Archive for the ‘Fundraising & Development’ Category

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7 Tips for Fundraising That I Learned From Turducken

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Today’s post comes from Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator for Points of Light Institute.

Last year I wrote about my Thanksgiving tradition of running a race and having friends over for a dinner. We tried to raise some money for the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati but things didn’t go how we’d hoped. Still, we were able to raise a few dollars and help feed some families in the Cincinnati area.

Just because we didn’t meet our goals doesn’t mean we didn’t try again this year, though. We took what we learned about making dinner and having people over for dinner and trying to raise some money for a cause.

What did we learn about fundraising that we didn’t know last year?

  • It takes time. You can’t expect to seed the ground for a few weeks and have everyone give on one day. Sure, there are some really successful giving campaigns that do just that, but I didn’t think I’d meet my fundraising goal in one day. We’ll have our fundraising campaign live for three weeks, and we’re really close to beating our fundraising goal.
  • Not everyone can give. It’s the holidays, and not everyone can give right now. Whether it’s because times are tight or they have family all over and are traveling to visit them or they have another cause that they want to support instead of ours. We’re not taking it personally if people don’t donate, but we’re extremely thankful for the people that do.
  • Make more than one ask. With an ask window that’s three weeks wide it would be really boring if we had the same message on an almost daily basis. I think it would run past ‘boring’ and straight into ‘annoying.’ Make an ask. Make a funny ask. Make an ask that pulls at the heartstrings. Make an ask that’s just plain silly. Wear a costume and shoot a video. Ask, ask, ask, ask, and when you think you’ve made your last ask make another one. People aren’t going to give if you don’t ask them to, and they might not see your first or third or eighth ask.
  • Have some incentives for your donors. I don’t necessarily mean NPR-style incentives either. My biggest incentive for the fundraiser is that if I beat my goal, I’ll run the whole race to PSY’s , where appropriate and post a video of it on YouTube. Not your cup of tea? Maybe. Potentially hilarious? Definitely.
  • People are unbelievable generous. People are donating more than I ever thought they would, and in amounts that are really surprising. The average donation is almost $50. The thing that really surprises me is that the people making the largest donations don’t even live in the area the food bank serves.
  • Say thank you. We’re using Crowdrise this year instead of a passing the hat at dinner because it allows us to have a bigger fundraising window. One of the really awesome things about it, though, is that as soon as someone donates I get an email that lets me know and reminds me to thank them. It’s a great way to get someone a thank you note as soon as they make a donation.
  • Say thank you. This one is so important I’m listing it twice. The email as soon as the person donates is great, but is that the only way you should say thank you? I don’t think so. If I beat my goal the silly video is a thank you. The day after turducken I’m putting together another email telling the people who donated what their donation means to families that rely on the Freestore Foodbank so they know what their donation helped to support. At the end of the year I’ll send out another one.

Have you hosted fundraisers before, either privately or for an organization you work or volunteer for? What was the most surprising thing you learned? What tips would you share? Let us know in the comments!

Posted in Fundraising & Development | 4 Comments »

Celebrate the United States Dollar Bill!

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

Happy Dollar Day! Today is a day to remember the creation of the first United States dollar bill. In honor of the United States dollar bill’s birthday, we would like to discuss the importance that the dollar bill plays in the nonprofit fundraising world. It would be difficult for nonprofit organizations to accomplish all that they do without the generous support of individual and large donors.

Has your organization established a fundraising plan yet? Check out our steps to a great fundraising plan in honor of the US dollar, to get your program started!

  1. While planning on the amount of funding your organization will need for a specific project, research your community first. Take a look at your local, state and national communities and decide whether or not they would be able to give you a grant. Where would a fundraising event be more successful? Vary your funding; it is not smart to rely on one funding source for your entire project.
  2. Plan out your budget prior to soliciting funds. You will be more successful if you are able to present a plan to your grantees.
  3. After researching your community, develop a fundraising message. It is important to not only highlight the benefits that your program will have on the community, but also its benefits for the individual donor.
    1. Show a connection between the donor and the organization
    2. State the benefit to the donor
    3. Highlight how their money will make a difference
    4. Create a maximum good for the money
    5. Alert the donor about future follow up for the organization
  4. Recruit the right person to solicit donations. Does one of your volunteers work for a company you want to solicit from? Ask that individual to introduce you to their company manager.
  5. Apply for a grant. Grants take a significant time to write and often require extra follow through. They are a great option for nonprofit programs, when done correctly. Make sure your grant application follows all of the rules set by the grant maker. Look for a company or organization whose mission is similar to yours to ensure success.
  6. Other great ways to solicit funds come from fundraising events such as:
    1. Raffles
    2. Letters
    3. Special events at local businesses
    4. Auctions
    5. Bake sales
    6. Car washes

