making a difference to set up a Modest Needs registration and the contribution of their choice using our new system.

After all, we don't see articles like the one in Forbes every day. In fact, we primarily rely on you, our supporters, to spread the word. So, on behalf of our applicants, I'd be extremely grateful if you told even one new person about Modest Needs! Because at Modest Needs, every donor, like every dollar, really makes a difference.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this week's Modest Needs Newsletter. I'll look forward to hearing from some of you soon and wish you all fantastic weeks. Take care, and be well!

Three Extraordinary Announcements

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Greetings, everyone! I realize that it has been more than a month since you last heard from me. But, as always, there's been good reason for my 'radio silence,' and I hope you'll agree that this newsletter was well worth the wait! It's a little longer than usual, but after a VERY busy summer, I'm thrilled today to announce three extraordinary Modest Needs updates. Without further ado, starting today, here's what's new for you at Modest Needs:

First, I'd like to introduce you to a brand-new system we've developed for social workers and the hardworking families they help.

In the past, even though many social workers have been able to use Modest Needs to apply for help on behalf of their clients, our system has made that process more difficult for them than it ever should've been.

To fix this problem, we've created a new type of registration enabling social workers (who will be vetted just like families are) to create and manage applications for up to 5 of their clients - people who genuinely need and would qualify for Modest Needs' assistance, but might not be able to access our services otherwise.

So, if you're a social worker or client advocate, and you're employed by a non-profit organization or a state / federal organization that often makes referrals, I'd like to personally invite you to register with Modest Needs as a social worker so that you can offer your clients the kind of assistance that Modest Needs is designed to provide.

You can learn more about our new Social Worker registration via our FAQ sheet for social workers, and you can register with us as a social worker simply by following this link.

Secondly, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Modest Needs' first new grant program in more than six years! Starting today, you'll notice a new type of Modest Needs grant that stands to make all the difference in the world for OTHER nonprofit organizations. Yes, you heard me correctly. OTHER organizations. Let me explain:

When I started Modest Needs back in 2002, we were (like all non-profits are in the beginning) a fledgling little grassroots organization struggling to stay afloat on a shoestring budget. And finding the funding to help our applicants was hardly our only obstacle.

In those days, if Modest Needs' ONE printer broke, or our ONE computer went down, or we didn't have the funding to buy a simple piece of software, we literally risked going 'out of business.' Frankly, it was only through creative problem-solving, the personal generosity of our donors - people just like you who believed in the importance of this work - and more than a little bit of luck that Modest Needs made it through those early rough patches.

The sad fact, though is that most start-up non-profit organizations, even those with the best ideas and the greatest potential to do good, often find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to serving their communities. On the one hand, the 'modest needs' of these small non-profit organizations really are too small for conventional grant-makers to consider them a priority.

But on the other hand, while many of these organizations' donors would happily contribute to help an organization they believe in through a short-term rough patch, most small non-profits aren't lucky enough to have the technological capacity that Modest Needs always has had, and the ability to let our donors know - quickly - exactly what short-term crisis we were facing, and exactly how they could help us.

To make a long story short, a few months ago, it finally dawned on me that the rough patches we faced in the early days of Modest Needs very closely resembled the difficulties faced by the low-income population that Modest Needs itself exists to serve. Like those hard-working individuals and families, we worked diligently to stay afloat, made ends meet by the skin of our teeth, and felt especially vulnerable in the face of one-time hardships.

But more importantly, like the population we exist to serve, because Modest Needs' own needs at the time were so very small, there really wasn't a major grant-marker we could turn to for the help we sometimes needed, for example, to fix the computer that, at the time, Modest Needs just couldn't have lived without.

These days, I spend a lot of my time looking for ways to do what I can to foster a much-needed spirit of cooperation (as opposed to competition) within the non-profit community as a whole. And I can't think of any better way to foster that spirit of cooperation than by opening up the tremendous grant-fulfillment system we've created over the years at Modest Needs to exactly the types of small, community-based non-profits that I've described above: non-profit organizations that do terrific jobs on shoestring budgets but just haven't had a way to request from the people most likely to support them - members of the general public - the short-term help that THEY need if they're going to continue to serve their communities.

And so, it is with great pleasure that today, I am announcing the launch of a new grant type at Modest Needs: the Modest Needs 'Non-Profit Grant.' The goal of this new, long term grant program at Modest Needs is simple: it is designed to empower our donors, not only to help individuals and families struggling through a short-term crisis, but to invest directly in small non-profit organizations who need your help to fund the small, program-related expenses that will enable them to stay 'in business' and happily serving our neighbors and our communities.

Just as we do with family applications, Modest Needs will perform a rigorous screening process to ensure that only nonprofits with government-decreed charitable status are eligible for these new grants. We'll accept applications from small charities of all kinds (whose funding doesn't exceed $500,000). And we'll supply you - our donors - with the tools to search for nonprofit applications based on their causes. Our long-term aspiration is to connect individual donors with these charities, but also to attract grant-making foundations in search of worthy causes to support.

I hope it goes without saying that this important new arm of Modest Needs could never have been possible without your support. You've made what I'll always consider "our little nonprofit" more successful than I ever dreamt possible. In keeping with our mission, please know that Modest Needs' primary commitment will ALWAYS be to the population who first inspired us: hard-working, low-income families neglected by traditional philanthropy.

But if we can work together through Modest Needs to harness the enthusiasm, hope and generosity our donors have always shown and pass it onto other good causes and the communities they serve, then as far as I'm concerned, our new 'Non-Profit Grant' will have been a smashing success!

Representatives of non-profit organizations who'd like to register with Modest Needs and apply for this new grant type can do so here. And once your organization has been registered with Modest Needs, it'll take you less than five minutes to complete our short, non-profit grant application. So to all of you non-profits out there struggling to carry out your missions, know that Modest Needs and our donors are here to help you. Welcome aboard!

And now for the grand finale!

As you know, I firmly believe that our donors deserve an intimate experience with the people they're helping, which is exactly why I've made certain that YOU determine which applicants we fund by allocating your Modest Needs points. But I also realize that browsing through specific applications to make these decisions can be a time-consuming process. That's why, in the past, so many of you have simply asked us to allocate your Modest Needs points for you, wherever we thought they'd do the most good.

While we've been happy to allocate our donors' points for them, there's just one problem with that system: the vast majority of our donors never know EXACTLY where they've invested their points or receive the first 'thank you' note from a family they've helped.

I want to change that, so today, I'm thrilled to tell you that we've added a fantastic new component to our website - one designed specifically for those of you who just don't have time to read through all of Modest Needs' applications to determine who you'd most like to help. Here's how it works:

Starting today, right now, if you log in to Modest Needs and click the 'Update My Profile' link from your Personal Page, you'll be given the opportunity to choose whether or not you want Modest Needs' help to allocate your points and, if so, to set 'point allocation preferences' - for example, the types of Modest Needs grants you most like making, and the specific causes (e.g. 'Urgent Health Care,' 'Imminent Loss of Housing') that you'd most like to invest in.

