The Gifting Wishes Blog

The Ridge House has designed an innovative initiative to place individuals to work for an agency-owned sandwich shop franchise. The shop would serve as a training ground for former offenders to learn specific, transferable job skills in restaurant operations and management, including additional challenges such as job retention skills.

The individuals will be paid 100% from the Work Experience (WEX) contract through its funding with Nevada Works (WIA). Through partnerships with other sandwich shop franchisees in the region, the trained individual will be placed at another location on the OJT (On the Job Training) contract, which pays up to 50% of the employee’s salary. This system would ensure a former offender to start employment immediately following release, which is a proven method to reduce relapse and re-incarceration rates.

This project will serve as a capacity-building project, as well. The establishment of a social enterprise for the agency has the potential of diversifying its funding streams beyond the usual public sector subsidies (government grants), charitable donations and client service fees. Profits from the sandwich shop will be used to support the agency’s other program, thus reducing its dependence on public (tax payer) dollars.

Dependence on government grants is not the way to run a sustainable non-profit organization. The goal with this project is to diversify the agency’s funding streams by creating a social entrepreneurial business model to sustain overall operations. Meanwhile, using the current clients of the agency to operate the franchise will give them important transferable job skills, reduce their dependence on the system and create productive members of society who pay taxes, volunteer in the community and take care of their children.

The feasibility study will be the launching pad for a business plan for the project and will identify potential funders. The output of the study will launch a fundraising campaign for the franchise.

Projected Budget

Capital/Building — $174,500

Employee Training — $21,000

Franchise Investment — $10,000

Store Equipment — $85,000

Restaurant Supplies — $56,500

Management/Operations — $58,000

Total Funding Need — $405,000

It’s important to note that these figures a projected and will be adjusted based on the feasibility study analysis.

Ultimately, success of the project to create the franchise, as well as manage it, will be determined by the level of public support and involvement. The entire community is invited to become an active participant in the project and its eventual impact on our community’s offenders.

Click here to learn more about the potential project.

Click here to participate in a brief survey to help determine the direction taken by Ridge House leadership.

Click here to make a financial contribution to the Ridge House.

Getting to know The Solace Tree

Posted by Pete on January 8, 2013

Posted in: Charity Exposure, Fundraising, Northern Nevada. Tagged: adult, adults, charity, child, children, community, fundraising, GiftingWishes, grief center, grieving, loss, Nevada, nonprofit, northern, philanthropy, Reno, Sparks, teen, teens, tragedy, transition, Washoe County.

The mission of the Solace Tree is that all children, teens and their family members have the freedom to express their feelings associated with death in a safe and loving environment. The organization’s peer support programs and educational opportunities help children and teens learn to cope and adjust to the changes in their lives.

The Solace Tree is a support program for grieving children, teens and families believes that children and teens heal by being able to outwardly express their feelings with peers who are also grieving a loss. This sharing plays a significant role in a child being able to adjust to the changes in their world and the likelihood that they will have a healthier life. Having the opportunity to express grief and learn about it after a loss enables children, teens and families to grow.

The Solace Tree serves more than 200 children, 50 teens and their 100 adult family members or caregiver(s) each month. Its 15 open-ended peer support groups meet every other week and are divided by age, type of death (illness, sudden death, homicide, suicide) and who died (parent, sibling, grandparent or friend). Since it was founded in 2004, the Solace Tree has served more than 4,000 children, teens and their families and has received national acclaim for its peer support group model for helping children and teens cope with the death of a family member.

The Solace Tree never charges families for our services, and we receive no government funding. We are supported entirely by private donations and professional training fees; and rely on the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations.

The Solace Tree is raising money to someday provide a home where children, teens, and families can obtain support from trained volunteer/facilitators under one roof. Children need a safe place to grieve their loss with their peers – a place where they can see they are not alone.

Click here to learn more about Solace Tree.

Click here to help fulfill a Solace Tree wish.

Inspiring year-end giving statistics

Posted by Pete on December 24, 2012

Posted in: Fundraising, Social Media. Tagged: charity, contribute, donate, donor, donor decision, donor philosophy, funding, fundraising, GiftingWishes, giving, NPcatalyst, online giving, philanthropy, smart giving, strategic giving, wise giving, wish list.

