The BIG CHASE: funding US ME/CFS non-profits

[Dolphin]

We have thirteen days and eight hours, and can vote once for each charity (total 10 votes a day in this round) every 24 hours. Let's tell all our friends!

I'm 99% sure that's incorrect and one can only vote for a charity once over the period of the first round competition i.e. 10 votes in total over the period of the first round competition.

 

[Cort]

According the Leaderboard the WPI is SECOND (gasp) and the CAA is seventh (gasp again). We really have a chance with this! Let's do it.

 

[leaves]

Cort if you look at the actual votes you see we are actually not doing well at all: nr 3 -6 have more votes than nr 2 (WPI), and nr 8 and 9 more votes than nr 7. really need to mobilize.

 

[Doogle]

Oh. I just found more ME/CFS groups in the Chase Community Contest to vote for:

But others have stated the votes won't count in this particular contest, so don't waste your votes like I did by voting for these.

Rocky Mountain CFS/ME and FM Association

CFIDS AND FIBROMYALGIA SELF-HELP PROGRAM

TACOMA GIG HARBOR CFIDS AND FIBROMYALGIA SUPPORT GROUP

MANASOTA CFS-CFIDS SUPPORT GROUP INC

 

[frenchtulip]

Doogle, I think those organizations are too small for this time around. I think the search box at Chase has all the organizations listed at Guidestar, some of which have operating expenses under $1 million and are not eligible this time. I don't know why the voting system allows people to vote if the organizations are not eligible, but that's the way it seems to be. I'm afraid that votes for the smaller organizations will not count.

The leader board has been updated and WPI is in 4th place and the CFIDS Assn. in 13th. So they are both doing well. We need to keep them in the top 100 to win the $25,000 each.

 

[Carryon]

Thanks Doogle! We are not eligible for this round but will be eligible in the fall when the Chase contest is for organizations under 1 million. We are supporting WPI and CAA for this round contest.

Best,

Mike

Oh. I just found more ME/CFS groups in the Chase Community Contest to vote for:

Rocky Mountain CFS/ME and FM Association

CFIDS AND FIBROMYALGIA SELF-HELP PROGRAM

TACOMA GIG HARBOR CFIDS AND FIBROMYALGIA SUPPORT GROUP

MANASOTA CFS-CFIDS SUPPORT GROUP INC

 

[frenchtulip]

I will definitely be supporting the smaller ME/CFS organizations in the fall and think it will be a lot of fun to have maybe ten organizations working together to help each other.

 

[Dolphin]

I will definitely be supporting the smaller ME/CFS organizations in the fall and think it will be a lot of fun to have maybe ten organizations working together to help each other.

This could help them because more people will "know the ropes" - last time PANDORA only got something like 1600 votes and that included bonus votes; I suspect the WPI will get more than 1600 without bonus votes this time.

Also the top 200 smaller nonprofts last time will have been "creamed off" (that's a phrase here anyway) clearing the way a bit.

 

[camas]

Folks, we'd have a much better chance of winning the big prize for ME/CFS research if we didn't split our votes. For that reason, ALL of mine are going to the WPI since they are already well ahead of the CAA.

 

[Dolphin]

Folks, we'd have much better chance of winning the big prize for ME/CFS research if we didn't split our votes. For that reason, ALL of mine are going to the WPI since they are already well ahead of the CAA.

It doesn't work like that.

 

[camas]

It doesn't work like that.

How does it work?

 

[Dolphin]

How does it work?

You can only vote for each non-profit once.

However, nobody needs to believe me - they can try voting more than once for the same non-profit if they want.

 

[camas]

You can only vote for each non-profit once.

However, nobody needs to believe me - they can try voting more than once for the same non-profit if they want.

I believe you. I just wasn't aware that we only got one vote per charity. If they both survive the top 100 that will be great.

 

[jace]

Spread the word!

