The+Make+Yourself+Foundation-+Group+Ten



**The Make Yourself Foundation ** **by Incubus **



media type="youtube" key="N4rSjKpPku8" height="315" width="560" align="center" ** __INTRODUCTION:__ Jenipher Borum ** In 1991, four 10th graders decided to get together and start a band. Flash forward twenty years later and today that band is known globally as Incubus. Lead vocalist Brandon Boyd, drummer Jose Pasillas, bassist Alex Katunich, and lead guitarist Mike Einziger began releasing albums in 1994, and just released their newest album this year titled, “If not now, when?” The title of their new CD summarizes the bands philosophy on social good, fairly well. Before Brandon encouraged his friends to start Incubus, the lead singer had interests in the ocean, coupled with concerns in all of the natural and cultural rumblings underfoot as well. As a child, he found himself involved in the “Surfrider Foundation.” Here, his dedication and passion to give back to others began to grow. He hasn’t stopped since. Boyd states, “As a surfer, the thing that occupies my mind most vividly is this issue of Sustainability. Sustainability in every sense of the word. I actually believe 'Sustainability', as a concept, is one of the arteries leading to the heart of so many of our cultural transitions at play today. And it's this concept which leads me to bottled water, and its multibillion dollar industry.” - Brandon Boyd, (Boyd, HuffPost, 2011)

Incubus has reached superior levels of popularity, receiving both critical acclaim and commercial success, including “multi-platinum” sales. The band decided to use their recognition and branch out into their own charity group, The Make Yourself Foundation (MYF). [|http://www.makeyourselffoundation.org] MYF is a non-profit organization that raises funds for various environmental causes and charities both locally and around the world. Incubus funds its foundation by donating portions of the proceeds they generate from touring, record royalties, online auctions from their concert memorabilia and some special events. MYF has raised over a $1.5 million since 2004, much of it raised through Incubus’ Meet and Greet program while on tour.

**__TARGET CAUSE(S):__ Erika Kelsey ** The Make Yourself Foundation targets funding for local and international environmental causes and charities. Recently, however, Incubus and the Make Yourself Foundation have been focusing more on the environment and the arts. In 2005, Incubus began helping environmental causes by signing as a partner for the Stop Global Warming campaign at [|www.stopglobalwarming.org]. MYF gave over $100,000 in grants to several charities in 2009. Some of these charities that received grants were Earth Force, Santa Monica Bay Keeper, Save the Waves Coalition, and Urban Farming. Urban Farming sent the Make Yourself Foundation a thank you note on January 5, 2010 with plans for that year which included planting community gardens and school gardens in 15 different states. One of these gardens was an edible roof garden in downtown Los Angeles, California at the Union Rescue Mission. On May 28, 2011, two months before the Incubus Concert in the Philippines, the Incubus Street Team Philippines did a post-Earth Day Activity. This activity consisted of going to Adopt a Tree at La Mesa Ecopark and selling limited edition Incubus t-shirts where all proceeds went to the Make Yourself Foundation. Benjamin Smith from Brush Footwear partnered up with Incubus’ Brandon Boyd in September 2011, to create custom shoe designs from Converse to Toms for the Make Yourself Foundation Charity. Besides the recent art partnership between Benjamin Smith and Brandon Boyd, the Saves