It has happened thanks to key community partners who didn’t think twice of helping. The first person I called was Leonard Guevara, executive director of Safe Harbors of Nevada, a transition program working with ex-offenders and rehabilitating drug addicts re-adjust to society by providing a home, meals, classes, and access to employment and transportation resources. Instead of thinking about it, he jumped and told me that he’d start right away. This guy is amazing! Check out the photo of him making magic happen as he and his crew install planters and prepare the area for a drip system.

Credit goes to the team we assembled. Now, the effort is not just a garden, it’s an “outdoor classroom”, where students will assemble to take care of their own gardens (at least one per grade class), conduct learning exercises a picnic benches, and use the gardens to expand their knowledge in math, science, reading, and writing.

The team includes Moana Nursery, WCSD Capital Projects, Western Nevada Supply, Garden Shop Nursery, and the Reno Lions Club. As a result, we’re receiving interest from others interested in the project. It’s ideal, because there’s one major item we need…well, the KIDS need.

The Moana Nursery family has created a “classroom kit”, containing several garden accessories for the students to use as they cultivate and harvest their gardens. The kit features rakes, gloves, seeds, soil, and other handy items, which will help the students learn in a hands-on manner. The kit can be purchased at the store on Moana Nursery or online at the school’s giving page on the GiftingWishes.com website for $110 until the end of May. Each purchase will be received as a donation, enabling donors to be properly recognized by the school.

More information can be obtained by clicking the following or contacting me at 775-333-9444 or info@npcatalyst.com.

Sierra Vista Elementary Garden webpage

Buy/donate a “classroom kit” on the Sierra Vista Garden giving page on GiftingWishes.com

Helping people obtain the skills they need to become productive citizens.

Guiding people to reconnect with personal values.

Providing an enriching environment, enabling people to experience changes in behavior, thinking, and feeling.

These represent the hallmark of Safe Harbors of Nevada…to change lives.

Each year in northern Nevada, thousands of men and women are released from state prisons and jails, with the vast majority returning to the Truckee Meadows. These returning prisoners face a range of challenges, from securing housing and employment to rebuilding relationships with their families and support networks. They must deal with these issues while, at the same time, avoiding old pathways to criminal behavior and substance abuse, avoiding negative influences, maintaining hope and self-esteem, and adjusting to daily life on the outside.

Safe Harbors provides a premier home-like, clean, safe and secure environment to assist individuals in their gradual reentry into the community.

This local organization, located near the UNR campus, has been helping people get back on their feet for years. Until now, the organization has never asked for contributions from the community. Safe Harbors seeks to team with the greater community to enhance transition results and provide opportunities for those looking to make a fresh start. It starts with the basic necessity of a proper meal service program.

• Goal – to serve more nutritious meals to more people.
• Project – to renovate their kitchen to facilitate the increasing cooking needs.
• Cost – $40,000. Roughly $40,000 in in-kind contributions has already been committed.
• Timeline – now. The flooring is about to be stripped and existing equipment removed.

Safe Harbors was founded in June 2004 and has helped thousands of ex-offenders and substance abusers regain their lives. At the time, Leonard Guevara had a vision to start the organization after completing a similar one himself. He saw how it helped him get back on his feet and give him a support system that he would not have had otherwise. He wanted to be able to give back to the community, and thought the best way to do so was to open a house where people with substance abuse problems could regain their sobriety by living in a clean and safe environment.

The organization’s leaders provide a supportive environment to qualified individuals to guide them toward retaining their sobriety and chemical independence, and developing living skills to become healthy and productive members of society. Through a 90-day structured program, each client:

• Is provided with bed liners, laundry facilities, bathing facilities, and a clean living environment.
• Is offered three nutritious meals each day.
• Is given access the computer lab for job searches and personal communications.
• Attend daily meetings and work towards completing the 12-step program.

Through partnerships with local businesses and non-profit organizations, Safe Harbors stores enough food and food products to feed an increasing number of clients. However, the kitchen and cooking appliances severely need updating to adequately prepare three square and nutritious meals to more than 48 clients each day.

Each year in northern Nevada, thousands of men and women are released from state prisons and state jails, with the vast majority returning to the Truckee Meadows. These returning prisoners face a range of challenges, from securing housing and employment to rebuilding relationships with their families and support networks. They must deal with these issues while at the same time avoiding old pathways to criminal behavior and substance abuse, avoiding negative influences, maintaining hope and self-esteem, and adjusting to daily life on the outside.

