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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Do big events mean big money?
One of the things we want GoodCause to examine is whether the expense and effort required to produce big events is worth the return of donations and money raised from the event.
A post on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's blog, Give and Take (I put the feed on my blog, bottom left) notes Newsday and Don't Tell the Donor ask the same question.
I've helped put together some of these big events, and I can tell you - as can a lot of people who work for nonprofits - that they're not always the biggest bang for your buck. At least not directly. When I talk about big events, I'm talking about galas in particular, but it can mean golf tournaments or concerts, too. It's a lot of work to put on these mutual-admiration-society parties, and they don't always bring in the big money you'd hope.
But maybe we should consider the indirect support they earn the nonprofit. Maybe after tickets sales and auction bids and checks written at the table are all tallied up, the number only just covers the expenses. But what are some of the other positive outcomes?
For one, I know it can be a lot of fun for the regular supporters of that nonprofit to get dressed up and pat each other on the back a bit. There's definitely value in that. Everyone likes to be recognized for the work they do, and it's big boost to the organization's morale to celebrate for a night.
Secondly the publicity and buzz around the event can help raise the organization's stature in the community. Who hasn't heard of the Heart Ball (benefiting the American Heart Association) or the Jewel Ball (benefiting the Austin Symphony)?
Thirdly, they involve more people than most people think. Consider that gala planning committees can include about 100 people - 100 people who are then committed to that nonprofit for life, most likely. Also, think about those galas that manage to solicit a few hundred silent-auction items from local businesses, that now are aware of the nonprofit and its mission if they weren't before. There's also all the caterers, slide-show creators, ballgown sellers, hotels, valets, hairdressers, tailors, bartenders, musicians, impersonators, golf resorts, A/V specialists... all of them learning a little bit more about the nonprofit behind the event.
Any and all of these can have a positive impact on the nonprofit long after the glitter from the gala's been swept off the dance floor.
Yes, there are more efficient ways to raise money. But to think of these events only in terms of how much money they raise that night is to sell them short.
A post on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's blog, Give and Take (I put the feed on my blog, bottom left) notes Newsday and Don't Tell the Donor ask the same question.
I've helped put together some of these big events, and I can tell you - as can a lot of people who work for nonprofits - that they're not always the biggest bang for your buck. At least not directly. When I talk about big events, I'm talking about galas in particular, but it can mean golf tournaments or concerts, too. It's a lot of work to put on these mutual-admiration-society parties, and they don't always bring in the big money you'd hope.
But maybe we should consider the indirect support they earn the nonprofit. Maybe after tickets sales and auction bids and checks written at the table are all tallied up, the number only just covers the expenses. But what are some of the other positive outcomes?
For one, I know it can be a lot of fun for the regular supporters of that nonprofit to get dressed up and pat each other on the back a bit. There's definitely value in that. Everyone likes to be recognized for the work they do, and it's big boost to the organization's morale to celebrate for a night.
Secondly the publicity and buzz around the event can help raise the organization's stature in the community. Who hasn't heard of the Heart Ball (benefiting the American Heart Association) or the Jewel Ball (benefiting the Austin Symphony)?
Thirdly, they involve more people than most people think. Consider that gala planning committees can include about 100 people - 100 people who are then committed to that nonprofit for life, most likely. Also, think about those galas that manage to solicit a few hundred silent-auction items from local businesses, that now are aware of the nonprofit and its mission if they weren't before. There's also all the caterers, slide-show creators, ballgown sellers, hotels, valets, hairdressers, tailors, bartenders, musicians, impersonators, golf resorts, A/V specialists... all of them learning a little bit more about the nonprofit behind the event.
Any and all of these can have a positive impact on the nonprofit long after the glitter from the gala's been swept off the dance floor.
Yes, there are more efficient ways to raise money. But to think of these events only in terms of how much money they raise that night is to sell them short.
1000 bags of Thanksgiving groceries
One of the stories we have planned for the first issue of GoodCause is about Thanksgiving volunteering. Thanksgiving kicks off the season of giving, after all, and there are lots of opportunities around town to serve and feed needy folks on Turkey Day. But we wanted to highlight other opportunities to give back around Thanksgiving, and we wanted to tell the story from the volunteer's point of view.
