Justgiving's blog

Gemma's Appeal

Gemma Adams' parents have set up an appeal to raise funds for Ipswich Children's Hospice in her memory. Gemma was one of the five women killed in Suffolk this month.

Support their appeal:

Hair Today...

It's a funny old time of year. Nowhere's open to buy a sandwich, the daily commute is almost pleasant and we get to play with all of our new toys.

However today has just been weird so far. From time to time, we get some odd things in the post, things like Star Trek boxsets and letters pleading for funds from people who think that because we're called 'Justgiving' we're some kind of grant-giving organisation. This morning I found this waiting for me:

No way. So we give it a squeeze. Hmmm feels hairy. What was inside?

Yep. Looks human. The Geiger readings were low, so no Polonium 210 is involved. The only clue was scrawled on the inside of the envelope:

Not quite sure what we need the luck for. We've also not figured out how to add it to a fundraising page either.

Jules being the intrepid detective that he is, noticed its Thai origins and found this article. We're still very, very confused.

Happy Christmas!

Well, we're all off to drink too much red wine and eat too much turkey. Thank you to everyone who's read this blog in 06. Have a very Happy Christmas and we'll see you in the New Year.

You really shouldn't have. No really, you shouldn't...

And so following on from yesterday's images of destruction from the office party, it is perhaps timely to reflect on the secret Santa "gifts" that were distributed beforehand.

As usual, there was a somewhat interesting range of presents given out amongst the team at JG towers, ranging from the imaginative (er, a box of biscuits) through slightly left field (Lego fridge magnets anyone?) to the downright cheeky (Chelsea shirt for a West Ham fan and Man U calendar for a Liverpool fan).

To the right is a very, ahem, flattering picture of me (on the left) sporting my special gift, alongside our Product Manager Will. Yes, that old cliché of a Christmas gift of safety goggles and ear protectors (not the rubbish cap, Ed.).

Um, Santa, if you're out there. Why? Answers on a Lapland postcard. Or you could just leave an anonymous comment. You just may have won yourself the coveted title of most random JG secret Santa gift 2006. Previous winners have been lemon curd and a padlock. Not to mention my personal favourite of a £5 lottery ticket (the limit was £10! Cheapskate!).

What rubbish did you get from your secret Santa this year? Leave a comment and let us know!

Holding back the tears

Ok, so we've already seen a picture of our Systems Development Manager Jason hugging his new best friend - the lampost - at last night's Justgiving xmas do.

Here's another corker. This one was taken earlier in the night and shows Jason (30) holding back the tears after being told that Santa Claus does not exist.

Oh come Jase, we were only joking - course there's a santa.

Hangovers

Jason.

'nuff said.

Widgets arrive in time for Christmas

We've just released our brand new Justgiving Widget! For the uninitiated, widgets have been all the rage this year and will continue to dominate webby stuff in 2007.

Basically, instead of a rather boring hyperlink to post on your blog, you can now put one of these:

This is Ben's page, and if Ben were the sort of chap to have a blog (he works in finance so he doesn't) then there it would proudly sit as an indication of how his progress is going.

Want one? Click on the 'Promote this page' link under the thermometer on any fundraising page and you'll get the html code you need. If you're a pagebuilder then you'll find out more about the Widget by logging in to your account.

Party!

Excitment and donning of glad rags aplenty as we gear up for our Chrimbo bash at Meza in Soho tonight. Incriminating photos of the ensuing shenanigans will be posted for your amusement when we've recovered tomorrow (or the next day, depending on levels of sambuca consumption).

In the meantime, here are the odds on who's most likely to get drunk and make a fool of themselves:

Tim        1/2
Molly       4/6
Jason      7/4
Neil         3/1
Ben         4/1
Tom        8/1
Chris       40/1
Derrick    50/1
Zarine     1,000/1

Bunny Christmas

If you've left it too late to get the chrimbo cards in the post, never fear. The makers of the new Miss Potter movie starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor have created a cool viral e-card you can send instead.

The card features a painting of some flopsies by the real Beatrix Potter and invites senders and recipients to donate to their favourite charity via Justgiving instead of spending cash on paper cards and postage.

Check it out here.

Mmm...doughnuts

If Homer Simpson was ever to undertake a fundraising challenge, this would be it. 

