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Message from Executive Director Christie Brown
As we enter November and the Thanksgiving season, I give thanks for the great community support we have in our region. To the nonprofits who work so hard, the corporate and foundation support that fuels so much good work, and the many volunteers and dedicated staff who serve with passion -- Thank You! Our community is enriched and stronger because of this amazing support!
Corporate support was well-evidenced at our gala on October 28. Over 70 sponsors and corporate donors showed their support for our work. I consider "our work" as the work of ReSource AND YOU, all the other nonprofits supported through ReSource!
We have finalized the first 4 months of 2017 Building Blocks seminars, so be sure to check that out below. As we work on programming for the rest of the year, please feel free to
send me an email with your suggestions for topics.
The warehouse is well-stocked with furniture -- Come visit! Word-of-mouth is our best advertisement, so help to lower admin fees for everyone by growing our membership. More sales volume better serves to cover overhead at a lower per-unit cost.
Thank you for your partnership,
Christie Brown
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 Building Blocks for Nonprofits Seminars: Upcoming Schedule
Our 2017 seminar schedule for January - April is out!
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Date
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Topic
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| January 11 |
Measuring Progress and Impact with Metrics |
| February 8 |
Revitalizing Performance Management |
| March 8 |
Grants Research and Grant Givers |
| April 12 |
Event Planning for Best Success |
Register here for an upcoming seminar online.
The "Building Blocks" seminar series is made possible in part by
Interact for Health
and
U.S. Bank.
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Getting Strategy Just Right: Board and Management Together
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State Charity Registration Requirements
If you're one of the many nonprofits preparing to raise funds in the upcoming year, you may already be familiar with the requirement to register in each state where you plan to solicit. All organizations formed in states with charitable solicitation registration must register in their home states. Additionally, if your organization, like most, uses widespread fundraising tools such as the internet and social media, the need for you to register in the states that require it is pressing and cumbersome.
Additionally, if you solicit funds in multiple states and would like help in managing these registrations, Guidestar is working in partnership with simplecharityregistration.com to provide registration assistance. Each agency's first state registration is free, and additional states are $50 each (maximum $900). For more information, read this Guidestar article which includes a link to the registration page.
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Have You Checked Out Our Free Area?
Sometimes we get donations that are not in high demand, more than we have demand for, or just have remained in our warehouse for several months for whatever reason.
We need to make room for new donations coming in, so rather than discard these items, we want to try to find a good home for them. Please check out our new "Free to Good Home" area, just inside as you enter our warehouse showroom. All items within the blue tape line are available for FREE! (Excludes the sign board that reads "Free To Good Home"!)
These items are free to any member, for agency or agency client use. As with all other items from ReSource, these cannot be taken for resale or for agency staff's personal use. But if you can find a creative use for some of these items, we hope you will take things and benefit from them in some way!
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Writing Winning Direct Mail Appeals
excerpt from NonProfit Pro magazine
Suggestions in writing good direct mail appeals include: keeping it to one page, varying the style, and including photos or visuals. Tracy Vanderneck recently shared these tips in NonProfit Pro magazine:
What it is vital to understand is that the story is what's most important. Here are two examples featuring different approaches.
1. "I hate having to ask for money, but it is that time of year again. We've done a lot of great things this year and it is because of your generosity that we were able to serve 3,000 clients."
2. Included with the picture shown here at right: "This is the face of hunger in the U.S. Not what you expected? Lydia's and her sisters' main meals during the week are from free breakfast and lunch programs at school; they often go hungry on weekends. But because of you, little Lydia brought home a backpack full of nutritious food from school for the weekend. She and her sisters will go to bed tonight with full stomachs."
Which would be more likely to receive a gift in response? I would bet on example No. 2 any day. People want to know that they are changing lives. They want to make a difference. We may contribute in different ways-donating, volunteering, working on staff-but we all want to help Lydia and her sisters not go to bed hungry, metaphorically speaking.
Now look back at the beginning of example No. 1. Never apologize for asking for money! There is nothing to be ashamed of. As the representative of a nonprofit, you are offering a way for people connect their generosity with their passions. Use positive and unapologetic language, be clear and concise, connect to the reader's emotions and make the ask. Statistics and accomplishments should generally be reserved for annual reports. Connecting humans to how they can make an impact in an area they care deeply about-that is the stuff great appeals are made of.
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| Holiday Gifts - Stock Up on Discounted Toys From Good360
Getting ready for holiday gift drives? Stock up on discounted games, toys, crafts and other items from Good360. Any nonprofit is eligible for Good360 membership, and prices listed include shipping directly to your agency. If you are a ReSource member and register with Good 360 under our umbrella membership, some items qualify for an additional 20% discount.
Register or learn more at
Good360.org. To register under ReSource's CRP membership, contact their membership department at 703-299-7537. Or contact us at ReSource for more information.
Here's a sample of some items from their catalog:
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Membership Benefits
Benefits include:
- Access to warehouse of donated furniture
- Access to donations from retail partners like Walmart and Costco
- Event decór loans (fee to nonmembers)
- Grant research with grantstation.com
- Discounts on Building Blocks for Nonprofits seminars
- Good360 product discounts
- ThriveGPO discounts at Staples Advantage and more
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