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Frequently Asked Questions We’ve done our best to answer all your questions. If you have others that are not addressed here, please write to us.
1. Does PeaceDiviners™ have a funding window to support anti-poverty projects? At this point, grants are not available for projects, only for the personal needs of previously identified partners who are implementing such projects. However, PeaceDiviners™ is interested in knowing and sharing details about the grant partners’ projects, especially if they are replicable. (back to top) 2. Why do you call them ‘partners’? The organization exists because of them and their dedication and as such we consider it a partnership. The grants are not a gift to them but rather an acknowledgement of their self-selected work and sense of responsibility to help heal the planet. (back to top) 3. Can an organization or individual self-nominate for a grant? Again, PeaceDiviners™ grants are not designed for organizations, but for the individuals behind them. Self-nominated grant seekers will not be considered as first time grant partners. However, previous partners may appeal for and will receive emergency funding as required. (back to top) 4. How do you decide who gets the grants and how much they are? All grant partners are personally visited by PeaceDiviners™ staff or someone from their trusted partner network to gain a sense of their commitment and assess the needs, with the partners’ input. The decision is made following a process not unlike a job interview and its accompanying reference checks. (back to top) An average grant ranges from US$15,000-$35,000 and depends on individual needs and local economies. It would be unusual to have a grant of more than US$75,000 considering they are primarily intended to supplement personal income and are not intended to fund projects directly, but larger emergency loans or grants are possible (for example in the case of an uninsured medical emergency) and assessed individually. (back to top) 6. Can a PeaceDiviners™ grantee receive more than one grant? Yes, by all means! These are designed to give long term peace of mind and freedom from financial worry to people doing good work. As such, many are designed to be multi-year grants to replace lost salaries or reward voluntary time. The basic premise is that these people have given up opportunities to earn funds through salaried jobs or commercial endeavors, but that their work has value and deserves remuneration. We hope to eventually offer retirement assistance. (back to top) 7. How many grants does PeaceDiviners™ award each year? In the first three years of operation following a concerted effort to raise a sustainable source of funds, PeaceDiviners™ hopes to raise enough to award as many as 20 new grants, either one time or multi-year, and sustain those as required. As awareness is raised and more schools participate, within five years we hope to fund more than 300 social development artists annually with multiple year inflation or exchange-indexed grants averaging $15,000 - $35,000, as well as state and provincial scholarships and study tours for 25-35 students. (back to top) 8. Where does PeaceDiviners™ get the money for grants? The vast majority of grant funds come from the revenue generated through the multiple beneficiary sales of educational products through schools, non-profits, religious communities, corporations, and service clubs and from revenue from production and sales of educational videos, as well as broadcast documentary films. We also accept direct donations, which we pass on to grant partners, but we prefer to refer the donor directly to the social entrepreneurs, especially if they require tax receipts. In addition, we expect to have a modest membership income. (back to top) 9. What are “ethical investors”? Ethical investors are those individuals we seek as partners who are concerned with healing the planet through sustainable development and socially conscious investments. They pay more than lip service to the “triple bottom line” and are involved in and committed to their role in the big picture. Ethical investors realize that ‘success’ and ‘responsibility’ go hand-in-hand. They come from all backgrounds and represent many shapes and sizes of industries. If their industry pollutes, they explore all green avenues to improve it. They are aware of the fact that someone always ends up with the mop. They are willing to clean their own mess and support other companies that do the same. Note: Ethical investors will never include those involved in the arms industry, tobacco or alcohol, or industries that exploit their labor force or the communities in which they operate. (back to top) 10. What is “the triple bottom line”? The triple bottom line is a business approach that includes financial, environmental, and social concerns as integrated and equally important elements in measuring success of a business. Socially conscious companies concerned report their TBL performance to their shareholders. Companies are becoming more aware that brand and investor loyalty is connected with corporate social responsibility. (back to top) 11. What are the “Millennium Development Goals?” In September 2000, 137 heads of state and Government adopted the Millennium Declaration that creates a global agenda for development. The Millennium Development Goals, also called the MDGs, were named by the United Nations at the opening of the new millennium as part of the Millennium Declaration and focus on improving conditions for the poor and marginalized. There are eight primary time-bound goals to eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease, improve education and gender inequities, improve health for mothers and young children, sustain the environment, and forge partnerships for a global commitment to development. (back to top) 12. What are the “International Theme Years?” For many years, the United Nations has declared days, weeks, months, years, and decades to focus attention on important or urgent issues or to commemorate struggles. PeaceDiviners’™ research shows that most people are unaware of these specially designated years, except when they have been given exceptional promotion (such as the international years of Children, Volunteers, or Women), yet they offer an avenue to explore current global concerns. Many don’t know, for example, that the year 2003 was the International Year of Freshwater, or the duo themes of 2004 —Year of Rice and Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolishment, or that 2005 is the International Year of Microcredit. Themes are proposed by countries and voted on by the UN General Assembly. (back to top) 13. How do I become a member of PeaceDiviners™ and