Anil Kapoor donates Slumdog pay cheque to Indian charity

The 49-year-old actor, who played the role of a TV host in the Oscar-winning film, has donated his pay cheque to an Indian children’s charity, called Plan India, which works for underprivileged kids.

Kapoor admits that his humble upbringing has inspired him to donate the money to the organisation.

“I think sometimes you do a film and everyone in this film - not only me - everyone connected to it had such a positive intent when they started. I think that’s the reason for its success,” the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

“Everyone - (director) Danny (Boyle), (producer) Christian (Colson), (writer) Simon (Beaufoy), (cinematographer) Anthony (Mantle) - they didn’t have commerce in mind, they just wanted it to be a good film.

“We wanted as many people to see the film as possible. I feel it’s the good intent of everyone and the children’s good wishes and their families that have made this film what it has become.

“I told Danny, ‘I can identify with (lead character from the slums) Jamal Malik.’ It’s almost the same thing because I started from a very simple background. Not slums exactly, but a 200 square metre cubicle with common bathrooms and I never wore shoes, always bare feet running around,” he added. (ANI)

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Brave girl is taking leap for charity

AN East Kilbride teenager who overcame leukaemia plans to launch herself 100 feet from a crane in an attempt to raise awareness and much-needed funds for The Anthony Nolan Trust.

The prospect of taking part in the charity’s zip-slide fundraiser on Sunday, April 5, does not bother 16-year-old Calderglen High School pupil Amanda Cameron in the slightest.

For she has already had to overcome much greater challenges in her young life.

The fifth year pupil, who lives in Greenhills, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2006.

And, following an intense course of chemotherapy, she was given the all-clear in October, last year.

Although Amanda did not need a bone marrow transplant, she is still keen to highlight the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust, which has saved over 5000 people from leukaemia since its launch in 1974.

The charity was instrumental in finding a donor for young East Kilbride girl Katie Currie, who is still fighting for her health.

Every 21 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with leukaemia or a related illness and for many people a bone marrow transplant is the only cure.

It costs the charity £125 to fully tissue-type each new donor and place them onto the register and the money raised at the zip-slide will enable it to maintain and expand the bone marrow register in Scotland.

Amanda said: “Although I’m a lot better now, it’s important to remember there are thousands of others out there who are not as fortunate as I am and are desperately waiting for a bone marrow transplant.

“If the money we raise puts another potential life-saver on the bone marrow register, then the zip-slide will have been worth it.

“Three of my friends have agreed to do it with me and although we’re slightly nervous, we’re all really excited and hopefully more people will sign-up and join us on the day.”

Anne Hughes, regional fundraiser for The Anthony Nolan Trust, added: “Although we have had a good response already, there are still places available for the zip-slide, and we would like to sign up as many as 150 people over the next few weeks.

“Previous zip-slides have been very successful and we’re hoping people in East Kilbride will want to join in on what should be a great day out.”

The event, the first of its kind to be held in East Kilbride, will take place between 10am and 5pm at Calderglen Country Park.

A crane will take groups of five daredevils at a time to a height of more than 100 feet, where the ‘adrenaline junkies’ will be hooked onto a wire before zipping to the ground over 700 feet away.

To take part, all participants have to do is pay a £10 entry fee and raise £100 sponsorship. The event is open to anyone over the age of 11 years and it is hoped the event will help The Anthony Nolan Trust raise somewhere in the region of £15,000.

For more information contact The Anthony Nolan Trust on 01506 655361 or e-mail anne.hughes@anthonynolan.org.uk. Alternatively you can sign-up online at

ON A HIGH: teenager Amanda Cameron will be among the daredevils taking on the zip-slide challenge for charity.

By Lynda Nicol

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2 Easy Secret School Fundraising Tips To Double Your Profits

Why is it most schools doing fundraising do not apply the principals you see discussed below, I have no clue. Maybe because most schools are trained to focus on the wrong things while choosing and planning a fundraiser.

