National Volunteer Week: Fundraising

“The theme for National Volunteer Week, commemorated April 19-25, is "Celebrating People in Action." The theme captures the meaning behind this signature week – honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.”

I would like to take the time out now to recognize several of the Cabrini Connections' volunteers who have been actively assisting the program in with their fundraising efforts. At the start of the 2008-2009 tutoring/mentoring year we launched the FUNdraising for Quarters Competition where volunteers in the program began working towards obtaining financial contributions by spreading the word of Cabrini Connections and all that we try to do within the program. And as a result of the volunteers' effort they are recognized in the newsletters, in our blogs, and at the end of each quarter the volunteer who brought in the most in donations receives a prize. And the GRAND prize for the volunteer who brings in the most in donations for the entire academic year will receive 2 round-trip airline tickets to any where in the U.S.

We are proud to say that many of our volunteers have stepped up throughout the year with their fundraising efforts, but there are 3 volunteers that I would like to recognize now. First year tutor/mentor John Knight has thought outside the box with his fundraising by putting together a fundraising event of his own, where all of the proceeds went to the Cabrini Connections' program. John hosted an event at Krem nightclub in December, and as a result of Mr. Knight's efforts the Cabrini Connections' program received a little over $1200. and Mr. Knight is currently in 3rd place in the FUNdraising for Quarter's competition in relations to the GRAND prize.

Another volunteer that I would like to recognize, and who is currently in 2nd place, is Mary Catherine Nelson. M.C. was able to solidify the Cabrini Connections' organization as the beneficiary of her company's holiday giving during the month of December. Several students accompanied a staff to M.C.'s place of business to promote the program and to tell the employees why their funds are needed for programs such as Cabrini Connections. As a result of M.C. Nelson and this opportunity during the holiday season, Cabrini Connections' received $1,630.

Lastly, I would like to recognize the current leader in the FUNdraising for Quarters competition and that is non other than veteran volunteer, Allen "AJ" Tyson. Mr. Tyson has been using his extensive knowledge of the Cabrini Connections program and his overall understanding of the importance of program such as our to get people in his network to support the program. AJ has been working with his student in our program for a couple years and they continue to build a strong, lifelong relationship. As mentioned, AJ is in first place in the FUNdraising for Quarters competition and has brought in a total of $1825!!!

Thanks so much John, M.C., AJ, and all of the other volunteers who have contributed to our fundraising efforts. Without you, there is not us! Keep up the great work of spreading the word and bringing in those needed dollars!

Sell Back to Give Back

One of the examples I gave to our volunteers when we started our FUNdraising for Quarters Competition back in September was to possibly sell items on eBay and give a portion of their proceeds to the cause. Because I've never sold anything on eBay (I'm working on it!) I couldn't go into much detail. In the meantime while I work up my eBay nerve, I've found two stores I now swear by; Once Upon a Child and Elliott Consignment. Both are consignment shops where you can sell back clothes, shoes, children's toys and items for a small fraction of what you paid for it. Now, I don't sell back everything to these stores. I actually have a three-part sorting system: To sell, to donate, too used to donate.

In my work at Cabrini Connections I do a lot, countless hours in fact, of research on everything from development opportunities, grants, event ideas, webinar training and basic article searches that might help me do my job more effectively. I have recently found this one (to follow below) on How to Generate Cash After the Holiday Season by Jennifer Openshaw. Please take heed, now that the holidays are done, that people and organizations who are needier than you are everywhere. Cabrini Connections fits that bill in two-fold. We are an organization that tailors to needy, at-risk youth, mentoring them to be better students and model citizens. Raid your closet today. Yesterdays Ferragamo Pumps could be box lunches for more than 75 at-risk students next month. I am donating another $15 (half of what I got from selling back my son's summer clothes) to the cause. Imagine if 100 more of you gave $15, too?

Enjoy the read. Source link at bottom.

Just a few months back, before it became so ridiculously cold, I bought a gorgeous purple coat in a consignment shop. It was a designer coat, in perfect shape, and I swear it should’ve cost about $1,000. But for $150 I bought what had been someone else's coat, and put some additional dollars in her pocket.

Selling used stuff isn't new, but it's the hot thing right now — especially since everyone is worried about their 401(k)s or how to balance out what you spent on holiday gifts without going into debt.

Think about it: Companies are selling assets right and left as a way to get cash and get rid of debt, right? That's something you can do, too. In fact, the typical person has 50 unused items worth $3,000 right in their homes, according to eBay. And more people are buying and selling used: Craigslist, the online classified site, reports a 50 percent growth over the last year and now boasts 40 million unique visitors a month.

Just look around you: your kitchen, bedrooms, garage, the basement. You can easily get rid of the stuff you don't need or haven't used in a while. Think of the tennis racquet that's been collecting cobwebs in the garage, or the clothes you've only worn once (or not at all). Remember, your trash maybe someone else’s treasure. You can get some real dollars for this stuff, lighten up your load, and simplify your life in the process.

Here are a few initial pointers to make sure you're successful:

Take an hour. First, set aside some time to go through the house to look for stuff to sell. Get others involved. Ask what can be sold. If you’re staring something in the face and it hasn’t been used for 3 months, sell it.

Know the value. If you're unsure about what to charge for an item — especially if it might be rare — do a bit of research either at eBay or other online sites, or get an independent appraisal. Lots of legitimate jewelry stores (forget pawn shops) sell used pieces and can give you a fair price.

