Do You Have 3 Bucks for Brendan?
Fellow Vancouverite, Brendan Baker, has been accepted into the Oxford Said Business School to do an MBA in social entrepreneurship. The only problem is, he doesn’t have the $90,000 it takes to attend the prestigious oversea school. What to do about it? Brendan plans to leverage the power of the Internet and social media and raise the money in two months.
3 Bucks for Brendan
Brendan is asking 30,000 people to donate the cost of a cup of coffee to his MBA education. 3 Bucks for Brendan launched four days ago and so far raised $2,062.87. Brendan will have to increase his social media marketing efforts if he hopes to raise the $90K in 60 days.
Seeing how my last “pay it forward” post made me $10,000, I figure it can’t hurt to try another one. If you want to help Brendan out by giving him $3 (or whatever amount), then donate using this PayPal link. Good luck Brendan. I’ll be watching your progress.
- Posted in Make Money Online, The Net
- 66 comments what's your take?
Related posts from the blog
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Loading ...
screw him, tell him to get a job like everyone else
Reply to this commentGet a job?? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!
Reply to this commentThe best answer for this question in a million years!!!
Reply to this commentI’d imagine there is a severe shortage of jobs that pay $90,000 in two months. That works out to an annual salary of $540,000. Remember, he needs that money after tax too!
That said, there are countless people who want to go to school and can’t afford it. I don’t see what makes Brendan any different and/or special.
Reply to this commentI agree with this. I mean I would love to get paid to go to school too…
John, I think you’re going to stir up a great amount of e-mails from this post. You know there are a lot of bloggers and regular people asking and looking for your help each and every day. I think every person should be heard and this post makes it seem like you’re only going to help a “unique” cause…
-Mike
p.s. Darren Rowse seems to help or a least try to help each and every person that contacts him.
Reply to this commentIt’s a dot com economy, who needs a job?
Reply to this commentI agree with that, but asking for money online? zz that’s lame.
Reply to this commentthe link didn’t work for me. and you state that your pay it forward made you $10,000? How does paying him $3 make you money? Please share this w/ those of us who follow you.
Reply to this commentI’ll have a post explaining it later tonight.
Reply to this commentI can’t wait to read it! Thanks for all you do!
Reply to this commentSame here, I want to know whats the big bad secret behind this!
Reply to this commentIm a little curious as to how this works myself!
Reply to this commentI’ve dropped 3 dollars to Brendan, I’d love to do what he’s doing, maybe some day.
Good luck to him.
Reply to this commentWhat a great idea. I have given over my $3.
I am not sure what a MBA is good for…..all my friends that have one don’t no how to write a business plan any better than me….
Reply to this commentI gave him $10. He seems like a nice enough guy.
Reply to this commentI gave him $10 too, hope he gets his money in 60 days!
Reply to this comment
“3$ from 30K people”
“Brendan plans to leverage the power of the Internet and social media and raise the money in two months.”
“Brendan will have to increase his social media marketing efforts if he hopes to raise the $90K in 60 days”
Reply to this commentHey John maybe I should start a post like this? I found out last month I’m not gonna be able to go to a good college either even though a keep a 3.9 out of a 4.0 average because I don’t have 50k.
Reply to this commentI’d give him $3 dollars but I withdrew everything from paypal and bank.
Wouldn’t the true pay it forward model be that you give him the $10k?
Reply to this commentI guess, but he only asked for $3.
Reply to this commentI’d gladly take 10k to chunk at my student loan debt
Reply to this commentI’m going to temple the cheapest one around here and guess what it’s exactly 10k lmao.
Reply to this commentGood point, Gary. At the same time, John has to decide where the $10k can be best spent. Like… on treating the rest of us to Dot Com Pho for the next 20 years.
Reply to this commentMaybe all of it could be donated to charity this time and not just a part
-Mike
Reply to this comment3$ ?
,I gave him 5$….good luck to him… 
Reply to this commentI’m after a new house, all I need is another $120,000. Anybody want to chip in? Thought not.
He could try doing something to earn the $9000 or is that a little old fashioned?
Reply to this commentThe $9,000? It’s a little more than that.
Reply to this commentWhoops, $90,000. Now that really is taking the p!ss.
(but if anybody giving $3 wants to give $3 to my housing fund as well then please feel free!)
Reply to this commentJohn - I’m interested to see how your readers react to this post b/c this type of ballsy request for a handout just doesn’t go over all that well on CraigsList. I guess most people don’t like folks who try to get a free ride when everyone else has to work for it!
Reply to this commentGreat, another internet panhandler.
Why doesn’t he get a loan like the rest of the millions and millions of people trying to afford graduate school? Better yet, why doesn’t he offer to pay everyone back when he graduates and starts make gobs and gobs of money.
