{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Giving on Jamie Thingelstad", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2025/14/1545.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/", "feed_url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2026/05/18/minnesota-technology-council.html", "title": "Minnesota Technology Council", "content_html": "

I had my first official meeting of the Technology Advisory Council a week ago. I was honored to be accepted into this group with an official appointment from Governor Walz. The role of the council is to advise Minnesota IT Services (MNIT). The group is preparing for transition with a new CIO for the State of Minnesota, and a Governor transition as well. This meeting was my first chance to see the breadth of the portfolio MNIT manages.

\n

I’m looking forward to helping in established areas like cloud and data transformation, as well as new areas with AI deployment. I think there could also be some good opportunities to connect the State of Minnesota with the Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech) where I’m currently chair.

\n\"Official\n", "date_published": "2026-05-18T21:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2026/05/18/minnesota-technology-council.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2026/02/04/our-sps-ignite-give-back.html", "content_html": "

Our SPS Ignite 2026 Give Back event tonight included building a mini-golf course with pool noodles and cardboard and then each team playing the course. I found it much more difficult than it seemed. We then packed over 4,000 bags of goods for Special Olympics athletes and family members!

\n

\"Large\"Mini-golf\"Person\"Group

\n", "date_published": "2026-02-04T22:30:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2026/02/04/our-sps-ignite-give-back.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/27/th-candle.html", "title": "1,000th candle", "content_html": "

We were talking over dinner about the Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser and thinking we should make note when we sell the 1,000th candle. It turns out we already did — this year!

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
YearCandles
2021134
2022180
2023226
2024264
2025321
\n

We’ve already sold 1,125 candles!

\n

So who got the 1,000th candle? We had 804 sold before this year’s event.

\n

The 196th candle of the 2025 sale, the 1,000th candle, was in the 40th transaction of the event!

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-27T09:17:24-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/27/th-candle.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/23/having-fun-preparing-for-the.html", "content_html": "

Having fun preparing for the Things 4 Good 2026 Scent Survey. I have 10 new scents ready for folks to check out and share their feedback over the holidays. A special POAP to all who participate. This is how we added Charcoal Rose last year.

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-23T17:21:09-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/23/having-fun-preparing-for-the.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/22/after-weve-made-hundreds-of.html", "content_html": "

After we’ve made hundreds of candles for the Candle Fundraiser it is fun to casually pour a bunch of individual scents to try out. Ten scents poured tonight for the 2025 Scent Survey.

\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2025-11-22T22:54:55-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/22/after-weve-made-hundreds-of.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/16/things-good-five-year-impact.html", "title": "Things 4 Good Five Year Impact", "content_html": "

We’ve now done our Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser for five years. With the amazing support of this community we have raised $31,787 for non-profits! Thank you so much. This year was an incredible jump from last year selling 321 candles! ❤️

\n\"A\n

Last year we did the first day of the sale at Mount Olivet Holiday Boutique and that resulted in a lot of new people finding our candles — and a lot of transactions. This year we returned to our at home model but still saw a lot of people participating in the fundraiser with 73 unique transactions!

\n\"A\n

I also noticed this year that I felt like the distribution of funds between the non-profits seemed much tighter than usual. I went back and did the math and sure enough it was. The “range” between the four non-profits was only 2.4%, less than any previous year.

\n\"A\n

Here is another look at this data. In a completely even distribution each non-profit would get 25%. Here we look at the percent over-achievement of the highest performing organization and the percent under-achievement of the lowest. The first year had the highest range ever.

\n\"A\n

This event has become a treasured tradition for our family and I think it has for some of the folks that come as well. Sign up to our family mailing list and check “Candle Fundraiser” to be notified of future sales.

\n

See Four Year Impact.

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-16T15:24:32-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/16/things-good-five-year-impact.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Software Development","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/16/things-good-candle-fundraiser-insights.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2025 Candle Fundraiser Insights", "content_html": "

We have wrapped up the 5th annual Candle Fundraiser. I’m proud to say that we raised $9,048 in donations! That is a $2,000 jump (29.1%) from last year’s results. Amazing!

\n

Last year we made 252 candles and we sold out on Sunday. This year we sold 321 candles and only had 10 remaining after the sale. We didn’t necessarily set out to make 321 candles. It was a struggle to get the components that we needed to make all the candles. Vessels were all out of stock so I would order any vessels as soon as they came in stock but it was dribbles. Scent was also challenging. On Wednesday before the sale we had no Winter Wonderland candles and had made a bunch of True North to compensate. Then an order of 8 lbs of scent arrived a few days early and we got to making a bunch of candles!

\n

Many people buy candles as gifts so we tend to see some larger orders. Our largest order this year was 16 candles. You can see folks tend to by in pairs — even numbers are more common than odd. We also saw a big difference this year versus last in the number of single candle sales. Last year at the Mount Olivet Holiday Boutique we had 32 sales of one candle, and this year there were only 9 sales with one candle.

\n\"A\n

This year we had eleven different scents, three more than last year. The new scent was Charcoal Rose. We also introduced two new “types” of candles — T4G Labs and Rekindled. Both of these candles were in a random scent distribution, requiring you to smell each one since they were different. The Labs candles are the result of our scent experimentation. Rekindled were all made using vessels that had been returned to us and then reused. Here is a look at rolling inventory as sales were happening.

\n\"A\n

Here is the same data but using a different visualization.

\n\"A\n

This year was also the first year we offered XL 24oz candles for a $50 donation. I had no way of knowing demand for this so we only made 12 of them to start with and thankfully the preorders allowed me to oversell them and get more made the week after the sale — totally 22 sold. This added $1,100 to the fundraiser. (Note: XL candles are not in the graphs above.)

\n

The last new thing this year were lids. We have been asked in the past if we have lids and I decided we should just have some available. These were $10 each, are very high quality, and can be used repeatedly on different candles. We sold 40 of these. These seemed to be mostly sold when people were giving them as gifts. This added $400 to the fundraiser.

\n

Other observations from the sale:

\n\n

We are already busy thinking of improvements and how we will run next year’s sale! We hope to see you there! Sign up to our family mailing list and check “Candle Fundraiser” to be notified.

\n

Also see 2025 Fundraiser Results.

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-16T15:13:46-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/16/things-good-candle-fundraiser-insights.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Software Development","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/16/things-good-candle-fundraiser-results.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2025 Candle Fundraiser Results", "content_html": "

We completed our annual candle sale raising $9,048 for the four organizations we picked! That is a 29.1% increase from 2024, topping the growth of previous years at 21.8, 9.7, and 10.3%. A huge thank you to the 73 folks from this community who made this possible by purchasing a wooden-wick candle made with love!

\n

As in previous years, we let people pick which organizations they would like to support. People could pick any or all of the organizations. We even had some folks request specific allocations versus dividing it proportionally.

\n\"A\n

The is the closest clustering of amounts between the various organizations that we have ever had with only a 2.4% delta between the four organizations.

\n

A bit more about the organizations that we have sent these funds to!

\n

Animal Welfare Institute

\n

The Animal Welfare Institute is a non-profit committed to freeing animals suffering because of people. They do this for animals stuck in labs all the way to animals suffering on farms. Their mission is to end all human-caused suffering for animals everywhere, improving the welfare of all. I picked this non-profit because put simply, animals shouldn’t suffer due to humans, and I think it is our responsibility as a society to make sure that we do not make animals unnecessarily hurt. — Tyler

\n

Border Angels

\n

Centered around love, Border Angels help migrants and refugees along the entire US-Mexico border with legal issues and human rights cases. Founded in 1986 by Enrique Morones, it now runs multiple direct action programs and advocacy and humanitarian work. Their Water Drops program stations food, water, and other essential resources along dangerous sections of desert that migrants must cross before arriving in the US. Their Bond Program assists families with the financial burden of bonds and legal struggles to free loved ones being held in detention facilities. Also made possible by Border Angels, the Caravan of Love donates hygiene supplies and clothing to refugees being held in overcrowded shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, and Volviendo a Casa provides support for families suffering from loss. — Mazie

\n

The Food Group

\n

The Food Group is a local non-profit that supplies food shelves with low cost, local healthy foods. They also own a organic farm in Marine on St Croix where they grow veggies and give opportunities for others to learn about sustainable farming helping the next generation of farmers gain access to land, markets, educational opportunities and a network of other likeminded individuals.

\n

In this time where so many people are food insecure, I wanted to support an organization that is working directly on this problem. I chose the Food Group because not only are they working to help get food to people who need it, they are doing it with local, healthy food and in the framework of sustainable agriculture. I also love that they operate a farm which provides organic produce to food shelves and teaches others the tools to take up sustainable farming. — Tammy

\n

Sandy Hook Promise

\n

I was driving up Lyndale Ave on my way to work and became alarmed at the number of police and other first responders that were racing south as I was going north. Shortly after I found out there was a school shooting at Annunciation. This was less than a mile from our home. We know many people that are connected to Annunciation. It was horrible, and should never happen. None of this should happen. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in America. Sandy Hook Promise is doing good work everyday to stop this. Join me in supporting them, and supporting our kids. — Jamie

\n

These four organizations add to the sixteen that we have supported in previous years:

\n\n

Also see 2025 Fall Fundraiser Insights for more details from this year. Additionally see results from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-16T14:36:32-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/16/things-good-candle-fundraiser-results.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/09/realized-we-had-some-big.html", "content_html": "

Realized we had some big usability issues in our donation tracking sheets for day 1 of Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser (right side). I designed a complete redo of it for today’s sale (middle) that I tested this morning and is much better. I also created a candle guide to include with the candles! 🤩

\n\"Three\n", "date_published": "2025-11-09T12:26:01-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/09/realized-we-had-some-big.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/08/we-are-ready-to-host.html", "content_html": "

We are ready to host our fifth annual Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser today! We are supporting Animal Welfare Institute, Border Angels, The Food Group, and Sandy Hook Promise this year.

\n

\"Dozens\"Dozens\"Rows\"Dozens\"Things\"Things

\n", "date_published": "2025-11-08T09:45:25-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/08/we-are-ready-to-host.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/06/poap-at-things-good-candle.html", "content_html": "

POAP 7487921 at Things 4 Good 2025 Candle Fundraiser.

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2025-11-06T15:32:30-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/06/poap-at-things-good-candle.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","POAP Claims","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/11/01/making-more-candles-for-the.html", "content_html": "

Making more candles for the Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser for next week! I got the labels a little faster so we can put those on before pouring making it a bit more efficient. ⏱️

\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2025-11-01T14:46:28-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/11/01/making-more-candles-for-the.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/10/26/making-things-good-candles.html", "content_html": "

Making Things 4 Good candles!

\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2025-10-26T13:58:58-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/10/26/making-things-good-candles.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/09/21/spent-the-morning-ordering-materials.html", "content_html": "

Spent the morning ordering materials for our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser and candle scents and vessels are more “out of stock” than I’ve ever seen. Luckily I have some vessel inventory, but not enough. Might be a scramble this year. I wonder if Makesy inventory issues are tariff related? 😬

\n", "date_published": "2025-09-21T08:39:44-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/09/21/spent-the-morning-ordering-materials.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/05/22/teamsps-at-the-cristy-rey.html", "content_html": "

TeamSPS at the Cristy Rey “Ungala” tonight celebrating our long-standing partnership with the organization. It is a great program and amazing results. Proud that SPS Commerce can be part of it!

