A year ago, we launched an idea that we hope will spark a revolution. Here's the story behind how it all began as we look back on a great year.

It started innocently enough. It was a phrase I saw randomly that I thought would make a neat T-shirt for the college crowd (renegade or not). I saw it in my mind's eye, emblazoned in white across black T-shirts the world over. It was a statement of fact, piggybacking on a word that is overused, but whose definition everyone between the ages of 2 and 92 understand. It was going to be a social revolution disguised in 100%, fair trade, organic cotton. Everyone would proudly declare in a way that only readable T-shirts can: "Cool People Care."

But, like great social change movements, the first drops of rain cannot indicate the monsoon of creativity that waits. Upon sharing this brilliant phrase with Stephen, the brainstorming began, and after a few hours, we had a dry-erase board full of ideas, the least of which was a black shirt. We had blueprinted a revolution.

Our first step would be a website, coolpeoplecare.org, that was full of practical tips for ordinary people who wanted to make a difference. Like us, we guessed that there were millions of people who wanted to make the world a better place, but didn't have hours on end, or expendable income burning holes in their philanthropist pockets. But, we had, for example, five minutes that we were willing to give to any given positive social cause, and we thought others did, too. We knew that two guys' five minutes didn't seem like much – but a million people's five minutes? Now that's a revolution waiting to happen.

Having been in the nonprofit world for a while, trying to stay ahead of trends in fundraising and volunteering, I knew we had something. Years ago, successful change agents were those who were able to find ten rich folks to each write a $1 million check. But, the future of giving, I felt, would be finding 1 million people to each write a $10 check. Both tasks were daunting, and both would get you $10 million. The difference was that I didn't know anyone who could write that $1 million check, but I did know lots of folks (myself included) who could, and would, write a $10 one.

When I was graduating college in 2003, I was on the fast track to grad school. Unlike many of my friends, I wasn't looking for employment. But of those who were, I was awestruck by the amount of them looking to intern at a nonprofit for little or no money. Several were thinking of joining the Peace Corps, willing to be marooned somewhere digging village wells or organizing the poor in countries with hollow economic cores. Others want to intern on the hill in DC, or get their feet wet in church or community work.

What was happening? Why were relatively few people trying to land deals with big brokerage firms? Where were the people looking to make a career in sales, real estate, or big business? Was it just the company I kept? Or, was it something bigger? Was it a larger movement of young people who had come to the realization that things needed to be changed and that they were the ones to do it, unyoked by marriage, children and home ownership?

But there seemed to be no one to organize this mass of do-gooders. They seemed like uncoordinated soldiers on some social battlefield. Each one was Google-ing for opportunities. Some struck nonprofit gold and got their unsexy wish – interning for free in a big city., working nights in a coffee shop, and dedicating their days to changing some policy that would not get their names in the history books any time soon.

But for those unable to land Peace Corps internships or other socially aware gigs, they eventually shuffled into an office somewhere, punching a clock, serving not the public interest, but the bottom line. However, their dreams of a better tomorrow were not shattered. They would give all of their weekend to a Habitat build, or serve on a nonprofit board, or run every charitable 5k they could find. The grandeur of generosity had not faded. It was alive and well.

And I know that there are millions in this same situation. There are people of every age, who want to do just one thing every day to make this world better. Some give blood, some donate clothing, some recycle, some buy local, some change their energy-sucking light bulbs, some bike to work, some adopt a pet, some have a pen pal in a foreign orphanage, and some still need ideas.

To this end, CoolPeopleCare, Inc., seeks to motivate people to make a difference. We show people how to get involved without getting up, and how to change their world in less than 5 minutes a day. We connect these inspired individuals with organizations already on the ground in communities nearby. And we reveal just how easy it is to give back. We believe there is no such thing as not enough time. We believe that anyone can engage the 5-minute revolution, unleashing the power of millions of people giving 5 minutes or more, every day.

So far, we've been right. Barely 12 months old, we now send out over 2,300 daily emails and have many more visit the site from literally around the world.

Because the cool people, the ones that I admire, are those who have a cause, a vision, or a dream bigger than themselves. In essence, we really do believe that cool people care.

6 others have done this "5 minutes of caring" To date, you've cared for 0 minutes on CoolPeopleCare.org

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Ingredients:

• One idea
• Dedicated team
• Internet connection

Caring Time:

• 525,600 Minutes

Cost:

• FREE!

Results:

• Increased awareness
• Motivated audience
• A changed world