The older you get, you might find that the term “treasure” takes on an entirely new meaning. When you were younger you probably remember going grocery shopping with that favorite relative and longed for that candy bar or box of cereal with a prize inside. At that point you found yourself begging and pleading, all the while knowing that the fate of obtaining the treasure was in someone else’s hand.
Unfortunately, even if the outcome was positive the thrill became short lived and soon another apple of your eye would take focus. We were once again off on another search. You might see the pattern here and recognize that your life has continued on that same general path which was learned early on.
When you find yourself a little older and some may say wiser, you might choose to decide it is prudent to take a little breather from the physical hunt for stuff. After all it is and can be quite tiring. In times like these you often take an introspective look at not only yourself and what your future holds but it is hard not to glace at your past as well.
A common way some are looking into this window is through the phenomenon known as Facebook. For the present generation this is a communication tool to instantly share a thought or a feeling. For the people of past generations it is a way of finding people that they lost through the passage of time and some how wish to reconnect.
The younger generation of today snickers a little when they are told that the older generation, to communicate, would often write a letter and mail it, which is called snail mail because it is considered so slow. Yet the same electronic version minus the paper is considered, somehow new and improved. Alas, because of technology we have texting, private messaging and tweeting! Is this really a true improvement to communication or a way of avoidance?
While it is hard to know what the future holds, it appears we are getting more impersonal. Call me old fashion but I for one am not convinced that “social media” is not all that it claims to be. I’m totally convinced that if you wanted to you could spend practically your entire life online! Your rush to connect electronically can sometimes and I would say often does ultimately mean your disconnection from everyday society and real people.
Through technology it is claimed that the world is smaller because we can talk to and communicate instantly to practically anyone, anywhere. Yet, I would contend, that we are more isolated now than in any other time in history.
So, who is really lost in the world today? Do we have the ability to find them? I’m not talking about needing a global positioning system either. My question is: have we missed the point of the real treasure in our lives? Are we searching in the right place? Are we using the right tools?
In the end only you can determine if you have the answer to this puzzle. It’s my hope, however, that you will choose wisely and be the one that is found not ultimately lost!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Rock, Paper and Precious Metals
Without sounding like a commercial it is hard not to notice all the uncertainty around the world. Yet people still look to the United States for stability.
At the moment we have been giving the license to print unlimited amounts of money, but obviously the game is rigged and at some point a collapse and reset has to happen. I'm sure the blame will be placed at our feet soon enough. Regardless of what some political figures think you can't borrow money and spend your way into prosperity nor can you do it by taxing all who you think are rich so you can redistribute the wealth. Winston Churchill hit the nail on the head when he said: "We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
Quantitative easing(QE)version 3 in on its way as Uncle Ben is cranking the handle on the jack-in-the-box. We all know it will eventually pop out of the box and I'm sure, scare the hell out of most people who will be watching it happen. Sadly most people won't care or even bother to notice.
Likewise, the Federal Reserve has no other option they are willing to try. To use a dairy analogy, the Federal Reserve is trying to create a constant flow of milk, no matter how many cows they kill! Instead of the natural process they are genetically manipulating the system through artificially insemination. All the while we are told that everything is normal, we are in a recovery. The tit has been milked borrowing more money, bailing out all the banks as well as everyone else that needs it. It's all part of the process, they say, just relax. It is for the greater good you know! Remember just pass the bill and then read the contents later, trust and never verify. Have a little hope, come on lighten up!
Then you hear Berkshire Hathway's Vice Chairman Charles Munger make a comment saying: "Gold is a great thing to sew into your garments if you're a Jewish family in Vienna in 1939," the Berkshire vice chairman said, but I think civilized people don't buy gold, they invest in productive businesses." Now obviously I understand what the man is saying, he wants to see a productive asset. There is nothing wrong with that. Yet, it helps to be reminded that when you have billions to play with you can afford to make a lot of mistakes and still recover.
With all due respect, however, in this torrential rainstorm we call the US economy I for one at least favor a nice sturdy umbrella of gold and silver versus a bushel basket of paper or electronic entries. I'd rather sit and let the storm blow over or at least know at the very least which way the wind is blowing before venturing out. It appears a lot more people feel the same way as I do as well.
There are certain things in life as you grow older you remember and reflect on. Some people might say you become more jaded. Others might say, with age, comes wisdom. Regardless, you have to apply what you have learned in order for it to be of any use.
Pondering aloud, it's amazing how millions of dollars are spent annually trying to evoke a feeling or thought! Think about that it for a second by what you smell. Perfume is just one example; who really thought it was a bright idea to come up with the term toilet water? Oh, excuse me, I mean Eau de toilette, that sounds much more sophisticated doesn't it. What about when you go to someone's house and you smell potpourri in the air; doesn't that just bother you a little and make you wonder what they are trying to hide?
It is like reading the labels on the back of the can or box of stuff you just ate. You really don't want to know what is in it do you?
Crap by any other name is just that my friends, crap, it doesn't matter what it smells like we all know what end of the horse it came out of, so stop pretending.
Finally, if you are looking for market stability in our economy stop comparing the midgets in the room and step into the real world and open your eyes for a moment.
Oh yea, and watch where you step!
At the moment we have been giving the license to print unlimited amounts of money, but obviously the game is rigged and at some point a collapse and reset has to happen. I'm sure the blame will be placed at our feet soon enough. Regardless of what some political figures think you can't borrow money and spend your way into prosperity nor can you do it by taxing all who you think are rich so you can redistribute the wealth. Winston Churchill hit the nail on the head when he said: "We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
Quantitative easing(QE)version 3 in on its way as Uncle Ben is cranking the handle on the jack-in-the-box. We all know it will eventually pop out of the box and I'm sure, scare the hell out of most people who will be watching it happen. Sadly most people won't care or even bother to notice.
Likewise, the Federal Reserve has no other option they are willing to try. To use a dairy analogy, the Federal Reserve is trying to create a constant flow of milk, no matter how many cows they kill! Instead of the natural process they are genetically manipulating the system through artificially insemination. All the while we are told that everything is normal, we are in a recovery. The tit has been milked borrowing more money, bailing out all the banks as well as everyone else that needs it. It's all part of the process, they say, just relax. It is for the greater good you know! Remember just pass the bill and then read the contents later, trust and never verify. Have a little hope, come on lighten up!
Then you hear Berkshire Hathway's Vice Chairman Charles Munger make a comment saying: "Gold is a great thing to sew into your garments if you're a Jewish family in Vienna in 1939," the Berkshire vice chairman said, but I think civilized people don't buy gold, they invest in productive businesses." Now obviously I understand what the man is saying, he wants to see a productive asset. There is nothing wrong with that. Yet, it helps to be reminded that when you have billions to play with you can afford to make a lot of mistakes and still recover.
With all due respect, however, in this torrential rainstorm we call the US economy I for one at least favor a nice sturdy umbrella of gold and silver versus a bushel basket of paper or electronic entries. I'd rather sit and let the storm blow over or at least know at the very least which way the wind is blowing before venturing out. It appears a lot more people feel the same way as I do as well.
There are certain things in life as you grow older you remember and reflect on. Some people might say you become more jaded. Others might say, with age, comes wisdom. Regardless, you have to apply what you have learned in order for it to be of any use.
Pondering aloud, it's amazing how millions of dollars are spent annually trying to evoke a feeling or thought! Think about that it for a second by what you smell. Perfume is just one example; who really thought it was a bright idea to come up with the term toilet water? Oh, excuse me, I mean Eau de toilette, that sounds much more sophisticated doesn't it. What about when you go to someone's house and you smell potpourri in the air; doesn't that just bother you a little and make you wonder what they are trying to hide?
It is like reading the labels on the back of the can or box of stuff you just ate. You really don't want to know what is in it do you?
Crap by any other name is just that my friends, crap, it doesn't matter what it smells like we all know what end of the horse it came out of, so stop pretending.
Finally, if you are looking for market stability in our economy stop comparing the midgets in the room and step into the real world and open your eyes for a moment.
Oh yea, and watch where you step!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Collecting Memories Rather Than Stuff
If you wander around on the web long enough you might stumble on several blogs or websites of people that have, with great exuberance, declared that they plan on selling everything they own and travel the world!
Some of these people are single, some are married with kids. Regardless they all feel the need to leave what appears to be a normal life with family, friends and having a steady job to seek something different. Few appear to be able to define exactly what they are looking for by doing all this.
However, the best answer so far is that people want to collect memories versus stuff. Likewise people want to break out of the cookie cutter mold of normal life because for them it is just too boring and they feel as if they are missing something or are somehow trapped.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with traveling and yes some people have made a career out of doing this, it begs the question, is there no place like home? Simply put if you’re not happy now, you take yourself with you wherever you go, so changing physical locations might not be the real answer. How many happy nomads do you really know?
Experiences versus Stuff In the United States we have created a billion dollar industry by way of self storage units where we store our stuff that we no longer can fit at our residence but are too attached to throw away. Yet, we all gasp when we watch the T.V. show “Hoarders” and shake our heads and ask each other: How can people live like this? While at the same time fail to see all the mess we have created around ourselves in our own lives.
I totally understand the need to disconnect from gathering more stuff. However, it is harder for me to connect with the need to travel the world. I guess the United States is just not big enough and it does not sound as exciting to say you are going to travel all over the United States. So, I guess people want the whole enchilada by exclaiming that they want to see the world and experience different cultures.
However, I can tell you a little secret, there are plenty of different cultures right here in the U.S. that would take years to discover, but that is another story! If we can for a moment let’s look at the reality of this “want” that people are expressing and understand this is a “want” not a “need!”
First and foremost I’m not saying this is a bad idea nor am I making a judgment call on the people who are doing this. I just simply want to focus on the reality of the situation.
Most folks doing this don’t have the passive income to sustain themselves long term. I’m guessing reality must hit hard and fast living on the cheap even if you are totally used to living on the cheap! Living from motel to motel or hostel to hostel can be interesting but there is a reason no one really lives there!
How many times have you heard the phrase: It's not the destination, but the journey that is important! Unfortunately there are no perfect places on earth, because someone every where you are going is always thinking there is somewhere better than where they are right now.
Our reality has been photo shopped to make us think what we have, where we are and how we live is substandard. In reality, we are the richest and most free people the world has ever known yet we are too self absorbed to see this. We don’t know how to wake up and smell the coffee because we are too busy looking for the things we don’t have to recognize the things we actually do possess.
Friends if you want to travel the world and see reality for what it really is, first look in the mirror. When you can be totally happy with what you see in your reflection then you might find you no longer have to pack.
