calling on dreamers, visionaries, and investors

We recently unveiled our vision for One Day’s Wages – a movement to fight extreme global poverty. We’re still working hard to get the beta version of the website ready by late June/early July and a full launch by September but we still need your help.  This is my invitation for the early Dreamers, Visionaries, & Investors to help launch One Day’s Wages.

Raising funds is not an easy to do especially in light of two things: 1) I hear there’s a global financial recession going on, and 2) It’s not easy investing in something you’re really not sure if it’s going to do what it aspires to do.

And what is ODW’s aspiration?

Inspiring people around the world through human relationships & stories and technology & social media to stir a movement to fight extreme global poverty.

Would you consider being amongst our early Dreamers, Visionaries, and Investors?  Here’s the good news: We’ve already raised $50,519.63 for the Administration Fund and our goal is to raise $150,000.  We’re also receiving donations for the Giving Fund (100% of these funds go towards organizations, causes, and projects and we’ve raised $4,035). If you’re interested or know someone that might be interested, here’s some relevant links for your due diligence:

• Vision Letter for Investors //  2 min Video: Introducing ODW
• More info about Donations //  Everything Else Re: ODW

Additional good news: Until mid-September, people can donate to One Day’s Wages via Amazon Payments with absolutely ZERO surcharges (amazing!). You can also mail your donation.

Yesterday, Seattle Business Journal published this article about One Day’s Wages.  Help us spread the word by tweeting or posting the article on Facebook, or sending our Vision Letter to some of your family & friends that might resonate with ODW’s vision.

Thank for dreaming with us…

[link to article]
A Seattle pastor and blogger is launching a grass-roots, global movement to fight extreme poverty by asking supporters to donate something he says won’t break the budgets: one day’s worth of wages.

The group, One Day’s Wages, was granted status as a nonprofit in May and will unveil a website to accept donations this month. Founded by Eugene Cho and his wife, Min Hee Cho, One Day’s Wages is using social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to seek funds. The nonprofit’s mission is not associated with any faith, the Chos said.

The concept is simple: Donate a single workday’s worth of wages — equal to $192 for an income of $50,000 a year — and have donors renew the pledge each year on their birthday.

“My wife and I want to do our part to impact the larger world,” said Eugene Cho, a blogger and Christian pastor at Quest Church in Seattle.

The nonprofit’s Facebook group, called Fight Global Poverty, lists an astounding 803,000 members. The Chos pledged to give $1 for every member of the Facebook group, up to $100,000, and Eugene Cho asked his 2,000 friends on Facebook to consider joining the group. From there word spread rapidly, he said.

“It is pretty stunning to us,” Eugene Cho said of the interest the concept has received.

One Day’s Wages has begun receiving donations but will not make grants until September after screening groups to be eligible to receive the donations, Cho said.

Cho said the idea came to him and his wife three years ago after one of their three children asked about poor children in a television commercial. The question resonated, so Cho and his wife pledged one year of their household income — about $68,000 — to fight poverty. From that, One Day’s Wages was born and the Chos increased their total pledge to $100,000, some of which might go to cover administrative costs for One Day’s Wages.

The group is trying to raise $150,000 to cover the first two years’ administrative costs for the new nonprofit, Cho said. Still, as the recession worsened, the pledge has put the family in a financial bind and they have sold some assets to cover basic needs, Cho said. “It has been a very humbling, painful time as a family.”

The interest on Facebook is providing inspiration, Cho said. “A big part of our vision is this is what we mean by a movement,” he said. “We really are trying to inspire people to be more generous and compassionate.”

Cho said donations will be passed through to established organizations that support clean water, education, health and other strategies for fighting poverty.

“Our desire is not to reinvent the wheel,” Cho said.