What is Giving Back Experiences?
On a trip to Jamaica, a few years ago, I found myself bored and wandering around the hotel when I discovered an area where seven women were washing all the laundry in the hotel.
They washed the laundry by hand in large concrete tubs, passing the laundry along until the water changed from soapy to clear, and they were happily chatting the whole time they were working. I asked if I could help and despite their looks of confusion, they agreed, and I spent the next two hours with them, washing the clothes and joining in the conversation.
I left that day fulfilled and happy and no longer bored, and it struck me that I couldn’t be the only one looking for something more to do. So, the very next day I came back with 11 more ladies, and we spent the following few hours washing uniforms and sheets and so on.
By the time we were done, we’d washed the equivalent of what would take those seven women a week to get through. And after we discovered that they were paid by the item, we understood why they were so thrilled!
Afterwards, we went back into the main hotel and, with our spouses, gathered at a big table to eat and talk about what had just happened. The conversations going on around that table were wonderful. And I realized that experience would live with all those women for many years to come.
And so, Giving Back Experiences was born.
The basis of Giving Back Experiences is straightforward. It’s about being able to bring about unique experiences that money just can’t buy.
From worldwide travel to local experiences on your very own doorstep, whilst raising money for charity at the same time. Ultimately, it’s about everyone coming together to support a much bigger goal. There’s simply nothing more fulfilling than that, is there?
How does Giving Back Experiences work?
The best way to explain how Giving Back Experiences works is to give you an example. So, let’s say I organize a pub and quiz night and I charge you $25 to take part and that gets you a beer and a burger, too. You have a great night and whatever gets left over goes to charity!
It’s about having an experience that you just wouldn’t find for sale anywhere, while also giving back to help those in need. We create the experiences, you figure out how you’d like to raise the money to take part and a charity gets supported in the process! Of course, this is explaining things in very simple terms. But the money you raise goes towards having the experience of a lifetime as well as getting all the support you need to figure out how to raise those funds. And the best part is you’re giving something back in the meantime.
We currently have three tiers of experience from small, local experiences like scavenger hunts and prize draws, right through to large experiences, which usually involve trips to other countries.
Why Giving Back Experiences?
There’s a saying in Nova Scotia, where I come from, that you don’t look in your neighbour’s bowl to see what they have, you look in it to see what they need. It’s this desire to give, to share what I have with others and to bring people together to help those less fortunate that tells you everything you need to know about why Giving Back Experiences exists.
How can you get involved?
Giving Back Experiences only works with your help! Do you have an experience you’d like me to arrange, so we can support your favourite charity? Where in the world would you like to visit and have a totally unique and memorable experience whilst supporting a local charity? What’s on your bucket list?
Get in touch with your ideas and suggestions!
We’re thinking up new experiences all the time. The best way to be the first to find out about them is to join our Facebook group. Join it now!
