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TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO CHARITY ARE SIMPLY

NOT WORKING

In Africa, which receives the largest amount of foreign aid assistance worldwide, the poverty rate actually rose

from 11% in 1970 to a staggering 66% in 2013.

MISSIONGO invests in leaders who have the capacity to end poverty in their communities.

VISIONWe believe that community-based leaders have the wisdom and ambition to address

the root causes of poverty — if only they were properly supported.

METHODBy engaging a global network through technology, GO is able to provide these leaders with the tools — visibility, training and seed funding — they need to bring their projects

to scale and accelerate systemic change in their own communities and beyond.

POVERTY RATE IN 1970 POVERTY RATE IN 2013

11% 66%

MEET PETER. HE’S A JOB MAKER, NOT A JOB SEEKER.

Dear GO Family, Peter was born on a banana plantation in Uganda. He has known farming from the first day of his life. Despite being born into poverty, he studied with great determination and earned a degree in Theology at the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Community Development from the Catholic seminary of Asmara, Eritrea. Combining his deep education with an entrepreneurial spirit, he launched his own organization to help his community earn their way out of poverty.

Peter is a local GO leader who is dedicated to ending poverty in his community by improving the economic livelihood of the most vulnerable people in Uganda.

Leaders like Peter have the capacity to translate vision into reality. They are not always born leaders; rather they are cultivated through patience, understanding, focus, and by working diligently towards their goals.

At GO, we find that community-based leaders have the wisdom and ambition to address the root causes of poverty — if only they are properly supported. By utilizing technology to engage a global network, GO provides these leaders with the tools they need, such as visibility, training and seed funding, to bring their projects to scale and accelerate systemic change in their own communities and beyond.

In this book of stories, we will explore the relationships between visionary leaders who are ending poverty in their communities, and people from all walks of life who are supporting them with the resources to do so. Together, we are raising their collective efforts to a higher standard by expanding their capacities to help others beyond normal limitations, and literally creating a world beyond poverty. Join us on this journey and embrace our vision through the eyes of extraordinary people like Peter.

Yours in Progress,

Bartlomiej Jan Skorupa, Executive Directorwww.goworks.org | bart@goworks.org

A VISIONARY LEADER

Peter Luswata is a passionate Ugandan leader with a vision for improving his community and his country. His passion to serve others began at an early age while growing up on a farm in a rural Ugandan village where he and his family constantly struggled to make ends meet. Despite their struggles, his family always practiced generosity and built a culture of giving back. This feeling of giving back drove Peter to be a strong leader who wanted to give his time, money, and abilities to help his people thrive. It drove him to engage in social impact work– not only for empowerment, skills, and economic growth to take root in the community, but for the community to pass on a legacy of fiscal growth and stability to future generations.

01Peter at his micro-development farm in Masaka, Uganda

THE KEY TO ENDING POVERTYThe Ugandan region of Masaka, where Peter grew up, effectively lost a generation to HIV/AIDS, yet Peter refused to give up in the face of such devastation. In early 2000, he was inspired to start something that would rebuild not only his community, but would impact all of Uganda. After spending nearly a decade working at the international NGO Mercy Corps, Peter learned how to manage large-scale programs that drive systemic change. He sought to educate his community about nutrition and how to earn money to help combat the loss of knowledge and the economic void left in the wake of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.

Peter believed that providing opportunities for people to become trained farmers was the key to ending poverty in Masaka. He knew that creating opportunities around agriculture was the best method for creating jobs, generating income, restoring food security, and rebuilding community cohesiveness and vitality.

To support this belief, Peter left Mercy Corps and founded the Uganda Rural Community Support Foundation (URCSF). As the first project under URCSF, Peter bought a plot of land and started a small model farm. With this land, Peter was able to cultivate and distribute seeds to his neighbors while also training them in the skills needed to become farmers. Once people saw how others in the community were growing and selling their crops with the help of Peter’s training and assistance, the demand for Peter’s services quickly outstripped his resources.

THE FIRST GO CHAMPIONAlthough he lacked funding, Peter had a greater vision for his program. Rather then just helping a few local farmers, Peter wanted to curb poverty for the entire community of Masaka. Yet, due to a lack of visibility, training, and seed capital, the growth of Peter’s project was stunted.