School fundraising companies by nature emphasize their product lines and brochures. But that doesn’t answer the question why the school down the street that picked your second or third choice had a better sale! Your fundraising success has less to do with which brochure you pick (Don’t they all look pretty much the same anyway?) than with how you run the sale. Even profit % means little in how much money a school makes if the sale lacks the one key ingredient… MOTIVATION!

Here are the top 2 secrets on school fundraising that if heeded will make all the difference in your final profit.

First Secret - Run Your School Fundraising Event as Early in the School Year As Possible.

Deciding when to start the fundraiser can mean thousands in profit gained or profit lost. It is a well known fact that the first group to go into an office or neighborhood with their fundraising materials to ask for orders has higher sales than the groups that follow second or third or forth. Timing, however, is not the number one reason schools have profitable fundraisers.

Each month delay from the start of school that you put off starting your fundraiser will take $6.00 off every students sale! Multiply that by 500 students and a mid October kickoff and that school is missing out on $6,000 in sales simply by choosing that date on the calendar! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that waiting till close to Christmas would be a good time to start your sale. It sounds reasonable, but the stats don’t confirm that at all. THE Main secret coming next…

Second Secret- (The Main Thing!) The Thing That Affects Your School Fundraiser Most is How You Run Your Sale.

Two similar elementary schools can have excellent leadership and both be excited and they both start their sale on the same date. They both can do everything they know to maximize their sale, so WHY can there be $5 - $10,000 difference in results?

Ready? Here is the number one, the most important, the “Big Kahuna” secret of all. Program Management (how you run the sale) is the most important element in running a successful fundraiser. You may Say, “I knew that but what is wrong with the way I run our fundraiser now?” The main problem I think is that not many fundraising companies train the fundraising sponsors in how to properly run their sales. In the interest of “getting the sale” they let the school have the lead, especially when dealing with a “headstrong” sponsor.

There are a couple of key elements in Program Management:

1. Set Goals
2. Have a Memorable Fundraiser Kick Off
3. Keep the Excitement Up During the Sale
4. Place Emphasis on Motivating Students and Teachers

The most important factor for changing the results for a better School fundraising event is the motivation you provide to the students and the teachers. The main reason why one elementary can have an $19,000 sale while the another, very similar elementary, will have a $40,000 sale is the way they do their incentives for students and teachers! It would surprise you how easy it is to do.

We at AIM have a saying “Kids can sell $5 bills for $10 and do real well if you motivate them right.” So part of your job in fundraising will be to find out what truly motivates your students and teachers! This can have a dramatic impact on your fundraising sales! For more information or ideas of prizes for elementary schools, visit http://www.aimfundraising.com/prizes.htm

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5 Steps For A Successful and Unique Fundraising Campaign

The suggestions that follow may seem a bit off the wall but they they have the distinction of working almost every time they are tried. This article addresses the main reason why some schools do much better than others even when all other factors are are pretty much the same. It is to easy when planning a new fundraiser to focus on the things that don’t make any difference in the outcome of a school fundraising program. Here are five of the right things to you should focus on.

Below you will find four things that a school can do that will greatly affect how profitable their new fundraiser will be.

Step #1 - Profit Percentage Does Not Equal Profits.

A company offering 80% profit on it’s goods vs a company offering a 20% profit margin is not necessarily better for a school. One thing people often overlook is that banks do not accept deposits of percentage. Every bank I know of accepts only money. Profit percentage is the thing that many decision makers look at first when it comes time to pick what they are going to do for their new fundraiser. What I am saying here does not mean profit percentage is not important, but it should not be the school’s first and only priority when choosing their next new and unique fundraiser. It should be the school’s number one goal to raise the maximum profit possible with the least amount of hassles!

Step #2 - The Product You Sell Does Make a Difference, however, Not As Much As You Might Think! Picking just the right product for your new fundraiser does make a difference, but, it does not have the importance that most people think it does. You have probably seen this in your own neighborhood, how two schools will decide to sell cookie dough and they both sell them at the same time and at the same price. But the difference in their results way different! Things like that can lead you to come to the conclusion that it is not the product that makes the difference. So what is it that makes the biggest difference in fundraising results? Hint, see Step #4!