the Waves Coalition sent the Make Yourself Foundation a thank you note on October 27, 2011. for the grant they received in 2009. The Saves the Waves Coalition let MYF know that they launched a major relief effort in Chile after the tsunami in late February and started a new World Surfing Reserves program. **__METHODS__: Charis Tharp ** Incubus is actively involved in promoting the Make Yourself Foundation (MYF) through their official band website and numerous social media accounts. MYF updates fans on upcoming or current auctions and packages through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, eBay, on the band website and the MYF official site. On the MYF fan page on Facebook, users can find updates on available VIP meet and greet packages, read the latest news about what the organization is doing, browse photos of events, merchandise and band members, and have the option to “download to donate.” For the download to donate option, users can buy songs and personal interviews that have been uploaded on the page, and all the money raised will be given to different charities the MYF supports. Band members also upload free videos that talk about their beliefs on social good and ways individuals can make a big difference. Fans that follow Incubus on Twitter are also informed of ways they can support the MYF. For example, @IncubusBand tweeted about the remaining hours left in a MYF auction and included a link that sent followers to their eBay page where they could place bids. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">The MYF (eBay seller ID: makeyourselffoundation) has a presence on eBay and is a top-rated seller that has thousands of outstanding fan reviews. When the MYF has an Incubus auction going on eBay, there’s an “about the seller” page that lists tour dates and has links to makeyourselffoundation.org for additional information. This eBay page also promotes Incubus’ band website, which also has a MYF tab included on their homepage. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">If anyone were to search Make Yourself Foundation on YouTube, numerous videos would appear of Incubus band members talking about the non-profit organization and thanking fans for getting involved. The band members are huge advocates for social good, and post videos on ways individuals can make huge differences. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">On the two official websites for the band, enjoyincubus.com and incubushq.com, there is a tab for MYF on the homepage, which will send fans immediately to the MYF website. On th e MYF page, fans can learn everything about the organization that they haven’t already picked up on from the other sites and accounts. Fans will see the mission statement again, but will also get statistics, detailed information and quotes on what the MYF has accomplished. A list of where donations are sent is included, as well as news articles and updates that relate to the work MYF is doing. Forums exist on this site for fans to connect and chat, and members of the MYF are featured on the homepage. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> Because Incubus is an international band that has a fan base reaching around the globe, thousands upon thousands of fans are exposed to this foundation. You can look for Incubus on any web platform, and wherever they are, the MYF will be as well. Incubus does an amazing job of advocating for MYF in everything they do, and all their sites and accounts do a great job of linking back to MYF. MYF is promoted thoroughly through different social media networks and websites, as well as from the recommendations of Incubus band members to fans.