how much does it cost? Log onto www.PeaceDiviners.org/membership and follow the instructions to join. We ask for a minimum membership fee of $25 annually. With this you will receive a monthly e-newsletter and a hard copy of the PeaceDiviners™ annual report. (If you would like to receive the newsletter and cannot pay, please write to us.) (back to top) 14. Can I buy shares of PeaceDiviners™? There are a limited number of investors permitted to own shares in PeaceDiviners™ International Inc. We are open to discussions with ethical investors. (back to top) 15. If I donate cash to PeaceDiviners™, what percentage of my donation goes to grants? Administrative expenses are paid through the sales of PeaceDiviners™ products. Therefore 100% of cash donations go to PeaceDiviners™ grants. (But see FAQ 8. We also offer memberships and shares.) (back to top) 16. What nationality are PeaceDiviners™ partners? Our partners are from all over the world and often do not work in their home country. All nationalities are eligible. 17. Is PeaceDiviners™ a religious organization? (back to top) PeaceDiviners™ is nondenominational and our partners may be from any religion. PeaceDiviners™ seeks to raise awareness of global issues and a sense of one’s individual place on the planet. Although some grant partners are from mission backgrounds, there is neither policy nor structural bias towards missionaries. PeaceDiviners™ seeks to financially assist social entrepreneurs of all nationalities and religions who need personal funds, either occasionally or regularly, so they may continue their good work without distraction. (back to top) 18. Does PeaceDiviners™ give grants before people commit to full time volunteer work? Grants seek to recognize committed people performing social work to benefit poor and disadvantaged people all over the world. This level of commitment manifests itself without waiting for appropriate financing. PeaceDiviners™ funds people who are dedicated to their cause in spite of financial challenges. That in itself is what defines their worthiness as partners. (back to top) 19. Do grant partners have to be registered nonprofits? No. Social enterprises that are not registered charities or nonprofits are also eligible. Our focus is on the people behind the organization—people making a difference. (back to top) 20. Why does PeaceDiviners™ donate to Oxfam and World Vision? Oxfam and World Vision are PeaceDiviners’™ charities of choice and the default shared beneficiaries of PeaceDiviners™ products. A basic premise of PeaceDiviners™ is that we must share the resources we have. The primary fundraising tool—educational products sold through schools—raises a per sale donation for a school’s chosen charity, donated in their name. If they do not have a favorite local charity, PeaceDiviners™ will donate to the Oxfam or World Vision national office of the country in which the item was purchased. Also as PeaceDiviners™ seeks to promote greater awareness of the international theme years, we ask both those organizations to direct those donations to theme-related projects and tell us about them. (back to top) 21. Is PeaceDiviners™ legally affiliated with either World Vision or Oxfam? No, PeaceDiviners™ is fully independent. In fact, in the early days of PeaceDiviners™, neither organization is aware that we have adopted them as shared beneficiaries. We selected them because we have seen both organizations operate in the field, interviewed their staff and beneficiaries, and consider them both mature and credible. In addition, they offer wider possibilities for volunteering than can PeaceDiviners™ at this time, and the work they do parallels PeaceDiviners’™ own principles. (back to top) 22. How do you choose the artwork for PeaceDiviners™ products? Artwork will eventually be chosen by jury and we hope ultimately by international competition. Interested artists are welcome to submit brochures or direct us to websites. (Please note that as a lean organization we may not be able to respond to every inquiry personally.) (back to top) 23. What happens to the original artwork? All rights for use of the images are procured. The artist retains the original for private use or sale. If the artist wishes, s/he may offer the work for public auction with PeaceDiviners’™’ assistance (including electronic auctions, in which case 50% of the sale price (after commissions and other fees) goes to PeaceDiviners™. (back to top) 24. Can artists receive PeaceDiviners™ grants? While PeaceDiviners™ will not likely become a classic ‘patron of the arts’ for the sake of art, we expect future partners could indeed be artists, whether performing artists such as musicians, dancers, or puppeteers, as well as fine artists, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers or even Internet artists, etc. We would particularly be interested in those artists who are full time activists and advocates for an improved environment – political, social, physical, or ecological – and whose art depicts the conditions that need changing in their home countries. (back to top) 25. Does PeaceDiviners™ give matching grants? As yet, we have no policy on matching grants, but this is an area we are willing to explore. (back to top) Encourage your friends to buy PeaceDiviners™ products, sold through schools, non profit and civic organizations, religious communities, or on-line at www.peacediviners.org and buy them yourself. If you work in the international community and would like to partner with PeaceDiviners™ to help with our due diligence in locating and assessing grant nominees in your country please send us information on your suggested social development artists, along with your CV, including references. (back to top) 27. What’s the “international community?” Embassies, foreign aid agencies, the United Nations, multinational nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international finance institutions all make up a network of people who work towards poverty alleviation and peace transformation in the formal international development or diplomatic sector. (back to top) 28. Do I get a tax receipt for purchasing a PeaceDiviners™ products? Just like buying in a store, receipts for purchase of products will be from the school or other fundraising partners and will include required state/provincial and federal taxes. If you want to make a donation and would like a receipt for income tax purposes, please contact us so we can arrange for you to donate directly to the grant partner/s who you want to help. (back to top) 29. Can I get a job at PeaceDiviners™? Please watch the site for job openings, especially if you live in the Ottawa area. Summer or gap-year jobs will be available to students in both PeaceDiviners™ headquarters or in