Some of these people are single, some are married with kids. Regardless they all feel the need to leave what appears to be a normal life with family, friends and having a steady job to seek something different. Few appear to be able to define exactly what they are looking for by doing all this.
However, the best answer so far is that people want to collect memories versus stuff. Likewise people want to break out of the cookie cutter mold of normal life because for them it is just too boring and they feel as if they are missing something or are somehow trapped.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with traveling and yes some people have made a career out of doing this, it begs the question, is there no place like home? Simply put if you’re not happy now, you take yourself with you wherever you go, so changing physical locations might not be the real answer. How many happy nomads do you really know?
Experiences versus Stuff In the United States we have created a billion dollar industry by way of self storage units where we store our stuff that we no longer can fit at our residence but are too attached to throw away. Yet, we all gasp when we watch the T.V. show “Hoarders” and shake our heads and ask each other: How can people live like this? While at the same time fail to see all the mess we have created around ourselves in our own lives.
I totally understand the need to disconnect from gathering more stuff. However, it is harder for me to connect with the need to travel the world. I guess the United States is just not big enough and it does not sound as exciting to say you are going to travel all over the United States. So, I guess people want the whole enchilada by exclaiming that they want to see the world and experience different cultures.
However, I can tell you a little secret, there are plenty of different cultures right here in the U.S. that would take years to discover, but that is another story! If we can for a moment let’s look at the reality of this “want” that people are expressing and understand this is a “want” not a “need!”
First and foremost I’m not saying this is a bad idea nor am I making a judgment call on the people who are doing this. I just simply want to focus on the reality of the situation.
Most folks doing this don’t have the passive income to sustain themselves long term. I’m guessing reality must hit hard and fast living on the cheap even if you are totally used to living on the cheap! Living from motel to motel or hostel to hostel can be interesting but there is a reason no one really lives there!
How many times have you heard the phrase: It's not the destination, but the journey that is important! Unfortunately there are no perfect places on earth, because someone every where you are going is always thinking there is somewhere better than where they are right now.
Our reality has been photo shopped to make us think what we have, where we are and how we live is substandard. In reality, we are the richest and most free people the world has ever known yet we are too self absorbed to see this. We don’t know how to wake up and smell the coffee because we are too busy looking for the things we don’t have to recognize the things we actually do possess.
Friends if you want to travel the world and see reality for what it really is, first look in the mirror. When you can be totally happy with what you see in your reflection then you might find you no longer have to pack.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
My Cats Are On Prozac!
I’m not sure what this exactly says about my parenting skills or if this is a reflection of my wife and myself or just society in general. I am thinking we have lost our minds or maybe our cats did a long time ago.
Our three cats were all rescued from the local animal shelter. The mother cat is Snickers, and her two kittens are Midnight and Smokey. All the cats are older now and have been inside cats but are allowed to visit a screened porch and watch the birds and squirrels eat from a nearby bird feeder. Every morning they rise and demand to be fed promptly and are offered an extra “treat” pill pocket that contains their daily dose which is a 10mg Prozac tablet that is cut into quarters. They each receive one quarter that takes the edge off their day so that are less aggressive and less neurotic licking and biting.
When the vet wrote the prescription we filled it at the local Walgreens and my wife signed them up for their Prescription Savings Club which cost us twenty dollars. I wish I was joking when I say this but it is the absolute truth! Using the card the prescription is $12 versus over $50!
I am beside myself knowing that while I love our cats and they are part of our family it has come to this and somehow this is all part of normal everyday life as we know it.
Any moment I am waiting to hear the music and be told that I have entered the twilight zone. Normal for some reason does not feel normal anymore!
Our three cats were all rescued from the local animal shelter. The mother cat is Snickers, and her two kittens are Midnight and Smokey. All the cats are older now and have been inside cats but are allowed to visit a screened porch and watch the birds and squirrels eat from a nearby bird feeder. Every morning they rise and demand to be fed promptly and are offered an extra “treat” pill pocket that contains their daily dose which is a 10mg Prozac tablet that is cut into quarters. They each receive one quarter that takes the edge off their day so that are less aggressive and less neurotic licking and biting.
When the vet wrote the prescription we filled it at the local Walgreens and my wife signed them up for their Prescription Savings Club which cost us twenty dollars. I wish I was joking when I say this but it is the absolute truth! Using the card the prescription is $12 versus over $50!
I am beside myself knowing that while I love our cats and they are part of our family it has come to this and somehow this is all part of normal everyday life as we know it.
Any moment I am waiting to hear the music and be told that I have entered the twilight zone. Normal for some reason does not feel normal anymore!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
~Manipulation~
The average person is clueless to how rigged the system is and how it operates. We are all told that investing in the stock market is the best way to grow earnings and help save for your future. We are lead to believe that government officials are working hard to solve the problems. Really?
How can anyone feel comfortable investing when it appears that the real truth is hidden. The game now revolves around who can build the faster gadget to manipulate the outcomes the most not what is a good investment. Catching The "Silver Crusher" Algorithm In The Act http://www.zerohedge.com/news/catching-silver-crusher-algorithm-act This is not the free market system, this is a sham to benefit the few. This has the potential to wipe out the average investor with a few keystrokes and a shrug of the shoulders.
You can forget the government regulators stepping in to solve the problem because they are so deep into it themselves they can't stop it. For more proof do your own research online and type in the words "Plunge Protection Team" and see what you find. Sure some think this team is just monitoring the market and I'm sure sure they are. It is just like the government is monitoring GM or monitoring all the student loans or most of the home mortgages. Right, nothing to see, move along!
Who in their right mind thinks the dollar is strong? Compared to all the world’s currencies we might be the tallest midget in the room but we are still a midget! Stop gulping the kool-aid!
According to a recent Gallup poll 41% of Americans think the economy is getting better. Another way of saying this is 59% of Americans realize the truth. Things are not getting better, but worse!
The government is trying hard to get the media to spin the numbers they make up in desperation to boost confidence. Yet, when you pull up at the gas pump all that evaporates. It is like sitting at the dinner table with your grandmother passing gas and acting like it was the cat's fault. Granted, some people are slow to understand and others are just plain stupid which obviously can't be fixed. But ugly is still ugly!
So, what will be the solution? As sad as this is going to sound, it will have to get much worse before things can get better.
Someone will have to "take the can" away that has been constantly kicked down the road. When this happens "ugly" will have a whole new meaning. Until then, we will have to put up with the puffs of smoke and illusions telling us how good things are becoming.
The next time you are in an airplane, remove the bag in the seat back pocket, place a stamp on it and mail it to your Congressman to let him or her know how you feel. At a 12% approval rating they need to feel all the love they can.
If you ever wonder what your congressman is doing after they get elected here is one interview that you need to see that finally tells the truth: Bill Moyers Interview with Fritz Hollings - Telling the Truth About What Our Representatives Spend All Their Time Doing': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJv9t80pufc
So now you know a little piece of the truth of why things are so screwed up. Ugly is just that, ugly and looking the other way won’t change things one bit.
I'd like to think that knowledge is power, but even now I'm not sure that is true anymore!
How can anyone feel comfortable investing when it appears that the real truth is hidden. The game now revolves around who can build the faster gadget to manipulate the outcomes the most not what is a good investment. Catching The "Silver Crusher" Algorithm In The Act http://www.zerohedge.com/news/catching-silver-crusher-algorithm-act This is not the free market system, this is a sham to benefit the few. This has the potential to wipe out the average investor with a few keystrokes and a shrug of the shoulders.
You can forget the government regulators stepping in to solve the problem because they are so deep into it themselves they can't stop it. For more proof do your own research online and type in the words "Plunge Protection Team" and see what you find. Sure some think this team is just monitoring the market and I'm sure sure they are. It is just like the government is monitoring GM or monitoring all the student loans or most of the home mortgages. Right, nothing to see, move along!
Who in their right mind thinks the dollar is strong? Compared to all the world’s currencies we might be the tallest midget in the room but we are still a midget! Stop gulping the kool-aid!
According to a recent Gallup poll 41% of Americans think the economy is getting better. Another way of saying this is 59% of Americans realize the truth. Things are not getting better, but worse!
The government is trying hard to get the media to spin the numbers they make up in desperation to boost confidence. Yet, when you pull up at the gas pump all that evaporates. It is like sitting at the dinner table with your grandmother passing gas and acting like it was the cat's fault. Granted, some people are slow to understand and others are just plain stupid which obviously can't be fixed. But ugly is still ugly!
So, what will be the solution? As sad as this is going to sound, it will have to get much worse before things can get better.
Someone will have to "take the can" away that has been constantly kicked down the road. When this happens "ugly" will have a whole new meaning. Until then, we will have to put up with the puffs of smoke and illusions telling us how good things are becoming.
The next time you are in an airplane, remove the bag in the seat back pocket, place a stamp on it and mail it to your Congressman to let him or her know how you feel. At a 12% approval rating they need to feel all the love they can.
If you ever wonder what your congressman is doing after they get elected here is one interview that you need to see that finally tells the truth: Bill Moyers Interview with Fritz Hollings - Telling the Truth About What Our Representatives Spend All Their Time Doing': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJv9t80pufc
So now you know a little piece of the truth of why things are so screwed up. Ugly is just that, ugly and looking the other way won’t change things one bit.
I'd like to think that knowledge is power, but even now I'm not sure that is true anymore!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
~ A Career Change ~
On a recent vacation with a friend I stopped by a food court for some take out Chinese food and found myself eagerly cracking open a fortune cookie. The fortune read: You will be successful in your career! I had to chuckle and smile while saying to myself... Now I just have to find a career!
For the last fourteen years I have spent helping people and nonprofit organizations free via my website. After much soul searching I knew it was time to sell the site to a buyer who was interested in preserving the last fourteen years of my work but also saw the value in what it represented. Fortunately this has occurred and soon the keys to the site will be turned over to the new owners.
With that closure brings a new beginning. Yet it is undeniable that part of my DNA will forever be focused on helping people in some way shape or form. Why this is so important and part of my make up is a hard question to honestly dissect. However, I do try consciously to act not just from my heart but from my head as well. It is so easy to fall into a pattern of being drawn into emotional appeals. However, in the world of giving one size does not fit all.
All individuals have varied experiences we bring to the table and life lessons we were taught as a child. Some of these have stuck with us today and many more have drifted into oblivion. So, is there truly a natural instinct to help? Studies on compassion and benevolence suggest so saying this is part of the evolution of human nature in seeking the greater good.
