News
December 7, 2007

OPERATION POSSIBILITIES!

How is Mega Chess & Chess Test Tutors CREATING POSSIBILITIES for children?

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO {only 5 min.}

“Teaching is not the filling of a vessel, rather the igniting of a flame.”

WHAT IS OPERATION POSSIBILITIES?

Chess Test Tutors and Mega Chess have joined forces to introduce OPERATION POSSIBILITIES, the largest pledge campaign of it’s kind. We are committed to creating possibilities for 100 million children, one community at a time.

Join us in this effort to promote education, heighten cognition and ignite the fun in learning in children all over the world.

“If your dream does not consist of a team, your dream is not big enough.” Tony Magee

Despite the enormous success of both Chess Test Tutors and Mega Chess, we are far from the task of Creating Possibilities for 100 million children.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

If you can appreciate the myriad of societal benefits inherent in 100 million children learning to think critically, creatively and analytically, you are the perfect partner for us.

“TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM-WORK.” Reverend Run

"How can I team-up with OPERATION POSSIBILITIES?"

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO JOIN THE TEAM:

STARTING A CHESS PROGRAM IN YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY:

View the About Us page if you are interested in starting a pledge drive to raise money to create or support an existing chess program in your school or community.

AND/OR

Join our Mega Chess Test Tutors Team:

Chess Test Tutors is a Southern California based 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which uses songs, stories and Mega Chess sets to ignite the fun in learning for 10 plus school districts-communities throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

While our ultimate goal is to spread the benefits of chess throughout the nation, we are currently focused on Southern California elementary schools.

Your tax-deductible donation to Chess Test Tutors will CREATE POSSIBILITIES for one million at-risk children in California, one school at a time.

We have ignited the flame for learning in 60,000 children and counting.

To contribute, click on Find a Pledge and locate Chess Test Tutors. Creating Possibilities for a million at-risk children is as simple as that!

To get a sense of the impact your donation will have on the lives of these children, CLICK VIDEO and see for your self. (Running time ONLY 5 minutes, 15 seconds)

“The more we can rely on each other the higher we can set our goals."

Steve Scott

Our mission is to strengthen the minds and character of young people by advancing chess in our schools, clubs, communities, and our culture. In short, our mission is to inspire kids to play chess.

Q & A
How are pledges different from donations?
A pledge is a promise to donate if all the money required is pledged. If a pledge gathers promises for half the money needed, your pledge will not be touched. A pledge guarantees that your donation will go only to the proposed chess project.

I just want a discount on a MegaChess set.
This is how you get that. You fill out the pledge application. We check that out to understand who you are and why you need a discount. For worthy causes, we make the first pledge. That is the discount. You can pledge the remaining pledge amount yourself and accept our "discount" immediately, or you can wait to see if you pick up more pledges that reduce your price further.

The Pledge Meister website is a way to get funding to schools, clubs, community recreation centers, and non-profit organizations that support chess.

The Pledge Meister website is an automated pledge site, an internet destination where a school or any such organization can set up and maintain its own collection point for donations for its chess program. Chess program supporters go to the school's pledge site, commit using their credit card, and the total funds are turned over to the school if the pledge meets its goal. There is no fee to anyone to use the Pledge Meister pledge site.

The procedure follows:

  1. The employee of a school, club, community recreation center, church, or non-profit organization fills in the online application using the "Apply" button at left. The form requires information about the pledge target and how the funds would be spent. Pledge funds may go toward any aspect of a chess program, including equipment, facilities, fees, salaries, etc.

  2. The Chess Funding Advisor for the Pledge Meister pledge site reviews the application and asks herself these questions in this order:
    1. Will this inspire people, especially kids, to play chess?
    2. Are they a school, club, non-profit, or focused in some way on community improvement?
    3. Do they need the money?
    4. Will they increase the visibility of the Pledge Meister program?
    Verified schools (including after-school programs) and chess clubs always qualify. Membership organizations, city (or any government) recreation centers, and chess tutors sometimes qualify. Resorts, home owners, resellers, and applicants who are not telling the truth (about anything) never qualify. Businesses generally don't qualify. Note that if you are referred by one of our partners, like Chess Test Tutors, their representative can also review and approve applications based on their criteria.

  3. The applicant is advised of the above decision either way. If approved, they are given the URL (online destination) of their own pledge site. They can give that URL to local businesses, alumni, past supporters, and anyone they think may help them. We will post the URL in online directories that may funnel supporters their way.

  4. MegaChess typically makes the first pledge. The amount varies depending on what the pledge will accomplish, and how much money we have lying around at the time.

  5. If the pledge is close to meeting its goal and the applicant is eager to get started, they can always pledge the remaining amount needed to complete the pledge. We will not take donations from the pledges until the pledge goal is met.

  6. Once the pledge meets its goal, the pledges are advised and their credit cards are used to collect donations. Once funded, the pledge site is closed.

  7. Once the pledge is funded, we check if the applicant designated it for a MegaChess purchase. If not, we mail them a check for the total pledge amount. If it was to buy MegaChess product, we advise them of their store credit and they spend it. In many cases, it will be both a MegaChess purchase and cash to fund the rest of their chess program. In either case, we do not charge a fee or reduce the pledge amount, not even by the amount we are charged by the credit card bank.
Organizations behind Pledge Meister:

Chess Test Tutors is a division of People Making Progress, Inc., Chess Tutors is solely devoted to students’ development of life skills and academic success. Our instructors are affiliated with the United States Chess Federation and have been trained to make learning fun.

MegaChess is part of a private company selling giant chess sets and other products to inspire kids to play chess. The programmers in their parent company built the Pledge Meister pledge website and maintain it at no charge. This started as an effort to help schools afford MegaChess products, but has grown and such purchases are no longer required.
 
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