The branding and marketing of the message is critical to fund raising campaigns.  There is a need to have the capital plan designed in a manner that strategically seeks funding from foundations, businesses and individuals in the fundraising campaign.  Too often fund rasing campaigns are loosely organized and expectations not base on facts.  The suggestion that we find useful is selecting individuals or companies that will offer strong advice to your organization.  Our high success rate in submitting foundation, business and government proposals is base on the fact that our staff ask the hard questions and will state the weaknesses of the justification.  The second part that we have advised our clients to do is have individual giving separated from proposal writing.  We have found that the personality and skills of the individual are just too different.  A key element of fund raising is that it does not just start and end in a short time period, it happens all year long.  It is important to note that your organization needs to be in front of an individual several times before there may be a positive outcome.  This goes to the fact that marketing your organization is about your organizations communication in an ongoing manner.

In closing I will add one more point and example.  We are finding that to stand out there has to be something that provides an opportunity for the organization to be remembered. I would suggest that that be in the form of a visual message for the service being provided.   If your organization understands the term social media, begin to use it in developing partnerships with local businesses.   Check out the EMO and Chris cartoons to get a sense on how a visual effect can present a message.

If your institutional investments dropped dramatically you may have been effected by sub-prime investments that you were not aware of. It is the responsibility of the board and the CEO to know exactly how their monies were invested and to know under what circumstances their advisor was authorized to invest in such securities with a nonprofits monies.

So ask for the detail and if you were wronged take action.  A number of institutions, governments and individuals have taken legal action against financial companies for mixing high risk securities into their moderate low risk investments.

Don’t throw things out the car window. Don’t throw things on the ground. Don’t leave supplies in the woods when you hike. Don’t be lazy. Too many adults are not good examples, but that’s OK, they forget too. I try to remember too.

The other day we put out the trash. I do that for my allowance. I guess these big winds came while I was sleeping blew all of my homework around the other yards. My parent and I picked up what we could find. I like that my school has community day but not for my class. We kids like to have fun outside. Have a community day that involves the whole school. You can have your own community day it is easy. Just pick a day.

My Papa added this link for me: “Keep America Beautiful Inc.“

Employees are feeling depressed, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed during this time of economic uncertainty. This in turn causes the employee to get sicker. Work with your health care provider to provide your employees with a voluntary health risk assessment. Health care workers most likely nurses staffing a 24/7 confidential help line can become the resource the employee needs with out any stigma. The focus is on prevention to lower the impact of these feelings on the social and economic effect due to absences and impairment. While there is an increase cost to providing the service, the fears of today make the investment worth it.

Supporting mental health needs in a neutral way benefits most employees and the employer.

Some people don’t get to work with their parents but Chris does. Parents love to be with their children. Even we get to spend time with the people we love. I learn to express myself through writing and drawing a cartoon. When you do that it just might inspire people. And soon it will start to pay off.

Be open to having us kids at work.

The use of tax credits and the economic might of the USA to improve the lives of the America people should not be so hard.

The reason for Tax Havens is the motivation not to pay taxes. Therefore, create zones of tax havens in the US where unemployment is the highest. Create the incentives to be in areas of the economy where there is the greatest needed to create new industry. Today the greatest need is energy independence. This is an area of National Security that has long been ignored.

Whether the country begins in Michigan or Ohio, two former power houses of manufacturing and industrial production or in Appalachia, jobs allows an individual to put food on their table, clothing on their back and a roof over their head.

The federal government has the largest amount of Research and Development money spent in many fields. Target the money to be spent in locations that meet economically depressed zones. Let anyone apply but require a minimum 51% of the money has to be spent to employee people who come to work in the designated zone. The money is intended for the economic development of the area targeted, any attempt to subcontract the work or any work around to companies outside the zone should be view as not in good faith.

This is the best way for public policy to work. It brings business, government, organizations and the community together in a coordinated effort.

Singing is something that’s in your soul. It’s a tradition of your own culture. It’s in your heart. Kids, parents and neighbors can all have fun doing it.

You can do it anywhere.  Be part of something.

Nationwide unions have the ability to set up their own unionized nonprofits and compete.

There is a major lack of childcare units and access throughout the USA. Childcare and after school programs are funded with government funds and private pay. Early Childcare education has been shown to be important for every child.

There is a major lack of affordable housing. The unions have all of the necessary trades and the training systems to bring about a fundamental change in the number of units available.

The unions have been great advocates of a living wage. Housing costs and medical costs are two of the biggest factors effecting the amount of salary necessary to meet a living wage. Unions are used to running under contract standards. Thereby creating a work force that is credentialed and has a training program in place to apprentice individuals.

What measure of return does a donor want or expect to receive with their donation?

What percent of success does the donor expect?

What is a passing grade for a program to be considered successful?

Depending on the service or population there are results on many programs throughout the country. A passing grade ranges from 60%-100%.

If the donor invested the money they would expect a minimum return of a government bond around 5%. If the donor invested in their retirement future, a return of 8%-15% would more likely be expected.

Therefore, can the organization provide a report to the donors as to what outcome the organization achieved with their donation?

The time of accepting donations and not reporting back is closing. Organizations need to be able to report outcomes.

Is it true that the Gates Foundation’s dominance in malaria research will stifle the diversity of views of many scientists? There has been written objection that the newly created Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington will mirror the core tasks of the World Health organization.

I agree with the mirroring of the tasks but with one exception. The pressure of members’ countries will not influence it. It is an independent Institute free from a country’s financial control.

Control and influence is dependent upon the amount of outside financing.

The Gates Foundation’s 105 million grant very much allows for the setting of the standard without the politics.