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Stay Out of the Cold and Volunteer from Home

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

With the freezing temperatures, tornadoes, and torrential down pours lately, why would you ever want to leave your home, if you do not have to? All of us at HandsOn Network can definitely relate to your predicament. We have compiled a list so that you can still help out your community without having to take off your Snuggie anytime soon!

How exactly are you helping out those in your community who may need help by sitting in your house? Volunteering does not always have to be face-to-face. You can plan for your service projects, fundraise, recruit volunteers, watch a discussion provoking documentary, etc.

Below is a list of just 5 ways that you can become involved from your spot on the couch.

Plan your springtime service project NOW! There is nothing wrong with planning for service a little bit early. Service planning can actually take quite a bit of time. How can you plan your service project so early you may be asking yourself?
- Decide where you want to serve
- Check out their website. Find out whether or not you need to go through an orientation before you serve, etc.
- Sign up for a project that sounds interesting to you
- Recruit friends by calling them or sharing your project through social media channels
- Make a list of supplies that you may need
Gather gently used belongings that you can donate or sell at a yard sale to raise money for your favorite charity! These are both great ways to volunteer without leaving home because you not only get some spring cleaning done, but you will also largely help those in your community.
- Go through your gently used goods and decide what you can give away and what you cannot possibly live without.
- Sort these things into boxes or bags so that you know what you have
- Locate your nearest shelter or donation center to bring your things too. Some organizations, such as the American Kidney Foundation, will even come and pick up your items!
- If you are planning a yard sale get the word out by putting signs out around your neighborhood.
- Decide what organization or causes you would most like to donate your proceeds to (maybe one that will benefit your local community?)
- Let your neighbors know about your fundraising event and recruit their participation! It can be a great way to bring a community together in a beneficial way.
Try micro-volunteering! What is this you may ask? Micro-volunteering is a form of virtual volunteering allowing people to serve nonprofits in an indirect way. A nonprofit may ask for a task to be completed online and a volunteer will respond to the task at hand. Service projects can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Websites such as sparked.com are great resources to find micro-volunteering opportunities!
Assemble care packages or food baskets. Contact your local meals on wheels organization, church, or food bank and see what kinds of foods they are looking for. You can assemble meals for those who use their services and deliver them to be used for their community members. You can also check out veteran services to see how you can get involved in having an overseas pen pal!
Are you artistically inclined? Turn your hobby into a service project!
- Make pictures for a retirement center
- Knit scarves, mittens, or hats for a local shelter
- Make baby blankets for a women and children’s home
- Make jewelry for a women’s shelter
- Design dog or cat collars for an animal shelter or make toys

These are just 5 ways that you can volunteer without having to spend much time away from the warmth of your house! All of these suggestions will greatly benefit your local community in more ways than one!

Are you volunteering from home during these last few months of this dreary weather? We would love to hear your ideas and service projects in the comments section below!

Tags: HandsOn Network, Local community, Philanthropy, Project, volunteer
Posted in Fundraising & Development, Mobilize, Service, Volunteer Project Development | No Comments »

Organizing an MLK Day Event

Monday, January 9th, 2012

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Next Monday January 16 is the Martin Luther King Day of National Service. What will you do to keep King’s dream alive in your community?

Dr. King imagined a community full of neighbors who were willing to help each other no matter the circumstances. He believed in the power of brothers and sisters rather than strangers who just live by each other.

Anyone can serve, no matter his or her age or physical ability. How? All it takes is some planning and decision making on your part to make this event, “a day on not a day off.” Follow these five steps to make your service planning a breeze, so that you can keep the memory of Dr. King alive, not only on this day, but also in the future!

Organize:

Form a group of friends, neighbors, teammates, etc. to participate in the project.
Decide how many times your group needs to meet during the duration of the project.
Choose a responsible adult to head the project if your team is primarily composed of younger members.
Try to recruit community partners to help with the planning and project.

2. Select or create your project:

State your goals and desired outcomes.
Discuss your ideas and choose what project will work for you
Develop a way to connect your project to the meaning of Martin Luther King Day.

3. Plan your service event:

Timeline: Set timelines to ensure your project is completed in time.
Select event location: How much space do you need? Is there a business or community center willing to donate space for the project?
Obtain permission: Discuss whom you need to get permission from to obtain a space.
Assign jobs: Who will be the leader? Who will pay tribute to Dr. King’s legacy during the day? Who will participate in what project?
Get the word out: Get the word out publically through fliers, community publications, etc. Decide who will be in charge of getting the word out and who needs to be contacted.
Organize materials: Discuss what supplies will be needed. Who will donate these supplies?
Create a budget: How much money will you need? How will you raise the money? Who can you ask for donations? Put someone in charge of coming up with the budget.
Engage community partners: Make sure to keep the public informed.
Register your MLK Day project.