Yet one has to ponder if this is truly part of the human experience why have things gone so awry?
I for one believe that giving is mostly a learned experience. Sure your parents can try to express the goodness of why you should give but when it comes down to it, it is an individual decision and a choice one makes.
In the current environment we live in today there is ample opportunity to give and help others. Yet, there are equally as many different obstacles and excuses we purposely place in out path to push aside that part of our humanity to reach out and help another.
In my opinion the number one killer of the natural act of giving is economic uncertainty closely followed by crime and violence.
Simply put, if you don't feel safe and secure yourself you are less likely to help someone else. On television I keep seeing the statistic that 48% of Americans believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse! That in and of itself is a big deal. The media for the past three or four years has tried its best to convince people that economic recovery is occurring now. Oh Really?
The sad part of all this is that "credibility" appears to be at an all time low. Who can you trust? Ten years ago people would have looked at you sideways if you said: Trust but verify!
My mind can't help but drift back into time hearing the famous Kojack saying: "Who loves ya, baby?" Who indeed!
For the last fourteen years I have spent helping people and nonprofit organizations free via my website. After much soul searching I knew it was time to sell the site to a buyer who was interested in preserving the last fourteen years of my work but also saw the value in what it represented. Fortunately this has occurred and soon the keys to the site will be turned over to the new owners.
With that closure brings a new beginning. Yet it is undeniable that part of my DNA will forever be focused on helping people in some way shape or form. Why this is so important and part of my make up is a hard question to honestly dissect. However, I do try consciously to act not just from my heart but from my head as well. It is so easy to fall into a pattern of being drawn into emotional appeals. However, in the world of giving one size does not fit all.
All individuals have varied experiences we bring to the table and life lessons we were taught as a child. Some of these have stuck with us today and many more have drifted into oblivion. So, is there truly a natural instinct to help? Studies on compassion and benevolence suggest so saying this is part of the evolution of human nature in seeking the greater good.
Yet one has to ponder if this is truly part of the human experience why have things gone so awry?
I for one believe that giving is mostly a learned experience. Sure your parents can try to express the goodness of why you should give but when it comes down to it, it is an individual decision and a choice one makes.
In the current environment we live in today there is ample opportunity to give and help others. Yet, there are equally as many different obstacles and excuses we purposely place in out path to push aside that part of our humanity to reach out and help another.
In my opinion the number one killer of the natural act of giving is economic uncertainty closely followed by crime and violence.
Simply put, if you don't feel safe and secure yourself you are less likely to help someone else. On television I keep seeing the statistic that 48% of Americans believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse! That in and of itself is a big deal. The media for the past three or four years has tried its best to convince people that economic recovery is occurring now. Oh Really?
The sad part of all this is that "credibility" appears to be at an all time low. Who can you trust? Ten years ago people would have looked at you sideways if you said: Trust but verify!
My mind can't help but drift back into time hearing the famous Kojack saying: "Who loves ya, baby?" Who indeed!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
“Being Prepared”
I have literally written down my thoughts and then clicked and not saved it several times now on the subject of “Being Prepared” and the reasons why this is so important.
I’m honestly not sure why I have chosen in the past not to save what I wrote. It is not because I did not think it was well written or that enough thought had not gone into what I was trying to say.
No, the reason was I felt uncomfortable because the subject itself for me seems stress filled and full of hypothetical situations where if you are honest with yourself they are no perfect answers.
Being prepared itself is not the problem but trying to determine what you are preparing for and to what extent is a critical issue!
If you spend anytime at all on the internet and go the route of looking on various survival sites you quickly can become overwhelmed by the degree of doom and gloom that is presented. Let’s see, some of the topics are: total economic collapse, no food, no water and protecting yourself from the ever present band of lawless thugs rioting and looting every house on your street. Oh, yea and solar flares, and I guess it is worth mentioning the 2012 end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar.
So with all this said it is no wonder why the vast majority of people have the tendency to throw their hands in the air and shrug their shoulders and give up before even starting.
Do I worry about not having power or water or sewer services? No I do not. Any disruption in services typically happens after a natural disaster and is short lived in nature. When this happens can you be uncomfortable, but it is not unbearable. Obviously the longer the duration the more frustrating it becomes but again it is not something that causes the fabric of society to come apart at the seams! I realize some may point to what happened in New Orleans and beg to differ with me. To that I would say that I agree; chaos can occur anywhere and anytime but after the dust settles society as a whole finds what is normal fairly quickly.
In the US we have had economic disasters with the stock market crashing and people losing lots of their wealth. People, however, did not go out and try to overthrow the government and somehow the population survived to the next generation and the next.
Are the threats we face real today? You beat yah! Will we likely see a huge amount of change within the next few years? We always have because that is the natural progression of things. Change is constant.
The most important part of all this hearing a line from Rudyard Kipling which reminded us: “Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.”
Take heart in knowing that change is inevitable. Also note that how you react to change is entirely within your control!
I’m honestly not sure why I have chosen in the past not to save what I wrote. It is not because I did not think it was well written or that enough thought had not gone into what I was trying to say.
No, the reason was I felt uncomfortable because the subject itself for me seems stress filled and full of hypothetical situations where if you are honest with yourself they are no perfect answers.
Being prepared itself is not the problem but trying to determine what you are preparing for and to what extent is a critical issue!
If you spend anytime at all on the internet and go the route of looking on various survival sites you quickly can become overwhelmed by the degree of doom and gloom that is presented. Let’s see, some of the topics are: total economic collapse, no food, no water and protecting yourself from the ever present band of lawless thugs rioting and looting every house on your street. Oh, yea and solar flares, and I guess it is worth mentioning the 2012 end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar.
So with all this said it is no wonder why the vast majority of people have the tendency to throw their hands in the air and shrug their shoulders and give up before even starting.
Do I worry about not having power or water or sewer services? No I do not. Any disruption in services typically happens after a natural disaster and is short lived in nature. When this happens can you be uncomfortable, but it is not unbearable. Obviously the longer the duration the more frustrating it becomes but again it is not something that causes the fabric of society to come apart at the seams! I realize some may point to what happened in New Orleans and beg to differ with me. To that I would say that I agree; chaos can occur anywhere and anytime but after the dust settles society as a whole finds what is normal fairly quickly.
In the US we have had economic disasters with the stock market crashing and people losing lots of their wealth. People, however, did not go out and try to overthrow the government and somehow the population survived to the next generation and the next.
Are the threats we face real today? You beat yah! Will we likely see a huge amount of change within the next few years? We always have because that is the natural progression of things. Change is constant.
The most important part of all this hearing a line from Rudyard Kipling which reminded us: “Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.”
Take heart in knowing that change is inevitable. Also note that how you react to change is entirely within your control!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A Typical Day ~ Nonprofitexpert.com
As a consultant for nonprofits that works via the web, most of my day is spent taking care of the website as well as answering the dozen or so questions that filter in from around the world….
A lot needs to be done when you have created a monster!
The site: www.nonprofitexpert.com has grown to over 770 pages. Within the site itself there are an amazing 85,000 plus links all pointing inward and there are another 28,000 external hyperlinks pointing to other sites, and of those over 17,500 are unique meaning not repeated. It is rather mind boggling when you think about this but everything has to be checked constantly to make sure all the links work and function. Beyond this additional content has to be continually developed and added to keep things fresh! This is why it takes ten hours daily Monday through Sunday and this has been done now going on thirteen years!
Monthly the site continues to receive 60,000 plus unique visitors with over 100,000 page views.
This morning’s emails:
A photographer in South Africa wants to connect with foundations to help tell their story.
Answer: A list of 121 foundations that have as a field of interest South Africa.
A medical student in residency in Washington state that has as a quarterly project to create an “imaginary project” to serve the indigent with questions of how and where to get funding and any another helpful information on the subject.
Answer: A link to the Washington State 2007 Charity Care Hospital’s report as well as a link to another report provided by the Washington State Hospital Association, and a suggestion to visit the CFO of the hospital where he is serving as a resident to ask for a dashboard overview of the current funding streams the hospital receives and pay close attention to the number of days in cash they have on hand for ongoing expenses as well as get a better understanding of the current bond rating which effects the hospital’s ability to raise capital and grow the services they provide.
A nonprofit in North Carolina that wants to know the possible pit falls for accepting a donation of property.
Answer: Without knowing what the property was used for in the past as well as how old the building might be and how long it sat empty, it would be hard to tell you all the risk.
I’ll try to help by listing a few: lead paint, asbestos tiles or other asbestos insulation around older boilers or heating units, you may also have underground storage tanks for either heating oil or older gas tanks depending on the facility.
Accepting a facility should require a title search as well as at the very least in my opinion what is called a phase one environmental assessment study which is not cheap.
Also, any building that sits empty even for short periods of time tend to fall in disrepair fast. Check the roof for leaks and visit the building during a downpour with heavy rains. The heating and air condition system can cost thousands of dollars to replace. A building inspector from the city or county might be a good friend to have when looking at a property.
Whew… all this before my first 9:00 a.m. and my second Diet Pepsi. I reserve Diet Mt. Dew for the afternoons depending on volume.
So now you know!
A lot needs to be done when you have created a monster!
The site: www.nonprofitexpert.com has grown to over 770 pages. Within the site itself there are an amazing 85,000 plus links all pointing inward and there are another 28,000 external hyperlinks pointing to other sites, and of those over 17,500 are unique meaning not repeated. It is rather mind boggling when you think about this but everything has to be checked constantly to make sure all the links work and function. Beyond this additional content has to be continually developed and added to keep things fresh! This is why it takes ten hours daily Monday through Sunday and this has been done now going on thirteen years!
Monthly the site continues to receive 60,000 plus unique visitors with over 100,000 page views.
This morning’s emails:
A photographer in South Africa wants to connect with foundations to help tell their story.
Answer: A list of 121 foundations that have as a field of interest South Africa.
A medical student in residency in Washington state that has as a quarterly project to create an “imaginary project” to serve the indigent with questions of how and where to get funding and any another helpful information on the subject.
Answer: A link to the Washington State 2007 Charity Care Hospital’s report as well as a link to another report provided by the Washington State Hospital Association, and a suggestion to visit the CFO of the hospital where he is serving as a resident to ask for a dashboard overview of the current funding streams the hospital receives and pay close attention to the number of days in cash they have on hand for ongoing expenses as well as get a better understanding of the current bond rating which effects the hospital’s ability to raise capital and grow the services they provide.
A nonprofit in North Carolina that wants to know the possible pit falls for accepting a donation of property.
