The “Hand-Me-Down” Concept

 How many of us have given/received hand-me-downs as children and how many of us have given/received hand-me-downs for or from our children as adults? That is just the way of things, we don’t want to waste and there is always someone else who could benefit from what we can no longer use. We take our time and pack these items which are no longer usable to us and we give them away, to family, to friends, to charity, to whomever we feel will benefit from them. Do we ever give them back to the original manufacturer or store from where we purchased them so they can reuse or resell them? No, that’s ridiculous, why would we want those manufacturers and stores making more money from us than they already do? This is a simple principal to understand and just about everyone has dealt with it at some point in their lives.

Now let’s take this principal in it’s simplest form and apply it to gift/prepaid cards. If we receive a gift or prepaid card for a special occasion we are grateful to the giver. We use the card for items we either want or need, there’s the similarity, we USE the card. After we have exhausted the card’s purchasing power, say we use it down to $4, what do we do with that card? Well the average consumer tucks it away somewhere and forgets about it; after all what can you do with $4 on a gift card? Time goes on and this same scenario plays itself out on countless occasions throughout the year and you end up with a drawer full of $2, $3, and $4 gift cards which you have no intention of using and deep down inside have already written off. This happens every day in every corner of the world and the banks and businesses which issue these cards love it, it creates not just a few extra bucks for them it creates an entirely new revenue stream for them, so much so that the Federal Government has gotten into it with its new CARD Act. The CARD Act is touted as a law for the consumer yet the consumer gets no benefit from it nor do they regain control of their funds.

The time has come for a company to utilize the “hand-me-down” concept and Matter Of Change is that company! Matter Of Change cards will allow the consumer to “link” their card purchased from the Matter Of Change website to a charity of their choosing. After the recipient has used the card to their satisfaction whatever funds are left, if there are any, will be donated to the chosen charity in the name of either the giver or consumer and a receipt will be emailed to either for taxes!

How do you like that? You give a card, it gets used to the recipient’s satisfaction, and if anything is left on it it gets “handed-down” to a charity which can use it for the benefit of its cause! And as an added bonus there’s the receipt for the donated amount, which at the end of the year could add up. This is truly a win-win-win-win situation and everyone involved feels better about themselves for helping out.

Please comment and let us know what you think; we utilize all feedback!

Sincerely,

Darren Cannao

President/Founder, Matter Of Change

Conclusion (solution)

I have given you many statistics, facts, quotes, and opinions in the previous 5 parts, now I will give my final opinion on how we can change, even on a small scale, for the better and hope it has a reverberating effect on every other aspect of our society which has the room and need for change. I am not saying the Matter Of Change way is the only way nor am I saying this way is perfect all I am inferring is that Matter Of Change is a new way and a virtuous way to tackle one small problem in our society which can benefit everyone greatly. The benefactors of the many worldwide charities will come to see their lives as a bit more fruitful; they will also see the rest of society as much more caring. The givers, you and I, will also see rewards in the faces of those we help and deep in our souls where we know we have done well by our fellow man. This may seem a bit vain but as with most altruism there is some form of reciprocity whether direct or indirect and it is not a bad thing for if some people didn’t donate for selfish reasons, such as a status symbol, there would be much less charity in our world. Regardless of our reasons charity is charity!

Matter Of Change was founded on a few simple principals, principals which the average person can agree with yet the average person is not the one making the governing rules and regulations. We assumed, and everyone knows what happens when you assume, that our principals and ideals would be quickly scooped up by the banks or investors once they realized how truly good and purposeful we would be to the public but we think like the average person, not like the corporations and bottom lines. We aren’t interested in squeezing every last drop out of the consumer and lining our pockets, instead, we are interested in the leftovers, like table scraps which get thrown away, to be utilized in the advancement of our global society. This “table scraps” method was scoffed at and ridiculed by the money people we have approached thus far yet we must trek on. We are continuing on our course unshaken by the ostracism and ridicule of corporate America because we know the average person will assist us in reaching this lofty goal, we know that people are inherently good and do care about the welfare of others and want to be a part of something worthwhile, something they can look back on and smile in the realization that they helped create a truly noble company and better life for all of humankind.