Step #3 - Time Your Fundraiser as Early In the School Year as Possible

When you start your fundraiser is a very important reason for it’s success. It is a fact that is indisputable, the first school to start it’s fundraiser wins. The first sales brochure that goes into the office or neighborhood has higher sales than the ones that come later. However, timing is not the #1 reason why schools have successful fundraisers. Hint, see the next step!

Step #4- How You Run The fundraiser is the Main Factor in it’s Success. (Called “Program Management”)

Program Management is the element that makes all the difference in having a successful fundraiser. You as a fundraising chairperson may know that “How” the school fundraiser is run is critical to it’s success, but the main problem is not many fundraising companies train the sponsors in how to run their sale the right way. On top of that, it is very simple to do.

Follow These Simple Guidelines of Program Management to Get The Most Out of Your Sale.

• Set High but Realistic Goals for the School
• A Memorable Kick Off
• Maintaining Excitement for the Duration of the Sale
• Find Helpful Volunteers
• Motivate the Students/Sellers
• Motivate the Teachers to Promote the Sale.

To maximize the results on a new fundraiser the students/sellers must be motivated to participate in a way that they have not been before. You can provide motivation not only to the students but to the teachers as well.

The main reason why one school will make $8,000 while another similar school will make $15,000, is in what they did with their prizes for students and for the teachers!

There is a saying “Students could sell $5 bills for $10.00 and do real well if you motivate them right.” The most important part of your fundraiser will be to provide incentives that truly motivate more of your students and teachers to get involved in your school fundraiser like they have never done before! A school that typically has a 25% participation rate will more than double with only a 15% increase in participation. Increasing participation by 15% is not a hard thing to do. But you will have to do something different than what you have been doing to accomplish it.

About author:
School fundraising is a very important part of the life of most parent organizations. It stands to reason that if you are going to plan one, you might as well get the most you possibly can out of it. Go to AIM Fundraising’s website to learn exactly what you need to do to make your next school fundraising project the best it can possibly be.

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What might be a fundraising problem?

Though many fundraising ideas are available it is not so easy to decide which one is pertinent and will work the best. There are lots of companies which offer different fundraising ideas for various groups but it is up to you to feel which idea is the best for you.

There is such a traditionally fundraising idea called bake sale when products as chocolates, cookies, candy are sold. There are others which supply pets, books, posters and etc. the idea is clear but the way you are going to get these products to the buyers is to be decided.

Door to door selling has the advantage of meeting people but it can be far from being a pleasant activity especially when some people will show you that you are not quite welcomed.

Direct mail for donations might cost you more than you get because of the expenses: fundraising letters made up properly by a marketing firm, addressed envelopes included for donors to respond.

Donation boxes are the cheapest fundraising strategy but very slowly filled up. Combining some groups together for a common purpose can really work well. Working in one team you can have the united help and skills which will give the best results.

Combining some groups together for a common purpose can really work well. Working in one team you can have the united help and skills which will give the best results.

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7 Most Emotionally Coloured Appeals That Inspire Benefactor to Donate Your Good Cause

To tell you the truth, emotion is the basis of all trade and commerce. Emotions play a great role in the process of decision-making whether you are buying an automobile for yourself, a present for your beloved one or making a donation. We can assure you that fundraising is the most sensitive thing that relies on feeling so much. The way people feel about your appeal the way they reply to your fundraising request. Due to the fact that we human beings are gifted of an unlimited and rich diversity of emotions, sensations, feelings and senses so that we can define some fundamental appeals that work mainly well in fundraising. Here you are to follow 7 of them:

1. Generosity. There are people that are truly philanthropic; some just have self-interested motivations to give. The best approach here is to combine rather delicately altruistic reasons with the other ones. Think that people are better and you get the result you want.
2. Rage. Some emotional matters can lead to feelings of anger. This is a very powerful and influential factor of motivation, but a risky one. If your donation company aimed at anger- spread it all over carefully. Sure you must not slide into fuzzy-wuzzy words. Between the lines your appeal is supposed to be as "This is disgraceful and we are to stop and prevent it!"
3. Fault. Guilt and inconvenience might be your emotional partners in any particular call. In order to make your scenario work and lift desire to grant, you are required to create a persuaded intensity of discomfort about the issue you are suggesting. The idea is that the donor would acquire a guilty feeling if he does not help. Also you can plant “some seeds of guilt” by providing some greeting cards, address labels etc.
4. Horror. Usually this influential feeling works very rapid. Fear leads a person to make a donation thus he protects himself from any misfortunes and diseases in future. It is a complicated method and you have to offer it carefully not to show that is a pure selfish motivation.
5. Ideals. If you have a big inspirational idea, you can express your message in the thesis like "I am ready to change the world" plea. For sure you may say that there are so many cases can be treated as world modifying. You must remember one clever trick is to make your appeal more realistic, believable and convincing than the other ones. That is all here.
6. Eternity. Being children we think that we are immortal and are going to live forever. Being adults we realize that life has its end and will not live eternally. But we have an irresistible desire to try and leave a page in the humankind history. Engraved commemorative inscriptions in a performance vestibule, in black and white names in tabloids, mentions in various charity campaigns and other stuff like this. All these real records of success and triumph give people a sense of accomplishment. These symbols allow you to think of a kind of immortality.
7. Joy. You are free to state that is rather simple to appeal using more negative and self-centered drive for donation. Yes, however there are some people that are happy and have a great feeling of joy being needed, helping others, sharing and giving things, donating money etc. If you appeal on joy factor be sure that it finds its audience. You will see how many times it works and wins.

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7 The Most Gripping Ways To Persuade Patron To Make A Contribution

We all know that feelings do rule the whole promotion and market. They increase or decrease sales, widen or reduce bank operations, generates sport events, provoke donations… So, they are everywhere, control any and every sphere of our life. We must draw your attention that donations, grants and fundraising work most of all with the emotional appeals. Straightly depends on you and your appeal whether people respond your call or not as philanthropy is based on voluntary lines. We suggest you to look through the most powerful emotional appeals. Here are 7 of them. You may agree, disagree and add some of your observations and thoughts as human being is such a creature provided with a rich palette of emotions, feelings and sensations.

1. Faith. You know that people are strongly driven by the social, political or religious beliefs. You are in charge to discover what the usual donors` beliefs are and if they are keeping tunes with your message. Thus you can sure that your appeal finds its comeback.
   
   
2. Sympathy. You can create sympathy in your benefactor by producing a picture of somebody who needs help and support. If you use some visual methods like graphics, pictures, banners you must be very careful. As you can get rather different result if the presentation is repulsive and it arises just negative emotions not compassion. In this case you can lose your potential donor. Here your task is to find the correlation between empathy and disgust.
   
   
3. Ego’s Reward. Satisfying their ego it does not really mean that people are egotistic. May be in some way, but you could play on this feeling. It is rather a sense of comfort and welfare. This sentiment gives to the owner good mood and understanding that his inner views can find their implementation into the real life on the outside. Thus they are in harmony and sync with their desires from the one side and opportunities from the other. Seeing as most people enjoy thinking honourably of themselves you better talk to them in an appropriate gratifying manner. People have a tendency to live on the top of their emotions and especially to be higher than others. It satisfies their ego. Go for it.
   
   
4. Terror. Terror is a kind of self-protection form. Imagine for instance, a person donating money to cancer disease research does unconsciously want to save his own life in future. Fear is a popular and strong motivator. It is a tricky technique that is why you ought to present it delicately not to offend by offering so self-seeking motivation.
   
   
5. Principles. If you have something to tell to this world say it like "Let us change our world for good"! And if you are confident in your idea, then people will hear your appeal and go after you. The only thing is as it should be very convincing.
   
   
6. Gratitude. Everybody needs just a simple "thank you" for something done. Someone would be pleased with a certificate or diploma. People differ, but they have something in common. This thing is gratitude. People like to receive a feedback, a sort of rewarding for their help and contribution. It is a natural feeling. Well if they wait- thank them, if they offer their help- express your recognition, if they donate - congratulate them.
   