According to founder, Leonard Guevara, “When clients are released from prison, many of them have no access to the basic necessities. Most have less than twenty dollars in their pocket, no support system, and are unable to cope with the freedom of being out of a controlled environment. Since they know no other way to make money, many go back to the criminal activity that they were indicted for and find themselves back in prison.”

Leonard expressed this during a recent interview on the Nevada Matters Media radio show. Click here to become more acquainted with Safe Harbors and its founder.

The program at Safe Harbor works. Clients are making successful transitions back to society, where they are able to obtain employment, secure proper housing, and build strong relationships with family members. As a result, they are becoming well-adjusted, economically-supportive individuals looking to better themselves.

Community members can help by making financial contributions to Safe Harbors. Funds raised will enhance the organization, starting with the kitchen upgrade. Healthy bodies make for healthier minds and brighter perspectives.

Donations of all amounts are welcome and each dollar helps bring the project to completion. Donations can be made by mail, in person, or online. Below are links to facilitate contributions. All contributors, unless identified as “anonymous”, will be tastefully recognized.

• Description of funding opportunities
• Financial efficiency rating (strong)
• Printable donation form
• Online “donate now” page

Additional information can be gathered by contacting Safe Harbors at 775-337-6777, by email, or on its website at www.SafeHarborsofNV.com. The mailing address is 469 E. 9^th St., Reno, Nevada, 89512.

The story of Leonard and his Safe Harbors is remarkable. Safe Harbors was founded in June 2004 and has helped thousands of ex-offenders and substance abusers regain their lives.  Leonard Guevara, the director and founder, had a vision to start this program after completing a similar one himself.  He saw how it helped him get back on his feet and give him a support system that he would not have had otherwise.  He wanted to be able to give back to the community, and thought the best way to do so was to open a house where people with substance abuse problems could regain their sobriety by living in a clean and safe environment.

Today, the organization houses up to 48 men and women in the facilities, providing them with the care, meals, clothing, and access to transportation they need to rebuild their lives.

RADIO INTERVIEW - Click here to listen to the show. The interview is just 13 minutes in length.

Be sure to visit the Safe Harbors of Nevada website at www.safeharborsofnv.com.

Data & Efficiency

Be sure to look at the organization’s finances to determine such things as proper allocation of funds between administration, programs, fundraising, etc. We recommend using Guidestar to review the organization’s 990 provide sufficient data for an initial screening, enabling donors with a good look at financial performance.

Finance & Fund Development

Non-profits have an obligation to act as responsible stewards in managing their financial resources. This includes compliance with financial requirements, sound accounting principles, and fiscal responsibilities. Since non-profits act as the intermediary between donors and beneficiaries, they have an ethical obligation to ensure proper handling of funds to carry out their missions.

Governance

A non-profit’s leadership, represented by its staff and board of directors is responsible for defining the organization’s mission and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization. Strong boards strive to ensure that their organizations have adequate resources, provide direction for the executive director and key staff and, evaluate their own effectiveness as governing bodies.

Human Resources

The ability of an organization to make effective use of the energy, time and talents of its employees and volunteers is essential to accomplish the organization’s mission. Exercising fair and equitable practices that attract and retain qualified volunteers and employees is just one best practice. Nonprofits have an obligation to adhere to all applicable employment laws and to provide a safe and productive work environment.

Public Information

Non-profits that provide information to prospective donors and other constituents promote informed and responsible philanthropy. This works to their advantage as donors are better able to make decisions when they can learn a nonprofit’s purpose, who governs it, how it manages its financial resources, whom the nonprofit serves, and what progress it has made toward achieving its mission.

Ideally, donors placing their “investments” with organizations are doing so through strong existing relationships. However, whether donors are already engaged with these organizations or have yet to meet their leaders, taking an in-depth look at these five areas will help solidify the receipt, usage, distribution, and recognition of financial contributions.

Contact NPcatalyst at info@npcatalyst.com or 775-333-9444 for more information about donor giving, charitable research, and general philanthropy.

The voting craze is an innovative way to raise funds for deserving non-profit organizations. Who can argue with an initiative which raises funds for charities through communal participation? If I had a chance to help a local charity earn income through my active involvement, I’d jump at the chance…and I have, over and over again, with no regret.

In the entire voting craze, I have one simple question… are the participating charities doing anything other than promoting voting? Better yet, are the charities leveraging the enthusiasm and power for greater benefits?

These campaigns create more opportunity than the big prizes being dangled in front of them. Non-profit organizations which jump into these campaigns can leverage them for years and years of financial support and voluntary leadership. In fact, they can even use the voting sprees to raise funds while the voting is taking place.

