Our apologies!
The article about WSCO and Jacqueline Baker was inadvertently cut short.
Please read it in its entirety here.
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The Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber's September 2022 Nonprofit Newsletter |
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The Nonprofit Committee brings you a newsletter once a month that focuses specifically on the issues confronting nonprofit organizations including an educational article and an article highlighting a Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber member nonprofit. |
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Let Us Help You Get the Word Out!
Is your organization having a Gala? Fundraiser? Volunteer Recruitment Day?
so we can publicize your event in this newsletter.
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6 Things You Can Do to Help Your Search Engine Rankings: Part 2
by Lynn Amos
Make sure that every page in your site has unique, relevant text in the page's html TITLE tags. The title tag shows up in the browser tab and in a Google search. For example, don't just list your website name or even "About Us" - instead use, for example, "About the HVGCC Nonprofit Committee”. This text will tell both the search engine and viewers the focus of the page. For WordPress, the Yoast SEO plugin makes the process of adding Title tags easy.
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Use the DESCRIPTION meta tag. This tag doesn’t show up anywhere on your website; only in a Google search. It will be shown right below the page TITLE in search results. Now that you've got a viewer intrigued with your page TITLE, you can give a little bit more information about the page, enticing the viewer to click through to your website. By giving each page of your website a concise description of the page content, you make it easier for a viewer to decide if this page contains what they are looking for. When a meta DESCRIPTION is not provided, Google will show the first 55 characters found on the page – which will probably not be the best representation of the page content. Once again, WordPress Yoast SEO plugin makes the process of adding Description tags simple.
Use descriptive, succinct ALT TAGS for images, especially if the image is used as a link. The ALT TAG is a description for an image. By providing an informative tag, you allow search engines to glean information about the image and if it's used as a link, the ALT text can be used to provide the search engine with information about the page being linked to.
Create an XML SITEMAP and submit it to Google. An XML sitemap can provide search engines with important information about your site and improve your search rankings. Many Content Management Systems can automate this process, keeping the sitemap up to date and informing search engines of the changes. Even if you don't have a Content Management System, you can still easily create a sitemap through any number of online generators. Or use the WordPress plugin Google XML Sitemaps.
Get mentioned in the press. If a press website links to yours, guess what? Google gets really excited and gives you mega bonus points. So, whenever your business is doing anything newsworthy, submit press releases to your local newspapers and list events on local online calendars including a link to the relevant page on your website. Keep in mind that it may not necessarily be the home page.
Fill your social media outlets with helpful information and link back to your website. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter…they all help your SEO rankings if you include a link back to your website. You choose the outlets based on your business and where your audience is hanging out.
Contact me any time for a complimentary consultation about your website design and function, or how you are presenting yourself in the digital world.
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Lynn Amos is Principal of Fyne Lyne Ventures, a Westchester-based website and graphic design studio and is President of Top of Mynd Cards, e-cards for business people. She serves on the Nonprofit Committee and is Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee of the Chamber.
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Tuesday November 15, 2022 |
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Featured Organization: Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach (WSCO)
Jacqueline Baker's Legacy
by Lucille Geraci-Miranda, M.P.A.
Jacqueline Baker was a strong advocate of sickle cell disease (SCD) research and wanted to learn as much about it as she could. SCD is a group of red blood cell disorders that affects approximately 100,000 Americans and millions around the world according to the CDC. Over three million Americans have the trait for the disease.
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Jacqueline knew what it felt like to be all alone with no help, support, and hope, while caring for loved ones facing many challenges of a chronic illness. Her two children have SCD, and her eight-year-old grandchild has the sickle cell trait. She knew she had to do more.
In 2019, she founded Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach (WSCO), and it was officially designated as a 501 c 3 organization in May 2021. WSCO provides resources that will improve the quality of life for patients with SCD and chronic diseases through education, awareness of the disease process, treatment, research, and funding.
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Sadly, Jacqueline Baker, passed away on June 13, 2022, at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx.
She was passionate about community engagement and volunteerism, and her greatest advocacy and legacy work were regarding sickle cell anemia. As its CEO she wrote, "Our mission is to bring awareness and support for sickle cell disease patients and families living in Westchester County where they can learn from each other to build their strength, body, and mind to live longer, healthier lives."