\n\"Group\n\"Sponsor\n", "date_published": "2025-05-22T22:08:56-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/05/22/teamsps-at-the-cristy-rey.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Family","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/05/15/i-am-glad-we-can.html", "content_html": "

I am glad we can support Zero Line on their next convoy of aid to Ukraine and their continued work to support the people of Ukraine. 🇺🇦

\n", "date_published": "2025-05-15T18:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/05/15/i-am-glad-we-can.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/05/14/at-our-q-teamsps-company.html", "content_html": "

At our Q2 #TeamSPS company meeting I was honored to share the stage with Elizabeth Neuville and Christy Sovereign and announce our support of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games — SPS Commerce is the official Bocce sponsor! Why Bocce? It needs the most volunteers and TeamSPS values volunteering!

\n

\"Three\"Seven\"Seven

\n", "date_published": "2025-05-14T19:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/05/14/at-our-q-teamsps-company.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/05/11/plant-shopping-at-the-heart.html", "content_html": "

Plant shopping at the Heart to Care Tanzania plant sale! If you are in the Twin Cities and want plants you can support a good cause at the same time. 🇹🇿

\n

\"Outdoor\"Dozens\"Outdoor\"Potted

\n", "date_published": "2025-05-11T10:55:32-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/05/11/plant-shopping-at-the-heart.html", "tags": ["Home","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/03/31/project-there-are-ice-cream.html", "title": "Project 11:11 — There are ice cream boats?", "content_html": "

We were hanging out on Anna Maria Beach around 5:30p today and saw a boat coming close to shore playing that unmistakable ice cream truck music. It had two flags in the back and we wondered “Is that an ice cream boat?” It was indeed an ice cream boat. AN ICE CREAM BOAT! How awesome is that.

\n

The boat was a bit down the shore from us but how can you pass up getting ice cream from the very first ice cream boat we’ve ever seen. We made our way over to the boat. As we got closer I saw that not only was this an Ice Cream Boat, but it was also raising money for vets. All of the proceeds from these ice creams were going to support vets. We made a couple donations and got a couple of ice creams, and I asked for more information about this organization.

\n

The organization is Project 11:11 started by Erin Gallivan from Bradenton. They have a bunch of profiles on various sites to check out, as well as a GoFundMe to help raise money.

\n

What a great thing to do to bring smiles to people on the beach and do good for veterans. Way to go! 🇺🇸

\n

\"Colorful\"Two

\n", "date_published": "2025-03-31T21:02:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/03/31/project-there-are-ice-cream.html", "tags": ["Travel","Giving","Florida 2025"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2025/01/05/support-the-web-via-open.html", "title": "Support the Web via Open RSS", "content_html": "

I recently discovered Open RSS via an article on Lifehacker highlighting how the service can provide feeds for some services that don’t do it themselves. I clicked through and was delighted to read more about Open RSS.

\n

Open RSS is a non-profit advocating for the use of RSS. I read their about page in detail and it strongly resonated with me. Open protocols like RSS are an enabler to the open web and a way to create connection without all of the downsides of consolidated media platforms driven by a desire for data and engagement.

\n

Open RSS also provides capability to discover and bridge RSS feeds for different sites (this is what the article was about). I’ve already suggested connecting POAPs to RSS. 🤓

\n

I’m a care deeply about the kind of work this organization is doing. It is super small and grass roots. I’ve already had a few emails with Mark, one of the founders. This is a great opportunity to donate to a cause that is focused on the open Web. I think I just found the next organization that Weekly Thing Supporting Memberships can support!

\n", "date_published": "2025-01-05T11:11:42-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/01/05/support-the-web-via-open.html", "tags": ["Weekly Thing","Blogging","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/12/27/i-make-a-recurring-donation.html", "content_html": "

I make a recurring donation to Wikipedia but I figured I would make an extra donation right now. Wikipedia is one of the true wonders of the web and I’m very happy to support it.

\n", "date_published": "2024-12-27T16:25:30-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/12/27/i-make-a-recurring-donation.html", "tags": ["Technology","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/17/how-much-does.html", "title": "How much does a Things 4 Good candle cost to make?", "content_html": "

Now that we have the fourth year of the Things 4 Good 2024 Fall Fundraiser behind us I thought it would be fun to really figure out how much a single candle costs. We’ve sold them for $25 every year. I know that we raise more money than we spend. But I’ve never done the math to figure out what the materials cost per candle. Obviously our labor is free. That is part of the fundraiser.

\n

Most of the items in the candles have a single price. However the vessels and scents vary, and in some cases a lot. The iridescent and metal coated vessels are more expensive. Scents can range wildly in price. I also buy the larger quantities. Here is how the cost breaks down.

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
ItemCost
12 oz Vessel (12 pack)$4.75 - $5.75
Soy Wax (44 lbs)$3.36
Candle Scent (16 oz)$1.45 - $3.50
Wooden Wick (100 pack)$0.28
Wick Clip (100 pack)$0.12
Candle Label (15 per sheet)$0.23
Warning Sticker (24 in roll)$0.16
Total$10.35 - $13.40
\n

I usually time my orders to get things at a discount with a deal so the real cost is probably $8.28 - $10.72.

\n

For the Things 4 Good sale we cover these costs. All $25 of the donation goes to the charities. But it is interesting to see where the costs are in the production.

\n", "date_published": "2024-11-17T18:49:32-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/17/how-much-does.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/17/weekly-thing-supporting.html", "title": "Weekly Thing Supporting Memberships", "content_html": "

I have launched a Supporting Membership offering for the Weekly Thing. I previewed it in Weekly Thing 299 and shared it on the Weekly Thing Forum. So what is this Supporting Membership all about? What does it get you?

\n

Nothing. 😊

\n

Well, that isn’t true. It will make you feel great.

\n

Supporting Membership will be a way to raise money for non-profits that we can support as a community. All of the money from memberships will be accrued and once a year I will disperse that to a non-profit. I plan to change the non-profit on each anniversary of the Weekly Thing when the funds are distributed. I will also likely do a “member drive” ramping up to each anniversary.

\n

The first non-profit Supporting Memberships are helping is Creative Commons. I use a Creative Commons licenses for the Weekly Thing and my blog. I’m a big believer in Remix Culture and see the benefits that an organization like this provides. Creative Commons was founded by Larry Lessig who I think has done incredible work. Here is Lessig’s TED Talk from 2017 on Laws that choke creativity.

\n

Back to Supporting Memberships. Members receive a gold star in each issue of the newsletter. It looks like this:

\n
\n

🌟 Thank you for being a supporting member of the Weekly Thing!

\n
\n

There is nothing else different.

\n

But Supporting Members will help me support great organizations that are making an impact. So a huge thank you!

\n

The links to sign up as a Supporting Member are included at the bottom of each issue of the Weekly Thing, right after the Fortune.

\n", "date_published": "2024-11-17T18:09:18-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/17/weekly-thing-supporting.html", "tags": ["Weekly Thing","Blogging","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/14/wrapping-up-growth.html", "content_html": "

Wrapping up Growth Summit #TeamSPS did a Give Back event where we assembled 1,000 SolarBuddy lights. Impact 4 Good led the team through the exercise. The lights were pretty simple to assemble yet cool to see how they functioned.

\n\"Four\n\"Two\n\"Bearded\n\"Hands\n", "date_published": "2024-11-14T16:44:56-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/14/wrapping-up-growth.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/10/things-good-four.html", "title": "Things 4 Good Four Year Impact", "content_html": "

We’ve now done our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser for four years. With the amazing support of this community we have raised $22,739 for non-profits! Thank you so much. ❤️

\n\"A\n

Opening the sale to the public via the Mt. Olivet Holiday Boutique was a great way to get to a lot of new people with a nearly 50% jump in candle sales this year!

\n\"A\n

Organizations that we’ve supported over these four years include\nConstellation Fund,\nFree Bikes 4 Kidz,\nAppetite for Change,\nFeed My Starving Children,\nUnited Help Ukraine,\nAgate Housing + Services,\nSave the Snakes,\nFree Guitars 4 Kids,\nAmerican Prairie,\nHeart to Care Tanzania,\nFood Recovery Network,\nOceanites,\nSynGAP Research Fund,\nWater to Thrive,\nSprint to Cité Soleil, and\nWorld Central Kitchen.

\n", "date_published": "2024-11-10T22:42:07-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/10/things-good-four.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/10/213429.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2024 Fall Fundraiser Insights", "content_html": "

We had a great time hosting our 4th annual Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser. We raised $7,010 in donations for our four non-profits. I also like to take a look at the data from the sale to learn more for next year.

\n

We made 252 candles in preparation for the sale. We had 72 Winter Wonderland, 36 Old Fashioned, and 24 of the other six scents. We really had no idea what to do for inventory since this was the first year we sold to the public at the Mt. Olivet Holiday Boutique.

\n

We had 78 candle purchases which is a huge 42% jump from last year. On average people purchased 3 candles, down from 4 last year. However averages don’t tell the story. Most people got one candle, and there are a smaller number of people that get a large number — usually as gifts for the holidays. We had 5 transactions for more than 8 candles, accounting for a whopping 76 candles, 30% of our inventory.

\n\"A\n

This year we had eight different scents, the exact same as last year. We renamed Plain Jane to Just Crackle, and it was similarly popular for folks wanting an unscented candle. We did fine tune the scents though and increased the scent load on some of them. Here is a look at rolling inventory as sales were happening.

\n\"A\n

Some observations:

\n\n

We offer folks a number of ways to donate and again Venmo was by far the most popular method, 3.5 times more popular than cash. More people knew what Zelle was this year. I continue to be surprised at how few people have Apple Pay setup. Three checks! I did not offer a method to pay via crypto this year. We’ve only ever had one candle sale in all the years we’ve done it using Bitcoin Lightning.

\n\"A\n

We are already keeping notes for things we want to do to make next year’s Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser even better. Send us an email if you have any suggestions!

\n

Also see 2024 Fall Fundraiser Results.

\n", "date_published": "2024-11-10T22:34:29-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/10/213429.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Software Development","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/10/things-good-fall.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2024 Fall Fundraiser Results", "content_html": "

We completed our annual candle sale raising $7,010 for the four organizations we picked! That is a 21.8% increase from 2023, double the growth of previous years at 9.7% and 10.3%. A huge thank you to the 78 folks from this community who made this possible by purchasing a wooden wick candle made with love!

\n

As in previous years, we asked people which organizations they would like to support. People could pick any or all of the organizations. We even have some folks request specific allocations versus dividing it equally. We also donated $260.25 for Mount Olivet as a portion of all sales that were made at the Holiday Boutique on Saturday.