 

Fundraising and grant making are great ways to get your nonprofit’s programs off the ground. They are also great ways to learn more about your community and local businesses. Community members will get a feel for your organization and feel more connected to it when they have an understanding of your overall mission.

Want more information? Check out our Fundraising for Youth Service Resource Guide to help you get started!

How have you found fundraising success? We would love to hear your comments and tips in the section below!

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Screen for Success!

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Recruiting volunteers is the first step to a successful volunteer program within your organization. Training your volunteers to be an effective part of your organization is equally important.

Once organizational, programming, and volunteer goals have been identified, position descriptions and standards for each program will need to be developed, as well. Think of volunteer program as similar to job training. You do not want an employee who does not meet certain standards for the listed project description. If the volunteer is unable to meet basic standards, reassignment may be necessary.

How can you ensure a successful screening process? Follow our suggestions below to better develop your program needs.

  1. Application process: When conducting a volunteer interview, every volunteer administrator should identify the necessary education and skills to be successful for the project. The volunteer administrator should be able to identify the volunteer’s skills and nurture them to allow for successful participation in the project. The overall volunteer administration department should be able to identify the desired skills after conducting interviews with various volunteers during the screening process. It is important to identify the volunteer’s employment status, education, skills, past volunteer experience, and availability.
  2. Interview process: The interview process is just as important as the job description. The organizational representative can find out more about the volunteer’s qualifications by interviewing them for various focus areas. The interview allows the administrator to identify the volunteer’s strengths and weaknesses.
  3. Job descriptions: Job descriptions are very important because they identify the assignment expectations for potential volunteers. An ideal job description will include the job title, how it relates to the work of the organization, list of specific requirements and accountability, standards of performance, what education/ experience is necessary for the position, necessary attitudes and values, time commitments, location of the assignment, the supervisor, and a brief description of the supervisory relationship. The job description should also identify the benefits for volunteers.
  4. Needs analysis: The application and interview processes can help volunteer administrators identify volunteer training needs. Why should you conduct this type of analysis?
    1. Identify whether or not this volunteer has the qualifications to be competent at this particular position.
    2. Identify volunteer needs that may be needed as a result of various changes that have taken place.
    3. Identify the gap between volunteer performance and expectations.

To be successful at needs analysis you must:

a.       Define the goals or purpose of the needs analysis process.

b.      Determine the necessary methodology.

c.       Design the questions.

d.      Organize the data.

e.       Review the findings.

f.        Develop training recommendations.

g.       Repeat the process on the same skills and behaviors 6 to 12 months later.

h.       Be easy to use and practical to implement.

i.         Create guidelines to develop needs analysis questions.

j.        Build the organization’s skill priorities into the questions.

k.      Organize questions into job categories and competencies.

l.         Build a pool of questions to use for possible surveys.

m.     Analyze current volunteer skills and compare them to organizational needs.

n.       Identify volunteer strengths and areas that need development.

 

The screening process is the first step in ensuring the overall health of your organization’s volunteer program. It is important to develop and define a uniform analysis across the organization. We hope that by following these tips you will see a more successful program!

What steps has your organization used to establish a successful volunteer screening process? We would love to hear about it in the comments section below!

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Make Your Memorial Day BBQ Worth More

Monday, May 28th, 2012

Happy Memorial Day! Today is the perfect time for backyard barbecue and busting out your favorite white jeans. Today is also the perfect time to do a little social good for your community.

Last week, we discussed how to honor your community’s military men and women on Memorial Day. You can take those ideas one step further by turning your Memorial Day celebration into a charity event to benefit military service men, veterans, families, or organizations working with military.

Choose a cause or individual that touches you, and raise donations during your party!

How will you do this? Check out our steps below for fundraising success!

