Through the magic of technology we are all aware of Haiti's recent earthquakes and turmoil. I'm inspired by the level of commitment shown by so many people around the world, including Etsy's handmade community!
Just search "Haiti Relief" at
Etsy's main site and watch the donations pop up before your eyes! So many folks are digging deep, just check
Craft Hope out - this Etsy shop has so many donations for Haiti (via
Medecins Sans Frontiers) that there is a two week waiting list for sellers to donate. Way to spread the love Craft Hope!
Taking a look at the bigger picture, there are about 300,000 Etsy sellers making all kinds of transactions from the miniscule to the major. I think that the handmade community is doing a great job and that we can do even better. I bet that if we try, we can transform the world by donating even 1% of our profits for 1 day. Of course 10% is better. Or 50% or 100% - whatever you can handle.
I have chosen to donate 50% of my Etsy transactions, not including shipping fees, to
The Yele Foundation because I believe that Yelé can gather talent and manpower to relieve major logistics issues which are causing bottle necks in aid efforts.
Not sure how to get involved? Start by searching Pay Pal/e-Bay's extensive list of charitable foundations and take it from there. Good luck, and dig as deep as possible wherever you can!