Answer: Without knowing what the property was used for in the past as well as how old the building might be and how long it sat empty, it would be hard to tell you all the risk.
I’ll try to help by listing a few: lead paint, asbestos tiles or other asbestos insulation around older boilers or heating units, you may also have underground storage tanks for either heating oil or older gas tanks depending on the facility.
Accepting a facility should require a title search as well as at the very least in my opinion what is called a phase one environmental assessment study which is not cheap.
Also, any building that sits empty even for short periods of time tend to fall in disrepair fast. Check the roof for leaks and visit the building during a downpour with heavy rains. The heating and air condition system can cost thousands of dollars to replace. A building inspector from the city or county might be a good friend to have when looking at a property.
Whew… all this before my first 9:00 a.m. and my second Diet Pepsi. I reserve Diet Mt. Dew for the afternoons depending on volume.
So now you know!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Creating A Donor For Life and Beyond!
One hard and fast truth when it comes to fundraising is that you can't fake sincerity. Oh, don't get me wrong there are lots of professional fundraisers out there who have developed a good poker face. But the truth of the matter is people want to be treated like people not like a cash register. Cha Ching!
Some people honestly think if they could just figure out which buttons to push the drawer will pop out and all they have to do is reach their hand in and get the cash they need. Rest assured those same people would skip getting the loose change but only think about the bills.
If you really want to understand the people you are trying to convince to give to your cause then you need to step back and ask yourself, what are you as a fundraiser and nonprofit offering the donor?
Creating a donor for life and beyond is possible, but you must first get the thought out of your head that you will achieve instant success. Realize like most worthy endeavors this is a long gradual process. Again, donors are not scratch and win tickets!
So how does one begin? First as an organization you need to realize your appeal is limited and it impossible to be universally liked. Also, you'll be expected to compete with many other distractions that are constantly changing in the life of your donor. While you might not personally care about this that does not negate the truth of the matter.
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." John Donne - Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1623), XVII
We as individuals would like to think we can operate in our own little bubble and not have to worry about what goes on around us. However, no matter how wealthy a person might be we are all affected by the ills of society. In general we have concerns and sometimes fears. This reality can often be the bridge to nonprofits that are trying to address such needs. In some ways donors are the light switch that you find is either turned on, sending the much needed electricity through your nonprofit, or they are turned off and disengaged all together.
In order to determine the flow of electricity nonprofits need to be mindful of the meter. It is amazing now many staff members of nonprofits and boards of directors find themselves in a blame game. How often have you heard the phrases often said in a panic: Donor's aren't responding to our requests! I know the economy is bad so that must be why donations are down.
While I asked this question earlier I would like to again call your focus and attention to the question below. Read slowly and let it sink in this time: As a fundraiser and nonprofit what are offering to the donor?
Are you offering a chance of a lifetime, to change the life of an individual? Or instead, are you asking for mere operational money?
While nonprofits might be good at helping people they are often poor students of understanding basic human nature!
The best sales and marketing staffs in the world understand the human nature and intuitive relationship they must offer their customer i.e. in your case the donor.
Many folks have heard the old sales axiom: You are selling the sizzle not the steak! While any food will do to stop hunger, why do you choose a specific restaurant? All cars can provide you the basic transportation to get you from point A to B but why are you so focused on getting an SUV? It's time to buy light bulbs, but are you really buying the GE light bulbs or do you really only care about knowing that when you again turn on the switch the light pops on!
There are people who have made a profession to be "food artist" or "hand models." This is all done for one purpose and that is to create a perceived relationship between a product or service to a potential buyer.
So, Mr. or Mrs. Nonprofit I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Donor. Let me tell you a few things you need to know about these important people. Unlike in the for profit arena, donors typically are not buying products or services from nonprofits, yet there is expectation that goes far beyond just a simple acknowledgement. They want to know that whatever dollars they choose to give you will be treated with honor and respect and used wisely.
The time after a donation is the most critical moment for any nonprofit. The donor has made the first step in starting a relationship with a prospective nonprofit.
Most nonprofits unfortunately fail to understand that when a donor makes a contribution they are not just giving dollars but are in fact transferring a level of trust to the recipient. This concept of trust is quite interesting and universal. At the core of this transfer is a strongly held belief by the donor that something worthy will come about because they chose to respond to either a call for action from the nonprofit or were self motivated to give to respond to a need that was perceived.
While donors might initially be attracted to the nonprofit by a passionate appeal, this connection will fade fast unless there is a plan of action to follow up and let the donor know the difference their contribution made.
This "action plan" is not one letter, one phone call, one face to face contact. If you want to build a lasting relationship you have to be willing to spend time to get to know your donor first as a person and individual.
Oftentimes nonprofits categorize donors as if they were grades of beef. Their reasoning tends to revolve around a logical mind set believing that it is more profitable and their best use of time to spend more time with donors of means than with donors who could not afford to give as much. Most nonprofits, therefore, are found roaming the countryside on a constant preverbal "buffalo hunt" with every other nonprofit going after that same big buffalo. Yet, I have never come across any community that is overrun with large population of donor buffalos.
Instead I can't help but realize that we are ignoring a truth that has been given to us in the Christian story of the Widow's Mite. If you are not familiar with the story let me share it with you:
Mark 12:41-44 41 "And he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than all they that are casting into the treasury: 44 for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
So do you really want a donor for life? What types of individuals are you seeking to find and why?
If your focus is only on the money but not the donor commitment then you have lost a great deal of perspective in your process of fundraising. In order to find someone willing to make a life long commitment, however, nonprofits need to also have the realization that this type of relationship is in fact a two way street.
If honestly graded the vast majority of nonprofits would not be given a passing grade on their ability to not just find donors but to retain them.
Everyone wants a generous donor, well guess what, donors want a generous nonprofit too!
Providing feedback and information to all donors is critical if a nonprofit expects to receive future gifts. Likewise it is also important that staff members share their time and personal commitment story to the donor about their enthusiasm.
We all know staff members are paid to do their job and there is nothing wrong with this. However, donors have little respect for individuals when they think the people running the organization don't honestly care about the cause they are pushing.
Creating a donor for life and beyond by way of a planned gift is more than one person's job, but that of the entire paid staff and volunteer board. Meeting this challenge head on quickly separates nonprofits that just strive to be good to those that aspire to be great!
Some people honestly think if they could just figure out which buttons to push the drawer will pop out and all they have to do is reach their hand in and get the cash they need. Rest assured those same people would skip getting the loose change but only think about the bills.
If you really want to understand the people you are trying to convince to give to your cause then you need to step back and ask yourself, what are you as a fundraiser and nonprofit offering the donor?
Creating a donor for life and beyond is possible, but you must first get the thought out of your head that you will achieve instant success. Realize like most worthy endeavors this is a long gradual process. Again, donors are not scratch and win tickets!
So how does one begin? First as an organization you need to realize your appeal is limited and it impossible to be universally liked. Also, you'll be expected to compete with many other distractions that are constantly changing in the life of your donor. While you might not personally care about this that does not negate the truth of the matter.
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." John Donne - Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (1623), XVII
We as individuals would like to think we can operate in our own little bubble and not have to worry about what goes on around us. However, no matter how wealthy a person might be we are all affected by the ills of society. In general we have concerns and sometimes fears. This reality can often be the bridge to nonprofits that are trying to address such needs. In some ways donors are the light switch that you find is either turned on, sending the much needed electricity through your nonprofit, or they are turned off and disengaged all together.
In order to determine the flow of electricity nonprofits need to be mindful of the meter. It is amazing now many staff members of nonprofits and boards of directors find themselves in a blame game. How often have you heard the phrases often said in a panic: Donor's aren't responding to our requests! I know the economy is bad so that must be why donations are down.
While I asked this question earlier I would like to again call your focus and attention to the question below. Read slowly and let it sink in this time: As a fundraiser and nonprofit what are offering to the donor?
Are you offering a chance of a lifetime, to change the life of an individual? Or instead, are you asking for mere operational money?
While nonprofits might be good at helping people they are often poor students of understanding basic human nature!
The best sales and marketing staffs in the world understand the human nature and intuitive relationship they must offer their customer i.e. in your case the donor.
Many folks have heard the old sales axiom: You are selling the sizzle not the steak! While any food will do to stop hunger, why do you choose a specific restaurant? All cars can provide you the basic transportation to get you from point A to B but why are you so focused on getting an SUV? It's time to buy light bulbs, but are you really buying the GE light bulbs or do you really only care about knowing that when you again turn on the switch the light pops on!
There are people who have made a profession to be "food artist" or "hand models." This is all done for one purpose and that is to create a perceived relationship between a product or service to a potential buyer.
So, Mr. or Mrs. Nonprofit I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Donor. Let me tell you a few things you need to know about these important people. Unlike in the for profit arena, donors typically are not buying products or services from nonprofits, yet there is expectation that goes far beyond just a simple acknowledgement. They want to know that whatever dollars they choose to give you will be treated with honor and respect and used wisely.
The time after a donation is the most critical moment for any nonprofit. The donor has made the first step in starting a relationship with a prospective nonprofit.
Most nonprofits unfortunately fail to understand that when a donor makes a contribution they are not just giving dollars but are in fact transferring a level of trust to the recipient. This concept of trust is quite interesting and universal. At the core of this transfer is a strongly held belief by the donor that something worthy will come about because they chose to respond to either a call for action from the nonprofit or were self motivated to give to respond to a need that was perceived.
While donors might initially be attracted to the nonprofit by a passionate appeal, this connection will fade fast unless there is a plan of action to follow up and let the donor know the difference their contribution made.
This "action plan" is not one letter, one phone call, one face to face contact. If you want to build a lasting relationship you have to be willing to spend time to get to know your donor first as a person and individual.
Oftentimes nonprofits categorize donors as if they were grades of beef. Their reasoning tends to revolve around a logical mind set believing that it is more profitable and their best use of time to spend more time with donors of means than with donors who could not afford to give as much. Most nonprofits, therefore, are found roaming the countryside on a constant preverbal "buffalo hunt" with every other nonprofit going after that same big buffalo. Yet, I have never come across any community that is overrun with large population of donor buffalos.
Instead I can't help but realize that we are ignoring a truth that has been given to us in the Christian story of the Widow's Mite. If you are not familiar with the story let me share it with you:
Mark 12:41-44 41 "And he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than all they that are casting into the treasury: 44 for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
So do you really want a donor for life? What types of individuals are you seeking to find and why?
If your focus is only on the money but not the donor commitment then you have lost a great deal of perspective in your process of fundraising. In order to find someone willing to make a life long commitment, however, nonprofits need to also have the realization that this type of relationship is in fact a two way street.