Once you provide your preferences, every night, our system will allocate a very small portion of your points to the KINDS of applications you've told us you'd most like to fund so applicants don't wait around. Your dollars (and your say!) make an impact at Modest Needs every day. You'll be able to see exactly which grant applications you've helped to fund, and you'll receive testimonials from every applicant who benefits from your points via email, unless you opt-out of these emails on your personal page.

And if you'd prefer to maintain complete control over your points and designate individual applications to which to donate, that's fine too -- just select that option via the 'Update My Profile' link on your personal page instead.

So please, I'm asking ALL of you to take only 2 minutes (really!) to visit your personal page, click the 'Update My Profile' link, and set your preferences for funding applications. With just a few clicks of your mouse, you'll make your voice heard, and you'll ensure that we help deserving families more quickly than ever before.

Thanks for taking the time to read this longer-than-usual but very important update and, as always, for your kindness, your generosity, and your support of Modest Needs. Until next week, take care, and be well!

Putting Our Money Where Your Heart Is

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

This is one of the most important newsletters we've published Modest Needs in a very long time. Even if you normally skip this part of the Modest Needs website, I hope you'll take a moment to read this very special update.

First of all, I wanted to you know that the last ten days have been something of a whirlwind at Modest Needs. In case you haven't a chance to take a look at the Modest Needs Blog, in just the past week, the work of the Modest Needs Community has been profiled both by NPR (via their show 'Day to Day') and - most recently - on Foxbusiness.com, where we were featured as 'Innovators' in our field. You can find links to the full texts / broadcasts of these stories on the Modest Needs Blog.

Stories like these - stories that, over the last week, have exposed literally tens of thousands of people to our work who otherwise might not have known about it for years - have genuinely made a positive impact on our ability to reach the persons whom we exist to serve. In the last few days alone, we've made close to 50 grants to persons throughout the US and Canada who were facing the loss of nearly everything due to a short-term emergency and who qualified for no other type of assistance.

And that's not all. You might remember that, throughout May 2008, Modest Needs is working to reach a critical goal: the 1,000th monthly donor milestone. Just ten days ago, we were more than 175 new donors from reaching that goal. Today, I'm proud to report that are now just 83 new donors from a Modest Needs landmark that has been six years in making.

And the triple points that people are getting this month just for making a pledge of $10.00 or more (or upping a current pledge by at least $10.00) - well, I have to say, the results of that 'promotion' (if you could really call it that) have been nothing short of stunning, especially for the individuals and families we've been able to reach as a result of your remarkable generosity.

The words 'Thank you' are hardly sufficient to express my gratitude for all that you've done - and continue to do - for those who would have nowhere to turn in their times of crises were it not for your generous support of the work we do at Modest Needs.

As a way of offering up a special 'thank you' for your own courageous generosity (and that's really what this kind of giving is in a tight economy), I've just published a new 'Profile in Courageous Generosity' which I think really showcases what makes this community - this program - extraordinarily special. This one is called '360 Degrees of Kindness,' and after you read it, I think you'll come away with a new appreciation for the impact that your own kindness is having on the lives of others.

This new "Profile in Courageous Generosity' is online and available for you. I hope you'll find just a few minutes to enjoy that piece today. Believe me: you deserve it.

I do have more Modest Needs-related news to share with you, but this time around, I hope you won't mind if I close on a short personal note.

As you must know, over the past few weeks, the world has seen some truly remarkable disasters that have affected literally tens of thousands of people. The cyclone in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and the earthquake that has left up to 50,000 dead or seriously injured in China are truly tremendous disasters, and they deserve, I think, an equally tremendous response from those of us who can afford to reach out right now to persons in other parts of the world who genuinely need us.

I believe the future of the non-profit world lies, not in competition, but in collaboration. After six years working in the non-profit world, I could write book on this issue alone, but right now, my concern is doing what we can to get help, not just to the people who need the kind of assistance we can offer at Modest Needs, but to the people in other parts of the world who may not live without our help.

That said, for the two weeks (15 May to 31 May 2008), we're going to do something very special at Modest Needs - something I don't think you'll be used to seeing from a non-profit of any size, but I think you'll agree that it's definitely the right thing for all of us to do.

I think most of you are aware that Modest Needs is able to operate (and pass through 100% of your contributions directly to those who have requested our help) because we have the generous support of foundations and other individuals, who are kind enough to make unrestricted grants designated to pay our operating expenses.

Obviously, I want very much for us to hit that 1,000th donor milestone this month. That will mean a great deal to Modest Needs, both now, and in the future. But I also want to do something significant for the people in other parts of the world who are suffering in collaboration with one, perhaps two, extraordinary organizations who have the infrastructure to reach those persons and perform a type of work that Modest Needs simply was not ever designed to do and cannot do on its own.

So for the two weeks, here's what we're going to do at Modest Needs: for every new pledge that we receive of $10.00 or more, or for every person with a current pledge who increases the amount of their contribution by at least $10.00, you'll still get triple points to use at Modest Needs. That'll give you triple the power to change one or more lives right here, right now.

But at the same time, as you make new or recurring pledges to Modest Needs as described above throughout the remainder of May, we will be internally matching your contributions via our OPERATING fund - the cash designated to pay Modest Needs' costs. And then, at the end of the month, we will send a check to one or two organizations we know and trust who are carrying out the critical work that must happen in China and Myanmar in an amount equal to the pledges you've made in the final two weeks of May, up to a maximum of $25,000.00.

We're not doing this because we're just flush with cash. In fact, if you folks actually hit that $25,000.00 maximum (and knowing all of you, you probably will), we'll have to tighten our internal purse strings for a month or so in order to make this contribution. But the bottom line is that if we can encourage you to reach out to people right here in North America who need your help while at the same time reaching out to people in other parts of the world who need us just as much - well, that's not just common sense. That's the right thing to do.

And besides, as this week's 'Profile in Courageous Generosity' really demonstrates, when you live by your principles, when you do what you know is right, then somehow, your kindness always finds its way back to you. That's as true for organizations as it is for individual people.

If you'd like take advantage of this special opportunity to reach out to people both here and in other parts of the world at the same time, you can make the pledge of your choice securely, and in two minutes or less, via our simple online contribution form.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this special news update - and for giving all of us at Modest Needs the opportunity to act, on your behalf, on the beliefs we all hold so strongly, and on which this organization was founded and will continue to operate. As always, here's wishing you more heath and happiness than your lives can possibly contain. Until next time, take care, and be well!

One Milestone Down - One to Go!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good afternoon everyone!

