Most every organization has a means of communicating their activities with their clients and customers. Charities are not exempt from this. Indeed, charities need newsletters more than other entities. Charitable organizations actually rely a lot on the goodwill of others. And what better way to reach out to these people by sending out newsletters on a regular basis?
Big charities have web sites, offline newsletters, and all sorts of other ways to get the word out. They have the means and resources to do so. For small charities, however, it might not be so easy. This does not mean that you cannot come up with your own newsletter, however. Here are some things that you can consider as you come up with your newsletter.
Determine your recipients. The more the better. Everyone who is in your contact database should be included in your list of recipients. Of course, do not forget that your database should not be static. It should grow as time goes by.
Determine how you will send out your newsletter. You can do this through e-mail or through printed copy. I would suggest using the latter, especially for starters. Electronic newsletters will not cost you anything.
Determine the contents of your newsletter. This will change from issue to issue but the bottom line is the same – you have to tell your recipients about your core values. You have to tell the recipients your regular activities. You have to share your continuing programs. Tip: don’t over do it. Two pages should be enough to keep them reading.
Determine how often you should send one out. This could be tricky. You do not want to send out issues too far and few in between. Do make sure however, that you do not send newsletters out too often, as your resources may not be able to sustain it.
Categories: Activities, Ideas, Tips
Charities need not be big. After all, little things really do add up to make a huge difference. Small charitable organizations may not have as big as an impact as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but they do make a difference. If you are part of a small charity, maybe you find yourself trying to come up with various events which are not so ordinary. Here are some ideas to help you get the ball rolling.
A different kind of dinner
Charity dinners usually invoke visions of expensive venues and black tie affairs. It does not have to be the case, though. Think of something on a smaller scale and something that does not require huge amounts of money. How about focusing on a specific cuisine that will showcase a particular ethnic group? This is great for charities working in this area. Alternatively, you can have a group of families host the event and highlight their family recipes. This should encourage community involvement even more.
Fun events
Think out of the box. How about hosting a geek night at the local bar? I have had friends organize something similar and it was a hit. Fantasy night is another idea. You just might be surprised at the neighborhood response!
Use Facebook and other social media
You’re spending lots of time online anyway, why not take advantage of what is available? You don’t even have to spend extra money on promoting your charity!
The bottom line is to organize something that is tied closely with your organization’s purpose and to encourage everyone in the community to participate.
Categories: Activities, Charities, Ideas
I love it when high profile people take advantage of their status to help others and donate to charity. While I still find it more impressive when celebrities give without announcing it to the rest of the world, I think that taking advantage of technology and their high profile status is just as good.
I am pretty sure that you have heard about Hugh Jackman’s recent stunt – he announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to charities. The rule of the game was that people should tweet about their favorite charities, and that the best tweets would be used in determining the winners. The world’s sexiest man of 2008 said on his Twitter that people should name their favorite charity and why – all in 140 words. He also encouraged people to show just how passionate they are about their favorite charity:
“The more passion shown for your charity the better! Get the support of your friends and teach them the importance of giving.”
Yesterday was the big day as the actor many associate with the Xmen character Wolverine announced that he and his wife Deb have chosen the two winning charities. They are Charity Water and Operation of Hope. His tweet is below:
“Thank you for all of your passionate responses. I have chosen www.charitywater.com and www.operationofhope.com Keep your generous spirit flowing!”
While I did not have the chance to join the contest – I know, bad tweeter, bad giver, my conscience is punishing me already – I am happy for these two charities and quite proud of everyone who joined in.
Categories: Activities, Charities, News
Charity need not be all serious. Ask the people behind Red Nose Day and they will agree with you wholeheartedly. This event is part of BBC’s programming and happens biennially, on a Friday. From their web site, we have a lighthearted (and yet meaningful) description:
Red Nose Day is, quite simply, a day like no other! We take some fantastic fundraising in schools, offices and homes across the land, mix it with the nation’s favourite celebrities getting up to all kinds of mischief, sprinkle a new Red Nose (or three!) across the entire UK and add a cracking night of comedy on BBC One to make Red Nose Day the phenomenon it is.
All this funny business unites the nation in trying to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people – and the best thing is – it works!
The idea is to “do something funny for money.” This year, Red Nose Day was held on the 13 March and they were able to raise a whopping $79.6 million! Among the notable names that participated in the event are Tom Jones, and England’s football squad. The good news is that despite the economic crisis that the country (and the rest of the world) is facing, the turnout for the charity was still very impressive. This only goes to show that people who are willing to give will give no matter what the economic situation is. That is encouraging news, isn’t it?
Categories: Activities, Campaigns, Charities, Fundraising, Inspiration, Organizations
In some parts of the world, charitable organizations are the ones who take control of some gambling operations. The idea is for these organizations to raise additional income through gambling activities. More so, people who take part in the gambling activities are also given the chance to give to charity.
In Michigan, for example, the scale of operations of charity-sponsored gambling is quite large. Take a look at these figures (courtesy of The Associated Press):
The Michigan Lottery reports it issued 681 Millionaire Party licenses for casino style gambling games in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2004. That grew to 4,043 in fiscal 2008.
The casino-style games earned Michigan charities $3.6 million in fiscal 2004 and $10.5 million in fiscal 2008.
Overall, all forms of charitable gambling in Michigan took in $479.9 million in fiscal 2008, and $75.1 million in profits went to charities.
Not bad, huh? Not everyone is happy with the way things are going though. Authorities are looking at stricter controls. They think that “real” casinos are suffering from such activities by the charities. On the other hand, we have people who have problems with the activities based on moral grounds. They feel that charities should raise money in other ways. This is a bit tricky as not everyone sees gambling in the same light. Some people would say that it shouldn’t matter if the money comes from gambling as long as the profits go to a good cause.
What is your take on this?
Categories: Activities, Charities
