As it happens, we’re running not one, not two but three contests (or, rather two contests and a survey) for clients at the moment. Let me run them down, in case they’re of interest:
Jiibe Connection - This is a fun video project for Jiibe, kind of eHarmony (or Lavalife, if you prefer) for jobs. It’s hosted on Strutta’s new contest platform, and Giant Ant Media made one of the videos. Watch the job seeker’s video, then each of the employer videos, and match the seeker with the appropriate employer. All of the employers are from Vancouver companies–you might recognize them. One participant will win an iPod Nano.
DreamBank’s Giving and Getting Survey - An 11-question survey about your gift giving and receiving practices. Again, there’s an iPod Nano up for grabs, or an equivalent donation to your DreamBank dream.
At BarCamp last month, Julie and I shot video of a bunch of people answering that question for DreamBank. If you’re in and around the Vancouver tech scene, you’ll probably recognize a few people in this video:
In the early years of Capulet, as with most businesses, we said ‘yes’ to nearly everything (we did refuse the mail order bride project). For the past couple of years, we’ve had the luxury of being selective about who we take on. These days we have to decline most enquiries because we’re too busy.
We obviously try to choose winners and avoid those companies that give us a queasy feeling in our stomach. But it’s nice every once in a while to take on a client who’s social goals really align with my own. DreamBank happens to be one of those.
On a more ascetic level, I have so much stuff already. So does everybody else in my family (with the exception, perhaps, of my more ascetic brother, and he doesn’t want anything). I have more difficulty creating a wishlist for myself than I do choosing gifts for other people (with the exception, perhaps, of the aforementioned Spartan brother). This isn’t humility on my part, it’s just a lack of wanting things. Particularly things that I don’t choose for myself. I suppose I should just ask everyone to give me vouchers for travelling. Hmm…that’s not a bad idea.
DreamBank is a Vancouver start-up with a mission that addresses this issue. Here’s the elevator pitch:
DreamBank.org is about helping dreams come true and doing it in a way that helps the planet and important social causes. Instead of giving gifts that, although appreciated may not really be wanted, with DreamBank you contribute to someone’s dream. As well as helping fulfill a dream, your contribution helps spare the planet some of the nasty side effects of manufacturing and packaging unused gifts. Plus your gift automatically generates funds that are given to important social causes.
It’s essentially collaborative giving with a charity angle. Or, if you prefer, a gift registry for everything. Here are a few sample dreams:
