A Chance to Give, a Chance to Get

by Ken Mueller on November 30, 2012 · 6 comments

1x1.trans A Chance to Give, a Chance to GetSend to Kindle

1x1.trans A Chance to Give, a Chance to GetThis time of year is the season of giving. We just came off of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, as many of us spent our hard earned dollars on things that we’ll be giving as presents during the upcoming month. This was quickly followed by Giving Tuesday, a day designed for giving to nonprofits.

On the heels of this, the Lancaster County Community Foundation is today hosting a 24-hour online giving event, the ExtraOrdinary Give, as a way of raising money for nearly 200 local nonprofit organizations. If you are in the Lancaster area, I urge you to give to your favorite organizations, most of whom will be using both online and offline means to garner support for their causes. If you haven’t decided which organization to support, I’ll urge you to support my clients at either Water Street Ministries and Water Street Health Services, as they seek to change one life at a time, particularly among those who are homeless or living in poverty.

But beyond that, I’ve partnered with my friend Dan Portnoy of Portnoy Media Group to give you the chance of getting a gift for yourself and your favorite nonprofit, regardless of where you live. Dan is the author of The Non-profit Narrative, which I reviewed here earlier this year. As I work with nonprofits I find myself referring to Dan and his book quite often. Just yesterday I was meeting with a client, and we were discussing some of the difficulties they were having collecting content and stories from employees throughout the organization. I noted that this was probably related to the culture of the organization, which is otherwise very healthy. And the culture of any organization, whether it be for profit or nonprofit, is driven from the top. I urged them to spend time working through Dan’s book together as a way of building a stronger culture and getting their message out more effectively.

1x1.trans A Chance to Give, a Chance to Get

So here’s the gift: Dan’s book has just been released in an audio edition, perfect for downloading onto any audio device for listening at any time. The audio version is available at Amazon, iTunes, and Audible. Dan has graciously offered me several copies of the audio version of this wonderful resource. I’d like to give two of you the chance to win two downloads of the book each. You can keep one for yourself, and gift one to your favorite nonprofit organization. Or, if you’d like, give both away to nonprofits of your choice. I’ll let you decide that.

All you need to do is comment below and tell us about your favorite nonprofit and explain why you like to support them. Or feel free to tell us about the most creative things you’ve ever seen a nonprofit do to raise funds. Then next Friday, December 7th, I’ll use an online randomizer to choose our two winners.

So there you go! Just comment for your chance to win, and remember to give to your favorite nonprofits during this important part of the year.

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Tagged as: audio book, Christmas, Dan Portnoy, Extraordinary Give, Lancaster County Community Foundation, Non-Profit Narrative, nonprofit, Social Media, Water Stree Ministries, Water Street Health Services

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barrettrossie
barrettrossie

Sounds like a great resource!

My wife volunteers an ungodly number of hours for an unlikely nonprofit: COPS, which stands for Community Oriented Policing Services. In neighborhood COPS Shops throughout the city here in Spokane, WA, COPS volunteers provide a variety of services to support the local police dept., which is being decimated by budget cuts. The volunteers help neighborhood residents keep their communities safe by providing and maintaining a place to come with their concerns about crime, get referrals to the right resources at the police department, meet with the assigned local officer, take reports and generally assist the police and the residents with all kinds of administrative tasks. They even take fingerprints at crime scenes. With somewhere around 350 volunteers citywide, they take a huge administrative load off the police so that the officers can be on patrol and not stuck behind a desk. 

COPS was founded in 1991 when two young girls were abducted. One was later found dead, the other never found. Citizens, school groups, community groups, Washington State University and the police department created COPS to help people take their neighborhoods back from crime. Many of the volunteers are retirees. It gives them a chance to contribute time, experience and energy to make the city safer, especially for kids and the elderly. It's a pretty cool organization.  

John_Trader1
John_Trader1 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Great post, and thanks for the opportunity Ken. I know it's considered old hat, but I continue to support The United Way and their mission. Having taught youth sports to kids of all ages for 16 years through my local YMCA, I saw firsthand how they give kids who otherwise may never have the opportunity to play competitive sports, a chance to be heroes and feel like the most special people on the planet. The United Way continues to serve demographics of all types and I have yet to see a more diverse cultural melting pot that are members of their organization and participate in their programs. It truly is a reflection of the real cultural fabric that makes this country strong.

KenMueller
KenMueller moderator

@John_Trader1 That's awesome, John. They really are a very good organization that gives back a lot.

mrgrt23
mrgrt23 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Favorite non profit - Share Our Suzy - a local Lowcountry South Caroline group who helps breast cancer patients and survivors on a local level with everything "else" they need ... rides to/from the doctor and hospital, someone to do their laundry, financial assistance for other than medical care, someone to sit with during/after treatments. They really are a lifesaver for all women they help, but especially comforting to single ladies who otherwise would be going thru their procedures alone - or with cab and bus drivers!

KenMueller
KenMueller moderator

@mrgrt23 that sounds like a great organization! Thanks for stopping by!

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