4. Run your service project:

Make sure all aspects of the event are covered the day of
Manage your project group to make sure everyone is doing their part
Hang any posters, banners, etc.
Conduct a sign in for volunteers when they arrive
Recognize all volunteers, sponsors, and donors.
Make sure you discuss Dr. King’s legacy and relate it to the service project.
Take pictures of the project.

5. Follow up and reflect:

Reflect about your experience with the group. Discuss what went well and what could be approved upon.
Thank volunteers on the day of the event. Send handwritten thank you notes as well.

Sounds a little easier to get involved in service this MLK Day? Good, now you can get out there and volunteer! It is important to keep the legacy of Dr. King involved all year, and this day of service is the perfect way to start the process!

Are you planning a service project for MLK day? Tell us about it we’d love to hear!

Tags: Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Day, National Service, Volunteer Project Development
Posted in Equip, Events, Fundraising & Development, Mobilize, Volunteer Project Development | No Comments »

What’s Your Heart & Soul?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Heart and Soul 2011 Grant Award

How often does your organization step back and remember your mission?

Sure, you know what your mission is, but how often do you refine the sense of mission that exists in the hearts of your staff, board members and supporters?

This year’s Heart & Soul grant program, put on by the CTK Foundation, is designed to do just that.

To win, you have to channel your creativity to write an original four- to eight-line poem or stanza that reflects the work or mission of your nonprofit.

No poets on staff?

Why not ask your supporters to write a poem for you?

The 1st place winner will receive $10,000 and will have their submission turned into a song to be used in public education or awareness.

The song will be written and recorded by songwriter Bill Dillon — who was recently exonerated after 27 years in prison thanks to Innocence Project of Florida — and produced by Jim Tullio of Butcher Boy Studios.

The contest is open to all nonprofits in the United States, Canada and the UK.

The winning nonprofits will receive one of the following awards:

1st place award is the song, plus a cash grant of $10,000 (US) or it’s value in foreign currency
2nd place award is a cash grant of $5,000 (US) or it’s value in foreign currency
The 2011 Blogger’s Choice Award, where a randomly selected blogger participating in spreading the word among nonprofits about the H&S Grant Award Program will choose a nonprofit applicant to receive a $1,000 cash grant or it’s value in foreign currency
2 steel-stringed guitars, signed by all members of Los Lonely Boys (which you can auction for fund-raising)
Up to 20 technology grants, valued at $10,000, to nonprofits that indicate an interest

There is a quick turnaround on these grants. You must submit an application by midnight on March 28, 2011, and you’ll be notified if you’ve won on April 10. Visit www.communitytech.net to apply.

Follow the effort on Twitter at .

Time to wax poetic!

Tags: CTK Foundation, Heart & Soul Awards
Posted in Fundraising & Development, News & Links, Tools You Can Use | No Comments »

Quick Tips on Finding Resources for Your Community Project

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Many service opportunities only require your time and passion, but sometimes your project will require money or other resources to be successful.

So how do you recruit partners and sponsors?

Grants, gifts, and in-kind donations (supplies or equipment) are a great way to get support from individuals, corporations, and community organizations.

First, define your specific request (i.e., funds to purchase a certain item, three hours of professional consulting, services such as printing, etc.)

Next, develop a strategy for approaching people or businesses about donating money, services, or in-kind goods.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who are the right people to talk to?
How can you appeal to their needs or wants and motivate them to partner with you?
How can you convey, in just a few sentences, why your project is important, the difference it will make in the community, your ability to achieve your goals, and how the donor can be part of the effort?

Contact businesses or organizations that already have a connection to your issue area or that are known to support social causes.

Use your contacts and don’t be afraid to make new ones.

Make your connections count!

Here are some tips:

Start with people you know (family, friends, neighbors, other students).
Ask people you know to engage their friends to support your project.
Talk personally with people to “sell” your project and get their support.
Know what you need and ask people how they can contribute.
Don’t be afraid to “tap” people’s emotions to incite them to get involved.
Try creative outreach approaches, such as posting flyers or hosting outreach stations on college campuses and at local corner stores, bus stops, fast food spots, or other informal gathering places.

Don’t forget to thank your contacts and sponsors for supporting your cause!

What ideas can you share?

Posted in Fundraising & Development, Tools You Can Use, Volunteer Project Development, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

U.S. Conference of Mayors Adopts Volunteer Generation Fund Resolution

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

by Amy Smith, President, HandsOn Network

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently adopted the following resolution in support of the Volunteer Generation Fund.

It is yet another sign of the growing interest in this vital federal program to bolster our civic infrastructure at a time of great need in our cities and states.