So Torquil had the great idea of arming volunteers from a few events with disposable cameras, which would let them document their day. This past weekend, we gave cameras to three volunteers with El Buen Samaritano's Thanksgiving Baskets event, which gives away Thanksgiving dinner to 1000 families, most of them non-native, Hispanic Americans.
El Buen's event is different from most in that they give away the groceries - including the frozen turkey - rather than the cooked meal. Ivan Davila, community relations coordinator, told me this is to give the mother of the family the opportunity to fulfill her role as nurturer and caregiver. It also introduces these families to the uniquely Amercian holiday, complete with the traditional meal.
Bags and bags of Thankgiving groceriesHEB provides the turkeys, the groceries are donated or purchased with monetary donations, and Univision radio promotes and covers the event. This thing is huge. Don't think for one minute that 1000 people show up to pick up their groceries. Most people bring the whole family, so now you're talking about 3000+ folks, most between 9 and 11 am.
I gave cameras to two volunteers from State Farm, which came as a group, and another who had previous connections with El Buen. State Farm employee, Ed Rodriguez is married to a woman who works at El Buen, and he brought his baby daughter along. Dolores Foust from State Farm brought her husband Gary. And Tom Ball, who works with El Buen, brought his teenage son.
I can't wait to get the photos back and talk to them about what it was like volunteering that day. I stayed and took some photos, too. Ed Rodriguez and Victoria
We're also working with CARITAS and a few Turkey Trot volunteers. I've always wondered what it's like to set-up and work a fundraising 5K, and Turkey Trot's one of the best-known races.
I'll post some of their photos here, but the complete story will run in our first issue next quarter.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
I know why you volunteer
Actually, I don't know why you, in particular, volunteer. But I can guess. What do you think? Be honest. What's the real reason why you volunteer?
I'm going to do something crazy and offer up three major reasons. Now, I know I don't have but three readers out there (if that many), but I'm hoping to get some feedback on this one.
Am I missing one? Are these reasons too simple? Which one do you fall under? If a little of each, what's the ranking?
Okay, here are my three guesses as to why people volunteer.
1. To do good
2. To feel good
3. To look good
And, just to be fair, I'm going to throw myself under reason #2. There, I said it.
I'm going to do something crazy and offer up three major reasons. Now, I know I don't have but three readers out there (if that many), but I'm hoping to get some feedback on this one.
Am I missing one? Are these reasons too simple? Which one do you fall under? If a little of each, what's the ranking?
Okay, here are my three guesses as to why people volunteer.
1. To do good
2. To feel good
3. To look good
And, just to be fair, I'm going to throw myself under reason #2. There, I said it.
Free iPhone anyone?
Not $500. Not $300. Free. All you have to do is donate. Any amount will do.
Employees at United Way are bumming that they can't enter... but everyone else can. Mando links to the entry form. But hurry because the contest ends November 30.
If you win it, please don't tell me because I don't handle jealousy well.
What it's like to serve on a board
I think all 230 attendees of Greenlights' Board Summit learned a lot about opportunities to serve, but there was one panel discussion in particular that was especially enlightening - the "What's it like to serve on a board?" session.
Yesenia Reyes was one of the three panelists, and she was generous enough to spend some time chatting with me after the discussion. Here's a little bit about her:
Yesenia works in the human service practice at Accenture with special projects, and helps position Accenture's presence at national and state/local conferences that relate to child welfare, child support, general welfare, and unemployment insurance topics. She also leads the community service efforts for Accenture’s Austin office.
Prior to joining Accenture, Yesenia worked in executive leadership roles for nonprofits such as Catholic Charities of Dallas, the North Texas Food Bank, Wesley-Rankin Community Center, and White Rock United Methodist Church. Her practical and academic work focused on low-income, ethnic minority, under-served populations.
In the past thirteen years, Yesenia served on the boards of Women’s Council of Dallas County, Texas, the North Texas Food Bank, Catholic Charities of Dallas-Advisory Council, Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas, Dental Health Programs, and Epilepsy Foundation of North Texas. She is a program graduate of Blueprint for Leadership, sponsored by the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, to educate and equip ethnic minority leaders for Board of Director participation.
Locally, Yesenia volunteers with the United Way Capital Area- Community Investment Review Team, Partnership for Children, and Meals on Wheels and More. Internationally, Yesenia volunteers with a Catholic Parish in El Progreso, Honduras.
