How do you get volunteers?

LinkedIn, an online networking site, has an Answers sections where users post questions on a variety of topics and get answers from experts and others. There is a Government and Nonprofit section and some of the questions and answers provide great insight. One of the current questions deals with how to bring out volunteers to charities. Having worked in a nonprofit that relied heavily on volunteers, I know how difficult it can be to get good volunteers and keep them. The answers give some good suggestions and tips.
Click below to link.
What works best in bringing out volunteers to support your charities of choice?

How does your organization get volunteers?

Generate donations by searching the Web

Goodsearch is a search engine that donates 50% of its revenue to charities and organizations designated by its users. And it's easy to use. You simply type in your search like you would in any other search engine. GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo so you know you will get good results. Then, you designate your charity or organizations. The money that is donated comes from GoodSearch advertisers so there is no cost to users or organizations.
Your organization not listed? Just click on the Add A New Charity link and follow the instructions. Then spread the word.
This is just one more way nonprofits can use technology to their advantage in promoting themselves.

www.goodsearch.com

Volunteers Needed

Hello Friends of the Roscoe Reading Program,

It is hard to believe this is our sixth year in motivating students to read. Thanks to the support of the community, RRP is in ten Berkeley County schools with over 2,200 students. Also, we were able to expand into Cainhoy Elementary and Sangaree Elementary.

It is time to reward the students for meeting their reading goals. Below is the schedule for the ice cream parties. If you are able to volunteer, please let me know as soon as possible. We will start setting up 30 minutes before each party. Most of the parties will be in the cafeteria unless otherwise indicated.

Thursday, October 25th at 8 am – Cross Elementary
Thursday, October 25th at 1 pm – Bonner Elementary (Macedonia)
Tuesday, October 30th at 8 am – Devon Forest Elementary (Goose Creek) Trailer A
Tuesday, October 30th at 9:30 am – Whitesville Elementary (Moncks Corner) Outside (Right facing the school)
Tuesday, October 30th at 1 pm – Sangaree Elementary (Summerville) Outside
Monday, November 5th at 8 am – Berkeley Elementary (Moncks Corner)
Monday, November 5th at 1pm – Cainhoy Elementary
Tuesday, November 6th at 8 am – St. Stephen Elementary
Tuesday, November 6th at 10 am – JK Gourdin Elementary (Pineville/Russellville) Library
Tuesday, November 6th at 1 pm – Berkeley Intermediate (Moncks Corner)

Also, on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd at 6:30 pm, RRP will be giving a presentation to the Berkeley County School Board.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the RRP. I can’t thank you enough for all of your support.

Thank you,
Marietta Harvey Hicks
marietta@homexpressway.net

More on Unsolicited Proposals

I hope everyone got some useful information last Tuesday at the CAGP meeting. Sorry I am a little behind on the blog but I have been on a much needed mini vacation in our nation's capital.

Carolyn Lackey found this information and we both think it is great information to share. It comes from the Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates 2004. Eventhough 2004 may seem a little dated I think you will find the information very useful.

Most Respondents Accepted
Unsolicited Proposals
Despite the large share of the nation’s foundations
overall that give only to pre-selected organizations
and therefore do not accept unsolicited proposals,1
about 69 percent of respondents reported that they
accepted unsolicited grant proposals in 2004. Corporate
foundations and larger foundations (those
with giving of at least $10 million) were most likely
to indicate that they accepted unsolicited proposals.
For corporate foundations, this finding may
reflect a deliberate strategy of being responsive to a
wide range of community needs and civic institutions
in their areas of operation, rather than establishing
target program areas and soliciting
proposals to achieve specific goals. For larger foundations,
the greater willingness may be a function
of their relatively plentiful resources to make grants
and to pay staff to review unsolicited proposals.

Endnotes
1. Of the roughly 66,400 grantmaking foundations tracked in
the Foundation Center’s database in 2003, close to 34,000 indicated
that they give only to pre-selected organizations and
do not accept unsolicited grant proposals.

To see the 2007 report on Growth and Giving Estimates go to
http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/fgge07.pdf

Promoting your Non-profit through Branding

I just watched a presentation from Raphael Bemporad and Mitch Baranowski from Bemporad Baranowski Marketing Group (BBMG) in New York on branding for non-profits. It is an informative and interesting presentation on strategies and techniques non-profits can use to make their organization more visible and communicate their mission.
Many people think branding is only for profit businesses. This is not true anymore. Think Red Cross, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, The Salvation Army.
According to statistics, in 2005 there were 1.5 million non-profits. This means non-profits are competing for funding, volunteers and staff. Bemporad and Baranowski explain how branding can help an organization communicate effectively what makes them unique and different. Focus in on your organization's strengths, what you offer that no one else does.

What is a brand?

• It's what you stand for
• It's what makes you different
• It's how your promise comes to life

Branding is simply creating and delivering a unique message, image and experience that reinforces your difference.

Take the time to watch this presentation. It will be worth it.

It's How We Live: Branding Strategies for Socially Responsible Organizations

Tips and Tricks for Writing Grant Proposals and Promoting Your Nonprofit

The Charleston Association of Grant Professionals (CAGP) will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 16th, at 5:45 in the Charleston County Public Library auditorium.

Speaker: Misty Jones, Assistant Manager of Reference, Charleston County Public Library

Topic: "Tips and Tricks for Writing Grant Proposals and Promoting Your Nonprofit"

I recently attended a Foundation Center regional conference in Atlanta and came back with exciting new information on how the Center can help grant writers and also help you promote your nonprofit.