\n\"A\n

Tyler and Mazie enjoy a friendly competition trying to get their organization the most. 🤩

\n

A little more about each organization…

\n

SynGAP Research Fund supported by Tyler
\nI was first introduced to this condition by one of my favorite YouTubers UFDTech. His son has SynGAP1 which is a rare genetic disorder caused by a variant on the SynGAP1 gene. His son experiences a wide range of symptoms including Epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Autism, Ataxia, and has about 100 seizures a day. My non-profit researchers this condition and is committed to giving support systems to make the lives of these patients and families easier.

\n

Water to Thrive supported by Mazie
\nA cool glass of water is something that I take for granted almost every day, without considering that 48% of people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to this privilege. Women and children walk up to 6 hours each day just to get water, only to have children dying of waterborne disease every 90 seconds. Water to Thrive is a nonprofit that works directly with organizers and communities in sub-Saharan Africa to build wells that have ensured clean, safe water for over 900,000 people since their founding. The educational, economic, and health benefits of even a single well are vast, and Water to Thrive is careful to respect the unique needs and desires of every community they work with. With your donation, we have the potential to fund a well that could serve over 500 people for 20 years! Let’s make water a right, not a privilege!

\n

Sprint to Cité Soleil supported by Tammy
\nSprint to Cité Soleil is a non-profit in Haiti that inspires and empowers kids through basketball, mentorship, and a meal. Cité Soleil, Haiti is known for extreme poverty and gang violence, but community leaders know that this can change over time with sustainable, long term programs that build community and peace. This is where Sprint to Cité Soleil comes in, providing a weekly basketball program for over 150 kids. Harnessing the knowledge and wisdom of local people to fuel change in their community, they also employ 10 local Haitians as coaches and 4 as cooks. Sprint to Cité Soleil was founded in 2016 by a teenager in our neighborhood and his friend after they visited Haiti, where his brother is from, and witnessed the needs first hand.

\n

World Central Kitchen supported by Jamie
\nI first heard of this organization when they were bringing meals to people in Ukraine after Russia’s attacks started. They also are on the ground in Palestine helping people. Most recently they were one of the first organizations after hurricanes hit helping people here in the US. I’ve been very impressed with Chef José Andrés and the impact World Central Kitchen is having.

\n

Also see 2024 Fall Fundraiser Insights for more details from this year. Additionally see results from 2023, 2022, and 2021.

\n", "date_published": "2024-11-10T18:42:30-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/10/things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/03/day-of-things.html", "content_html": "

Day 1 of Things 4 Good sale was great and we sold 67 candles for our charities. Getting ready for Day 2 at our house. Have 93 candles left of the 252 we made.

\n\"Dozens\n\"Candles\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2024-11-03T11:57:37-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/03/day-of-things.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/11/02/for-the-very.html", "content_html": "

For the very first time ever outside of our private events, Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser at the Mount Olivet Holiday Boutique! A bit confusing how to setup our table and get folks our message but we are figuring it out. 🤩

\n\"Three\n\"Candles\n", "date_published": "2024-11-02T09:06:24-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/11/02/for-the-very.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/10/31/the-things-good.html", "content_html": "

The Things 4 Good 2024 Candle Fundraiser POAP is ready to share with folks at this weekends event! It is a good example of how I’m not a designer. 😬

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2024-10-31T19:13:23-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/10/31/the-things-good.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/10/30/we-poured-the.html", "content_html": "

We poured the last batch of candles for this weekends Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser! Pre-labeled, so trim wicks and ready to go. I’m very happy with how they all turned out.

\n\"Rows\n", "date_published": "2024-10-30T20:30:02-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/10/30/we-poured-the.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/10/25/tammy-and-i.html", "content_html": "

Tammy and I made another four dozen Things 4 Good candles for next weekend’s fundraiser!

\n\"Rows\n", "date_published": "2024-10-25T20:19:23-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/10/25/tammy-and-i.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/10/21/tammy-and-i.html", "content_html": "

Tammy and I made our first batch of candles for the Things 4 Good 2024 Candle Fundraiser! Tonight we poured Just Crackle and Winter Wonderland and drained 8 gallons of wax. 🕯️

\n\"Dozens\n\"Black\n\"Large\n", "date_published": "2024-10-21T20:27:49-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/10/21/tammy-and-i.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/05/09/cristo-rey-ungala.html", "title": "Cristo Rey UnGala 2024", "content_html": "

This evening I was able to attend the first UnGala for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. What is an UnGala? Think of your typical fundraiser kind of event but more of a party atmosphere with live music and more casual dress. We have several students from Cristo Rey as part of TeamSPS so I have known about the organization for years, but it was great to hear more about this incredible school that has gotten 100% of every student ever in attendance accepted into college programs. Many of them becoming the first person in their family to attend college. It is an impressive organization. Feel free to join me in supporting their mission.

\n

At the end of the event we got a team photo with Alberto Vergara who was part of TeamSPS as a Cristy Rey student and is now a full-time Account Executive on our sales team! 👏

\n\"Seven\n", "date_published": "2024-05-09T21:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/05/09/cristo-rey-ungala.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/05/02/constellation-fund-bright.html", "title": "Constellation Fund Bright Night 2024", "content_html": "

Tammy and I had an enjoyable evening at Constellation Fund Bright Night 2024. Constellation Fund uses a data-driven approach to fund a variety of non-profits in the Twin Cities area with the goal to eliminate poverty. Constellation takes an approach similar to Robin Hood in New York or Tipping Point in San Francisco. Bright Night is their annual even to celebrate the great work the organization is supporting.

\n

\"Uptown
\nBright Night was held at the Uptown Theater amidst a complete chaos of road construction. It was the first time I’ve been there since the massive renovation and it is very nice!

\n

\"Four
\nHanging out with friends Julie Berman and Hal Kaufman.

\n

\"Museum-style
\nConstellation had this setup to show how they use metrics to drive impact-based decisions.

\n

\"Uptown
\nUnfortunately I don’t remember the name of the band that opened the evening but they were good.

\n

\"Illuminated
\nI’ve always wanted to…

\n

\"Audience
\nAndrew Dayton addressing the group and sharing progress of Constellation Fund.

\n

\"Two
\nRan into Greg Blasko at the event, one of the founders of SportNgin.

\n

\"A
\nTammy and I were both excited to see that Laamar was closing the night out!

\n

See Bright Night from\n2021,\n2023, and\n2024.

\n", "date_published": "2024-05-02T21:30:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/05/02/constellation-fund-bright.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2024/03/06/bee-lab-at.html", "title": "Bee Lab at University of Minnesota", "content_html": "

When Tammy’s Dad passed away one of the organizations that he supported was the Bee Lab at the University of Minnesota. As a thank you from the Bee Lab Tammy and I were able to visit today, meet Dr. Marla Spivak, and get a tour of the facility.

\n

It was cool to see how Dr. Spivak had designed the lab and to see some of the work they are doing with the incredible variety of bee species in Minnesota and elsewhere.

\n

For more about Dr. Spivak and her work with bees watch her TED Talk on why bees are disappearing and an interview about her research on Propolis and Honey Bees.

\n
\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"
\n", "date_published": "2024-03-06T19:30:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2024/03/06/bee-lab-at.html", "tags": ["Gallery","Outdoors","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/12/02/in-celebration-of.html", "content_html": "

In celebration of our niece’s 16th Birthday she arranged a large group of family and friends to go to Feed My Starving Children and pack food this morning! Our group packed 42 of the 180 boxes for the session, for a total of 38,880 meals. It was a fun time doing good!

\n\"Large\n", "date_published": "2023-12-02T12:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/12/02/in-celebration-of.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/11/26/things-good-fall.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2023 Fall Fundraiser Insights", "content_html": "

We had a great time hosting our 3rd annual Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser. We raised nearly $6,000 in donations for our four non-profits. A fun thing for me about the fundraiser is it lets us play the role of a retailer for a weekend.

\n

This year we had 55 candle purchases which compares to 52 in 2022 and 51 in 2021. On average people purchased 4 candles. However averages don’t always tell the story. Most people get two candles, and then there are a smaller number of people that get a large number — usually as gifts for the holidays.

\n\"Bar\n

We had some new scents this year, and had more scents than we have had the previous two years. The first year we had only four scents, and last year six. This year we had eight different scents. As the number of scents go up we need to be more planful with inventory. For the first time this year we tracked which scents people picked so that we could get better insight for future years. Here is a look at rolling inventory.

\n\"Line\n

Some observations:

\n\n

I fed the transaction data into ChatGPT and used its data analysis mode to make a run at doing inventory planning for next year. It did a reasonable job but with such a simple dataset I could have gotten most of the way there on my own. It recommended a 30% increase for True North and 20% increase for Old Fashioned. Even though it was a simple use case, it highlighted how powerful it could be at that use case.

\n

We offer folks a number of ways to donate and again Venmo was by far the most popular method, twice as popular as cash. I’ve offered the ability to pay with crypto for all three years, and this year we had our first donation made with Bitcoin via the Lightning Network!

\n\"Bar\n

Interesting data for us which will help us with next years event. We are already keeping notes for things we want to do to make next year’s Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser even better. Send us an email if you have any suggestions!

\n

Also see 2023 Fall Fundraiser Results.

\n", "date_published": "2023-11-26T11:46:11-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/11/26/things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Software Development","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/11/12/things-good-fall.html", "title": "Things 4 Good 2023 Fall Fundraiser Results", "content_html": "

We completed our annual candle sale and, in total, raised $5,755 for the four organizations we picked! That is around a 10% increase from 2022! A huge thank you to the 52 folks who made this possible by purchasing a handmade wooden wick candle!

\n

As in previous years, we asked people which organizations they would like to support. People could pick any number or all of them. This year, we even have some folks request specific allocations versus dividing it equally.

\n\"Horizontal\n

Also see 2023 Fall Fundraiser Insights for more information.

\n

A bit more about each organization…

\n

Oceanites supported by Tyler
\nOceanites is a non-profit that helps the entire Arctic peninsula, though penguins are their first priority. They are trying to help with the warming Arctic.

\n

Food Recovery Network supported by Mazie
\nFood Recovery Network has spread to over 200 colleges in the United States after it was started by 5 college students who realized perfectly good cafeteria food was being thrown away and had the genius idea to actually do something about it! Volunteers at colleges (of which I am one!) pack up extras from their cafeterias and send them to community food shelves to feed hungry people in their communities. FRN directly funnels food to those who need it instead of the waste yard.

\n

Heart to Care Tanzania supported by Tammy
\nHeart to Care was founded by a woman from the Twin Cities. I read an article about her in the StarTrib a few years ago. She was on a trip to Tanzania several years ago and had a chance encounter with a young man that led her to partner with him and others to start a school in a small Tanzanian village. She works tirelessly to improve the school, expand the school and make sure that all involved have everything they need.

\n

American Prairie supported by Jamie
\nI grew up on the prairie and have always been fascinated with Bison and these ecosystems’ strengths. I love what this organization is doing to help maintain and grow a thriving prairie ecosystem.

\n

See 2022 and 2021 results.

