Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
The Muttart Foundation and Ipsos Reid released a study ” Talking About Charities 2006″ last week and the Executive Summary and report can be found at http://www.muttart.org/news.htm
Overall Canadians feel they are familiar with the important work of charities and they believe that charities are more effective at delivering services than the government. The report says that Canadians trust the leadership in the sector but would like greater accountability and transparency around spending.
A big issue for respondents was fundraising. Almost all expected that there would be costs associated with raising funds but saw the use of professional fundraisers as unacceptable. Interestingly more people than in 2000 felt that charities need to be involved in advocacy and that ” opinions expressed by charities on issues of public concern have value”. In the 2000 survey the methods of acceptable advocacy were softer in nature but in 2006 there was support for ’street protest’ advocacy.
The full report runs 88 pages but the Executive Summary (8 pages) offers a lot of detail.
Monday, July 9, 2007
What in the World?
Monday, October 23rd, 2006
Fear?
BBC is reporting this morning that Britain is becoming a nation that is afraid of its youth.
“The report says 65% of Germans, 52% of Spanish and 50% of Italians would be willing to intervene if they saw a group of 14-year-old boys vandalising a bus shelter, compared with just 34% of Britons. The 200-page report says that last year more than 1.5 million Britons thought about moving away from their local area due to young people hanging around. About 1.7 million admitted to avoiding going out after dark as a direct result of youths gathering. ”
Britons were also three times more likely to cite young people “hanging around” as a problem than they were to complain about noisy neighbours.
Pink?
A story from West Bend Daily News begins:
If you’re seeing pink lately, you’re not seeing things.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many products are packaged in pink to show the parent company’s support of breast cancer research. Many of these companies donate part of their products’ sales proceeds to the cause.
Just who buys these products, and why, is the source of many studies by marketers and psychologists.
When a company chooses to align itself with breast cancer research, “there is the risk that people may feel it’s being exploitive,” said Lars Perner, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California’s Department of Marketing. “Consumers may wonder if the companies are profiting off a tragedy, especially if the product is making a minimal contribution to breast cancer.”
“People say to themselves, ‘If I buy something bad for me, I need to do something good too,’” he said. “People are more likely to donate to a cause with guilt-ridden products.”
Judgment?
Dutch transportation planner Hans Monderman has been pushing his innovative plans for improving traffic, and several towns in the Netherlands and Germany have already signed on, according to an August report by the German news organization Deutsche Welle. His proposals include eliminating traffic signs and street markings, which he believes will force drivers to be careful as they hunt for their destinations, and building children’s playgrounds in median strips of roads, figuring that drivers would surely slow down.
Fear?
BBC is reporting this morning that Britain is becoming a nation that is afraid of its youth.
“The report says 65% of Germans, 52% of Spanish and 50% of Italians would be willing to intervene if they saw a group of 14-year-old boys vandalising a bus shelter, compared with just 34% of Britons. The 200-page report says that last year more than 1.5 million Britons thought about moving away from their local area due to young people hanging around. About 1.7 million admitted to avoiding going out after dark as a direct result of youths gathering. ”
Britons were also three times more likely to cite young people “hanging around” as a problem than they were to complain about noisy neighbours.
Pink?
A story from West Bend Daily News begins:
If you’re seeing pink lately, you’re not seeing things.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many products are packaged in pink to show the parent company’s support of breast cancer research. Many of these companies donate part of their products’ sales proceeds to the cause.
Just who buys these products, and why, is the source of many studies by marketers and psychologists.
When a company chooses to align itself with breast cancer research, “there is the risk that people may feel it’s being exploitive,” said Lars Perner, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California’s Department of Marketing. “Consumers may wonder if the companies are profiting off a tragedy, especially if the product is making a minimal contribution to breast cancer.”
“People say to themselves, ‘If I buy something bad for me, I need to do something good too,’” he said. “People are more likely to donate to a cause with guilt-ridden products.”
Judgment?
Dutch transportation planner Hans Monderman has been pushing his innovative plans for improving traffic, and several towns in the Netherlands and Germany have already signed on, according to an August report by the German news organization Deutsche Welle. His proposals include eliminating traffic signs and street markings, which he believes will force drivers to be careful as they hunt for their destinations, and building children’s playgrounds in median strips of roads, figuring that drivers would surely slow down.