I got a chance to ask Yesenia some questions about serving on a board. Her honesty and insights were surprising, at least to someone like me who has never served on a nonprofit board.
1. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about sitting on a board?
In the thirteen years I have spent on a board or recruiting board members, the biggest misconception I’ve encountered centers around the fundraising responsibility of board membership. What I heard and experienced was fear of the “give” or “get” quota and the fear of being asked to give a large donation.
While financial support is a reality of board responsibility, there are different ways of raising support for nonprofits. My own trepidation was eased by exploring my options with the board chair or executive director. Nonprofits need talent and support, not just dollars. There are creative ways of raising support. Do not hold off serving on a board because of money. It’s all negotiable; find out what is agreeable to you and to the organization.
Let me add this: I think we are anxious about the financial responsibility of board membership because we are fearful of being compared to the others who can give “more." The first time I had to “give or get," I put pen to paper to make a decision about how much I could give. I had to focus my giving and feel good that I had been fair to all of my financial obligations. I do not give to every request from the organizations I support or to the many requests received from friends and family.
Many people have a household budget, a saving plan, a retirement plan, an investment plan—why not create a giving plan?
2. You have a unique perspective in that you've been an executive director at a nonprofit as well as served on the board of a separate nonprofit. You've been on both sides of the professional/volunteer nonprofit relationship, and I think there can be some different viewpoints for each side. What do you wish each side knew about the other?
I wish there was greater awareness that businesses are making significant efforts to align their core competencies, their people, and their resources to impact the social well-being; and I wish that there was greater awareness of the discipline nonprofits implement to make certain that their societal impact can be measured, evaluated, and trusted.
At the end of the day, there is “heart” and “rigor” in all of us. What unites us is that each of us is trying to lend ourselves to the greater good.
3. Do you think it's important for a board that serves a specific socio-economic or ethnic group to have someone from that group on their board?
I am a firm believer that everyone has something to give to the well-being of the community, and everyone should be invited to serve, no matter ethnicity or income level. There is a real moment exchange in this diversity.
I learned this lesson while serving as Executive Director of a community center that wanted to address children’s health issues, specifically obesity. We served mostly low-income Hispanic families who resided in a high crime neighborhood in Dallas. The recommendations we were reading as best practice included nutrition education, modeling good food choices, and physical activity.
As we started to design the physical activity component of the program I turned to the parents, three of whom were also on the board, for their input. The truth was that in this neighborhood the recommendations for community-based physical activity (walking, riding bicycles, sports teams) were not so practical. This neighborhood had high gang activity, so walking or riding bikes were safety concerns. Bikes disappeared from front lawns at the blink of an eye. Sports teams were expensive for these families. The neighborhood park was strewn with drug paraphernalia and had no field lights for evening activity. The discussion of these obstacles was a revelation to most our board members. The insight of members who lived in the neighborhood helped us design a program that was relevant to the community.
To affect childhood obesity, this board needed all the knowledge we had from experts and all that we could borrow from the local experience. Members of the board who knew how to deal with City Hall taught a group of neighborhood residents how to go to City Council meetings to petition for the park lights (this was a city park). It took more than a year to get approved and funded, but the city did install park lights. The board secured funding to buy sports equipment to be kept at the community center. We held family nights that included a healthy meal and softball or basketball games. The after-school program incorporated jump rope, tag, basketball and volleyball— activities that could be done in the gymnasium on our property.
This board did have a “give or get” practice: These moms and other neighborhood parents made tamales each holiday season to raise money to support the children’s after-school program; they stuffed invitations to the annual fundraising event; they sent in their donation to the annual appeal letter. We all have something to give!
Yesenia Reyes was one of the three panelists, and she was generous enough to spend some time chatting with me after the discussion. Here's a little bit about her:
Yesenia works in the human service practice at Accenture with special projects, and helps position Accenture's presence at national and state/local conferences that relate to child welfare, child support, general welfare, and unemployment insurance topics. She also leads the community service efforts for Accenture’s Austin office.
Prior to joining Accenture, Yesenia worked in executive leadership roles for nonprofits such as Catholic Charities of Dallas, the North Texas Food Bank, Wesley-Rankin Community Center, and White Rock United Methodist Church. Her practical and academic work focused on low-income, ethnic minority, under-served populations.