If honestly graded the vast majority of nonprofits would not be given a passing grade on their ability to not just find donors but to retain them.
Everyone wants a generous donor, well guess what, donors want a generous nonprofit too!
Providing feedback and information to all donors is critical if a nonprofit expects to receive future gifts. Likewise it is also important that staff members share their time and personal commitment story to the donor about their enthusiasm.
We all know staff members are paid to do their job and there is nothing wrong with this. However, donors have little respect for individuals when they think the people running the organization don't honestly care about the cause they are pushing.
Creating a donor for life and beyond by way of a planned gift is more than one person's job, but that of the entire paid staff and volunteer board. Meeting this challenge head on quickly separates nonprofits that just strive to be good to those that aspire to be great!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Another Pipe Dream Being Sold To Nonprofits
Because of the traffic on my website www.nonprofitexpert.com I receive a lot of email. Many times email is from individuals needing specific help or the nonprofit organizations themselves or board members with a specific question. Regardless, I am happy to answer these questions and help, that is what I do.
However, I also receive quite a few emails from companies either wanting to advertise on my site, which I am very picky who I allow, or people that want to promote the next great fundraising idea that will make nonprofit organizations able to walk on easy street.
Once again I received an email telling me about this wonderful opportunity where nonprofits can create a residual income stream, blab, blab, and blab. This statement alone in and of itself is a clue as to the line of bull that is surely to follow.
The nonprofit only has to pay a one time fee to get started of $199 and then $29 a month. Then, all they have to do is get their donors and friends and enemies and people they don’t know to shop online and the money will pour in or so the claim goes. Ugh!
All this nonsense makes a huge assumption that nonprofits are going to have the time, energy and effort to convince all their donors or people involved with their organization to magically and overnight change all their ingrained buying habits that they have established over the years as well as forgo all the discounted prices they can get at Wal-Mart, Sams or other retail stores not to mention the convenience of shopping locally to go to a website no one has heard of before and where the nonprofit will only get a few pennies from purchases made.
This pitch even said the average return for active sites was a whopping $2 to $4 a month. Yep right…. So to pay for the annual cost for the first year of $547 i.e. $199 plus $29 X 12 using you have to have 138 suckers… oops I mean donors to use this lame website site to make a purchase just to break even, assuming you will get $4 back from their purchases. That is of course is with the moon in the seventh house and Jupiter is aligned with Mars which I sure happens quite often, right?
In this presentation there was also an example of how easy it would be for a nonprofit to have a residual income of $3,600 annually.
My closing comment to this bozo was for him to ask the company to provide me with a list of nonprofits that have made the quoted $3600 annually from this program after expenses. My guess is there will be no such list.
Folks, I’m sorry but there is no easy fundraising program that will make hundreds of dollars for nonprofits with little to no effort.
Regardless, I’m sure people will keep looking and I will keep getting these ridiculous emails, but then again they can become blog entries!
However, I also receive quite a few emails from companies either wanting to advertise on my site, which I am very picky who I allow, or people that want to promote the next great fundraising idea that will make nonprofit organizations able to walk on easy street.
Once again I received an email telling me about this wonderful opportunity where nonprofits can create a residual income stream, blab, blab, and blab. This statement alone in and of itself is a clue as to the line of bull that is surely to follow.
The nonprofit only has to pay a one time fee to get started of $199 and then $29 a month. Then, all they have to do is get their donors and friends and enemies and people they don’t know to shop online and the money will pour in or so the claim goes. Ugh!
All this nonsense makes a huge assumption that nonprofits are going to have the time, energy and effort to convince all their donors or people involved with their organization to magically and overnight change all their ingrained buying habits that they have established over the years as well as forgo all the discounted prices they can get at Wal-Mart, Sams or other retail stores not to mention the convenience of shopping locally to go to a website no one has heard of before and where the nonprofit will only get a few pennies from purchases made.
This pitch even said the average return for active sites was a whopping $2 to $4 a month. Yep right…. So to pay for the annual cost for the first year of $547 i.e. $199 plus $29 X 12 using you have to have 138 suckers… oops I mean donors to use this lame website site to make a purchase just to break even, assuming you will get $4 back from their purchases. That is of course is with the moon in the seventh house and Jupiter is aligned with Mars which I sure happens quite often, right?
In this presentation there was also an example of how easy it would be for a nonprofit to have a residual income of $3,600 annually.
My closing comment to this bozo was for him to ask the company to provide me with a list of nonprofits that have made the quoted $3600 annually from this program after expenses. My guess is there will be no such list.
Folks, I’m sorry but there is no easy fundraising program that will make hundreds of dollars for nonprofits with little to no effort.
Regardless, I’m sure people will keep looking and I will keep getting these ridiculous emails, but then again they can become blog entries!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Helping Nonprofits (NGOs) Overseas
The Denton Program allows private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military cargo planes to transport humanitarian goods, such as clothing, food, medical and educational supplies, and agricultural equipment and vehicles, to countries in need. The program is jointly administered by USAID, the Department of State (DOS), and the Department of Defense (DOD). In FY2008, more than 600,000 pounds of humanitarian goods were sent to 17 different countries through the Denton Program.
Since Denton is a space available program, it is impossible to predict when transportation will materialize. Therefore, no guarantees can be made regarding completion of a shipment. Although the program is active in most areas of the world, it is more difficult to obtain transportation for more distant countries.
Overview of Denton Application Process
Online applications and additional information about the DOD Humanitarian Assistance Programs, Denton and Funded Transportation's Programs, are available at
http://dentonfunded.ohasis.org
The Funded Transportation Program
The Funded Transportation Program provides door-to-port surface transportation of humanitarian aid to worldwide destinations at little or no cost to the donor. Potential shipments are reviewed for appropriateness and feasibility on a case-by-case basis. All PVOs, non-governmental organizations and individuals interested in shipping to worldwide destinations are encouraged to contact the Program Manager for the Funded Transportation Program at (703) 601-3854. Guidelines and an online application for this program can be found at:
http://dentonfunded.ohasis.org
Contact Person:
Sara Lemanski, Traffic Management Specialist, OFR Program Officer, Office of Acquisition and Assistance, Transportation, (202) 712-1181 or denton@usaid.gov
Since Denton is a space available program, it is impossible to predict when transportation will materialize. Therefore, no guarantees can be made regarding completion of a shipment. Although the program is active in most areas of the world, it is more difficult to obtain transportation for more distant countries.
Overview of Denton Application Process
Online applications and additional information about the DOD Humanitarian Assistance Programs, Denton and Funded Transportation's Programs, are available at
http://dentonfunded.ohasis.org
The Funded Transportation Program
The Funded Transportation Program provides door-to-port surface transportation of humanitarian aid to worldwide destinations at little or no cost to the donor. Potential shipments are reviewed for appropriateness and feasibility on a case-by-case basis. All PVOs, non-governmental organizations and individuals interested in shipping to worldwide destinations are encouraged to contact the Program Manager for the Funded Transportation Program at (703) 601-3854. Guidelines and an online application for this program can be found at:
http://dentonfunded.ohasis.org
Contact Person:
Sara Lemanski, Traffic Management Specialist, OFR Program Officer, Office of Acquisition and Assistance, Transportation, (202) 712-1181 or denton@usaid.gov
Friday, July 30, 2010
Charity or Profit Potential?
Unfortunately in today’s world it does not seem that there are much goodness and mercy left. You would think as a consultant for nonprofits I would be surrounded by all like minded people that in short are all seeking to make a difference in others’ lives and doing everything for the right reason.
Now more than ever I feel as if I have to be on constant guard as I am approached by individuals, all that tout they want to take up the banner of “doing good” and helping others. Yea, right!
As I talk to others and peel away the layers seeking to really understand what the person’s motivation might be, in many cases I discover quickly that it is not all about helping others, but helping themselves as well.
Let’s look at a case in point that is known nationally. Most of us at some point have seen TV commercials advertised by various chain office supply stores encouraging you to help the kids going back to school with school supplies because they can’t afford to buy them.
The local stores in turn ask their customers to buy that extra pack of paper or box of pencils and donate them to the school of their choice. On the face there is nothing wrong with school teachers getting help but we tend to forget the store is making a sale. All that warm and fuzzy advertising is just that, advertising.
Likewise, there several different websites like http://www.iloveschools.com/ and http://www.donorschoose.org/ that have as a goal to connect teachers with donors. Again, there is nothing wrong with that! How the programs generally work is that teachers post a wish list and then donors can go and make purchases via the site to help with that wish list that was posted. The donor gets a donation receipt, the teacher gets the item and the website….well the website or I should say the managers of the site get a commission on the sale.
Again, is good being done, absolutely! However, if there were no profit potential would the site be online because it was the right thing to do or would the store care about the school children needing school supplies?
I’ll let you answer this question in your own mind.
Now more than ever I feel as if I have to be on constant guard as I am approached by individuals, all that tout they want to take up the banner of “doing good” and helping others. Yea, right!
As I talk to others and peel away the layers seeking to really understand what the person’s motivation might be, in many cases I discover quickly that it is not all about helping others, but helping themselves as well.
Let’s look at a case in point that is known nationally. Most of us at some point have seen TV commercials advertised by various chain office supply stores encouraging you to help the kids going back to school with school supplies because they can’t afford to buy them.
The local stores in turn ask their customers to buy that extra pack of paper or box of pencils and donate them to the school of their choice. On the face there is nothing wrong with school teachers getting help but we tend to forget the store is making a sale. All that warm and fuzzy advertising is just that, advertising.
Likewise, there several different websites like http://www.iloveschools.com/ and http://www.donorschoose.org/ that have as a goal to connect teachers with donors. Again, there is nothing wrong with that! How the programs generally work is that teachers post a wish list and then donors can go and make purchases via the site to help with that wish list that was posted. The donor gets a donation receipt, the teacher gets the item and the website….well the website or I should say the managers of the site get a commission on the sale.
Again, is good being done, absolutely! However, if there were no profit potential would the site be online because it was the right thing to do or would the store care about the school children needing school supplies?
I’ll let you answer this question in your own mind.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Nonprofits Geting A "Free Pass" By Government
Today the IRS announced a one-time filing relief for small organizations that failed to file for three consecutive years!
Small nonprofit organizations who were at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file required returns for 2007, 2008, and 2009 can preserve their exempt status by filing returns by October 15, 2010.
Two types of relief are available for small exempt organizations - a filing extension for the smallest organizations required to file Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard), and a voluntary compliance program (VCP) for small organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax.
