"The Big Give" .... Geocaching style

[+N523RV]

I've been inspired by Oprah's "The Big Give" program to try and come up with a way to incorporate the concept of giving back to our communities.... Geocaching style. My wife, Sandi, and I tossed around some ideas and I have a general concept in mind. I wanted to post about this topic for two reasons, 1) to get ideas from others for this concept and 2) to maybe inspire others to create similar geocaches in other parts of the country/world.

 

So how do we incorporate giving into Geocaching? My initial thoughts on creating geocaches around the idea of giving back are this. Create some "themed" caches that would require participants to give back in some non-specific manner. They would then need to contact the cache owner (me in this case) and let me know what they did. I would respond back giving them the cache coordinates. (Another option would be to publish the cache coordinates but lock the cache and send them the code to unlock it.) When they created their log entry, they could (should) say what they did and include any pictures they might have.

 

I don't want to box people into doing very specific things but let the creativity flow or let them give back in their own way. That is where the 'themed' caches come into play. For themes I've thought of Environmental, Hunger, Elderly, Animals, Education & Literacy, Environment, Youth/Children, etc. Those are just some I came up with.

 

For the "Hunger" themed cache, they would need to give food to a local food pantry, deliver food to the home bound or something along those lines. For "Environmental", pick up trash along a road, plant tress, or recycle... whatever they felt went along with the theme.

 

Thoughts? Creative Ideas? Would love to toss this idea around and see what people think.

 

Matthew & Sandi

N523RV

[Keystone]

Please see the "Caches that Solicit" section of the listing guidelines:

 

Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda.

 

You would need to work directly with Groundspeak to obtain an exception to this guideline. Practically speaking, it is a roadblock to what you are advocating in your post.

[+N523RV]

That's too bad. I personally don't see this as soliciting though.

 

Matthew

 

Please see the "Caches that Solicit" section of the listing guidelines:

 

Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda.

 

You would need to work directly with Groundspeak to obtain an exception to this guideline. Practically speaking, it is a roadblock to what you are advocating in your post.

Edited March 5, 2008 by N523RV

[+The Jester]

There is a program in place for geocachers to give back to the community - Cache In, Trash Out - CITO.

[+StarBrand]

There is a program in place for geocachers to give back to the community - Cache In, Trash Out - CITO.

My thoughts exactly - great way to give back to land managers/owners that allow Geocaches.

[+Stargazer22]

Exactly my thoughts as well.

Have you ever thought of organizing a CITO in your area?

CITO is one of the very best ways to give back to the community.

Land managers that allow caching on their lands are very happy whenever we do a CITO for them.

I would imagine a request to place a cache goes over pretty good a few days after we just did a CITO.

In fact, I know of one local area that has begun to allow caching on their lands because we have been doing regular CITO events.

My wife and I have been involved with several organizations over the last 15 years or so to provide volunteer work for a variety of programs.

The one thing they all seem to have in common is that it is harder for them to find someone to give their TIME than their money. Most folks find it easier to shell out a $20 bill for a good cause than to devote a day of their weekend to the effort.

So get out there and give them what they need the most, a few hours from a willing volunteer.

 

Here's another thought for you to consider.

If you belong to any local geocaching organizations, you could mention your concept of giving back at their next meeting.

Maybe organize a small group of people to spearhead a "Giving Back" program.

You could peruse local cache listings and see if there are some that need maintenance in the area. Contact the cache owners and offer to go do a maintenance run for them.

Organize a group of friends to go on a cache run and while you are there, be sure to CITO the cache area. Sort of a traveling CITO. Of course you couldn't list it as an event, but nothing to stop a group of friends from doing it.

I'm sure there are plenty of other great ways to give back if you use your imagination.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Stargazer22

[+Renegade Knight]

...Matthew & Sandi

N523RV

 

Giving back is normally about what you can do to make the world better and not so much what you can do to force others to follow your path. That would mean that rather than tell someone their path is food donations, instead encourage them to find their own path. Maybe their thing is keeping up with painting one wall that keeps being hit by grafitti, or maybe they are the ones who can do a heating & AC clinic for the elderly on a fixed income every spring and fall.

 

Your caches can illistrate the concept and perhaps even encourage logs that tell the story of how people have given back but using them as a tool to effect a specific outcome from everone will likely leave you dissapointed along with not being something that can be listed on this site.

