Coaching for Haiti: what can I do to help?

One of the most common questions that is coming back to me is "what can I do to help". I thought I'd take a moment to answer it here.

Maybe it's worth prefacing what I say with this thought: that I hope that everyone who contributes will do so because they are following their natural inclination to do so. For me this is about joyfully giving in ways which meet one's own needs. Let there be no sense of obligation in this project.

Right now, of course, it helps to spread the word. This is a project the success of which depends on many contributions. For this reason I took two simple actions to spread the word. One was to programme an automated PS on my e-mail signature and the other was to programme my autoresponder so that everyone who sends me an e-mail will get a brief introduction. This is my automated PS:

PS This automated message is to let you know that this year, Learning for Life (Consulting) is sponsoring Coaching for Haiti to raise money for the men, women and children of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquakes in January 2010. If you'd like to support this initiative, you can read more at http://CoachingforHaiti.blogspot.com, or join the Coaching for Haiti group on LinkedIn or make a donation directly at www.JustGiving.com/CoachingforHaiti.

It also helps to have people's ideas and involvement. For this reason I have set up a discussion page on the Coaching for Haiti LinkedIn group. If you join the group and sign up to 'follow this discussion' you will be notified of any new ideas people choose to post.

I don't know about you but I am interested in what often gets called 'enlightened self interest'. For this reason, I am enjoying some of the ideas that support me as well as the project. For example, I have made a commitment to donate a percentage of the first invoice that is paid this year by any new client who reaches me by referral. Am I enjoying sharing this commitment with people? You bet I am.

And what about you? What ideas do you have?