News and Updates

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03 Sep 2015
Uncategorized Permalink

Losing Hope

September 3, 2015

lookingjob

What do you do when you feel like you’ve exhausted every possible resource and every creative idea you’ve had… and you still can’t find a decent job? This is what one young man is trying to figure out that recently contacted Common Change for help.

Having the group of people that you know, that are willing to pull money together, and discuss how to help someone who’s looking for a job is at the heart of collaborative giving.
Take your next step in helping someone that’s looking for a decent job by donating to Common Change.
14 Aug 2015
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Entrepreneurship in Cuba

August 14, 2015

The climate for starting a business has been expanding in Cuba for locals.  Common Change has been working and supporting these efforts for many years. The opportunities to obtain a business license has arrived for many Cubans but access to capital is scarce.

This is something we can change.

This changed for Enrique, who obtained a business license to start a pastry shop. He started by buying the pastries prepared or produced by shops, however that the quality was not meeting the expectations of his customers and they were leaving.  Listening to feedback from his customers he began to produce his own pastries and things began to change.

A $400 gift given from Common Change to Enrique was invested into an oven to meet the demands of his growing pastry business.

With your help, Common Change has the opportunity to support other entrepreneurs and opportunities in Cuba. We must respond quickly while this window of opportunity remains open, please consider how you might help.
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01 Jul 2015
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New Software Release: Better User Experience

July 1, 2015

Request PageWe’re happy to announce the latest release of our flagship software.  Common Change never stops improving. Based on feedback and needs of our users, we keep developing our software, so that we can offer the greatest and most valuable benefits for our members. In our new release we implemented new features as well as a multitude of improvements. All these developments will allow you to more effectively pool money together with those that you know to give to people you care about.

We will be happy to schedule a demo tailored to your needs and environment. Simply chat ( bottom right-hand corner), email (support@commonchange.com), or call us (+1-510-323-2349).

Join Now Request Demo
19 May 2015
Inspiration, Stories Permalink

Our Generosity Dinners

May 19, 2015

My very first internship when I arrived in the fall of 2012 in Austin, TX was with ActsofSharing.com, a platform inspired by the sharing economy but more than that, in an effort to live out our lives the way Jesus describes in Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”

The mission of the platform was simple— love your neighbors as your stuff. Meet needs together.

AOS is in a large (and crazy exciting) shift right now, but our original core team has adopted a few traditions in the meantime. Aside of our monthly “Festival of Friends” (we’re cheesy) dinners with overly competitive taboo, Brian partnered up with Common Change and once every two weeks we host what is called a “Generosity Dinner.” It is a large group of friends- some old, some new- who gather on the top of the Whole Foods rooftop and…

We eat dinner,
we put our money together,
we talk about people we know who are in need,
we decide who to help bless that week.

At one of our first dinners

We also realize that sometime someone’s need isn’t monetary though, so we have gathered together and written letters of encouragement before and staggered the send outs so that the person got one letter a week. Not only are Generosity Dinners a great way to practice loving others, but it also forces you to be reflective. It is so easy to get on an auto-pilot and not actively love the people in our lives and even if we do see their struggle or need, to not stop and think: “What can I do?”

So share the love! Try hosting a generosity dinner with your friends and neighbors. Be the blessing!

24 Apr 2015
Stories Permalink

Binding Together

April 24, 2015

by Rich Jones

HR Oasis[WHT+ORG NoStrap]A few years ago, my friend Travis Glendenning and I started a conversation around how to make our communities even better. I am a local pastor as well as my district’s high school cross country coach. Travis is a public school teacher in the district next to mine, and is also that district’s cross country coach. It is a conversation centered on our shared belief in the importance of persons and organizations engaged with each other in meaningful ways for community transformation. Out of these conversations (many of which we’ve had on long runs together) between us and others, we talked about building “community hubs”. A hub is rooted in a local neighborhood for the purpose of building relationships and highlighting services already in the community, and identifying assets and finding ways to use those assets for the benefit of that community. Read more