  1. Brainstorm with guests prior to the event: Ask your guests to do some research on military needs and nonprofit organizations that work with military or military families. Come up with a list of organizations that you can relate to. Come together as a group to make a uniformed decision about which cause you want to support at your event. When you draw up your invitations, let guests know that you will be collecting donations at your celebration, if they would like to donate.
  2. Contact the organization that you wish to help: Give the organization of your choice a heads up that you are hosting a benefit event in hopes of collecting donations for them. The organization may have certain items they need instead of monetary donations. Some organizations do not accept monetary donations.
  3. Define a purpose: Let your guests know the purpose of your benefit event. Whether your purpose is to help out a veteran in your community, or to collect money for a nonprofit because you like their mission, it is important to let guests know where their money will be going.
  4. Assign a leader to the event: Assign a leader to the fundraising aspect of your event. Someone should be in charge of collecting the donations. It is also important to assign a role to the person who will be making the actual donation.
  5. Alert the community: Ask guests if they would like to get the community involved in fundraising. Do you want to make this event internal or external? These questions can be answered in line with your fundraising goals. What are you trying to accomplish through your event?
  6. Make it fun: Assign a theme to your Memorial Day event. Guests are more likely to have a good time and be more involved in your purpose, if they are enjoying the atmosphere. Whether your theme is Memorial Day barbecue or an All-American party, just have a good time!
  7. Say thank-you: Let your guests know how thankful you are for their contributions at your event. If you want to hold another similar event, guests are more likely to give again, if they feel like their actions were appreciated.
  8. Spread the benefits: If possible, let guests know how their donations benefited the community or the chosen organization or individual. Did their donation provide a military family in need with a warm meal? However your event benefited the community; let guests know so they have a tangible mission to hold on to.

 

Memorial Day is a great way to have fun with friends and family, but remember to support your troops while you are having fun!

Are you turning your Memorial Day celebration into more than just a day of barbecue? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

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Time to Get on the Fundraising Train

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

At HandsOn Network, we love to celebrate silly holidays. We are so excited for the May themes including National Bar-B-Que month, Strawberry Month, and Duckling Month! Why are we so excited? These May themes can be used at your next fundraising event, as well.

Fundraising is a great way to build up your nonprofit’s presence in the community. Although fundraising events can be very fun, they can also be a lot of work. The following tips will help you experience more fun than exhaustion when planning your next fundraising event.

1.      Develop your fundraising goals.

You should have well developed goals for your next fundraising event. Establish why you are having the event, where the money should go, and designate supporting roles.

You will most likely have a variety of goals, and therefore will need to develop multiple goals. Get your organization’s board members to help organize the fundraising goals. If possible, get your community’s support of the fundraising goals, as well.

2.      Write down your fundraising plan.

Organize your different fundraising events, to ensure that they will not overlap and happen all at once. Develop a written plan to state how much you need to raise, from where, and how you will do it. The plan can be changed, if need be, it is most important to have a visual idea.

Find the gaps where your organization will benefit the most from donations. Work with your organization’s accounting department when making this preliminary plan.

3.      Estimate how much your fundraising program will cost.

Brainstorm about the various costs that your event will take from staff to advertising. It is important to include these costs in your event budget. Be cost-efficient when making these decisions and cut costs when possible. It is most important to work toward your company’s mission when promoting your event.

4.      Develop a timeline for your fundraising plan.

Mark a blank calendar with certain deadlines for each fundraising event. The calendar will certainly change, but a brief overview of the year will help you feel less stressed about the upcoming events.

5.      Identify funding sources.

Have you considered all fundraising sources? You can tap into resources such as companies in the community, churches, the government, and designated grants. Do you need to tap into new audiences, or do you already have a dedicated following?

6.      Evaluate your fundraising plan throughout the year.

It is important to evaluate your plan frequently to better ensure success. Make a monthly plan for fundraising goals to ensure that your organization sticks to the goals. Assess the pros and cons to see what works and what does not work.

Fundraising is a necessary aspect of nonprofit business. Although it is necessary, save the hassle and make it organized to ensure success. Try one of May’s themes for your next event to make your event even more fun!

How did your organization start its fundraising plan? We would love to hear your suggestions below!

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4 Ideas to Help Mobilize Volunteers

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Today’s post comes from Gregg Michaelsen, Fundraising Consultant at Simple Fundraising Ideas. Gregg specializes in providing unique fundraising ideas for non-profit organizations.  Check out his site at http://simple-fundraising-ideas.com/ to get ideas on how you can raise funds for your organization.