Reply to this commentI agreed with you! the Idea of $90K for MBA is really smart, but I think he should make it more honorable with give away that $90K after he graduate and work for charity or for someone else who want to get his/her MBA.
Reply to this commentWhat a mooch. lol, i love it.
Sent $5 through the donate link on his website because the Paypal link here was giving an error
=^..^=
Reply to this commentHook me up, I owe 22k in student loan debts!
Good luck with your plan. Its ideas like these that usually make the big bucks…
Reply to this comment$90k is a TON of scratch to beg for. I paid my way through college and then through MBA by working full time and going to school at night. It taught me way more than the degree itself. I like the idea, but Brendan needs to man up and work his way through school - at least some of it. It will offer him way more than the handouts he is trying to get. Creative way to get others to help out, but he is hurting himself long-term in my opinion.
In any of my businesses, I will take the guy that would just assume slice your throat to get what they need ALWAYS over the MBA type that wants to use his “knowledge” to make things work. Maybe Brendan can be both of those, but I’m not feeling it. I give him ’spec for the size of his clock weights though. He is putting his face out there and asking.
Reply to this commentHey Folks,
First off - Thanks John for spreading the word.
I sympathise with many of the negative comments here. Why? Because I have loans already, and understand the difficulty of finding money (Shawn, I just barely beat you on existing student loans, by a couple thousand:)). I do understand having to work hard to afford school because I’ve done it for years already to pay for my education. I have a small mortgage (with even smaller equity - not much use there!).
So why didn’t I ask for 3 bucks for my mortgage? Simple. Because it would be a bad investment. I’m all about using business as a social tool, not only for profit (my background: http://www.3bucksforbrendan.com/about). This is how I plan to pay back everyone who has had faith in me, by turning their investments into social change (a great example of a ‘not-for-profit’ business is One Water - http://www.onedifference.org). And that’s the same reason I can’t afford it - an investment banker would get out and pay it back in a few months, I don’t expect that luxury.
So yeah, that’s why I feel cool asking for couch change from 30,000 people. Because I honestly believe it’ll help try to make the world a better place. Idealistic, ain’t it?!?
If people don’t see it that way, I understand. If you feel generous, but not to me, then please consider giving to one of the non-profits I highlight on the site. I’ve worked with one of them extensively, the others I know only by reputation, but they will do more to improve people’s lives with your money than anywhere I know of. And if my fundraising goals aren’t reached, then the money all goes to two of them - Engineers Without Borders and Doctors Without Borders. So you can see why I’d do something ridiculous like this - from my point of view, there’s really no downside!
Anyhow, didn’t mean to write such a novel. Thanks for all the support and comments, positive and negative.
Cheers,
Reply to this commentBrendan
I’m sure Brendan is a nice guy, but once someone has been admitted to an MBA programme (especially a prestigious one like Oxford) banks will trip over themselves to provide loans for the tuition. So Brendan has plenty of other options to finance his education, and with an Oxford MBA looks forward to an average starting salary of £65000.
Reply to this commentMeanwhile, anyone still in a charitable mood might consider sending their $3 to life2orphans.org (I’ve personally given plenty to these guys) or some other more deserving cause.
You seem to have missed the point. Brendan openly states that the average salary for people coming out of an Oxford MBA makes about $120K…..if they become a management consultant or invesment banker. Those who go into social entrepreneurship make a lot less money. Why should those who go into social entrepreneurship be handed crippling debt when their main objective is for the greater good and not personal gain? If anyone has any doubts check out his website (like I did) before slagging the idea. He’s very good at answering most of these skepticisms as backlash similar to this are inevitable when you go around asking for money.
Reply to this commentWhy, because it’s his PERSONAL CHOICE! It’s my personal choice to own a Ferrari one day, I’m going to drive it around inspiring other people to own a Ferrari so that factory workers in Italy can keep their jobs.
What a noble cause hey, trouble is I can’t afford a Ferrari at the moment so why don’t you all chip in and help me?
At the end of the day he’s going down this route of education to get a job he loves doing, most people in life aren’t that lucky and end up doing whatever just to pay the bills. Good luck to the bloke but I’m afraid I’d rather give money to an actual charity than fund somebody’s personal crusade for a better education.
Reply to this commentI’ll give $3 for a blogroll link
Reply to this commentme too.. but i don’t think he will give any link for contributors..
Reply to this commentI’m amazed that he’s made over $2000, so far. I didn’t think people gave money anymore, considering the number of people who are asking all the time online.
Reply to this commenthehe..somehow there is also too much people that willing to give away $3..that’s why there are still beggars around..
