Rockstar Community Fund

Ever wish you could have a pot of money to pull from whenever you wanted to do some good in the world? Or perhaps needed a little push of your own to jumpstart a philanthropic idea or a giving project close to your heart? Welcome to the Rockstar Community Fund (RCF), where for an entire year we pooled together funds and then went out in the community and DID GOOD with it :) Together we gave away a total of $20,778 in 2017, doing GOOD in over 40 states and across the globe from Dubai to China to Australia to South Africa and even on down to the White House! This page features select stories across all our initiatives from the year, with the hope of leaving you with a little more faith in humanity than before ;) Thanks to everyone who has donated and participated! Be proud of all you did!!

Here are our efforts for 2018:

Results by Project

Total Financial GOOD Done From our #GivingCards: $13,191 Total Financial GOOD Done From our Year-End Celebration: $5,537 Total Financial GOOD Done From our Debt Drops: $1,100 Total Financial GOOD Done From our Emergency Fund: $950 Projects Funded by our Incubator of GOOD: 3

2017 Year-End Celebration!

What a year guys! Thank you so much for participating and helping us make such a positive impact in the lives around us who needed it the most! We did good!! :) With the new future of Rockstar Finance upon us, we will officially be sunsetting our Community Fund here to make room for a new philanthropic endeavor, but we wanted to go out with a bang and do one last push here to really amplify the love. So we reached out to our blogger community looking for people who could turn $100 into something beautiful this holiday season for others, and we got 20+ awesome takers who did so in their own creative ways and who then reported back to us. You'll find all these stories posted below, as well as handfuls more who went out of their way to help others on their own accord once they found out about our event. It all made for a spectacular holiday season! Thanks everyone!

Mid-Year Stories

Hi! Just wanted to follow up n let you guys know how my gift card went toward good things! Its cold here in Boston so i make "gift bags" so to speak consisting of gloves..hard...scarves...socks..snacks and toiletries and hand them out to anyone who may be homeless or out in frigid weather for some reason! What ur doing is great thank u so much! - Robyn  

I can’t put in words but my heart knows that I am forever indebted to you for seeing me through my darkest days. The money you will be sending will be a big help to pay my remaining balance to my school. I don’t know what to say, I’m in tears that in this cruel world there is still someone like you who help and encourage people... Thank you for inspiring and helping me to be positive in life. - Leigh, recent Debt Drop recipient  

When I got to the drive-through window to pay, the Chick-fil-A employee told me that the car in front of me had paid for my order! Wow!! I've heard of this happening at drive-throughs, but I've never actually been a part of it. It put a smile my face and made me thankful for all the kind, compassionate, and generous people in the world! It reminded me that one person CAN make a difference. I was the 8th car! I definitely wanted to pay it forward, and told the employee that I would pay for the order for the car behind me. Lesson learned – one person and one small business can make a difference! It just takes one small gesture to have a domino effect. - Sylvia Inks  

Karen knew she wanted to work on this project with her daughters, so they decided to create some cozy no-sew items for children in need. Here's a cute blanket that they made and gave to one of the kids :) - Karen Cordaway    

I went down to Lucy’s Hearth, a local charity that's a 24-hour emergency and transitional shelter for mothers and their children who are homeless due to economic hardship, family crisis, divorce, eviction, and severe shortage of safe, affordable housing. I added $20 of my own cash from my wallet to match Rockstar Finance’s contribution. - Lazy Man and Money

We combined our two giving cards to double the money and paid for $40 worth of free lunches to unsuspecting lunch goers at a local food truck rally. We created business cards with the the #GivingCard mission statement and gave those along with the $40 in cash to a local food truck (@presswaffles). Everyone who placed an order was given their lunch for free, the business card and asked to post a photo and a thank you online with only one request: To pay it forward. I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch! - Wewon31

