Where The Sky Meets The Horizon

Today, as I compose this blog I'm looking at my secondary screen.  This is the image I am looking at.  It was taken Sept. 29, 2012 while on one of my annual Alaskan fishing trips with several long lasting friends.  This is taken just outside Cook Inlet at the Gulf of Alaska, about 2 hours out of Homer.  I purposefully took this photo as I was struck by the magnitude of the mountains off in the distance - more than 30 miles away.  You could actually see a bit of the curve of the earth in this hi-def photo.  The title of this blog is a bit misleading in relationship to the photo as you can't really see the sky touching the horizon due to the size of these mountains.  But hopefully, you'll get my point.

Visioning is an important part of goal-setting.  It is the development of a plan, goal, or vision of the future.  It's figuring out what we want things to look like.  It's a component of virtually every business that started as a concept.  Visioning is identifying where the sky meets the horizon.  It has relative application in relationships as well. 

As we were developing HowGiving our vision was to create a digital environment that would help users honor the most important people in their lives.  We, as Founders, recognized that we have the best of intentions at remembering the important events of those around us, our family and friends, but many times life can get in the way of acting on these intentions.  Meetings, deadlines, work and even play can distract us from taking action.  With that, HowGiving was designed to use the tools we most often use - our mobile devices and computers - to automatically organize your list of favorites,  then provide ready access to a comprehensive list of storefronts that offer the best gift options at the best prices.  Our vision was cast and we've been able to reach this initial goal.  Now, we are visioning still further out.

Looking into the future, we're pursuing expanding the user experience with our HowGiving app.  We've closely monitored the performance and valued our feedback, letting us know what works best for each user.  As we are visioning forward our goals include integrating specific elements of the user experience, something that will appeal our family of game-changers.  We're very excited about what lies ahead and we hope you'll be sharing in this excitement with us.  That place where the horizon meets the sky is our future.  Won't you join us?

"Vacuum-ous" Trending

Taylor Swift's Style video.  Unboxing. Saved By The Bell reunion. Gigapixels of Andromeda. Game of Thrones trailer.  Kanye West hate-fest.  What does all this have in common?  They are all trending at the occurrence of writing this blog.  Really?  Yep.  In the vacuum of virtual space these are all topics that have peaked more interest within the world wide web than most any other topic.  And what does that say about us?   I'm not sure it says anything worthy of a legacy and that's the interesting part.  When we look back maybe 20 years from now what lasting impressions will there be of us from 2015?  That's kind of frightening to think about.  Particularly in looking at the trending topics of this day.

While we're accelerating through life at the break-neck speed of technology it's my contention that we should be careful and assess what is most important in life at this moment.  It requires taking a step back and looking at the forest through the trees.  This deliberate, intentional act of slowing it down and really looking at life through the lens of reality is healthy to say the least.  It allows us to see the vibrant colors and textures of life.  As the saying goes, stop and smell the roses.  Unbelievable.  And unbelievably important.

The yield from this can really be exponential. What if we put down our technology for an hour a day and just had conversation?  Crazy thought, I know.  We'll discover things about each other no post could articulate.  It'll teach us how to care for each other. How to laugh. How to love. And in that, we'll show how to give more of ourselves.

It would be awesome if we look back at 2015 or 2016 and saw a cultural shift from self-centered attitudes to personal humility.  We could do this.

Choices

On a recent trip to two different restaurants within the past month I was struck by a stark difference in  their focus and service intent.  The first restaurant was a eat-in establishment offering an extensive menu to attract a diverse customer base.  They offered just about anything you could imagine - steaks, seafood, cultural dishes, salads, deserts and much more.  It was a beautiful restaurant with an amazing wait staff to tend to your every dining need.  If you were hungry walking in, you had only yourself to blame if you were hungry walking out.

The second restaurant was a fast-food establishment with a dining option.  The focus of this restaurant is to address people on the go.  Their drive-through was extremely efficiently designed and managed by a highly skilled staff.  The menu offered only a very few selections which, of the choices I made, were certainly tasty.  I didn't have to make a lot of choices but I knew that going in.  Getting in and out was quite easy and kept my momentum going.  Ironically, both of these establishments share the same parking lot access.

