Inspiration to change the world can wake you up like a bucket of cold water to the face. SaraJoy Pond's concept to unite people in a common goal for positive change woke her up with a start on a cold day in November 2008.

Finishing her doctoral program in instructional psychology and technology at Brigham Young University, SaraJoy, 29, is immersed in the study of how technology changes the way people think and learn. Her own subconscious mind has been working on a way to make broad changes using technology.

"I woke up with the idea in my head. I literally was like 'Oh my gosh! That might work!'" relates SaraJoy. She immediately phoned her sisters with her ideas and got to work on her website, TheTippingBucket.com.

You can do something

As the oldest of eight children, SaraJoy has always wanted to do something to positively affect the planet. She attributes her biggest inspiration to her mother. "She has complete confidence in every individual's ability to discover their own strengths and use them to make the world a better place," says SaraJoy of her mom, Marian Pond.

"When she saw a news clip about the Rwanda situation (1990s genocide and civil war), she was deeply affected," says Marian. "Sara would get mad. Then, of course, the answer she would get was, 'There's nothing you can do.'" Marian knows that SaraJoy was biding her time until she could do something. Now with the advent of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, there's a forum for SaraJoy to reach a lot of people.

SaraJoy wanted to change the way people think about making social contributions. Marian says SaraJoy's project came about "when she realized she was old enough to do something, but didn't have the money."

The money problem was solved by harnessing the power of the Internet. "I don't know anyone with half a million dollars but it turns out I know half a million people through social media," she says.

Filling the bucket

SaraJoy used the idea of a simple gardening tool for her site concept. She called her sister Emily when the inspiration hit that November morning. Emily worked at a water conservancy and was in charge of calibrating the tipping buckets. Tipping buckets store water and will tip over when they are full. SaraJoy wanted to create a virtual tipping bucket.

Her project allows anyone with a dollar to donate to charitable causes. That dollar contribution is just a drop in the bucket, but when enough people contribute, the bucket will fill — and tip. If the project doesn't get enough "drops" or donations within a designated deadline, it won't tip and everyone will receive a refund. This lets the users of the site determine which projects are important for supporting.

The work ahead

SaraJoy's project garnered her the prize for the BYU Social Venture Competition. She won $22,000 in funding for TheTippingBucket.com. and now has a founder's circle and a small staff to help build the project into a nationally recognized site. "It's been a battle to get it [the website] built and the code working," she says. They've been working on small projects before their official launch.

They'll kick off the site's launch with a project called Power to Learn. This project will provide money for an organization called Sowers of Hope in Democratic Republic of Congo. Funds will be used for solar electricity equipment to power a school and businesses that support the school. This will also facilitate the opening of a new business to sell excess electricity that's not used by the school and businesses. "This school has become the center of a region that's been able to isolate themselves and be peaceful for the past eight years," says SaraJoy.

A lot of work lies ahead for this social entrepreneur. "We're committed to be a social enterprise that supports itself. We'll be financially self-sustaining. Legally we're a nonprofit, but we're run like a business."

The business of changing the world is more than a moneymaking opportunity for SaraJoy. She is making a larger contribution by the example she sets for everyone around her. Her mother knows that SaraJoy isn't just providing funds for those in need; she's changing the heart of the world. Marian puts it simply, "there's so much to be gained by just learning to be generous." Thanks to SaraJoy, people all over the world can participate by offering their drop in the bucket.