As fortune would have it, Peter met GO co-founder, Kyle Miller when GO was in its infancy stages. After visiting Peter’s farm and discussing its potential with him, Kyle was impressed and inspired. Peter explained that with $10,000 he would be able to profoundly expand his program by building a training center and developing a more robust

animal and seed lending program. Soon thereafter, Kyle returned to the United States and launched a “Champion” campaign with GO. When his campaign raised more than his original goal of $10,000 in just a few months, 100% of the funding was sent to provide critical early support to Peter’s work.

As a GO Champion, Kyle was able to engage his network of friends, family, and personal foundation connections to raise critical visibility and capital that ultimately enabled Peter to realize his dream of ending poverty in Masaka. With just an initial investment of $10,000, Peter built a farming education center where over 4,000 farmers have been trained in traditional farming methods including, rain-water harvesting and irrigation techniques, inter-cropping, composting, and animal husbandry. Once a farmer completes the program, they are given the seeds, tools, micro-loans and/or animal loans they need to launch their own successful farms.

A MOVEMENT TO END POVERTYThrough GO, stories like Peter’s can be heard around the world – and the vision of a community being able to create change is able to grow bigger and faster. He is an inspiration to his community, paving the way for other leaders in his area to start their own projects with his guidance.

Simply put, Peter is a local leader who has the capacity to end poverty in his community. He is truly leading the conversation on rural agriculture and poverty alleviation in his region and making the end of poverty in Masaka an attainable goal.

As the very first GO Champion, Kyle gave Peter the visibility and seed capital he needed to fulfill his dream. Yet this fortunate crossing of paths was just the beginning. Soon, more leaders like Peter were discovered and more Champions like Kyle were inspired to provide them with the resources they needed to kickstart their ventures.

A movement to end poverty has begun.

GO’S 3 MAJOR METRICS OF SUCCESS

01. Since 2008, Peter has impacted over 124k people in his community

02.His training farm has created 1,564 jobs

03.Graduated farmers earn 2x their prior income

FRIENDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

“GO allowed us to build a project on our own scale and give input in terms of what kind of project we wanted to be involved with. They really involved us, asked us what we were comfortable with, and it became our project instead of someone else’s project that we were working on.”

– Jo Wulffenstein

02 Jo and Michelle offer a pig from Peter’s farm to a local Ugandan farmer

A BASIC HUMAN RIGHTJo and Michelle have been best friends since they met in their high school English class in Oregon. Like many GO Champions, Jo and Michelle have always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, but weren’t sure exactly how.

It was Jo who initiated their mutual adventure with GO. She had always been a traveler and was looking for a way to combine her love of travel with her desire to help others. As Africa had always been number one on her list, she stumbled upon GO when Googling “volunteer work in Africa”.

“GO really jived with everything I believed in,” she explains. “When I contacted GO, it was miraculous. I got a personal email from them within 24 hours of inquiring and we spent 2 hours the next day on the phone. And when I heard that 100% of what you raise will go straight to the project, I said yes!’”

“The reason I was initially impressed with GO,” Michelle adds, “is that they are really transparent. There are no hidden costs, or fees, or hidden agendas, and when we researched other organizations, they didn’t feel that way.”

RAISING THE BAR Neither Jo nor Michelle had ever done any kind of fundraising before reaching out to GO. However, after speaking with GO and leveraging their fundraising coaching services, Jo and Michelle decided that their original fundraising goal was too small and decided to go big. They wanted to raise $10,000 to build a whole new addition to Peter’s training farm in Uganda.

With the support of GO’s staff, Jo and Michelle met their goal of raising $10,000 in 2012 after throwing a few parties, emailing all of their contacts, and hosting donation drives at their offices. They visited the project site in Uganda the following month to see their impact in person.

“Once I got to Uganda and met Peter, I just became a total believer,” Michelle said about her visit. “You get to see the results of your hard work. For me, going to Uganda was really beneficial because it gave me the motivation to really Champion a project

when previously Jo was really leading the charge and doing most of the fundraising.”

SEE THE IMPACTHaving gained deeper knowledge of Peter’s vision after their trip, Jo and Michelle decided to embark on a far more ambitious project. During their visit, Michelle had noticed that there were substantial costs associated with providing clean water to the communities around the farm. Many of the wells were hand-dug, which is laborious, costly and time consuming.

