Vote before 4 May to win WPI up to $500,000 - Round 1 of Chase Contest

[Sasha]

WPI (and the CAA) could win up to $500,000 in the Chase Community Giving contest. WPI is already in second place today, the opening day of voting!

In Round 1 (now til 4 May), anyone with a Facebook account (easy to open!) has ten votes to cast among ten different charities. The leading 100 get $25,000 and go through to the final round, with HUGE prizes including $500,000 for the winner.

Very simply:

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Go here: http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving
3. Click the "like" button (just to the right of "Chase Community Giving" at the top (no need if you already "liked" them in the past).
4. Go here: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/?ref=ts
5. Type "Whittemore Peterson Institute" in the search box and click on the resulting link.
6. VOTE!

If you also want to vote for the CAA, put "CFIDS Association" in the search box and vote for them too.

Non-US people can vote.

That's it! Voting isn't daily - you just get your ten votes and can't vote for the same charity more than once. WPI and CAA are the only eligible ME charities in the contest.

Thanks to shannah, jace, and Cort for "how to" info on this. Cort's thorough article about the contest is here - I just wanted to provide easy instructions!

Please feel free to copy my new signature to help spread the word on the forums about the contest.

ETA: Frank has provided a helpful video that shows you how to do this, if you find videos easier (and he has such a nice voice!). Here's the link.

 

[Sasha]

There's a leaderboard (to find it click the leaderboard tab just under the big blue hand at the top left of the screen) which is only updated twice a day - the last time it was updated, WPI was in second place to Joyful Heart Foundation with 121 votes to their 190 but now it's 414 to their 457 - that is, the gap has closed from 69 votes to 43. Go, WPI!

The CAA was in 7th place with 12 votes but it now has 63 votes - not sure where that puts it on the board. I know many people on the forums have strong views about the CAA and we must each make our own decisions but I was impressed by their funding of so much research that was showcased at the recent NIH State of Knowledge conference and I'd like to see them get more research money, especially because it won't be at the WPI's expense. In this Round 1, all charities in the top 100 get $25,000.

 

[Hope123]

OK, really simple question but I logged into Facebook and went to the page you listed. However, I am not seeing the "like" button anywhere on that page -- perhaps this is the CFS kicking in! Can someone tell me where it is?

I did manage to put in my vote by searching for the WPI, then clicking on the WPI after the search results came up, and then hitting "Vote." I wonder if it's possible that those of us who voted last year don't have to put "Like" since we already "Liked" it last year?

 

[Hope123]

Not good at Facebook at all but can someone vote for and post on Joyful Heart Foundation (the leader so far) that he/she and another Facebook person (me) voted for their charity and to ask them to vote for WPI?

In particular Joyful Heart works with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and since women are disproprotionately affected by these issues and ME/CFS, we can forge a link with them. I am also familiar with this charity through the TV show Law and Order -- SVU -- Mariska Hargitay (who plays Olivia) started this charity through talking to survivors in making her role as realistic as possible.

I would encourage that people using their eight votes for other charities they like to ask them to vote for WPI as well.

[And can someone tell me how to post comments on another charities' page?]

 

[Sasha]

OK, really simple question but I logged into Facebook and went to the page you listed. However, I am not seeing the "like" button anywhere on that page -- perhaps this is the CFS kicking in! Can someone tell me where it is?

Doh! So sorry, I've fixed that link. Thanks for pointing that out, Hope! Off to fix my sig now... :innocent1:

 

[Sasha]

It's now 444 for WPI vs 480 for the leader - we're closing the gap, that's just 36 votes in it down from 43 which was down from 69 some hours earlier - we're doing well!

 

[Merry]

Thank you, Sasha, for the info and signature.


Edit: Oops, the signature did not show up. Must fiddle.

 

[Sasha]

Thank you, Sasha, for the info and signature.


Edit: Oops, the signature did not show up. Must fiddle.

For anyone who doesn't know how to create/edit a signature, you just just go into Settings (next to Log Out, top right of the screen) and then to Edit Signature. Don't forget to click "Save", though! Good luck, Merry!

