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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.

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 groceries

HEB 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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Eat lunch, raise dough for CARITAS

In the spirit of Goodwill stores and Junior League resale shops, CARITAS just opened it "Do Good Deli," a downtown, delivery-only sandwich shop. It's a for-profit buisness that CARITAS hopes will help maintain the bottom line of the nonprofit CARITAS.

Here's how it works: You choose a sandwich or salad from the menu, with prices ranging from $5.99 for the Vegan Velvet Elvis to $8.99 for the Rockin' Roast Beef. Call or fax them with a big group order, more than $20. They appreciate your calling the day before you need the sandwiches, but they might also be able to handle later notice.

The delivery area is between Lamar to I-35 and Cesar Chavez to 12th Street, but that includes a lot of people who like to eat lunch. When you get the lunch, you pay, and the profit Do Good Deli makes goes back to CARITAS.

You like to eat lunch? Work in the downtown area with another person who likes to eat lunch? Of course you do! We all love lunch.

Some notes: The food is not prepared by homeless people, so don't picture people under an overpass making your sandwich off a found mattress. The whole operation is separate from CARITAS client services. And the place is run like a business, with all the employees earning a fair, living wage. And one of the driving forces behind the deli is a board member who also happens to own a chain of sandwich shops called Thundercloud Subs. So they probably have a solid business plan under them.

... just another example of nonprofits and volunteers finding new ways to support their missions. I hope to hear some good news coming from them soon!

Did you donate your Taco Bell taco?

This I love. From The Chronicle of Philanthropy blog, Give and Take:

"The fast-food company Taco Bell is giving away free tacos to any person who stops into one of its restaurants this afternoon as part of a promotion tied to the World Series. But instead of encouraging consumers to stuff themselves with free food, an anonymous group has started a Web site that seeks to turn the promotion into an effort to raise money for victims of the California wildfires.

DonateYourTaco.com is encouraging those who aren’t planning to cash in on the free taco promotion to sign an online petition. For every name collected on the petition, the site’s organizers plan to ask Taco Bell for a cash donation equivalent to the value of a free taco to the American Red Cross."

Read the rest of the blog entry here: http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/article/362/donate-your-taco-to-charity

Well, free taco day was today, Tuesday, for a couple of hours this afternoon. I don't know how many people lined up at Taco Hell to get their free nasty taco thing, but the taco-donation site reported just over 9,200 unclaimed tacos.

Will Taco Bell run for the border? I mean, this means that - at 77 cents a taco - the mega food chain will have to hand over ... more than $7,000 to the Red Cross! I think they shred that much in twenties every day when they run out of lettuce.

Come on, Taco Bell! Make a clever marketing promotion even better. Give the Red Cross it's dang money.

I have never eaten at Taco Bell in my life (I'm a native Texas Mexican-American, after all. We just don't do these things as long as our mothers are alive.) BUT if I hear that Taco Bell does donate the money, I will buy one of those dang 77-cent tacos.

Though I might give it away.

Let's hear from the donors and volunteers

It was great to read this blog entry, "Paul Brest Needs a Blog," in the Stanford Social Innovation Review email I got last week. (Paul Brest runs the Hewlett Foundation, the famous, 50-year-old, $7 billion foundation that makes huge awards to nonprofits of all kinds.)

The author, Sean Stannard-Stockton who wrote a book (Edit! Per Sean's comment below, it's actually a blog.) called Tactical Philanthropy, believes strongly in the power of blogs to not only increase the amount of data and information to donors by helping create a philanthropy information marketplace. But, he adds, the beauty of blogs - and really the Web - is that they allow for a two-way conversation. He notes, in particular, that the voice of the funder is rarely heard in any philanthropic conversations. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Funders, donors, and volunteers "talk" with their time and money, I suppose. By deciding where to invest their wealth, they let NPOs know what they feel are the most pressing needs. But that doesn't seem to be a strong enough voice in the conversation. After all, you can only interpret a donation as being a vague show of support for an NPO's mission. Maybe what they really want to say is a bit more complicated than a thumbs-up. Because a blog allows readers to comment and discuss posts, it can be a good place for donors/volunteers to engage in the philanthropic conversation.

When I think about the potential of GoodCause, the magazine we're working on, one of the things that excites me the most is the prospect of giving donors/volunteers a voice. The magazine will be targeted at them, but it will also be about them and what they believe. Like Mando Rayo, I think that people take the first step toward civic engagement by educating themselves about the needs of their community, and many of them become donor/volunteers, and even civic leaders. As a result of all this education and engagement, I believe each of them develops a strong opinion about what the change they want to see in Austin.

So what's going to keep this magazine from becoming preachy, sentimental, or maudlin?