**__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">RESULTS: __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Lindsay Guinto ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> Since being founded by Incubus in 2003, the Make Yourself Foundation has received multiple awards, including the Pepsi Music Award at the 2007 Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards (EMA, 2011), and the eBay Giving Works Award for their success in fundraising through eBay auctions. Between 2004 and 2010, MYF raised around $1,450,000 for over 37 environmental and social causes, such as the [|Surfrider Foundation], the [|Epilepsy Foundation] , [|Heal the Bay] and [|Operation Smile]. In addition to the $1,450,000, MYF raised an additional $28,000 in 2006 at a single E3 Playstation party. When the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hit in 2004, the Foundation took immediate action and raised $100,000 for relief efforts through the Re<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">d Cross (Make Yourself Foundation, 2011). <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The Make Yourself Foundation has built a strong following online, and currently has roughly 3,90 0 supporters on Facebook (Make Yourself Foundation Facebook, 2011), and around 5,970 official Foundation members on [|www.makeyourselffoundation.org] ( Make Yourself Foundation, 2011). **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__EVALUATION:__ Elyse Smethers ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">Incubus’s overall effort is one worthy of praise with their active involvement in the Make Yourself Foundation and giving back to other charities. Raising over $1,450,000 for over thirty-seven environmental and social causes between 2004 and 2010, shows their determination they have towards helping world issues. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">They successfully have used different social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Ebay, etc. to appeal to their fan base and allow their fans the opportunity to give back the community and be a part of something big. Incubus does this by giving their fans various options to donate. The “download to donate” feature on their Make Yourself Foundation Facebook page is one of many ways that allows users to have their money be sent directly to various charities that Make Yourself Foundation supports. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">The band demonstrates compassion and does not show the usual selfishness other bands portray. They are not all about profit, but rather how they make a difference within society. What makes incubus so different is the fact they are an international band and their fan base. They have positively reached fans from all over the world to take part in their efforts with Make Yourself Foundation. They have done an excellent job in connecting themselves directly to Make Yourself Foundation and advocating their cause through out many different websites and social media networks. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">I believe their effort will not backfire on them, since helping others is so heavily imbedded in them. I have faith that their effort will continue to reach more and more individuals and help more charities around the world. They have such a strong fan base that it is like a family. Their fan base will always be there to back them up in anything they do. The truth permeates through the facts in that they are completely in this to impact the world and they do not care about the publicity aspect that many bands are interested in within the music industry. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">Incubus is currently focusing their efforts in giving more funds to helping the environment and the arts. On the Make Yourself Foundation website, the band stated they hope to make a sizeable amount of contributions this year to this area. They have shown contributions within this area already as they have partnered with Stop Global Warming campaign at [|www.stopglobalwarming.org]. Another important fact from their past, is Incubus made their entire 2007 world tour “carbon neutral” friendly and neutralized the carbon waste from the buses, trucks, and flights that were used within the tour. In addition, Incubus has donated to Carbon Neutral through the Make Yourself Foundation, to plant new trees to counteract the carbon in the environment and to research other options for fuel. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">In conclusion, Incubus’s overall efforts are incredible and they will continue to inspire and make an impact around the world. Singer, Brandon Boyd illustrates the bands compassion and true focus by his comment on the Make Yourself Foundation website, “We are honored and grateful to be doing this, and we are certain that with the participation of everyone and our wonderfully supportive fans, that we will succeed in this first of what will be many goals in the future. One person working diligently alone can do wonders, but many people working harmoniously together can accomplish worlds.” <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">__CONCLUSION__ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;"> The active involvement of Incubus band members in MYF has contributed to the non-profit organization’s success. Because Incubus has an international fan base, people from around the globe are participating in their auctions and events, knowing that the money raised from purchases will go to different charities. Incubus promotes MYF through numerous web platforms and is a leading example in celebrities using their fame to advocate for social good. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">__CITATIONS:__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Introduction:__ Make Yourself Foundation. (2011). Facebook [Non-profit Organization Page]. Retrieved from, [] Make Yourself Foundation. (2011) Make Yourself Foundation: Members. Retrieved from, [] Brandon Boyd, Incubus. (2011) “Sustainability is a fourteen letter word.” Huffington Post. Retrieved from, [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Target:__ Causecast Editor. (2011, October 27). Nice Note from grant recipient- Save the Waves Coalition. Retrieved from <span style="color: #003dcc; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">[] __ recipient-save-waves-coalition __ Incubus Street Team Philippines. (2011, May 4). Post Earth Day Activity/ General Assembly. Retrieved from; <span style="color: #003dcc; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">[] __ es_-_Post_Earth_Day_Activity_General_Assembly __ Richard, B. (2011, September 12). Brush Footwear for Brandon Boyd of Incubus & the Make Yourself Foundation. Retrieved from [] __ Brandon-Boyd-of-Incubus-the-Make-Yourself-Foundation/ __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Methods:__Make Yourself Foundation. (2011). Facebook [Non-profit Organization Page]. Retrieved from, [] <span style="color: #003dcc; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">__[|http://twitter.com/#]!/IncubusBand__ eBay (2011), Seller ID:__makeyourselffoundation__. Retrieved from: <span style="color: #003dcc; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">[] YouTube (2011). Retrieved from: <span style="color: #003dcc; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Incubus (2011) sony music entertainment. Retrieved from: __ [] __and __ [] __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">__Results:__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Environmental Media Association. (2007). Environmental Media Association: 17th Annual Environmental Media Awards. Retrieved from; [] Make Yourself Foundation. (ca. 2011). Facebook [Non-profit Organization Page]. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2011 from, [] Make Yourself Foundation. (2011). Make Yourself Foundation: Members. Retrieved from [] Make Yourself Foundation. (2011). Make Yourself Foundation: About. Retrieved from []