   
7. Happiness. Besides negative coloured appeals you can create a positive charity call. As it gives people feeling of satisfaction from helping others, contributing or granting. Of course having joy from donations patrons will donate again and again. Good luck!

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Your Next Cheerleading Fundraising Idea

There are a lot of creative cheerleading fundraising ideas out there for you to take advantage of next time your cheerleading squad is in need of a little financing. Some of these ideas are bake sales, car washes or garage sales.

Your cheerleading squad may require funds for any number of reasons - travel to sporting events, promotional items for the crowd at that big pep rally and new uniforms for the squad. Being low on cash can really put a lid on the team spirit you can give to the home crowd and of course, it also limits the fun of events.

• A bake sale can be a great way to raise money for your cheerleading squad - each member of the squad can sign up to make a different baked good and bring it to the sale. Cookies, pies and cakes are common favorites for these fundraising events. A bake sale is irresistible, especially to children; if you hold your sale at a sporting event, it is guaranteed to be a success. Everyone loves a fresh baked snack - so these are often the best times to have your bake sale.
  

• Another great idea for a fundraiser for your cheerleading squad is to hold a yard sale. This type of event needs to have support and assistance of adults to be successful. The squad can get their parents and other people to donate items for a yard sale that they have lying around their house. Many people have garages packed with things that they can donate. This helps people clean out their garage at the same time they are helping your cheerleading squad get the money you need. If you find yourself with a lot of donated items for your yard sale fundraiser, then you’ll probably need to find a large location to hold this event. Perhaps your school would be willing to let you make use of the gym or auditorium, or someone on your cheerleading squad may have a large yard or long driveway ideal for holding a large sale. After the sale, you’ll need to get rid of the unsold items; you can’t just leave them there after all. You can arrange for a pickup from a charity organization such as Goodwill, or find someone with a truck or van that is willing to drive the items to a donation center.
  

• A carwash can be a great fundraiser for your cheerleading squad too. Ask local gas stations; many will be happy to let you use their parking lot and hose hookups for a good cause. All you will need is plenty of soap, hoses and some willing volunteers to hold signs and wash cars for your fundraiser.

No matter what your cheerleading squad’s needs for funding are, there are plenty of creative cheerleading fundraising ideas which are perfect for your squad - if yours is a little short on funds, don’t be afraid to use a creative type of fundraiser.

About the Author:

The author, Terry Terhune, writes often on subjects like Cheerleading Fundraising. For more fine articles and videos, take a few seconds to visit Fundraising FYI

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Seasonal Fundraising Events

Next time you're casting about for a new fundraiser, look to your calendar for inspiration. Calendar related occurrences and events like changing seasons and holidays can provide excellent opportunities for fundraising.
Here are some ideas for seasonal fundraising events:


January

• Calendar Sales
• Super Bowl Party
• Winter Carnival
• Snow Man Contest
• Martin Luther King Day Celebration

February

• Ground Hog Day Celebration
• Valentine's Day Dance
• Valentine's Day Flower Sales
• Valentine's Day Candy Sales

March

• Mardi Gras Day Party
• St. Patrick's Day Party
• Oscar Party
• Spring Car Wash

April

• April Fools Day Party
• Easter Candy Sales
• Easter Flower Sales
• Spring Flower Sales

May

• Kentucky Derby Party
• Mother's Day Flower Sales
• Memorial Day Flower Sales
• Memorial Day Flag Sales

June

• Flag Day Sales
• Father's Day Sales
• Summer Pool Party

July

• 4th of July Flag Sales
• Refreshment/Food Booths

August

• Back to School Supply Sales
• Refreshment/Food Booths
• End of Summer Party

September

• Back to School Dance
• Back to School Supply Sales

October

• Sweetest Day Candy Sales
• Sweetest Day Flower Sales
• Halloween Party
• Octoberfest
• Halloween Candy & Pumpkin Sales

November

• Thanksgiving Turkey Raffle
• Sadie Hawkins Day Dance

December

• Christmas Tree/Wreath Sales
• Santa Visits/Cards
• Christmas Bazaar
• Gift Wrapping Service
• New Year's Eve Baby-sitting

About the Author:

Deane Brengle is the editor of several free online publications that cover fundraising for small nonprofit groups. You can visit these publications and read more about fundraising in articles by him and other experts in the field at The Fund$Raiser Cyberzine, The Fundraising for Small Groups Newsletter, and Fundraising Booklets.

