Everyday Giving Blog

Are Funds Drying Up for Your Nonprofit Organization?

Recently a nonprofit organization asked me for some help. Their funding sources were drying up. Without a change, the organization would not be able to continue helping others.

I put together some questions to help the organization and me better understand why the funding sources were disappearing and what steps could be taken to remedy the situation. This list is a summary of what I asked on the spot:

• What has been your sources of funding and do you know some of the reasons for the resources drying up over the years?
• Do you have a strategic plan? If not, why? If so, is it being followed and does it need to be updated?
• Does the organization have a board? If no, why not? If yes, what are the board members' responsibilities regarding fundraising?
• Does the organization manage volunteers? Are they viewed as an extension to the organization's staff? Are they provided opportunities to take on more responsibilities with the organization?
• Are staff, board members and volunteers trained and provided the tools to spread the word about the cause and mission of the organization?
• Have several "human interest" success stories been documented and used in marketing efforts?
• What fundraising efforts have occurred in the past? Which worked and which ones were lackluster? Why?
• Is the organization website professional-looking, uncluttered, designed from the perspective of the user, have an easy/online method for making donations and signing up for more info on every page?
• What other nonprofit organizations is your organization collaborating or teaming with in a win-win way?

What do you think about this list of questions? Would you revise some of these or add other questions to the list? Please submit a comment with your thoughts.

Tonic Auctioning Off 70+ Autographed iPods from Music, Television, Film and Fashion Celebrities

Faith Hill autographed iPod

Tonic has just started a unique auction series that you may be interested in.

Leading celebrities from music, film, television, and fashion have contributed an autographed iPod loaded with their personal playlist to be auctioned off by Tonic, with all proceeds benefiting Music Rising. Music Rising is a campaign founded in 2005 to replace lost or destroyed instruments of musicians in the Gulf Coast Region after the hurricane disasters.

Over seventy celebrities are participating in the auction series including U2’s the Edge, former President Bill Clinton, Madonna, Beyonce, Cher, Donna Karan, Warren Buffett, Christy Turlington, Britney Spears, Michael Stipe, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, Stevie Nicks, Michael Buble, Ben Affleck, Ellen DeGeneres, Estelle, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Scarlett Johansson, Pete Wentz, Randy Jackson, Will I. AM, Kevin Bacon, Gisele Bundchen, Marc Jacobs, Ed Burns, Samantha Ronson, Nick Lachey, Petra Nemcova, Mandy Moore and many others.

Celebrities were given a new iPod which they autographed and Tonic pre-loaded with a playlist of ten to twenty of the celebrities' favorite songs. Between one and five separate iPod auctions are simultaneously launching every week on eBay. To learn more about the series, see the complete list of celebrities and auction calendar, and learn how to bid on a current auction, visit www.tonic.com/musicrising.

Kids Get Arthritis Too - 2009 Juvenile Arthritis Weekend

Most people don't realize that kids can suffer from arthritis. There are 300,000 in the United States alone. It can impact a child's ability to get dressed in the morning or hold a pencil long enough to take a test in school.

Recently, I had the privilege of volunteering for the fifth year at the Juvenile Arthritis Weekend. This Arthritis Foundation event took place at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Juvenile Arthritis Weekend started with families from Virginia.  However, it has now expanded to include families from several surrounding states as well.

Parents were able to listen to experts on topics related to dealing with juvenile arthritis. They were also able to learn from each other.  While the parents were in sessions, the kids participated in some fun activities and learned from experts and each other as well.

Putting on an event like the Juvenile Arthritis Weekend requires a significant number of volunteers. One of my passions is to support those suffering from arthritis because of my own family experiences dealing with arthritis.

What is your passion? How are you going to start acting on that passion and help others? Start today.

Change a Young Life this Summer

Are you a college-aged man or woman who wants to make a difference in a kid's life this summer? There is a way to spend your summer being a positive role model to kids. Be a camp counselor!

The Fresh Air Fund is now accepting applications for counselors for this coming summer of '09. The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Last year 3,000 children attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York.

Go to http://www.freshair.org/work-at-a-camp.aspx to learn more about the program and how to apply. Your efforts this summer will be changing lives for the better. The experience will change your life as well.

Note: The Fresh Air Fund is also looking for volunteer host families in communities from Virginia to Maine to open their home to a child this summer.