[video=youtube;lRygh3QtmHU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRygh3QtmHU&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;uM8Hs1nuk5I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM8Hs1nuk5I&feature=player_embedded#at=142[/video]

Post an ad online in Craigslist, Gumtree and anywhere else you can think of. Copy this or write your own:

Facebook Users, we need your help! We need volunteers to vote in the Chase Community Giving Contest. The Whittemore Peterson Institute is the only organization doing meaningful research into causation and treatments of all neuro-immune diseases - Lyme, Fibro, MS, Autism, Alzheimers and more.

They need money to continue their research. You can help. Your reward is knowing you are helping some people who are experiencing terrible suffering. The Chase Competition is in America, as is the Whittemore Peterson Institute. Their work is of world-wide benefit.

All you need to do is go on facebook and,

1. Like Chase Community Giving here:http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving

2. Go here and vote for the Whittemore Peterson Institute: http://chasecommunitygiving.contextoptional.com/charities/205904991-whittemore-peterson-institute-fo

The competition runs for the next 12 days, and you can vote every day. Thanks for reading this, now, please, off to facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving2
www.facebook.com

 

[Sasha]

The competition runs for the next 12 days, and you can vote every day. Thanks for reading this, now, please, off to facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving2
www.facebook.com

Hi Jace - great stuff! You can't vote every day, though! Just use up to ten votes in this round, not voting for any charity more than once.

 

[frenchtulip]

What will happen if . . .

In looking at the Chase Leader Board, I just can't believe that a lot of those nonprofits in the Top 100 have operating expenses between $1 million and $10 million. I wonder if too few nonprofits of the right size entered and Chase plans to let smaller organizations win, too. Maybe that's why the voting system allows us to vote for any charity that pops up in the search box. Or, if too few nonprofits of the right size entered, will Chase simply award prizes to the nonprofits within the Top 100, which actually qualify, and save the rest of the prize money for a later contest. I would like to find out because that affects how I use my votes. I would certainly vote for ME/CFS organizations like NJCFSA, the Rocky Mountain group, O.F.F.E.R., and others if I thought they could get money, too. Maybe I'll email Chase and see what I can find out.

 

[Dolphin]

In looking at the Chase Leader Board, I just can't believe that a lot of those nonprofits in the Top 100 have operating expenses between $1 million and $10 million. I wonder if too few nonprofits of the right size entered and Chase plans to let smaller organizations win, too. Maybe that's why the voting system allows us to vote for any charity that pops up in the search box. Or, if too few nonprofits of the right size entered, will Chase simply award prizes to the nonprofits within the Top 100, which actually qualify, and save the rest of the prize money for a later contest. I would like to find out because that affects how I use my votes. I would certainly vote for ME/CFS organizations like NJCFSA, the Rocky Mountain group, O.F.F.E.R., and others if I thought they could get money, too. Maybe I'll email Chase and see what I can find out.

I think they'll give it to the top 100 that do qualify. If I remember correctly, last time at the start the WPI got some votes before it became clear they weren't eligible.

 

[Dolphin]

Another idea (I've no time) is to write to State groups across the US (and perhaps local groups in other countries) and ask them to forward requests to their members. I've done this before with other appeals e.g. matching appeals.. I came across quite a few lists of State groups e.g. there was one the CDC site, on the ProHealth site, etc (for US groups); ME Research UK site for UK groups, etc. One way to find them is find the name of few State groups and google them/similar to find webpages which has them all on together. Then try different combinations to find different pages.

 

[frenchtulip]

Great idea, Dolphin! Thanks! I will try to keep doing several posts or emails to groups each day. The CFS Knowledge Center, Wikipedia, and the Northern VA CFS group all have lists, too.

By the way, I checked for financial info at Guidestar for several of the Top 100--especially those at the lower end. I only found one that was definitely too small and one I couldn't find at Guidestar. So it looks like most of the nonprofits on the leaderboard are probably large enough and do qualify (even though I've never heard of most of them). I had never heard of the Fanconi Anemia group but I believe it had larger operating expenses that either the CFIDS Assn. or the WPI.

 

[Frank]

[video=youtube;Z0tikeIGtc4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0tikeIGtc4[/video]
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