Let’s look at just three opportunities…

• Existing constituents – It’s an active and promising way for current supporters to voice their support by voting and publicly encouraging others to follow suit. As they’re promoting the votes, they can (and should) be describing why they care so much for the organizations and how these organizations meet community needs.
• New prospects – The beauty of social media is that it lets an organization know who’s voicing their support. They may not all be voters but, in many of these voting campaigns, voters are sharing their support. Let’s not forget the possible “domino effect” created by friends-upon-friends of voters who get involved. Charities, which are on top of their game, should be in touch with all these potential supporters and beginning to develop strong relationships.
• New donations – The quest of the voting campaigns is to “win” money by placing first or among the top vote-getters. That’s great. But, why couldn’t these campaigns, particularly the energy generated from these campaigns, stimulate donor giving? Since the majority of charities won’t win the top prizes, they could easily win by promoting giving. At the bare minimum, they could ask each voter to match their vote with a $1 donation. By connecting voters to giving, the charities generate new income and, most likely, engage new prospects as donors.

For as long as this voting craze continues, the charities may want to recognize all of the opportunities that they bring. These campaigns bring periods of heavy promotion, which enables charities to educate and spread awareness to larger numbers of people. As we’ve identified, they’re also prospective donor generators which, if properly leveraged, can result in years of outstanding financial and voluntary leadership.

We took a few minutes last night to test a new tool to paint a picture of our initial year of operation.

Here’s to an even more amazing year in 2012.

Yours in Community,

Pete

Raising funds for charitable organizations can be difficult; certainly time-consuming. It’s a patient process, requiring considerable research, planning, and organization. The word “development” is a perfect fit to the process an organization goes through to generate a meaningful contribution. Having served the non-profit sector for over 20 years, I’ve seen many approaches, cultivation cues, and solicitation methods. All work and all fail…basically each donor is different and deserves a different, well-positioned approach.

Every project, task, and idea developed at NPcatalyst is built around two critical functions…

• Connecting donors and volunteer leaders to organizations
• Fostering strong relationship-building opportunities

When it comes to raising funds for your organizations, here’s a handful of tips to consider adding to your overall fund development strategy. They have represented the centerpiece of our success. They’re not listed in any specific order, but you’ll quickly recognize where and how they fit in your strategy.

Identify your organization’s strengths and weaknesses

Understand the organization – from operations to personnel to policies to financial management. Recognize the causes and implement solutions to each. Be sure to dot every I and cross every t. Resources like Charity Navigator and HeathCheck are excellent analytical tools. The biggest difference between the two is that HealthCheck produces a charity rating, as well as a best practices guide for improvement based on the organization’s analysis.

Offer innovative giving

The one constant between most non-profit organizations is the ability to accept cash contributions. Every donor knows this. However, savvy donors (charitable investors) seek greater information, transparency, accountability, and results from their contributions. A strong percentage of them seek unique and innovative giving methods. Tools like GiftingWishes, an online wishlist registry, and Viking Cares, a business expense solution/charitable revenue stream offer just two of the new and creative platforms that have been introduced in 2012.

Create solicitation strategies

Know your constituents. An engaged leader is a gem and, as nonprofit leaders, it’s our obligation to strive for their full potential. One great way to really get to know supporters is to design solicitation (or engagement) strategies for each. Start by creating a Prospect/Donor Profile for each, used to document their interest, involvement, willingness, and capability. Mapping a solicitation strategy will force you to be strategic about cultivating each constituent’s involvement. This one act involves and is influenced by the other six tips offered here.

Engage constituents

From prospect identification to board leadership to donor stewardship, your benefactors are your organization’s greatest vehicles of success. Engage them through key steps of the fund development process. You’ll be amazed at their ideas, insight, and perseverance.

Generate active awareness

Tell your story to the world. Shout it regularly through local media and through your social media avenues. Be sure you focus on strengths and opportunities and that any weaknesses (see above) are addressed. Distribute clear messages and keep your messaging timely. Encourage staff, volunteers, and donors to share the messages through personal, personable, and electronic means.

Network

It’s a seven-letter word that, for many non-profit leaders, is more like a four-letter word – work. There’s no better way to prospect new supporters, whether they’re future volunteer or donor leaders. It involves stepping out of your routine, forces you to fine-tune your 30-second elevator speech, and smile even if you’re having a difficult day. Ask any business leader, networking produces results. Get out there and make friends and share your organization’s story, needs, and opportunities.