 

As has been said, the generic giving back for caching is CITO. It dovetails well with caching as an activity.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Renegade Knight

[+Kit Fox]

I've given back to the community via CITO events. I support the homeless and the needy by paying excessive income taxes.

 

Barrel Springs Trail CITO

 

Devil's Punchbowl Clean-up

 

 

Off topic:

 

You're probably the first guy on this forum to admit to watching Oprah

[+Kealia]

That's too bad. I personally don't see this as soliciting though.

 

Even if it's not soliciting per se, it's definitely a cache with an agenda. Without judging the agenda, these are not allowed.

 

There are lots of things you can do though:

- Trade up at every cache, leaving it better than you found it

(carry extra swag to stock up the caches that need it)

- Carry extra logbooks and replace wet/torn/ruined ones that one come across

- Participate in CITO events

- Hold an event and teach new cachers the ropes

- Volunteer with your local park for a clean-up or trail maintenace day

 

I think the sentiment is great, just don't force others to do it or it loses the special feel.

Edited March 5, 2008 by kealia

[+briansnat]

Of course CITO is a good way to give back through geocaching, bit here are some more ideas:

 

Find an organization to work with where you can take groups of disadvantaged kids geocaching. Perhaps something like the Fresh Air Fund, Big Brothers or a similar organization.

 

Find an government agency or organization that creates and maintains hiking trails in your area and find out if you can be of service using your GPS to map hiking trails.

 

Join the National Map Corps.

 

Solicit donations of GPS units, or money to purchase them and donate the units to schools or organizations that work with disadvantaged kids.

[+J-Way]

Adding to the CITO theme, without actually organizing a CITO event you can create a CITO cache!

 

Just a normal physical cache placed at the listed coordinates in an area with tons of trash. But list it as a "Mystery/Unknown" and specify an Additional Logging Requirement (ALR) that you must pick up and properly dispose of at least one [specify size] bag of trash, or at least one large item (tire, refrigerator, etc.). Require pictures of the finder with the bag at the site plus with the same bag at the disposal location.

[+ThePetersTrio]

I'm planning to release a travel bug or two with an optional secondary mission - that mission being to donate food to the finder's local food bank. As a community health nurse, I see firsthand how many families rely on food banks to feed their children. I realize that many people give through other organizations, churches, etc. so that is why it's going to be listed as an optional mission.

 

I'm sort of excited to see if anyone will do it or not. I know that I would.

 

Small and random acts of kindness and generosity can add up.

 

Good luck to the OP. It's nice to see people (especially geocachers) with compassion in their hearts.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Here's one of my ways to use caching to give a little back...

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1235111

 

and a copy of the idea,

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1235090

 

there are still some TBs available for anyone else who wants to copy.

 

Edited to add this link nto the topic I started before

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...eas+for+details

Edited March 6, 2008 by WRITE SHOP ROBERT

[miles_vagar]

I've given back to the community via CITO events. I support the homeless and the needy by paying excessive income taxes.

 

Off topic:

 

You're probably the first guy on this forum to admit to watching Oprah

 

Could we please save the right-wing soapboxing for a relevant thread?

[+Driver Carries Cache]

I've given back to the community via CITO events. I support the homeless and the needy by paying excessive income taxes.

 

Off topic:

 

You're probably the first guy on this forum to admit to watching Oprah

 

Could we please save the right-wing soapboxing for a relevant thread?

 

And you could save the personal attacks for another forum.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

I've given back to the community via CITO events. I support the homeless and the needy by paying excessive income taxes.

 

Off topic:

 

You're probably the first guy on this forum to admit to watching Oprah

 

Could we please save the right-wing soapboxing for a relevant thread?

Maybe you meant somthing other than "Thread" since, within this forum page, this "Thread" is the relevant one for right-wing soapboxing.

[+Knight2000]

There is a program in place for geocachers to give back to the community - Cache In, Trash Out - CITO.

I really think that most geocachers do not do this.

 

We found a cache in a small area. At the base of a pine tree in a field. The cache had over 150 visits since placed in 2004. The base of the tree was cluttered with trash that had definitely been there a while. Some of the beer cans were pull tabs i think. That really upset me.

 

Don't get me wrong, i think that while many cachers CITO, the majority do not.

[Tahosa and Sons]

I've spent eight (8) years as a volunteer for the USFS, and have many caches in the backcountry of CO and have done a lot of trash removal etc. etc. so I think I've given enough.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda.

 

That's my most favorite sentence in the listing guidelines........