Starting at 10:30am today, Rahma has pledged to polish off 100 dougnuts in a feat of sponsored munching even Springfield's finest doughnut destroyer might balk at.

"I will attempt to eat as many doughnuts as is humanly possible, and believe me, I can tuck them away," says Rahma. "I will then have a rest and possibly a sleep, probably some water and maybe a trip to the loo.

"The remaining doughnuts will then pose a further challenge to me. Because even if I manage to eat MOST of them at 10.30 I will have to have eaten ALL of them by the end of the day."

Now that's hardcore. The gorging's for a good cause of course. Rahma's raised a fiver per doughnut so far for Leukaemia Research.

Girls, magazines, naked boys

The launch of the handbag-sized edition didn't go to plan

Apparently it's a tradition. Cosmopolitan magazine are fundraising for their March edition Centrefolds, which features chaps revealing all to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer. They've had a longstanding relationship with ICR / Everyman and, very surprisingly, it's a rather popular section with readers.

So for the March edition, they've assembled 35 ordinary guys to get starkers for one giant spread. They'll be joining previous centerfold alumni Ewan McGregor, Lenny Kravitz and other celebrities who aren't afraid of a bit of tackle-waving.

So look for the new issue in mid-february. I'm sure it will be eyebrow-raising stuff. 

Kumars step in as Santa's little helpers

Back at the beginning of the month we blogged about Santa's Toy Sack Challenge which aims to deliver the biggest sack of toys ever to children staying at the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Well, we're thrilled to report that £15k's worth of toys will be bringing big smiles to the faces of Evelina's children and any surplus toys will be distributed to care and foster homes in the city. Well done all you donors!

The monster toy sack will be delivered tomorrow by Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal, stars of The Kumars at No.42.

There's still time to donate, so hot foot it to the challenge page here.

The wild wild west

Just in case you wondered what our charity account managers Tom and Molly got up to at the weekend, here's some photographic evidence.   

There's a £20 donation to the charity of your choice up for grabs for the best caption posted as a comment by the end of the week...

Lillie the red nosed reindeer

Michael and Lillie

As Santa's reindeers limber up for their annual round-the-world trip pulling a sleigh full of pressies, there's another little reindeer gearing up to spread some Christmas cheer.

Seven-year-old Lillie Brett is embarking on a two mile run next Saturday dressed as one of Santa's reindeer to raise funds for Martha Trust.

She was inspired to take up her fundraising challenge after meeting 21-year-old Michael at Mary House, a home for disabled people in East Sussex. Lillie is hoping to raise cash to help the home buy a new hydrotherapy pool.

"I really want to help people like Michael to have a better life," Lillie told Hastings Today. "It would be great if we can get enough money to build a special swimming pool, so that he can move about more and have some fun in the water."

You can sponsor Lillie here.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

...and we're sincerely flattered to discover a website in New Zealand that's evidently a fan of our work. See if you can spot the difference (you might have to click on the screenshots to read them):

Justgiving:

NZ Site:

Justgiving:

NZ site:

Aw, bless 'em.

Rula swaps stilettos for hiking boots

More celeb spotting action. Actress Rula Lenska is trekking across India next year to raise funds for The Children's Society.

"We will meet local people, experience local customs and travel though breathtaking scenery," says Rula. "And how wonderful to know that we will be enabling The Children’s Society to carry on with its vital work, caring for the most vulnerable and isolated children back home."

The stage and screen legend - most recently co-star of the infamous feline improv with Gorgeous George on Celebrity Big Brother - is inviting people to join her on her trip of a lifetime. Check her page for details.

Rula factoid: She was born Countess Roza-Marie Leopoldyna Lubienska.

No Chrimbo cards from Dave Gorman fans

"Whaddya mean there's no cards in the post again today?"

Fans of funnyman Dave Gorman won't be sending any Christmas Cards this year. But before you you howl "Scrooge" in their general direction, take a peek at their fundraising page.

Gorman devotee Louise McLaren is encouraging fellow Gorumnistas to make a donation to the Motor Neurone Disease Association instead of buying cards this year. The venture has already diverted £120 from the coffers of greetings card companies and towards care and support for people with MND.

We're sure the star of Are You Dave Gorman? and GoogleWhack Adventure will thoroughly approve. After all, his flatmate is none other than philanthropic cult leader Danny Wallace.

