I have wished for a very LONG time that we could donate those "rollover" minutes that expire, or even just unused cell phone minutes that we pay for and don't use to a good cause. donate them to the soldiers, to veterans in the VA hospitals or who are disabled and unable to work. Donate them to cancer patients, or anyone in a hospital for a long time who has trouble keeping in conctact with family because the cost. Donate them to families with kids in RTCs so that it helps withthe cost of the facilty and coordinating all the services.
how many of us actually use all the minutes we contract for? And yet we lose them and CAN'T do anything to put them to good use other than letting someone else use our phone.
Does anyone know WHY some organization hasn't been able to get one of the cell phone carriers or ALL of the cell phone carriers to let us donate the unused minutes? The cell phone companies make a ton selling us something that we don't use all of. It is an intangible asset, incurring very little in the way of storage fees, etc....
What would the barriers to this be, other than corporate greed?
How many of us know of someone who could really USE those minutes, once or on a regular basis? That single mom who works late and makes minimum wage. That person in a health care crisis, or with a sick child, or with a family member with a mental disorder and the unending bills and pharmacy costs.
I think I need to start writing to the Breast Cancer foundation, or an autism group or Ronald McDonald House to try to get some way to do this. I could easily donate 1000 minutes right now to help someone. But I am not ALLOWED to.
Some of this is thinking out loud, so I understand if there aren't many responses. It was triggered by ML's fundraiser for her coworker. Imagine if that family could have their cell phone bills covered for the length of her treatment by people donating soemhting they won't use anyway. It would free up that much of her time and effort, and hwo much of the family budget? It depends on the number of people to stay intouch, but it could be substantial. And a patient who gets better will remember the cell phone company who helped this happen, adn will end up a customer for life - regardless of who has the coolest free phone.
And all of the relatives will be customers for life also. So will the co-workers who remember how they were able to help someone.
That is all for me right now on this topic.
What do you all thing of it?
how many of us actually use all the minutes we contract for? And yet we lose them and CAN'T do anything to put them to good use other than letting someone else use our phone.
Does anyone know WHY some organization hasn't been able to get one of the cell phone carriers or ALL of the cell phone carriers to let us donate the unused minutes? The cell phone companies make a ton selling us something that we don't use all of. It is an intangible asset, incurring very little in the way of storage fees, etc....
What would the barriers to this be, other than corporate greed?
How many of us know of someone who could really USE those minutes, once or on a regular basis? That single mom who works late and makes minimum wage. That person in a health care crisis, or with a sick child, or with a family member with a mental disorder and the unending bills and pharmacy costs.
I think I need to start writing to the Breast Cancer foundation, or an autism group or Ronald McDonald House to try to get some way to do this. I could easily donate 1000 minutes right now to help someone. But I am not ALLOWED to.
Some of this is thinking out loud, so I understand if there aren't many responses. It was triggered by ML's fundraiser for her coworker. Imagine if that family could have their cell phone bills covered for the length of her treatment by people donating soemhting they won't use anyway. It would free up that much of her time and effort, and hwo much of the family budget? It depends on the number of people to stay intouch, but it could be substantial. And a patient who gets better will remember the cell phone company who helped this happen, adn will end up a customer for life - regardless of who has the coolest free phone.
And all of the relatives will be customers for life also. So will the co-workers who remember how they were able to help someone.
That is all for me right now on this topic.
What do you all thing of it?