In the UK, there is a magazine called The Big Issue and it is sold on the streets by homeless people. So rather than resorting to begging, people who are down on their luck can actually start their own micro business and can try to get back on their feet again. Walking around, I noticed a friendly-looking Big Issue seller. I just got a really good vibe from him for some reason and I realized he'd be the perfect person to give my #GivingCard to! I told him that the full £20 was for him and that I actually didn't need the magazine either so he could keep it and sell it on to someone else. - Mad Fientist

I decided today to give away the card I received to an old friend of mine. Every time I see him or his wife, Jennifer they seem like the kindest, coolest people. Through facebook, I knew their home that they recently bought flooded in the "Great Flood of 2016", and they also lost both of their vehicles. I know the card is a drop in the bucket for their expenses but I wanted to put a smile on their faces and a little boost knowing I think they're rock stars making the best lemonade of the lemons they're getting! - Courtney

Complete Results For May 2017

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #6 – For a Family Member: 15 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $5,810 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $100 Featured #GivingCards Stories In May 2017: This month we asked people to create some unexpected joy for a family member, or any other variation on the family theme (helping families, doing something nice for someone as close as family, etc). Additionally, we created our first corporate partnership where we gave everyone at a single startup a #GivingCard and asked them to do something as a team, with HUGE results :) We also added three more states to the map, for a total of 42! To see more detail on any of the stories pictured below, just check out the Mission #6 Highlight Page.

  • Brittany used two cards this month – one to give foster parents a date night, and the other to provide a traveling homeless family with gas money
  • One team member supplied firefighters, police officers, and paramedics with free lunch from a food truck while they were on shift
  • Dearshell surprised her parents with a stocked fridge upon returning from a trip
  • An anonymous team member gave a struggling family a little financial boost
  • AmyB and RetirementManifesto joined forces to help a pet rescue foundation in Georgia

And our biggest news of the month . . . this was the first time we tested out a full-company partnership. There's a fast-growing and really fun startup in Chicago called Pearachute (they let your children drop into the best kids' classes in your city), so this month we decided to give every employee in their small company a #GivingCard, with no restrictions on how to use it, just to see what would happen. How much good could they do together as a team? Read on to hear them talk about how it went :)

Since we launched Pearachute, we’ve had dreams of finding a way to make kids classes more accessible to all families. Last year, we partnered with The Ounce to explore how we can start to invite families with financial need onto the platform in a way that is sustainable and engaging. The #GivingCards project offered us an opportunity to do exactly this! We used our #GivingCards to purchase 5-class Flex Packs to send to The Ounce and matched the donation ourselves, but we thought that we could go further by getting our members involved. We reached out to our members to see if they wanted to donate extra classes from their accounts, and they did not disappoint! Pearachute members donated a total of 240 kids classes. This adds up to $5,760 worth of kids classes! Our friends at The Ounce distributed these donations as 5-class Flex Packs to young families around Chicago's South and West side, giving families the opportunity to attend classes that support their kids' development and create unforgettable family memories. Thank you #GivingCards for helping us turn $160 into $5,760! — The Pearachute Team

See full accounts of all these stories and more at the Mission #6 Highlight Page   Other Project Results For May 2017: #DebtDrop – We gave a single mother some encouragement, and helped pay off $100 of her medical debt this month. She sent us back the following note: “Someone believing in me brings me so much more hope and confidence. It's a breath of fresh air and I do thank you from the bottom of my heart. PS: here is a picture of me and my daughter so you know who you're inspiring :)"   May 2017 Favorite Quotes:

"Partnering with #GivingCards gave our entire team the opportunity to work together on a project that reflected our values and desire to engage more deeply with our community. It was really great to work with a philanthropy partner that inspired creativity and let us customize our giving in exactly the way we wanted, as individuals and as a group." — Desiree Vargas-Wrigley, Founder

Complete Results For April 2017

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #5 – Create Unexpected Joy: 16 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $394 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $150 Featured #GivingCards Stories In April 2017: This month we asked people to create some unexpected joy for absolutely anyone they wanted, with no restrictions. We added four more states to the map and saw good done for kids, the homeless, animal friends, and more! To see more detail on any of the stories pictured below, just check out the Mission #5 Highlight Page.

