Five Non-monetary Ways To Assist A Charitable
Foundation
Author: Mike Tancredi
One thing I've quickly learned is that when you launch a
charitable organization, you are likely to be approached by
friends and colleagues who would like to get involved. It can be
a testament to your cause, and one of the most important ways
you can honor this is to be prepared to find meaningful ways for
them to contribute. Beyond the monetary contributions that are
so important, I wanted to list five non-monetary ways to assist
a charitable organization that would seem to me to be valued at
any time, by any charity.
Volunteer your ideas
In a recent to our Project Sponsor, I asked what areas of need
our organization might have for those who wanted to get
involved. He gave a thoughtful response that I think is valuable
advice for any charitable foundation: Where the goal is to reach
a certain critical mass, one of the most important things we
should seek is the ideas of others – especially the big ones.
For example, does someone have a great marketing tie-in where
our charitable organization would be well aligned, and more
readily generate interest and support? Does someone have an idea
about a particular way to share our message that would help it
resonate with more people? We can quickly get so involved in the
day to day activities and tactical execution of our strategy,
enough time isn't allowed for idea generation, or rather, we
aren't availing ourselves of the ideas of others. SHARE YOUR
THOUGHTS.
Volunteer your expertise
Lend your expertise and talents to a charitable organization.
Assist in launching the organization, defining its purpose,
crafting or refining its identity or message, tracking its
effectiveness, getting the word out, applying for grants,
identifying collaborative marketing plans or publicity
strategies, supporting events or interfacing with like-minded
organizations. While the charitable organization may still be
defining areas where its needs are most urgent, reflect on what
you do best and how it could support the charity of your choice.
BE A CONSULTANT.
Share links and information about the charity within your
network
Charitable organizations thrive when their viral marketing
kicks in. You can help spread the word by sharing information or
links with individuals who may find the cause particularly
meaningful and worthy of their support. In a time when it is
very easy to be public, on the web, producing your own PR and
networking with others, that also means it's quite possible to
get lost in the shuffle. Through the referrals of trusted
friends, others may choose to get involved, share their ideas or
make a contribution. SPREAD THE WORD.
Organize, host or dedicate an event
While this tends toward a greater time commitment that may span
a few months, any charitable organization can benefit immensely
from fundraising or awareness events hosted in its name. Whether
you can find a way to have a charity designated as the
beneficiary of a volunteer event in your community, or you can
convert your next dinner or party into an event benefiting a
charitable organization, your ability to reach friends and
colleagues on behalf of a charity can be an easy,
socially-conscious way to lend support. HOST YOUR OWN BLUE
PLATE.
Share information with the charity
Sharing crucial information with a charity can be extremely
valuable. Whether it's sending along news about events,
legislation, research, technology, trends, fundraising/marketing
techniques, or complementary organizations, passing information
is a time- and cost-saver that any charity would be glad to
have. Because many charitable organizations rely on the
assistance of volunteers who are time-strapped, they can suffer
from a shortage of availability that facilitates this
monitoring. While newsletter subscriptions and RSS feeds can
help direct key information, no organization would be unhappy to
know that it has some extra assistance. LEND YOUR EYES AND EARS.
About The Author: Mike Tancredi provides services for
http://www.unlockingbraintumor
dedicated to raising and distributing funds for the continued
research into brain tumors.