 

[beesknees]

Try these directions. Let me know if this works.

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Copy and Paste: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ChaseCommunityGiving
3. Click the "like" button (just to the right of "Chase Community Giving" at the top.
4. Copy and Paste this: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/?ref=ts
5. Search for Whittemore Peterson Institute or CAA in the box at the top right that says find charities.

 

[Sasha]

Try these directions. Let me know if this works.

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Copy and Paste: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/ChaseCommunityGiving
3. Click the "like" button (just to the right of "Chase Community Giving" at the top.
4. Copy and Paste this: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/?ref=ts
5. Search for Whittemore Peterson Institute or CAA in the box at the top right that says find charities.

Thanks, beesknees - just realised my newly edited instructions didn't take people to the search page at any time! I have re-edited and will edit my sig to go to my first post on this thread (there's a character limit and the instructions are now too long - sorry, Merry!).

 

[leaves]

Can we also include the rocky mountain cfs group in our signatures? I think they are pretty good? I also voted for the CAA, for the same reason as you, Sasha

 

[Sasha]

Can we also include the rocky mountain cfs group in our signatures? I think they are pretty good? I also voted for the CAA, for the same reason as you, Sasha

Hi leaves - according to Cort, who has had a good look (!), only the CAA & WPI are eligible in this competition. The rules have changed since last time and this one is for very big charities - there's a minimum income threshold (I forget what) and it's huge. That has ruled out the other ME groups. Chase are going to do another competition for the smaller charities later, apparently.

 

[leaves]

Oh but they are in the list.. you can vote for them (I just did). Are you sure?

 

[Sasha]

Please note the change to my sig, folks - I left a stage out of the instructions! Sorry! They're now too long to fit in a signature, alas.

 

[Dolphin]

I wonder if it's possible that those of us who voted last year don't have to put "Like" since we already "Liked" it last year?

I voted last year and didn't have to click "Like" this year - I just searched for the non-profits and voted.

 

[Hope123]

Can someone confirm that people not living in the US can vote in this contest? I got a note to this effect and also the website states you do not need to be a customer of Chase nor a US citizen to vote in the contest. If this is true, we need to rally our international friends and advocates.

I looked at 'FAQ' on the bottom of the page and section 3 on Participants.

 

[Dolphin]

Can someone confirm that people not living in the US can vote in this contest? I got a note to this effect and also the website states you do not need to be a customer of Chase nor a US citizen to vote in the contest. If this is true, we need to rally our international friends and advocates.

I looked at 'FAQ' on the bottom of the page and section 3 on Participants.

I don't live in the US, am not a US citizen, nor am I a customer of Chase and I voted ok.

 

[leaves]

We should contact and mobilize the autism and lyme community if we can.. Any connections?

 

[Sasha]

Can someone confirm that people not living in the US can vote in this contest? I got a note to this effect and also the website states you do not need to be a customer of Chase nor a US citizen to vote in the contest. If this is true, we need to rally our international friends and advocates.

I looked at 'FAQ' on the bottom of the page and section 3 on Participants.

Yes, that's true - we can all vote. I'll add that to my original post. Thanks again, Hope!

 

[Sasha]

Oh but they are in the list.. you can vote for them (I just did). Are you sure?

Hi leaves - I was going by Cort's article where he says:

Chase Community Giving is at it again. This time they have expanded their Facebook contest to include a round of larger non-profits with have annual operating expenses from 1-5 million dollars. That would includes two ME/CFS organizations in the US; the Whittemore Peterson Institute and the CFIDS Association of America.

Although you could click the vote button for the Rocky Mountain charity, I don't think that means necessarily that they are eligible in the current contest - I think it might be just that there is an enormous master-list of charities in the database, some of which are eligible for certain contests and some for others. Having said that, I'm only going on what Cort says! But originally we expected this contest to be like the previous ones where only smaller charities were eligible and we were getting up a big list of ME ones to use our votes for, which I think included the Rocky Mountain guys. Then the rules were announced and we saw it was a whole new ball game...