  • Nicole traveled to Chicago to help a dear friend furnish his new place
  • One of our members helped out two kids whose mother passed away unexpectedly
  • Natasha took a woman from a homeless shelter out for a nice dinner
  • Aurelia helped out No Paw Left Behind
  • Crystal contributed time and money to a little boy fighting cancer and a local Daisy Troop
  • Edgar provided a bunch of baby supplies for a young couple

See full accounts of all these stories and more at the Mission #5 Highlight Page   Other Project Results For April 2017:

  • #DebtDrop – We helped out a reader of our blogs this month who is falling under a deep depression due to the enormous debt they have. They were blown away by the gesture and hope to pay it forward when in a better position :)
  • Emergency Fund – We helped fund a campaign this month for a family of 7 who recently lost a part of their house due to a fire :(

  April 2017 Favorite Quotes:

“I hope that I can be debt free in the coming years and I can then pass on your kind donation to someone who needs help as well.” – #DebtDrop recipient “Thank you, Rockstar Community Fund, for picking me for the April challenge. The mission came at the best time to hopefully create a little joy in these girls’ life, even if just for a moment. It was the kindest and most selfless thing I did last week.” – #GivingCards member emerald127

Complete Results For March 2017

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #4 – Someone You Work With: 35 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $1,054 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $300 Featured #GivingCards Stories In March 2017: This month we asked people to create some unexpected joy with or for the people they work with, and it was so cool to see all the results coming in from offices and work sites all over the country ... and we even saw our first gift make it up to Scotland, a stone's throw away from a castle! To see more detail on any of the stories pictured below, just check out the Mission #4 Highlight Page.

  • Grace made cupcakes as a gift to her community of servicemen and women and firefighters at Fort Carson, in Colorado
  • IH, who's been with us since the beginning, worked with his local library staff to serve food to kids coming in for an after-school program
  • One member bought little office plants for her co-workers to remind them of Spring
  • Belinda provided meals to the kids in her class who needed them
  • The Budget Awakens gifted her work crew with a free lunch on a hot Texas day
  • We saw quilts knitted and multiple people helping with friends or co-workers going through cancer treatments

See full accounts of all these stories and more at the Mission #4 Highlight Page   Other Project Results For March 2017:

  • Qoins Partnership - We worked with our first corporate partner to amplify our giving even more this month! Check out the results here . . .
  • #DebtDrop - We helped pay off $100 worth of debt for a person struggling in our community.
  • Emergency Fund - We helped two people this month. We shot $100 over to the Wojtowycz Family who lost everything in a house fire a few weeks ago (their GoFundMe campaign is still going on!), and then another $100 to a blogger trying to overcome some safety concerns with her family, while at the same time battling unexpected bills that have come up.

  March 2017 Favorite Quotes:

“You have no idea just how much it will help. You have given me some hope and that's priceless” – #DebtDrop recipient “I'm so thrilled and grateful to the people at Rockstar Finance who created such a beautiful program to help people help in their own communities.” – Belinda, from Childhood Hunger “This was not just a lesson in how amazing the people are in our community, though they are. It’s also my reminder to accept the goodness of others with grace and openness. That’s tough to do when you’ve internalized a script of independence, where helping others is a worthy cause, but you’re on your own. But how can I be part of a community if I don’t allow it to be a two-way street?” – Revanche, from A bit of self care (and community love) “My friend was really touched by the gesture, and I suspect that he'll start doing something similar when he gets his feet under him again. It's funny, but he and I drifted apart when we turned 16 and have not really done a lot to stay in touch other than being friends on Facebook. But since we sent him the gift card, he and I have been messaging back and forth a little and it's been very refreshing. It's nice to get back in touch with a part of my childhood. Even more refreshing is the political angle of all of this. He is very conservative and I'm very liberal. Obviously, we disagree on a lot. But it's been so nice to see that, even in our hyper-polarized environment that we live in, he and I can still tell that the other is a decent human being and worthy of respect and compassion. I don't think he and I will ever agree on many issues and I doubt we'll ever be best buds again, but we can get along and be friends and love each other despite our differences. Not bad for what was a $20 investment for me.” – Edgar

