Save-the-World Sunday: WSPA / Sam the Koala / Hotels Charity offer

Supporting WSPA - Sydney's City2Surf is TODAY
(...it's not too late to donate!!)

Today I'll do my first City2Surf race for charity here in Sydney, 14km from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach. My goal has been to raise as much money as I can for my chosen charity, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), in support of their efforts to help protect animals around the world from cruelty.

Thanks to the generosity of more than 20 donors worldwide, I have hit my target of AUD$1,000. Of course, when it comes to funding for charity more is always better and so I'm still encouraging donations. Any amount is gratefully accepted - even $10 donations add up - and you can donate from wherever you are in the world at my fundraising page by credit card (Visa/MC) or PayPal

As an incentive to last-minute donors, I've sweetened the deal: for each sponsorship of my race-for-charity in the value AUD$50.00* or more, my company tmc will offer you a complimentary 90-minute coaching session. No further obligation is required - just make a donation and we'll book you a coaching session at your convenience. That's it!

*that's about £25 / €28 / SEK310 / HK$300 / S$57 / CAD$45 / US$40

To learn about this special coaching offer I encourge you to read more here.

So the deal is: support a worthwhile global charity, get a tax receipt issued directly to you, and get a coaching session as well. Easy, huh?

I'm proud to be associated with the WSPA, which has a tremendous track record of helping animals in need and preventing cruelty. Below are two short video clips that describe their good work.

2008 achievements

2007 Tsunami relief

Remembering Sam the Koala: September is "Save the Koala" Month

You have probably heard by now that Sam the Koala, the iconic Australian critter whom I wrote about earlier this year and who gained international fame by surviving February's horrific Victorian bushfires, has died. She fell victim to chlamydia, the debilitating illness that affects 50% of Australia's koala population.

Disease is not the only threat to the koala population, however: widespread land development puts koala habitat under continual threat. Koalas are so at risk that September has been named Save the Koala Month.

To honour Sam's memory, why not consider adopting a koala and supporting the "No Tree, No Me" campaign to preserve the trees and bush areas where koalas live.

Koalas continue to be at serious risk from loss of habitat.

Campaign for Charity

Australian company Hotels Combined is running what I think is a really smart viral marketing campaign, and what I love most about it is that it combines two of my favourite things: travel and protecting animals.

The deal: mention Hotels Combined on your blog, on twitter, or become a fan on Facebook and the company will donate to one of three charities (your choice which one - mine's the WWF).

It costs you nothing and the charity wins. So what are you waiting for - do it today!

Since the WWF (the World Wildlife Fund for nature) is already one of the chosen charities for tmc's "1% for the planet" charitable contribution commitment this year, this has been an easy way to add to that contribution in support of a worthwhile cause. The WWF is a global conservation charity dedicated to stopping the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Hotels Combined is a search engine that searches over 900,000 hotel deals worldwide for the best price possible. The hotel deals are retrieved from multiple hotel reservation websites around the world, enabling you to compare prices and availability across all major accommodation providers on a single screen. Based in Sydney, Australia, Hotels Combined is committed to seeking ethical and environmentally-friendly ways of doing business.

.