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Fundraising Idea of the Month: Stick Lotto

Here is a quick, easy, inexpensive and highly adaptable fund-raiser. All you need is a tray of sand, 100 sticks and some way of colouring the tips of the sticks either by paint or marker pen. How it works is really simple, take a few sticks and mark them as prize winning. Then stick them into the sand, marked ends in the sand. People then pay to remove a stick to see if they have won and if they have what their prize is. Easy!

There are many ways to individualize this event to your needs. First what kind of sticks you use can range from tree sticks to popsicle sticks to toothpicks. As long as they can be marked to meet your needs then they will do. You can use 10 sticks or 100 sticks. Instead of sand you can use dirt, jelly, marbles or any other material you can think of as long as the sticks stay upright and the winning sticks are not visible.

The marking of the sticks can be colour coded, have pieces of coloured paper or small pictures stuck to them or marked by pen - whatever you can think of that is appropriate to you or will add a bit of fun to the activity.

The amount you want to raise or where you run this activity will determine what you charge per go and how much you will give in prizes. You can either try to have prizes donated to give to winners or simply return a percentage of money raised. For example if you use 100 sticks at a dollar per go then you can expect to have $100 to draw winnings from. From this you may offer thirty dollars in prize money leaving you seventy dollars profit. This thirty dollars can be offered by having the following sticks...

1 stick for $15 = $15
5 sticks for $2 = $10
5 sticks for $1 = $5

TOTAL 11 chances $30

To add to the fun try having a few sticks marked "try again". To ensure that you raise the full amount you either do not replace the sticks that have won or replace them with non-winning sticks Make sure that you advertise this fact so all players know what you are doing and by so doing avoid the accusation of cheating. If you replace the winning sticks then you run the chance of these sticks being pulled in succession. This is an activity that contains a risk element - be aware of this. It is really the luck of the draw.

A good promotional idea is to have a winners list placed near the game. People love reading about winners and will be encouraged to play. If it's good for the real lottos to advertise then it should also be good for you. If you remove the winning sticks then have them displayed somewhere with the winners name beside them.

Stick lotto can be run as a one day event or as an on-going activity over a period of days, weeks or months. It is up to you to judge what is best in your circumstance. You can also run several games at once for differing ammonites to play and of course to win.

About the Author:

Doug Nash lives in Logan City in Queensland, Australia. He has graciously consented to share a fundraising idea with us every month. Although many of the ideas aren't new, each of them has a unique flair that comes from being developed and refined half a world away from ours. Visit his web site at http://www.home.gil.com.au/~dnash/ for more fundraising ideas

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Starting a Charity? Fund Development Planning, cont'd

In the last post we had an overview of some of the major ingredients of a Fund Development Plan. How let's delve further into each of the ccmpontnes. And the first component of a Fund Development Plan is the organization's Strategic Plan. This may seem counter-intuitive, to include elements of a strategic plan in this fund development plan, but it is necessary to understand that without first having a strategic plan, a fund development plan is of little use. The new charity needs to have a firm grasp on the strategic elements before trying to raise any money in support of their effort.

Strategic planning is, admittedly, a difficult and time-consuming first step, which may, at first, seem repugnant to a Board that urgently needs to raise cash today to cover past debt and bring fiscal stability to the organization. The intuitive thing to do would be to immediately go out and try to raise the funding so urgently needed.

However, as we shall see throughout this process, fundraising is, at times, very counter-intuitive. And at this stage, the first step is just that. When we are beginning to be serous about our fundraising effort, discipline and hard work on the strategic plan is the only way that the organization can so position itself that it will attract any significant contributions.