The approach Matter Of Change is taking in this endeavor is quite simple. All gift/prepaid cards to date have expiration dates, monthly fees, and countless other hidden fees which are meant to drain their value. Even with the new CARD Act, which eliminates expiration dates prior to 5 years, monthly maintenance fees unless inactive for 12 months, and most other fees, the consumer is still left holding the short end of the stick. As we now know, if the cards don’t expire for a minimum of 5 years we are actually less likely to use the full value on them and therefore  will be creating even more unwarranted money for the banks and government. The process Matter Of Change is implementing is quite unique and simple. You, the consumer, purchase a Matter Of Change card and “link” that card to a charity of your choosing. Pick a date which directs Matter Of Change to donate any remaining balance on the card to the chosen charity. Receive a receipt showing the donated amount, if applicable. Done. If there is no balance on the card then that’s fine because the card was meant to be used by the recipient; we are not asking you to donate, we are playing the odds, using the statistics, utilizing money you already spend on gift/prepaid cards and stopping any unused amounts from being wasted or greedily scooped up by those with the power. We are transferring the power back to you.

We at Matter Of Change sincerely hope this product becomes a reality before the 2010 Holiday Season and with your help, your passion for what’s good and right, and your word-of-mouth promotion of a company interested in the greater good, we feel this will.

If you have any questions or comments you can visit our site, comment on our blog, or send us an email, we’d love to hear from you!

It is my sincere hope that you take the few minutes needed to further our cause and help us get the deserved recognition, when you see the results you’ll be glad you did!

Darren Cannao

President/Founder, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Part 5- Altruism & Procrastination

“For St. Augustine the social order lay in the teachings of Christ. For Hobbes it lay in the sovereign. For Rousseau it lay in solitude. For Lenin it lay in the party. They were all wrong. The roots of social order are in our heads, where we possess the instinctive capacities for creating not a perfectly harmonious and virtuous society, but a better one than we have at present. We must build our institutions in such a way that they draw out those instincts… and trust is the foundation of virtue.” –Matt Ridley

Although, in these most difficult of financial times brought upon us in part by our great banking institutions, we may find our cushion of personal funds to be extremely low and leave us no room for mistakes or niceties life has to offer we, as a nation, still find it in our hearts to be able to donate 2.2% of the value of the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product to charity ($307.65 Billion in 2008). And contrary to popular belief, 75% or $229.28 Billion came from individuals, not corporations and government. In fact, only 5% came from corporations, the same corporations which chose to keep your unused funds from gift cards. Altruism seems to be an inherent trait within us that can be lost or magnified depending on our upbringing. Teach a child to be selfish and as an adult he’ll hoard every penny and benefit no one; teach a child to share and as an adult he’ll be one of the great benefactors of our future, one who through donations of time and money will assist in reshaping our planet for the advancement of allkind!

Of all the definitions and explanations of altruism I have read Kristen Monroe has summed it up the most concise when she explained altruism as, “behavior intended to benefit another, even when doing so may risk or entail some sacrifice to the welfare of the actor”. She then went on to define 4 characteristics of altruism, “…first, it entails action; second, the goal of the act furthers the welfare of another; third, intentions count more than consequences; and fourth, the act diminishes the welfare of the altruistic agent.” I whole heartedly agree with the first three; first one must begin to do something, second, it should help another or a cause which benefits many, third, it doesn’t matter how much you give it just matters that you do give because a lot of people giving a small amount adds up fast. As for the fourth characteristic I totally disagree, especially since in most altruistic acts there is some form of indirect reciprocity, the giver benefits is one way or another, whether now or later, whether with money or friendship or vanity (bragging rights) or just that “warm glow” feeling. And, when using a Matter Of Change card, there is no monetary loss to the giver, the funds which don’t get used and are traditionally “donated” back to the banks, corporations, or government will be actually donated to the giver’s charity of choice benefiting someone, somewhere (and providing the giver with a tax receipt if applicable)!

On procrastination much research has been done yet for the general public it is mostly misunderstood. The general consensus seems to be that if you are given a longer span of time to complete a task the more likely it is that the task will be completed, this is actually the reverse, even when dealing with enjoyable tasks! One experiment showed that individuals given gift certificates with a two week expiration date had a 31% redemption rate as opposed to those given the same gift certificates with a 2 month expiration date which had a 6% redemption rate. Similar research has shown that when individuals see an offer with a longer expiration date their level of satisfaction rises yet they are less likely to respond to those offers.