Social Venture Partners
Thursday, October 19th, 2006
Yesterday morning I attended a meeting with one of our key funders, Social Venture Partners Calgary, and I was reminded of the importance of asking. SVP is an organization that ” seeks to catalyze significant, long-term positive social change in their communities by:Educating individuals to be well informed, effective, and engaged philanthropists;and Investing time, expertise, and money in innovative nonprofits to collaboratively strengthen their organizations. ”
Our relationship with SVP Calgary has benefited from their financial investment in BB4CK but we have gained more from the investment of time and expertise. The social agenda campaign that we are running is funded by SVP. No other funder would have seen the opportunity to raise capacity through communications particularly when most of the outcome will be immeasurable ( both wide ranging and difficult to design indicators). If I hadn’t submitted the proposal, we wouldn’t be in the middle of this exciting campaign. If I had decided that they wouldn’t be receptive, we wouldn’t have received the funding. If I hadn’t asked - there wouldn’t be a Kids Help Kids - You Can Too campaign. I was reminded that if you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
Yesterday morning I attended a meeting with one of our key funders, Social Venture Partners Calgary, and I was reminded of the importance of asking. SVP is an organization that ” seeks to catalyze significant, long-term positive social change in their communities by:Educating individuals to be well informed, effective, and engaged philanthropists;and Investing time, expertise, and money in innovative nonprofits to collaboratively strengthen their organizations. ”
Our relationship with SVP Calgary has benefited from their financial investment in BB4CK but we have gained more from the investment of time and expertise. The social agenda campaign that we are running is funded by SVP. No other funder would have seen the opportunity to raise capacity through communications particularly when most of the outcome will be immeasurable ( both wide ranging and difficult to design indicators). If I hadn’t submitted the proposal, we wouldn’t be in the middle of this exciting campaign. If I had decided that they wouldn’t be receptive, we wouldn’t have received the funding. If I hadn’t asked - there wouldn’t be a Kids Help Kids - You Can Too campaign. I was reminded that if you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
The Least That I Can Do
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
I was chatting with a supporter and friend, thanking him for his assistance and he said ” It is the least I can do”. This got me thinking about what is the least I can do every day. What small action can I take that will make a difference in someone elses life? I would encourage you to visit http://www.metowe.org/ and take a look at the desktop tool for Everday actions. Todays action:
Think of two people in your life who are not getting along. Using your ability to see both sides of a situation, help mediate their conflict.
Any small action that can contribute to helping others find peace is worth doing. Imagine what would happen globally if in every dispute there was a third party to listen to both sides and bridge the gap. Maybe world peace would be possible!
They seem to have found a way to help us all turn small actions into big impacts. What is the least you can do today?
I was chatting with a supporter and friend, thanking him for his assistance and he said ” It is the least I can do”. This got me thinking about what is the least I can do every day. What small action can I take that will make a difference in someone elses life? I would encourage you to visit http://www.metowe.org/ and take a look at the desktop tool for Everday actions. Todays action:
Think of two people in your life who are not getting along. Using your ability to see both sides of a situation, help mediate their conflict.
Any small action that can contribute to helping others find peace is worth doing. Imagine what would happen globally if in every dispute there was a third party to listen to both sides and bridge the gap. Maybe world peace would be possible!
They seem to have found a way to help us all turn small actions into big impacts. What is the least you can do today?
What in the world/
Monday, October 16th, 2006
All in the name of charity - We have races and activities that are in support of charities. There is running, walking, skating, cycling, motorcycle rallies, swimming, climbing, and endurance events where registrants pay a fee and seek support for the charity from friends.l LA Times is reporting this morning that Lake County Sheriff Chris Daniels Sr. died about 9 p.m. Saturday at the Battle of the Badges, an annual charity race for Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches at the New Smyrna Speedway.The sheriff was apparently involved in a charity school bus race and “Witnesses said Daniels’ bus spun out of control after colliding with another bus on the 12th lap of the 15-lap race. It was unclear exactly how he died.”
Apparently not all charity auctions produce the same results.
The huge knickers as worn by Hollywood actress Renee Zellweger when she played ‘Bridget Jones’ have failed to sell at auction. Enough said.
Charities act as the conscence of the community but apparentlt not in New Zealand (or at least not as openly as before).
From February, the Charities Commission will have the power to deregister a charity – in effect denying it tax-exempt status – if it is deemed to be acting more for political advocacy than charitable purposes.
The rule changes have caused charities to fear they could be punished for adopting positions unpopular with the Government. This is not that different in Canada where Canada Revenue Agency has a lot of discretion in how it interprets the Income Tax Act and governments have be reticent to make changes to charity law that dates back 500 years.
All in the name of charity - We have races and activities that are in support of charities. There is running, walking, skating, cycling, motorcycle rallies, swimming, climbing, and endurance events where registrants pay a fee and seek support for the charity from friends.l LA Times is reporting this morning that Lake County Sheriff Chris Daniels Sr. died about 9 p.m. Saturday at the Battle of the Badges, an annual charity race for Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches at the New Smyrna Speedway.The sheriff was apparently involved in a charity school bus race and “Witnesses said Daniels’ bus spun out of control after colliding with another bus on the 12th lap of the 15-lap race. It was unclear exactly how he died.”
Apparently not all charity auctions produce the same results.
The huge knickers as worn by Hollywood actress Renee Zellweger when she played ‘Bridget Jones’ have failed to sell at auction. Enough said.
