FastTrack Fundraising Tips and Articles

Yoga can be a tremendous aid to cancer patients, survivors and family members as they battle the disease. Physically, mentally, and emotionally yoga provides the care, security, support, acceptance and rehabilitation needed during these crucial times. Breathing techniques, visualizations, and gentle asana practice all contribute to a healthy lifestyle and help cope with the ravages of cancer.

We’ve all been touched in some way by cancer. My grandparents have died from it, numerous friends are survivors, and a high school girlfriend’s little boy continues to fight brain cancer. I encourage you to show your support of these brave individuals by getting involved with your favorite cancer charity in the coming months. Kids and teens are often especially willing to lend a hand or help raise money and awareness demonstrating a high level of empathy and understanding. Get them involved in serving in the community. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Yoga Bear, an organization which aids and supports cancer patients & survivors, is encouraging an awareness campaign which encourages people to wear yellow on October 2nd to recognize the anniversary of Lance Armstrong’s cancer diagnosis. Learn more about Lance Armstrong andLIVESTRONG here.

Movember, a world wide movement which started in Australia, is bringing back the ’stash’. Men begin clean shaven on November 1st and grow a moustache throughout the month to increase prostrate cancer awareness. Learn more here.

The St. Valentine’s Day Hair Massacure, an annual event to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. To date this annual fundraiser has raised over $3 million with celebrities, families, 24 participating schools, even dogs participating by dying their hair vibrant pink and/or going bald.

Show your support. Get involved. Make a difference.

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Back to school night is the official end of summer. This time-honored night of getting to know your school and staff has been going on for years. You might be tempted to miss it, but don’t!

Every year, our schools are expected to provide more with less. Every school, whether public or private, greatly benefits from the help of parent volunteers. At Back to School Night, this is the time to sign-up to give 2-4 hours of your time to help out your school.

Represented at every Back to School night is the Parent Teacher Organization or Association (PTO/PTA). There is a small fee to officially join the PTO/PTA. This fee goes towards the national PTO/PTA organization which in turn usually provides insurance to your local group. I strongly recommend you join the PTO/PTA or similar parent group. This volunteer group of parents works hard to raise money just for your school for necessities outside the school budget or fun events for the kids. While you are fresh off of summer, also make it a goal to attend at least 3 PTO/PTA meetings. They usually meet once a month during the evenings. You do not need to officially join the PTO/PTA to attend. The meetings are also the best place to bring up new ideas or learn more about the way things are done.

Also at Back to School night, many parents that chair an event (teacher appreciation or a school fundraiser) will be there to solicit volunteers. Although you may be weary of committing your time to help with a school event, please find one that you like and sign-up! Parents are much more likely to volunteer at the beginning of the year than during the year when school is in full swing. The benefits of volunteering, such as making new friends and learning more about your child’s school, are very rewarding.

Lastly, you will have a chance to talk with your child’s teachers. This is the best time to ask about volunteering for the classroom. Don’t worry if you work full-time, there may be some volunteer work you can do at home that does not require you to come into the school. This can include anything from cutting paper for an elementary to running off mailing labels for a high school.

This year, make a commitment to volunteer some of your time to your child’s school, whether attending a meeting or helping with an event. The best time to cash in on that commitment is at Back to School night, when school momentum is at its peak.

- Denver Educational Volunteer Examiner Lori Hampton

The recession has led to more reliance on these and other groups to save school staff jobs.

Press Release Service – Wired PR News – More and more organizations such as parent-teacher associations (PTAs) are increasingly being utilized to help save essential services and staff jobs in public schools. As reported by TIME, the recession has triggered more reliance on parents, school foundations, and community groups to supplement costs of operating schools.

California state PTA president Jo Loss is quoted by TIME as stating of the matter, “The state is supposed to provide the black-and-white essentials of a good education, and the PTA fills in the color… But our state has increasingly fallen far short of providing even the essentials. So PTAs are having to step in.”