She wondered if obtaining a drill rig to do this work at the model development farm would be possible. After some research online, she found a model suitable for Peter’s needs and he eagerly gave the green light. Jo and Michelle began working collectively with a team of GO Champions for Peter, and together they have raised nearly $45,000 to date. This is enough to purchase a drill rig and truck that will allow Peter to provide clean and safe water to his entire region.

“I think that’s why we decided that we don’t ever want to be doing fundraising projects without the other person. We work better together,” Jo said. “I had been the spearhead of the first project and Michelle is the spearhead of the second project that will bring fresh water to thousands of people in that region. We always get to the finish line by working together.”

JO AND MICHELLE’SSTEPS TO BECOMING A GO CHAMPION

01.Make the commitment: You have to make the decision that you’re ready to follow through and do what it takes to complete the project

02.Leverage the GO Community: GO possesses vast resources to help you raise the money needed to support your project and achieve your goal

03.See your impact: Travel to the project and witness the impact being made in the field for yourself

HIGH SCHOOL IMPACT

“This was the first time that I’ve really reached out to a large group of people and asked them for money, which was weird at first, but through that, I’ve gained a lot of patience and respect for people who organize fundraisers. It was a way to provide immediate relief to these people who have been without a basic human right - water.”

– Carlos Snaider

03 Carlos shows how oil has contaminated local rivers and streams in Ecuador’s northern Amazon

A BASIC HUMAN RIGHTWhen GO first met Carlos, he was a high school senior in Boulder, Colorado. Carlos was a truly driven and passionate individual, two qualities seen time and time again in GO Champions. Carlos’ experiences as a young child growing up in Ecuador influenced his desire to give back to the people in this region.

As a youth, Carlos also learned first-hand how crucial issues such as water pollution can devastate a community. He witnessed his fellow Ecuadorians grapple with water pollution problems caused by the mismanagement of oil companies, and gained rare insight into this issue through his father, a lawyer who worked on cases against the oil companies in the region. As he entered high school, Carlos began combining his desire to help others with the need for clean water in Ecuadorian communities.

Through his father, Carlos learned about a partner project between several organizations - GO, Rainforest Action Network, and Amazon Watch. This project is called ClearWater. Carlos decided to reach out to GO co-founder, Bart Skorupa, and he quickly to become a GO Champion for ClearWater after hearing about how the project empowers local Ecuadorian communities.

“I remember being very excited when I started watching the videos about what’s happening in the Amazon through GO’s website,” Carlos said. “I realized that I could make an impact, and it was something that I had been wanting to do for years.”

This was the first time Carlos had embarked on any kind of fundraising effort, and the first time that he independently led a service and volunteer effort. “I was really calling the shots and I was in charge of fundraising,” Carlos explains.

INSPIRED BY THE COMMUNITYThe first fundraising event Carlos organized was a benefit concert in November 2012. He reached out to everyone in his school and the Boulder music community asking for support. He says that he was inspired by the positive reception he got from his

community, the incredible amount of support he received and the sum of money he raised.

“I’ve had a lot of freedom in the organization of my fundraising, but also a lot of support.” Carlos said. “Anything from tips, materials, flyers, and handouts were provided by GO. I feel like I’m now part of a greater community throughout the world that’s all supporting their causes. We inspire one another. When other Champions are doing great work, it inspires me to do more great work.”

CALLING THE SHOTSThe experience of being a GO Champion inspired Carlos’ college entrance essay. Now, as he begins his studies at Harvard University, he plans to continue working with people less fortunate than himself. In addition, the GO Champion experience has allowed him to combine his passion for music with his experience of living in Ecuador.

“GO is different because it allows you to be the change however you want to be,” Carlos mentioned. “It’s incredibly fulfilling because you get direct impact reports and feedback after you’ve started fundraising. It is extremely rewarding to see that your efforts have gone to a project that is sustainable.”

Carlos finished his campaign over a year ago and has, subsequently, recorded a song and started a blog about his experiences to help promote awareness and continue to raise funds for ClearWater. Currently, he is devoting substantial effort to being a GO Mentor and trying to find other people in his community who might be interested in getting involved.