\n", "date_published": "2023-11-12T14:55:48-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/11/12/things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/11/09/our-team-table.html", "content_html": "

Our team (table 40) had a great time at our Growth Summit 2024 Give Back event building a Piper Computer Kit with a Piper Make Rover. Team SPS made over 180 of these combos in partnership with Create MPLS to give to kids in school for STEM classes! 🧑‍🔬

\n\"Three\n\"Group\n\"Piper\n", "date_published": "2023-11-09T19:16:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/11/09/our-team-table.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/11/04/candles-are-all.html", "content_html": "

Candles are all set out for this weekends Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser!

\n\"Wicky\n\"Dozens\n\"Dozens\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2023-11-04T11:09:11-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/11/04/candles-are-all.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/30/poap-at-things-good-candle.html", "content_html": "

POAP 6885356 at Things 4 Good 2023 Candle Fundraiser.

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2023-10-30T18:54:15-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/30/poap-at-things-good-candle.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","POAP Claims","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/27/we-made-the.html", "content_html": "

We made the final batch of candles for the Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser tonight. We have 204 candles with 8 different scents! Looking forward to selling them all and raising $5,100 for four charitable organizations!

\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2023-10-27T21:15:42-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/27/we-made-the.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/26/took-a-preorder.html", "content_html": "

Took a pre-order for the Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser and the purchase was made with Bitcoin Lightning! ⚡️ That is the first sale for our annual fundraiser done using crypto! No fees, instantaneous settlement. Magic. 🙌

\n", "date_published": "2023-10-26T21:56:29-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/26/took-a-preorder.html", "tags": ["Crypto","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/16/we-all-made.html", "content_html": "

We all made 60 Winter Wonderland candles for the 2023 Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser tonight!

\n\"60\n", "date_published": "2023-10-16T21:44:17-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/16/we-all-made.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/09/making-another-batch.html", "content_html": "

Making another batch of candles for the 3rd Annual Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser!

\n\"Dozens\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2023-10-09T20:06:07-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/09/making-another-batch.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/10/04/had-a-fun.html", "content_html": "

Had a fun evening at the 2023 Minneapolis Downtown Council Annual Fundraiser at Mosaic. #TeamSPS’s own Karin Lucas chairs the MDC board and addressed the crowed.

\n\"Crowd\n", "date_published": "2023-10-04T19:11:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/10/04/had-a-fun.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/09/24/just-ordered-additional.html", "content_html": "

Just ordered 108 additional candle vessels, more wax, and scents to fill out inventory so we can start making candles for the 2023 Things 4 Good Candle Sale! Plan is to make 203 wooden wick candles to raise money for good causes. Sale will be Nov 4th and 5th!

\n", "date_published": "2023-09-24T15:40:56-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/09/24/just-ordered-additional.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/05/04/tammy-and-i.html", "content_html": "

Tammy and I had a fun evening at Constellation Fund Bright Night event at the Fillmore. Constellations data driven approach to philanthropy and working to reduce poverty in the Twin Cities is a mission and method that resonates with me.

\n\"Constellation\n\"Two\n

See Bright Night from\n2021,\n2023, and\n2024.

\n", "date_published": "2023-05-04T21:22:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/05/04/tammy-and-i.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/04/12/attended-a-presentation.html", "content_html": "

Attended a presentation of the American Service (also see American Service in Ukraine) from Aswar Rahman. What they are doing to help Ukrainians that are trying to get to America and get established is very impressive! 🇺🇦➕🇺🇸

\n", "date_published": "2023-04-12T21:18:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/04/12/attended-a-presentation.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/03/29/building-on-dreams.html", "title": "Building on Dreams — Avenues for Youth", "content_html": "

Tammy and I had a good evening at the 10th Annual Building on Dreams fundraiser for Avenues for Youth. Shayla Reaves was emcee with Katherine Meerse of Avenues giving the main message of the evening, as well as Princess Titus, the Co-Founder of Appetite for Change sharing the impact that Avenues has had. Amazing choral performances from Known MPLS bookended the evening. This organization was new to Tammy and I and we were very impressed with the good work and results they are having. Donate here!

\n\"Youth\n\"Three\n", "date_published": "2023-03-29T20:10:38-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/03/29/building-on-dreams.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2023/02/11/extending-the-minnestar.html", "title": "Extending the Minnestar Community Supporter Program", "content_html": "

In a recent conversation with Minnestar Executive Director Maria Boland Ploessl I was very pleased to hear about the amazing growth of the Minnestar Community Supporter program. Community Supporters were something that we launched when I was on the board of Minnestar to create an opportunity for individuals to support Minnebar and Minnedemo, in addition to companies. It was always significant, even on the first year, but it has grown a lot in recent years. The biggest part of that growth has been the structured year-end giving program which I was happy to be a matching supporter of this year.

\n

The growth is awesome, but the program itself hasn’t changed materially since the launch. The primary benefit of being a Community Supporter is that you are guaranteed a ticket to the highly in-demand events that Minnestar hosts. That is a great benefit, but I’ve always wondered what more could be done for this great group of people that are helping support our technology community. Particularly what could be done outside of events.

\n

In my opinion, being a Community Supporter of Minnestar should be table stakes for any technology leader in the region. It should be the most direct way to give back to the technology community we are all part of, and provide meaningful value to the supporter individually. I think supporting the events and community is solid, but the only meaningful value to the individual is a guaranteed ticket.

\n

So what more could be done to grow the program? Some ideas…

\n

Create Connection

\n

People that become Community Supporters are a pretty special and fun group. Creating more connection in that group could be incredibly valuable. This could be done with in two phases.

\n

First, launch an every-other week newsletter just for Community Supporters. This newsletter could include:

\n\n

The newsletter could be the whole thing, but if there is an increase in engagement a forum for Community Supporters could get traction. I specifically do not mean Slack or Discord. Those are far too high engagement. A platform like Discourse seems much better suited to this. I think Minnestar could benefit from a Discourse like platform for everything, with Community Supporters being a member only section.

\n

Membership

\n

There needs to be more ways to show a persons affiliation with Minnestar, and recognize that support. I’ve been a Minnesota Public Radio member since 1995. How do I know that? My member card says it. I’ve been an Electronic Frontier Foundation member since 2010. It’s on my member card.

\n

First step of this should be to issue an actual Minnestar Community Supporter member card. Cards have to be printed, they expire, etc. There is effort to do this but it gives me something to carry with me and show my membership.

\n

This should also be extended into the digital world with POAP tokens. There should be a POAP for each year given to community supporters. Over the years, you collect each yearly POAP.

\n

This would also be an opportunity to highlight the work of a local artist and create a uniquely designed card and token each year that isn’t just membership, but something that people feel like collecting.

\n

I’ve been a Community Supporter member since the program started, but I have no idea how long that has been!

\n

Input & Direction

\n

Community Supporters as a group could be given the opportunity to have input on Minnestar activities. As a group votes could be taken. Thought would have to be given on what the votes are on. There is a Minnestar Board and various committees, and they should continue to do what they do. But there could be decisions that the community supporters are asked to give a vote on.

\n

I had long thought that it would be really great for one of the Minnestar board seats to be a Community Supporter seat. In this case, the Community Supporters would elect amongst themselves one member that would represent them on the board. This could be facilitated via the forum above, with members raising their hands to serve and make their case followed by an official voting period.

\n

This would lend itself exceptionally well to a Minnestar DAO, with membership gated via the Community Supporter POAP that you receive each year.

\n

Ecosystem Benefits

\n

It would be interesting to explore ways that other organizations in the technology community may want to extend benefit to Community Supporters of Minnestar. This is one of the key reasons to create Membership with a card and a token. Perhaps Twin Cities Startup Week would offer some unique opportunity. Or Tech.MN give a discount on membership. Or early access to certain events.

\n

This would require that Minnestar reach out to have conversations around this with other events, and require proof of being a Community Supporter without access to Minnestar resources. I think this could work, and may be welcome from other organizations as well.

\n", "date_published": "2023-02-11T09:26:34-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2023/02/11/extending-the-minnestar.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","POAP","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/12/01/i-reserved-three.html", "content_html": "

I reserved three Ethereum Name Service (ENS) names for Minnestar: minnestar.eth, minnebar.eth, and minnedemo.eth. Minnestar doesn’t have a need for them today, but I think they will in the future. I’ll have them over in my thingelstad.eth ENS collection in the meantime. 🤓

\n", "date_published": "2022-12-01T20:17:16-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/12/01/i-reserved-three.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Crypto","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/27/101105.html", "title": "Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser Notes", "content_html": "

We had a great Things 4 Good 2022 Fall Fundraiser. With the help of many friends and family we raised $5,217 to support four good causes.

\n\"Family\n

Some notes from the event:

\n\n

I’m already looking forward to the 2023 Fall Fundraiser! 🤩

\n", "date_published": "2022-11-27T11:11:05-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/27/101105.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/27/things-good-fall.html", "title": "Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser Distributed", "content_html": "

The Things 4 Good 2022 Fall Fundraiser raised $5,217 to support good causes! That is a $460 increase over 2021. We had around 100 visitors as well as many email orders from people that couldn’t come in person. Today we distributed the proceeds to the four non-profits that we had selected.

\n\n

As in previous years we shared the non-profits with each in-person visitor and they could select any number of the four organizations to support.

\n\"Bar\n

A huge thank you to everyone for being part of this fun event and help some organizations having a good impact in the world. 💛

\n", "date_published": "2022-11-27T11:02:35-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/27/things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/20/i-love-that.html", "content_html": "

I love that This Week in POAP highlighted our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser POAP in the Nov 15 edition! ❤️

\n

“POAPs for good: a POAP at a family fundraiser.”

\n", "date_published": "2022-11-20T15:04:09-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/20/i-love-that.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/14/i-was-reminded.html", "content_html": "

I was reminded of The $1k Project for Ukraine today reading Fred Wilson’s blog. Connecting the dots with families in the Kherson region was the nudge I needed to move forward. Help is needed. If you are able please consider supporting a family. 🇺🇦💙💛

\n\"Graphic\n", "date_published": "2022-11-14T22:00:46-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/14/i-was-reminded.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/10/the-poap-for.html", "content_html": "

The POAP for this weekend’s Things 4 Good 2022 Fall Fundraiser is ready and it is awesome! This will be a fun collectible for those that come, as well as enabling holders to have input on next years candles! 🤩

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2022-11-10T21:49:35-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/10/the-poap-for.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/10/we-bottled-sweet.html", "content_html": "

We bottled Sweet Thing Honey tonight getting final preparations for our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser this weekend! Labels go on tomorrow.

\n\"Hands\n\"Roughly\n\"Rows\n", "date_published": "2022-11-10T21:26:12-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/10/we-bottled-sweet.html", "tags": ["Cooking","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/08/we-ended-our.html", "content_html": "

We ended our day in small groups with #TeamSPS building bikes for kids! A fun event and doing a good thing at the same time. Team “Another Double” had a great time! 🤩

\n\"Group\n", "date_published": "2022-11-08T21:15:06-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/08/we-ended-our.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/11/06/i-just-wrapped.html", "content_html": "

I just wrapped up another Poapathon contest to get a design for our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser. The designers were amazing, creative, and put forward several options that were great fits for our event. If you need design help it is an amazing resource! 🎨

\n", "date_published": "2022-11-06T19:28:34-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/11/06/i-just-wrapped.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/10/30/we-made-another.html", "content_html": "

We made another 90 Things 4 Good candles today for a total of 180 ready for the Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser!