As evidenced in the recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, Volunteering in America 2010, volunteerism is on the rise, despite the economy, and cities recognize the critical importance of volunteer connector organizations to train, place and manage this willing Americans.

The passage of this resolution makes it the official policy of the US Conference of Mayors and an important aspect of their overall policy work in Congress.

To read the full resolution, click here.

Tags: Volunteer Generation Fund
Posted in Fundraising & Development, News & Links, Service, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »

Hello Fundraisers! Meet Crowdrise.

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

by Robyn Stegman
(Originally posted on Narrations on the Life and Times of Robyn Stegman and cross-posted here with the author’s permission.)

Okay I’m hooked on Crowdrise. Yesterday at the Mashable Media Summit Edward Norton spoke about his new project: . Initially I was skeptical. Do we really need a new online fundraising site? What makes this project so special?

Then Edward Norton said this:

We’re actually getting a lot of phone calls from organizations that we haven’t even engaged with saying ‘Who are you and why are we getting checks through ‘ And we’re saying it just means that somebody out there who supports you has gone and set up a fundraiser and started raising funds for you.

Wait a sec, bud! You mean that people will fundraise for nonprofits and you don’t even have to ask them to do it? They don’t even have to register on the site? I’ve got to try this out!

So I started a profile, and like claimed in his talk it was really simple. It took me about twenty minutes to get a complete profile and I’ve got to say it looks pretty cool!

That’s when I began to notice the difference between Crowdrise and other sites. For starters it has some of the best copywriting I’ve seen. The beginning of their How it Works section reads:

Please only read all this if you’re super bored or you’re writing a paper on ways to give back and you’re looking for something to plagiarize..

This perhaps is my favorite text from the site which you get while uploading a photo:

You’re going to see this message every time you post a new pic. So, we’re making the text really long so that it’ll take you at least five picture uploads to read it all. Here’s what we’re thinking…While you’re first picture is uploading think about someone you want to kiss. When you upload your second pic think about one friend who you can beat in a race. On your third photo upload think about your favorite food that begins with the letter H. While your fourth picture is uploading think about how great it would be if you were a world class breakdancer. While your fifth picture is uploading try to think of the best candy to eat if you were a mime spending a month in New Zealand. If you upload a sixth and seventh picture please just read all of this again.

And for those of you who can’t get enough of rock, paper, scissors you can actually choose your preference on your profile. Every once in a while a player on Crowdrise will throw rock, paper, or scissors and if whatever you have on your profile beats it you get 1,000 points.

That’s right points. Every time you raise money or someone votes for you on Crowdrise you get points. What do they do?

Points mean potential prizes, lots of respect and hopefully one day, a trip to the White House or at least a trip to Vegas.

For all of you in the volunteer and service field Crowdrise can help you turn your dedicated volunteers into fundraising machines! It has volunteer pages where volunteers can ask their friends and families to help support their volunteer efforts and they can also show them exactly how many hours they’ve given to your organization.

So I admit it, I’m hooked. For those who still aren’t sure here are a couple of other gems of Crowdrise;

Ease of Use: Crowdrise nearly all US 501(c)3 charities already in its database so you don’t even have to register to allow people to fundraise for you. However if you do want to spruce up your site you can go ahead and claim it and simply update your profile.
Celebrities: Edward Norton isn’t the only celebrity using this system. Already Seth Rogan and Will Farrel have signed up. In fact if you donate to Will Farrel’s cause you get a with semi-nude pictures of him on them.
Personalized Fundraising: The profiles and projects profiles give you tons of space to post pictures, a place to post a video, and places to tell your story. Since each project has to be supported by a person not an organization it really allows the fundraising to be about you and your story. I think that is the best part about this site and what gives it potential to change the fundraising game.
Picture of Napkin: ‘Nuff said.

Last note for AmeriCorps members, program directors, alums, etc.: Let me just say this has some great potential to allow members to fundraise and give back to their sites. In fact a City Year member (which is a national AmeriCorps program) is featured on the front page of their website. City Year LA is already using it by encouraging members to sign up and share their City Year stories on their profiles and challenging them to raise money for their projects and for City Year. I’m excited to see how this project evolves and see how other people in national service can use this to build their programs.

So now that I’ve signed up who should I fundraise for? Any suggestions?

What do you think about Crowdrise? Are you using it? How? Are you hooked? Are you unsure? Let me know! I’m always listening .

Robyn Stegman is an AmeriCorps VISTA, social media nerd, and founder of Geeks for Good. Follow her year of service on Twitter

Tags: , Crowdrise, Fundraising, Non-profit organization, Nonprofit, nonprofit communications, Social Media, social media for social good
Posted in Equip, Fundraising & Development, News & Links, Tools You Can Use, Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

Risks & Rewards of Social Media Contests

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

by Greg Heinrich

Recently, AmeriCorps Alums competed in the May Pepsi Refresh Project, an online voting contest that grants funding to ideas who receive the top number of votes in their respective categories.

