Charlotte Mission Possible

Charlotte Mission Possible is a joint effort by local media outlets to help Charlotte residents understand the charitable needs of the community, and find ways to help.

We are no longer accepting ideas for Charlotte Mission Possible. Thank you to all who participated.

• Challenge: Charlotte Mission Possible is searching for effective ways to best meet the charitable needs in the Charlotte, N.C. region.

• Deadline: Monday, Sept. 7th, 2009 11:59PM - Eastern Time (US & Canada)

• Details:
  The charitable needs of the Charlotte, North Carolina, area are outpacing the ability of local charities to help.

  A city that prides itself on its philanthropic spirit of volunteering, donating and being involved is now finding itself coming up short for a number of reasons:

  • the ongoing recession affecting the area
  • cutbacks in government and corporate funding, as well as some individual donations
  • continuing controversy on how contributions were handled by a local umbrella funding organization

  Nine local media organizations have teamed up to empower the citizens by providing a way for them to suggest ideas to best meet charitable needs, both in the short-term and for years to come. We invite your participation to help solve this local issue.

  When submitting ideas, consider these categories:

  • New ways to conduct fundraising
  • New ways to administer programs
  • New ways to let individual citizens make a difference through volunteering
  • New ways that an individual personally could make a difference
  • New ways to use technology to help meet charitable needs
  • New ways for potential donors to learn of charitable needs and what assistance is needed
  • Wholesale changes in how charitable needs are met

  The best ideas are likely to be those that are simple, direct and tangible, but all ideas are welcome. All ideas submitted will be reviewed in a public process coordinated by the media organizations. Details on that process will be announced in late August through these local outlets; if you’re interested in being involved, there’s a place on the submission form below to indicate this.

  The ideas that are ranked most promising will be the subject of stories by the media organizations. While you may submit ideas anonymously, those who identify themselves will receive recognition in the media for their idea. In the event the same idea is submitted more than once, the entry that best captures the idea will be selected or a group of entries will be honored.

  There is no charge to submit ideas. You may submit more than one idea, but please use a separate form for each submission.

  All ideas that are submitted will be available for public review at the end of the process, and some ideas may be featured in the media before the process ends. At the end of this form, you will see boxes asking if you would like to submit your idea anonymously.

  We appreciate your participation in this project. Should you have any questions, please contact Steve Gunn, an editor at the Charlotte Observer, at (704) 358-5077 or sgunn@charlotteobserver.com.