\n\"Roughly\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2022-10-30T17:36:34-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/10/30/we-made-another.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/10/29/making-wicky-thing.html", "content_html": "

Making Things 4 Good Candles with the Digiboil is way faster and just easier. We made twice the candles in much less time versus multiple double boilers.

\n

It is also a win that we can make them inside. Last years cooled outside and that can be too fast and cause tunneling.

\n\"Dozens\n", "date_published": "2022-10-29T19:51:27-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/10/29/making-wicky-thing.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/10/29/we-are-doing.html", "content_html": "

We are doing our very first round of Things 4 Good Candles with the Digiboil. This thing can take a lot of wax! This is going to make candle production much faster.

\n\"Large\n\"BrewZilla\n", "date_published": "2022-10-29T13:10:51-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/10/29/we-are-doing.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/10/13/poap-at-donation-made-thanks.html", "content_html": "

POAP 5768722 at Donation made! Thanks for helping it happen!.

\n\"Thank\n", "date_published": "2022-10-13T19:18:25-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/10/13/poap-at-donation-made-thanks.html", "tags": ["POAP","POAP Claims","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/09/19/i-decided-to.html", "content_html": "

I decided to take a big “step up” in Things 4 Good Candles production and get a DigiBoil 9 gallon wax melter. Before we had three melters in two double boilers doing 3 lbs of wax at a time. Things4Good Fall Fundraiser coming November 12th and 13th.

\n\"DigiBoil\n", "date_published": "2022-09-19T18:05:18-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/09/19/i-decided-to.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/09/15/waiting-for-the.html", "content_html": "

Waiting for the Ethereum mainnet merge? Make your Gitcoin grants!

\n

I supported ENS Fairy, POAPin, Internet Archive, EFF, and ethstaker in Grant Round 15.

\n

My grants were matched 10x! 💰 I love how you can see the direct transfers in the transaction.

\n\"GAIS\n", "date_published": "2022-09-15T00:45:22-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/09/15/waiting-for-the.html", "tags": ["Crypto","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/06/11/mazie-and-i.html", "content_html": "

Mazie and I packed rider packets for next weeks Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride today. Our task was unboxing and folding at least 2,000 t-shirts to be put in bags.

\n

\"Volunteers\"Smiling\"Man

\n", "date_published": "2022-06-11T20:53:36-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/06/11/mazie-and-i.html", "tags": ["Cycling","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/04/23/we-had-a.html", "content_html": "

We had a big exterior project done this fall that finished in the winter. With the snow gone, I offered the kids a bounty to find nails in the yard. They decided to donate the bounty to charity. Proud parent moment.

\n\"Pile\n", "date_published": "2022-04-23T18:51:07-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/04/23/we-had-a.html", "tags": ["Family","Home","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/04/23/support-ukraine-via.html", "title": "Support Ukraine via Nifty.Ink 🇺🇦", "content_html": "

I have wanted to create my own “ink” on Nifty.Ink and my artistic capabilities are pretty limited. My one talent is block lettering. I also want to keep doing things to support Ukraine, so let’s raise $1,000 to donate directly to Ukraine via crypto.

\n

I’ve minted 50 copies of Support Ukraine hand drawn by me, thingelstad.eth! You can even watch it being drawn by hitting the play button!

\n

Each copy is $10, and I will match that and contribute $20 to Ukraine. If we sell all 50 of these, we’ll raise $1,000!

\n

\"Colorful

\n

You get a cool NFT to keep, and we can do a little bit more to support Ukraine in their fight to keep their freedom! 🇺🇦

\n

Notes

\n
    \n
  1. Nifty.Ink runs on the Gnosis blockchain. You will need to connect to it via MetaMask and you will need xDai on Gnosis to purcahse.
    2. \n
  2. I’m gifting this image to some family members and others. For those, I will cover the full $20 donation.
    3. \n
  3. I will send the funds to Ukraine via a different blockchain, likely Solana. I will post the transaction here as proof when completed.
    4. \n
\n", "date_published": "2022-04-23T08:45:08-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/04/23/support-ukraine-via.html", "tags": ["Crypto","Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/03/27/support-ukraine.html", "title": "Support Ukraine", "content_html": "

There are many organizations doing good work in Ukraine. I am going to maintain this list and update it as I find anything new.

\n

\"Ukraine

\n

The people of Ukraine need the worlds help as they struggle through the invasion of their country. Please consider helping with a financial donation to these causes. 🇺🇦

\n

Update (2023):
\nUnited24: This is the official fundraising platform for Ukraine and is a direct initiative from the President of Ukraine. This is probably the most robust and direct way to give donations of any size. There is a US non-profit that you can route the funds via, and you can select from one of five different areas to support.

\n

Donate

\n\n

Verticals

\n\n

Crypto

\n\n

Thank you! 🙏

\n", "date_published": "2022-03-27T15:01:35-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/03/27/support-ukraine.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2022/01/22/my-first-ever.html", "content_html": "

My first ever proposal for a DAO was voted on and approved! elfDAO will be including Toys for Tots in their distribution this year. Now to add three more organizations.

\n", "date_published": "2022-01-22T12:32:18-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2022/01/22/my-first-ever.html", "tags": ["Crypto","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/28/things-good-on.html", "title": "Things 4 Good on Endaoment", "content_html": "

I had been thinking it would be really cool if Donor Advised Funds (DAF) were open to accepting crypto tokens as deposits. There has been a lot of wealth built up in crypto and it would be very beneficial to create simple means to move some portion of that to non-profit organizations. Shortly after this I stumbled upon Endaoment.

\n

Endaoment describes itself as “We’re a tax-exempt Community Foundation built for decentralized finance and focused on social impact.” Endaoment is a DeFi version of a DAF like Schwab Charitable. This morning, while Ethereum gas prices were predictably low, I sat down to play with this first hand.

\n

Setting up your Fund

\n

I went to Endaoment and connected to my wallet. Easy enough, just like any other Web3 application. I then created my own fund. This was super simple. I needed a name, I chose Things 4 Good. Gave it a tagline. I then associated my name and address. There were no credit checks, no social security numbers, just basic contact information. After this I submitted a transaction that deployed the smart contract for my DAF.

\n

Now I had my own contract associated with Things 4 Good, and it was time to provide an initial deposit to the fund. Endaoment requires a minimum $500 transfer so I sent in 0.15 ETH. When Endaoment receives the ETH they immediately transfer that to USD Coin (USDC). They sent me a receipt for tax purposes for the full value of the 0.15 ETH. Endaoment takes a 0.5% transaction fee, and there are some fees associated with the transactions to USDC, which are taken out after.

\n\"Confirm\n

With that done, my DAF was fully established on the Ethereum mainnet, funded, and ready to use.

\n\"Endaoment\n

Granting Funds

\n

Now that Things 4 Good was setup I wanted to try issuing a grant. The Internet Archive is an organization I have supported for a long time and I thought it would be a fitting organization to make a first donation to. I picked them off the list of organizations registered on Endaoment. This was fun to me, because this is also on-chain, so to send the grant you interact with the smart contract.

\n\"Confirm\n

I appreciated this as it felt like a much different level of control than a typical DAF. We use Schwab Charitable and you make recommendations, they send checks, and you get emails saying it all happened but you can’t actually see it yourself. With Endaoment I can see my transaction and know exactly what happened when.

\n

With very little effort I have my DAF setup on the Ethereum mainnet, funded, and already distributed a grant. This is holy crap amazing. 🤯

\n

This seems like a powerful and needed capability as you manage your crypto assets. Plus it is an incredible example of the power of DeFi applications built on Web3 technology.

\n

Deploying Organizations

\n

After chatting with some of the Endaoment team on Discord they showed how you can deploy any existing 501(c)(3) organization. Any user can fund the deployment of the smart contract for that group. So I went ahead and deployed Constellation Fund and Minnestar on Endaoment.

\n", "date_published": "2021-11-28T17:01:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/28/things-good-on.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Crypto","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/13/we-all-volunteered.html", "content_html": "

We all volunteered at Free Bikes 4 Kidz today. Tammy, Mazie, and Tyler did cleaning of donated bikes. I tried my hand at the mechanic station working on derailers, brakes, truing wheels and a lot of other stuff I didn’t know how to do. 😊

\n

\"Thousands\"Family\"Masked\"Person\"Bike

\n", "date_published": "2021-11-13T22:33:58-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/13/we-all-volunteered.html", "tags": ["Cycling","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/09/things-good-fall.html", "title": "Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser", "content_html": "

Our Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser was a great success this weekend! We had more than 100 people stop in to buy Things 4 Good Candles, Jiggy Thing Puzzle #001, Four Bees Honey, and fresh baked cookies. We all had a lot of fun hosting people. The kids particularly enjoyed walking guests through the various options and checking people out.

\n\"Family\n

All the proceeds are going to non-profits, and we raised…

\n

$4,757

\n

We gave everyone the opportunity to choose to direct their sale to any number of the great organizations that we had identified.

\n\n\"Horizontal\n

Seems that non-profits closest to kids and food got more engagement than the others.

\n

We made four distinct Things 4 Good Candles for the sale: 🔥

\n\n

We also sold our very first Jiggy Thing Puzzle #001, “Celebration City”! 🧩 Sure to be a collectors item. Hand drawn digital art, 500-piece puzzle perfect for anyone.

\n

Tammy and the kids made a bunch of cookies which was a great touch so people could have a little something fun to eat as they left. Tammy’s sister Angie was also kind enough to allow us to resell some of her amazing Four Bees Honey that she makes with the bees in her yard!

\n

Overall everything went great. We did capture some learnings to make it better next year. We are considering making this an annual tradition that we do! In the meantime, we still have some puzzles to sell…

\n", "date_published": "2021-11-09T22:28:49-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/09/things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/06/we-had-a.html", "content_html": "

We had a great first day of the Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser! We had a steady stream of people most of the day and sold a lot of Things 4 Good Candles, Jiggy Thing Puzzles, Four Bees Honey, and fresh baked goods to raise money for good causes! Open tomorrow too!

\n\"Colorful\n\"Rows\n\"Six\n\"Glass\n\"Colorful\n", "date_published": "2021-11-06T16:35:11-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/06/we-had-a.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/05/all-four-of.html", "content_html": "

All four of us “Things” are working away getting ready for this weekends Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser! Things 4 Good Candles being labeled, fresh cookies baking, and signage being produced. 😎

\n", "date_published": "2021-11-05T20:11:59-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/05/all-four-of.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/11/04/poap-at-things-good-fall.html", "content_html": "

POAP 2557804 at Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser.