In Modest Needs' April newsletter, I mentioned that we were on the verge of hitting two major milestones: our 5,000th grant, and our 1,000th monthly donor.

Well, true to the form, the Modest Needs community has already hit one of those milestones. In fact, within hours of sending out last month's newsletter, the Modest Needs community had teamed up to fund our 5,000 grant application - and what an application it was. You can read about that application in this month's 'Profiles in Courageous Generosity' (and believe me, this is one PCG that you don't want to miss!)

We're still working to hit that second milestone - our 1000th monthly donor - but the promotion for the final two days of April was so successful that we've decided to extend it for all of May. That promotion goes something like this:

If you make a recurring contribution of at least $10.00 a month between now and 30 May 2008, or if you increase a current pledge by at least $10.00 during the same time period, Modest Needs will use our general fund to give you TRIPLE points for your first month.

In other words, if at any point throughout May, you make a new $30.00 monthly pledge (or if you had, say, a $20.00 monthly pledge that you increase by $10.00 to $30.00 per month), that pledge will automatically be worth 60 points because of our current matching grant.

But in addition to that, we'll administratively credit your Modest Needs account with an ADDITIONAL 30 points, meaning that, just for signing up for or upping a pledge during the month of May, you get TRIPLE points for your first month – and that translates into triple the power to change a life!

One note: please keep in mind that because we have to credit each new Modest Needs donor's account manually with the additional points that we are adding as an 'incentive' in May 2008, it may take up to 24 hours for these extra points to post to your account. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding.

Folks, we only need about 175 new pledges to hit that critical 1000th pledge threshold - and that's a goal I know we can reach quickly. So please, help us to reach this all-important Modest Needs milestone. You can make a pledge securely, in two seconds or less, just by using our simple online donation form.

Thanks so much, as always, for your very generous support of the critical work we do at Modest Needs. And if you're visiting us for the first time as a result of wonderful piece on Modest Needs that recently ran on NPR'S 'Day to Day,' welcome! We're glad to have you with us.

Important System Update Coming Sunday, 13 April 2008

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Good morning, everyone!

It's wonderful to be back in touch with all of you after nearly a month of email delivery problems that have made it difficult, not just to communicate with our applicants, but even to do something as simple as send out a newsletter that we felt confident you'd actually receive!

I'm sending this newsletter out to the Modest Needs Community today, both to make sure these delivery issues actually are resolved, and to update you on an important change that we're making to Modest Needs' software this weekend - one that I think all of you (especially Modest Needs' donors) will agree is in the best interests of our applicants.

Essentially, this change concerns the amount of time that points our donors earn through their contributions remain available to them for allocation among our prequalified applications.

A quick look at our back-end website stats this morning shows that, at present, there are more than 100,000 points in our donor accounts just begging to be allocated to Modest Needs' prequalified applications - each of which directly impacts an individual or family in critical need of short-term assistance.

But as it turns out, what we've learned over the past month or two is that some of the points in that 100,000 figure I just mentioned to you have been more or less in limbo. Those points - many of which were earned more than five months ago - simply never have been allocated by the donor who earned them!

All of us at Modest Needs are committed to the importance of donor participation in our grant making process. This is the reason we created our 'point system' and - I suspect - the reason that system is so popular with those of you who regularly support Modest Needs. But for that system to work as well as it can, our donors who have elected to allocate the points they've received via their contributions must do so in a timely fashion - and we understand that sometimes, despite the best of intentions, our donors are just too busy to do that on a regular basis.

So, tomorrow, we're going to upload some new software to our system that will cause points in donor accounts that have not been used for more than 60 days from the date that they were earned to be automatically 'transferred' to the Modest Needs general fund for IMMEDIATE allocation to our prequalified applications.

think that, whether you're a donor or an applicant, you'll really appreciate this software update. If you're one of our donors, then you get the best of both worlds - the option to allocate your points if you would like, or, if you find that you ultimately don't have time to do that, the ability for Modest Needs' staff to step in after sixty days and allocate your older, unused points for you to the applicants who we think most need your help.

And either way, our applicants - the people we're all here to serve - get the help they need in as timely a fashion as possible. And that's why were here in the first place!

So, if you're a donor, and you have points in your Modest Needs account that you earned prior to approximately 12 February 2008, now's the time to log in to your Modest Needs account and allocate those points if you'd like to do so yourself. And believe me, if you DO opt allocate those older points over the next couple of days, then by Sunday, together, we're going to end up changing a lot of lives in a very short period of time.

you're a donor affected by this change and you have comments or questions about it, of course, I'd love to hear them. You can reach me directly by sending mail to the address listed for me personally on this page.

And, within the next ten days or so - provided this newsletter goes through - you can expect a brand-new Profile in Courageous Generosity and more information concerning some revolutionary new programs that Modest Needs will be launching throughout 2008. Whether you're a donor or an applicant, that's going to be one newsletter you won't want to miss!

Until then, as always, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and ongoing support of Modest Needs. Take care, and be well!

Hackersafe, Giving Big, and More Courageous Generosity

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Welcome to March 2008 at Modest Needs! Can you believe it? Ten days from today, Modest Needs, the 'little engine that could,' is going to celebrate its six year anniversary. I'll have a special update for you on that day, but today, I have just a few points of interest to share with all of you who follow the work we do at Modest Needs.

First of all, I have to say that 2008 really is turning out to be a banner year for Modest Needs. You might remember that, in February, we not only earned Charity Navigator's coveted four-star rating (which is awarded to less than - I believe - 5% of the charities that Charity Navigator evaluates), we also received word that our matching grant had been renewed for an unprecedented third year.

Just yesterday, as if things couldn't get any better, we learned that the Modest Needs website itself has been officially certified 'Hackersafe' by McAfee, one of the world's leading Internet Security companies. Earning that Hackersafe seal (which you'll now see featured on every page of our website) is something we're very proud of: it shows that, over time, our website has been built in such a way as to render our website and database virtually invulnerable to 'hacker attacks' that could compromise the safety either of our website or – more importantly - your personal information.

If you've been holding off on supporting Modest Needs because you're concerned about the risk of an online transaction, that Hacerksafe seal should give you a lot of comfort. It certifies that our system has been scanned daily and that no vulnerabilities that could possibly comprise your personal information have been found either on our network or on our server itself. If a vulnerability is found, then the 'Hackersafe' seal disappears until we fix the problem - but I don't think you'll see that happen at Modest Needs any time soon.

At Modest Needs, we've always worked to hold ourselves to a higher standard in every way, and the Hackersafe seal is one more way that we work to protect both our donors and our applicants from the dangers of the web-based world. I hope this gives those of you who love what we do at Modest Needs but have been ‘holding out' for fear that your personal information will be compromised will now feel safe enough to ‘jump right in' and start changing lives.