In the past thirteen years, Yesenia served on the boards of Women’s Council of Dallas County, Texas, the North Texas Food Bank, Catholic Charities of Dallas-Advisory Council, Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas, Dental Health Programs, and Epilepsy Foundation of North Texas. She is a program graduate of Blueprint for Leadership, sponsored by the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, to educate and equip ethnic minority leaders for Board of Director participation.
Locally, Yesenia volunteers with the United Way Capital Area- Community Investment Review Team, Partnership for Children, and Meals on Wheels and More. Internationally, Yesenia volunteers with a Catholic Parish in El Progreso, Honduras.
I got a chance to ask Yesenia some questions about serving on a board. Her honesty and insights were surprising, at least to someone like me who has never served on a nonprofit board.
1. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about sitting on a board?
In the thirteen years I have spent on a board or recruiting board members, the biggest misconception I’ve encountered centers around the fundraising responsibility of board membership. What I heard and experienced was fear of the “give” or “get” quota and the fear of being asked to give a large donation.
While financial support is a reality of board responsibility, there are different ways of raising support for nonprofits. My own trepidation was eased by exploring my options with the board chair or executive director. Nonprofits need talent and support, not just dollars. There are creative ways of raising support. Do not hold off serving on a board because of money. It’s all negotiable; find out what is agreeable to you and to the organization.
Let me add this: I think we are anxious about the financial responsibility of board membership because we are fearful of being compared to the others who can give “more." The first time I had to “give or get," I put pen to paper to make a decision about how much I could give. I had to focus my giving and feel good that I had been fair to all of my financial obligations. I do not give to every request from the organizations I support or to the many requests received from friends and family.
Many people have a household budget, a saving plan, a retirement plan, an investment plan—why not create a giving plan?
2. You have a unique perspective in that you've been an executive director at a nonprofit as well as served on the board of a separate nonprofit. You've been on both sides of the professional/volunteer nonprofit relationship, and I think there can be some different viewpoints for each side. What do you wish each side knew about the other?
I wish there was greater awareness that businesses are making significant efforts to align their core competencies, their people, and their resources to impact the social well-being; and I wish that there was greater awareness of the discipline nonprofits implement to make certain that their societal impact can be measured, evaluated, and trusted.
At the end of the day, there is “heart” and “rigor” in all of us. What unites us is that each of us is trying to lend ourselves to the greater good.
3. Do you think it's important for a board that serves a specific socio-economic or ethnic group to have someone from that group on their board?
I am a firm believer that everyone has something to give to the well-being of the community, and everyone should be invited to serve, no matter ethnicity or income level. There is a real moment exchange in this diversity.
I learned this lesson while serving as Executive Director of a community center that wanted to address children’s health issues, specifically obesity. We served mostly low-income Hispanic families who resided in a high crime neighborhood in Dallas. The recommendations we were reading as best practice included nutrition education, modeling good food choices, and physical activity.
As we started to design the physical activity component of the program I turned to the parents, three of whom were also on the board, for their input. The truth was that in this neighborhood the recommendations for community-based physical activity (walking, riding bicycles, sports teams) were not so practical. This neighborhood had high gang activity, so walking or riding bikes were safety concerns. Bikes disappeared from front lawns at the blink of an eye. Sports teams were expensive for these families. The neighborhood park was strewn with drug paraphernalia and had no field lights for evening activity. The discussion of these obstacles was a revelation to most our board members. The insight of members who lived in the neighborhood helped us design a program that was relevant to the community.
To affect childhood obesity, this board needed all the knowledge we had from experts and all that we could borrow from the local experience. Members of the board who knew how to deal with City Hall taught a group of neighborhood residents how to go to City Council meetings to petition for the park lights (this was a city park). It took more than a year to get approved and funded, but the city did install park lights. The board secured funding to buy sports equipment to be kept at the community center. We held family nights that included a healthy meal and softball or basketball games. The after-school program incorporated jump rope, tag, basketball and volleyball— activities that could be done in the gymnasium on our property.
This board did have a “give or get” practice: These moms and other neighborhood parents made tamales each holiday season to raise money to support the children’s after-school program; they stuffed invitations to the annual fundraising event; they sent in their donation to the annual appeal letter. We all have something to give!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Too much excitement
I haven't posted in a few days because I've been in Monterey, California, at a conference, Stanford Publishing on the Web for Professionals. It's designed for people from publications backgrounds who want to take their publications' Web sites to the next level. Lots of great ideas here.