Ping Pong fever grips JG Towers

Roger (l) on his way to beating Tim in Round One of the World, sorry, JG Champs

We're all manically limbering up and practising our slice, chop and block shots as the inaugural annual JG Table Tennis Tournament gets underway.

We discovered our lovely local sports centre had a table tennis room and before we knew it the draw had been made, the television rights had been sold and tickets for first round matches were appearing on Ebay for five times face value.

And now JG Towers has been overrun with sports psychologists, dieticians and physios as inter-staff rivalry reaches fever pitch. Web developers stare down finance bods whilst flexing their biceps menacingly by the watercooler and account managers down bananas like they used to down banana vodkas. Molly even bought a headband.

We have been inspired by these wonderful Table Tennis tips. Our favourite inspirational quote is: "The experienced table tennis player, like the tiger, is always ready."

We'll keep you posted with results in case you miss the extended highlights on BBC1 every night at 10pm.

Office star Lucy raises £5k on wedding day

The trend for life event non-athon pages has reached celebritydom.

The Sun reports that Office star Lucy Davis and Troy actor Owain Yeoman asked for donations instead of wedding presents when they tied the knot at St Paul's Cathedral this weekend.

Jasper Carrott's daughter, famous for her role as secretary Dawn in The Office, created a page on Justgiving to collect donations for the Kid's Kidney Appeal and new hubby Owain created a page for cancer charity Tenovus.

Lucy's charity is close to her heart after she underwent a life-saving kidney transplant operation in 1997.

Many congratulations to the happy couple!

What is a non-athon page?

We've spent a lot of time recently nattering away in excited tones about "non-athon" pages. And when you, dear readers, shot us back a bewildered look or two, we realised we'd never properly explained what the gobbledegook we were on about. So, here goes...

Traditionally Justgiving has been used by people who are competing in official sponsored events like marathons, triathlons, bikeathons and swimathons etc.

But it was always our vision to enable absolutely anyone, absolutely anywhere, to raise funds for their favourite charity by doing absolutely anything (or nothing at all, as the case may be).

So we've been thrilled by the huge upsurge in pages being created for individual events, challenges and appeals in 2006. Loads of people are asking for donations instead of birthday or wedding presents. Those who don't fancy climbing a mountain are shaving their head or growing a moustache for charity instead. Supporters of smaller charities that don't have official events are raising funds by riding rollercoasters or writing poems. Then there's the weird and wonderful stuff like sleeping in a ditch, sitting in a bath of maggots or putting your pet on a diet.

We call all these awesome, unofficial, super-creative fundraising challenges "non-athons". And we get very excited about them. Sometimes we even dance round the office coz we think they're so cool. Then we get told off and have to sit back down again and do work.

Decking the halls of JG Towers

Tis the season to be jolly and all that. So we've given JG Towers a Christmassy makeover.

Here's a slightly blurry photo of Helpdesk guru Jules and Charity Account Manager Molly putting some fairy lights on our tree. And that's our CEO Zarine trying to hide behind it.

Close shave for Colchester United players

The entire first team squad of Championship trail blazers Colchester United have had their heads shaved to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, after loyal fan Emily Begg lost her battle against leukaemia aged just 14.

"Emily used to come to games last season and this season and meet the lads and you could see straightaway that she really loved the club and the players," said defender Wayne Brown.

"When we heard the news, the squad - to a man - decided we wanted to do something to raise money and awareness. It hit home that we were fortunate to be in the position we are in when there are others who do not have that good fortune."

The hair-razoring experience has raised valuable funds, and seemingly raised the player's games. The last time they lined up hirsute, they lost 3-1 to a Sunderland side managed by skinhead Roy Keane. But since they've been shorn, they've walloped local rivals Southend 3-0, demolished Hull City 5-1 and drawn with league leaders Cardiff. Very un-Samsonesque.

Good luck to the boys for tomorrow's clash with Crystal Palace, and their continued fundraising in memory of Emily.

Top 5 celebrity fundraising pages

Our post about fan fundraisers got us thinking about the many celebs who have created pages themselves.

We've had everyone from politicians (Ian Duncan Smith) to reality TV stars (Rebecca Loos); sports stars (Graham Gooch) to quiz show winners (Charles Ingram). Seriously, it's like the Groucho Club in here.

