To Give or Not to Give? – Is That Even a Question?

In a world where most individuals have a tendency to think about themselves first, it is more important to help those in need even before that.
Nonprofit organizations do just that. They help others out of the kindness of their hearts, their passion to make a difference, and the urge to improve global wellbeing. Even more than that, they do not ask, nor expect anything in return.
From providing for those who live in poverty stricken areas to building homes for disaster relief, the opportunities are endless for nonprofit organizations to help others. It is the small gestures that build upon each other to make a big difference. And it is when small gestures are accompanied with passionate individuals that even a greater difference is possible.
For CoffeeTalk, it is not even an option; it is a must to help others and give back. This issue is our Making a Difference issue. It highlights nonprofit organizations that are making a difference and improving the coffee industry.
It is organizations like these in this issue that make the coffee industry proud. It is organizations like these that allow the coffee industry to grow and become not just an industry, but rather a heartfelt community.  A community that works together to provide one of the world’s most beloved beverages, while simultaneously stimulating economic growth around the globe.
Nonprofit organizations are making a difference one can, one dollar, one shirt, and one hammered nail at a time. It is important to give back and help others. Not just because it is “the right thing to do,” but because is it what we ought to do.
COFFEECARES
Programs have been created to keep track of such donations. Profits4Purpose was first built four years ago by five young men who saw an unfilled niche to give online for small to medium sized businesses.
Karen Cebreros, owner of CoffeeCares says, “It is a new innovative technology and slowly gaining momentum but it is here to stay.  We came along 18 months ago and fell in love with it.”
CoffeeCares was granted a license to sell this software. There are two versions, the basic CoffeeCares software and the customizable Profits4Purpose intended for the larger companies.
Cebreros says, “CoffeeCares is a vertical platform built for our industry only so we can aggregate all coffee NGOs into one platform.”
There are three different sizes for the CoffeeCares software: small, medium, and large. The largest program is Profits4Purpose with the CoffeeCares nonprofits dropped into it. That way an organization or a company can choose which size software is best for them to utilize.
Companies can license the software and then give their employees access through a password based function. After that each company builds out the nonprofit organizations they would like to donate to. Employees can make a monetary donation or a product donation through this software. They can also donate time and volunteer for events in and around their location.
Each company can customize their dashboard to show or hide items they wish to share with employees. This program tracks all of the hours, dollars, and products donated within a company.
“The concept is so new but will catch on in several more years. We can no longer have a planet with half the world starving and the Western countries using up 80% of the natural resources,” says Cebreros.
While the concept is new, many prominent companies are using it already. Gavina, Mars, Appfels, Prometheus, and Rebecca’s Coffee House are just naming a few.
This software provides reporting so that management can involve and report effectively, efficiently, and also easily to not only employees, but clients on the entire organization’s efforts. This software is cloud-based, it is a way of the future that many companies will adopt and utilize to get give back.
“If people in our industry care about stopping plagues, erasing poverty, building schools, helping animals, whatever the case may be; we have a way to harness the industry to capture every dime, every pound of coffee, and show the industry Coffee Moving Millions and have a say in how the money applies,” says Cebreros.
CoffeeCares does not take any money from the donations, none, zero, ever! “If you want to donate a dollar, all 100 pennies goes right to the organization, every time,” she continues.
The coffee industry is the first industry to band together to create change in a public manner. Cebreros’ passion to move others to make a change and ‘Track the Impact’ is inspirational. It is people like Cebreros that have the drive to create software to promote change. It is rewarding when an individual can see that their donation is making a difference to someone who can be 1,000 miles away in another country.
Her software allows individuals within the coffee community to step outside their daily job as a barista for the corner coffee shop, or president of a high-end corporation and help others who really need a helping hand.
The following stories in this issue are just a handful of the nonprofit organizations helping the coffee industry. Some are small in size and some are larger, but they all have something in common- they are all giving back and helping others. You too can help. By just viewing these stories you are giving one of these organizations an opportunity to gain $1,000 for their cause. CoffeeTalk Media will donate $1,000 to the project in this issue that receives the most views and clicks. Be inspired, find passion in something, and make a difference. It could be a monetary donation or a few hours of your time. Start a chain reaction and care to help others. Now, start clicking and start viewing, be a part of the change!
Watch our short video here!