PledgeBank United States
I’ll do it, but only if you’ll help

Pledge “wwwcharity”

"I will offer my web design / development skills to a charity for free but only if 5 people will give me suggestions as to which charity to support."

— Ben Dyer (contact)

Deadline to sign up by: 13^th September 2005
10 people signed up (5 over target)

More details
I would like to offer my skills to a charity that needs a website. I already look after a number of sites for registered charities and one more certainly can’t hurt!

Problem is I need suggestions, so if you know of a charity that could do with my help let me know!

Cheers!

Comments on this pledge

• I already do this :) but this is a commitment to do it in the future as well.
  Radu, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Our charity ADANA, is an animal rescue society in the Costa del Sol. We have a web site www.adana-estepona.com and require a web based DB to be added. We have been trying to get a developer interested for over 2 years. Many promises but non delivered.
  We have drawn up a User Spec, and can send it to you.
  The charity is run entirely by volunteers and receives no financial support from any govenment agencis.
  paul agius, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hi Ben
  
  I work for a charity and we need to develop our website - please get in touch so that we may talk about how/if you can help!
  
  Thanks
  Christine
  Christine Davies, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hi everyone, if you want to email me we can chat about your requirements.
  Ben Dyer, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Ben,
  
  As I said in my earlier comment we have drawn up a User Spec of our requirements.
  
  Can I have an email address to which to send?
  paul agius, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Courious what your definition of "Charity" is. There are many organizations that do a great service to their communities, but are not businesses or government sanctioned non-profits, organizations which do not deal with money at all. I refer to the groups such as www.FreeShare.SaveThisPlanet.com who gather and share links to free groups accross the globe who network with members of their community to give and recieve free items with others in their communities. It is all done through the internet (until the actual items are picked up by the individuals) but organizations like Free Share, Free Sharing, Giving is Sharing, Curbcycle and dozens of others you will find listed in the links section of www.freeshare.savethisplanet.com make it all possible and they do so using volunteers and free web servers or the individuals pay for the web server out of their own pockets, never asking for or taking money from anyone. All FREE all volunteer and in my book great organizations worthy of your donation :o)
  Free Share, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hi,
  
  I'd recommend ADANA as well. Any charity that deals with abandoned animals is a good thing!
  Paul Wood, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Ben, two things about your pledge:
  
  1) Besides being a design man, you are an idea man. And your ideas are needed even more widely than you could possibly spread your website work. (e.g. if you have an idea and give it to me and I have an idea and give it to you, then we are not depleted but instead each have two ideas.)
  
  2) Because of your early participation in PledgeBank, it is evident that the kind of ideas you have are likely to be the kind that will be useful to the folks working on forming a UK EFF. See http://www.corante.com/strange/archives/...
  
  Therefore as the fifth person to give you a suggestion, I suggest that you at least be in contact w/Suw Charman (blog page referred above), and volunteer to her your interest helping to form a UK EFF. Then you can also donate webdesign time if you wish but at least you will have associated with a nascent organization that has great potential to do good.
  
  Best,
  
  H
  
  P.S. Will you be announcing your action decision in this space?
  H, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• H is correct - I would like to hear from you. At the moment, the digital freedoms organisation I am involved in starting is right at the ideas stage, so I would welcome as much input as I can get.
  Suw Charman, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hi,
  
  I just wanted to say that I think that this is a really good idea and I'm a designer who'd be happy to do the same. I didn't want to set up a seperate pledge as you were the first! If you get more suggestions than you can cope with though then feel free to pass them my way and I'll see what I can do.
  
  Good luck with the pledge!
  
  All the best,
  
  John.
  John Lawrence, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hello,
  
  I also think this is a good idea, and if you do have any suggestions that you don't have time to cope with, feel free to send them on to me.
  
  Thanks
  
  David
  David Ford, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Ditto here - if you have any sites that you can't deal with, feel free to drop me a line.
  Terry
  Terry, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Hello everyone,
  
  Sorry I haven’t been in touch recently, the take up of this pledge is really rather staggering! For every one person that has signed up I am getting another 3 or 4 proposals sent to me! When I started this pledge I had no idea there would be such take up.
  
  It’s also very interesting as there are a number of likeminded developers who have expressed an interest in getting involved. This has got me thinking, my initial idea was to take up a single ‘good cause’ but now I am thinking about setting up a not for profit web agency. This group would be a central place for developers and charities to get together and help each other out.
  
  What do you think, does it sound like a good idea? Would John and Terry be interested in getting involved?
  
  Get in touch!
  Ben Dyer, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• http://www.pledgebank.com/notforprofitweb
  Ben Dyer, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Ben, Your throwing your bread upon the waters and it will get soggy, crumbly, float away and drown. You see action is whats needed, not ideas, not sharing, not even giving, but action, with lone individual leadership. So take some advice, its simple advice, it goes he who travels alone travels quicker, does more, attends to more projects and can succeeed literally by accomplishing so much more in the time allowed or given, the opposite is true, he who surrounds himself with love, with lovely people [five being a crowd] with pure wholesome thoughts, with hobbies, with frivolous pastimes [middle class idelness] and who constantly consults with others [again fives a crowd] - well thats all he ever does, meaning he does nothing, he goes nowhere, and he's a busy nobody - nothing. I don't know what your trying to do, but whatever it is do it alone, tell no one, confide in no one and take care of number 1. YOU. Do something and don't let five other cooks break your concentration and determination to succeed. JUST DO IT - AND DO IT TODAY.
  BOB WILSON, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
  Quote: Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
  Namenotreleased, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Unfortuanately the world is awash with thoughtful prose similar to the above, its churned out day after day and no one ever questions it. Its an industry in itself reading it and writing it. Most of it originates in America, no harm in America or no offense meant because it originates from there, but please accept it does not put shoes on your feet, food in your belly, or feed a family. You see its all wishful thinking. To do anything you must be realistic and create an item or product that can be bought and sold or serviced, This is called INDUSTRY.
  
  Poetry, wishful thinking, and a yearning to improve mans lot by word meditiation is a waste of time, better you dig, plant, plough, grow, move, shove, push and transport something, this applies to all- especially the poor and its creed number 1 for the ambitious.
  BOB WILSON, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• The poem is NOT wishful thinking, mr. negativity, it is an encouraging statment of fact!
  
  On one hand Bob you say this worthless little poem is industry itself and on the other you say it is a waste of time.
  
  Bob, Everything does not have to be industry, product and selling to create positive changes!! How do you think the suggested "committed citizens" change the world, but by "doing" through thought & action....yes, digging, ploughing, growing, moving and writing little poems, if not influencing government, recycling used items, picking up a scrap of trash in the street, doing a good turn for a neighbor. Something as simple as smiling at someone as you pass on the street can create major changes in someones life, attitude and the actions they take....Certainly positive change does not happen by shutting up, giving up or passively standing by when people like YOU tell them what they are doing is too little, not important or not good enough.
  
  YOU BOB appear narrow minded and "a waste" if you think for a minute that the bull you spew is any more important than the previous poem, though even your negative little contributions add to the world in some way and could create positive changes in the long run.
  EveryLittleBitHelps, 2 years ago. Abusive? Report it!