Some, however, strongly oppose the idea of PTA fundraisers and related means of raising money by private entities being used for school funding. National PTA President Charles J. Saylors is quoted in the report as stating, “Parents should not have to raise money to underwrite staff salaries… That’s the responsibility of the local government. They should not be balancing their budgets on the backs of parents.”

WiredPRNews.com – The latest in Education News

Photo Credit: Wikipedia User Fagles

We all want to do what we can to protect and improve our living environment. As we have only one planet to share with all current and future generations, it is important that we create and help promote products that are highly sustainable.

Currently there are thousands of eco-friendly products in the market that you can use to raise funds. Most of them are made of recycled or recyclable materials, or aim at encouraging individuals and businesses alike to develop habits and practices that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible. With a quick search on the Internet, you can find a wide range of companies and groups who are keen to provide assistance in selecting products that suit your organization’s fundraising needs.

Meanwhile, selling can hardly be as good as sharing. How can your organization conduct fundraising events that are environmentally friendly as well? Here are some useful tips:

• Use recycled stationery. While some recycled products can be slightly pricey, their long-term return on investment is considerable and will boost your organization’s environmental credibility.
• Reduce usage of paper and copy machine. Electronically distribute all internal documents and as many external ones as possible. For permanent storage, use CDs and DVDs.
• Reuse public relations materials. Carefully design your organization’s promotional items to present its long-term visions and targets. Yearly updates can be featured on supplementary pages when necessary.
• Act as role model. Establish partnerships with businesses that are eco-friendly and socially responsible. In all fundraising events, use recyclable and reusable advertising materials.

Caring for our planet is a task that is easier done than said. Every small step counts in a long journey as it brings the achiever closer to his or her goal. By working together, we can have a direct positive impact on our environment.

When it comes to October, most of us are thinking ghouls, goblins, and the fun of Halloween. While there are non-Halloween holidays in October, they’re not exactly the best theme for fundraisers (Columbus Day just doesn’t quite work out when it comes to fun). However, October is also known for a critical health awareness issue, and it’s something that your organization can tap into while raising funds.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This topic has touched the lives of so many people worldwide and it’s a good topic to engage the community with. Even if your organization has nothing to do with health-related issues, the universal nature of breast cancer concern can always use more exposure.

The simplest way to get involved is by contacting your local breast cancer organization. There are national groups, local groups, and educational classes at local health centers. It could be as simple as getting in touch with a local group and saying you’d like to do a joint fundraiser that is mutually beneficial to both organizations. These groups might have partner programs or outreach events where a little bit of synergy can take place. You might even be able to get bulk pink awareness ribbons to sell. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.

Of course, you can take matters into your own hands too. By publicizing any fundraising event – from a World Series watching party to a Halloween-themed fundraiser – as a breast-cancer awareness special where you split the profits or provide education, you’ll almost certainly get more attention from a wide range of audiences.

There’s no doubt that your organization’s cause is important, but there’s no reason why it can’t share the spotlight to join in on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Because at the end of the day, it’s an issue that affects every one of us to some degree.

Laws and Legislation

Abstract:

Mandates food standards for all schools in the state of California. Food sold in all K-12 schools must have limited fat, calories and sugar.

Author: Escutia, Martha
Publication Date: Dec/06/2004
Source: Sacramento, CA: State Senate
Contact Info: California Center for Public Health (530)297-6000

Full Text:

SB 12 (Escutia) – School Nutrition Standards
SB 12 Summary
1. FOOD STANDARDS FOR ALL SCHOOLS K-12
• Strengthens and implements the competitive food standards
originally described in SB 19 (Escutia, 2001).
• An individually sold snack may have no more than:
• 35% of its calories from fat (excluding legumes, nuts,
nut butters, seeds, eggs, vegetables that have not
been deep-fried, and cheese packaged for individual
sale).
• 10% of its calories from saturated fat (excluding eggs
and cheese packaged for individual sale).
• 35% sugar by weight (excluding fruits and vegetables).
• 175 calories (elementary schools)
• 250 calories (middle and high schools)
• An individually sold entree may have no more than:
• 4 grams of fat per 100 calories
• 400 calories
• And must qualify under the federal meal program
2. FUNDING: SB 12 does not contain a requirement that the state
increase funding to the federal meal program before
implementing nutrition standards for competitive foods.
3. IMPLEMENTATION DATE: All food standards become effective
July 1, 2007.
4. SALE TO PUPILS: Nutrition standards apply only to the sale of
items to pupils and do not apply to foods brought from home. All
groups selling or serving food on campus to pupils are required
to follow the standards.
5. FUNDRAISING EXEMPTIONS: Foods that do not meet the
standards may be sold at least one-half hour after the end of the
school-day or off the school premises
August 2005

URL: http://www.fasttrackfundraising.com/documents/sb12-fundraiser-summary.pdf

Notes:

Related Names: Alquist, Elaine|California School Board Association|California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Contact Info: California Center for Public Health (530) 297-6000

SB12 Compliant Fundraiser

SB12 Fundraiser

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years (Source: U.S. Department of Health). For years, children have been school fundraising with chocolate, cheesecake, frozen pizzas … and more chocolate. Even with the alarming statistics on childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, parent-teacher organizations and coaches had few alternatives to the constant “obesity fundraising.” That is, until FastTrack Fundraising came along.

FastTrack Fundraising, an online provider of fundraising ideas and solutions, offers a variety of alternatives to selling fat-laden chocolate and cheesecake. Among them are the recently launched “CalPak Healthy Snacks Fundraiser,” which contains popular treats such as Chex Mix and Pepperidge Farms Goldfish. Each snack contains less than 30% fat, less than 35% sugar, less than 10% saturated fat, and less than 250 calories. One master case contains 66 treats and raises $264. The CalPak fundraiser is guaranteed to meet all SB12 laws and nutrition regulations, so fundraising leaders can ease their policy worries.

“Now school groups are free to choose from a wide array of fundraising options. With the California SB12 regulation in effect, and many other states following suit, groups need fundraising alternatives more than ever,” says Harold Y. Tan, CEO of FastTrack Fundraising. “We’re glad to work with huge brand names to provide a healthy selection of fundraising ideas to the fundraising leaders.”

School fundraising is critical to funding education in schools nationwide, and has traditionally been dominated by the same fundraising products year after year. Almost every parent has experienced their child coming home with several candy bars or brochures featuring high-priced cheesecake. Now kids and parents can finally take a break from selling obesity and choose a fundraiser that won’t result in unnecessary health concerns.

By Patrick Cole and Leon Lazaroff

Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) — Marc Friedman, who runs the nonprofit Building With Books, witnessed the severity of Lehman Brothers’ situation firsthand last week at the investment bank’s Manhattan headquarters.

“It was surreal being in their offices,” said Friedman, Building With Books’ chief operating officer who used a Lehman conference room for a board meeting last Wednesday. Two Lehman executives are on the board of the Stamford, Connecticut, organization that runs after-school programs.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was scrambling at the time to shore up its capital, though the securities firm collapsed and declared bankruptcy on Monday.

Building With Books, like many nonprofits, is now looking ahead and bracing for a pullback in corporate donations following Lehman’s demise, Bank of America Corp.’s purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. and the government takeover yesterday of American International Group Inc.

Friedman, like others, said his organization is making sure its donors are varied. Individuals cover 35 percent of its $6.4 million budget while corporations, foundations and government aid make up the rest, he said.

“What’s happening on Wall Street is challenging for us, but our revenue base is diverse,” he said.

Corporations accounted for 5.1 percent of all donations to U.S. nonprofits in 2007, according to GivingUSA Foundation, a research group in Glenview, Illinois. Individuals were the largest donor group, contributing $229 billion, or 75 percent, of total philanthropy.

More Competition

Economic troubles are expected to increase competition for funding among nonprofits that operate everything from museums to homeless shelters.