Armed with this information and the new CARD Act, which will take effect in August 2010 which almost completely eliminates expiration dates from gift/prepaid cards, we are left to surmise that the consumer will see these cards as much more attractive but ultimately leave even more than the usual 8% – 14% of their value unused thereby benefiting the companies, banks, and government with an even larger amount of unused funds to split between them!

Is someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes by leading us to believe this is for our benefit, in our best interest?

I leave that for you to answer! Let me know what you think and how you feel. Remember, every opinion counts, we actually ARE building this card for your benefit and the benefit of everyone in our ever expanding global society!

Darren Cannao

President/Founder, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Part 4- Government Spending

Here’s another mystical arena, where does all that money go? And how much goes? Well, after a small amount of research I found a very interesting website, http://www.usaspending.gov/, which lists the spending of the Federal Government and breaks it down if you wish and I wished! So to sum up the spending in 2009 (and just on the top 10 contractors for each department are listed!) I have put this small list together for you to review and to consider how much more money you want to freely hand over to the government for wasteful spending.

Total governmental contracted spending for Fiscal Year 2009 is just above $523 Billion and it breaks down like so:

Department                     Contracted Amounts                           % of ALL awarded $

1. Agriculture                        $5.08 Billion                                       1%

2. Commerce*                       $3.10 Billion                                    0.6%

3. Defense*                             $365.8 Billion                                69.8%

4. Education                          $1.42 Billion                                      0.3%

5. Energy*                              $31.15 Billion                                     5.9%

6. Health/Human Svc’s*  $18.75 Billion                                      3.6%

7. Homeland Security*     $13.62 Billion                                      2.6%

8. HUD*                                    $739.4 Million                                    0.1%

9. Interior                                $4.17 Billion                                        0.8%

10. Justice*                             $6.74Billion                                           1.3%

11. Labor                                   $2.24 Billion                                          0.4%

12. State                                     $6.86 Billion                                            1.3%

13. Transportation*              $5.06 Billion                                            1.0%

14. Treasury*                           $4.59 Billion                                            0.9%

15. Veterans Affairs               $14.4 Billion                                            2.7%

16. EPA*                                      $1.75 Billion                                            0.3%

17. General Svc’s Admin       $14.09 Billion                                         2.7%

18. NASA*                                   $14.86 Billion                                          2.8%

19. Nat’l Science Foundation     $488.5 Million                                 -0.1%

20. Nuclear Regulatory Comm*  $203.6 Million                              -0.1%

21. Office of Personnel Mgmt         $781.3Million                                 0.1%

22. Small Business Admin               $86.9 Million                                 -0.1%

23. Social Security Admin               $1.03 Billion                                    0.2%

24. US Ag’y for Int’l Devlpmt          $5.17Billion                                          1%

25. All other Agencies*                     $1.46 Billion                                     0.3%

*Lockheed Martin is on the Top 10 list of contractors for these (*) Departments and their total contracted awards for 2009 from the US Government EXCEED $37.8 Billion!!

How scary are those numbers? Now why, after reading Part 3 on banks and the above figures, would anyone consider donating anymore money than necessary to those two giants of gross spending or gross over-spending?

 

“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we save means that their life will be so much the more abundant.” – President Calvin Coolidge

I don’t know anyone who would rather allow their unused money revert to bank and government coffers instead of directing it to a charity of their choice and having it utilized in a very helpful way by very grateful people!

Darren Cannao

President, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Part 3- Banks

“Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time, and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the eternal God, I will rout you out.” –Andrew Jackson to a delegation of bankers in 1832

This was part of President Andrew Jackson’s veto to the Bank Renewal bill, he saw then that the banks played with the people’s money and when advantageous to the bank kept the profits but when they lost their bets they sought relief from the government. This is oddly similar to the Bank Bailout which according to Simon Johnson, the former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, will cost the US Government, and ultimately the taxpayers, $4 TRILLION!!!! 

And more recently than President Jackson’s referral we have the 1989 collapse of the savings and loan industry. In 1989 Congress gave $50 Billion to its newly created Resolution Trust Corp to resolve the troubled savings and loan institutions’ debacle. That $50 Billion “gift” ultimately cost the taxpayers $124 Billion after 6 years! Haven’t we learned enough from history to prevent us from repeating it? Who is running the banks anyway, Henry F. Potter?