Speaking of changing lives, I've just posted a brand new ‘Profile in Courageous Generosity' - one I've had written for some time but that I've been saving for a special occasion. I'd say our six year anniversary qualifies, so you can now read this month's PCG, which I've called ‘The James Bond Chair,' via this link. I think you'll really enjoy this one – and if you do, I'd not only really enjoy hearing your comments about it, but I hope you'll take the time to share that piece with your friends and family members. I think it'll make their days as well.

Last but not least, many of you have written to me over the last couple of weeks asking me if I've watched Oprah's ‘Big Give' and, if so, what I thought. Finally, for those who are interested, I've weighed in on ‘The Big Give' in the Modest Needs Blog. Given six years of work with Modest Needs, my perspective on that show is, I think, a little different than you might expect – but if you're interested to see what I think about ‘The Big Give' (and why), you can read that blog entry now at The Modest Needs Blog. You're welcome to weigh in with your own comments on the Modest Needs blog as well – and I'll be very interested to see what you think about this show if you've been following it too.

That, in a nutshell, is all the news we have for you so far this month at Modest Needs, but I'll be back for our six year anniversary with a very special update and a new goal - something we all can aspire to together. Until then, thanks for taking the time to read the Modest Needs. I look forward to hearing from many of you soon, but in the meantime, take care, and be well!

2007 Updates and More Courageous Generosity!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Greetings everyone, and Happy (belated) New Year!

I want to begin this long-overdue update by telling you how sorry I am to have been out of touch with the Modest Needs community for so long - more than month at this point. Suffice to say that in early January, I became ill with a bacterial infection so serious that I required emergency surgery and hospitalization.

Happily, the remainder of the Modest Needs team is so good at all they do that nothing about our work at Modest Needs skipped a beat while I recovered; in fact, thanks to your generosity, we made a record-breaking number of grants in January 2008. But while I took the time off necessary to get myself back to 100%, the things I normally do (blogs, newsletters, and Profiles in Courageous Generosity) had to go temporarily on the back-burner.

I appreciate very much those of you who wrote to make sure I was still alive and the very kind words those of you who knew about this sudden and unexpected illness sent my way. I'm glad to report that I'm now back to 'full throttle,' as it were, and I wanted to start this month (and our next year together) by sharing a series of terrific news updates with all of you who continue to participate in the critical work we're doing together at Modest Needs.

First of all, I wanted to let you know that, thanks to your generosity, we had a record setting December 2007. You might remember that, in early December 2007, we set a goal of funding at least half of our currently prequalified applications for help by the end of the year. Today, I'm proud to tell you that we not only met this goal; we exceeded it by very a wide margin. In fact, your contributions in December 2007 totaled more than Modest Needs' entire budget in all of 2002, 2003, or 2004. That's a remarkable achievement - and the thanks go to all of you for changing more than triple the number of lives in December 2007 than, in the early days of Modest Needs, we were able to change in an average year.

that's not all. Last year, your contributions to Modest Needs propelled our work together forward in ways (and at levels) that I don't think anyone would've expected. Let me show you what I mean, because this is really worth celebrating:

2006, individual contributions to Modest Needs totaled a spectacular half a million dollars in (generally) ‘small change.' Add to that our 2006 matching grant, and we had overall revenue in 2006 of just over $806,000.00. For an organization that began as a personal project just five years ago and with an annual budget of just over $3,600.00 a year, that is nothing short of a spectacular year.

But in 2007, your generosity transformed Modest Needs from what I think most people would've considered a relatively small 'grass roots' charitable movement to multi-million dollar force for good. Your contributions to Modest Needs in 2007 totaled - are you ready for this - $1,039,436.00. Add to that the value of last year's matching grant (and yes, we got it all!), plus the funds raised via our partnerships with Loews Hotels and Starbucks, and Modest Needs' overall revenue in 2007 jumped from just over $800,000.00 in 2006 to just over $2.05 million in 2007!

Clearly, our growth - and our ability to do this work together - was dramatic in 2007. But what's even more dramatic is how this funding was raised. You may not know this, but the average non-profit of our size raises only about 1/12th of its annual budget via individual contributions. The bulk of their funding comes from, say, foundation and corporate grants. That's why, in the early days of Modest Needs, people in the ‘non-profit know' told me I was 'crazy' to think that a non-profit could operate effectively - and efficiently - by depending on individual people, just like all of you, for the majority of its support.

Last year, individual contributions to Modest Needs last year totaled almost exactly 50% of our overall income. That's more than SIX TIMES the amount of support from individual people that the average charity of our size should be able to expect. So your generosity didn't just change more than 5,000 lives last year; it has begun to change *attitudes* in the non-profit community as a whole. Together, we continue to demonstrate that individual people can and will reach out to one another if they have the chance to do so safely, effectively and efficiently - and this is landmark, not just for Modest Needs, but for the non-profit world as a whole.

In fact, I think you'll thrilled to learn that the foundation which has underwritten our matching grant over the past two years was so impressed with your generosity (and the fact that more than 65% of our funded applicants became donors) in 2007 that, in January, they have asked to apply again for the matching grant to be renewed again in 2008. That grant application is now in the hands of that foundation, and though I can't make any promises yet, usually, being invited to apply for a grant of this kind is a good indication that you stand a good chance of receiving it.

It's my hope that within the month, I'll be able to officially announce that our matching has yet again been renewed - and when (I refused to say ‘if') this happens, it'll be yet another testament to the power of individual people to change not just lives, but attitudes.

Last but not least in terms of general updates (and speaking of changing 'non-profit attitudes'), I wanted to let you know that, early this week, we received word that Modest Needs has now grown to the point that we have been independently evaluated by Charity Navigator, the largest and best-known charity ‘watch-dog' in the United States. I'm proud to report to you that after careful due-diligence, Charity Navigator has awarded Modest Needs its very highest charity rating - four stars - in recognition of what they called our commitment to strong fiscal management and responsible use of donor funding.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate all of these landmark achievements - and my own joy at just being healthy and back in touch with my 'family' - than by offering you this year's first 'Profile in Courageous Generosity,' which I think will show you in ways you might not have considered just how many lives you really touch each time you help to fund a request for assistance from Modest Needs.

This 'Profile in Courageous Generosity' is called 'One Tooth Fixed; Many Lives Saved', and it's available for you now at this link. I hope you'll take just a few minutes out of your day to enjoy this testament to the power we all have within us - the power to change lives and attitudes, not just for today or tomorrow, but for the long term.

Finally, as a quick reminder, we have dozens and dozens of tremendous applications for help from persons just waiting for the touch of compassion that is going to change their lives. If you'd like to participate in this work, we'd love to have you with us. You can make a contribution and change the lives of your choice in two minutes or less just by visiting our online donation form.