The way I think about it, as someone who's interviewed probably more than 100 very different people, is this: People's passions make them interesting. If you ever think someone is boring, it's probably because you're asking them the wrong questions. When you find what makes that person get out of bed in the morning, what makes them sit on the edge of their seat when they talk, what makes them animated and comfortable... you'll be amazed at how interesting that person can be. And interesting people - along with compelling stories and useful information - can make a great magazine.

I think there are a lot of people in Austin whose passion for good causes will make for an interesting read. And if it encourages other people to join in the conversation, all the better.

(IN FACT... I am lining up interviews with active Austin donors and volunteers now - two next week, so far - and I plan to write about these interviews here. Maybe even get a little video in, if they let me. If you're an active donor or volunteer - or if you want to be one - let's talk!)

What CARITAS is about - Plus a video interview!

To be a development professional at an Austin nonprofit seems to require a diverse array of skills. The more I learn about their job, the more impressed I become.

On the one hand, it seems to take the persistence and professionalism of a seasoned salesman. You have to know your product inside and out, and be able to identify what about it sticks most with your customer.

On the other hand, development people need to be passionate about their mission. They need to truly believe in the cause and be able to communicate the need in a way that inspires - rather than depresses - their audience.

Whenever the development team at CARITAS begins a relationship with a donor, partner, or volunteer, they give them a tour of the facility, and that's what I got yesterday. I was in good hands with development associate, Sarah Michel. Watch the video (below) of her describing her job. She obviously loves it.

She seemed most proud of the reception area, and I can see why. It's ... well, dignified and professional. In my ignorance I thought it would be a loud, dingy area where stressed-out people at the end of their ropes would sit impatiently, and equally stressed-out receptionists would pant behind desks trying to make sense of the chaos. This was not the case at all, and it's a credit to the entire staff - especially the intake specialists who greet new clients - that the reception area was so calm, quiet, and well-kept.

"This is where our clients first walk in," said Sarah. "And our intake specialists are great at finding out how we can help, so it's important that their first experience with CARITAS be one of caring and patience."

She also walked me through the food pantry and the working kitchen. We stood among a hectic group of paid staff and volunteers in the middle of lunch (it was high noon), and watched food trays proceed through a finely tuned assembly line. CARITAS serves more than 400 meals a day out of this kitchen to anyone who wants one, no questions asked, and they were certainly busy when I was there.

We proceeded to the classrooms upstairs - large, windowed rooms with lots of natural light and long tables - where CARITAS offers 450 classes a year, all free. They teach everything from ESL to job and financial skills. Sarah told me that a recent survey of their classes by a national service group ranked the Austin classes to utilize "best practices" when compared to similar groups. She also said each class would likely cost each student about $200 in the for-profit world - at CARITAS, they're free.

We proceeded through the offices, though she quickly led me through the client managers' offices in order to "protect the privacy of our clients." We did spend time in development, finance, and other support offices. It was a busy office - there happened to be a board meeting that day so there was a definite buzz in the building.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I was surprised I would be so impressed by the whole facility. Everything looked new. Everyone looked busy. People.... smiled. I have to say that I've worked in lots of offices where the atmosphere was far less positive. Sarah credits this to the diversity of the staff and the compassion they have for their clients. CARITAS is a credit to Austin... but it's not just the staff, of course. Austin would be a terrible place if not for the board, the volunteers, and the donors who work together to keep this place operating.

But please don't read this and think everything's under control and that CARITAS doesn't need your help. Step outside the CARITAS building and you'll know immediately that there's a great need in Austin for food, shelter, clothing, education, and support. The people waiting for a hot lunch come every day, nonstop. And the people in the lobby were desperate for a helping hand. And the refugees CARITAS picks up and acclimates to this country are desperate for a new, better life.

There's lots of ways to help.

• Go to Sam's and buy a pallet of bread, drive it to CARITAS, and drop it off.
• Write a check for $100 to CARITAS and specify - or not - which program you want it to support.
• Host a canned food drive in your building and compete with another building for who can donate the most.
• Instead of listing your furniture on Craigslist, drive it over to CARITAS so they can provide a furnished apartment to a refugee.
• If you run a business and need workers, tell CARITAS and they'll send over former lawyers and doctors from the Sudan.
• Take the CARITAS volunteer training and spend the morning preparing and serving lunch.

Or take a development professional to lunch, find out about their organization, and tell your friends why you should all give now.

Touring CARITAS tomorrow

A few weeks ago I met Sarah Michel, part of the brilliant CARITAS development team, at an AFP lunch. She was very supportive of the idea behind GoodCause, and invited me to take a tour of CARITAS. Of course, I'm taking her up on the offer.