CARLOS’STEPS TO BECOMING A GO CHAMPION

01.Find a cause that you connect with and are passionate about

02.Find a way that you want to fundraise for that cause, whether it’s an event, a birthday campaign, or running a race

03.Once you have gained some traction with the help of your close supporters and friends, reach out to a larger community of friends

CORPORATE COLLEAGUES

“For me as a business-minded person, I really believe in sustainability and the idea of people learning to take care of their own needs. I previously had this impression that startups were more about passion than execution, and that was not the case with GO. I knew this was the nonprofit I wanted to be involved with.”

– Margo Mayes

04 Margo riding a local student’s bike while visiting Cambodia on a recent GO delegation group trip

A NEW CAREER PATHMargo had never been actively engaged in the nonprofit community. She grew up in Colorado and then moved to New York, where she lived a fast-paced life. She didn’t feel like she had time to give back. However, at some point, she started to notice that she had lost sight of the things that she thought were important in life. Margo decided to hit the pause button in terms of both her career and how she was prioritizing her personal life.

Margo decided to take a year off and embarked on a 6 month solo journey through Southeast Asia. Seeing life through a new lens, she decided to change the course of her career upon her return and began working as an intern for the chief development officer at Kiva. She eventually joined the SalesForce Foundation, which ultimately led her to GO, a SalesForce Foundation client.

“I immediately saw so much value at GO,” Margo added. “I became a volunteer, then later a GO Champion.”

ASKING COLLEAGUES FOR SUPPORTMargo first met Bart at SalesForce’s annual conference - DreamForce, which led her to start attending various GO events in San Francisco. She was inspired by what she described as “a small, scrappy nonprofit led by incredible individuals with great stories, and incredible commitment.”

Margo invited Bart to share his story about founding GO at a SalesForce Foundation employee retreat. At the conclusion of the event, she became a GO Champion on the spot and asked her colleagues to donate to a project that is installing biosand water filters in a Cambodian village which lacked clean water.

As a first time fundraiser, she was nervous about asking her colleagues for money. Despite her nerves, she made the commitment and immediately after the retreat, she sent an email to all of her colleagues that heard Bart speak and asked them to donate $10 to her GO Champion page. The response was absolutely electric and donations started pouring in. Through email and colleague support, she was able to raise over $1,600 in her first three days of fundraising.

COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN 100%Margo’s fundraising efforts ended up exceeding her goal, giving her confidence about her ability to raise funds and make an impact. She realized that although inspiring people to donate may seem challenging at first, engaging people with storytelling and leveraging GO’s community of support could help her reach an even higher goal. And when she was able to share with her friends, family, and colleagues that every penny would go to the building of biosand water filters, it made all the difference.

“It was the first time that I had complete confidence that everything I would fundraise would go to the cause.” She said about her campaign. “It took, I realized, that level of confidence, and being vulnerable enough to ask people I trusted and loved to also contribute. All of that aligned for me to share my story.”

Margo was pleasantly surprised that people were as moved by GO’s story as she was and that they too wanted to be involved. Their enthusiasm elevated her and gave her a deeper connection to the organization which she finds extremely valuable. That deep connection led Margo to travel with GO on a delegation trip in May of 2013 so she could see her impact first-hand.

“To see that in person was an experience that I wouldn’t have really had if I had not been a GO Champion,” Margo realized. ”When you become a GO Champion, you get more involved in the work that you do, you travel to that site, and come back with stories from the people you helped and that’s a much deeper story than I had before.”

Since her campaign, Margo continues to work with potential GO Champions to make sure they understand the mission of GO and what they are trying to accomplish and why. She says it is key for potential GO Champions to ask themselves the following questions - “what about GO inspires you to do something very difficult and why would you ask people you love to support your cause?”

MARGO’SSTEPS TO BECOMING A GO CHAMPION

01. Understand GO’s story about how local leaders can empower their community

02.Find an idea or cause that you can get behind and support

03.Think about how you can ask people in your network and your communities to help support your cause and work as a Champion

WE SHOULD NOT BE FOCUSING ON THE WHAT,

WE MUST FOCUS ON THE WHO.

Together, we can create a world beyond poverty.

JOIN US.goworks.org