CharityFocus is helping others help others -- and the press is taking note!
We don't have a media team, we don't pitch stories to reporters, but still, since the first article on us in May 1999, we have attracted a constant stream of publicity. With the tremendous response from the community, the scope of our services has changed, but our hearts still seek to serve selflessly.
Below is a sampling of articles on CharityFocus, in traditional media.
Don't Show Me The Money
What would you pay for something if you didn't have to? Would you pay it forward? Example of gift-economy in India.
Apr 2011 Conversations
Conversation with Michael Stone
Nipun Mehta in conversation about CF, DailyGood, Karma Kitchen, Smile Cards and his walking pilgrimage.
Mar 2011 FFC Free Radio
Whole Body Talk
Clown-healer, Polina Smith, asks some questions around fears associated with the embracing gift-economy.
Feb 2011 KWMR AM
Point Reyes Dialogues
Reknowned author, Jacob Needleman, interviews Nipun Mehta and goes into the subtler aspects of giving and receiving.
Jan 2011 Healthy Money
Money and Happiness
Birju Pandya, along with Dr. Ariyaratne, share a panel of a star-studded tele-event around the value of generosity. (Audio Clip).
Jan 2011 Unity FM
Living Service: Yoga in the World
CF's Dr. Sri Shamasunder and Nipun Mehta share a radio interview with Rev. Ellen Grace O'Brian on Yoga Hour around the timeless principles of selfless service.
Dec 2010 1170 AM
Lunch With Rikhi
Neil Patel and Nipun Mehta share a radio interview on generosity and social change. (Neil's Clip, Closing Clip).
Model for a Meditation Evening An unexpected write-up shared via Padma Foye: "Mehtas have hosted an evening meditation in their home for the past 12 years."
Local Kitchen Dishes Out Generosity An 18-year-old visits Karma Kitchen for 4 hours, and out come to this story (with a video!) in the UC Berkeley newspaper.
Nov 2008 Times of India
Strangers Spread Smiles in India A story in most popular Indian newspaper, about a trend of anonymous they are seeing in the city of Ahmedabad.
Award By ICA A report, following an award reception in the bay-area.
Jul 2008 Wall Street Journal
How I Got Here Wall Streeters trying to understanding gift-economy. Yes, it's true. :)
Jun 2008 Readers' Digest, etc.
Anonymous Interviews We gave three anonymous interviews to Reader's Digest, Better Home and Gardens, and beyond. No mention of us, but definite spread of kindness!
Newspaper
3 Dec 2007 Times of India
Logging Into Be-The-Change
"The idea was that if you make the change in one heart, the ripple effect of that change will continue in this world forever. We picked our instrument: worldwide web. CharityFocus soon became a bridge between the Internet and the inner-net. More than an organization, it was a mindset that stood for service."
Dec 2007 Healing Life Styles and Spa
Seven Questions on Giving Time An interview with CharityFocus Founder, about the power of spending time vs. spending money.
Oct 25 2007 CS Monitor
Restaurant With No Checks A full back-page story on our gift-economy restaurant -- Karma Kitchen. (The author subsequently signed up to volunteer!)
Hooray, I Got My Smile Cards! A spontaneous coffee conversation leads to this story in a blog focused on bringing more "noble speech" into the world.
Sep 2007 EastBay Express
Instant Karma At a restaurant in Berkeley, an 'experiment in generosity' means the price of your meal is upto you.
28 July 2006 ABC TV
Travelling India on Dollar-a-Day Imagine travelling to India and going on a walking journey and surviving on just one dollar a day and the kindness of strangers? That's exactly what one Berkeley couple did.
29 Jun 2006 SF Chronicle
Dollar-A-Day Pilgrimage
"I don't feel like the pilgrimage has ended. A pilgrimage is a kind of conscious intention to go from self-centeredness to selflessness, to move from fear to love, from arrogance to humility. I think that process had started for us before the walk in India, although the walk helped us to deepen that practice. And I think the practice continues."
24 April 2005 Times of India
A selfless journey
"Today this Ahmedabad-born, California-based techie (Nipun Mehta) is on an even bigger mission. Along with his wife Guri and a few friends, he is on a padyatra -- a journey in 'search of the realities of life.' But why would two high-flyers want to forgo everything to give something back to the society?"
Nov 2004 India Currents
Solutions for Nonprofits
"What makes CharityFocus so special is the mindset that anything is possible. If you are passionate about something, someone at CharityFocus will believe in you and help you develop your idea."
(Cover Feature)
August 2004 India Abroad
Role Model Award
Arizona governor gives Nipun Mehta the 2004 "Viswa Jyoti" Role Model
Award of the North South Foundation.
13 Jun 2003 India West
Sony TV Owner Joins CharityFocus
"There were no lawyers, no piece of paper. We just shook hands," Parekh said of
CharityFocus and ProPoor merger.
(Front Page, Business Section)
5 Dec 2002 Times of India
Mountains Have Begun To Move
Refusing to adopt the cynical perspective of mankind having lost everything that was humanitarian, Mehta believes that "compassion is contagious."
(Pune Edition)
29 Apr 2002 Philanthropy News
CharityFocus.org acquires dot-com
"PledgePage highlights the work of everyday heroes and CharityFocus is about everyday heroes. Sounds like a perfect fit."
(Front Page, PNN)
20 Apr 2002 San Jose Mercury News
SF dot-com becomes dot-org
``The dot-coms came and went. Here is a dot-org that stayed. The
glue that binds people together is inspiration, not stock options.''