So amidst the flash of paparazzi bulbs, we've compiled our Top 5 celeb pages of all time...

1. Michael Watson
The former champion boxer was in a coma for 40 days after a bout in 1991. He was left paralysed and told he would never walk again. But in 2003, Michael completed the Flora London Marathon over 6 days in one of the greatest ever feats of sporting endeavour. He raised £22k for The Brain and Spine Foundation.

2. Alastair Campbell
When New Labour Communications Director and Tony's right hand man left Downing Street he turned his attention to raising stacks of cash for Leukaemia Research in memory of his best friend, John Merritt, who died of acute myeloid leukaemia aged just 35. Alastair first tackled the Flora London Marathon, then the London Triathlon, raising more than £500k in the process.

3. Walking for Whiteley
The Countdown team led by Carol Vorderman walked the Great North Run route to raise more than £8k for Marie Curie in memory of the late, great Richard Whiteley.

4. Sir Steve Redgrave
Not content with winning five Olympic gold medals, our most decorated sportsman turned his hand to raising a massive £1.8m for The Steve Redgrave Trust by completing the Flora London Marathon this year.

5. David Seaman
Remember that pony tail? Well, England goalie David had his celebrity appendage lopped to raise £10k for The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. And David is now running celebrity golf days to raise even more cash for the charity.

Expect a full report and exclusive photos in next week's Heat.

If you could get any celebrity to do any fundraising event, who and what would it be? John Prescott in sponsored pie eating? Kate Moss in sponsored weight-gain? Post your comments...

Liam goes the extra mile

Liam, left, with brother Callum

On 22 December it will be one year to the day since 11-year-old Liam completed treatment to remove a tumour from his leg. Surgery, plus courses of chaemotherapy and radiotherapy, resulted in Liam losing half his thigh muscles.

But it takes more than that to keep a good man down and Liam is marking the anniversary by swimming a mile to raise funds for the charity that helped him through the hard times.

"As yet I am unable to  walk a mile, so as you can imagine swimming a mile will be a big challenge," said Liam.

"The money I hope to raise is for CLIC Sargent, a charity that helps children and families affected by cancer and leukemia. They were a great help to me and my family and that is why I have chosen them as my charity."

Cambridge radio station Star 107 is promoting Liam's fundraiser and he has already raised a magnificent £5,500. Top lad!

Mo growing epidemic

It's for charity. What? Oh. Erm, it's lovely.

Following the coronation of our bewhiskered Fundraisers of the Month, some more tache growing action that just can't go unreported.

There's a veritable rogues gallery on the Mo-vember with Kensington Mortgages page, where famous frizzies are compared to the impressive bristles cultivated by the boys to raise funds for Macmillan. Not only is there some magnificent foliage on display, it's also the best use of photos we've ever seen on a fundraising page. Tachetastic work lads.

Then's there's The Flashmen, who have lovingly tended to their burgeoning lip rugs and charted the little 'uns development on a pic and vid packed Mo-blog. They've performed a valuable service to society by raising funds for Cancer Research UK, but also by proving beyond all dispute that moustaches should never, ever, return to mainstream fashion.

All these follicle frolics are inspired by the Movember - Grow A Mo challenge, which asks grown men to grow ridiculous facial appendages in exchange for sponsorship.   

The Pledger

There are loads of things we all say we want to do whilst we're able - go travelling, jump out of an aeroplane, meet Paul Weller (just me then?) But how often do we get around to it?

Kickers have built a fun website that allows people to make a public pledge to carry out an ambition. Not only does the pledge go on the website, but for December only, the best pledges will be projected onto buildings in London and Manchester.

So how about making a pledge to do some good? If undertaking a fundraising drive, or doing some charity work is one of your goals, here's great way to force yourself into it.

You may even end up on the side of a building - then if you fail, everyone will know about it. Talk about being publically shamed.

So go on, check the site, make a pledge for charity, and build a fundraising page to start collecting donations. EASY.

What do James Blunt and Harry Potter have in common?

Dan and James: They even look a bit alike, dontcha reckon?

They both have super keen fans raising funds for their favourite charities on Justgiving, that's what. Obviously.