Why is this significant?  In designing the HowGiving model, consideration has been given to afford users a full experience in shopping for that very special person in your life.  On one hand we've made it easy to browse through stores that really only offer gifting ideas and items - this is the quick, drive-through experience.  On the other hand there are many stores to choose from providing an expansive selection of items for literally every demographic of shopper and gift recipient. We don't want it to be complicated but we want it to be comprehensive.

Through HowGiving we hope you'll discover what a great resource this is to help you, the user, fulfill your greatest intent at being thoughtful of those you care the most about.

Igniting Your Soul Through Giving

It was a 52-foot shipping container that had been converted into an office / meeting area just outside Johannesburg South Africa.  The community in which this shipping container resided was actually a township called Katlehong which was informally established in 1945.   There were some 4.5 million displaced refugees living in this area, living in abject poverty.  The poorest of the poor without jobs, running water, and  electricity in the majority of this area.  I was there with a small entourage from the states, offering what we could to bring encouragement and help to a few lives.  The role I specifically took was in assisting in an AIDS clinic, as this was essentially the epicenter for this terrible disease.  1 in 4 people we encountered had HIV, 1 in 5 had full blown AIDS.  It would prove to be a most difficult journey and perhaps one of the most personally impacting outreach efforts I have ever served.

I sat with 6 or 7 hospice volunteers in this shipping container to discuss the program of support they offered clients.  They discussed the statistics, their programs of response, the outlook and finally, we got to discuss how they as volunteer workers came into this program to help.  As I sat and listened my heart was deeply touched by the personal connection each had with their work.  Nearly every one of these precious friends had lost a family member or two to this disease.  They were committed to making a difference.  It wasn't that they were trying to stop the ravishing effects of this disease, they simply wanted to offer dignity to each client in this season of their life. To give a gift of love and care as they transitioned from this life. I was afforded the opportunity to spend time with several who succumbed to this disease while I was there.  It was profound to give my gift of time, showing that someone really cared for them as they slowly made that eternal transition.  I learned so much about what it means to give while working alongside these selfless caregivers.

Throughout my time in South Africa I was afforded the chance to really put giving into action in other ways.  I can recall a scene where a few of us had gone to a couple of orphanages where the children who lived there were given just one meager meal a day if, in fact, they had any food available. Upon learning this, we immediately drove into Johannesburg to a local grocery store and spent all the money we had in our possession on that day to completely fill a combie from floorboard to ceiling.  We then went back to these orphanages  and distributed all of the food to the kids and caregivers. It would provide meals for well over 3 months.  The image is of one little girl whose name is Geri - the same name and spelling of my own sister.  Giving like this ignited my soul.

The foundation of HowGiving embodies this same behavior.  In giving we receive.  HowGiving was designed to help us be the best givers we can.  It doesn't necessarily require a trip halfway around the world but thankfully, through this app and the technology that supports it, you can make a difference just about anywhere on earth.  HowGiving also brings it closer to home, providing opportunities to consistently remember the important people in your life.  The app is 100% FREE and in using our app to remember others, HowGiving is giving back to several charities and causes represented within our software program.

This season and every season, ignite your soul through the act of giving to the people and causes you care most about.  You will be forever changed.  I can personally attest to that.


Brian Crowe
CCO, HowGiving

Do(ing) Good!

HowGiving, LLC is proud to announce a special opportunity of assistance for two of our charities promoted through our mobile app and desktop software.  Throughout the months of December and January, HowGiving will be donating 25% of all Amazon sales commissions to The Joshua 1:9 Group and Love For Myanmar respectively.  We are particularly excited as this engagement further represents our support of the wonderful organizations identified in our software app.  These two recipients are uniquely serving in two distinct geo-specific locations and in two distinct ways.  

