Ready! Set! Fundraise!

It may sound like a tennis tournament, but the American Open is not for sport. An initiative of GlobalGiving Foundation, the Open is a means of supporting real, positive change across the United States. The Open challenges organizations with worthy projects to compete in raising funds — the more supporters they mobilize the more exposure and opportunities for further earnings they accrue.Here’s how it works: A nonprofit organization working inside the United States that can raise $4,000 from at least 50 distinct donors from June 8 to 30 will secure a coveted spot on GlobalGiving’s website. It’s a good place for an NGO to be: Founded by two ex-World Bank employees, GlobalGiving connects prospective donors with worthy community-based projects. The site has raised over $19 million in donations since 2002. If that’s not enough motivation to hustle, here’s the capper: The three projects that raise the most will earn additional awards of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000.It may not be a mint, but these amounts are just what many grassroots projects need to start having an impact. And getting hooked up with GlobalGiving offers many other benefits to winning organizations. GlobalGiving’s extensive network of corporate partners like Nike, HP, Gap and Intel means projects may be eligible for corporate campaigns and matching funds. Additionally, GlobalGiving’s foundation partnerships — with the likes of the Kellogg, Hewlett, and Packard Foundations — and attention from major media outlets offer favored projects further funding and exposure possibilities.So don’t forget to cast your “vote” — that is, your donation — for your favorite projects. Will you support “Books for DC's Incarcerated Teens”? What about Childhood Leukemia Foundation's “Hugs U Wear — Human Hair Wigs for Kids”? Or will you favor “Jericho’s Veterans Initiative,” a project to build supportive housing facilities for homeless and low-income veterans? There are many more deserving efforts where these came from. And they’re all looking to you to give them a chance. Which will you choose?