And of course, if you're in need of short-term emergency assistance, please let us know by requesting help from Modest Needs. We'll do all we can to find a way to help you.

I want to thank you, as always, for your support of Modest Needs and for taking the time to read this longer-than-usual news update. I do my best not to send out novels these days, but there was so much good news to share that, this time around, I thought you'd probably understand.

Until next time, here's wishing you more health and happiness than your lives can possibly contain. Take care, and be well!

O Magazine Names Modest Needs One of 2007's Best Charities

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Last week, I promised you more big news from Modest Needs. And now – after months of holding my breath – I can finally announce what might be the biggest piece of “Modest Needs News” I've had to share with you in a very long time. You better sit down for this one:

For five long years, thousands of people have been asking me one question, over and over again: When is Modest Needs going to be on Oprah?

Well, we haven't quite made it to the Oprah show just yet (and I stress the word ‘yet.')

But today, I am thrilled to tell you that in the December issue of O: The Oprah Magazine, which hits newsstands (or your mailbox) today, Modest Needs has been named one of the eight best charities of 2007!

That's eight – out of millions of registered charities.

I don't think I could tell you just how much our being featured in the ‘O' magazine in this way could mean this holiday season to Modest Needs' applicants. But this announcement couldn't come at a better time, or in a better context, or from a better source.

Friends, I must tell you, this is not just a great honor for all of you who support Modest Needs, it's the hardest secret I've ever had to keep. I knew that Modest Needs was going to be featured in this way back in September or October (so we could get ready for what I've heard called ‘the O effect'), but I've been forbidden from telling anyone else about this article.

Now that I finally have the December 2007 issue in hand, I can finally tell you why we've spent the last few months beefing up everything from our website to our staffing. So let's hope that lots of people discover Modest Needs again (or for the first time) through the December 2007 issue of ‘O.' If that happens, then with their help (and yours) we're going to help a record number of people in the final six weeks of 2007 – and I can't think of a better way that we could ‘wrap up' a spectacular year at Modest Needs.

Anyway, if you already subscribe to ‘O' (or want to pick up a copy), you'll find Modest Needs on page 303 of this issue, which is much larger than usual because it contains O's holiday ‘gift giving guide.' But if you'd like to see a sneak preview of the article itself (which is called ‘The Year of Giving Brilliantly'), I've posted it for you in JPG format on our Media page.

Believe me, once you read ‘The Year of Giving Brilliantly,' you will definitely want to share this article with friends and family. O Magazine's comments about Modest Needs just couldn't be any better than they are, and I hope that you're as proud of this as I am.

Next week, I'll be back with a new ‘and VERY special Profile in Courageous Generosity' to take us into the Thanksgiving Holidays. Until then, don't forget that there's never been a better time to support Modest Needs. You now have the ability to determine – simply , quickly, and securely – which of our more than 400 prequalified requests for help you'd like to see funded – and if you make a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly pledge, you get DOUBLE points, which gives you TWICE as much power to change the lives of our hard-working, low-income friends and neighbors.

Personally, I can't think of anything more exciting than stopping the cycle of poverty for someone with nowhere else to turn. And I do hope you'll join all of us at Modest Needs in this, the season of miracles. So if you'd like to help out, you can make a tax-deductible gift or pledge of any size in just about a minute - safely and securely - by visiting our online donation page.

Thank you for taking the time to read this very short but very important news update. I'll look forward to hearing from many of you soon, but until next time, take care, God bless, and be well.

Modest Needs and Starbucks Team Up to Pass the Cheer!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Today I'm extremely proud to announce Modest Needs' newest corporate partner -- a name you all know and love -- Starbucks!

This holiday season, throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Starbucks stores will be donating a portion of proceeds from its holiday drinks collection to help fund hardworking Modest Needs applicants on the cusp of poverty. Never before has there been a better reason to grab a cup o' Joe!

On November 23 and 26, and December 8, 15, and 22, every Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, and Peppermint Mocha you purchase at Starbucks stores in Delaware, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia will donate 10 cents to Modest Needs. And today, November 8, Starbucks is DOUBLING that donation to launch our new union. As we love to say, every little bit counts. So I invite you to visit Starbucks' online donation page for more details.

After all is said and done, Starbucks will be giving more than $20,000 to rescue Modest Needs applicants from the grips of poverty. But I'm excited about this partnership for far more than just Starbucks' generous donation. You see, with Starbucks helping us spread the word to thousands (if not millions!) of new people, I'm just waiting to see applications start pouring in from deserving families in the Mid-Atlantic region who otherwise would have never known about our services.

When Starbucks called me a few months ago looking to investigate a partnership with Modest Needs, I was ecstatic. Being selected by such an enormous, socially conscious organization is, of course, a great honor. But YOU should all feel honored as well. Every charitable organization out there longs for partnerships like those we have with Loews Hotels and - now - Starbucks. It's an ENORMOUS honor. And there's one thing I'm certain about: It's only due to your support and generosity that Modest Needs has grown into the kind of nonprofit that remarkable partners such as these would even consider approaching.

So now... Let the good times roll!

If you're in the Washington, D.C., area, I'd like to invite to you come meet me and the Modest Needs team for an evening of complimentary coffee and pastry samples to celebrate this fantastic new partnership. It's such a rare occasion that I have the opportunity to meet donors and applicants face-to-face that I really hope you'll stop by!

When: Thursday, November 8th
Time: 6-7:30pm
Where: Starbucks store at 443 7th Street, N.W. (corner of 7th & E), Washington, D.C.

Even if you can't make our Starbucks soiree in D.C., I hope you'll join me in welcoming Starbucks into the Modest Needs family. We're so pleased to be working with them -- especially during the holidays, when more low-income families than ever could use a hand up.

And last but not least, you'll soon be hearing from me again with the second of our big news announcements for November. Until then, be safe... And don't forget to fuel up on Starbucks during those select Days of Cheer!

Welcome to the New Modest Needs!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, the big day is finally here. ‘Modest Needs version You' - the fulfillment for my personal vision of Modest Needs as a public charity – has launched. Welcome to the new Modest Needs!

Whether you're a donor, an applicant, or a little of both, this new version of Modest Needs is not just our gift to you. It really is all about your power both to ask for the short-term help you need and to invest whatever you can afford to share in the lives of real people in short-term crisis throughout North America – simply, quickly, and directly.

Here's what's new at Modest Needs:

From this point forward, all requests for help at Modest Needs will have a ‘point value' attached to them. For example, instead of our telling you that someone has asked for an auto repair that costs $500.00, we'll be reporting that a request for help with an auto repair needs 500 points in order to be instantly funded by Modest Needs. The point value for each request for help is automatically set by our system as soon as we have in hand the documentation to support a new request for help.

