THE ANGLES
Holiday Gift Bloggers
In addition to their socially conscious purpose to raise funds for a locally-run primary school that serves hundreds of children in
Tanzania, Epic Change gifts are beautifully designed (if we do say so ourselves), feature artwork by children at the school and photos by
award-winning photographer Tim Llewellyn, and are created in partnership with reputable vendors like
GreenerPrinter.com and exclusive West Hollywood candlemaker Timothy Jay. Each sale enables Shepherds Junior to purchase one or more
bricks for a new classroom at the school, which requires approximately 1,000 bricks.
Social Media Bloggers
Epic Change has avidly used social media tools since it was founded in 2007, including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and
the Epic Change Wordpress blog. Our Tanzanian partner, Lucy Kamptoni, writes regularly on the blog, and we regularly share stories of the children at the school in Tanzania. Because we've tried to minimize overhead expenses for our startup nonprofit,
these free tools have been particularly useful. Check out this blog entry and this video for just a couple examples of how we've used
social media tools to share our cause. Epic Change has also been featured in over 20 blogs, including TriplePundit, What Gives? and ZDNet.
Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy Bloggers
Epic Change is a startup 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded by Stacey Monk and Sanjay Patel in late 2007. We've adopted a
unique model for social change: we help hopeful people in need share their stories to acquire resources that will improve their lives.
Epic Change uses donations to makes interest-free loans to finance community improvement projects. To facilitate loan repayment and establish sustainable income sources, Epic Change then partners with borrowers to share their stories in ways that raise funds.
So far, Epic Change has loaned $35,000 in Tanzania to a local changemaker, Mama Lucy Kamptoni. Under her leadership, the funds were used
to purchase land and construct four new classrooms which were built and opened in less than 100 days. Already, just nine months later,
performances, auctions and local sales of postcards designed by the children have enabled Kamptoni to pay back nearly 10% of that loan.
Epic Change is anticipating that sales of 2008 holiday products will accelerate her already rapid rate of repayment, and anticipates making an additional loan to further expand the Tanzanian school before the end of 2008.
Epic Change has successfully used peer-to-peer fundraising techniques and the social web to raise over $55,000 in individual donations to date. Most gifts are under $40.
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Green Bloggers
Our holiday cards and giraffe stationery will be printed on 100% recycled stock by GreenerPrinter.com using soy and vegetable inks.
Additionally, the school itself is ecologically conscious. Through a partnership between Epic Change and SunStrides, the school has
installed solar power and the school also raises a garden that is used to grow vegetables to feed lunches to the children.
Mommy Bloggers
Epic Change is currently partnered with "Mama Lucy" Kamptoni, an entrepreneurial Tanzanian woman who used to sell chickens, saved her income and, in 2003, used what she'd hard earned to build a school on land she rented next door to her home. Each purchase at Epic Change benefits the remarkable efforts of a woman who nurtures hundreds of children, including several who have no mom or dad of their own. Our candles and stationery make the perfect gift for the mom who has everything.
Africa & International Development Bloggers
Epic Change is committed to empowering local leaders who are creating change in their own communities, and to sharing their stories of
hope. Our current partner, Mama Lucy Kamptoni, is an entrepreneurial local woman who used to sell chickens and, in 2003, used her
earnings to start a primary school on land she rented next door to her home. The school now serves over 200 local children. Epic Change
provides interest-free loans to Mama Lucy, rather than charitable gifts and, by collaborating with her to design products, is helping her
to develop a means of repayment and, we hope, a longer-term source of income. So far, we have loaned $35,000 and, just nine months
later, performances, auctions and local sales of postcards designed by the children have enabled Kamptoni to pay back nearly 10% of that
loan. The school itself is a sustainable operation as she charges tuition to most children so that she can afford to subsidize several
orphans and very needy children who attend. That said, funds for construction and expansion are unavailable; the school makes just
enough to pay for great local teachers and supplies. You may read Mama Lucy's thoughts on poverty here, and a discussion here about her
thoughts on "aid" and the Epic Change approach. In addition to helping our borrowers to expand and sustain their successful, locally-led community improvement efforts, Epic Change seeks to share positive imagery and stories of hope, potential and transformation from around the globe.
Once our current project in Tanzania is complete with additional classrooms, the school's first library and a cafeteria, our long-term vision is to use repaid funds to grant loans in other sectors and in
other parts of the world. In this way, Mama Lucy becomes the spark that catalyzes future change project across the globe.
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