This isn’t an endorsement of the work being done by these agencies, just provided for your information. You should always do due diligence when selecting where your money or time will make the greatestb difference.
Salvation Army supplements national appeal with virtual kettles
As part of its effort to respond to changes in how people donate, The Salvation Army announced that its 2006 Christmas fundraising campaign will include an Online Christmas Kettle Program. This program will supplement, but not replace, the Army’s traditional fundraising methods, including the familiar Christmas kettles on street corners and at retail outlets throughout Canada. “Our new online program is all part of an effort to make it easier for the growing number of people who already shop and pay their bills online to donate to our Christmas campaign,” said Commissioner M. Christine MacMillan, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army for Canada and Bermuda. “Funds donated will help light up Christmas by providing toys, food and clothing at Christmas for society’s most vulnerable.” For the first time, organizations in Canada will be able to host their own “virtual” Christmas kettles on their company website, while individuals are invited to participate in an online fundraising contest. For more information, visit: Salvation Army.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Same Means- Different Ends
Thursday, November 16th, 2006
I have been in Montreal at the International Association of Public Participation conference (thank you to Price Waterhouse Cooper) for the past 4 days. Most of the participants represented big government or big business. They were used to formal public consultation processes like the ones needed to build a sewage treatment plant or to close a school. I was one of only two voices ( about 500 delegates)that would have consistently been on the other side of the public participation. In a session on “use of key interviews” I heard one participant say that these were important because it was great to hear different perspectives on the project and importnat to hear all concerns. A second opinion from a represenative of a electricak distribution company felt they were important because you could quote supporters in your reports and press releases. The former used interviews to gather information, the latter to serve as evidence to prove their case. Which/or both are ethical?
I have been in Montreal at the International Association of Public Participation conference (thank you to Price Waterhouse Cooper) for the past 4 days. Most of the participants represented big government or big business. They were used to formal public consultation processes like the ones needed to build a sewage treatment plant or to close a school. I was one of only two voices ( about 500 delegates)that would have consistently been on the other side of the public participation. In a session on “use of key interviews” I heard one participant say that these were important because it was great to hear different perspectives on the project and importnat to hear all concerns. A second opinion from a represenative of a electricak distribution company felt they were important because you could quote supporters in your reports and press releases. The former used interviews to gather information, the latter to serve as evidence to prove their case. Which/or both are ethical?
Make a difference
Find an immediate, relevant and concrete action that you can take this week. Open your eyes to the issues around you and make a comittment to action. This time of year many Habitat for Humanity projects are under completion and maybe you can offer assistance, prepare a meal, drive your truck to pickup supplies. The few days that you contribute will change a family’s life forever.
What might the Ripples be?
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
If we all did this - what might the result be? (from metowe.org)
Sharing Thanks
Think of someone who has an upcoming special event. From today on, begin a creative list that captures the things you appreciate about this person and put together a thankfulness gift.
Taking the time to make a thoughtful gift shows the people in your life that you appreciate them for many different reasons. Plus, they’ll know that you took special time each day to think about them.
If we all did this - what might the result be? (from metowe.org)
Sharing Thanks
Think of someone who has an upcoming special event. From today on, begin a creative list that captures the things you appreciate about this person and put together a thankfulness gift.
Taking the time to make a thoughtful gift shows the people in your life that you appreciate them for many different reasons. Plus, they’ll know that you took special time each day to think about them.
Monday, July 9, 2007
What in the World?
Monday, October 30th, 2006
1. Charity Begins at Home?
A FATHER who set up a charity in his daughter’s name then stole £80,000 of donations has been jailed for three years. Stephen Jacobs, 53, of The Heath, Radlett, was jailed for three years on Friday as a judge branded him “despicable”. Luton Crown court was told that his daughter Kati suffered from Crohn’s disease and spent many of her teenage years in hospital enduring dozens of operations. She had a rare strain which was unresponsive to treatment but was hopeful a cure could be found. She died in 2002 but while she was still ill he set up the Kati Jacobs appeal to fund a research unit into the bowel disease at the hospital where she was treated- St. Marks in Harrow. Prosecutor Ian McLaughlin said at one charity event in 2000 he raised £73,000, using sports and showbiz contacts he had met through his work as an addiction counsellor. He gave that sum to the hospital. In the end, “This was a man who over a period of about two years siphoned off £80,000 which would have directly gone to the target charity. £63,000 had been withdrawn in cash with £17,000 being paid into his account or spent on a credit card he had sole use of,” Mr McLaughlin said. When arrested he admitted taking the cash and sometimes forging the signature of the trustee who had to countersign the cheques. He claimed the bulk of the money had gone on gambling, he having relapsed into his addiction following his daughter’s death.