At the same time, if you're a donor, each time you contribute to Modest Needs, you'll have Modest Needs ‘points' credited to your user account. At the moment, if you make a one-time contribution, every dollar you give earns you one Modest Needs point. If you make a pledge of any size, then thanks to our matching grant, you'll receive two Modest Needs points for every dollar you contribute through at least the end of 2007.

You can use your Modest Needs points in one of two ways:

You can ‘invest' your Modest Needs points – simply, quickly, and directly – in the specific requests for help that matter most to you

Investing in an application is a simple, two-click process. All you have to do is find the applications in which you want to invest and then click the button that says ‘Learn More or Invest Points' next to that application.

The second that an application receives from our donors all of the points that it needs in order for us to authorize a grant, we instantly fund that request for help and a check payable to the vendor named in that applicant's documentation goes out in the very same day's mail.

In fact, if you're the person who puts the application past its ‘tipping point,' you will actually SEE the application updated to ‘funded' right before your eyes. Amazing!

You can use your points to send Modest Needs Gift Certificates to friends and family members!

Yes, that's right. We've finally added Modest Needs' most requested feature ever – the ability to give Modest Needs Gift Certificates. Best of all, you don't buy these gift certificates with dollars. Instead, you create them in any denomination of 10 points or more using the points in your Modest Needs account.

Our gift certificate form takes about a minute to fill out and is completely customizable (you can even give anonymously if you want to .) And once you've created and approved your gift certificate, you can choose to have the gift certificate instantly delivered to your recipient via email, or you can print and mail that gift certificate to your recipients.

When your recipients redeem their Modest Needs gift certificates, the points attached to those gift certificates are immediately deposited into their user accounts, and THEY can use those points to invest in the requests for help that matter most to them.

So Modest Needs gift certificates are not just thoughtful – they literally give your recipients the power to invest directly in the lives of individuals in short-term financial crisis. They're also a great way to ‘spread the word' about Modest Needs.

Don't have time to invest your own points? No problem! We've thought of that too. At the time you make a new pledge or one-time gift, you can choose either to invest your points yourself, or to have Modest Needs invest those points for you where we think they're needed most.

When it comes to pledges, you can change this setting at any time. All you have to do is log in to Modest Needs, scroll down your personal page to the ‘My Contributions' section, and click the link that says ‘Change this setting.'

Please note that if you created a pledge to Modest Needs prior to 1 November 2007, we've set your investment preference by default as ‘Modest Needs will invest your points for you.' If you want to invest your own points, just log in to Modest Needs and follow the directions above. Your account will instantly be credited with the points from your most recent contribution, and you can invest your points in the applications that matter most to your or create Modest Needs gift certificates right now!

And this is just the beginning of what we've been working on for you. In addition to all of this:

We've also added an investment portfolio to your personal page, so that you can keep track of the requests for help you've given points to (to see this, just click ‘Contribution Details' on your personal page.)

We've added the ‘Modest Needs Top Five' to our homepage, so that you can invest immediately in the one of the five requests for help closest to receiving a grant in two clicks, right from the Modest Needs homepage.

We've beefed up our software to be much more user friendly. There's no more clicking around the website to get things done. Instead, we figure out what you're trying to do and give you the option to go directly where you need to be. Our goal: no more than three clicks to do anything you'd like at Modest Needs.

And most importantly, thanks to a generous grant, we've added the staff necessary to provide same day processing for all of our applicants. This lets us get requests for help to our donors more quickly for review and –ultimately – to get help to the people who need it the most as soon as we possibly can. Using our new system, it is actually possible for a new request for help to be funded the very same day it posts if our donors authorize us to make the grant. And if you ask me, that's the best improvement of all.

But why are you reading this when you could be changing lives? To get start right now, just browse our current applications - and prepare to be amazed!

After a short rest, I'll be back on Tuesday with a new ‘Profile in Courageous Generosity' and the first of several BIG announcements you'll be hearing as we enter the holiday season.

In the meantime, if you have comments our questions about our new system, we'd love to hear them. You can send them directly to us directly just by clicking contact us. We truly value your input and look forward to hearing from many of you soon.

We hope you enjoy the new Modest Needs. Its been a long time coming, but we hink you'll agree that it was worth the wait. Until next time, take care, be well and – most of all – have fun!

A New Reason to Celebrate at Modest Needs

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

October has been a momentous month at Modest Needs. Not only are we launching a fantastic new service that I've been dreaming about for years -- Modest Needs gift certificates! -- but we've spent the last two months preparing to unveil a HUGE change in the way our donors participate in the funding process at Modest Needs.

For the first time ever, we're giving you, Modest Needs' individual donors, the power to change the life of person in need of your assistance - and to put your contributions to work DIRECTLY for the individual applications for help that appeal to you the most on an individual basis.

Both of these major developments are made possible by a vastly revised and much friendlier 'scoring' system at Modest Needs. As you know, to date, Modest Needs has made it possible for donors to participate in our grant-making process by 'scoring' prequalified applications on a scale from 0-9. Two years of feedback - from donors and applicants - has taught us that this system hasn't achieved all that we would've liked. In 2005, when we implemented that system, it seemed like a good idea, but the truth is, its proven difficult for donors to use and even more difficult for applicants to understand. On that point, I think everyone from donors to applicants to Modest Needs' staff agree. Enough said.

All of that changes 1 November 2007 at Modest Needs when, after listening to years of your feedback, we will be launching a way for donors to participate directly and personally in the funding process at Modest Needs. These changes will be made possible because of a brand-new 'Credits System' that will launch on that day. Here's how the new credit system will operate:

With every donation to Modest Needs that you make going forward, you'll earn Modest Needs "credits." If you donate $50, for example, you'll earn 50 credits. Every time you make a contribution, you can elect either to have these credits 'deposited' to your Modest Needs account to use in any manner you see fit at Modest Needs, or you can choose to let Modest Needs place your credits for you wherever they're needed most.

And if you have a pledge with Modest Needs (or want to create one prior to 1 November 2007), even better. You'll be getting DOUBLE credits for every pledge payment you make through at least the end of the year, thanks to our current matching grant.

Simultaneously, every application up for funding at Modest Needs will include a "credits" value attached to it - the number of credits that application needs to receive from donors in order to be funded. This ‘credit value' will be based on the cost of the application.

For example, let's say that a certain car-repair application requires 200 credits in order to be funded. If you decide that you want to help fund that particular application, you can very easily invest some or all of your credits in that application. As soon as donors have given 200 of their credits to that application, it'll be instantly funded, that second, and the check to fund that application will go out in the very same day's mail.

This new way of 'scoring' applications represents the fulfillment of my personal vision for Modest Needs as a public charity.

When I started Modest Needs as a personal project, it was because I wanted to help people in need of short-term assistance as I could, with what I had - but I also wanted to know exactly who I had helped, and what I achieved in the process.