Steward donors

Perhaps the most detrimental cause of recent organizational failure might not have been solely the economic crash. Is your organization at fault for not properly recognizing donations and, more importantly, developing strong relationships with its donors? Stewarding donors strengthens the lifeblood of non-profit organizations. Pick up the phone, send an email, direct a tweet, say hello in the store, high-five at a ballgame, and send a card. These are the little ways that magnify the “engage constituents” tip into truly rewarding alliances. Make each donor feel as if he/she is in the middle of the game.

Perhaps one that should be listed is “have fun”…development and non-profit leadership should be exciting, rewarding, meaningful, challenging, and fun. Make the most of it!

We thoroughly enjoy interfacing with existing and aspiring philanthropic leaders. We invite you to call (775-333-9444), email (info@npcatalyst.com), tweet (@NPcatalyst), or grab us to talk shop and learn more about our projects and resources.

Each non-profit leader who registers their wishes with GiftingWishes, represents an organization which we become instantly attached. Whether it’s the mission, their beneficiaries, their locations, or their future plans, we (the GiftingWishes team) become attracted as potential donors and voluntary leaders. It’s a “virus” that affects both John from YourVolunteers and Pete from NPcatalyst, but neither of us are looking for a remedy. Instead, we’re actively seeking to infect others with ways to support these organizations.

Here’s a brief sampling of the organizations registered on GiftingWishes and you may quickly recognize our “issue” or, really, opportunity!

• I am Love Farms (San Diego, CA) – a Veteran Equine Assisted Therapy Charity that helps Armed Forces Veterans heal the visible & non-visible wounds of war through the practice of love, equine assisted therapy & good horsemanship.
• Arbor Bay School (San Carlos, CA) – fosters academic and social success for children with learning differences through individualized instruction in a small classroom environment.
• The First Tee of Northern Nevada (Reno, NV) – impacts the lives of young people in northern Nevada by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character-development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

We encourage you to become familiar with these organizations and consider supporting them through your time and/or dollar. Even if you contribute an hour or a $10 donation, your leadership will go a long way toward fulfilling their wishes and helping pave the road to greater sustainability.

For more information about GiftingWishes, YourVolunteers, or NPcatalyst, click on those links or send a note to info@npcatalyst.com or call 775-333-9444.

Working with community leaders to build stronger communities!

We’re ecstatic to announce the addition of Viking Capital Management to the NPcatalyst family of corporate clients. Based in Westlake Village, California, Viking offers its clients the utmost in service, cash flow, and cost saving solutions. The NPcatalyst team is providing creative strategies and active management services for the company’s Viking Cares program.

The goal of company’s Viking Cares program is to implement a stream of continual income to deserving charitable organizations. “Viking Cares allows businesses to support their favorite charities through an innovative giving platform, which won’t adversely affect their bottom line”, according to Pete Parker, managing partner of NPcatalyst. “It’s a great fit to our mission of connecting donors and leaders to charities through innovative synergy”.

The Viking Cares process is simple and everyone wins. Every time that a business accepts a credit card from a customer, a sales representative gets paid a commission. In most cases this commission is 50% of net fees.  Through Viking Cares, the company will match each client’s current credit card rates and fees penny for penny but re‐direct the funds that are generally paid as a commission every month to the charity of its choice. This passive charitable donation will continue as long as each client continues to process with Viking.  It’s that simple.

“Businesses can increase their philanthropic endeavors with no advertising out of pocket expense; and every time a credit card is used, our partner charities or local schools will benefit”, says Gregory Augustine, partner of Viking Capital Company. “Simply coined, it’s passive to business, perpetual to charity”.

To learn more about how Viking’s services can benefit businesses and charities, please visit…

• www.VikingCares.com
• http://www.vikingcares.com/choc/ – special webpage created for Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Additional information can be gathered by calling 949-355-5145. You can also call us at NPcatalyst, as we’re happy to answer any questions. We can be reached at info@NPcatalyst.com and 775-333-9444.

The NPcatalyst team is targeting leaders on our college campuses to conduct a study on Greek Life and its impact on philanthropy. As past members and proponents of fraternity and sorority life, we’re seeking input from Greek Life advisors and campus leaders in three primary areas: chapter philanthropy, alumni/ae relations, and fundraising.

The study will help us design effective young professional community leadership models, determine future community involvement, and anticipate the development of future non-profit leaders. Our study will provide insightful data back to Greek Life advisors and staff members as they plan for the growth and development of their own Greek leadership programming.

The responses will generate outstanding information to be used in our upcoming blog (or series of blogs) under the title, “Greek Life as an incubator of future philanthropic leadership.”

To participate in the three-minute survey, please CLICK HERE.

For additional questions, please contact Pete at NPcatalyst at info@npcatalyst.com.