The strategic plan is a detailed description of the social aims the nonprofit organization wishes to achieve and the strategies and tactics it will employ to accomplish those goals. Without that, the donating public may come to see the organization as just another directionless nonprofit in an over-crowded, under-funded philanthropic marketplace. The consequences of not completing the step of strategic planning will be financial disaster and, eventually, the closing of the organization.

The ability of any charitable organization to accomplish its mission is predicated on several vital ingredients:

• the original vision and values of its founder
• the ongoing, evolving vision and values of its Board of Directors
• the specifically named social aims the organization desires to achieve
• the needs of the community the organization seeks to address
• the surrounding circumstances that affect mission accomplishment
• the way the organization states its mission
• the outputs that will be necessary to measure the success of missional strategies
• the outcomes that will measure and define progress toward the stated social aims

Initially, in a new nonprofit organization, these elements are often given verbally and in a somewhat fragmented form as occasion demands. Moving through the steps of founding a nonprofit organization the vision and values of both founder and Board of Directors often develop in response to external problems or opportunities, and are articulated only as need arises.

The strategic plan, however, brings these elements into focus, and forces us to write them down. This codification process allows us to objectify them, examine them, sharpen them and prepare them to be used in both program and fundraising efforts.

Not only that, but these elements also provide the basis by which the Board of Directors will devise specific programmatic strategies to accomplish the organization’s mission, as well as the policies and procedures used throughout the organization’s management practices, financial records and reporting, and its fundraising efforts. These are the strategies that, in the Board’s best judgment, will take the organization from where it is today and permit it to accomplish its mission and achieve its social aims.

Strategies for a new charity might include such steps as providing educational seminars or workshops for given program constituents; they might also include direct help to constituents who need specific types of services.

These strategies will comprise the programmatic efforts of the organization, but will also reach into the management and financial arenas and the fundraising efforts of the organization. What strategies will we use to see that we are well and carefully managed? What strategies will we use to assure financial stability and transparency throughout our existence? What strategies will we employ in fundraising? These are a few of the questions the strategic plan must answer.

One of the chief reasons it is necessary for a nonprofit organization to have a written strategic plan is that this plan forms the basis for writing a “Case for Support” for the organization’s work. That is, it translates rather directly into the set of reasons why donors should give the organization any money. Donors are concerned to know that their gifts will be used for what the organization advocates or for its services and in its work, and they desire a high degree of transparency in organizational reporting. Donors can and often do ask strategic questions to which we need to have ready answers before they ask.

For example, if we are going to offer educational programs with a certain kind of content, we then say to our donors that when they give to our organization they are providing necessary education to the community’s members.

When we say that there is a community need, this translates into a case for support that tells donors they are able to ameliorate community need through their gifts. When we say that we value knowledge and education for our program constituency, we can say to donors that their contributions are used to promote the values of knowledge and education, and that through their gifts, members of the community are better able to cope with situations they face on a daily basis. The strategic plan translates, through the Case for Support, into ways that Donors are making their community better by way of their gifts.

Always the Case for Support is expressed not in terms of what our organization does, but in terms of what the donors can accomplish through our work when they give to our organization. It is the donor’s perspective, needs, wants and values that are uppermost in our minds, not the needs of the organization.

One of the aspects of strategic planning that we will want to include in our Strategic Plan that powerfully affects our fundraising capability, is our commitment to investing in our fundraising process and in the acquisition and continual enhancement of fundraising infrastructure.

The purpose of this commitment is to ensure our ability to raise the money we must have in order to provide high quality service to members of our community. We acknowledge that without such a commitment, and without such increasingly enhanced fundraising capability, we will be unable to serve the community and thus fulfill our responsibility as a public trust residing in our state.

Therefore, we will represent our continuing needs for enhanced fundraising and fundraising infrastructure in both our Strategic Plan and our future budget projections, so that we have firmly before us the cost of ensuring our organization’s financial stability and missional capability.