(Front Page, Business Section)
April 2002 Press Release
Unleashing the dot-orgers
``PledgePage highlights the work of everyday heroes and CharityFocus is about everyday heroes. Sounds like a perfect fit!''
Dec 2001 Indian Express
Charity Begins At Home
You do not need to be a technical wizard to volunteer. Given the nature of our
services, our volunteers are not limited to any geographical boundaries.
Dot-orgs surviving dot-com failures
"Nonprofits are in a better position
because they've learned how to use the medium without
relying on venture capital funding."
Jan 2001 Mission Quarterly
Outstanding Alumnus
"CharityFocus is not backed by money-it's backed by inspiration and that's powerful!"
11 Jul 2000 CS Monitor
Bay Area Samaritan
"CharityFocus itself doesn't matter. It's about the giving."
(National Edition)
20 Jun 2000 San Jose Mercury News
Charity Continues To Hit Home
Are you going to a dot-com? Well, no. He's going to help people.
How? Any way he can ... the power of it is the change in people's hearts.
(SV Life, Frontpage)
Tao of CharityFocus
Our chapter of collaborative book by 20 visionary organizations -- an anecdotal story of CharityFocus and lessons learned along the way.
Long Road To Another Life: Yoo-mi Lee
"I tell the CharityFocus people that they've ruined my life," Yoo-mi Lee laughs, "because I can no longer go back to a 'real' paying job."
Dec 2004 Sun Magazine
My Mantra in life: "I don't know"
"That success isn't about CharityFocus or me; rather it's a testimony to the nature of things -- selflessness sustains life. It may take a while, but love will always triumph over greed."
April 2004 Link Club, Japan
Journey People
Not outcome but journey people. The most important thing is that we
try to have an opportunity for doing volunteer work. If somebody has
a good experience, somebody else joins as a result.
(Center Fold feature)
Dec 2003 Money Magazine
Virtual Charity
Essentially, we've created a "napster of compassion."
(Holiday 'Giving Back' feature)
Oct 2001 Tricycle
Unsung Heroes
Story will be put up soon.
Aug 2001 Mantram
Zen and The Art of Giving
"There is no end. You have to enjoy the means and let go of the end. Let each
moment be a manifestation of your real nature -- and that is compassion."
Feb 2001 Sony Style
silicon samaritan
"It's really more about self understanding. You have a choice. You
can either serve yourself or serve others."
TV/Radio
Aug 2008 NaanSense
Spirit of CharityFocus A radio interview with a small, student run radio station in Washington DC. Interview time was 6:30AM-6:45AM. :)
17 Apr 2007 CommonWeal
An Invisible Revolution
An in-depth interview with Nipun Mehta, about the spirit of CharityFocus.
June 23 2007 Fun Asia
Interview with CharityFocus Founder An hour-long radio interview, broadcast to Dallas locals.
Travelling India on Dollar-a-Day
Imagine travelling to India and going on a walking journey and surviving on just one dollar a day and the kindness of strangers? That's exactly what one Berkeley couple did.
Activist of Love
An Interview with Nipun Mehta about why and how we should we serve ...
(APEX Express, 7:30PM, 15 minute radio interview)
Apr 2001 KRON TV
Better To Give Than To Receive?
We all know the old axiom that it's better to give than to receive, but
one Silicon Valley man has taken that philosophy to heart.
4 Sep 2000
Live on Q/A (1/2 hour)
"What is the one key to your success?"
Nipun Mehta: "The change within. Without that, every change on the
outside is superficial."
(International TV)
Speeches
We give dozens of talks every year; below are the ones that were caught on tape. :)
Jun 2011 TedX
Give, Receive, Dance
Video of a 9-minute talk at TedX Compassion, with 700 educators.
Nov 2009 Bioneers
Be Selfish Be Generous
A keynote to 1500 Bioneers by the Bay attendees, engaged in the work of sustainability.
Silent Revolution of the Inner-net
Presentation in Puerto Rico, at the Alliance For New Humanity. By popular demand, another session was held during the break times.
July 2005 Jaina Convention
State of the Heart Technology
A talk by Viral Mehta, to a 5000 person audience, with presidential candidates and more in attendance.
Living in Impossible Times
An acceptance speech for North South Foundation Role Model award, that inspired comments from everyone including the Arizona governor.
May 2002 Santa Fe Institute
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Application
A presentation at a think-tank, with Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann, about the principles that rest underneath the success of CharityFocus.
Spirit of Service
The first talk about CharityFocus, coupled with the personal journey of Nipun Mehta.
Favorites
charity begins @ home
Joel Engardio wrote an inspiring and heartfelt article that was
on the front cover of SF Weekly. The timeless story details the
spirit behind the start of CharityFocus!
Mar 2001 SF Chronicle
Volunteers in a Virtual World
"inspiring a spirit of service in ourselves, working on the fundamental
principle of compassion."
Feb 2001 Sony Style
silicon samaritan
"It's really more about self understanding. You have a choice. You
can either serve yourself or serve others."
4 Sep 2000
Live on Q/A (1/2 hour)
"What is the one key to your success?"
Nipun Mehta: "The change within. Without that, every change on the
outside is superficial."
(International TV)
Feb 2000 Berkeley Monastery
Spirit of Service
The first talk about CharityFocus, coupled with the personal journey of Nipun Mehta.
If you are interested in writing about CharityFocus, please feel free to contact us anytime.