Hi ,
I had planned to tell you about something today that, had you
bought it, would have put some nice commissions into my PayPal
account. It is a good product and I will no doubt talk about it
in the future. But something has happened over the last few days
that has changed my mind and my plans for today’s Kickstart.
Long-time readers will know that I’m a member of my local Rotary
Club – the Rotary Club of Sidcup – and that each Christmas teams
of ten of us at a time go out almost every evening in December
with Father Christmas and a brightly-lit sleigh playing Christmas
carols. The aim is to knock on every single home in our town to
ask for donations to our annual Christmas collection.
It has become a local tradition. People who remember the Rotary
Santa’s visit when they were children now eagerly wait at their
doors with their own wide-eyed little ones.
All of the money raised (as a Rotary Club, everything we do is
voluntary, so there are zero admin costs or overheads) goes to
help charities and worthy causes all over the world.
But this year there has been a problem.
The Siberian snow that has gripped most of the UK for the last
week has forced us to cancel all the collections so far. The
sidewalks and many of the roads in Sidcup are still sheets of ice
and with many of the collectors being over 70 it has been simply
too dangerous to risk Rotarians falling and breaking bones.
And that means our collection is going to be way down this year.
We don’t expect to be able to even start our appeal this year
until the end of this week and there is no way that we can catch
up financially.
Of course, being Rotarians, many will put their hands in their
own pockets to try to help. And I’m sure that we will organize
extra fundraisers in 2011 to try to plug the gap as best we can.
But the sad fact is that we are already thousands of pounds down
and if we don’t have the money, we can’t help the people who need
it most.
* People like the 40 or so seniors who have nowhere to go at
Christmas so we pay for them to have a Christmas lunch and a few
hours in the company of their peers.
* People like the local athletics club for disabled children who
we donated a lump sum of cash to in 2010.
* People like the charity that helps get unwanted, unloved
children off the streets of Columbia so they won’t be dragged
into a short life of crime and may be able to have a productive
future.
* People like the survivors of the Haiti earthquake or the
Pakistan floods who have benefited from the many Shelter boxes
that our club has sent in 2010 – many of them paid for by the
funds we raised last Christmas.
The list is huge. In 2010 we have made donations to dozens of
charities amounting to many thousands of pounds and all because
we had the money to do so thanks to last year’s Christmas Appeal.
Last year, in order to boost our appeal, I made a very special
book. In fact, many people said it was the most valuable book
they bought in 2009.
In it, 25 successful Internet marketers each wrote an article
that explained their one tip for success. Success for online
marketers, offline businesses or for life in general.
It was a labor of love for all concerned and it raised a lot of
money for the Rotary appeal as 100% of the price went directly to
the Rotary Club’s PayPal account. There are no affiliates.
The plan was to sell One Tip for one month only and then to
retire it forever.
The dire situation we find ourselves in now has forced me to
rethink that plan. So I have taken the decision to offer ‘One
Tip’ again this year.
Every word in One Tip is good, useful, current and vital to
your success. There is no waffle, no hype or flim-flam and
absolutely no pitching.
And at just $17, it is likely to be the best value thing you’ve
bought all year!
If you were not a Kickstart reader last year and so didn’t know
about One Tip, now is your chance to find out what all the fuss
was about!
And if you did buy it last year, please buy it again! You could
send it to a friend!
Either way, please consider the $17 price tag to be a small
donation that will have a huge impact on the lives of many people
who are seriously in need.
You can read all about One Tip and see the list of contributors
at http://onetip.org
Or, if you would simply like to make a donation, please PayPal as
much as you are comfortable with to paypal@rotary-sidcup.org
Please note that if you make it a Personal payment and check
‘gift’ in the panel at the bottom of the Send Money page, there
will be no commissions taken by PayPal.
I’m sorry to have hijacked this issue of Kickstart, but I hope
that you’ll agree it was in a very good cause.
Please help us at the Rotary Club of Sidcup to help thousands of
people in need this coming year.
Thank you.
Martin
Back in 
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