“If companies are in trouble, corporate philanthropy is one of the first things to get cut,” said Tom Pollak, program director at the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute in Washington.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, serving 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, is bracing for a decline in donations.

“Some corporate donors are telling us they’ll have less to give next year,” said Joyce Rothermel, the food bank’s director, without naming contributors. “The length of this economic downturn will definitely have an impact on our future and where our energies go.”

Donors, too, have a wait-and-see attitude.

The Wells Fargo Foundation, an arm of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., is unlikely to increase its donation total next year from a current $104 million, said Tim Hanlon, the foundation’s president.

No Increase

“It’s hard to know in this economy what’s going to happen,” Hanlon said. “I don’t expect a decrease, but I’m not so sure about an increase.”

Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer-products company, increased its charitable contributions 5 percent in 2007 to about $115 million, a total that won’t change this year or in 2009, said Brian Sasson, global manager of the Cincinnati- based Procter & Gamble Fund. P&G gives mainly to educational and public-affairs groups.

The General Mills Foundation, the charitable arm of Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc., also projects its giving to nonprofits next year to remain at about $21 million, Executive Director Ellen Goldberg Luger said in an interview. Its donations focus on fitness, education and the arts.

Plan B

The importance of corporate donations to nonprofit groups varies widely, said Tim Delaney, chief executive officer of the Washington-based National Council of Nonprofit Associations.

Medical institutions and private universities rely less on corporate giving than social-service nonprofits, he said.

The Pittsburgh food bank, for example, gets 9 percent of its $10.6 million budget from corporate donors including Comcast Corp. and US Airways Group Inc.

The New York Restoration Project, an environmental group founded by Bette Midler, will receive 20 percent, or $1.7 million, of its $8.3 million fiscal 2008 budget from corporate donations, Executive Director Drew Becher said.

“We’re putting together a Plan B in case some of what we have in the pipeline doesn’t come in,” Becher said. “Everyone is going through cost-cutting, and we’ll feel it in ‘09.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@bloomberg.net; Leon Lazaroff in New York at llazaroff@bloomberg.net.

Source: Bloomberg.com

When you run a not for profit organization or other type of firm that needs funds raised by methods other than retail sales or other types of financial transactions, chances are you will be involved in the world of fundraising. A fundraiser is often time a fun event and one that is very important for you because it provides potential donors with a specific moment and cause for which to donate funds to you. Also, when it comes to money, you need to be highly organized and make sure that the event does not become too difficult for you to handle and that the funds being raised surpasses the cost of the event itself. For this, you need good book keeping and below are four tips to help you achieve in this area.

-Unless you are soliciting donations of which the amount is freely chosen by the donor, come up with a specific donation amount that people can give. In this scenario your book keeping can be largely uniform and easy to comprehend. Also, inviting the opportunity for donors to choose their own amount can cause time wasted if they are giving too little and your costs are not met. The only downside to discouraging these types of donations is you might not receive a very large and generous sum that a person might otherwise give to your cause.

-Make sure that all necessary personal information is recorded from the person giving you a donation. Should their donation be ill conceived, a check they write bounce or another problem arise, you need to know exactly who is giving you what and how to be able to keep track of them should a legal problem arise. Lack of information and documentation could spell disaster in some cases like this.

-Monitor your donations and costs being invested into the event very often, such as once a day or two times a week. Staying on top of the cash flow can alert you to any problems that arise such as costs not being met, funds being lost if you are renting a space or paying for professional fundraisers in a situation where you are not getting sufficient donations. These types of situations going unchecked can not only fail your fundraising efforts but also put you into financial ruin which should never be the outcome of a fundraising effort.

-Use good computer software to do the book keeping for you. While some information input will always be required from you or an employee, the computer software can do much of the mathematical work behind book keeping that we might sometimes make a mistake on or otherwise skew without realizing it. Also make sure book keeping information is backed up onto a remote hard drive in case your computer system goes down and the initial information is lost. You can also print out reports just to be safe.

So you see, good book keeping is key when having a fundraiser. Never risk your funds raised by an accident resulting from bad record keeping!