NewBieNotes is a service for newcomers to the Giving Board. It is designed to encourage newcomers to offer suggestions and help, and to learn more about how the Board works. One of the things we especially want to encourage is the idea that requestors can "pay it forward" in creative ways, whether by answering card requests, forwarding hand-me-downs, or providing advice or expertise to others. So, any and all "newbies" please feel free to browse here and to submit any new questions that you may have. If you have help to offer, please see the link to the Request List at left and you will find a page where your offer of “help available” may be posted. And please come chat with us at the Giving Board. We would love to get to know you.
NewBieNotes: Issue #1
**Question: What are the rules for making a request for help?
**Answer: The rules for making a request on the Giving Board Request List (see link at left) are as follows: 1. All posted requests will require valid identification and documentation. These include eBay ID, name, address and phone number of requester. ID can be scanned and emailed to GBRequests@yahoo.com - Please blacken out social security numbers for your protection. Please e-mail for mailing address. 2. Only 1 request per address is allowed. Requester must live at the address and/or be financially responsible for person at that address. You cannot submit a request for anyone outside of your household (e.g. friends, extended family members, etc.) 3. There is a $250 request limit, per requestor. Requests for school supplies (CIJ) or for help with Christmas presents (ACTR) count toward this limit. If you have exceeded this amount, your request will not be posted. There are no rules for posting a request in the Ebay Giving Board chat room, although posting a request there more than twice a day is considered spamming.
NewBieNotes: Issue #2
**Question: There seem to be two ways to get help, through the Request List link and through the Giving Board chat room. What is the difference?
**Answer: The Request List is a place to post a request for verification and adoption. Requests accepted for posting at that site will be posted daily on the Ebay Giving Board by a volunteer "posting angel". All requestors posted at that site must be initially verified through submission of identification, and subsequently are required to document their need through appropriate means. If a requestor with a legitimate need cannot meet the Request List requirements, that request can still be posted directly on the Ebay Giving Board once or twice a day (more is spamming), but those requests will scroll off after 200 posts, and are not re-posted. For such "scrolling requests", any help given is up to the discretion of readers who see the requests. HOWEVER, givers who provide help to such requestors need to let others know, so that Giving Board requestors do not end up receiving MORE help than requestors who meet the Request List requirements. All such help accordingly should still be posted as “Help Sent” at the Request List link.
NewBieNotes: Issue #3
** Question: What do I do when I post a request on the Request List site and it does not submit.... I get a blank email instead?
** Answer: copy and paste your request into the blank email and re-send!
NewBieNotes: Issue #4
**Question: How does the verification process work?
**Answer: The process begins with the requestor proving all the required information and sending in proof of ID at the Request List site. If everything is in compliance then the request is initially posted. Mary Shadron then starts the verification process. If everything checks out, the request will remain posted and will be copied each day onto the Giving Board by a volunteer member. If there is a problem with the verification (for example, due to excessive bidding history), the request will be pulled from the Request List site and will no longer be posted here. This process ensures that requests are not held up waiting for verification as most check out. The few that do not check out are pulled and an explanation is sent to the requestor.
NewBieNotes: Issue #5
**Question: Who provides the help to requestors?
**Answer: The members of the Giving Board have generous hearts and are willing to assist those with temporary and/or emergency needs. However, we can only do so much. There are no corporate sponsors or rich philanthropists helping us in this endeavor. Please consider which type of need you are requesting before submitting your request to the Request List. Also, please understand that not all requests posted are fulfilled.
NewBieNotes: Issue #6
[retracted as outdated]
NewBieNotes: Issue #7
**Question: If my request is posted and verified, does that mean that I am in line for help and that my request will be filled?
**Answer: This is an all-volunteer operation and not all requests can be filled. While a request will not be accepted and listed on the angelfire site until the board ensures that the request meets all rules and guidelines, the acceptance of the request does not mean that the request will be filled. Fulfilling the request must await someone's generosity in adopting it. But many requestors find valuable advice, insight, and support on the board; this sort of help may be "free" but is sometimes the most lasting and valuable help of all.
