The Giving Network is a Non-Profit organization created in January 2006 by a couple in Colorado Springs, Colorado who had an idea of a way to help people and ran with it.

The idea is to provide a way for people to make a personal connection as they give to others. Our desire is to build a network of people who care about each other and wish to help each other by providing material items for individuals or families in need of such items. We want to make giving easier, more personal, and more rewarding for those in our community.

Many of us have things that we would like to give to someone who really needs them. The problem is that we often don't know how to locate those people. On the other hand, we may have a need, but we simply don't know where to ask for help. The Giving Network was created to help those with items to donate and those in need to locate each other in a faster and easier way than has ever been available before. It provides a way to make both giving and receiving simpler, more personal, and more rewarding. There are many needs in our communities and our cities, but there are also many who are willing and able to meet those needs.if only we knew how to find each other. The idea is simple. If you have an item you would like to donate, simply list the item on the database and wait to be contacted. If you are in need of an item, you can search the database of available items. If you are unable to find what you need, simply post your need on the website. By using the website, both parties have a way to find and contact each other in a way that has previously been unavailable.

The initial idea resulted from our sister dropping off a bed that she was not using anymore at her parent's house. My mother-in-law then had to figure out what to do with this bed, which she didn't have room to store, but didn't want to throw away. The options were either bring it to Goodwill or call Salvation Army to see if they could come pick it up. However, doing either of those options she would have no idea where the bed would ultimately end up and most likely some family who needed the bed would have to pay for it. She wanted the bed to go to someone who needed it and she did not want any money for it. She simply wanted a way to give the bed away to someone who needed it and be able to connect with them personally. We realized there was no system in place to do this. Many people try to do this type of giving through their local church, however most churches do not warehouse items and it is only by chance that they know of someone in the congregation or community who needs the item. Most of the time individuals or families who have items they would like to give away ask around for awhile, maybe contact a church but then, because they just need to get the items off their hands, they drop them off at local donation center. We are not trying to discourage donations to Goodwill or any other charity, we simple want to provide a choice for people who would like to make their giving more personal and more rewarding.

The Giving Network is not a registered business or Non-Profit Organization (it may be at some point), for now it is simply a free, non-commercial, real-world way of reaching out and helping people help others.