I'm a little overwhelmed but totally jazzed at the same time. I've met a lot of people from other publications including a the director of digital from American Media, publishers of National Enquirer and Star, among others. What they're doing is extremely interesting, especially with building content delivery systems for mobile devices. And Scott Karp, well known blogger for Publishing 2.0, who very generously offered some advice for me in building out this blog.
There's lots to consider. I'm excited by all the connections I'm making by publishing this blog, but what's more exciting are all the connections others are making by reading this blog. There aren't many of you, but I have strategies (thanks to Scott's advice) for building that audience.
In fact, there are so many possibilities with online technologies these days that it's making me really reconsider GoodCause's mission. Or rather, its format and whether that fits its mission best.
Then again, there's no reason we can't have both. Print and Web site. Oh wait....
Money. Yes, still need that money.
Lots more to come from this blog, as soon as I get back to Austin.
I'm a little overwhelmed but totally jazzed at the same time. I've met a lot of people from other publications including a the director of digital from American Media, publishers of National Enquirer and Star, among others. What they're doing is extremely interesting, especially with building content delivery systems for mobile devices. And Scott Karp, well known blogger for Publishing 2.0, who very generously offered some advice for me in building out this blog.
There's lots to consider. I'm excited by all the connections I'm making by publishing this blog, but what's more exciting are all the connections others are making by reading this blog. There aren't many of you, but I have strategies (thanks to Scott's advice) for building that audience.
In fact, there are so many possibilities with online technologies these days that it's making me really reconsider GoodCause's mission. Or rather, its format and whether that fits its mission best.
Then again, there's no reason we can't have both. Print and Web site. Oh wait....
Money. Yes, still need that money.
Lots more to come from this blog, as soon as I get back to Austin.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Picture yourself on a nonprofit board
Wednesday night, Greenlights hosted its fourth "Board Summit," which is not as descriptive a title as it could be considering it's not a summit of nonprofit boards but rather more like a "board fair" in that it matches would-be board members with nonprofits that need board members.
I went to see what kind of people thought they wanted to serve on a board. Surprisingly, I saw quite a few people I knew, and I spent a little too much time catching up. The people I knew already, though, were active volunteers who constantly sought ways to pitch in... which made sense. The overall group consisted of young-ish, mid-30s professional types, mostly white but with a surprising (to me) number of non-whites, too, and a fairly even mix of women and men. I also suspect (and this is just my assessing a large group of people by their looks) that the attendees were at a point in their careers where they needed an extra boost to get themselves to the next level. Maybe they saw the people right above them on the ladder with a long CV listing community service. Usually, people at the top have some board service on their resumes.
But I'm just guessing as to their motivations. (The problem with my attending these events, I'm finding, is that I leave with as many questions as I do answers. Maybe I need a follow-up interview with Greenlights or Leadership Austin, another sponsor of the Board Summit.)
All the attendees, though, seemed seriously interested in serving. For one, they had to pay to attend, which weeds out those who came for the food (those would have been way disappointed). They also had to come ready to "network," which can be awkward and not worth the trouble, for most people. And they had to be willing to put themselves out there - to interview, almost, with nonprofit executive directors and development directors. This was an ambitious group.
Another assumption was that none had served on a board before. So Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly, opened with a heart-to-heart talk on how busy you can get when you serve on a board (or in his case, boards), have a full-time job, and have a family you like. His talk would make a great article for GoodCause, in fact, complete with a "10 Rules to Live By" sidebar. Do editors just naturally think in terms of body copy and sidebars?
After Smith's talk, lots of us crowded into a room to hear a panel discussion titled, "What's It Like to Sit on a Board." The three people on the panel had plenty of experience and were definitely qualified to serve. But in hearing from these actual board members, I think one thing became clear... something that wasn't really brought up, but I think the audience could sense: Serving on a board is not just service. To hear these panelists speak - not just what they said but how they spoke, the words they chose, the polish they seemed to possess - to hear them speak was to realize that serving on a board is about leadership.
Someone in the audience asked, "Why serve on a board? Why not volunteer?" possibly implying that volunteers are the ones who carry out the actual mission of the nonprofit as opposed to just sit around and talk about it. If he were implying that... well, he's right. Volunteering is where the rubber meets the road, it's where folks get their hands dirty.