the field as support to the partners’ projects. Volunteer positions are available for anyone interested in visiting schools to motivate students to buy PeaceDiviners™ products. (back to top) 30. Do I get any academic credit for selling PeaceDiviners™ products? Check with your guidance office. Most high schools require some voluntary activity to graduate. Selling products to fundraise for three nongovernmental organizations (your school, Oxfam/World Vision, and PeaceDiviners™) should easily qualify. But even if you don’t get credit, consider spending some time anyway to sell these beautiful collectibles as your personal contribution to a better world. You can include the voluntary activity on your resume when applying for jobs. (back to top) 31. Does PeaceDiviners™ help people just because they’re in financial need? As explained, the premise is that PeaceDiviners’™ mission is to help people who help others. Through our networks we may be able to link desperately needy people to other appropriate organizations but we do not provide funds directly to anyone other than social development artists we have identified and vetted through a process. (back to top) 32. Someone called me and said they were fundraising on your behalf. Is it true? No! PeaceDiviners™ has never and will never resort to telemarketing, although we cannot control how schools and others approach their use of the fundraising tool. It is possible that students may use the phone in their communities if permitted by the organization on whose behalf they are fundraising. Check with the school if you are uncertain. (back to top) 33. May I see PeaceDiviners™ financial statements? Although we opted for the flexibility of a social enterprise as opposed to a registered charitable foundation, we plan to operate transparently. Members will receive a hard copy of PeaceDiviners™ annual report. (back to top) 34. Forgive me for being suspicious, but how do I know these people really exist? It’s easy to be suspicious in these days of chicanery, which is one reason why we will try through our planned film series to tell the stories of the PeaceDiviners™ partners. (Though the main reason for the films is that their stories are so compelling and inspiring they’re simply worth telling!) Please explore this site to see photos and links to most of our partners’ own sites. (Some do not have the resources to manage a website themselves, but they do have email addresses that are posted here.) While we are still small, this is not yet an issue because our partners are known well to us personally, but in the event that we grow to the point we are less able to be in personal touch, we are aware it could become one, and have built in systems to address possible abuses. (back to top) 35. Do your partners have to tell you how they spend the grant money? PeaceDiviners™ grants are for personal use by partners and require neither receipts nor reports, although we do like to keep in touch with the progress of their projects. PeaceDiviners™ does ask grant partners on an honor system to spend funds on the need that was identified. Partners are responsible for declaring the grants as gift income according to their country’s tax regulations. However, PeaceDiviners is accountable to our constituents for the way we spend our funds, and regular checking of the grant partner project progress is done by personal visits at least once annually through the network in the international development community. As well, grant partners sign a commitment to reveal any new or additional income, and to give us ample notice if they plan to hand over their organization to others. We also stay in touch by email and telephone. (back to top) 36. Do the grant partners have to use the money to continue their work? Although we don’t ask for reports, we do ask the partners to sign a letter of commitment that they will remain in the work for which they were recognized for at least two years from the date of affectivity of the first grant, and to renew this commitment each year thereafter. Our motivation is to keep people in the field longer, and these annual letters of commitment are designed to help them reassess their longer term decisions to do so. (back to top) 37. I am an adult and I would like to attend a PeaceDiviners™ study tour. May I do so if I pay my own way? While we need qualified chaperones for the study tour and welcome voluntary participation, generally these people are introduced to us privately through our networks. But do watch the website for other opportunities to be involved. If you are simply interested in meeting the partners and would like an introduction, please contact us and we can try to arrange a visit that coincides with one of our coordinating field trips. (back to top) 38. If I buy your products through Amazon.com, do you still get enough to fund your projects?
This was a difficult call, but we decided that in order to achieve a broader distribution of our messages, we needed to engage the services of a company like Amazon that handles distribution worldwide. Returns are of course smaller, but the projected increase in volume and availability should make up for that. We also don't have to manage the handling of products, which is not our expertise. If you choose to buy through us, more money goes to PeaceDiviners. But if you are in a hurry, we encourage you to take advantage of Amazon's speedy shipping service. (back
to top) Sign up to be a partner in the movement to restore global harmony. (back to top) Summer and Gap year jobs are available for socially motivated students. Contact your guidance office if you are interested in working with us, or submit your résumé. Watch this page for opportunities. (back to top) Volunteers needed We are always looking for people to help market our awareness raising products. Contact us! (back to top) Paid positions
Children's Book Illustrators • We will never use your email address for any purpose other than what you have agreed to. • We will never sell or give away your address. • Once you unsubscribe from our newsletter, your email address will automatically be deleted from our files and you will not hear from us again unless you have requested a follow-up. • If you purchase our products you will never be hounded to purchase more, but if you ask, we will keep you updated on new products. • The purchasing area of the site is secure. (back to top) Partners Informal Affiliates Strategic Alliances Live and Learn Environmental Education Fair Trade Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International International Association for Alternative Trade Water & Sanitation Poverty Peace
Institute for Multitrack Diplomacy - the theory of MTD
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