Jacqueline did so much in the three years since its founding, including growing a board of directors of eight with no paid staff. She worked tirelessly. I had the pleasure to speak with her on several occasions to hear her thoughts and ideas for building WSCO. She always had a smile on her face, and her legacy is steadfast.
WSCO will continue to touch the lives of children and families who suffer with SCD and other chronic diseases. They plan to offer monthly support groups, educational resources for holistic treatments, yoga, nutrition and cooking classes, meditation sessions and discussions of lived experiences of people with the disease. Community outreach is an extremely high priority on their list of our goals.
WSCO’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Cassandra Dobson, Ph.D., will now lead the organization. She said, “Jackie wanted to have an organization that would meet the needs for the patients and families with SCD. With the unconditional support of the board members at WSCO, we are determined to finish the journey that was started with Jacqueline.” She continued, “My greatest challenge since Jacqueline’s passing is walking in Jacqueline footsteps. She was meticulous and diligent in her effort to improve the world for patients and families with SCD.”
Jacqueline’s vision remains: to provide holistic support and education while building stronger collaborative community partnerships that will guide patients and their families to bring about sustainable changes and gain appropriate health care.
With National Sickle Cell Awareness Month being celebrated in September, WSCO will join in the effort to raise awareness and attention for SCD and will host is very first SCD Walk in Westchester on Saturday, October 1 at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle from 9:30 – 3. The Walk will be held in loving memory of Jacqueline Baker with the intent to create the Jacqueline Baker Foundation to support mothers who have the challenges of raising children with SCD. The goal is to provide a scholarship in Jacqueline’s name at the end of the year.
I asked Dr. Dobson to share a few words about Jacqueline Baker: “In 1998, I met Jacqueline at one of the National Sickle Cell functions. We shared our passion about how one day we would establish a community-based organization (CBO) in Westchester County. Since we both lived in Westchester, were working to support other CBOs, and held full-time positions, we knew the time was not right. We both continued working with other CBOs to fulfil the mission to improve the care for patients with SCD. When Jacqueline retired, we agreed to start a CBO. Jacqueline agreed to do the "leg work", such as going to the seminars, courses, meetings, and other programs that would assist us in starting the organization. I would be the ghost person who would write and develop the organization. We called our relationship “Batman and Robin." Of course, Jacqueline was Robin who was always ready to get to the bottom of all situations. She was so passionate about patients with SCD because of all the challenges that she had faced, as a parent who fought to the end to get the care needed for her sons. I don't understand why she passed away so quickly when she was finally doing the thing she wanted to do for such a long time. I will always remember Jacqueline because she was the catalyst that initiated the inception of WSCO. I strongly believe that God has a plan that is bigger than what we imagined. May God bless Jacqueline, her family, and friends as we continue to mourn her loss and continue the fight for SCD.”
Jacqueline’s son, Norvell added, “my mom loved people and she loved hard. She was honored globally for her tireless efforts to raise sickle cell awareness. She showed up for her family and friends in ways known and unknown. She loved passionately and furiously, and my mom lived a full life on her own terms.”
If you’d like to contribute to Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach, go to: www.wsco7.org.
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Lucille Geraci-Miranda, M.P.A. serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber Foundation, chairs the Chamber’s Nonprofit Committee and is President and Founder of Geranda Projects – Management Consulting for Nonprofits. Celebrating ten years of serving nonprofits, Geranda Projects is ready to offer its vast, integrated experience to help more nonprofits create a strong foundation and inspire them to reach their greatest potential, straight from the heart of their mission:
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To request an article about a
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To request that your nonprofit be featured in this newsletter, please contact Lynn Amos at lynn@fynelyne.com.
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Would you like to host an event for your nonprofit colleagues at your facility once COVID restrictions are lifted?
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Do you have expertise to share with other nonprofits? Ask us about writing an educational article for this newsletter!
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Follow the Chamber's Nonprofit Committee on Facebook:
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The Chamber’s Nonprofit Committee provides meaningful opportunities for nonprofit staff, managers and board members to come together to collaborate, and embrace the importance of growth and sustainability. The Committee serves as a resource for ongoing professional development and as a forum for sharing best practices.
Committee Chairperson
Lucille Geraci-Miranda
Committee Members
Tim Warn, Civic Member
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