Find more information about the filing relief program on IRS.gov.
Small nonprofit organizations who were at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file required returns for 2007, 2008, and 2009 can preserve their exempt status by filing returns by October 15, 2010.
Two types of relief are available for small exempt organizations - a filing extension for the smallest organizations required to file Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard), and a voluntary compliance program (VCP) for small organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax.
Find more information about the filing relief program on IRS.gov.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
“Employers” Need To Apply
Starting Salary: $0
Benefits: To Be Determined
What would happen if a person was hired with the understanding that the employer had to pay the person something other than money?
Life as we know it today revolves around the use of a commonly accepted universal standard of exchange, that being money.
How much money one earns or has given to them through entitlements determines what is deemed the “standard of living.” Our standards have evolved as technology changes and for most individuals in the United States the term “poverty” means something totally different that in the rest of the world.
If I may, let’s step back to the original question and ponder for a moment as an employer. What do you offer other than money? One instant answer that might pop into mind is that of providing a place where job satisfaction occurs.
Unfortunately according to a recent study from The Conference Board in the U.S. job satisfaction is at the lowest level in two decades. “The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for The Conference Board by TNS, finds only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted. "While one in 10 Americans is now unemployed, their working compatriots of all ages and incomes continue to grow increasingly unhappy," says Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board. "Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend." Fewer Americans are satisfied with all aspects of their employment, and no age or income group is immune. In fact, the youngest cohort of employees (those currently under age 25) expresses the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group.” (1)
One additional study I would like to share was done back in 2007 by Nathan Bowling, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Wright State which I think added another twist to this equation:
“Job satisfaction has traditionally been thought of by most business managers to be key in determining job performance. The prevailing thought is if you are satisfied and happy in your work, you will perform better than someone who isn’t happy at work.”
However, according to Bowling “My study shows that a cause and effect relationship does not exist between job satisfaction and performance. Instead, the two are related because both satisfaction and performance are the result of employee personality characteristics, such as self-esteem, emotional stability, extroversion and conscientiousness,” he explained.
Bowling, who specializes in industrial and organizational psychology, said his findings are based on reviewing data from several thousand employees compiled over several decades. His subjects, mostly in the United States, involved several hundred different organizations. Bowling said the public, and even researchers, can get confused over the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. “Just because two things are related doesn’t mean that one causes the other. For example, there is a relationship between the amount of ice cream sold on a given day and the crime rate for that day. On days when ice cream sales are high, the number of crimes committed will also tend to be high. But this doesn’t mean that ice cream sales cause crime. Rather, ice cream sales and crime are related because each is the result of the outdoor temperature. Similarly, satisfaction and performance are related because each is the result of employee personality.”
Bowling said he was surprised that researchers have devoted little effort to the illusion of job satisfaction and performance, and he hopes his work will lead to further research in this field. (2)
Ok, so we have a work force where a large percentage of the people are not satisfied and even if they are satisfied that may or may not directly pay off to the employer causing there to be a greater level of performance. Things are not that simple.
So, if you are employer that might take the time to try to figure this puzzle out, what do you think the answer could be? Is this a problem that really does not have an answer because of the individual nature of each employee and their own personality?
Jim Heskett posted on April 2, 2010 in the online working knowledge section at Harvard Business School the following question: Why Are Fewer and Fewer U.S. Employees Satisfied With Their Jobs? (3)
“Charles Wegrzyn cited ‘incredible pressure from the economic side,’ ‘incredible instability,’ and a resulting ‘dog-eat-dog attitude.’”
Dennis Hopwood said, "In the end, it's all about making the numbers."
Akhil Aggarwal mentioned "Lack of personalized focus on employees and more on business and profitability."
Phil Clark posited that knowledge work that deals with intangible results and hard-to-pinpoint accomplishments "just isn't as satisfying" as work used to be.
John Alexander said, "When workers see senior management face no responsibility for poor performance and continue to get highly paid, it's no wonder there is widespread dissatisfaction."
E. Shields stated that it may be the result of disappointed expectations: "People believe that their work should allow them to use their special talents in the way that they most want to. This is a beautiful dream, but I believe it sets people up to be unhappy."
In closing with all the options on the table employers need to continue to struggle daily to better understand their most important asset, their employees. Until they are ready and willing to do this, they are destined to spend more money, time and energy hiring and training individuals that ultimately will leave their employment because there are tried of feeling like they are a part of the rat race.
Sources
(1) http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressdetail.cfm?press_id=3820
(2) http://www.wright.edu/cgi-bin/cm/news.cgi?action=news_item&id=1366
(3) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6404.html
Benefits: To Be Determined
What would happen if a person was hired with the understanding that the employer had to pay the person something other than money?
Life as we know it today revolves around the use of a commonly accepted universal standard of exchange, that being money.
How much money one earns or has given to them through entitlements determines what is deemed the “standard of living.” Our standards have evolved as technology changes and for most individuals in the United States the term “poverty” means something totally different that in the rest of the world.
If I may, let’s step back to the original question and ponder for a moment as an employer. What do you offer other than money? One instant answer that might pop into mind is that of providing a place where job satisfaction occurs.
Unfortunately according to a recent study from The Conference Board in the U.S. job satisfaction is at the lowest level in two decades. “The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for The Conference Board by TNS, finds only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted. "While one in 10 Americans is now unemployed, their working compatriots of all ages and incomes continue to grow increasingly unhappy," says Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board. "Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend." Fewer Americans are satisfied with all aspects of their employment, and no age or income group is immune. In fact, the youngest cohort of employees (those currently under age 25) expresses the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group.” (1)
One additional study I would like to share was done back in 2007 by Nathan Bowling, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Wright State which I think added another twist to this equation:
“Job satisfaction has traditionally been thought of by most business managers to be key in determining job performance. The prevailing thought is if you are satisfied and happy in your work, you will perform better than someone who isn’t happy at work.”
However, according to Bowling “My study shows that a cause and effect relationship does not exist between job satisfaction and performance. Instead, the two are related because both satisfaction and performance are the result of employee personality characteristics, such as self-esteem, emotional stability, extroversion and conscientiousness,” he explained.
Bowling, who specializes in industrial and organizational psychology, said his findings are based on reviewing data from several thousand employees compiled over several decades. His subjects, mostly in the United States, involved several hundred different organizations. Bowling said the public, and even researchers, can get confused over the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. “Just because two things are related doesn’t mean that one causes the other. For example, there is a relationship between the amount of ice cream sold on a given day and the crime rate for that day. On days when ice cream sales are high, the number of crimes committed will also tend to be high. But this doesn’t mean that ice cream sales cause crime. Rather, ice cream sales and crime are related because each is the result of the outdoor temperature. Similarly, satisfaction and performance are related because each is the result of employee personality.”
Bowling said he was surprised that researchers have devoted little effort to the illusion of job satisfaction and performance, and he hopes his work will lead to further research in this field. (2)
Ok, so we have a work force where a large percentage of the people are not satisfied and even if they are satisfied that may or may not directly pay off to the employer causing there to be a greater level of performance. Things are not that simple.
So, if you are employer that might take the time to try to figure this puzzle out, what do you think the answer could be? Is this a problem that really does not have an answer because of the individual nature of each employee and their own personality?
Jim Heskett posted on April 2, 2010 in the online working knowledge section at Harvard Business School the following question: Why Are Fewer and Fewer U.S. Employees Satisfied With Their Jobs? (3)
“Charles Wegrzyn cited ‘incredible pressure from the economic side,’ ‘incredible instability,’ and a resulting ‘dog-eat-dog attitude.’”
Dennis Hopwood said, "In the end, it's all about making the numbers."
Akhil Aggarwal mentioned "Lack of personalized focus on employees and more on business and profitability."
Phil Clark posited that knowledge work that deals with intangible results and hard-to-pinpoint accomplishments "just isn't as satisfying" as work used to be.
John Alexander said, "When workers see senior management face no responsibility for poor performance and continue to get highly paid, it's no wonder there is widespread dissatisfaction."
E. Shields stated that it may be the result of disappointed expectations: "People believe that their work should allow them to use their special talents in the way that they most want to. This is a beautiful dream, but I believe it sets people up to be unhappy."
In closing with all the options on the table employers need to continue to struggle daily to better understand their most important asset, their employees. Until they are ready and willing to do this, they are destined to spend more money, time and energy hiring and training individuals that ultimately will leave their employment because there are tried of feeling like they are a part of the rat race.
Sources
(1) http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressdetail.cfm?press_id=3820
(2) http://www.wright.edu/cgi-bin/cm/news.cgi?action=news_item&id=1366
(3) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6404.html
The Silent Scream Inside
The older you get the more you realize life is passing by. If you are like many you might begin to wonder how much time you have left. Some people look at this in a realistic way while others tend to do everything they can to ignore facts. Middle aged is not fifty because no matter how much we would like to believe few people live to be one hundred and those that do have such minimal existence because they are worn out. You have to ask do you really want to last that long?
As you get older you begin to understand that you have either learned from your past or are continuing to make the same mistakes that you are so accustom to making.
Likewise, you quickly find that you are either bogged down with the “have to” or “should” lists in life or somehow you have realized the pointlessness of it all and have drifted to doing more of the things you really want to do, if you can figure out what that might be. While the movie is an older one, how many of us have our “Bucket List” and how many things have we really marked off that list? As easy as this might sound, figuring out what you might enjoy doing with your time and energy often can be a foreign concept in many respects.
A reality we all have to face is that the longer you live life the more you have numbed yourself as a natural means of protection. Broken hopes, dreams, missed opportunities and failures cause some of us to never wake up fully from the anesthetic because we ultimately fear the pain we might feel would destroy us.
Everyone I am sure at some point in their life takes an introspective look. However, after that first glance do we as individuals chart a new course? For many our imagined level of comfort that is derived from operating within our known boundaries keeps us firmly affixed, as if we were a train, that only had one set of tracks to run on.
Life, however, involves more than one direction and is made up of multiple layers of experiences and feelings. Unlike that of an onion you can never peel it all away but many times you find yourself realizing honestly how meaningless so much of what we spend our time doing actually can become.
After all we had no say in our conception. Likewise, for the vast majority of us we will have no say in our time of death. Most of us would like to believe that all that happens in between has some overall purpose. As individuals finding out that purpose can take a lifetime and for some the answer is never revealed.
As you get older you begin to understand that you have either learned from your past or are continuing to make the same mistakes that you are so accustom to making.