This new system at Modest Needs gives that same experience - the experience I wanted so very badly that I founded Modest Needs - to every Modest Needs donor. Beginning 1 November 2007, every person who supports Modest Needs will be able to invest directly, quickly, and simply in the applications that resonate with them personally.

Best of all, though, you will instantly be able to see the results of your investment, as the applications that matter most to you are funded - right before your eyes - as a result of your support.

But this system doesn't just make Modest Needs more ‘personal' for donors. It takes the waiting time and guess work on the part of Modest Needs' applicants down to nothing. Applicants will never again have to wonder what a score of 7.8 or 5.4 means to them. Instead, they'll know that their applications will be funded the second donors have given their applications the number of credits required to fund that application. And there will be zero waiting time or holding periods for our applicants. Applications can be funded in this way the second they're prequalified, and the second those applications ARE funded, our applicants will get the help they need.

As of all of that isn't enough, we're also redesigning our home-page to showcase what we're calling the 'Modest Needs Top 5' - the five applications that are closest to being fully funded.

When we launch these changes on 1 November 2007, from our home-page, and with a couple of clicks of a mouse, a donor will be able to give one of our top five applications that last little push it needs in order to be funded. Some of the applications that will appear in the Modest Needs Top 5 will be fundable for as little as five credits - so you can really see how much of a difference your 'small change' will make in the life of a person who really needs the unique type of assistance that, together, we offer to hard-working individuals and families at Modest Needs.

Oh, and did I say – at last! - Modest Needs Gift Certificates?

Absolutely! And right in time for the holiday season. Modest Needs gift certificates will work using the same credit system. Starting November 1, you'll be able to create a 'gift certificate' in any denomination of 10 credits or more using the credit balance in your account. You'll then instantly be able either to print and mail that gift certificate (and they look GREAT) to the person of your choice, or instantly deliver that gift certificate to your honoree via email.

Creating a Modest Needs gift certificate for a friend, co-worker, or family member is more than just thoughtful. It's more than just you making a donation in their name. It's about giving your recipient the power to invest in the lives of hardworking persons on the brink of poverty – applications that they themselves can select after browsing the hundreds of prequalified applications awaiting their assistance via our website.

Modest Needs has always been about people helping people. And with this new system in place, I think you'll agree that we're elevating that relationship to a completely new level. But nothing I've said here can compare to the experience of using this system. I've been testing it for weeks now, and all I can tell you is that come 1 November, if you're a fan of Modest Needs, you are going to be absolutely blown away. One word of caution: this new system has made Modest Needs more addictive than it already was!

So keep your eyes peeled -- because we'll send out another alert the minute these changes are live. And I know you'll want to start using this remarkable system right away.

I hope you're as excited about these changes as I am, and I would love to hear your comments about the work we've been doing here at Modest Needs. In the meantime, enjoy the last week of October, and thanks again for your much-appreciated support. It's your generosity, kindness, and feedback that has inspired all of these recent developments – yet more proof that none of the work we do would be possible without your remarkable support.

Until next time, take care, and be well!

The Modest Needs Difference

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

This week, I received one of the best letters I've read in a very long time. And that's saying a LOT, because I've gotten some incredibly poignant, insightful, and moving letters over these past 5 years.

But this letter was not only poignant. It touched on a subject so important that, rather than sharing it with you via the Modest Needs Blog, I decided to make a full-fledged newsletter out of it.

In order to understand why this letter meant so much to me (and ought to mean a great deal to all of you, particularly those of you who support Modest Needs), a little background is probably in order:

For a very long time, the trend of 'cyber-begging' ('cyber-begging' is the practice of using the Internet to solicit funds for one heart-breaking reason after another that may or may not be true) has been the bane of my personal existence.

I consider 'hate' to be a four letter word, and so it's a word I don't use very often. I'll say, without exception or hesitation, that I disapprove of the practice of cyber-begging - and, frankly, of the people who practice it as a way of earning a living.

But I hate the websites that are built for the sole purpose of promoting the practice of cyber-begging.

Those websites aren't good for applicants (they actually promote dishonesty). They aren't good for donors (they make it far too easy for well-meaning people to be 'ripped off' by a tear-jerking but ultimately fraudulent yarn). And because people who've felt 'ripped off' in the course of doing good rarely ever give to any charitable cause again, they aren't good for philanthropy in general.

Rather, those cyberbegging websites (I could list a dozen of them here but won't for obvious reasons) benefit one group of people, and one only: the unscrupulous entrepreneurs who build and maintain these websites with their eyes on exactly one thing: their personal bottom lines.

This brings me to the letter I mentioned at the beginning of this update. You see, the author of this note didn't describe the life-changing impact of a Modest Needs grant, like so many do. She couldn't -- her application hasn't even been funded yet.

Rather, it's a wonderful testament, not just to what we do at Modest Needs, but to why we're radically different from the many 'cyber-begging' sites that exist on the Internet today.

That letter reads:

"Dear Mr. Taylor,

About a week ago, I was at my wits' end. In the past, I heard of people gaining 'free money' from the web. So in the wee hours of the night, after I tucked my kids in bed, I began my search. Google hit on several sites, such as 'Digital Charity' and 'Reality Charity.' Putting my pride aside, I posted to these sites for the world to see.

There are thousands of people asking for money to be sent to a pay-pal account. Needless to say, my story wasn't that elaborate or sad -- thus no money magically appeared in my pay-pal. However, through my posting, one kind person sent me an email regarding your site.

I was a bit wary of your site at first because the other sites warned against private emails linking you to other sites. Unlike my first two 'charity' links, I researched yours because I was still sick over putting my name all of the international super highway. I discovered that 'Modest Needs' had what the others were missing: credibility.

Modest Needs did not make me feel like I was begging for money as the others had. In addition, the application process, standards, proof of income, and proof of need gave me back my self-respect that I had handed over so easily prior to knowledge of your site.

Tonight, another person emailed me a link to 'mywish.com.' I took a peak at it and felt sick that I had once participated in such a site. I am trying to get my info off their sites.

I'm not sure if Modest Needs will grant my request. At this point, I am just thankful that your site opened my eyes to what is real and what is not.

Regardless of the outcome of my application, I just want you to know that what you have started, and how many hard working people you have helped will "real expenses" is nothing but awesome.

Sincerely, Thankful in New York

Why is this such an amazing letter? Because 'Thankful in New York' has come to appreciate the way in which we're completely different than the other websites she mentions.

In this letter the author hits upon many of the ways in which we distance ourselves from this crop of "cyber-begging" websites. Yes, we allow people to make individual appeals for help. But the similarities end there.

When I created Modest Needs, I didn't even want our name to be in the same UNIVERSE as these websites. For example, here are some crucial, deliberate ways in which I've tried to ensure that Modest Needs stands apart:

1. Modest Needs is a registered 501 (c) 3 public charity. As such, we are subject to the intense scrutiny and regulation that come with tax-exempt status.