“The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace, and conspire against it in times of adversity. The banking powers are more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. They denounce as public enemies, all who question their methods or throw light upon their crimes.” – Abraham Lincoln

Now, as the Bank Bailout has begun to lose its headline steam we read that 6 Wall Street giants have already set aside $39.2 Billion for 1^st quarter payouts alone! Among them is Goldman Sachs, which has set aside $5.5 Billion to pay 33,100 employees (2% less employees than last year) in quarter 1 of 2010! Now, on April 16, 2010, the SEC charged Goldman, Sachs & Co as well as Fabrice Tourre, a Goldman Sachs VP, for defrauding investors! The SEC basically alleges Goldman Sachs permitted a client who was betting heavily AGAINST the housing market to influence which mortgage securities would be placed into a particular investment portfolio then told the investors that the securities were picked by an objective and independent 3^rd party!

Knowing this and every other way banks usurp the laws and bend the rules with their lobbying, is there any reason for the people to voluntarily turn over even more money to them? Does all of our control over money have to be forfeited? I say NO!

To wrap up Part 3, I will leave you to ponder an excerpt from the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank “Review” from November 1975:

“The decrease in purchasing power incurred by holders of money due to inflation imparts gains to the issuers of money …”

Darren Cannao

President, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Part 2

Part 2-The Bottom Line

The following excerpts are taken from the Journal Of Accountancy, December 2007.

1…gift card ‘breakage’, or the portion of gift card balances that consumers fail to redeem for merchandise, can boost a retailer’s short-term cash flows. In the long term, gift card breakage can enhance the bottom line of the retailer – or state treasuries…

A…interviews with the directors of unclaimed property in several states suggest that the amounts escheated from gift cards are substantial…

2…the continued growth in the sale of gift cards has made breakage no longer just a byproduct of gift cards, but a potentially material contributor to profit in its own right…

3…the fundamental question for society to answer is, “Who better holds the interests of the consumer with regard to prepaid, but unclaimed, gift card balances?”

Let’s take these one at a time:

1 and 1A. Money we pay for the purchase of gift cards increases retailers’ short-term cash flows, enhances their long-term bottom lines, and/or increases the states’ treasuries! I have but one question for this, WHY? If I pay for something is it not mine regardless of if or how I use it? Do I have to return the unfinished portion of a meal simply because I am full? That’s completely absurd.

2. So, am I to understand that gift cards are sold for a dual purpose? First, to be used by the consumer. Second, to hopefully recapture the unused funds for no service or product. 

I completely understand that it costs money to manage these accounts but not to the tune of 10% of the card’s value!

Also, when given a longer timeframe to complete a task, redeeming a gift card included, we are less likely to actually complete it and conversely, when given a smaller window we are much more likely to complete the task. This makes one think, “Who’s best interest is in mind when removing expiration dates from gift cards? If it is in the consumer’s best interest then the breakage should NOT fall under escheat laws and revert to the states’ treasuries.  If it is in the states’ best interests then keep the new CARD Act in place and mask it as a consumer friendly law! 

3.  This question is great!  Who better than the actual consumer him/herself holds the best interest of him/herself?  Does anyone really have a more genuine reason for keeping my best interests first other than me?

            Let’s be real and upfront for once, OUR best interests have not been at the forefront of law since the writing of the Declaration Of Independence.  We the people have our best interests in mind, we are not masquerading the truth nor are we blurring conceptions of reality, we would like to keep, or more appropriately REGAIN, some small amount of control over our hard earned money!

Darren Cannao

President, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

To Gift Card is Human, To Donate is Divine

To Gift Card is Human, To Donate is Divine

            In these difficult and trying financial times every one of us feels the burdens associated with a down economy but none more than those in need.  We donate what we can afford to donate when we remember or are reminded that there are many less fortunate than us, less healthy than us, less capable of receiving the proper medications than us.  We also donate when we are shown the ecological downsides of deforestation, global warming and any other form of desecration to our natural environment and the animals with which we share this glorious planet.

            The time has come for a company to put aside huge profits as its bottom line and refocus its efforts on creating a world where every one of us can help make this a beautiful and viable global society:  a company which enables everyone worldwide to pitch in without interfering with their own financial needs and burdens.  Matter Of Change is that company and has created the product by which we can all donate in the smallest way without added expense and while still giving a friend or loved one a gift of their own.