But serving on a board... that's about leading. Not just making decisions and maintaining budgets and checking legalities, it's about embodying the mission, using charisma and talent to inspire other board members and staff, and being able to bring big-time support to the organization, in dollars and outreach.
Not everybody's cut out for this, but I think there's a role for everyone in service. If you attended the Board Summit and still can't visualize yourself serving on a board, you may be "volunteer of the year" material. Hey, they need all of us.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Why aren't more people like them?
I spoke with three people this week about their volunteering, each of them remarkable in that they have made volunteering a part of their lives as naturally as some of us make exercise or reading the paper every day a part of our lives. Obviously, not everyone thinks of volunteering the same way, so I'm wondering what makes it so for these folks.David Courreges
I don't think they know themselves. When I start to ask them about why they volunteer they look at me as if to say, "I don't know, doesn't everyone?" I get some clues by asking the question a different way. When I asked David Courreges, an active volunteer and lawyer, about how he came to his first volunteer experience he said, "I knew this guy and he made me do it." Well, no one actually made him do anything, he admitted. In fact, his reponse to other questions about why he feels called to service go something like this: "They asked me if I could or it looked like they needed help, so I helped."
It's so clear to them. It's obvious. Theres's a need, they fill that need.
This morning, I talked to the president and immediate-past president of Les Amis de Hospice Austin, Donna Thomas and Mary Wilson. Their responses to similar questions were ... about the same. Someone asks them, they step up. Even when they're not asked directly, they see that there's a need and they volunteer to help.
Now, the reason this boggles my mind is that, quite frankly, I see the need all the time, too. I read the church bulletin on Sundays and note all the calls for help. I think to myself, "I ought to do that, I don't think I have anything going on that day. That would probably be fun." But I rarely do it.
Couple of (lame) reasons that I can think of: 1. I won't know anybody and will feel awkward and maybe even a little stupid. 2. What if I'm not good at it and I look like an idiot. 3. I should probably exercise/pay bills/clean the house/spend time with my family instead. 4. What if nobody likes me.
Wow, I've never written those out... but those are actually about it. All vain, insecure, self important ... like my pitching in to sort donations or wrap presents or deliver food IS ALL ABOUT ME.
I don't think David, Donna, or Mary think this way. Do other people think this way? Maybe the first and most important selfless act is to stop thinking about yourself. Maybe once you've achieved that, you're open to anything.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Seriously, we want to help
I wanted to get an idea down so that it's clear to all the nonprofits we want to work with.
The idea behind GoodCause magazine is to be a guide and connection point for volunteers and donors. It sounds simple, but we do keep in mind that thousands of nonprofits and volunteer-services agencies are trying to do the exact same thing.
I know that there are people at the organizations whose job it is to engage volunteers and donors. I used to be one of them. We enlisted other volunteers to send the message to their peers, we ran ads, we promoted opportunities in newsletter and our Web site, we got the media to cover events, we created competitions among volunteers and donors to see who could raise the most... lots of approaches. Lots of capable, creative, and tireless people in Austin are reaching out to volunteers and donors every day. I think every one of them, however, would tell you that there's always room for more volunteers and donors.
GoodCause believes there are people out there who want to volunteer and/or donate, but who haven't found the right cause or opportunity. They haven't found a comfortable entry point. So we want to shake things up a bit. Tell your story differently or tell only the part of your story that we think will move people to action. We want to describe how easy and rewarding the experience can be by telling the stories of other volunteers and donors. We want to take your stats and data out of the charts and into photographs and copy that connects with people emotionally. We want readers to feel that they can make a difference.
We're excited about it. And I think we'll be good at it. We love magazines and we know how powerful they are at building relationships with their readers. And we believe in this mission. What a good excuse to do what we know and love best.
Random thoughts. Thanks for listening.
The idea behind GoodCause magazine is to be a guide and connection point for volunteers and donors. It sounds simple, but we do keep in mind that thousands of nonprofits and volunteer-services agencies are trying to do the exact same thing.
I know that there are people at the organizations whose job it is to engage volunteers and donors. I used to be one of them. We enlisted other volunteers to send the message to their peers, we ran ads, we promoted opportunities in newsletter and our Web site, we got the media to cover events, we created competitions among volunteers and donors to see who could raise the most... lots of approaches. Lots of capable, creative, and tireless people in Austin are reaching out to volunteers and donors every day. I think every one of them, however, would tell you that there's always room for more volunteers and donors.