You won't find a 'cyber-begging' website that is also a 501 (c) 3 - much less one that has earned the highest possible charity rating from the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Why? Because cyber-begging websites exist solely to make money for the persons who own and operate them - and that's a type of activity in which, by law, registered public charities are not allowed to engage.

2. We screen our applicants intensively. In fact, we have 3 full-time staffers whose sole responsibility is to vet applicants, and to ensure that their need is authentic, their situation accurate, and their ultimate goal of self-sufficiency a realistic prospect.

3. We maintain an iron-clad privacy policy. We never, ever require applicants to publish any personal information, other than their hometown. We firmly believe that there's no reason for any person to know an applicant's name, address, or contact information.

4. We send all grant payments directly to the vendor (e.g., landlord, electric company, doctor) rather than to the applicant. This way, donors know exactly where their money is being spent, and applicants have no motivation whatsoever for 'free money,' since payment is always directed to someone else.

5. Our grants are designed not just to provide money to someone in need, but for that small amount to make a life-altering impact. The sad fact is that some people are lifetime beggars. They don't (or can't) support themselves, and they rely on the kindness of others to keep them afloat for long periods.

Those are NOT the people we serve at Modest Needs.

Our applicants have proven themselves to be self-sufficient, hardworking individuals who need a one-time boost to get back on track. These are people working two and three jobs to get by, going back to work while still sick or injured, and doing everything in their power to support their families.

"Beggars" is the very last word I'd use to describe the persons we assist at Modest Needs.

I can't say if the author of this letter will be funded. That's up to our donors. But what I can say is that I'm so thrilled that she found Modest Needs and that our application process left her feeling dignified and hopeful. It's why we do what we do. And like everything else, it's only possible due to your donations, your kindness, and your refusal to leave hardworking families stranded and alone in their time of crisis.

Many people who come to Modest Needs write to ask what makes us different from the cyber-begging websites that 'Thankful' in New York' mentions in her letter. And I think, without realizing it, 'Thankful' has answered that question for me, and in a more concise way than I'd have thought to do it.

It all boils down to one word. Credibility. Both for our donors, AND for our applicants.

That is the "Modest Needs" difference.

It's a Donor Matching Extravaganza!

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

Talk about starting off September with a bang... And it's all thanks to your generosity.

Remember when we came to you earlier this year with news that an anonymous foundation would be matching all of our donors' contributions up to $300,000.00? Well, I'm proud to tell you that you did it! And a lot faster than we anticipated, too. Last month, your combined contributions exceeded that $300,000.00 mark and earned us ANOTHER $300,000.00 in matched funds to help families around the country stay afloat in the midst of hard times.

Whatever the amount you've donated to date -- $5.00, $10.00, $100.00, $1,000.00 -- consider it doubled.

Never before have we been able to help so many deserving families. Just read some of our testimonials to see what I mean. And none of it would have been possible without your support.

But that's just half the good news! Are ready for this?

Our generous 'mystery donors' have so impressed with your dedication that they've decided to match another $200,000.00 in Modest Needs pledges this year, bringing the total value of 2007's mystery matching grant to half a million dollars!

That's right. Every single pledge dollar you contribute between now and December 31st, 2007, will be working twice as hard, helping stop the cycle of poverty for twice as many people. Every time you donate. Right now, your 'small change' has even more power to make a 'world of difference' to hard-working individuals and families facing a financial crisis.

Just think. For the next 4 months, your $10 monthly pledge actually becomes worth $80.00 (rather than $40.00). A $50.00 pledge really adds up to $200.00. And a $500.00 monthly becomes worth $4,000.00! The more you give, the more our mystery donor's foundation gives, and the more applications we can fund. It's as simple as that.

There's just one thing.

The matching offer is only good through the end of the year. So if we don't reach that $200,000.00 threshold by December 31st, we'll be leaving money on the table.

Using our current rates of donor giving, we would normally expect to take in around $150,000 during this fall/winter 2007 time period. Don't get me wrong - that is a tremendous number, ESPECIALLY in 'small change.' But we're not prepared to walk away from an extra $50,000.00 from this foundation. And we're guessing that you're not, either.

Right now, with a large matching grant at stake, a pledge of any size has more power to change lives at Modest Needs than ever before. And the timing couldn't be better. The onset of winter proves very difficult for many low-income families, especially in light of soaring heating costs, cold-weather car repairs, and the sick days resulting from the dreaded flu season.

So we're asking for your help to claim this entire $200,000.00 in matching funds.

What can you do?

Sign up as a monthly donor (If you're not yet supporting Modest Needs, or you're giving now from time to time, this is the VERY best way you can help!)
If you're already a monthly donor, up your pledge -- even for a short period of time. (If you'd like to do this, just send a short note to donor.supportmodestneeds.org and tell us what you want to do. We'll take care of the rest!)
Encourage friends and family to make a pledge of any size to Modest Needs, even if only for a few months. Ask them to give, a little or a lot. Right now especially, every dollar REALLY counts!

$200,000.00 is an ambitious goal, sure, but an attainable one. But every day for nearly six years now, the generosity of the people who visit Modest Needs has surpassed even my own wildest dreams. And I know that this instance will be no different.

On a final note (yes, MORE good news), we'll be unveiling the identity of this as-of-yet nameless matching foundation when we achieve our $200,000.00 goal. You're going to be excited when you find out who has been doubling your donations for the last couple of years - you really will. So keep your eyes open for further details as the numbers start climbing.

Again, congratulations on your blockbuster year of kindness. And here's to an autumn in which we fund more hardworking families than ever before!

The New Modest Needs Application System is Here

11/10/2009 9:28:15 PM

It's official! After a very, very busy week at Modest Needs, we're pleased to announce that our revolutionary new online application system is now fully operational.

We've always made certain that the Modest Needs experience is as transparent as possible for donors. And now we've accomplished the same for applicants! Using the new system, there's never any question about what applicants need to do in order to maximize their chances of being funded.

We've already heard wonderful feedback from applicants using this online-only application process. Not only are they delighted to be able to upload their documentation online (without the hassles of mailing and faxes), but they're also excited about tracking the progress of their applications online in real time. Just as we hoped, it seems to be making life a lot easier for them.

And even in the few days since we've launched the new system, we've already seen how it will make our small Modest Needs team that much more efficient, too -- and stretch your donations even farther, to help more families along the way.

To apply for a Modest Needs grant or track the progress of your application, just log in and head over to your Personal Page.

By the end of this week, we'll be up to date on processing all the applications that were backlogged while we initiated the new system last week. So thanks for your patience.

And if you have any thoughts or comments about our new application system, please feel free to email me at keith[at]modestneeds.org!

Thanks as always for your support!