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2021-11-04T20:27:50-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/11/04/poap-at-things-good-fall.html", "tags": ["POAP","Things 4 Good","POAP Claims","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/10/24/custom-puzzle-box.html", "title": "Custom Puzzle Box", "content_html": "

Our upcoming Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser is going to have a lot of our Things 4 Good Candles, but we are also introducing a new custom product that our family created — the first Jiggy Thing Puzzle! We received the order today and I was very anxious to see how the box art came out. We’ve done puzzles before so I wasn’t worried about that, but we had never done a custom box design. I love how it turned out!

\n\"Three\n", "date_published": "2021-10-24T20:28:55-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/10/24/custom-puzzle-box.html", "tags": ["Things 4 Good","Games","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/10/19/our-family-is.html", "content_html": "

Our family is hosting our first Things 4 Good Fall Fundraiser! We’ll be raising money for four good causes by selling Things 4 Good Candles, Jiggy Thing Puzzles, and some additional surprises! Great for presents or home!

\n", "date_published": "2021-10-19T19:01:47-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/10/19/our-family-is.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/08/24/getting-ready-for.html", "content_html": "

Getting ready for our biggest Things 4 Good candle project! 110 lbs of soy wax. 144 vessels. 🤩 Lots of Wooden Wick boxes.

\n\"Stacks\n", "date_published": "2021-08-24T21:04:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/24/getting-ready-for.html", "tags": ["Candles","Things 4 Good","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/05/20/constellation-fund-is.html", "content_html": "

Constellation Fund is hosting Bright Night, a free virtual fundraiser tonight at 6:30pm! 💡 You can join the stream with just an email address. They are spotlighting great causes and great artists! I’m going to be there. 🎟 You free tonight? Join online! 👋

\n\"Constellation\n

See Bright Night from\n2021,\n2023, and\n2024.

\n", "date_published": "2021-05-20T10:49:42-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/05/20/constellation-fund-is.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2021/04/14/minnesota-aspirations-in.html", "title": "2021 Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Award Ceremony", "content_html": "

Great night joining the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Award Ceremony tonight and recognizing so many young women that are making their mark in STEM. I also want to welcome our four #TeamSPS summer interns Ezigbo, Caroline, Claire, and Cecelia to SPS Commerce. I can’t wait to see what you create! Lastly, a huge thanks to Jade Denson of MnTech for emceeing and bringing so much fun and energy to the event!

\n\"Zoom\n

See Aspirations Awards events from\n2016,\n2019,\n2020,\n2021, or\n2024.

\n", "date_published": "2021-04-14T20:04:28-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/04/14/minnesota-aspirations-in.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/11/14/we-volunteered-at.html", "content_html": "

We volunteered at Feed My Starving Children today for the first time since the pandemic. They have modified the process to make it a safe as possible. We set a new post-Covid record of 133 boxes packed. Enough to feed 79 kids for a year!

\n\"Four\n", "date_published": "2020-11-14T23:13:17-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/11/14/we-volunteered-at.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/11/01/celebrating-the-electronic.html", "content_html": "

Celebrating the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 30th Anniversary by converting from an annual to a monthly supporter. Join me and donate today!

\n\"EFF\n", "date_published": "2020-11-01T23:13:56-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/11/01/celebrating-the-electronic.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/10/09/it-was-great.html", "content_html": "

It was great to see the current ACE Leadership class present at todays MnTech Board meeting. They formed multiple teams and engaged with Genesys Works, Lunar Startups, Reve Academy, PCs for People, and Technovation[MN]. These teams worked with their non-profit partners to do analysis on recommendations, new programs and other ways to continue to drive their mission forward. This was a great way to learn more about these groups and what they are doing, further develop technology talent with real world experience, and give back to organizations that are doing good in our community! 👏

\n", "date_published": "2020-10-09T10:07:58-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/10/09/it-was-great.html", "tags": ["Tech Community","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/08/15/ive-made-loans.html", "content_html": "

I’ve made 71 loans on Kiva over the years and just setup Monthly Good that automatically funds loans. Great program since I like what Kiva does, but forget to relend funds. Now I can lend more, and know the funds are being put to work!

\n", "date_published": "2020-08-15T07:19:21-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/08/15/ive-made-loans.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/06/01/a-lot-of.html", "content_html": "

A lot of people and small businesses are going to need our help recovering and rebuilding along Lake Street in Minneapolis. Join me in making a donation to We Love Lake Street to help these efforts.

\n

If you are looking for additional ways to help, see Twin Cities groups offer resources for folks hurt by riots, Organizations looking for and offering support after Minneapolis unrest, and How to Support the Twin Cities Right Now.

\n", "date_published": "2020-06-01T16:14:30-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/06/01/a-lot-of.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/03/17/donated-to-greater.html", "content_html": "

Donated to Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. Organizations like this are going to need to help a lot of people soon. Think about where you might be able to help in your community.

\n", "date_published": "2020-03-17T16:52:32-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/03/17/donated-to-greater.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2020/01/15/a-bunch-of.html", "content_html": "

A bunch of #TeamSPS volunteered to demo multiple rooms at Erik’s Ranch & Retreats as they get ready to renovate them. Hard work! Great organization! Give Back!

\n

\"Group\"Three\"Woman\"Two

\n", "date_published": "2020-01-15T21:01:28-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2020/01/15/a-bunch-of.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2019/10/10/adrienne-peirce-and.html", "content_html": "

Adrienne Peirce and I were honored to be recognized for 9 years as Founding Board Members of Minnestar. We finish our board service at the end of this year, along with Kevin Spreng, who wasn’t able to be there tonight. It’s been an honor to be part of this organization!

\n\"Two\n", "date_published": "2019-10-10T22:47:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2019/10/10/adrienne-peirce-and.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2019/05/23/minnestar-board-strategy.html", "content_html": "

Minnestar board strategy and future planning session! Great group and an amazing community! 👍

\n\"Group\n", "date_published": "2019-05-23T15:16:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2019/05/23/minnestar-board-strategy.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2019/03/02/172449.html", "content_html": "

We had a great morning helping pack over 250 boxes of food at Feed My Starving Children!

\n\"Volunteers\n", "date_published": "2019-03-02T18:24:49-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2019/03/02/172449.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2018/12/14/made-my-annual.html", "content_html": "

Made my annual donation to Internet Archive! Join me in supporting this great organization! 🌎

\n", "date_published": "2018-12-13T22:59:51-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2018/12/13/made-my-annual.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2018/06/27/i-contributed-to.html", "content_html": "

I contributed to RAICES Bond Fund to help reunite immigrant children separated from their families after listening to this podcast on responding to the immigration crisis. They’ve raised over $20M and still going.

\n", "date_published": "2018-06-26T21:15:02-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2018/06/26/i-contributed-to.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2018/04/14/143739.html", "content_html": "

Join me in supporting Minnestar and the Twin Cities technology community by becoming a Community Supporter. As a board member, we are matching the first $10,000 in donations over the next 100 days! Donate today!

\n\"Minnestar\n", "date_published": "2018-04-14T09:37:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2018/04/14/143739.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2018/02/24/080007.html", "content_html": "

At Feed My Starving Children to pack meals. Tyler wanted to come here for his birthday. Love this handmade graph of progress.

\n\"Handmade\n

We packed 22 boxes at Feed My Starving Children this morning! 🙌🏻 Tyler picked a great event for his birthday!

\n\"Young\n

We made 34,344 meals, enough to feed 94 kids for a year!

\n", "date_published": "2018-02-24T10:00:07-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2018/02/24/080007.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2017/12/13/proud-member-of.html", "content_html": "

Proud member of the EFF! Donate now!

\n\"EFF\n", "date_published": "2017-12-12T20:59:48-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2017/12/12/proud-member-of.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2017/12/08/great-minnestarhttpsminnestarorg-board.html", "content_html": "

Great Minnestar board meeting today. It’s very rewarding to think about how far this organization and the events have come. More good things on the horizon! I’m honored to get to be part of such an impactful non-profit!

\n", "date_published": "2017-12-08T15:17:41-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2017/12/08/great-minnestarhttpsminnestarorg-board.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2017/12/06/i-just-donated.html", "content_html": "

I just donated to Wikipedia. 😊🎓 Support free knowledge!

\n", "date_published": "2017-12-06T17:40:52-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2017/12/06/i-just-donated.html", "tags": ["Software Development","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2017/11/28/104939.html", "content_html": "

Join me in supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation in their 2017 fundraising campaign with matching challenge grant!

\n

I ❤️ Creative Commons! I’m a proud donor of CC. Join me in building a vibrant global commons - donate now!

\n

Happy to support Let’s Encrypt on it’s mission to provide free SSL for anyone! Donate!

\n

I just donated to Internet Archive. Support free access to knowledge! Donate!

\n", "date_published": "2017-11-28T11:49:39-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/28/104939.html", "tags": ["Blogging","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2017/11/16/excited-for-tomorrows.html", "content_html": "

Excited for tomorrow’s #TeamSPS Brew Off! Part of our annual United Way campaign. Give back!

\n\"Circular\n", "date_published": "2017-11-15T21:33:51-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/15/excited-for-tomorrows.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2016/08/05/awesome-spscommerce-charity.html", "content_html": "

Awesome SPS Commerce charity auction today! #TeamSPS doing good! Thank you Charley Hackerson & team!

\n\"Busy\n", "date_published": "2016-08-04T20:54:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2016/08/04/awesome-spscommerce-charity.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2016/05/16/just-setup-a.html", "content_html": "

Just setup a monthly recurring donation to Internet Archive. Great organization and great mission!

\n", "date_published": "2016-05-15T21:30:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2016/05/15/just-setup-a.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2015/10/25/i-just-lent.html", "content_html": "

I just lent to a borrower in Kenya. Join me on Kiva today and impact a life too!

\n", "date_published": "2015-10-25T06:27:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2015/10/25/i-just-lent.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2015/07/17/i-gave-to.html", "content_html": "

I gave to EFF because they fight for the users. Join me in celebrating their 25th anniversary!

\n", "date_published": "2015-07-16T22:41:48-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2015/07/16/i-gave-to.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2015/06/13/im-surprised-that.html", "content_html": "

I’m surprised that Dollar a Day doesn’t have more members. I’ve been doing it for a year, would think more people would participate.

\n", "date_published": "2015-06-13T07:39:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2015/06/13/im-surprised-that.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2015/01/03/software-for-good.html", "title": "Software for Good as B Corporation", "content_html": "

I’m really enjoying watching Casey Helbling and the team at Software for Good evolve their mission and business. They just transitioned to a B Corp structure.

\n
\n

We’re celebrating the new year in a big way: Today, the\nmuch-anticipated Minnesota Public Benefit Corporation Act went into\neffect, and Software for Good was one of the first to file as a\nbenefit corporation in the state of\nMinnesota.

\n
\n

If you are not familiar with a Benefit corporation, Wikipedia of course has a great overview.