Complete Results For February 2017

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #3 – Make a Loved One Smile: 29 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $760 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $300 Featured #GivingCards Stories In February 2017: In our third month we made the jump across the pond to see our first London member create some unexpected joy with a #GivingCard! We saw gifts given during a cross-country road trip and just after a cross-country flight, presents give to friends, family, and children, and even some Valentine's Day love :) February was another successful month, and March looks to be even bigger, with our first corporate partner upcoming, and a few special surprise gifts... To see more detail on any of the stories pictured below, just check out the Mission #3 Highlight Page.

  • Jasmine went on a 2,000-mile road trip, dropping #GivingCards at locations along the way
  • Our first Londoner gave some love to her friend, stressed out with her PhD dissertation
  • A special card was flown halfway around the world to make a fiancee smile :)
  • Stephanie helped remove a bit of the burden for families having to visit the Mayo Clinic
  • A surprise gift given in a time of need, prompting an unexpected reunion...
  • Tim delivered flowers to an incarcerated friend's mom on his behalf on her birthday

See full accounts of all these stories and more at the Mission #3 Highlight Page Other Project Results For February 2017:

  • #DebtDrop - We paid off $200 of debt this month - $100 towards helping a single mom get rid of some unexpected home repair bills, and another $100 towards a blog reader struggling under major medical bills.
  • Emergency Fund - We gave a member of our blogging community $100 to help pay for new cancer medicine, only to be surprised when he turned it down and said he wanted to pay it forward instead! How beautiful!

  February 2017 Favorite Quotes:

“I love how this project uses monetary means to spread something deeper than just plain financial relief. Not that helping others with their finances is shallow in any way shape or form, but I do feel that love is a more powerful currency. The project has helped me express love more actively in my own life---thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for that.” – FemmeFrugality “We're getting together in person in the next week now, so an unexpected reunion is a great return! It's crazy how just the simple text in return made me want to give more! This stuff is addicting!” – ald0813

Complete Results For January 2017

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #2 – A Financial Boost: 30 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $1,845 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $313 Featured #GivingCards Stories In January 2017: Our cards made it all the way around the world again this month, up to the Netherlands, and down to Australia! And we had our first example of a complete stranger seeing the GC results and doing their own thing to give back. It was a copycat act of charity (which we love)! To see more detail on any of the stories pictured below, just check out the Mission #2 Highlight Page.

  • Remember how Sarah mobilized her friends and turned her little $20 #GivingCard into over $300 for middle-school kids' lunches last month? Well, this month an anonymous family in the next town over donated $1,000 to pay off lunch debts for 75 high school kids!
  • Our own J. Money AND our Australian giver got a chance to truly interact with people who are usually ignored
  • One very young worker in Indiana was rewarded for going above and beyond
  • Someone got a bag of groceries for her mom after a hip injury
  • Girl Scout Cookie rewards for a group of teenagers working at a fast-food place!
  • One of our members helped a family buy necessities after a devastating house fire
  • When a little girl at school was being made fun of for wearing the same shirt every day, team member Felisa and her friend found out she lived with her mom at the homeless shelter, and gave them the #GivingCard plus $100 extra dollars to buy her new clothes <3

See full accounts of all these stories and more at the Mission #2 Highlight Page   Other Project Results For January 2017:

  • Incubator of Good - "The School of Rock Your Money: Mo' Money, No Problems" -- Our latest project funded via our "Incubator of Good" initiative :) Financial blogger Primal Prosperity had been thinking about putting together an introductory workshop to help kids develop a positive and healthy relationship with money. After talking with us about RCF's Incubator of Good project, she decided to move forward with her class, and we funded 50% of the first one (and also helped her come up with a mechanism to build some giveback ideas for the kids into the class itself). You can read more about how it all went here on her site: What Should We Teach Kids About Money?
  • #DebtDrop - We gave $150 to help someone burdened with undeserved debt
  • Emergency Fund - We contributed $100 to support someone in our community going through some pretty horrible abuse

