The Big Trade Up is a fundraising project to support the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Mind The Future. Starting with Frank’s #2 pencil, the concept is to begin trading up for items of increasing value until we have secured an item that can be sold to fund 10 scholarship commitments and allow for the hiring of a full-time Executive Director.

The concept was inspired by Kyle MacDonald who in 2006 traded one red paper clip all the way until he secured a house. It was a great idea, but entirely for personal gain. So we thought… what if we applied the same concept to fund more scholarships.

So we took our first scholarship winner, Frank, out for breakfast and ran the idea by him. Frank is the perfect example of why we want to fund more scholarships. Frank received the Mind The Future Scholarship commitment in 2007 and since has been inspired to not only excel in school but recently he started a peer tutoring network of his own. Frank loved the idea and offered to start the Big Trade Up with his #2 pencil for
the first item to be traded. He knows the deep
value of these scholarship commitments and
wants to do everything he can to help make
the Big Trade Up a success.

With the goal of raising $250,000, it is our hope that we can trade up to a house that can be refurbished by everyone involved with the Big Trade Up. In some ways similar to the Extreme Home Makeover, it would require everyone to prepare the house for sale and celebrate the success together. Ok, that’s the dream!

So stay tuned to the BigTradeUp.com for new announcements and make sure to email us at mytrade@bigtradeup.com if you are interested in offering a trade. Thanks for your support!

See what has been traded so far…

First meeting – Tony, Frank & Chad