Where to Sell Your Stuff

Let me give you a quick rundown of some of your different options:

Consignment stores. These stores are easy because you have a salesperson whose sole job is to help sell your stuff. Also, some consignment stores specialize for a more targeted audience, whether for cars, clothes, or jewelry. The downside is that you generally have to split revenues, by as much as 50/50.
Online classifieds. Sites like Craigslist and Kijiji are great because they're free, easy to use and post products, and they get a much larger reach while still being "local." As a result, you don't have to deal with shipping. However, they can be tedious if you have lots of small items to post. Also, your market is still limited — although it's certainly broader than your neighborhood.
Online auctions – As you undoubtedly know, eBay is the player here. The entire world sees your product, and more competition is usually a good thing. Also, if you have a niche item, you can attract connoisseurs. The downsides: You'll pay small fees to post and promote your items, you'll have to set up ads along with a payment method (PayPal or credit cards), and you have to ship your items. This can be time consuming, especially for small items. Alternatively, you can drop your stuff off at an eBay reseller and be done with it— but you'll be giving up about 35% of your revenue.

And keep your ear to the ground: If a lot of your friends are talking about selling their schwag, maybe you're in on the next big stock swing. Publicly traded companies that would benefit from a boon in second-hand sales include Winmart (WINA), which owns second-hand shops across the country, and of course ebay (EBAY). If you take your secondhand earnings and invest in one of these companies, maybe next time you'll be looking to sell your Rolls-Royce, not your old tennis racquet.

http://www.blogher.com/how-generate-cash-after-holiday-season
Jennifer Openshaw is co-founder and president of WeSeed, a new approach to demystifying the stock market for real everyday people. Openshaw is and author of "The Millionaire Zone."

FUNdraising

Several of our volunteers have mentioned how they would love to help us fundraise in efforts to keep Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection planted firmly in the
heart of the Cabrini Green neighborhood. While the Housing Project is being demolished brick-by-brick and gentrified daily it does NOT stop our cause to continue empowering our Chicago youth with the help of their one-to-one mentoring and supreme dedication to our clubs, our kids and our mission.

Our fundraisers are very important to us here at Cabrini Connections. They bring in the dollars for so many things and we couldn't continue our vital work without them. So we took their advice and created a CONTEST!

Starting in September 2008 when our volunteers arrive we will begin "FUN-raising for Quarters" and we're calling on each one (approximately 101) of them even though their participation is completely voluntary. Each quarter we will award a PRIZE to the volunteer who raises the most money. And the person who raises the most by the year's end could win a GRAND prize at our Year-End Dinner -- a trip for two to anywhere in the continental U.S.!*

Quarterly prizes may range from event tickets (musical, sports, theater etc.) to gift certificates to fine dining, spas or retail shops. If I can modestly and objectively say so (I cannot) we give GREAT prizes.

And may the most-determined volunteers win!

Soooo, let's say you're NOT a volunteer, yet. But this blog post has intrigued you beyond belief because you like free stuff. Feel free to come to our first event as a kick-off to our annual Volunteer Recruitment Campaign at ING Direct Cafe. (See details below.)

Thursday, August 21
Volunteer Recruitment Coffeehouse Night



At this event Tutor/Mentor Connection brings together different tutor/mentor organization leaders in a relaxed coffeehouse setting to network and discuss challenges and successes of last school year and the year to come. Anyone interested in being a tutor/mentor is also invited. This means you.
ING Direct Cafe
21 E. Chestnut (@ Wabash)
5-8 p.m.

Want to Start Your Own Personal Fundraising Challenge?
Want to help us raise money just for the heck of it, from the sidelines but not sure where to start? Read some of our literature we've saved in our Links Library and see if you can borrow, improve ideas from them. Not sure who gives donations to Cabrini Connections? Here's our list of corporate and foundation donors. (In other words, no need to bother them, I hit them up enough!) The easiest way to help us raise money that doesn't require any work or ugh, reading is to attend and encourage your friends to attend our big fundraisers throughout the year, between Spring Into Action, the Golf Benefit (our largest money maker to date) or Martini Madness (save the date Oct. 17) or even sponsoring the Year-End Dinner (held every June), can raise a few hundred dollars without ever reading anything but maybe an Evite or two. Asking your company to consider a grant proposal could raise a few thousand dollars or more. And then call me, I will do the work of the proposal, you just let me know whose hands to get it into. At the least, you could tell people about the random talkative new marketing, fundraising and pr coordinator who rambles on and on about Cabrini Connections, point them to my blog and I'll point them to the Cabrini Connections site ... which can increase the number of people who use this donation form to send in big and small contributions.

In all seriousness, as more people spend time each week encouraging people to look at what Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection do, as well as your own personal involvement, more people will begin to ask how they can help. That's what will lead to more donations.

We're sure you have your own ideas, so please share them with other volunteers, staff, or feel free to post them here. Hopefully this contest and others we envision for the future adds just a little extra encouragement so more of our current and alumni volunteers will pitch in to help. And jump start brainstorming among our supporters.

Contact me at 312-492-9614, or cassinaz.cabrini@gmail.com with fund raising questions and suggestions. Every little bit helps.

* Competition rules, guidelines and any questions will be addressed by EL D’asheon and I at the Welcome Back Brunch Sept. 6 and at each Volunteer Orientation Sept. 8-9.