Reply to this commentYou gotta love the Internet and the opportunities it has opened up for anyone willing to go for it. Give 3 bucks or don’t give 3 bucks, it’s pretty simple.
Now, if anyone has any cool surf pins or Hard Rock pins they’d like to donate to a good cause (me) I would be very willing to accept them…
Reply to this commentI am just wondering what $3 will be in euros,way too small i think well let me the do the conversion and send you the money.I am in support of education.
Reply to this commentI have donated mine,goodluck Brendan.
Reply to this commentYou really a very nice person Tina….
World need more people like you.
Reply to this commentBrendan, i already transfer $10. That was about MYR33. I can use up that money for 3days meal here in malaysia. Hope you can use it wisely.
John, how much you give?hehe
Reply to this commentIsn’t this technically “Paying it Backward” not “Paying it Forward”?
Reply to this commentI offer my blessings!
Reply to this commentJohn, you should give him the $10,000 that was given to you!
Anyway, this reminds me of The Million Dollar Homepage, minus the pixel ads. Alex Tew did the exact same thing, except he was much younger.
Reply to this commentDoes everyone have $3 for me?
Reply to this commentI got my MBA at a discount for getting a job full time at the business school. I was able to get the degree without having to resort to ask a single person for a penny.
Reply to this commentWhy don’t you give him the $10,000 you got from Brian Campbell?
Reply to this commentJohn -
Reply to this commentlinked back at http://www.3bucksforbrendan.com/2008/06/support-for-3bucks-in-the-cyberweb/
Cheers,
B
no offense but this looks like a product of bad organization and planning (not to mention being REAL lazy) … don’t you think that you should have planned far ahead rather than worrying about how you are going to get $90,000 in 2 months? personally, i think if you should earn the money the hard way like everyone else rather than sit back and wait for donations. life is not a bed of roses no matter what John Chow says — he had to work hard to become what he is now and i think you should do the same rather than be lazy and wait for people to give money to you. this is so pathetic in so many ways!
Reply to this commenthttp://www.3bucksforbrendan.com/about
lazy? I’ve been called obnoxious, bad at returning emails, scattered, and occasionally bad looking, but rarely lazy…
Reply to this commentB
Seriously we have starving kids and people living in cars, go raise money like everyone else
Reply to this commentgo and Robb a Bank
I think it’s wonderful that he has the ingenuity to harness the power of the Internet. The trick here, however, is for those who are responding to it to go one step further, to really capture the true spirit of giving - and the true spirit of the Internet. If you can donate $3, you can donate $6. Donate $3 for this fellow, and then donate $3 to your favorite charity as well - this can usually be done online…and John, so many people have a great deal of respect for you. Don’t disappoint them - put that windfall of $10k to good use somewhere.
Reply to this comment$90.000 for MBA ???? Come on
) where the hell I get the rest of that money? Well I borrow from my father $20K and how about the other $10K? I sell my lovely car… 
My name is Erik Prabowo from Semarang Indonesia. I’m a surgery resident (medical doctor that going to be a surgeon). I already 5 years as a surgery resident and still 1-1.5 years to go, during this 5 years I already pay for about $30K for my study and for my daily
needed (I already married with 1 lovely 3 years old son) . Can u imagine that? it’s only take a month for Johnchow to get $30K, the same amount that I needed for 5 years to study and buy some food for my family in my country. $30K for 5 years! and the hospital where I work and study as a surgery resident only pay me 150,000 rupiahs a month (equal to $140!
Compare to my friend who study as an internist resident in USA, the hospital give him $50K a year, and he should pay $0 for his study!
Now I run out of money, and I contact one of local bank which can give me $7.500 loan with interest rate 12% a year! Actually I really need that $10K-$15K for the next 1-1.5 years.
If you guys feel it’s worth to give away that $90K for MBA, than I believe I 1000% worth for $15K for my general surgeon brevet!
Well I think The $90K for MBA idea is really smart….
I should to think something like this…..
Erik Prabowo
Reply to this commentwebmaster@bedah.info
My correction Rp.150,000 equal to $14 ! Well can you believe it?
Reply to this commentYeah, It’s a dot com economy, who needs a job…
Reply to this commentGoodluck getting the money. Care to do one of these for me John?
Reply to this commentWhy don’t you sell your house you parasitic beggar?
Reply to this commentEither he is a scam artist or an idiot - if you are accepted into a top tier MBA, the ROI is going to be substantial and every lending institution in the world knows it - an top tier MBA has to be the easiest degree in the world to finance.
So is he such an idiot that he doesn’t know he can borrow against future earnings, or such a good scam artist that he realizes he can trick some number of gullible, empathetic websters into thinking he has this great opportunity he can’t afford? f
Reply to this comment