2. It’s just pi e
Akira Haraguchi, 60, spent 16 straight hours on Oct. 4 reciting the value of pi from memory to 100,000 decimal places, breaking his old record of 83,431. Haraguchi, whose day job is psychiatric counselor, performed in front of officials at a public hall in Kisarazu, Japan, and rattled off the numbers continuously except for a five-minute break every hour. (In 2002, two University of Tokyo mathematicians, using a supercomputer, calculated pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places.)
3. No More Agents Orange!
With Halloween upon us I was remembering as a child and father that kids became fundraisers (as well as hell raisers) on Halloween when they hit the street with their little orange boxes for UNICEF. I guess collecting pennies has finally reached futility because the Toronto Sun reports ” UNICEF Canada launched a new approach to fundraising for the international children’s charity and a break with its 50-year tradition. Instead of the ubiquitous little orange cardboard boxes children tote to collect coins on Halloween, UNICEF is encouraging them and their families to find fresh, fun ways to support their annual trick-or-treat campaign. ” I wonder if the innocence of having kids out collecting small amounts of spare change taught them about philanthropy and sharing. Possible not when the aim of the evening was about hording a large stash of personal rewards.
1. Charity Begins at Home?
A FATHER who set up a charity in his daughter’s name then stole £80,000 of donations has been jailed for three years. Stephen Jacobs, 53, of The Heath, Radlett, was jailed for three years on Friday as a judge branded him “despicable”. Luton Crown court was told that his daughter Kati suffered from Crohn’s disease and spent many of her teenage years in hospital enduring dozens of operations. She had a rare strain which was unresponsive to treatment but was hopeful a cure could be found. She died in 2002 but while she was still ill he set up the Kati Jacobs appeal to fund a research unit into the bowel disease at the hospital where she was treated- St. Marks in Harrow. Prosecutor Ian McLaughlin said at one charity event in 2000 he raised £73,000, using sports and showbiz contacts he had met through his work as an addiction counsellor. He gave that sum to the hospital. In the end, “This was a man who over a period of about two years siphoned off £80,000 which would have directly gone to the target charity. £63,000 had been withdrawn in cash with £17,000 being paid into his account or spent on a credit card he had sole use of,” Mr McLaughlin said. When arrested he admitted taking the cash and sometimes forging the signature of the trustee who had to countersign the cheques. He claimed the bulk of the money had gone on gambling, he having relapsed into his addiction following his daughter’s death.
2. It’s just pi e
Akira Haraguchi, 60, spent 16 straight hours on Oct. 4 reciting the value of pi from memory to 100,000 decimal places, breaking his old record of 83,431. Haraguchi, whose day job is psychiatric counselor, performed in front of officials at a public hall in Kisarazu, Japan, and rattled off the numbers continuously except for a five-minute break every hour. (In 2002, two University of Tokyo mathematicians, using a supercomputer, calculated pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places.)
3. No More Agents Orange!
With Halloween upon us I was remembering as a child and father that kids became fundraisers (as well as hell raisers) on Halloween when they hit the street with their little orange boxes for UNICEF. I guess collecting pennies has finally reached futility because the Toronto Sun reports ” UNICEF Canada launched a new approach to fundraising for the international children’s charity and a break with its 50-year tradition. Instead of the ubiquitous little orange cardboard boxes children tote to collect coins on Halloween, UNICEF is encouraging them and their families to find fresh, fun ways to support their annual trick-or-treat campaign. ” I wonder if the innocence of having kids out collecting small amounts of spare change taught them about philanthropy and sharing. Possible not when the aim of the evening was about hording a large stash of personal rewards.
KHK1
Saturday, October 28th, 2006
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids ran a campaign over the past week culminating in the “Kids Help Kids - You Can Too” event on Wednesday October 25. BB4CK asked children in schools to produce original masterpieces on the issue of child hunger, nutrition and solutions to poverty. These creations used a variety of mediums but were all created on brown paper bags. The kids were amazing and their artwork spectacular. They produced nearly 12,000 original works that were distributed at Sunterra Markets and Good Earth Cafes by volunteers. Donations and commitments totalling $12,000 were raised and 100’s of meaningul conversations took place with interested citizens. New approaches to the issue and how we deal with it are being discussed and unimagined solutions are percolating to the surface. For more info visit BB4CK.
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids ran a campaign over the past week culminating in the “Kids Help Kids - You Can Too” event on Wednesday October 25. BB4CK asked children in schools to produce original masterpieces on the issue of child hunger, nutrition and solutions to poverty. These creations used a variety of mediums but were all created on brown paper bags. The kids were amazing and their artwork spectacular. They produced nearly 12,000 original works that were distributed at Sunterra Markets and Good Earth Cafes by volunteers. Donations and commitments totalling $12,000 were raised and 100’s of meaningul conversations took place with interested citizens. New approaches to the issue and how we deal with it are being discussed and unimagined solutions are percolating to the surface. For more info visit BB4CK.
Faith
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.
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.
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