pegkerr | Love Drop (Reply)

You may remember the indefatigable Nate St. Pierre, who started the internet projects ItStartsWith.Us and Love Bomb (you may also remember that I called upon the help of the latter project when I was attempting to get help for

jemyl...and isn't it time to check back with

jemyl's website to buy some of her lovely jewelry?)

Anyway, Nate is starting out the new year with yet a new project: Love Drop. Love Bomb encourages people to send supportive blog messages to someone having a difficult time, but maybe my suggestion of

jemyl for the project started Nate thinking along new lines, that some people could really use some practical and financial assistance during a hard time, too.

Each month, Love Drop will promote one individual or family and spend the month trying to find ways to help meet their needs. You can join the network with a very low monthly buy in, as low as $1 a month via Paypal. The network will give the families financial help, but it will also be focused on giving them practical assistance, too, the way that we hooked Ellen up with a local church and found people to help cut her lawn.

From the FAQ section of the website:

Why did you create Love Drop?

Because we want to change the world! And we love how easily this can be done by creating a community both online AND off – all coming together to directly affect one person/family every month. We can’t tell you how excited we are :)

Is Love Drop a charity?

No. Love Drop is not a 501(c)3 organization, but that doesn’t mean we don’t share the love. After many months of discussion, we decided to structure Love Drop as a sustainable for-profit company . . . in the business of doing good. Call us old-fashioned, but the thought of constantly fundraising and trying to secure donors to help us run the organization just didn’t sound like a lot of fun.

So when you sign up for Love Drop, you’re not giving away your money. You are purchasing a monthly subscription to our online (and offline) community, the ability to suggest a family who needs help, login credentials to a private online network, and access to a bunch of extras and behind-the-scenes footage surrounding our monthly drops.

Every member gets the same benefits, and you pay whatever you think it’s worth, starting as little as $1 a month. If you want to spend your money on being a part of something special every month, go ahead and subscribe. If you want to send a few dollars over to an official 501(c)3 charity instead, by all means go for it – we always want people to give in a way that makes sense for them. This is just how it makes sense for us. Sound fair?

Where does my money go?

Here is how every dollar from our team members gets divided up. We are all about transparency!

* 50% to the recipient
* 20% to taxes
* 30% to running Love Drop

Are my contributions tax-deductible?

Nope. Since we are not a charity (please refer to question #2), your contributions cannot be deducted from your taxes at the end of the year. And please don’t try it and get in trouble! ;) Make sure to consult an accountant for more information. If you don’t agree with us, watch this short video.

Is Love Drop U.S.- based only?

We welcome team members from all over the world, just as we do with our other projects. For logistical reasons, the first year of Drops will probably be focused in the United States and Canada only – it gets expensive to fly a crew over to the UK! However, our two-year goal is to expand globally and really make this a worldwide project. We meant it when we said change the world.

Can I make a one-time payment?

Absolutely. You can become a member by paying any amount of money you’d like, and it will be applied to that month’s Drop (the money collected from the 1st of the month, to the last day of the month, all goes toward that month’s recipient. You can give as many times, or as many months, as you wish). All you have to do is send the payment directly to our PayPal address: paypal (at) love drop (dot) us. Or through our trusted partner Giving Anonymously. Or you can mail us a check to: Love Drop Team, P.O. Box 26155, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. Just be sure to send over your name and email address so we can give you access to the community!

I have no money, can I still help?

Of course you can! We are always appreciative of anyone who can spread the word on what we’re doing. The more people supporting our community, the bigger the difference we can make in each family’s lives! Here are a few ways you can help:

* Tell your friends and family!
* Offer some goods or services (contact us here)
* Join our Street Team
* Join our Blogger Network! (This is a great way to spread the news on who we’re helping every month. These bloggers post an article, or video that we provide, once a month telling the story on who we’re coming together for. It’s super easy, and it’s super helpful.)

The website also partners with sponsors.

The first month's designated recipient is a single mother who lost her job, then her daughter, and then all of her possessions in a fire:

So if you think you might be interested, check out Love Drop. Again, caveat: it isn't a 501(c)(3) charity, and there are administrative costs, but it is a way you can connect with someone in need and make a difference, for a very small buy in cost. Check out Love Drop at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Thanks.

What I did today to make the world a better place: Joined Love Drop and boosted signal.