The Joshua 1:9 Group (joshua1-9.org) is an organization who's goal is to empower fragile families, specifically in the greater Houston, Texas community.  The Joshua 1:9 Group uses workforce training scholarships to encourage men and women to stay connected with their family and provide for their co-parents and children. Their Mission & Vision statement is "Inspired by God's love for His children, we help stabilize fragile families and empower them to provide a better life for their children".  This organization fundraises for awards that include scholarships, childcare and employment references. Typical awards are $1,000 per student.

Love For Myanmar (loveformyanmar.org) is a nonprofit 501c3 humanitarian aid organization that provides comprehensive aid, support, and programs to the people of Myanmar.  They first began in 2004 when visiting the country of Myanmar as tourists.  Since then, they developed into the NGO providing food, clothing, shelter, education, and medical supplies to abandoned and orphaned children.  Additional outreach provides vocational training programs, initiating and enhancing small business opportunities, developing neighborhood Christian Learning Centers and helping resettle refugees from Myanmar to the Austin, Texas area.

We hope you'll join us in this effort by simply shopping all your Amazon purchases through the HowGiving desktop or mobile apps.  As a user of the app it costs you nothing extra to make this difference.  It is, after all, "do(ing) good"!

And please, share this effort with your friends, family, co-workers.  The more people shop Amazon through HowGiving, the more resources will be provided to these two specific nonprofit organizations throughout the months of December and January.

Be encouraged!!

3...2...1...

It is hard to believe that we're looking at Christmas ads on TV, in print, and across social media now.  At the typing of this blog it is but 6 short weeks until that day most of the world recognizes the birth of Jesus Christ through the exchanges of gifts.  There are many other celebrations that exchange gifts as well so this countdown is pretty evident world wide.  And for the first time, HowGiving is a player in the gift-giving game.  So why should you care? Here are a couple of important points;

1.) Shop Smart.  HowGiving is easy to use enabling you to more consistently give to the people and causes you care the most about.  We've taken the time to present to you the best storefronts across the web and the best performing causes that are making a difference in the world through humanitarian response, education and advocacy.  The custom built software is extremely secure.  No data on each user is retained for any purpose except to provide a seamless user experience.  HowGiving never shares your usage on Facebook, any social media or with any other entity.  And best of all, it's FREE to use for shopping and remembering others.

2.) Do Good.  By using the HowGiving app you are making an impact in humanitarian causes around the world. Each purchase fulfilled through the HowGiving app makes resources available for HowGiving to share with charitable organizations that we recognize are serving others.  They serve through humanitarian outreach, disaster response, education, advocacy and more.  During the months of December and January HowGiving will partner with at least 2 specific organizations found in our list of Charities, providing increased resources made available through the sales of identified storefronts. As a user, this costs you nothing extra and, by proxy,
engages you in the process of giving to good causes.

So what are you waiting for?  Be a hero to your friends and to the causes you (and we) care the most about.

Shop smart.  Do good.
Automate your thoughtfulness with HowGiving!

Your Confidence Matters

Over the past 2 weeks HowGiving has been engaged in making connection with some of our Charities, prospective non-profit partners and users from all demographics. It has been a remarkable time to visit with others about who we are and what we're all about.  I personally never get tired of sharing our story, our vision.

One of the common threads in every conversations relates to safety.  "Will our information or usage be secure?" is a typical topic question.  We have spent literally thousands of dollars to ensure that every instance of HowGiving is a safe, secure environment.  We never share any user data with any other group.  The information we glean from each user is only enough to create the HowGiving user experience - allowing you to import your data through automation or each import individually.  As you discover, the HowGiving software also puts you in control allowing you to manage your own Favorites grouping of the contacts you import.  Our servers encrypt all data and are always maintained at the highest security level.

Because there are never any financial transactions with HowGiving directly, our app never collects financial data ensuring that all PCI compliance is retained within the storefronts and charities we recommend.  This is another security level that ensures the best experience for our users.

Rest assured, with HowGiving you are shopping smart and doing good with the highest level of security, each and every time.  And no, we won't tell your friends on Facebook you are using the app. We're hoping you'll do that yourself and do it often! :)

Peace!

Brian Crowe, CCO
HowGiving