advice please on making cost effective small donations betwe

I'm looking for any advice from the many international money experts
on this discussion list re a relatively minor but recurring problem
for individuals in the USA who wish to donate in support of informal
grassroot development activities in countries of Africa.

A really small donation from an individual US private benefactor can
sometimes transform the life of an individual living in an African
country. But writing and sending a check in one currency can mean
that exchange commission and bank charges take a disproportionate
slice of the said small donation.

Does anyone know of a simple and practical way for small sums of
money to be transferred by individuals or informal groups of
individuals between countries without incurring such penalties?

The specific issue I'm looking at just now relates to a small network
of committed US social activists committed to support a bona fide
micro-project run by a trustworthy individual who does not yet have
NPO status for her organization for the rehabilitation of young women
former gang members in Cape Town.

Donations of less than $100 given now could make an immediate and
dramatic difference to the lives of several young women in need.

Advice gratefully received.
Thank you.

Midi Berry
Senior Development Consultant
Freeplay Foundation
freeplayfoundation@mac.com
www.freeplayfoundation.org
tel: 1-512-236-1121
cell:1-310-922-2059



This post transferred from the cdb-l mailing list

From: Jonathan Frieman <yogi@well.com>

Call the Global Greengrants Fund in Boulder, Colorado, at 303-939-9866,
and/or go online to greengrants.org. Chet or Chris Allan.

Jonathan

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From: "Doug Wheat" <dwheat@sriworld.com>

I might suggest you check out PayPal. I don't know what rates they charge
but I am sure the process is easy to set-up and could be accomplished almost
immediately. One aspect of their system is to receive money for charities.
It is accepted in many countries.

Doug

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From: Freda Owusu <freda.owusu@merton.gov.uk>

Dear Midi,
The "Remittance" route is usually one used by many Africans and other recent
"immigrants" to send money back home without incurring disproportionate
charges.

In the UK, these payments attract a fixed fee, usually between GBP3 to 5
for the first GBP100, compared to GBP15 to 30 from most high street banks.
Transfers can be effected within 1 hour from the transaction time, depending
on the beneficiary's location. The local exchange rate for conversion is
also usually given at the same time.

A range of small financial organisations are able to effect these
transactions through small shops, newsagents and post offices in areas with
high immigrant populations. I am not sure about promoting specific names on
this listserv, but do let me know if you need one.
Regards,
Freda Owusu


-----Original Message-----
From: freeplayfoundation@mac.com [mailto:freeplayfoundation@mac.com]
Sent: 13 October 2005 14:59
To: communitydevelopmentbanking-l@cornell.edu
Subject: advice please on making cost effective small donations between
countries?


I'm looking for any advice from the many international money experts
on this discussion list re a relatively minor but recurring problem
for individuals in the USA who wish to donate in support of informal
grassroot development activities in countries of Africa.

A really small donation from an individual US private benefactor can
sometimes transform the life of an individual living in an African
country. But writing and sending a check in one currency can mean
that exchange commission and bank charges take a disproportionate
slice of the said small donation.

Does anyone know of a simple and practical way for small sums of
money to be transferred by individuals or informal groups of
individuals between countries without incurring such penalties?

The specific issue I'm looking at just now relates to a small network
of committed US social activists committed to support a bona fide
micro-project run by a trustworthy individual who does not yet have
NPO status for her organization for the rehabilitation of young women
former gang members in Cape Town.

Donations of less than $100 given now could make an immediate and
dramatic difference to the lives of several young women in need.

Advice gratefully received.
Thank you.

Midi Berry
Senior Development Consultant
Freeplay Foundation
freeplayfoundation@mac.com
www.freeplayfoundation.org
tel: 1-512-236-1121
cell:1-310-922-2059


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