Likewise, you quickly find that you are either bogged down with the “have to” or “should” lists in life or somehow you have realized the pointlessness of it all and have drifted to doing more of the things you really want to do, if you can figure out what that might be. While the movie is an older one, how many of us have our “Bucket List” and how many things have we really marked off that list? As easy as this might sound, figuring out what you might enjoy doing with your time and energy often can be a foreign concept in many respects.
A reality we all have to face is that the longer you live life the more you have numbed yourself as a natural means of protection. Broken hopes, dreams, missed opportunities and failures cause some of us to never wake up fully from the anesthetic because we ultimately fear the pain we might feel would destroy us.
Everyone I am sure at some point in their life takes an introspective look. However, after that first glance do we as individuals chart a new course? For many our imagined level of comfort that is derived from operating within our known boundaries keeps us firmly affixed, as if we were a train, that only had one set of tracks to run on.
Life, however, involves more than one direction and is made up of multiple layers of experiences and feelings. Unlike that of an onion you can never peel it all away but many times you find yourself realizing honestly how meaningless so much of what we spend our time doing actually can become.
After all we had no say in our conception. Likewise, for the vast majority of us we will have no say in our time of death. Most of us would like to believe that all that happens in between has some overall purpose. As individuals finding out that purpose can take a lifetime and for some the answer is never revealed.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Author J.K Rowling on the Fringe Benefits of Failure
While this address was given in 2008 the words spoken are timeless.
http://vimeo.com/1711302
http://vimeo.com/1711302
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Value of Money
I'd like to start this thought process by asking you a few questions: Do you think it if takes you less time to earn $100 the value of that money changes? Let me put it another way, do you believe $100 means more to a person making $50,000 a year than to someone who makes $250,000 a year?
Apparently, many nonprofits are confused when answering these questions because the value of money seems to change! It is almost magical and there is a REAL presumption that more you make the less value the money must have. But is this true?
If you make more or have more money there is a reason. Granted this reason may be because the person was born into wealth or maybe because the person inherited a lot of wealth. People also make different amounts of money in relation to their education and/or job skills. The reason different people have more money than others depends on all sorts of different situations.
Regardless of how the money was received let's step back again and look deeper into the question of the value of money.
The paper and coin you hold does not discriminate against the buyer. In our example of $100 the same amount of gas or food can be purchased so what is the difference?
Well, it is because one person has more than the other person! Ok, so this means the more money you have the less value you place on it simply because you have more?
Really, is that logical?
Well, it is not just because one person has more than the other; it is really because the more money you have the "easier" life is for you. You know because you don't have to worry as much about different "things.”
Wow, so more money equals happiness and worrying about less "things"! Ah, wouldn't it be great if life were that simple where you could always count on a + b
equaling c no matter what day of the week it occurred.
Nonprofits need to understand that the people they are seeking to get a donation from know the value of money just as much as they do. If you make a personal donation to a cause I would suspect you are not doing so in a blind fashion, but responding in either in a very logical way or because of a certain emotion or attachment you feel for the organization.
Don't assume because someone might earn more or have more money than you do that the money somehow means less to them, because in most cases it does not!
Money does not make you worry less nor does it buy happiness. If it did all the millionaires in the world would be happy about life. Money is a tool, in the right hands it can create many things, but it is not the solution to fixing all problems!
Apparently, many nonprofits are confused when answering these questions because the value of money seems to change! It is almost magical and there is a REAL presumption that more you make the less value the money must have. But is this true?
If you make more or have more money there is a reason. Granted this reason may be because the person was born into wealth or maybe because the person inherited a lot of wealth. People also make different amounts of money in relation to their education and/or job skills. The reason different people have more money than others depends on all sorts of different situations.
Regardless of how the money was received let's step back again and look deeper into the question of the value of money.
The paper and coin you hold does not discriminate against the buyer. In our example of $100 the same amount of gas or food can be purchased so what is the difference?
Well, it is because one person has more than the other person! Ok, so this means the more money you have the less value you place on it simply because you have more?
Really, is that logical?
Well, it is not just because one person has more than the other; it is really because the more money you have the "easier" life is for you. You know because you don't have to worry as much about different "things.”
Wow, so more money equals happiness and worrying about less "things"! Ah, wouldn't it be great if life were that simple where you could always count on a + b
equaling c no matter what day of the week it occurred.
Nonprofits need to understand that the people they are seeking to get a donation from know the value of money just as much as they do. If you make a personal donation to a cause I would suspect you are not doing so in a blind fashion, but responding in either in a very logical way or because of a certain emotion or attachment you feel for the organization.
Don't assume because someone might earn more or have more money than you do that the money somehow means less to them, because in most cases it does not!
Money does not make you worry less nor does it buy happiness. If it did all the millionaires in the world would be happy about life. Money is a tool, in the right hands it can create many things, but it is not the solution to fixing all problems!
Service After The Sale
Many nonprofits might want to take a moment to look around at their for profit counterparts and see if there are lessons they might learn from their business model. It is unfortunate that the vast majority of nonprofit executive directors have little experience in the for profit world because with that additional experience they might view their responsibility and how to approach donors differently.
People in the car industry are constantly trying to come up with new ideas and incentives to sell you a car. However, most also put a great deal of focus on servicing that vehicle after the sell. They want to keep you coming back to the dealership.
All realtors want to sell you a house, but after the sale they seem to still stay in touch from time to time sending you a calendar you may or may not want or drop you a postcard about the houses that recently sold in your neighborhood. You ever wonder why? Well, you have heard of out the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" right? Well, they don't want to be forgotten.
Have you ever been in a situation when you arrange with someone providing a service you need when the following steps were followed: First they met with you when it is convenient for you to meet. Second you both agreed what needed to be done. Third they scheduled a time to provide the service that was outlined. Fourth they did the service at the time they said they would and at or below the price agreed on in advance. Lastly, they followed up after the service was complete to see if it was satisfactory and met your approval. Also to see if there was anything else that needed to be done or was overlooked.
Now while the above outline might not be an exact match to how you should operate your nonprofit or deal with your donor you can see by using this method of delivery how the focus is on the customer, always!
What Not To Do!
People that go to the post office daily to pick up mail occasionally find that dreaded slip in their box letting them know a package awaits at the window. With this discovery that means standing in line to be served. A few years back under the guise of standardization the post office came up with the:
USPS Strategic Transformation Plan 2006-2010 http://www.usps.com/strategicplanning/stp2006_2010/
Now forgive me for being critical because I realize at the time of the publication the post office I think was trying to "standardize" approximately 37,000 retail locations, but seriously are you telling me it takes five years to do this? I just can't help but wonder if Domino's Pizza or FedEx decided to make this project on how long it would take them?
Regardless, on page 60 you will read "The Postal Service recognizes that customers form expectations on critical attributes such as waiting time in line based on their experience with other similar services, and compare Postal Service performance to best-in-class providers." Really, you think? So one solution to improve customer service, remove all the clocks.
Now the only other place that I know that has done, but for an obviously different reason are the casinos in Las Vegas.
So, if people stand in line and can't see a clock they will be less frustrated. Oh yea, that is logical.
Finally, I hope one take away for your nonprofit in all this is for you to consider this question: How are we focusing on our donor?
People in the car industry are constantly trying to come up with new ideas and incentives to sell you a car. However, most also put a great deal of focus on servicing that vehicle after the sell. They want to keep you coming back to the dealership.
All realtors want to sell you a house, but after the sale they seem to still stay in touch from time to time sending you a calendar you may or may not want or drop you a postcard about the houses that recently sold in your neighborhood. You ever wonder why? Well, you have heard of out the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" right? Well, they don't want to be forgotten.
Have you ever been in a situation when you arrange with someone providing a service you need when the following steps were followed: First they met with you when it is convenient for you to meet. Second you both agreed what needed to be done. Third they scheduled a time to provide the service that was outlined. Fourth they did the service at the time they said they would and at or below the price agreed on in advance. Lastly, they followed up after the service was complete to see if it was satisfactory and met your approval. Also to see if there was anything else that needed to be done or was overlooked.
Now while the above outline might not be an exact match to how you should operate your nonprofit or deal with your donor you can see by using this method of delivery how the focus is on the customer, always!
What Not To Do!
People that go to the post office daily to pick up mail occasionally find that dreaded slip in their box letting them know a package awaits at the window. With this discovery that means standing in line to be served. A few years back under the guise of standardization the post office came up with the:
USPS Strategic Transformation Plan 2006-2010 http://www.usps.com/strategicplanning/stp2006_2010/
Now forgive me for being critical because I realize at the time of the publication the post office I think was trying to "standardize" approximately 37,000 retail locations, but seriously are you telling me it takes five years to do this? I just can't help but wonder if Domino's Pizza or FedEx decided to make this project on how long it would take them?
Regardless, on page 60 you will read "The Postal Service recognizes that customers form expectations on critical attributes such as waiting time in line based on their experience with other similar services, and compare Postal Service performance to best-in-class providers." Really, you think? So one solution to improve customer service, remove all the clocks.
Now the only other place that I know that has done, but for an obviously different reason are the casinos in Las Vegas.
So, if people stand in line and can't see a clock they will be less frustrated. Oh yea, that is logical.
Finally, I hope one take away for your nonprofit in all this is for you to consider this question: How are we focusing on our donor?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Nonprofit Vocation or Occupation?
According to Wikipedia: “A vocation, from the Latin vocare (verb, to call), is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in secular contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.”
My question to you is how do you view your job? Is it “just a job” or a “calling?”
In America we seem to be stuck on giving ourselves titles. Your are Mr., Mrs., Miss or even Ms. but let’s also not forget Dr.
Then for others you have Jr., II, III as well as toss in PhD or even Esq. in addition President, CEO, COO, Vice President, Director of etc.
Isn’t it a shame we don’t use Barron, Duke or Duchess because those sound so impressive don’t they?
I also find it interesting that so many people work at a job to make a pay check but for a moment if you asked them to imagine that they somehow won the lottery or didn’t have to worry about finances anymore, would they still continue to work at their current job? Almost everyone says no, are you kidding?
Why is it that so many people work their entire life in a career that they would toss away so easily? Have we all lost our minds and think so little of our life we are willing to waste it away doing something we really don’t want to do?
I am struck as a consultant the number of conversations I have had with individuals who call me and tell me that they are at a point in their career that they want to re-focus and do something different, something to help people.
Wow, well honestly you don’t have to wait any longer. I am not advocating you to sell all your worldly possessions, so relax, I am suggesting that helping others is not as gigantic as it appears.