\n
\n

The purpose of a benefit corporation includes creating general public\nbenefit, which is defined as a material positive impact on society and\nthe environment. A benefit corporation’s directors and officers\noperate the business with the same authority as in a traditional\ncorporation but are required to consider the impact of their decisions\nnot only on shareholders but also on society and the environment. In a\ntraditional corporation shareholders judge the company’s financial\nperformance; with a B-corporation shareholders judge performance based\non how a corporation’s goals benefit society and the environment.\nShareholders determine whether the corporation has made a material\npositive impact. Transparency provisions require benefit corporations\nto publish annual benefit reports of their social and environmental\nperformance using a comprehensive, credible, independent, and\ntransparent third-party standard. In some states the corporation must\nalso submit the reports to the Secretary of State, although the\nSecretary of State has no governance over the report’s content.\nShareholders have a private right of action, called a benefit\nenforcement proceeding, to enforce the company’s mission when the\nbusiness has failed to pursue or create general public benefit.\nDisputes about the material positive impact are decided by the courts.

\n
\n

Allowing a company to pursue things beyond pure profit and shareholder return, without having to be a non-profit, makes a lot of sense. It provides an opportunity for companies to be better citizens.

\n", "date_published": "2015-01-03T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2015/01/03/software-for-good.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/12/21/135623.html", "content_html": "

Happy to see Dollar a Day pick EFF today! Have been an EFF member for many years.

\n", "date_published": "2014-12-21T08:56:23-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/12/21/135623.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/11/22/010000.html", "title": "Supporting the Open Internet", "content_html": "
\n

“It’s only an illusion that the Internet appears to be open…” — Dave Winer

\n
\n

As we approach the end-of-the-year many of us start thinking about charitable donations. There are many, many great causes out there that deserve our support. I think it is critical that we consider supporting the digital future that we want as part of our giving. There is nothing fundamental about the Internet that insures free and open speech will occur. In fact, the Internet if left to the wrong interests can be the most monitored, tracked and near totalitarian environment we have ever seen. If you are curious to read more on this, I highly recommend The Master Switch by Tim Wu. Great book.

\n

We know that the Internet will continue to be a growing part of our lives. There are organizations that are working hard to make sure the Internet is the kind of place I want in my life. If the Internet is just Facebook tracking cookies and advertisements like a mall, we have failed. Supporting these organizations is one way to help this cause!

\n

Electronic Frontier Foundation

\n\"EFF\n

The EFF was founded in 1990 and has been the champion of digital rights since. In many ways I think of the EFF as the “ACLU of the Internet”. They have both a legal and advocacy organization. They are pushing for the expansion of encryption technology online. They support causes like open and free access to WiFi networks. They continue to help Tor.

\n

Donate here! Wikipedia’s EFF page is a great background.

\n

Creative Commons

\n\"Creative\n

Creative Commons is all about creating a copyright framework that allows for the sharing of content in a way that content creators want. My blog is creative commons licensed making it easy for people to remix and share the content here. Larry Lessig is the founder of creative commons and he does a better job than I ever could explaining why Creative Commons, and the commons as a whole, is critical to our culture. You should watch his TED talk on Laws that Choke Creativity.

\n

Donate here! Wikipedia’s page on Creative Commons is a great background.

\n

Wikipedia

\n\"Wikipedia\n

I often suggest that Wikipedia is the most amazing thing to be born of the Internet. It could never exist in any other way. The depth and quality of content is amazing, but the ethos of it is even more amazing. Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation which runs hundreds of other wikis as well. They also open source all of the software behind Wikipedia called MediaWiki. MediaWiki is used by tens of thousands of sites on the Internet to host new and interesting content, including the software that organizations as provocative as WikiLeaks use. (My project WikiApiary tracks a large percentage of all MediaWiki sites in the world!)

\n

Donate here! Not surprisingly, Wikipedia’s own page on Wikipedia is a great background.

\n

Internet Archive

\n\"Internet\n

The Internet Archive has been working to archive a growing part of the Internet over time. It is the place where the history of the Internet is being recorded. It is also the place where you can find a huge amount of media that is no longer in copyright. The goal of the Internet Archive I think is often something that we forget about in the digital world. We think that the Internet is permanent, but it’s only as permanent as we make it. The Internet Archive gives me hope that hundreds of years from now people will still be able to read the blog post you are reading right now.

\n

Donate here! The Wikipedia page on Internet Archive is a great background.

\n

As an aside, we spend so much time focusing on the billionaires of the Internet behind services like Facebook and Twitter. Think of these names: Larry Lessig, John Gilmore, John Perry Barlow, Mitch Kapor, Richard Stallman, Brewster Kahle, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. These people deserve as much space in our minds.

\n", "date_published": "2014-11-22T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/11/22/010000.html", "tags": ["Blogging","Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/11/08/ive-been-donating.html", "content_html": "

I’ve been donating $1/day to various non-profits with Dollar a Day. Simple and easy thing to do.

\n", "date_published": "2014-11-08T08:04:52-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/11/08/ive-been-donating.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/10/26/sps-kubb-class.html", "title": "SPS Kubb Class", "content_html": "

Garrick and I joined forces and auctioned off a Kubb Class at the annual SPS Charity Auction this year. The sales engineering team won the event and we got 12 of them together this past week for a tournament level Kubb class. It was an awesome time with a ton of great questions on the game and a jump-start into Kubb strategy and technique.

\n

\"SPS

\n

\"SPS

\n

\"SPS

\n

\"SPS

\n", "date_published": "2014-10-26T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/10/26/sps-kubb-class.html", "tags": ["Kubb","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/10/07/i-just-joined.html", "content_html": "

I just joined 709 donors giving a Dollar a Day to amazing nonprofits!

\n", "date_published": "2014-10-06T20:20:20-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/10/06/i-just-joined.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/07/10/teamsps-charity-live.html", "content_html": "

Time for the Live Auction at the #TeamSPS Charity Auction!

\n\"Crowded\n

Charley Hackerson and I just won whirlyball event at #TeamSPS auction. The sales v. tech team event is on!

\n", "date_published": "2014-07-10T18:49:10-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/07/10/teamsps-charity-live.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/07/10/231906.html", "content_html": "

Great to see #TeamSPS doing good at tonight’s charity auction!

\n\"Large\n", "date_published": "2014-07-10T18:19:06-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/07/10/231906.html", "tags": ["TeamSPS","Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/06/20/great-lunch-today.html", "content_html": "

Great lunch today with Elwin Loomis and Heather Mickman about the Minnestar mission with fellow board members Justin Porter, Casey Helbling, and Alex Ryan!

\n", "date_published": "2014-06-19T20:11:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/06/19/great-lunch-today.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Tech Community","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/05/16/started-day-with.html", "content_html": "

Started day with CaringBridge board meeting. Great organization and great people! Thanks Sona Mehring and team!

\n", "date_published": "2014-05-16T11:10:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/05/16/started-day-with.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/05/16/160928.html", "content_html": "

Looking forward to CIO luncheon today hosted by Genesys Works Twin Cities

\n\"Sponsor\n", "date_published": "2014-05-16T11:09:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/05/16/160928.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2014/02/07/excited-for-caringbridge.html", "content_html": "

Excited for CaringBridge board meeting today!

\n", "date_published": "2014-02-07T08:37:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2014/02/07/excited-for-caringbridge.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/12/31/why-i-donated.html", "content_html": "

Why I donated to EFF: they keep the Internet free and open! You should too!

\n", "date_published": "2013-12-31T09:59:34-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/12/31/why-i-donated.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/12/13/153458.html", "content_html": "

Attending CaringBridge board meeting remotely from the office this morning. Great cause! A bit travel fatigued.

\n", "date_published": "2013-12-13T10:34:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/12/13/153458.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/11/29/kids-running-for.html", "title": "Kids Running for Kid's World Marathon Challenge", "content_html": "

Our neighbor Nicole organized the Kids Running for Kid’s team to raise money for the Save the Children World Marathon Challenge. Mazie and Tyler joined 50 other kids running segments of a marathon around the block and raised $1,526 for a great cause.

\n\"Girl\n\"Chalk\n", "date_published": "2013-11-29T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/11/29/kids-running-for.html", "tags": ["Fitness","Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/11/15/burroughs-fundraiser.html", "content_html": "

Burroughs Fundraiser for Mazie’s school. Fun event!

\n\"Crowded\n

Live auction time. Be careful about raising hand for photo. 😀

\n\"Crowded\n

Daft Punk “Get Lucky” good Burroughs fundraiser tonight.

\n\"Crowded\n", "date_published": "2013-11-15T20:49:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/11/15/burroughs-fundraiser.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/08/02/good-caringbridge-program.html", "content_html": "

Good CaringBridge program meeting this morning → great progress!

\n", "date_published": "2013-08-02T09:27:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/08/02/good-caringbridge-program.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/05/17/attending-caringbridge-board.html", "content_html": "

Attending CaringBridge board meeting this morning. Great things in all areas. Go Sona Mehring and team!

\n", "date_published": "2013-05-17T09:43:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/05/17/attending-caringbridge-board.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/05/17/aria-looks-a.html", "content_html": "

Aria looks a lot different for this benefit than it does for minnedemo!

\n\"Band\n", "date_published": "2013-05-16T19:13:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/05/16/aria-looks-a.html", "tags": ["Minnestar","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2013/05/17/at-the-movable.html", "content_html": "

At the Movable Feast Open Arms event tonight. Very nice.

\n", "date_published": "2013-05-16T19:06:12-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2013/05/16/at-the-movable.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2012/12/18/donation-to-wikipedia.html", "content_html": "

Donation to Wikipedia done, finishing trifecta of EFF + Creative Commons.

\n", "date_published": "2012-12-18T14:12:49-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2012/12/18/donation-to-wikipedia.html", "tags": ["Blogging","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2012/12/13/yesterday-renewed-eff.html", "content_html": "

Yesterday renewed EFF membership, today did annual Creative Commons donation! Join me!

\n", "date_published": "2012-12-13T11:50:34-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2012/12/13/yesterday-renewed-eff.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2012/12/12/i-renewed-my.html", "content_html": "

I renewed my EFF membership. They work to keep the Internet free and open. Join me and get a 3x Power Up!

\n", "date_published": "2012-12-12T15:45:11-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2012/12/12/i-renewed-my.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2012/01/28/double-party-day.html", "content_html": "

Double event day!

\n

8thBridge team and family ice skating this afternoon at The Depot Minneapolis.

\n

CaringBridge annual event tonight.

\n", "date_published": "2012-01-28T14:23:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2012/01/28/double-party-day.html", "tags": ["Work","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2011/12/21/caringbridge-illuminate.html", "title": "CaringBridge Illuminate", "content_html": "

I have been fortunate enough to have the privilege of serving on the board of CaringBridge for the last three years. I support CaringBridge both with my time as well as my checkbook. Join me in supporting this great service this holiday season through their Illuminate campaign.

\n", "date_published": "2011-12-21T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2011/12/21/caringbridge-illuminate.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2011/11/06/195311.html", "content_html": "

Just made my annual contribution to the EFF. You should too!