I love setting up fundraisers.  There’s something fulfilling about them especially if the fundraiser is for a great cause.  If you have the right fundraising ideas, setting up a fundraiser is actually very easy.  After all, you just need to let people know that you need help for your cause.

Do you want to know the hard part?  It’s finding volunteers.  I’ve long faced the fact that people are busy.  They have their own responsibilities.  We can’t blame them if they’d rather perform their responsibilities that spend some time volunteering.

You don’t have to worry because there are still a lot of people who will be more than willing to help.  These are the people that have set aside time and resources just so they can help out your cause.  Needless to say, you have to make it worth their time and effort.

This is a common scenario.  The volunteers can’t perform their tasks because your organization wasn’t able to come up with the funds needed.  It’s really unfortunate to see volunteers that have nothing to eat or drink.  It’s unfortunate when they have to cough up their own money so in addition to donating their time and effort, they’re also donating money.  There’s nothing wrong with this if it’s their choice.  But if they’re forced to pay for their own transportation to and from different venues, that’s something that should be addressed.

This is why I came up with ideas that can help mobilize volunteers.

1. Team up with a local restaurant for the meals of your volunteers.

A lot of restaurants are more than willing to help in their own special way.  What better way to do it than to provide for the meals of the volunteers?  Approach the restaurants in the area and tell them that you’re offering them a unique opportunity to help out.  I personally like approaching pizzerias and a lot of them are more than willing to donate several boxes of pizza.  In return of the free meals, you can place a small banner in the fundraiser’s venue with the restaurant’s information on it.

2. Donate a van.

Look for someone who’s willing to lend his or her own van.  This is to make sure that the volunteers can go anywhere as needed without worrying about their transportation.

3. Use discount cards.

This is another favorite of mine.  Team up with a supermarket and hand out discount cards to your volunteers.  They’ll get discounts when they use the card for their purchases and the supermarket gets additional businesses.  In addition, the cards should accumulate points that you can later on convert to cash for additional funds for your organization.

4. Give volunteers allowance.

Now, this is not in any way payment for their services.  That will defeat the whole purpose of volunteerism.  This is just a small amount of “pocket money” just in case they need to buy something related to the fundraiser.  This way, they don’t need to spend their own money.

With these tips, you can easily mobilize volunteers and they’ll actually enjoy volunteering.  This is very important so they will volunteer again for your next fundraiser.

Check out these fundraising ideas to raise a lot of funds so you’ll have the funds needed to mobilize your volunteers.  Remember, their success is your success.

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Hop, Hop The Easter Bunny Has Arrived

Friday, April 6th, 2012

The Easter Bunny is hopping through a town near you this weekend! How can you turn this day into more than just a day full of family, pastel eggs, and honey glazed ham? Turn your family’s Easter celebration into a project about social good!

While we all love to sit around with our family members to dye eggs and search the lawn for the golden egg, it can be a great time to teach your children about the power of service and volunteering through making it a day of charity. Try one of these Easter-themed service projects in your community this weekend; we guarantee it will only enhance the fun!

  • Easter bunny time:
    • Here comes our favorite bunny: Contact your local children or family shelter to see if they have an Easter bunny coming to visit. If they do not, volunteer to dress up for the kids so that they can share in the fun!
    • Breakfast with Peter Cottontail: Get together with your neighbors to plan a community breakfast with the neighborhood kids. It is a great time to meet your neighbors and have fun with the kids in your community. You can even plan a special Easter Bunny visit at the Breakfast.
    • Do the bunny hop: Plan an Easter theme dance in your town hall. Everyone is required to wear bunny ears at the event in honor of the Easter Bunny. Charge an admission price and donate your proceeds to your community’s favorite charity!
  • Where is the last Easter egg?
    • Community hunt: Organize a community Easter egg hunt with your other community members. All those who want to be involved can donate one bag of candy to be used in the hunt. Participants are encouraged to donate  a toy during the event for a child in need.
    • Egg hunt name call: Contact your local shelter or hospital about your egg hunt. Ask them for a list of children’s names who are asking for toy donations. Put a child’s name in each egg. Families can donate a toy to the name of the child whose egg they find.
    • Hold an Easter egg decoration competition: Are you skilled in the craft of egg dying? Decorate eggs for charity! Participants choose their favorite charity, and the winner gets all proceeds from the event donated to his or her charity.
  • Easter dress fashion show:
    • We all know, there is some pretty tacky Easter wear out there. Hold a tacky Easter dress fashion show! Donate all proceeds to charity.
  • It’s time for the parade:
    • Hold an Easter Day parade filled with all things Easter themed! It is a great way to get your community to volunteer together and it will be a fun way to start the day!

