Passports With Purpose: Building a School in Cambodia

It’s always inspiring to take part in a powerful movement. I was blown away in the last month and a half by the amount of response to Passports With Purpose, the online fundraising campaign powered by travel bloggers. With an original goal of $13,000, PWP surpassed expectations and raised over $26,000, allowing them not only to build a school in rural Cambodia with American Assistance for Cambodia, but also providing students with a school nurse, clean water, school supplies and at least one complete meal per day.

A big congrats goes out to Peter Carey who scored come good looking Horny Toad jackets.

Here’s to another successful PWP next year!

Friday Faves: Tis Still The Season

Another crazy week here at Under Solen HQ that was kicked off with a classic Swedish advent coffee (glögg included). We’ve got lots of wintry adventures in the works, including some sweet slopes and snowshoe routes; we might spend a large part of our time invested in social media, but we’re equally committed to unplugging and spending time outdoors enjoying everything that nature’s got to offer!

But along with adventure planning, here are some of this week’s faves:

We kicked off our Profile series, where we interview movers and shakers in the world of new media. We’re very thankful that eco-journalist and new media celeb Adam Shake volunteered to be our first interviewee, talking about his company Simple Earth Media.

Being a female run business, we’re always excited to work with other super cool, progressive ladies, which is why we’re head over heels about our two latest projects we’re working on: Epic Wheel Works and She Jumps. Be sure to check out both.

Tis the season, and although we try to steer as far as we can away from traditional consumption, we do believe in putting some dollars towards good causes, and we’re excited to announce that the amazing fundraising initiative Passports With Purpose has almost reached double its original goal! (You can help them raise the last few dollars by going here… there are some sweet prizes up for grabs.)

And because we’ve always got travel on the mind: ever wonder what English sounds like to those who don’t speak it? Watch this video to find out.

This Season, Holiday Giving is Online

Bell-ringing Salvation Army volunteers are always a telltale sign of the holiday season, and although they certainly still have their place, this year holiday giving has turned to a new outlet: social media.

From The Baltimore Sun:

Organizations such as the United Way, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are using Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to reach younger volunteers and donors.

Facebook fans of the Salvation Army can create virtual kettles on their pages and ask their friends to make donations without ever visiting a real storefront kettle. The United Way and Red Cross are tweeting their latest news of families helped and fund drives launched.

No one can yet say whether the new social media are effective ways to raise money, but that’s the goal, charities say. “We’re hoping to get this new audience, and we hope in the end there is a fundraising component with it,” said Amrit Dhillon, communications director for the United Way of Central Maryland.

But for organizations that seek out donations online via social media channels, there are plenty of success stories. Take Passports With Purpose, a campaign to raise funds to build a school in Cambodia. Having already reached their goal of $13,000 thanks to many efforts on blogs, Facebook and in the Twitter-verse, the initiative’s co-founders upped the stakes and doubled the donation goal to $26,000, which will help to cover costs like providing a school nurse and building a garden.

Help Build a School in Cambodia + Enter for Chance to Win Cool Gear

We’re very happy to be taking part in Passports With Purpose, the online fundraising initiative that is raising money for American Assistance for Cambodia. If PWP raises its goal of $13,000, a school will be built in Cambodia. We think that’s a pretty great holiday campaign!

How to take part:
For each $10 donation that you make to AAfC, you will will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. The fundraiser closes on December 21 and all proceeds go directly to AAfC. Check out all of the prizes up for grabs here.

What you can win:

There are lots of raffle prizes available, and we’re happy to host some sweet gear from Horny Toad. What better holiday gift than a women’s Edie jacket and a men’s Winslow jacket? A lightweight, insulated, jacket with a water repellent shell. It’s even got a recycled polyester lining! And you score two — which means you get one for yourself and one to give away!

Now hop on over to the Passports With Purpose site and get to donating!

Help Build a School in Cambodia This Holiday Season

We’re big believers in the idea that new media can create positive change, and we’re always excited about others that believe the same. Passports With Purpose is exactly that. Last year some amazing travel bloggers came up with the idea of PWP, a fundraising campaign that would harness the power of travel bloggers and raise some money for a good cause during the holiday season. The campaign was so successful that it’s taking place again, this year raising funds to build a school in Cambodia.

The 2009 Passports With Purpose fundraising effort is supporting American Assistance for Cambodia, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. If PWP raises $13,000, a new school gets to be built in Cambodia… obviously, we couldn’t resist in taking part. And either should you!

How to partake:

For each $10 donation that you make to AAfC, you will will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. The fundraiser closes on December 21 and all proceeds go directly to AAfC.

What’s up for grabs?

There are some sweet prizes drawings that your donation can get you entered in. Here are just a few:

• Sierra Designs Lightning XT 4 Ultralight Tent
• Flip Mino 60 Minute Video Camcorder
• Two night stay at Shangri La Hotel in Vancouver, B.C.
• Kelty Backpack

That’s only a small selection… see all of the prize offerings and donate by clicking here. So make a commitment to take part in something big this holiday season, and get to donating! And if you can’t do that, blog, Tweet, Facebook and talk to your friends about this cool initiative. We are!