            We here at Matter Of Change have created a new concept in gift card giving:  a way for everyone to give a gift worth much more than the cost of the actual card.  To date, regular gift cards have monthly fees and expiration dates and with the new Card Act coming into effect in August those fees will be limited and the expiration date limited to 5 years BUT where does the money left on those gift cards go after the cards expire?  Right now the issuing banks and corporations cash in big with those leftovers, to the tune of $8 BILLION and now some state governments are looking at that money and fighting the banks and corporations for a piece of the pie!  That’s your money, but once the card is purchased and gifted it becomes the property of the recipient and if the recipient is not registered as the rightful owner that leftover money falls into the category of “unclaimed property”.  And as we all know, if we have not used a gift card within the first 12 months or even within the first 6 months then the likelihood of ever using it is greatly diminished and we are left making a NON TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION to Corporate America and the State Governments. 

Instead of this all-to-common scenario we have developed a system where the purchaser of the gift card “links” a charity of their choosing to their card then has the option to expire the card within the first 6 months, 12 months or let the card run its 5 year course and any leftover money would be disbursed according to applicable laws.  When the purchaser chooses the 6 month  option they are instructing Matter Of Change to donate any balance left on the card (less a maintenance and processing fee) to the charity which they “linked” it to at purchase.  Once the charity receives the donation a tax deductible receipt is either mailed or emailed to the recipient or purchaser of the card. 

The concept is actually quite simple and extremely beneficial for every one involved yet finding a company willing to forego some of its initial profits for the betterment of society is, as one can imagine, very difficult.  One concept people fail to realize is that Matter Of Change is a For Profit corporation and holds a preliminary patent on this concept and business model, allowing Matter Of Change to be the only company with the ability to provide this service and tap into an $8 BILLION niche which has to date been monopolized by the banks and corporations which already issue gift cards.

Just for a moment try to imagine what magic these cards can perform.  We already spend hundreds of billions of dollars on gift cards worldwide for every occasion possible and estimates range from 8% – 14% of that money does not get used!  That’s a huge profit for no service!  Now imagine those people buying Matter Of Change gift cards and the same 8% – 14% going unused, that’s a huge amount of money being funneled straight to charities as well as receiving the benefit of a tax deduction.  We are allowing people to donate from their usual spending rather than asking them to find something extra in their already tight budgets.

This plan is simple yet radical enough to shake up the gift card business and make our world a better place for humanity.  Everyone can donate it’s simply a Matter Of Change!

Darren Cannao, President, Matter Of Change

www.MatterOfChange.com

Part 1 of a 5 Part series

Part 1- Gift/prepaid Cards

Gift/prepaid cards have evolved from the humble gas card introduced by Mobil Oil Company in 1995 to the first major retail gift card offered by JC Penney in 1996 to Target in 1999 to the vast market of today.  The total sale of gift cards in 1999 was $19 billion which jumped to $37 billion in 2002 to the 2009 total gift/prepaid market of $116 billion.  They have gone from a passive role within the plastic payment option companies to a much larger core business product generating huge sums of money for retailers and banks alike.  Gift cards have also evolved from a “once in a while” gift into the most requested gift due in large part to their convenience of gift choices for the recipient.  But as with many “good” things, gift cards have a dark side as well.  Until recent scrutiny of gift cards, the public has not been privy to nor very interested in the alternate revenue stream for retailers and banks created by gift cards.  This alternate revenue stream which is created by funds being left on the cards once they expire has been termed “breakage” or “spillage”.  This breakage is producing profits for the banks and retailers to the tune of $8 billion or averaging 10% of the total loaded value of these cards (discussed further in parts 2, 3, and 4).

As the popularity of gift and prepaid cards have flourished and expanded so have their critics and the many reasons for not wanting nor giving the cards (although still a vast minority).  Even against major criticism from the press and government the gift and prepaid card arena has exploded wildly with cards available for purchase for any imaginable occasion, in every type of media, from physical to virtual via email or SMS. 

History has shown us the gift and prepaid card market has done nothing except grow, with continued growth estimates of 28% compounded growth annually until at least 2014.