 

Whether you are celebrating Easter this weekend or just spending time together with your friends and family, the weather is perfect to get out and be active in your community! We hope that these tips will help your share the power of social kid with your community and family. Happy Easter!

How are you celebrating the power of service this weekend? Share with us in the comments section below, we would love to hear your stories!

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3 Ways to Use Your March Madness Bounty for Good!

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Now that March Madness is over and the national championship has been decided, it’s time to celebrate all of the amazing things that are happening in April!

We at HandsOn Network are challenging you to give your March Madness bracket bounty to charities
April is National Volunteer Month, which means it’s a great time to honor the amazing service that volunteers have done in your community. One way to celebrate the awesomeness of volunteers is by sharing their story via  the Points of Light Facebook tab! Simply, go to , click on the National Volunteer Week tab (located below our cover photo), complete the form. This should take up too much time of your day, but hey we’re sure that volunteer is well worth your time! that promote awesome causes, recognize volunteers during National Volunteer Week, share a story to win an Alaskan cruise, and just be awesome!

  1. Give your March Madness bracket bounty to a great cause! Every parent knows that a hungry child is a disadvantaged child. He can’t grow, develop and learn like other kids. She has trouble focusing and getting along. They complain often of headaches, stomachaches and other ailments. They fall behind in virtually every way. It doesn’t have to be this way. Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® strategy provides that access to families all across the nation, so that every child, regardless of circumstances, can get the healthy food they need to thrive. Help the fight against child hunger by donating to Share Our Strength.
  2. Host a bake sale! In addition to donating money to Share Our Strength’s mission to end child hunger, you can also participate in the Great American Bake Sale and help a youth host a bake sale or host your own! The Great American Bake Sale happens all across the country, all year long. Awesome youth and caring adults sign up to hold bake sales and send their profits to Share Our Strength. Share Our Strength uses that money to end childhood hunger. You can schedule your bake sale whenever you want, but the National Challenge is April 20-22. It would be sweet if your bake sale won! The first 300 bake sale hosts to submit $275 or more from bake sales held on National Challenge Weekend will receive a Jay at Play’s Little Miss Muffin Pop N Flip™ toy!

Whether you’re donating your money to an awesome organization or celebrating volunteers, we are grateful for all of the philanthropic contributions and hope that you have fun celebrating all of the great generous service of those around you!

 

 

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Show That You’ve Been Blessed by the Luck of the Irish

Friday, March 16th, 2012

We’re counting our lucky clovers this weekend, why? In case you don’t know tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day! Let the parades, “Kiss me I’m Irish” stickers, and everything green begin. St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to celebrate not only being Irish, spring being around the corner, and good luck, but it is also the perfect time to perform a little charity!

How can you turn a day of drinking green beer into a day of charity? It’s easy, choose from one of these fun ideas and get your volunteer party started!

You don’t need to find a four leaf clover for good luck when you are doing good works!

  1. Host a bake sale for good: Whether you want to get your kids involved in volunteering or you’re just a cookie monster yourself, a bake sale is a great way to have fun, while doing good. Choose a good cause or a nonprofit that really means something to you. Bake up some of your favorite St. Patty’s Day treats (shamrock sugar cookies?) and raise some money! You can set up your stand at your town’s St. Patty’s Day parade, neighborhood, etc. Donate the money you raise to your chosen good cause or nonprofit.
  2. Host a St. Patty’s Fundraising event: You can make this a day of celebration, while raising money by turning games into charity fundraisers. For example, fill a jar with shamrock shaped candies. Place the jar in your kid’s school, neighborhood clubhouse, etc. Those interested must donate a set amount of money to guess how many shamrocks are in the jar. The one who is closest to the amount will win a donated prize, while the money goes to charity.
  3. Irish jig flash mob: Gather your friends, neighbors, or family members together to perform an Irish jig style flash mob. Explain to the crowd that you are doing this for charity if they would like to donate to your cause.
  4. Let your volunteers know you are “lucky” to have them: Thank your volunteers for all of their hard work on St. Patrick’s Day. We all know you would be out of luck if you didn’t have their help.
  5. Host your own Irish pub: Gather your community members together for an Irish-style pot-luck. Ask guests to bring an Irish dish to the dinner. Your dinner is the perfect opportunity to gather together to discuss the issues that affect your community and how you can work/ volunteer to find their solution. This is the perfect time to form your super volunteer team with your neighbors!