I will also share comments from Danah Craft, vice-president for Sun Trust Bank on how to approach private foundations for funding.

Reservations are requested for this program. Please email carolynlackey@comcast.net or call 843 452-4492 to register.

Broadcast your Cause!

YouTube is now providing nonprofits with the means to showcase their organization and reach potential supporters, volunteers and donors through video. Online video has become a vital part of communication and YouTube has a substantial online community. Why not take advantage of this and broadcast your message to that community? It is an innovative and cost effective way to promote your organization. Google has even gone one step further and added Google Check-Out for Nonprofits as an option for donations. And Google has promised to process all donations for free through 2008, so this means nonprofits will receive 100 percent of donations made through their site or YouTube when using this option. So go online and broadcast your cause!

Visit http://www.youtube.com/nonprofits for more details and to sign up.

A commitment to change the world

MyCommitment.org is a project of the Clinton Global Intiative. The aim of this initiative is to provide people of all ages, races, and incomes with the resources to take action and make a real change in their community or around the world.

MyCommitment.org seeks to:
Inspire Change. Provide information highlighting some of the world’s biggest challenges, raise awareness and motivate others to take action.
Build Community. Connect people with others who share the same vision for change and help them create networks to put plans into motion.
Facilitate Action. Offer tools for visitors to make commitments to act and track their progress and results.
Strengthen Engagement. Encourage citizen action around American and throughout the world.

What is your commitment?

Upcoming Events

Saturday October 13- Rein & Shine Annual Barnraiser 4-8pm www.reinandshine.org

3rd Annual PET HELPERS Fur Ball Gala
Saturday, October 27, 2007 6:30 – Midnight
Charleston Marriott
www.pethelpers.org for tickets

Charleston Association of Grant Professionals meeting
Tuesday October 16 at 5:45pm
Main Library 68 Calhoun Street
(Remember! Novmber and December meetings will be the second Tuesday instead of the third.)

What's going on at your organization?

Most Likely to Succeed

I recently attended a regional meeting at the Foundation Center in Atlanta. While there, I had the opportunity to hear Danah Craft, vice-president for Sun Trust Bank, speak about how to approach private foundations for funding. She gave some insight as to what types of organizations are most likely to receive funding from private foundation such as SunTrust Endowment.

This is her list of organizations she considers Most Likely to Succeed:

• Stable Organizations with a track record
• Organizations with a base of individual support
• Organizations with active Board Members
• Organizations meeting an important need in the community
• Organizations with a good plan of action
• Organizations that meet grant deadlines

What's your opinion? Is there anything you would add to the list? Take away?

Post your comments.

foundations nonprofit success

Foundation Spotlight-The Arkwright Foundation

The Arkwright Foundation is an independent foundation incorporated in 1945. They fund projects primarily in South Carolina in such areas as Animals/wildlife; Arts education; Children/youth, services; Community/economic development; Education; Health organizations; Higher education; Human services; Protestant agencies & churches. There is no deadline for grant application and they can be approached through letter, telephone or personal visit. Some of the organizations they have awarded money are:

• National Audubon Society
• SC Special Olympics
• Salvation Army
• Sc Museum Foundation
• St Luke's Free Clinic
• Spartanburg Humane Society

To learn more contact them at P.O. Box 5565 Spartanburg, SC 29304-5565

Telephone: (864) 585-9213

Of course you can always come into the library and check out the Foundation Center Collection to learn more about this and many other foundations.

Please feel free to comment if you have contacted or been funded by the Arkwright Foundation.

Smart Growth Community Workshops

Smart Growth is a nationwide movement to invest time, effort and resources in order to restore community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. Smart Growth focuses on areas such as:

• Less urban sprawl
• Less traffic
• Less air and water pollution
• More sidewalk and bike lanes
• More green space
• Better access to public transportation
• Amenities closer to residential areas

There are several community workshops scheduled so that you can learn more about Smart Growth and how it can impact your community.

St George-
David Sojourner Senior Center-5361 East Jim Bilton Blvd.
Tuesday, Oct 2nd-10:30-12PM

Summerville-
Faith Sellers Senior Center-312 North Laurel St.
Wednesday, Oct 3rd 10:30AM-12:00PM

McClellanville-
South Santee Senior and Community Center-710 South Santee Rd
Thursday, October 4th-10:30AM-12:00PM

Downtown Charleston-
Charleston Area Senior Citizens Services Inc.-259 Meeting Street
Tuesday, Oct 9th-10:30AM-12PM

Ridgeville-
Bethel AME Church- 165 South Railroad Ave
Thursday, Oct 11th 5:00PM-6:30PM

James Island-
Lowcountry Senior Center-865 Riverland Dr
Tuesday, Oct 23rd-1:00PM-2:30PM

Monks Corner-
Monks Corner Senior Center-222 Heatly Street
Wednesday, Oct 24th-10:15-11:15AM

Goose Creek-
South Berkeley Senior center-103 Thurgood Rd
Thursday, Oct. 25th-10:00-11:30AM

St. Stephen-
St. Stephen Senior Center- 117 Bay StreetMonday, October 29th-10:00-11:30AM

***Contact for any questions or comments***
Vonie Gilreath, Senior Planner: vonieg@bcdcog.com
orMary Alice Springs, Urban Planning Intern: maryalices@bcdcog.com