To see how 100 Friends puts donations to work, click here. To see specifically how the money was used in 2003, click here. To see how the money was used in 2002, click here. To read about Founder and Director Marc Gold, click here. To see photos from past trips, click here. To read about past trips, choose a year to view newsletter: summer2004 spring2004 2002 2001 (pdf) 2000 (pdf) 1998 1996 Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook

What is the 100 Friends Project?

The 100 Friends Project is a small, informal grassroots project dedicated to helping people in Third World Countries facing myriad problems. We collect the donations from donors and then we bring the funds overseas to distribute as directly and intelligently as possible. The recipients are always delighted that there are a group of strangers reaching out to help them with no strings attached.

Do the recipients have to repay the money?

Sometimes we make micro-loans that can be utilized over and over again as they are repaid. But usually funds are used to pay for education, small businesses, medical costs and other uses and in those cases they do not have to be repaid.

However, we usually suggest that they use part of it to help others. For example, if we give a needy person 1500 Rupees (approximately $33.00) for some good purpose, we will often suggest that they give something like 50-100 Rupees from the donated funds to some one who is perhaps even more needy than them. They always seem to brighten when I suggest this, perhaps because it makes them feel part of a larger cycle of giving and receiving. Occasionally when we are involved in a small income-generating scheme (purchase of a sewing machine, setting up a bicycle repair service, etc.) the person may repay the money over a long period of time so that someone else can use the money to start a small
business in the future.

How and when did the 100 Friends Project begin?

The project began in 1990. I had a dream about going to India as a boy and then I had the same dream as an adult. When I first went to India in 1990 I met a Tibetan family in the Himalayas. I was able to restore the hearing and arrange for a cure of a terrible ear infection for a Tibetan woman for very little money. I was shocked that something so important could be accomplished with a small amount of funds.

The disparity in income and lifestyle between the industrialized world and the Third World had been profoundly disturbing to me for a very long time. I realized that my experience as a project coordinator (I’ve worked in AIDS prevention, substance abuse treatment and as a teacher in inner-city schools) could be used to generate funds for this project. The next time I went to India (1992) I wrote a simple letter to 100 people I knew asking for any support they were willing to give. I expected to raise $300-$400. To my surprise I raised over $2,100. That is a lot of money over there. Since the project began, I have raised $46,230. That is approximately 2,100,000 Rupees. That is a lot of money, over two million rupees!

How do you decide who receives the donation?

There is so much need and so little money in comparison to that need that I have to use my best judgment so the money is honestly and appropriately utilized. Some places I return to again and again because I know their work very well. Other places are discovered along the way. What is unique about the project is that there is no specific population served (although children are always high on the list) Some donations are planned and others happen through chance occurrence.

Is the 100 Friends Project a tax-deductible charity organization?

Yes. The 100 Friends Project is a 501(c) 3 tax-deductible charity organization which is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a legal non-profit organization. That means that any donations or gifts made to 100 Friends are fully tax-deductible. If you would like to make a donation, click on "donate" on the left side of this page and follow the instructions for donating.

How is the money spent?

Except for the costs of fundraising (newsletters, postage, website costs, etc.) everything goes into the hands of the individual or group being helped. This means that at least 85% of the funds are for direct service. Marc Gold pays for all of his own travel-related expenses and donates all of his time without financial compensation.

I want to do a project like this. Where do I start?

I enourage anyone who is interested in doing this sort of work to get out there and do it. To read some of my tips on How to Change the World While Traveling, click here.