Charities act as the conscence of the community but apparentlt not in New Zealand (or at least not as openly as before).
From February, the Charities Commission will have the power to deregister a charity – in effect denying it tax-exempt status – if it is deemed to be acting more for political advocacy than charitable purposes.
The rule changes have caused charities to fear they could be punished for adopting positions unpopular with the Government. This is not that different in Canada where Canada Revenue Agency has a lot of discretion in how it interprets the Income Tax Act and governments have be reticent to make changes to charity law that dates back 500 years.
Ouch and Wow
I have tried for the last two days to restore/repair my ipod shuffle. It won’t update or allow me to restore settings. It gets pretty rough treatment as I use it when I am riding my bike and I don’t use an arm holster so it gets tucked and giggled and pulled alot. There doesn’t appear to be any physical damage but I sure miss the casts while riding.
Pretty cool news that Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize. Here is a guy in Bangladesh that started his microfinance operation by lending some weavers a total of $27 for some stools and it has built into an empowering empire. Read story here .
At BB4CK we are in the midst of an awareness campaign called “Kids Help Kids - You Can Too” and we have been receiving original masterpieces from young kids in our city for distribution on the 25th. I am amazed both by the effort and quality of the original works and when you consider that when a child produces two works, they feed a child lunch for a week.
Seems like two important and seemingly small actions can make a big difference.
Pretty cool news that Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize. Here is a guy in Bangladesh that started his microfinance operation by lending some weavers a total of $27 for some stools and it has built into an empowering empire. Read story here .
At BB4CK we are in the midst of an awareness campaign called “Kids Help Kids - You Can Too” and we have been receiving original masterpieces from young kids in our city for distribution on the 25th. I am amazed both by the effort and quality of the original works and when you consider that when a child produces two works, they feed a child lunch for a week.
Seems like two important and seemingly small actions can make a big difference.
A Promise
Friday, October 13th, 2006
I attended the AGM of the Alberta’s Promise organization this morning. The charity that I work with is a agency partner. The idea for this group of 500 business and nonprofit partners comes from “America’s Promise” founded by Colin Powell. “Alberta’s Promise is a movement. A passion. A spark, to inspire Albertans to direct more resources to benefit our children and youth. Alberta’s Promise helps communities, businesses, service clubs, foundations and agencies to work together to benefit our young people.”
We have benefited from the partnership and association by finding businesses that were willing to come along side us and aide us in fulfilling our mission. There have been some very interesting successes but the meeting focused on six. Everything from direct earmarked funding to donated services to corporate leveraging worked to help impacted and at-risk populations.
They launched a new campaign this week that focuses on the tagline: You only get one chance to be a kid.
But many chances to help a kid.
Alberta’s Promise invites any company, agency or municipality to apply to become an Alberta’s Promise Partner. Approval will be based upon the nature of the commitment to children and how the organization’s corporate philosophy fits with the five promises of Alberta’s Promise.
1. Providing a Healthy Start
2. Safety, Growth and Development
3. Interaction, Mentoring and Inspiration
4. Participation and Volunteering
5. Leadership and Innovation
The formation of Alberta’s Promise was announced in the government’s Throne Speech on Feb. 18, 2003 and was later introduced into the legislature as Bill One - the Premier’s Council on Alberta’s Promise Act.
Take a look at the Alberta’s Promise site and see if there are any promises that you would like to make.
I attended the AGM of the Alberta’s Promise organization this morning. The charity that I work with is a agency partner. The idea for this group of 500 business and nonprofit partners comes from “America’s Promise” founded by Colin Powell. “Alberta’s Promise is a movement. A passion. A spark, to inspire Albertans to direct more resources to benefit our children and youth. Alberta’s Promise helps communities, businesses, service clubs, foundations and agencies to work together to benefit our young people.”
We have benefited from the partnership and association by finding businesses that were willing to come along side us and aide us in fulfilling our mission. There have been some very interesting successes but the meeting focused on six. Everything from direct earmarked funding to donated services to corporate leveraging worked to help impacted and at-risk populations.
They launched a new campaign this week that focuses on the tagline: You only get one chance to be a kid.
But many chances to help a kid.
Alberta’s Promise invites any company, agency or municipality to apply to become an Alberta’s Promise Partner. Approval will be based upon the nature of the commitment to children and how the organization’s corporate philosophy fits with the five promises of Alberta’s Promise.
1. Providing a Healthy Start
2. Safety, Growth and Development
3. Interaction, Mentoring and Inspiration
4. Participation and Volunteering
5. Leadership and Innovation
The formation of Alberta’s Promise was announced in the government’s Throne Speech on Feb. 18, 2003 and was later introduced into the legislature as Bill One - the Premier’s Council on Alberta’s Promise Act.
Take a look at the Alberta’s Promise site and see if there are any promises that you would like to make.
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