Now that the organizations hugest fundraiser of the year is over (the annual Harvey Penich Award Dinner held at the Four Seasons), Sarah has generously offered to introduce me to what they do at CARITAS.

CARITAS is one of those organizations that has a hard time coming up with an "elevator pitch." On their Web site they say they, "provide rent, utilities, food, and support to people in need," but - gosh! - isn't that like saying "We do everything?"

I'll definitely have more details about what this incredible organization does after my tour tomorrow. I'm so excited!

Should Austin's charitable efforts join forces?

In her blog entry today, Andrea Ball asks, "Does Austin have too many nonprofits?" And I think that's a totally fair question. Not just because of the ratio of nonprofits to people, but also because of redundancy of efforts.

A school supply drive is a good example of how redundancies of efforts don't alway make for a better outcome (though it's not applicable to this group). It's not difficult to organize a school supply drive, but it is a lot of work. You need some fliers and emails, a marked bin for everyone to drop off the supplies, and someone to collect all the supplies and organize the pick-up by the nonprofit group. In the end, an medium-sized office can gather quite a bit of school supplies, and everyone feels great about it.

But at some point you have to measure your ROI. Consider that within that same building, there were two other offices having their own school supply drive. It seems each office - or at least the few people from each office who organized it - could have banded together for building-wide drive with a better result. Also consider that, while donations of school supplies are always welcome, the group that collects school supplies and hands them out to needy students, For the Children, can actually make better use of cash donations because they get great deals on supplies that they buy in bulk. So one person's $5 worth of crayons and glue might have actually been better spent by For the Children, which might have gotten three boxes of crayons out of it.

In no way am I trying to discourage anyone's efforts to reach out and help. In the end, regardless of redundancies of efforts, everyone wins. But could we fulfill our missions better by pooling our efforts?

In fact, this is a major tenet of GoodCause. One of the regular departments we have in mind would be something I've nicknamed "Gather 'round the cause." Each month we would choose one cause - say, children whose caretakers can't afford school supplies - and list every organization that is doing something about it, including contact information and how you can get involved. That way, each organization starts to learn about the other, and if you think that's a mission close to your heart, you can find your place in the effort.

What do you think?

Mando in The Chronicle of Philanthropy

There is no one in Central Texas nonprofitland who does not know Mando Rayo. If you don't know Mando Rayo, you're probably not doing a very good job at fulfilling your mission.

I'm new to this world, I know. But I haven't met anyone who doesn't know this guy. His name is on everyone's Rolodex because he's the director of Hands On Central Texas, a United Way agency whose core responsibility is to find and place volunteers for dozens of nonprofits. You need volunteers? You need in-kind donations? You call Mando.

But it's not just his position that makes him so popular. He also happens to be effective, passionate, charismatic, and smart. And, I think, continually understimated. He's one of the examples used in a story published in a recent issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy about the lack of minority nonprofit managers.

Mando's Mexican-American. He's also young (33 years old), has at least one visible tattoo and tends towards jeans and black T-shirts. Not your typical middle-aged white female nonprofit manager, I guess. And once you start talking to him, you realize that's what makes him so great. He's exactly the kind of person you wish would care so much about the needs of Central Texas because he looks so different from the usual bunch of do-gooders. That he also happens to be the same nationality as so many of the neediest people in Austin makes you think he'd have an edge.

Not when it comes to moving up the ladder, according to the article. "Organization leaders didn't understand his background or their own biases, he says, which kept him from moving ahead."

Too bad for them. I've worked in nonprofits a little bit but I've worked at plenty of for-profit organizations as well, and the people like Mando are the ones who should move up, but fast. He seems to be in a position that suits him now, but - if it's at all possible - can someone get him more resources, funding, and staff? This guy can make good things happen for Central Texas, but this MexiCAN is going to need some help.

The missing step in getting Austin to give?

I'm glad Andrea Ball wrote today about Austin's lagging charitable donations. What's the takeaway from a story like that? I hope readers don't just throw up their hands in rhetorical "What's to be done?" defeat. I think I'm going to make this my next task: Finding stories that answer that question.

It's really the main idea behind GoodCause magazine. The magazine's mission assumes there are more Austinites who want to donate money and volunteer than those who don't, but that they need to be inspired and shown the way.

Demonstrating the need is the first step, and if people read closely enough, there are plenty of stories in the newspaper every day that accomplish that. Still, the folks behind the I Live Here, I Give Here campaign for philanthropy conducted a survey in which respondents said they did't really understand the needs in Austin, but if they did understand the needs better, the survey respondents said, they would donate more money.

Telling stories about the needs, then, is certainly important. But I think there's another step between understanding the need and actually sending the check. I think the next step is to make it easy to give.