NewBieNotes: Issue #8
**Question: Is it OK to help anyone who posts, even if they don't have a request verified through the angelfire site?
**Answer: You are free to make your own decisions. As it says at the top of the board: " If you would like to help someone in need, the decision rests with you and is one you need to make with your own heart." But please understand that not all requests posted on this board are legitimate; it is an unhappy fact of life that some folks will try to exploit others. The rules for posting at the angelfire site were designed to try to ensure that help sent is really being sent to those in need, and to maximize available resources to help as many as possible. But if a request touches your heart that may not qualify under the board's rules (for example a relative or friend posting for someone
else), you are always free to help, but should first do what you can to verify the request and protect yourself. First, check the "help sent" list at the angelfire site: http://www.angelfire.com/pop2/gbrequests/GB_Request_Lists_Home.html. Requestors sometimes have long histories that you may want to know about. Also, check a requestor's feedback; this will also allow you to see how much buying and selling activity that requestor has, and whether there is an amount of buying that would suggest adequate resources. You can also search for bidders and sellers on ebay and see their activity for the past 30 days. You can also email requestors directly and conduct your own verification. Finally, you can make inquiries of some of the "older" GB members, who can help you understand some of the history of the board and give you valuable advice. But, in any event, no matter how you decide to proceed, WELCOME to a wonderful community of caring people.
NewBieNotes: Issue #9
[retracted as outdated]
NewBieNotes: Issue #10
**Question: How do I obtain a food card for a request I am adopting?
**Answer: If you are adopting a request that needs help with food, you may request a food card.
Please make that request directly to Mary Shadron, so that the request may be verified. Since the Food Fund is a Board fund, all requests must go through the verification process before they can be sent to Cindy Paladins to have a food card issued. Sending your request directly to Cindy will only slow down processing of the request as she must then forward it to Mary Shadron.
NewBieNotes: Issue #11
**Question: I don't have a digital camera but would like to participate in some of the monthly theme auctions or otherwise help the various GB funds raise money. How can I do this? **Answer: Auctions obviously are more successful when you have a picture, but not everyone can do this. With respect to the monthly "theme" auctions, you might try asking one or more of the members sponsoring the fund-raising effort if they will "host" your sale, but understand that it is totally within their discretion to agree to not. Or, you can advertise on the board, or ask specific folks by ebay email, to find a "partner" to whom you can ship your items for photographing and listing by them.
NewBieNotes: Issue #12 **Question: What are the ACTR and CIJ Funds? **Answer: The ACTR is A Christmas To Remember and provides help to families with children in need of Christmas gifts. CIJ is Christmas In July, which helps families in need obtain school supplies for the coming school year. Donations to the ACTR, Food Fund, and Shipping Fund can be made by Pay Pal to Cvaitonis@yahoo.com. Donations for the the CIJ Fund should be made by Pay Pal to Christmasinjuly@earthlink.net.****Question: I want participate in one of the monthly theme auctions; how can I have my auction linked to the rest? **Answer: Anyone can run an ^i^ auction to benefit either a particular request that they want to adopt or for the benefit of one of the board funds. Btrott And Rosiegirl 99 are the coordinators for the CIJ fund, so if you want to run an ^i^ auction to benefit that fund, email the link to your auction to Btrott (lbtrotter2@earthlink.net) for posting on his ME page with any others. Venus hosts auction links on her ME page for the monthly theme auctions to benefit the Food Fund, the Shipping Fund and the ACTR Fund. If you are running an auction to benefit one of those funds, email your link to Venus (only@worldnet.att.net) and she will add it to her ME page collection for that month. Please include in your auction the following phrase "^i^ 100% of auction proceeds, less listing and Final Value Fees, will be donated to the [name fund]." That way searches for the ^i^ symbol will also bring up your auction. Note: A donor may elect whether to subtract listing and Final Value Fees from the amount sent to a fund or to absorb this cost himself.
NewBieNotes: Issue #13
Question: What is the Committee? Answer: The Committee is a group of three registered members of the Giving Board Request Site who are elected each year to be responsible for the administration of the various Giving Board Funds and the Request List and Help Sent List. The accounts for all funds maintained by the Giving Board Request Site are made public on a monthly basis. The Committee currently convenes as needed to set policy and review issues that may be brought to its attention. The current Committee also compiles information relating to requests that seem to abuse or exploit the Giving Board (e.g. requests shown to be dishonest, or submitted under duplicate IDs etc.) Each newly-elected Committee will establish it own operational guidelines, and may also propose new rules and policies to be voted on by the membership.
Question: Is the Committee in charge of the Ebay Giving Board chat room? Answer: No. The Ebay Giving Board belongs to Ebay and the rules pertaining to its use are posted at the top of the chat board. Many of the regular posters on the Ebay Giving Board are registered Giving Board Request Site members, however, so much of the business of compiling, verifying and responding to requests posted at the Request Site is addressed in the Ebay Giving Board chat room. Some requestors only make their requests in the Ebay Giving Board chat room, not on the Giving Board Request List. Those who want to respond to a request, whether posted in the Ebay Giving Board chat room or at the Giving Board Request Site, are free to do so. These matters are
addressed at more length in Issue #2.