Whether you are searching for four-leaf clovers or pinching those who are not wearing green, show how lucky you are by doing some good tomorrow. What better way to celebrate the luck of the Irish than by helping those who may not be so lucky!

From all of us at HandsOn Network we wish you an early Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

How are you showing your luck this St. Patrick’s Day?

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Make a Play to Fight Hunger

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Ready…Set…Volunteer! This Sunday, February 5 is every American’s favorite day SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!! Woohoo hear the crowds roar with excitement! Who can resist watching funny commercials, seeing Madonna perform for the halftime show, seeing your favorite teams fight to the death, eating yummy food, and just participating in some good ol’ American fun!

Here at HandsOn Network we are not only excited about the opportunity to hang out with friends and family while watching the greatest sports event of the year, but also for the opportunity to make a party out of a service event. What do you mean, you may be wondering to yourself? You got me all hyped up about a day of good ol’ day of American fun to then have the obligation to volunteer?

Wrong, turning your Super Bowl party into a service project is just as easy as predicting that you will see a million Doritos commercials on Sunday.

So how does this happen, how can I make my day of fun into a day of service as well? Easy, we have a list full of simple fun ways to make service a good call rather than a penalty to your excitement! Come on put that plate of chicken wings down and check out our service ideas below:

  1. Make a substitution: So we all know that eating fatty American foods is just part of the Super Bowl tradition. While this is still an option to your event planning, why not add a little twist to the mix? Ask guests to bring a couple canned foods to your party that can be donated to your local food bank. It is a win-win situation unlike Billy Cundiff, of the Baltimore Ravens who missed the winning field goal game tying which would have knocked the Patriots out of Super Bowl contention. You win because you get to hang out with your friends while  serving your community. Your local food bank wins because their shelves are stocked thanks to your wonderful donation!
  2. Team up: Add a little competition to your Super Bowl event. Compete with your neighbors (I mean it would not be the Super Bowl without a little competition, right?). Tell your neighbors about your idea to fight hunger for the Super Bowl and encourage them to do the same. Compose cheers, make signs, wear uniforms, etc. Whoever collects the most food gets the trophy. Competition adds a fun aspect to the service initiative because it keeps players’ adrenaline going! Isn’t that why the most of us watch the Super Bowl in the first place?
  3. Draft: While you and your community is in the midst of this great hunger competition make a pact to fight hunger year round. With all the fun you are going to have it will not be hard to recruit people for your hunger team! You can make this happen through making a donation calendar, assigning a bin to be stored in a local area for donations, writing up a schedule to define who will take donations to the food bank each month, etc. Just remember communication is key to any successful team!
  4. Celebrate your victory: After all this fierce hunger game play, you and your teammates are allowed to take pleasure in your hard work. Enjoy the game, eat great food, have fun with your friends. What is the point of competition if you cannot celebrate it at the end?

After the holiday hype, food banks tend to run low on supplies. By making your Sunday Super Bowl party into a “Fight Hunger” service project you will help this reality become a fact of the past!

Organizations such as Souper Bowl of Caring are great ways that you can get your event started, as well. Souper Bowl of Caring is a youth driven organization that actively fights hunger around Super Bowl time. They go around in their communities collecting money and food donations in a soup pan. They will donate 100% of their proceeds to a local hunger relief organization of their choice. Last year, more than $9.5 million dollars worth of donations were collected by youth volunteers across the nation. Learn more by visiting Souper Bowl of Caring’s website where you can register to participate and find many resources to get involved in this great cause.

Still hungry for more? Our friends at generationOn also have a huge resource database for kids, parents, and teachers to get involved in the hunger fight!

So put your game face on this Sunday and make the play to fight hunger for your community members! You will reap the benefits and go home with the gold thanks to your pledge to end hunger in 2012!

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Posted in Events, Family Volunteering, Fundraising & Development, Neighboring, Volunteering | 5 Comments »

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