How to Help

Thank you for exploring the options of helping the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative. There are several ways you can help us in our mission to save the orangutan through education and outreach. Here are some of the options available to you. Please consider how you can best participate in our initiative and then take action.

1. Contributions

Contributions of all sizes are always appreciated. The best way to contribute is to send a check or money order made payable to: SEE/OUR Education Initiative in US$. Mail the check to: OUR Education Initiative, 2461 Santa Monica Blvd. #828, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA. Donors of $50 or more will receive a receipt from our umbrella organization, Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) that will serve as proof of your tax-deductible contribution.

If you feel comfortable donating online, you can also go to the donation page of SEE’s website and select Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative from their pull-down menu. Click on https://www.greenpeople.org/secure/SEEdonate.html to access this easy way to donate. The site is secure and donations can be made via credit card or over the phone. PLEASE CONTACT US at info@orangutanrepublik.org so we know that you have made the contribution. We will also acknowledge your contribution no matter how large or small.

Other ways to Contribute to SEE/OUR EI. SEE is also able to provide other attractive means to contribute financially to OUREI. Many of these options are normally used by larger organizations, but as a project under SEE, you may be able to benefit from them while helping to insure the success of OUR Education Initiative.

· Pledge - You may chose to make a quarterly pledge to maximize your donation, while avoiding a year-end cash-flow shortage.

· Transfer stock - You receive a tax deduction and offset capital gains taxes when you give stocks that have appreciated in value. Consider donating stocks that do not meet your criteria for social responsibility and we will convert them into positive action.

· Bequest - When preparing or revising your will, you can make a lasting gift to SEE/OUREI by designating it as a recipient of part of your estate.

· Trusts - Certain trust actions may reduce your taxes now or in the future, while supporting SEE/OUR EI. We can work with you and/or your financial advisor to set up such an arrangement.

· Life insurance, IRAs or pension plans - You may list SEE/OUR EI as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, IRA, or pension plan. This affords tax advantages and allows you to give a larger gift than you might otherwise be able to.

· Memorial - You may honor a friend or a loved one with a memorial gift that can act on his or her beliefs.

· Take advantage of employer matching funds - If your employer has a policy of matching charitable contributions your donation to SEE/OUR EI would automatically increase.

· in-kind gifts - Goods and services, such as office equipment, printing, design capacities, photography, and other professional expertise can be extremely valuable to SEE/OUR EI. Call us and let us know what you can offer.

Call SEE at 310-737-9148 if you would like to arrange for one or more of these alternative forms of contribution.

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2. Membership

We encourage individuals and families to donate on an annual basis by becoming a member. Members will receive a biannual newsletter that will keep you informed about OUR activities and progress. We have the following levels of donations based on various tropical fruits that orangutans like to eat:

Durian level: $250 per year

Jackfruit level: $100 per year

Rambutan level: $50 per year

Pineapple level: $25 per year

Generous donations of $1,000 or more entitles you to become a Founding member of OUR Education Initiative. Founding members will receive additional benefits besides the newsletter.

Have a friend or family member who is having a birthday, wedding, or other memorable occasion? Celebrate that event with a gift membership. Please provide us with the recipient’s name and address and we will let them know you made this gift in their behalf.

Whatever your choice, you can download the membership form here and send a check or money order made payable to: SEE/OUR Education Initiative in US$. Mail the check to: OUR Education Initiative, 2461 Santa Monica Blvd. #828, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA. You can also go to the SEE website (see contributions above) and make your annual donation as a member by credit card. Again, be sure to let us know that you are donating as a member at a specific level after you make your online donation.

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3. Join Our Campaigns Benefiting Orangutan Survival

Campaigns do work. In 2005, we successfully campaigned for an officially declared orangutan awareness week in Indonesia: Pekan Peduli Orang Utan. This week of orangutan celebration will be held each year and will raise awareness throughout the archipelago as more and more people and organizations participate.

You can help us in our current campaign to “Stop the Illegal Orangutan Trade” by signing our online petition. The link is on our homepage or directly at http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=2386

Once you sign, please help us by asking friends and family to sign the petition as well. We will keep you informed about the status of the petition and our efforts to work with Indonesian officials to improve law enforcement regarding the illegal trade.

We also encourage you to write letters and send email to officials to encourage and thank them for supporting activities that benefit orangutan survival. Be polite and to the point in your correspondence.

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4. Volunteer

If you have time to volunteer to help in the cause of orangutan survival, please contact us and let’s see what you can do to make a difference. Our greatest need is to raise awareness about the orangutan, particularly in Indonesia. However, raising awareness where ever you live is always beneficial in the overall cause. By letting others know about the orangutan, its plight and what OUR Education Initiative is doing, they might feel compelled to help financially. Find an event such as Earthday, Conservation Week, or International Orangutan Awareness Week. Locate a venue such as a park, a school, library, shopping mall. Find some friends and sponsor a booth or table. It is easy to learn the basics. We can help you put together a display so you can tell the story and inspire others to take action.

We also need help in fundraising. If you want to help raise funds, there are many fun and enjoyable ways to do this. Consider the following possibilities and maybe you have ideas of your own: bake sale, car wash, sponsored sporting event (walk-a-thon, running, golf, swimming, hiking), orangutan video-party, holiday party, birthday party, Karaoke night, and garage sale. Hold a potluck and invite your friends. Ask them to bring a dish and contribute an amount that would be equal to what they might have spent had they gone out to dinner.

Finally, perhaps you know someone who should receive our brochure. Let us know and we can send it to them. Certainly, you can help by letting them know about our website.

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5. Purchase Products from Orang Utan Republik or from OUREI’s Café Press

Another way to support OUREI is to purchase products online from Orang Utan Republik. As of January 2006, a portion of the sales of products will be donated to OUREI for its non-profit activities. Online purchases can be made securely by Paypal or by credit card upon checkout. You can also purchase OUREI products from Café Press at http://www.cafepress.com/ourepublik. A wide range of products are created on demand by Café Press and OUREI receives the markup on the product.

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6. Wish List

We do need help in locating the following donated items and services:

1) Printing services for our first color brochure, displays and banners

2) Office supplies and equipment (e.g., laptop computers for our Jakarta office, LCD projector)

3) Actual office space in Santa Monica, California

Please contact us at info@orangutanrepublik.org if you can assist in donating any of these above mentioned items and services.

Thank you for your support of OUR efforts to save this endangered species through education. We are still a very small organization and we need the help of many people if we are to be successful. But there is no other option in OUR opinion. We must make sure the orangutan is still alive as a species for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to appreciate.

SEE/OUR Education Initiative, 2461 Santa Monica Blvd. #828, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA-info@OrangUtanRepublik.org

OUR Education Initiative is not affiliated with the Orangutan Foundation International nor its co-founder.

OUR Education Initiative is a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE)

a registered 501(c)(3) public charity

OUR Education Initiative is not a political organization and does not endorse or sponsor activities that attack or condemn individuals, organizations or governments. OUR Educational Initiative will work together with individuals, governments and nongovernmental organizations that are committed to saving orangutans and their rain forest habitat.

HOW YOU CAN HELP OUReI

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