Want To Make The World A Better Place?

Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn’t have read past the title. But how can you make the world a better place? Got ideas? Have you got GOOD ideas? I’m not talking about a better toaster or a cool little handle to to stick in your door jammer to assist getting out of your car. I’m talking about something that’s going to make a difference in the world, maybe the environment. A good idea with the proper support and execution can make a world of difference making a difference in the world. Every day people are designing and coming up with more fuel efficient cars. Electric cars made their way onto the market from GM years ago in California but were only available to lease. They were repossessed not too long after and scrapped. Why? This was a good thing, right? Not to “Big Oil”. How are they going to keep their sales up and their pockets full if someone creates something better than oil. Tyranny. If you think this is some crazy conspiracy theory…think again.

So, now that I have vented let’s find out how you can begin to make a difference. American Express wants to help make a difference and is offering to fund 5 great ideas. Check out the press release below and maybe you could be a part of history in the making!

AMERICAN EXPRESS ANNOUNCES THE START OF MEMBERS PROJECT^®

CALLING FOR PROJECT IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT

New Survey Results Show Americans’ Belief in the Power of Ideas and the Desire to Make a Difference

NEW YORK (JULY 22, 2008) – American Express announced today the official start of this year’s Members Project (www.membersproject.com), the online initiative that invites Cardmembers to submit ideas for projects to make a positive impact on the world that American Express will fund with $2.5 million.  In conjunction with the launch of Members Project, American Express unveiled new survey results which showed that 96 percent of Americans feel now, more than ever, the world needs great ideas to make a positive difference;  92 percent of Americans surveyed said that they believe in the power of ideas to help change the world.  With Members Project, American Express puts the power of ideas into the hands of Cardmembers and, whether a Cardmember or not, everyone is invited to join the discussion and nominate their favorite projects online.  This year, American Express will fund five winning projects; the top project will receive $1.5 million, the second place project will receive $500,000, the third place project will receive $300,000 and two additional projects in the Top Five will receive $100,000 in funding.

“Every idea has the potential for greatness, particularly when a community of supporters gets behind it,” said Jud Linville, president and chief executive officer of Consumer Services, American Express.  “Today is the official kick-off of Members Project, a unique way for people to come together and share their ideas, passions and beliefs that may help shape our future.  And it’s not just about ideas; it’s about all participants galvanizing their own personal networks – friends, family members, colleagues – to get behind the causes that are meaningful to them.  We look forward to seeing our Cardmembers get engaged in Members Project and determine which projects receive the $2.5 million in funding.”

Members Project 2008: Get Involved

From July 22 through August 19, Cardmembers will be able to submit their own ideas for projects to make a positive impact in the world and discuss, nominate and decide upon their favorite projects.  Whether a Cardmember or not, everyone is invited to participate by commenting on and nominating their favorite projects online.  Cardmembers can select one of the following categories that best fits their project submission: Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment & Wildlife and Health.  Cardmembers can use photos, audio and video to enhance project submissions on the site and anyone can go online and share feedback and insights about specific projects for project submitters to consider.  This type of collaboration is greatly encouraged as submissions can be revised throughout the first four weeks of the program.  In addition, there are new and easy tools to promote projects and spread the word, including online badges, widgets and banners to be posted on sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Once the submission phase closes on August 19, American Express will work with an Advisory Panel of experts to review the projects and announce the Top 25 submissions on September 9.  It’s up to Cardmembers to ultimately choose which projects American Express will fund. Cardmembers can make a collective difference by casting their vote, showing their support for their favorite projects, and narrowing down to the Top Five projects starting September 30. The winning projects will be those with the most Cardmember votes, announced October 14.

Because there was so much passion for the final projects last year, this year, American Express will award multiple projects with a total of $2.5 million in funding. The top project will receive $1.5 million, the second place project will receive $500,000, the third place project will receive $300,000 and two additional projects in the Top Five will receive $100,000 in funding.

New Survey Shows Americans’ Desire to “Do Good”

A recent American Express survey uncovered current trends about Americans’ views on the power of ideas and their desire to give back, including:

• 92 percent of Americans say that they believe in the power of ideas to help change the world.
• 87 percent of 18- to 39-year-olds and 71 percent of people 55+ believe that one person can help change the world.
• Men tend to be more likely to focus on ideas that broadly impact the country, and women are slightly more interested in ideas that impact their communities.
• Almost three-quarters of Americans say they would dedicate their lives to making a positive difference if they could.
• Four out of five Americans have done something in the past year to help make an impact, including donating household articles (57 percent), giving money (56 percent) and volunteering (49 percent).

The survey uncovered that health, education and the environment/wildlife are some of the most important issues to Americans; these, along with arts and culture and community development, make up the five project categories for this year’s program.  Last year through Members Project, American Express^® Cardmembers chose to bring safe drinking water to millions in Africa.  This year, it’s up to Cardmembers to once again make their voices heard as to which projects will be funded.