GoodCause believes there are people out there who want to volunteer and/or donate, but who haven't found the right cause or opportunity. They haven't found a comfortable entry point. So we want to shake things up a bit. Tell your story differently or tell only the part of your story that we think will move people to action. We want to describe how easy and rewarding the experience can be by telling the stories of other volunteers and donors. We want to take your stats and data out of the charts and into photographs and copy that connects with people emotionally. We want readers to feel that they can make a difference.
We're excited about it. And I think we'll be good at it. We love magazines and we know how powerful they are at building relationships with their readers. And we believe in this mission. What a good excuse to do what we know and love best.
Random thoughts. Thanks for listening.
Friday, November 2, 2007
On the street, literally, with Mobile Loaves & Fishes
John McNamara experiencing Street Retreat
Blogs can be powerful. I'm amazed how useful they are for connecting with others and telling stories. Something about the honesty and clarity of the first-person narrative makes any story more moving and inspiring....
Two days ago, Armando Rayo from Hands on Central Texas, sent an email about his blog, and among the replies was one from Alan Graham, president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a social outreach ministry to the homeless and indigent working poor. The nonprofit uses a fleet of catering trucks and dozens of devoted volunteers to deliver "food, clothing, and dignity" to homeless people all over Austin. Their success has inspired other churches and communities - as far away as Nashville and New Orleans - to raise money for a catering truck and serve homeless people in their communities. Since starting the mission in 1998, Mobile Loaves & Fishes has delivered 1,000,000 meals.
In his response to Mando's email, Alan sent a link to the MLF blog, which has been live since June. I was drawn to an entry titled, "Got Homeless" ... and it blew me away.
In the entry, Alan describes a recent "Street Retreat" in which 25 people chose to spend two nights on the street. Alan writes, "We are not here to learn about homelessness but instead to encounter Christ through this particularly powerful retreat process." When you read the blog - and just as compelling, the comments after the blog - you'll understand. Check out "Got Homeless" here.
I emailed Alan to ask a few more questions about the retreat, and he was kind enough to respond.
Q. Is the Street Retreat only open to deacon aspirants? What makes having the experience so important for their ministry?
Alan: Open to anyone who wishes to attend. This was special for the deacon aspirants but others attended as well. For the Deacon aspirants I think it was special because they got to put the theology to the concrete; to experience first hand what it might be like to be homeless and poor and to experience the true presence of Christ in the poor.
Q. Do you think this is an experience more people should have? If so, how would that help with your mission?
Alan: We have been doing these for 5 years now. It is the most powerful retreat experience I have ever had and others echo that sentiment. Just understanding the plight of the homeless and working poor in real time is of benefit to what we do.
Q. For lots of people, homeless people are a threat. How scary is it to go out and spend two nights among them?
Alan: No longer scary for those of us that have been there and done that. For those that are about to go for the first time there is tremendous fear but that dissipates in about 15 seconds or so once you are on the street. You realize that homeless people actually are not a threat.
Q. What are some of the most common things first-time retreatants say or learn? What surprises them?
Alan: How difficult it must be to live on the streets. They feel in solidarity with the homeless and poor. They are surprised most by how they have nothing to fear but fear itself. One very common behavior of post retreatants is to return back to the streets to find friends they met and hang out with them. Mostly though it is very difficult to talk about the experience with those who have not been there.
Q. The story makes me want to hand out sleeping bags, blankets, and 10-dollar bills to homeless people who hold up signs at the stoplights. Is that an appropriate way or the best way to respond?
Alan: I believe that is appropriate. Just know that many times your money will go for things that perhaps you did not intend your money to go to. Bottom line is not the money and the stuff but that you rolled down your window and cared. Many times a simple God bless or peace changes their day…and yours.
Q. I think when people read about your experience, they will feel compelled to help and/or volunteer. What are three ways they can help?
Alan:
Get on a truck team and hit the streets.
Get on a make ready team and empower others to hit the streets.
Send $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
You can learn more about Mobile Loaves and Fishes - and how you can support their mission, including an innovative project to provide travel-trailer housing for the homeless in a safe, supportive new community - at their Web site. Sign the petition and watch the project video here.
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