\n", "date_published": "2011-11-06T14:53:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2011/11/06/195311.html", "tags": ["Privacy \u0026 Security","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2011/09/30/good-caringbridge-board.html", "content_html": "

Good CaringBridge board meeting this morning with Sona Mehring Lars Leafblad and more. Proud to be able to work with such a great org.

\n", "date_published": "2011-09-30T11:51:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2011/09/30/good-caringbridge-board.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2011/05/16/great-piece-on.html", "content_html": "

Great piece on CaringBridge on the news tonight. Quality. Organization I’m proud to work with. Congrats Sona Mehring!

\n", "date_published": "2011-05-15T22:31:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2011/05/15/great-piece-on.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2010/10/01/had-a-really.html", "content_html": "

Had a really great CaringBridge board meeting this morning. Smart group, much opportunity, and great progress.

\n", "date_published": "2010-10-01T12:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2010/10/01/had-a-really.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2009/07/15/joining-the-board.html", "title": "Joining the Board of CaringBridge", "content_html": "

I’m very late in sharing this news. Starting at the beginning of this year I was asked to join the board of directors at CaringBridge. I’ve been hoping to find a non-profit that fit well with my background, and CaringBridge was perfect. I’ve been very impressed learning more about CaringBridge and the amazing and wonderful relationships that they enable.

\n\"CaringBridge\n

Unfamiliar with CaringBridge?

\n
\n

CaringBridge® offers free, personalized websites that allow people to stay in touch with family and friends during a health crisis, treatment and recovery. The goal of the service is to ease the burden of keeping friends and family updated, while also providing a way for them to send their love, support and encouragement.

\n
\n

I’ve found that an amazing number of my friends have used CaringBridge in one way or another. They have done amazing work thus far and I’m hoping I can help continue that! If you have a CaringBridge story or comment I’d love to hear it!

\n", "date_published": "2009-07-15T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2009/07/15/joining-the-board.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2009/04/17/heading-to-caringbridge.html", "content_html": "

Heading to CaringBridge board meeting. See you soon Sona Mehring!

\n", "date_published": "2009-04-17T07:06:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2009/04/17/heading-to-caringbridge.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2009/01/13/kiva-impact.html", "title": "Kiva Impact", "content_html": "

I’ve been a Kiva user for over a year now and have done several micro-loans with it. This is a really cool video that shows the personal side of Kiva and how such micro-loans can really impact peoples lives.

\n\n

Check out my lender page. I owe a thanks to Aaron Oliver for introducing me to Kiva with a gift, to regift through a loan.

\n", "date_published": "2009-01-13T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2009/01/13/kiva-impact.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2008/12/17/making-some-new.html", "content_html": "

Making some new loans on Kiva. 100% repayment rate so far.

\n", "date_published": "2008-12-16T22:17:48-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2008/12/16/making-some-new.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2007/11/18/butterball.html", "title": "Butterball!", "content_html": "

Tammy and I had a great time last night at the Butterball! Through the generosity of my friend Dan Grigsby, Tammy and I as well as the Tangen’s got on our best Black & White and headed out for a night of fun. The evening was packed. The Butterball sold out and raised a nice amount to help get food to those who need it.

\n\"Stylized\n

The evening began with a silent auction. There were probably 50 items up for auction with a great variety of things. We put our name on a number of items and after surveying the area a bit decided to get serious about the live art. There was an artist on the stage who was doing a painting right there while everyone mingled. The artist was Chris Allen and he was doing a Graffiti piece. I really liked it for a bunch of different reasons so we focused on that and happily when 9:30 arrived we were the highest bidder. Great art, and for a great cause.

\n

This is the piece that we got before framing and in really horrible light.

\n

\"20071118-082714-3287.JPG\"

\n

We ran into so many people that we knew at the Butterball. It made a fun evening even more enjoyable! After the auction ended Soul Asylum took the stage and put on a really amazing show!

\n\"Four\n

I haven’t listened to much Soul Asylum for a while now and it was really fun to hear some of the great songs. The energy was great – really a fun show.

\n

After a few hours of mingling and having a great time, we headed home in the chaos of Saturday night frenzy in downtown.

\n
\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"
\n", "date_published": "2007-11-18T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2007/11/18/butterball.html", "tags": ["Music","Gallery","Arts","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2007/11/18/one-laptop-per.html", "title": "One Laptop Per Child, and Me", "content_html": "\"One\n

Technology has the promise of being the great equalizer, or a great divider. I don’t think enough is being done to make sure that the benefits that the “technological have’s” enjoy are available to all. I think this is going to be a big problem in the US particularly. In developing countries it’s even more basic. One Laptop Per Child has the mission of bringing technology to kids in an affordable package to help bridge this gap. They have been working on developing a $100 laptop for a while now that could be given to kids in developing countries (they didn’t quiet get to $100 on this one). I’d suggest they send a few million around the US too! They’ve just released their first computer, the XO-1. I think it’s pretty cool looking!

\n\"Green\n

The goal of this machine is to make something that is cheap, rugged and very usable for kids in developing countries. It has WiFi and a basic web browser to hop on the Internet. In fact, it forms it’s own mesh network whenever more than one is present, allowing kids to collaborate in ad hoc settings. It’s power use is very modest, and a solar panel can be attached to the back of it to allow for permanent off-grid use. I’m also ecstatic that they include a number of different development environments. Hit a few buttons and your writing your own programs for it. Great! David Pogue did a really good video review about the XO-1. It’s worth watching.

\n

OLPC is running a limited time special where you get one, and give one. The only way to buy one is to buy two, and one goes to a kid. I’ve ordered mine up and am looking forward to playing with it. A friend also ordered one so it will be fun to play with the networking features. I even noticed a CTO acquaintance of mine has purchased one. My friend Chris suggested that this may be the new status symbol. Like owning a Prius. Go hang out at the coffee shop with your XO-1. Can’t wait. Offer ends soon, go order one!

\n

After I get mine I’ll post some reaction to it.

\n", "date_published": "2007-11-18T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2007/11/18/one-laptop-per.html", "tags": ["Technology","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2007/11/11/launch-of-minnpostcom.html", "title": "Launch of MinnPost.com", "content_html": "

Last night Tammy and I joined some friends and attended the launch party for MinnPost.com. MinnPost is an interesting new non-profit trying to bring the public radio model online to produce quality journalism (more). It is founded by Joel Kramer and has a cadre of writers signed on. The site just launched this last Thursday. I’m hoping they do some great stuff.

\n\"MinnPost.com\n

MinnPost is still very early. They just passed 400 members and the momentum is good. Good luck to the crew! And give it a read… and become a founding member.

\n

PS - The site has already been parodied at MinnToast.com. Funny stuff.

\n", "date_published": "2007-11-11T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2007/11/11/launch-of-minnpostcom.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2007/10/21/t352185412.html", "content_html": "

Becoming an MPR Sustaining Member.

\n", "date_published": "2007-10-20T19:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2007/10/20/t352185412.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2006/06/24/pax.html", "title": "PAX", "content_html": "

Tammy and I decided that we wanted to make sure to raise Mazie understanding the value of charitable giving and in general “doing good” in the world. One of the things we are doing to that end is making a donation to a charity of her choice (or our choice on her behalf until she is old enough) on her birthday. This year we decided to support PAX, an organization that is working to reduce gun violence amongst children and teenagers. I attended an event of theirs a few weeks ago and the numbers were shocking. Eight children or teenagers die everyday as a result of gun violence. Even more shocking is the fact that more houses have guns than Xbox’s.

\n

PAX has two main programs. The first is called “ask.” and is aimed at parents. The simple goal is for parents to ask if there is a gun in the house before their children go to play somewhere. Awareness is key, and many accidents happen while children are playing and some of the parents have no idea a gun was even there. The second is “speak up!” which is a toll-free hotline for students to report gun related concerns in school. The hotline receives over 15 calls a day of reported gun issues in schools, and coordinates with the school administration to respond.

\n

They are an impressive, national organization with low overhead and a passion for working on this issue. Hat’s off to them and all the great work they are doing!

\n", "date_published": "2006-06-24T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2006/06/24/pax.html", "tags": ["Family","Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2004/12/31/amazon-raising-funds.html", "title": "Amazon Raising Funds for Red Cross", "content_html": "

I really don’t think the impact of the earthquake and tsunami have or will hit me. It’s hard to fathom that kind of disaster and it’s so far away. You hear the death tolls and the numbers just seem unreal.

\n

If you are looking for a way to help out in whatever way you can Amazon makes it as simple as one click to donate to the Red Cross. They’ve already raised over $6 million, correction, $7.6 million now, and counting.

\n

That number makes me embarassed at the $35 million that the US government has committed so far. Hopefully it will be raised substantially.

\n", "date_published": "2004-12-31T01:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2004/12/31/amazon-raising-funds.html", "tags": ["Giving","Current Events"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2004/10/31/circus-juventas-boo.html", "title": "Circus Juventas Boo Ball", "content_html": "

Tammy and I volunteered at the Circus Juventas Boo Ball last night. I think it’s a fairly common thing that volunteering for small to medium sized events is generally a somewhat chaotic and unorganized event. We were initially given the task of “walk around and just help out with things” which was quickly turning into “you just get into the event for free” which I felt a little bad about. After all, didn’t seem like volunteering to me. In the end though we were asked to help direct people as they came to the event to get them into the right line – will call, cash or credit card. In short, we had a job that would have been done better by some moderately decent inanimate signage.

\n

Some observations from our evening of volunteering…

\n

The Boo Ball is a 21+ event and working the door we did get to check out all the costumes as people came in. The men didn’t really have any rhyme or reason to their costumes. There was a really good mummy and some notable scary looking costumes, but no prevailing theme. However, for the women the theme was clearly, shall we say, revealing? It seems that Halloween events must really be an excuse to look as trampy as you can without worrying what your girlfriends might say. I’m not complaining of course, this is just an observation.

\n

Additionally, you would expect that queuing people into the right line would be a fairly simple task. And in fact, early comers to the event were fairly observant. However, you could tell the few drinks at the bar before hand as people arrived later significantly degraded their ability to comprehend anything quickly. A couple of times I thought I was explaining particle physics to someone looking for an answer to “Do you have tickets already?”.

\n

The event was pretty cool. I’d recommend going to the Boo Ball as a participant in the future. If you are curious how the heck we ended up volunteering at Circus Juventas it is because Tammy and her sister are taking their adult circus classes. She loves it. I keep telling her to write something about it here, but she is shy. 🙂

\n", "date_published": "2004-10-31T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2004/10/31/circus-juventas-boo.html", "tags": ["Giving"] }, { "id": "http://jthingelstad.micro.blog/2004/06/25/what-is-that.html", "title": "What is that yellow thing on your wrist?", "content_html": "

If you are curious it is a Live Strong wristband. This is part of the Wear Yellow fundraising campaign from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise money for cancer research. As many of you know I’m a fan of professional cycling, and as almost any US fan of american cycling I’m also a fan of Lance Armstrong.

\n", "date_published": "2004-06-25T00:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://www.thingelstad.com/2004/06/25/what-is-that.html", "tags": ["Cycling","Giving"] } ] }