About the Author: John G. Fike, CFRE
Fundraising professional with 30 years in the business, eleven of them in my own practice. Over $50 million raised so far. Practicing mostly in Michigan. Adjunct Faculty member for Eastern Michigan University, teaching Nonprofit Management courses. Board Member and President-Elect for Greater Detroit Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals. See my website for full resume.

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Second Life: Disability charity sets up virtual advice service

A charity that helps the parents of disabled children contact each other and access services has set up an office in the virtual world of Second Life.

The charity, Contact a Family, is using government funding to create the digital office to support its work giving parents information and mutual support.

Mark Robertson, Contact a Family's head of information, explains: "The first place anybody goes for information these days is the internet. There are issues with accessing support in real life, even popping out to a local advice centre. Online and telephone support is and has been for some time important to parents of disabled children."

Second Life, a virtual reality world where users can adopt new identities (avatars), conduct business and even raise families, may seem an odd place for the charity to reach its audience.

But Contact a Family insists it is are only going where the parents already are. As those caring for disabled children may find it hard to leave the house and get help, many seek refuge in the virtual world and in online communities.

"It's an attractive and new way of reaching parents," says Robertson.

The office started running a fortnight ago and is open online every Wednesday from 10am to 4pm. Parents, represented by their avatars, can stop in for a chat with a staff member. Alternatively, they can come by when the office is closed to browse.

"We don't have to be open to use the office. It's a bit like an online library," says Robertson.

Visitors have included one mother whose son has a rare condition called dyskeratosis congentia, of which there are only 66 known cases in the world. The adviser was able to give her the contact details of a parent support group and the leading medical specialist for the condition. Other parents have dropped by wanting to meet people in the same situation.

"There's been small numbers, but it's really early," says Robertson. "If it's successful it will take time." If enough people do drop by, real world meetups may be on the cards.

Contact a Family also runs support groups on social sites Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, as well as its own network, makingcontact.org. It has also set up its own YouTube channel.

The charity's online support project was created with funding from the Department of Children, Schools and Families' parent know how initiative, a programme intended to develop new channels to reach parents who are not as well served by traditional sources of support.

Source: Guardian

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Fundraising Idea of the Month: Parental Support

The success of any school fundraiser is based on parental support; the more parents you get involved the more successful you will be. Here are a few points for you to consider getting and maintaining this crucial support.

Put a lot of time and effort into communicating all relevant information to the parents in a timely manner. With the need for parents to work nowadays it is critical that they have plenty of warning to prepare their time schedules, financial budgets or both to support their child and therefore the school. If they find out at the last moment what is going on they might withhold their support even if they could do what you are asking for.

Communication is a two way street! Listen to what your members, in this case Ä parents, are saying to you. If you donÌt listen to them carefully then how will you hear when they are trying to tell you that they donÌt like what you are doing. If they donÌt like what you are doing and you arenÌt listening then you are headed for tough times.

In this age of advanced communications, there is no excuse for not getting the information out at the appropriate time. Use old methods like meetings, newsletters, bulletin boards new methods like a web page. A mix of all methods available is a usually a good way to go.

Be specific in what fundraisers you are planning. Written fundraiser plans are excellent in this regard as it makes sure that confusion is kept to a minimum. Surprises, last minute inspirational fundraisers, are also kept to a minimum and as a result parents can plan ahead to give you maximum support. Do a few fundraisers and do them well is very good advice.

Never miss an opportunity to show your appreciation for all support no matter how big or small. A simple thank you at the right time can go a long way. All those small inputs add up and without them you will find it hard to have any real success over an extended period of time. Show them that you respect them by making sure everyone knows where the money they raised was spent and why. Support will very quickly evaporate if you are seen to resemble a secret sect.

About the Author:

Doug Nash lives in Logan City in Queensland, Australia. He has graciously consented to share a fundraising idea with us every month. Although many of the ideas aren't new, each of them has a unique flair that comes from being developed and refined half a world away from ours. Visit his web site at http://www.home.gil.com.au/~dnash/ for more fundraising ideas.

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