The fan fundraising phenomena began back in the mists of 2003 when Harry Potter actor Dan Radcliffe asked fans to donate to The National Autistic Society instead of knackering his poor postie by sending sack loads of birthday presents addressed to "Dan Radcliffe - Hogwarts". Accordingly, the super smart muggle community at danradcliffe.com set up a Justgiving page and donated more than £2k to accompany birthday messages for their Dementor slaying hero.

Now Dan's fans are at it again with another fundraiser, this time for Demelza, Hospice Care for Children. Chrimbo wishes to Dan and accompanying donations are whizzing in from around the wizarding world as we speak.

And James Blunt fans are in on the act too, with a fundraiser supporting Médecins Sans Frontières UK. In his former life as a Captain in the British Army, James worked alongside the charity in Kosovo and is a vocal supporter of its work. So Bluntites have taken a break from caterwauling "You're Boooooootiful" to perfect strangers on public transport to donate £1k to the charity in his honour.

Harry Potter devotees are undisputed kings of fan fundraising, however. Even purveyors of the dark arts are considered worthy of JG fundraising pages, with accolytes of dastardly Draco Malfoy celebrating actor Tom Felton's 16th birthday by raising funds for The Shooting Star Trust and admirers of sinister Severus Snape marking RADA alumnus Alan Rickman's birthday by donating to the drama school.

Dumbledore would be proud.

Guardian Christmas Appeal

We're thrilled to be powering this year's Guardian Christmas Appeal which is raising valuable funds for Practical Action and UK Mental Health charities.

The appeal was launched in the paper on Saturday and you can donate here.

Not Chuck Norris

We come across cracking fundraising pages all the time, but I must admit this one is right up there.

I.T nerd Chris (pictured) has set up a Justgiving fundraising page attempting to raise £5,000 for The Prostate Cancer Charity. His challenge - to grow a naughty muzzy and make himself look like everyone's favourite hardman Chuck Norris. He's even offering people the chance of winning a prize should they donate to his page, so go on, you know you want to.

Take a look at Chris' blog to see some superb photos of how he and other work colleagues are getting on growing dodgy facial hair and generally starting to look like criminals.

And whilst we're on topic, check out these facts about Chuck - worth a read. My personal favourite "Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits".

Best of luck Chris.

A Friday poem

We came across this great idea,
That you can see by clicking here.
June is raising funds you see,
For Newcastle Healthcare Charity.

And when you give some hard earned cash,
Back will come in just a flash,
A poem written just for you,
Composed by June - yes it's true!

How good is that? We think it's great,
So we implore you to donate,
And help her raise a thousand pounds,
To help the doctors do their rounds.

We love nothing more than finding,
Pages that we think are blinding.
So thank you June, we think you're brill,
We hope you raise 100 mill.

By the way, June can actually rhyme,
So don't be deterred by this poetry crime.
She'll probably even get her lines to scan,
Which is clearly more than we can.

While shepherds shoot their hoops by night

"Ok, huddle round. We need to defend better second half."

Only 24 days to go, dontcha know, and the JG site is starting to get all Christmassy.

A group of employees from Nabarro Nathanson are getting right into the spirit by getting sponsored to dress up as characters from the nativity for a netball tournament raising funds for Western Park Hospital Cancer Appeal.

They're going the whole hog too. Donkeys, sheep and angels will be limbering up alongside Mary, Joseph and a triumvirate of Wise Men. The First Goel will be all important, we reckon. Groan.

Then there's Santa's Toy Sack Challenge, which aims to fill the largest toy sack ever. Santa has already received almost £2k in donations towards a choc full sleigh of goodies for kids at the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Ho ho ho.

Fundraiser of the month, December 2006

Our fundraisers of the month for December 2006 are the guys in the moust-ashes team .

What started of as a bet in the pub as England began its struggle to defend the Ashes cricket trophy in Australia, has led to four men growing wild moustaches and raising serious money for the Prostate Cancer Charity at the same time.

Read their story here. Visit their page and sponsor them here.

If you want to nominate someone as a future Fundraiser of the Month, please drop us an email at community@justgiving.com or post details in our forum.

P.S. we're going to try an entirely new way of finding Fundraisers of the Month in 2007 - with an added incentive for both nominators and nominatees-- so watch out for it!