myImpact.org: What is Your Impact?

The mission of myImpact.org is to engage more Americans in citizen service by building social media tools for volunteers and service organizations to share their stories and demonstrate their impact.

Welcome to myImpact.org, the future home of an online platform for young Americans in national and community service programs. We are currently in beta development of the first phase of our platform and will be providing frequent updates during our pilot program, expected to launch in just a few weeks.

We have made some changes to our website: adding more information under the About and Newsroom tabs above and added a new page dedicated to our involvement this month in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Challenge. As always, we try to keep our social networks updated and current, acting as a resource for the service sector and a chronology of our development process.

Please support myImpact.org this month by voting for us each day in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. See our blog post below for more information.  Thanks for stopping by!

In Third Place on our Month Long Attempt to Refresh Service

After the first week of the Pepsi Refresh Project, myImpact.org is in third place in the $25,000 category. Here is an update on where things stand:

The Big Picture

Third place s is a strong position for us to be in, and it shows the early commitment and dedication of our supporters, who have rallied around our idea to extend our social media pilot program to even more organizations by the end of the year. We have innovative ideas to leverage new social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and SMS, to better allow volunteers and service organizations to measure, demonstrate and share their impact. We are excited at the prospects of building on our idea and extending it to national service organizations, including City Year, with the support of the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.

We still need your vote, every day, this month!

Although we are off to a strong start, we need to continue to get the word out about myImpact.org and use this monthlong challenge as an opportunity to raise awareness and attention. Your daily vote helps to keep us in a strong position. Nearly 35 individuals have stepped forward as Challenge Champions- those who commit to voting every day (or most days). Challenge Captains have signed up to recruit at least 10 of their friends to vote (at least once). We are reaching out to new supporters via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Linked In.

Support myImpact.org and Support Refresh Service

myImpact.org has joined the Refresh Service Coalition- a collection of contestants in the Pepsi Challenge who share a common commitment to advance a New Era of Service. We are proud to be working alongside these terrific organizations and would ask that you cast your remaining 9 votes daily for them.

$250,000

http://www.refresheverything.com/lift

$50,000

http://www.refresheverything.com/servenext

http://www.refresheverything.com/atlascorps

http://www.refresheverything.com/worldleadershipcorps

$25,000

http://www.refresheverything.com/mualpha

http://www.refresheverything.com/nyny

Three Ways to Vote

Over the weekend, we learned of a third way that supporters can cast their votes in the Pepsi Challenge, via a Facebook Application. To recap:

1) Go to refresheverything.com/myImpact, sign in and create a new account.

2) Go to refresheverything.com/myImpact, sign in and connect with your Facebook account, but vote on the refresheverything.com site

3) Go to facebook.com/pepsi (the official fan page of Refresh Everything), click on the Pepsi Refresh Project tab, and click “Support Ideas on Facebook” You will be prompted to install the application, search for myImpact and our coalition partners, and you can cast your vote directly through Facebook

However you chose to vote, we hope that after you cast your ballot you will spread the word, either in an e-mail to your friends or with a post to Facebook or Twitter.

With your help, we can hold our position. Thank you for your continued support!

Off and Running with the Pepsi Refresh Challenge!

We’re off and running with the Pepsi Refresh Challenge this month. It’s an opportunity for myImpact.org to win $25,000- but we can only do it if we are one of the top voted organizations in the $25,000 category. There are about 180 groups in our category, so the odds are good- but we need a lot of support throughout the month. Below are more details about how you can help, in a Q&A format.

WHAT is the Pepsi Refresh Challenge?

Pepsi is giving away about $30 million this year, instead of super bowl adds. This month, 32 groups will win grants across 4 different monetary categories. There are some great ideas, at refresheverything.com. A new contest will take place every day this month. This month, the first of the contest, please support myImpact.org

WHAT do I need to do?

First, you need to register on the site (either by creating a new account of linking it to Facebook). Do so at http://www.refresheverything.com/myImpact

Next, vote for myImpact. Each day this month, you will have 10 votes. Please be sure to click back every day to vote.

The process is quick and easy. It takes less than 60 seconds to register and less than 30 seconds to vote.

WHO else should I vote for?

myImpact.org suggests that you vote for these other great organizations, who are members of our “Refresh Service” coalition. They are competing at different monetary levels:

Alpha Phi Omega ($25,000):
http://www.refresheverything.com/mualpha

Atlas Service Corps ($50,000):
http://www.refresheverything.com/atlascorps

Lift ($250,000):
http://www.refresheverything.com/lift

ServeNext ($50,000):
http://www.refresheverything.com/servenext

World Leadership Corps ($50,000):
http://www.refresheverything.com/worldleadershipcorps

WHAT else can I do to get involved?

Become a CHALLENGE CAPTAIN: by inviting 10 of your friends to this event and following up with them to make sure they’ve voted.

or

Become a CHALLENGE CHAMPION: which means that you commit to voting every day this month.

If you’re interested in becoming a Captain or Champion, please contact Chris at chris.golden@myImpact.org.

Everyone can spread the word by posting their vote to Twitter and Facebook. For the latest contest updates, visit http://www.myImpact.org/Pepsi (the tab at the top of our homepage)

WHEN does this contest end?

Midnight. February 28, 2010. Winners will be announced on March 1st.

2010 Presidential Citizens’ Medal Nomination Process

The White House announced this week that, for the first time, the awards nomination process for the 2010 Presidential Citizens’ Medal, which has been awarded to exemplary American citizens for over 40 years, will be opened to the public. From The White House:

This year, the President will be looking for several qualities in the special few he honors: people who have demonstrated a commitment to service in their own community or in communities farther from home; who have helped their country or their fellow citizens through one or more extraordinary acts; whose service relates to a long-term or persistent problem; or whose service has had a sustained impact on others’ lives and provided inspiration for others to serve. While many Americans work every day to serve others, this year’s Citizens Medal will specifically honor those who have shown exemplary service to help others outside of their normal jobs.

Even though our nation continues to suffer from the economic recession and jobless recovery, Americans are still going above and beyond by identifying needs that exist in their communities and developing innovative solutions to address them. myImpact.org seeks to engage more Americans in service by sharing the stories of those who inspire all of us.

For more information on the awards process, visit, www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal. President Obama has also recorded a video message to announce the process, which is below:

Expand Your Universe: Become a Mentor

January is National Mentoring Month- one of the most meaningful and rewarding ways to volunteer. myImpact.org is proud to support the goals and ideals of this importance commemoration.

On January 04, President Obama signed into law a proclamation which read, in part,

As tutors, coaches, teachers, volunteers, and friends, mentors commit their time and energy to kids who may otherwise lack a positive, mature influence in their lives. Their impact fulfills critical local needs that often elude public services.

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Colin Powell appeared in a Public Service Announcement encouraging Americans to become a mentor for a child

This week, President Obama and the First Lady held an event in recognition of National Mentoring Month at The White House. The First Lady developed a leadership and mentoring program for girls in the Washington, DC area in the first month of the Obama Administration; the emphasis on the importance of mentoring is part of President Obama’s larger national service agenda.

Are you a mentor? Are you mentored? How does mentoring make an impact in your lives or your community? Let us know, at facebook.com/myImpact, @myImpact on Twitter or mentoring@myImpact.org