A few months ago I was at the Inflatable Wonderland in Lakeline Mall (I know this sounds like a non sequitur, but bare with me), and while my son and I were putting our shoes back on, a woman about 30 years old came over and sat down next to us. She was bearing a stack of large postcards and politely explained that she was a child photographer and a mother herself, and that she was offering a special discount on her work for a limited time.

She explained that she was donating a portion of each portait session to the Austin Children's Shelter. She had read a story in the Statesman about the lack of space for Central Texas children taken from their homes due to abuse or neglect. She knew they were raising money to build a new, larger facility, and she wanted to help. She had printed up special cards about her efforts and was passing them out where she thought parents with small children congregated. (And at Inflatable Wonderland, that's like shooting fish in a barrel.)

This was a great idea, right? Here's a young mom who's also a portrait photographer, and she's trying to raise more money than she herself can give for a cause close to her heart.

Well, not to single them out based on one woman's experience, but she did say that it wasn't exactly easy to make this arrangement with the Children's Shelter. She described how it took a few phone calls and a few forms before she could get permission to embark on her project. But she felt strongly enough about it to follow through. I can see the Children's Shelter's point of view: They can't have just anyone claim to be raising money for orphans and using that claim to garner more clients. But it made me wonder if the process could be easier. And whether other charities made it easier or more complicated to conduct a fundraiser in their names?

Earlier I talked about the Food Bank's process, which seems pretty straightforward according to its Web site. Can't every Austin charity make it this easy? Would it increase donations if they did?

The first-person donation request works, at least it does on me

Yesterday I got an email from someone named Bruce. The subject line read, "Hello from Bruce," and remarkably - considering I have made a living in the past by devising spam subject lines (I know... there's a special place in hell for people like me) so I know spam when I see it - I opened it.

Turns out it wasn't spam at all. It was an email from Bruce Brooks, who happens to be the boyfriend of one of the best people I know, Mimi Eckstein. Among all the people I've met since I moved to Austin almost 10 years ago, Mimi is a standout. I met her when she was looking for contributors to AustinWoman magazine, of which she is the founding editor. I spoke with her on the phone quite a lot, even when I wasn't working on a story, because she was just so darn entertaining, supportive, and interesting. She was also one of the few people I knew - and know - who care so passionately about making a good magazine.

Mimi also worked like a dog. I don't mean late nights and weekends, I mean all night and all weekend - all the time. She managed, wrote for, laid out, assigned, edited, proofed... everything for AustinWoman. Her boss ... well, let's just say her boss didn't seem to appreciate it. At times I know Mimi was at the end of her rope, but she was always professional and committed to making AustinWoman the best it could be. I really believe Mimi taught the owners of AustinWoman how to make a magazine. During her time there, the magazine's page numbers more than doubled - and with more pages comes more work, of course.

Toward the end of her time at AustinWoman (five years, I think), Mimi started to get weak. Her legs would just fall out from underneath her. She eventually quit AustinWoman, exhausted, and was soon thereafter diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She quit smoking and eating dairy for a while. She uses a wheelchair or a cane now, or just holds on to the walls. Some days are better than others. She still freelances her butt off to make money, but she has a hard time generating the income she used to at AustinWoman (which was not even close to what she deserved to make, but it was something). The good news is that she's still highly entertaining, sharp, and more positive about her future every day.

So back to the email.... Her boyfriend, Bruce, is riding in the MS 150, a 150-mile bike ride from San Antonio to Corpus. He had sent this email to all of Mimi's friends asking us to support him on his bike ride by donating to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The email came with a link to the NMSS donation page, and the form to make the donation could not have been more simple. I donated $30.

How else would NMSS have gotten my money? Direct mail? An ad in the paper? A flyer in the breakroom? I don't think any of those strategies has ever worked on me. But here was Bruce, the boyfriend of one of the people I like the most who also happens to have MS, personally asking me to donate money to this cause for which he will undertake this grueling, two-day bike ride. He's been training, bought equipment, taken the time from work, etc... I just need to click twice and type in a number and my address. Mine was the easy part.

It helped that he was helping Mimi. It also helps that the two times I've met him I thought he was amazingly nice. One time, Mimi and Bruce came over to my house for a party. There were a bunch of kids in my backyard, and one of them got a ball stuck in a pear tree. Bruce didn't know anyone at the party much less the kids, but he's the one who climbed up the tree to retreive the ball.

The I Live Here, I Give Here people are on to something with their grassroots approach, I think. It seems they've invested a lot of their effort in training 70 Austinites to go out and spread the word about donating money to local, Austin charities. I don't know how they chose these people, but I'm willing to bet they're a bunch of bike riders and tree climbers.