The top 10 vote getters in our category ($50K) during the month of May received a grant of $50,000.

In our category, AmeriCorps Alums finished with a final ranking of #43 of over 400, and ultimately out of the top ten.

As the AmeriCorps Alums staff member charged with conducting the campaign, I started the project with a great deal of enthusiasm, and ended it with a great deal of disappointment.

The proposition of mobilizing our constituents in support of AmeriCorps Alums was uplifting, and instilled a sort of “let’s show the world the power of alums” mentality in our staff, while at the same time opening the door to a potential funding stream that could be directly granted to several AmeriCorps Alums chapters across the country.

The reality of finishing out-of-the money, however, left a bitter taste in my mouth and I’m sure others on our team had a similar feeling.

The downside of competing for and not winning such a contest is, quite frankly, deflating.

Once the contest was finished, the reality began to set in.

Much staff time and energy was poured into the contest, and it yielded zero return on investment from a financial perspective. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

Compounding that was the fact that a tremendous amount of social capital was spent promoting this contest to our alumni at a relentless pace.

For the foreseeable future, our alumni will probably not want to hear the term Pepsi Refresh Project, and some are likely to glaze over e-communications from AmeriCorps Alums.

So what went wrong?

After reflecting on the experience, I was able to identify some of the key reasons that the effort fell short of the mark.

The voting coalition we built included too few organizations. First some background on this aspect –Pepsi Refresh voters are allowed 10 votes per day (any respective organization can only receive 1 vote per day per voter). Many of the organizations who won formed coalitions that included 9 other partners, which when you consider , it is clear that I should’ve aimed for a larger number of coalition partners. We had only three, including ourselves.
The open rate on e-mails sent to those who pledged to vote daily was lower than we expected, averaging around 20% – 23% of about 1,000 e-mailed per day. On average, 200-230 of those who asked for a daily e-mail reminder opened it, leaving 770-800 unopened each day.
Resources were stretched thin enough as they were, and we were not able to effectively mobilize our chapter leaders as part of the effort. Many of them already had responsibilities related to National AmeriCorps Week.
Incentives were not as a big of a draw as we thought. Their impact was negligible.

On the other hand, we did take away some valuable lessons about tactics for this type of online campaign.

Providing as quick a path as possible to the voting link is crucial in this type of contest. Our constituents don’t have all day, and we received a number of complaints about how long it took to vote.
Using social media was a given, but our Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and YouTube networks definitely helped us to gain exposure and extra votes.
Even though the open % was not as high as we would have wished, without the daily e-mail reminders, our overall rank would have been inestimably lower.
A multi-pronged and proactive marketing approach is a must. Forming a coalition, recruiting daily voters and sending daily reminders, and advertising on Facebook were all actions that could have been tweaked, but worked to some degree.

So would I risk competing in this type of contest again?

I think the answer would be no.

In my estimation, the reward is high, but the risk is even higher.

The gamble you are taking is really an all- or-nothing gamble. Either we finish in the top 10 or else.

The reward for finishing in 400th place or 11th place is the same, you get nothing.

At the end of the day, I would say this type of contest exceeds my risk tolerance because the potential return is way too uncertain.

Tags: AmeriCorps Alums, online fundraising, Pepsi Refresh Project, Philanthropy, social media for social good
Posted in Fundraising & Development, News & Links, Stories from the Road, Tools You Can Use, Volunteerism | 15 Comments »

Congratulations to eBay Giving Works!

Monday, June 7th, 2010

At the last week’s Cause Marketing Forum conference in Chicago, eBay Giving Works and MissionFish, eBay’s nonprofit service provision partner, received a Cause Marketing Halo Award in the Best Transactional Campaign category, that honors campaigns that generate donations via consumer activity.

Micki Sever, manager of eBay Giving Works marketing programs, and Sean Milliken, CEO of MissionFish, accepted the award. Congratulations from HandsOn Network!

Chris Jarvis of 3BL Media interviewed Micki & Sean about the program.

We are excited about the innovative leadership of MissionFish and its partnership with eBay. MissionFish is helping Points of Light fulfill its mission to inspire, equip, and mobilize individuals to change the world through not only their time, but also their purchasing power. Because of MissionFish and eBay’s partnership, individuals are donating $68 every minute to nonprofits around the globe.

Tags: #cmf10, Auction, cause marketing forum, cause marketing forum conference, Chicago, eBay, eBay Giving Works, MissionFish
Posted in Fundraising & Development, News & Links | No Comments »

Archive for the ‘Fundraising & Development’ Category