  January 2017 Favorite Quotes:

“I don’t think Andrew understood the feeling that he conveyed from me on Saturday. I know as a writer (even an amateur one) that I should be able to put it in words, but I do not believe I can. Simply amazing. It is great to help people out and even better to help them out directly. I plan on helping more people out throughout the year (we have some pretty big plans for a family in the upcoming months). I want to thank you all of the FIRE bloggers for allowing me to be in such a great community of people. You inspire me. When I am not sure about this blogging venture I have taken upon, it is the people and the ideas like the Rockstar Community Fund that make me realize what great people are still out there. You all are amazing. Thank you” – IH “My friend came back to talk for another 15 minutes with me. I think just talking one-on-one for awhile was possibly more rewarding to him than the money. Then, get this – he said, "How can I help out with what you guys are doing? I've been wanting more positive stuff in my life and this is just amazing." !!!! This is when you know you've given it to the right person. When THEY need it more than anyone else, but one of their first thoughts is about how they can pay it forward... man... my heart! Can I just quit all my work and just give out these cards all day long???” – J. Money

Complete Results For December 2016

Total #GivingCards Sent Out For Mission #1 – An Unexpected Gift: 50 Total Financial GOOD Done From Cards: $2,015 Total Financial GOOD Done From Other Projects: $200 Featured #GivingCards Stories In December 2016: We really had no idea what to expect this month – we just had what we thought was a cool idea, and hoped that the community would think so too and jump on board with us. And you guys did not disappoint – in fact, so many people gave above and beyond the $20 we provided that we almost doubled our money! Our very first RCF month ever saw the #GivingCards travel to half the states in the Union (including the White House, how cool is that?), one Canadian province, and even halfway around the world to India!

  • Against all odds and expectations, we actually got three cards into the White House Executive Offices, and even onto a coffee table right outside the Oval Office itself!
  • One giver turned her $20 card into over $300 for middle-school kids' lunches
  • Speaking of kids, even the little ones got involved, giving love to their mentors!
  • A body pillow was custom-made for a grieving widow, using shirts from her late husband
  • Cards were personally delivered to those who needed a little extra help
  • One store owner split hers into $5 parts and hid them around her store for children to find, so they could get a small present for a sibling or parent
  • A #GivingCard helped make a refugee's resettlement house feel a little more like home
  • SO many simple (and lovely) extra gifts were given both to loved ones and to strangers this holiday season

    Other Project Results For December 2016:

  • #DebtDrop - We surprised someone experiencing depression from debt with a gift of $100 to help pay down some of it and offer up hope for the day
  • Emergency Fund - We contributed $100 to Athena's fundraising campaign to help her kick cancer's ass

  December 2016 Favorite Quotes:

“It is addictive! I donate and volunteer for various non-profits, but giving on a personal level feels different. It all feels good, but seeing another person’s face light up like that is priceless.” – Amanda “I’m crying at my desk. 43 families helped. Man. It’s been a rough year, and things like this make me feel like everything just might be okay after all.” – Sarah “It's hard for me to talk about, but the truth is that I haven't been as generous as I would have liked in 2016 . . . but the Giving Card reminded me that I don't want to live in the past. I want to move into 2017 with generosity in my heart and help people who are experiencing hardships in whatever way I can. Thank you for the reminder, Rockstar <3” – Taylor “He was almost done with the work when I thought of the card in my pocket. I pulled it out and my wife instantly agreed that this was the correct recipient. I gave him the card and explained that I was part of a group of people looking for those to whom we could bestow a gift. He almost cried and his only response was "I needed this.” So here's to Henry, from somewhere in Mississippi, who may feel like he received a lovely gift, when I know it was really me who was blessed.” – Steve