Start small… and do something nice and totally unexpected for a stranger within the next 24 hours. After you complete this, write a short note to yourself about how that made you feel. Read it out loud to yourself….Then think about what life would be like if you did this everyday and ask yourself are you willing to allow the gift you have inside of you out and share it with others. What are you waiting for?
My question to you is how do you view your job? Is it “just a job” or a “calling?”
In America we seem to be stuck on giving ourselves titles. Your are Mr., Mrs., Miss or even Ms. but let’s also not forget Dr.
Then for others you have Jr., II, III as well as toss in PhD or even Esq. in addition President, CEO, COO, Vice President, Director of etc.
Isn’t it a shame we don’t use Barron, Duke or Duchess because those sound so impressive don’t they?
I also find it interesting that so many people work at a job to make a pay check but for a moment if you asked them to imagine that they somehow won the lottery or didn’t have to worry about finances anymore, would they still continue to work at their current job? Almost everyone says no, are you kidding?
Why is it that so many people work their entire life in a career that they would toss away so easily? Have we all lost our minds and think so little of our life we are willing to waste it away doing something we really don’t want to do?
I am struck as a consultant the number of conversations I have had with individuals who call me and tell me that they are at a point in their career that they want to re-focus and do something different, something to help people.
Wow, well honestly you don’t have to wait any longer. I am not advocating you to sell all your worldly possessions, so relax, I am suggesting that helping others is not as gigantic as it appears.
Start small… and do something nice and totally unexpected for a stranger within the next 24 hours. After you complete this, write a short note to yourself about how that made you feel. Read it out loud to yourself….Then think about what life would be like if you did this everyday and ask yourself are you willing to allow the gift you have inside of you out and share it with others. What are you waiting for?
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Planned Giving
Many times nonprofits fall into basically two distinctive camps when it comes to talking about planned giving.
First you see small nonprofits with limited staff and budgets that are totally consumed with running their organization and raising the money. They simply don’t feel like they have the time to devote to something that on its face seems so nebulous.
The second type of nonprofit organization is one that is bigger possibly better funded but more than likely does not have one person who is just devoted to only fundraising but it is the job of several which obvious includes in large part the board of directors. Even in this organization planned giving and creating an endowment appears to be more of an after thought versus something that is in the forefront. Instead of thinking about funding that might strengthen the future of the nonprofit they focus solely on what they can see directly in front of them by way of their annual campaign.
If the organization is more motivated many times you see an effort on their part to offer seminars to “help the donor” with their estate planning. The assumption here is that the donor has no other help. While I’m sure this effort helps the proverbial little old lady in the shoe I can only give this organization a C+ for at least addressing the topic of “planned giving.” In my opinion this is not the best motivational tool to encourage someone to give. In fact, when I receive a note from a university or other agency inviting me to a seminar to hear someone I have no knowledge of or have never established a level of trust with, I get more than a little irritated.
I recently read that 70% to 90% of all planned gifts to charity are made with the charity having no knowledge until after the donor’s death. So much for thanking your donor, huh!
So how can this change and who is the best to guide you on his journey? First while I am sure there are a number of well qualified consultants I would like you to give each one a little test. Ask them if they themselves have made a planned gift! If so ask them to tell you about it and why they made it. If they tell you, no, then I’ll let you decide.
It is one thing to tell you what you should be doing and another to have actually done it. I am happy to report that long before I became a consultant for nonprofits I began my philanthropic career at an early age. Giving was both taught by example as well as in actions taken after making an effort to get involved and feeling a sense of responsibility to help others.
By the way as a consultant that does almost all pro-bono work I’m not trying to get more business. Trust me, I’m already busy!
Anyway, I currently have several planned gifts funded by insurance policies. While many organizations might shy away from this type of gift because the giver can always choose to stop paying the premium, I started at a young age so it was something I felt I could afford to do. I realized back then that long after I was gone it would have a lasting effect and impact on the lives of others.
I wish I could tell you that in my case the nonprofits involved did all the right things and were active in keeping me involved, but that would be lying. The fact of the matter is the planned gifts I made were self driven.
A few facts nonprofits need to understand. First less than half of all Americans have a will and the ones that do only 8-9% include a gift to charities. The good part about that percentage is that once a charity is included 97% of the time they will remain in the will.
So how does one go about actively finding that individual who might be willing to make that planned gift?
The answers, while quite simple, are ones that need to be thought about as you review your donor database. People who make a planned gift “care” about the organization as a whole. This level of caring is something that is not often studied or talked about but is something you as a nonprofit need to develop with each and every donor you meet.
You need to make sure that when someone gives to your organization you have some method of establishing that that gift has a greater sense of purpose.
We all at some point have written a check for a utility bill or phone bill. You know the feeling you get seeing the figure owed and thinking about what you paid last month, looking at your balance in your check book and writing the check. Even if you now are doing all these transactions online, unless it is automatic draft, you still have a certain thought process.
The worst thing that can occur to a nonprofit is when a donor makes a donation in the same rote, lifeless automated response. When this happens there is little joy in making a gift. Much like helium birthday balloons with a slow leak, eventually there is nothing happy about it at all.
Coupled with the sense of caring about your organization is another deep rooted emotional response a donor has is the need to do something special.
We all understand what it means to have someone go out of their way to do something nice for you. Not because they have to but because they want to. In this same spirit of openness the donor seeks to share a literal part of their self with the organization.
Sadly most organizations are so self absorbed that if someone truly does care to that level it is missed completely by the leadership. Even if the board or staff recognizes that this person is really special to the organization often times there is a lack of response as a way of just saying thanks for being there.
Many nonprofits, especially those that really don’t understand what giving is all about, incorrectly think that “rich people” want to give to a nonprofit because something is in it for them like a tax deduction. While no one likes to pay more taxes than they have to 65% of the time a gift to charity in a planned gift is NOT for estate tax reasons.
Lastly, I have said this many times and it is worth repeating.
People give to people first before they give to the organization.
So, get out of your comfy office and go visit your donors. Spend some time getting to know them! But let me warn you first, if your motivation is only because you’re thinking about a gift and not a friendship then realize that your will not be able to hide your insincerity, so don’t stay long.
If you have any questions feel free to send me an email or visit my website at: www.nonprofitexpert.com
First you see small nonprofits with limited staff and budgets that are totally consumed with running their organization and raising the money. They simply don’t feel like they have the time to devote to something that on its face seems so nebulous.
The second type of nonprofit organization is one that is bigger possibly better funded but more than likely does not have one person who is just devoted to only fundraising but it is the job of several which obvious includes in large part the board of directors. Even in this organization planned giving and creating an endowment appears to be more of an after thought versus something that is in the forefront. Instead of thinking about funding that might strengthen the future of the nonprofit they focus solely on what they can see directly in front of them by way of their annual campaign.
If the organization is more motivated many times you see an effort on their part to offer seminars to “help the donor” with their estate planning. The assumption here is that the donor has no other help. While I’m sure this effort helps the proverbial little old lady in the shoe I can only give this organization a C+ for at least addressing the topic of “planned giving.” In my opinion this is not the best motivational tool to encourage someone to give. In fact, when I receive a note from a university or other agency inviting me to a seminar to hear someone I have no knowledge of or have never established a level of trust with, I get more than a little irritated.
I recently read that 70% to 90% of all planned gifts to charity are made with the charity having no knowledge until after the donor’s death. So much for thanking your donor, huh!
So how can this change and who is the best to guide you on his journey? First while I am sure there are a number of well qualified consultants I would like you to give each one a little test. Ask them if they themselves have made a planned gift! If so ask them to tell you about it and why they made it. If they tell you, no, then I’ll let you decide.
It is one thing to tell you what you should be doing and another to have actually done it. I am happy to report that long before I became a consultant for nonprofits I began my philanthropic career at an early age. Giving was both taught by example as well as in actions taken after making an effort to get involved and feeling a sense of responsibility to help others.
By the way as a consultant that does almost all pro-bono work I’m not trying to get more business. Trust me, I’m already busy!
Anyway, I currently have several planned gifts funded by insurance policies. While many organizations might shy away from this type of gift because the giver can always choose to stop paying the premium, I started at a young age so it was something I felt I could afford to do. I realized back then that long after I was gone it would have a lasting effect and impact on the lives of others.
I wish I could tell you that in my case the nonprofits involved did all the right things and were active in keeping me involved, but that would be lying. The fact of the matter is the planned gifts I made were self driven.
A few facts nonprofits need to understand. First less than half of all Americans have a will and the ones that do only 8-9% include a gift to charities. The good part about that percentage is that once a charity is included 97% of the time they will remain in the will.
So how does one go about actively finding that individual who might be willing to make that planned gift?
The answers, while quite simple, are ones that need to be thought about as you review your donor database. People who make a planned gift “care” about the organization as a whole. This level of caring is something that is not often studied or talked about but is something you as a nonprofit need to develop with each and every donor you meet.
You need to make sure that when someone gives to your organization you have some method of establishing that that gift has a greater sense of purpose.
We all at some point have written a check for a utility bill or phone bill. You know the feeling you get seeing the figure owed and thinking about what you paid last month, looking at your balance in your check book and writing the check. Even if you now are doing all these transactions online, unless it is automatic draft, you still have a certain thought process.
The worst thing that can occur to a nonprofit is when a donor makes a donation in the same rote, lifeless automated response. When this happens there is little joy in making a gift. Much like helium birthday balloons with a slow leak, eventually there is nothing happy about it at all.
Coupled with the sense of caring about your organization is another deep rooted emotional response a donor has is the need to do something special.
We all understand what it means to have someone go out of their way to do something nice for you. Not because they have to but because they want to. In this same spirit of openness the donor seeks to share a literal part of their self with the organization.
Sadly most organizations are so self absorbed that if someone truly does care to that level it is missed completely by the leadership. Even if the board or staff recognizes that this person is really special to the organization often times there is a lack of response as a way of just saying thanks for being there.
Many nonprofits, especially those that really don’t understand what giving is all about, incorrectly think that “rich people” want to give to a nonprofit because something is in it for them like a tax deduction. While no one likes to pay more taxes than they have to 65% of the time a gift to charity in a planned gift is NOT for estate tax reasons.
Lastly, I have said this many times and it is worth repeating.
People give to people first before they give to the organization.
So, get out of your comfy office and go visit your donors. Spend some time getting to know them! But let me warn you first, if your motivation is only because you’re thinking about a gift and not a friendship then realize that your will not be able to hide your insincerity, so don’t stay long.
If you have any questions feel free to send me an email or visit my website at: www.nonprofitexpert.com
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