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Slumdog - Better Choices Through Education
February 2009
It is interesting to know that the children from Slumdog Millionaire have had similar real life circumstances as the roles they played. Many people say the movie is uplifting. That in spite of all th
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Slumdog Millionaire Kids from an Asha for Eduction Project
February 2009
Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire? Two of the children (Salim and Latika) are students in the Asha for Education funded project called Aseema. They have acted really well and are enjoying all the a
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How Micro-loans Make a Difference
January 2009
This video follows the path of a $25 loan from London, England to Preak Tamao village, Cambodia. Kiva.org is a website that allows internet users like you or I to lend money to people that need it in
Read full article...
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Crystal Coding Concepts Newsletter
Reliable Solutions for Ecommerce, Web Application Development, and Search Engine Optimization |
December 2006 |
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Happy Holidays from Crystal
Coding Concepts. This month's newsletter will cover
topics related to the holiday season including 3
tips on giving, shopping
online, and a non-profit client spotlight. We also
have a gift offer for you.
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 3 Tips - On Giving This Season |
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This month's topic is on Giving
This Season. During the holidays, we are inundated
with companies and organizations asking us to give.
How do you know if your money is getting to the
people who really need it?
Tip #1: Look up the organization on Charity
Navigator
Charity Navigator is an
independent evaluator of charities. With one quick
search, you can see how the organization is rated
using a simple 4-star system. It also considers a
charity's organizational efficiency, capacity
ratings, revenues, and expenses.
Tip #2: Find out how much of your donation
is spent on administrative expenses.
It is amazing how many
organizations use 10%, 20%, even 30% of your
donation for fundraising and administration. It is
better to give to an organization where
administrative expenses are less than 5%. The American
Cancer Society, a highly regarded charity, has
administrative expenses of about 8.1% and
fundraising expenses of about 22.4%. This means that
over 30% of your donation is allocated to the
operations of the American Cancer Society.
Tip #3: Give your time
Often giving your time is worth more than
giving your $$$.
Volunteering can be more than
serving food at a soup kitchen or sorting clothes
and toys. You can donate your time in your
expertise. Sites like www.VolunteerMatch.org help volunteers find organizations that need help.
Whether you are a designer, accountant, or marketing
specialist - there is a way you can volunteer your
time and make a difference.
 Better Ways to Donate to Charities |
Pointing, Clicking, and Buying Away to a Happier Holiday |
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In a not too distant past, I
dreaded the drive to the crowded mall in hopes of
finding some great sales for my holiday shopping.
While my memory is a bit fuzzy, I have worked really
hard on blocking out this traumatic experience, I do
remember the agony, the heart palpitations, the cold
sweat, and the blurry vision, being but a few of the
physical reactions that I would get as I approached
the mall. From yonder in my car, I would barely make
out the department stores' signs. They looked more
like a figment of my imagination. Then the reality
would set in. I had to devise a strategy to beat
the twenty-plus cars in front of me to a parking
spot. But that was just the beginning and that is
all that I am able to remember.
Fast forward from then to the
present and I am but one of the 19 million shoppers
who logged on to the Internet this past Black Friday
to begin shopping for the holidays. Ah, but the ease
of pointing, clicking, and buying, oh my, has just
made me a jollier holiday shopper.
But I am not alone. Black
Friday, while traditionally a brick and mortar
shopping day that marks the start of the holiday
shopping season, this year experienced a growth of
42% from last year's online shopping, or $434
million in sales, according to comScore Networks.
Moreover, comScore projected that this year's Cyber
Monday, a day designated as the beginning of the
holiday online shopping because employees return to
work where they can access their company's
high-speed Internet, had $599 million in sales, an
increase in 24% from last year.
It seems that consumers are
becoming increasingly comfortable with shopping
online which explains why this market spends up to
60% more than if they shopped only at the
traditional brick and mortar stores, according to
retail consulting firm Bain & Co. The ease of
pointing, clicking, and buying entices consumers to
shop more, especially when lured by free shipping
and other promotional deals that are offered.
Customers, like me, are hungry
for electronic gadgets, clothing and other good
deals that we can find online. Ah, but finding a
deal is key, just like finding a parking spot at the
mall during this time of the year.
Help shoppers find your deals
online by optimizing your e-commerce site. In the
spirit of the holidays, Crystal Coding Concepts is
gifting a free consultation worth $150 on marketing
your business online, getting your products listed
on shopping portals, or search engine optimization.
We extend this generous offer to you because we
want to see your business grow and to be part of
your success. This is a limited time offer for
December 2006. Call us today to set up your free
consultation.
Don't you want your share of the online market?
- Giovanna Aquilar
 Pointing, Clicking, and Buying |
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Happy Holidays from Crystal Coding
Concepts!
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Shailen
Mistry
President |
Giovanna
Aguilar
Director of Business Development |
voice: 973-978-4403
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