So why do we give gift cards?  That question has many answers and I will discuss a few of them here.  One major reason for giving a gift card is convenience, it allows the recipient to purchase a gift which they will get use from rather than giving a gift that will end up being re-gifted or put on a shelf never to be seen again.  Another reason is that gift/prepaid cards are more convenient than cash and if lost or stolen can usually be reclaimed from the issuing company as opposed to cash, unless like Woody on “Cheers” and you actually remember the individual bills’ serial numbers!  The last of the “big” reasons for giving gift/prepaid cards is to teach children how to budget, these are usually prepaid cards loaded with small amounts of money and given to teens and college students in lieu of cash.

And now for the opposition! Above all is the idea that gift/prepaid cards are too impersonal.  This does have some merit especially if one randomly grabs a gift card off a rack at the last minute but then again, who’s fault is it for last minute shopping anyway? (A solution to this problem as well as all the others following this will be discussed in Part 5, it’s a real wing-dinger!)  The next big complaint from consumers is closed-loop or store branded gift cards lock the recipient into shopping at one particular store or chain.  Finally, after many articles and much press coverage, people are concerned that the recipient won’t use all of the funds or will forget they have the card and let it expire unused.

Gift/prepaid cards offer both pros and cons but in the end they still remain and will continue to remain the #1 asked for gift from consumers so the least we can do is give you a card which will benefit you, your recipient, and many others.

Darren Cannao

President, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Remember what mom said

Do you remember growing up as a child and being seated at the dinner table staring at a plate full of vegetables and wondering how you were going to get rid of them when suddenly your mother’s voice rang out saying, “eat everything on your plate, people are starving and you shouldn’t waste food!” Well times have changed, but unfortunately not for everyone. I now do eat all my vegetables but people are still starving, and dying of curable diseases, and living in poverty, and suffering at the hands of others, and growing up not knowing how to read or write, and countless other maladies slowly decaying our society.

So if we were taught not to waste because others, less fortunate than ourselves, could use what we didn’t then why are we still wasting; wasting BILLIONS of dollars per year on unused gift cards and letting those unused funds be recaptured by greedy banks, greedy corporations, and soon the government. Isn’t it about time we took our mothers’ advice and began to dictate to whom OUR unused funds should benefit? Shouldn’t we have the last say as to where our hard earned money should go rather than having banks, corporations, and the government tell us where it will go? Aren’t we regulated enough, taxed enough, and severely over-inflationized (a new word I just made up) enough already?

Together we can take a stand against more rules and regulations which tell us what we have to do rather than simply allow us the opportunity to choose for ourselves. Matter Of Change is coming out with a prepaid card which does just that; offers you, the consumer, the freedom to choose, the freedom to use, and the freedom to make a change.

Go to www.MatterOfChange.com and send us an email, let us know what you think because ultimately YOU are our guiding force, You can help make a positive change in your life and the lives of many others.

Darren Cannao

President, Matter Of Change

Darren@MatterOfChange.com

Economic waste!!!

Every year BILLIONS of dollars on gift cards goes unused and those unused funds go back to the issuing banks, issuing corporations, and, now with the new CARD Act taking effect in

August 2010, to the Government Treasuries. We at Matter Of Change find this outrageous; why should these BIG WIGS, who we’ve been bailing out for squandering and wasting money be entitled to even more of our hard earned money?

THEY SHOULDN’T!

And Matter Of Change is here to make sure this doesn’t happen anymore.

We are launching a new prepaid gift card product which allows  you to “link” the card to a charity of your choice and expire the card in a timeframe you choose. Once expired, any remaining balance will be donated to your chosen charity in either your name or the recipient’s name. If nothing remains then that means the card has served it’s purpose but if a small balance remains, which averages 8% – 14%, you need not worry about wasting the giver’s money, it goes to a good cause, one that YOU choose, to help the world. Matter Of Change has not officially launched yet due to pressures from outside sources which would be “losing” their undeserved rewards but with your help and acknowledgements together we can show the world that we care. A little change from a lot of caring people goes a long way! The beauty of this product is the fact that we are not asking anyone to donate, we understand times are tough, we are asking you to use our cards and use them for anything you want or need, the donations come from “leftovers”, money that for now

reverts back to where it is needed LEAST.

So please visit our website, www.MatterOfChange.com, join our group MATTER OF CHANGE on Facebook, and send us any and all of your comments, questions, and concerns because we built this company for you; and your input counts!

Every time someone visits our site, joins our group or sends us a comment it takes us one step closer to

becoming a reality, creating a product for the people by the people.

We have become a global society and our actions echo around the world and by standing together we can make decisions today which will affect our tomorrow.