Bicycle Fundraising Events For Autism - Publicity For Awareness
One of our jobs when representing the important challenge of Autism is to send a message to the public, one which is easy to understand and gets the point across. Whether we are primarily focused on fundraising or launching a full-on publicity campaign to help move legislation, everything we do is being judged by society. In a perfect world our fundraising events would clear a million dollars, recruit 10, 000 new volunteers and enlighten a 100, 000 more people as to the serious nature of Autism. Yes, that would be our goal, and it should be our goal, yet at the same time we must realize we do not live in a perfect world, for if we did Autism, most likely would not exist.
Bicycling For Autism
No one can deny that Lance Armstrong has been an inspiration to all, and perhaps one of the greatest athletes of our time, but his commitment to excellence goes far beyond his consecutive victories in the Tour de France. His work in raising awareness and money for cancer is a feat that has given hope and strength to so many. Perhaps we too should follow this yellow jersey to raise awareness and funding for Autism, as this growing problem shows no sign of slowing. One way to raise money for local regions in support of Autism is to do a bike-a-thon and while a walk-a-thon is easier to organize and pull-off, a walk-a-thon is much more common and other large groups like the American Heart Association already through large walk-a-thons.
Insider's Guide to the Relationship between Executive Directors and Boards of Directors
Recently, I've talked with someone seeking to become an Executive Director of a non-profit organization. He's terrifically qualified and I'm sure would be great leader for a mid- to large-size organization. The only area in which he lacks experience is working with a Board of Directors. And, while not insurmountable, that is a significant gap. While nothing beats personal experience, I've shared with him my own learning about how Boards operate to give him a leg up on other candidates. Here are some key takeaways from my 20+ years working with Boards: 1) The Executive Director has a completely different relationship with the Board than do any senior staff, and nothing prepares you for it.
Is Charitable Giving A Good Investment?
Tis the Season to be giving and we've all heard the phrase, ''It is better to give than to receive.'' We believe that each of us sincerely accepts this axiom to be true, because one would rather be is a position of surplus, as opposed to a position of need. However, charitable organizations of all kinds continue to report falling donations and worse, a serious decline of donation base. My grandmother Sonia from Russia, taught me about charitable giving when I was 9 or 10 years old and I saw her putting money into this interesting looking container. She had a blue tin box in her kitchen and every day she would put into the box some change or a dollar or whatever wasn't needed to buy groceries that week.
Finding Your Dream Volunteers - Virtual Contributors
Does your organization use volunteers? If so, you'll be interested to know that there are groups that are successfully using the internet not only to recruit new volunteers, but also to accomplish the actual volunteer work. Macdonald Youth Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba has been utilizing online volunteers for more than nine years. They've had such good success with it that the organization now evangelizes about online volunteering through their informative newsletter "About Online Volunteering: Information Non-profits Can Use." Using online volunteers increases both your personnel and your pool of talents. By tapping into ready volunteers around the world, you can find a range of talented people willing to contribute capacities you haven't even thought about.
Raising Much Needed Funds For Autism In Northern Nevada
Awareness for Autism is on the rise in Northern Nevada. Ever since Gary Kuhre's incredible stride-for-Autism walk pushing the specially adapted cart across the states, the Stride-4-Autism Foundation has set out to raise money for real families and real needs, families that need assistance and have nowhere to turn. The costs for such essentials are outrageously expensive, treatment can run up into the thousands extremely quickly, and then there are the incidentals, things that all children need, things that Autistic Kids often never get to experience. It is this mission that propels the Stride-4-Autism Foundation forward. A much needed cause with Autism rates growing and currently at 1:150 children.
Nonprofit Management - Conditional Payment To Grant Writers Is Risky Business
It is no surprise that people work harder and perform better when there is a direct correlation between their results and their reward. Executives strive to take companies to the next level in order to maximize stock option value. Salespeople go all-out to increase commission income. Following this logic, wouldn't it be expected that nonprofits reward grant writers on the basis of approved grants rather than submitted grants? After all, why pay someone an hourly rate regardless of whether the request is granted or not? This theory is not new. It has been, and continues to be, a very controversial topic in the nonprofit arena. On one side, it is unfair to the grant writers.
Rotary Club Santa Clarita - Volunteering To Help Others Around The World With Polio And Clean Water
The Santa Clarita Rotary Club exemplifies the meaning of the Rotary motto, "Service Above Self". There are many organizations that do things for others, but Rotary does it selflessly. If you are interested in volunteering your time, here are some ways that you can make a difference in your community and around the world. First, look for need among the people in your own community. There will always be people who are less fortunate than you, or that are presently in a situation or have circumstances that make their life difficult. See how you can spend some time helping them to get back on their feet. Sometimes we take our lives for granted and it is important to give back to those who are in need.
The Truth About Board Members
In the field of non-profit Board development, the hoariest of old saws is that Board members must possess three W's - Wealth, Wisdom, and Wit. I've also heard and said that non-profit Board members need to bring one or more of these things: money, contacts, clout, and expertise - and in that order. Here's my unofficial ranking of Board members, based on my many years working with Boards and many conversations with colleagues. The best Board members give and get significant sums of money to fill the organization's coffers and cover payroll and other costs of delivering our very- needed services. It's even better if they ask few operational questions and generally support staff efforts while doing their "due diligence" to understand what's happening and its ramifications.
The Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund
The Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund (BMEF) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization that helps bicycle messengers who have been injured. The Fund provides emergency compensation to bike messengers who are hurt on the job. Any bicycle messenger that is hurt while working is eligible to receive a $300 check to help get through their first week after an injury. In addition to helping bike messengers domestically, the Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund is equipped to send money to any messenger hurt anywhere in the world. They do this to provide a boost, both mentally and emotionally, to the injured messenger. On the job injuries are difficult to cope with as they frequently make ordinary activities difficult.