It’s the time of year when non-profit organizations need to be conducting fundraising efforts to close the calendar year on positive notes. Year-end giving campaigns are an underutilized tool, which can be used to tap new donor bases and raise new dollars to meet goals, fulfill wish lists, or fund key initiatives.

Below are statistics illustrating the effectiveness and potential value of year-end giving campaigns.

More than 174 million adult Americans plan to give money to charity between Thanksgiving and year-end.
Between 35 percent to 42 percent of online giving happens in November and December.
About 40 percent of online gifts are made in December.
Giving in December brings in about 1/3 of the fundraising dollars.
More than 20% of all giving for the entire year occurs in the last 48 hours of the calendar year.
Online giving happens largely between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Online giving (by dollars) on December 31 is concentrated between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in each time zone.
Donors are projected to give through a variety of channels this holiday season.

Orchestrating year-end giving campaigns is a wise strategy used by charities seeking to generate new dollars from existing and prospective donors.

Year-end giving resources:

Click here to learn more about year-end giving campaigns designed by GiftingWishes.
Click here for a complimentary guide to year-end giving campaigns created by the author of this blog from NPcatalyst.

Charity brings Christmas wishes to 1,800 kids

Posted by Pete on December 18, 2012

Posted in: Charity Exposure, Donor Opportunities, Fundraising, Northern California. Tagged: boys, California, charity, children, clothing, education, fundraising, GiftingWishes, girls, giving, homelessness, low income, nonprofit, online giving, Petaluma, philanthropy, poverty, Sonoma, toys, underserved, wish list.

A Christmas for Kids, a non-profit organization based in Petaluma, California, was created to bring joy to many families and their children each year. This year, 1,800 youngsters will receive their Christmas wishes.

The Petaluma Argus-Courier attended the recent shopping day, where dozens of teachers and volunteers gathered to purchase toys, clothing, and other items for the children. They represented schools and organizations located throughout Sonoma County. The event was covered by Scott Manchester, who wrote:

Shoppers at the A Christmas for Kids shopping extravaganza where dozens of volunteers from Sonoma county schools converge at 6am at Kmart in Petaluma on Saturday December 8, 2012, for one massive morning of shopping to buy gifts so that about 1,800 children will unwrap gifts this christmas that they might not otherwise have received. These gifts bought buy using each child’s “wish list” are paid for by the “A Christmas for Kids” nonprofit founded and run by Jim and Nancy Braga who after years of funding the event by hosting an annual fundraising event are now funding the event with donations.

Click here for the coverage and photos.

While the shopping took just one day, raising the funds to purchase the gifts is a 365-24-7 project. A Christmas for Kids has an account with GiftingWishes. In fact, the organization continues to receive many small and large contributions through their giving page.
We encourage you to support local children by contributing to A Christmas for Kids. Click here to make a donation.

TreeHouse Farm is the ideal location for a day of healing, a day of memories, a day of health, and a day of joy. We offer the retreats below as well as unique retreats designed just for you. We would be happy to discuss hosting your special event at TreeHouse Farm. Know that any gathering on the farm is sure to be filled with happy memories, wonderful healthy food, fun animals friends, and relaxation.

Family Retreats

Collaborative retreats with Beads of Courage give children and families coping with serious illness the opportunity to enjoy a Day On The Farm – to experience sensory-relief through nature and equine therapy. Families can learn about healthy eating, environmental sustainability, caring for animals, gardening, mindfulness, and healing through nature. All families coping with a serious illness or recent life change/challenge are encouraged to register for a Beads of Courage – TreeHouse Farm Retreat – whether or not you are currently a member of the Beads of Courage program.

Yoga Retreats

TreeHouse Farm is proud to partner with The Yoga Tree to provide Yoga Retreats throughout the year. Integrating horses, the greenhouse, and the orchard – Yoga students and teachers will experience a truly unique mind/body/spirit connection.

Corporate Retreats

A day at TreeHouse Farm is an excellent opportunity to build your team’s morale, inspire growth in your employees both personally and professionally, and simultaneously have a lot of fun. Dr. Laura Pawlak has extensive experience with team building for business, the psychology behind a successful team, and how health, goals, and even Nature play a role in our professional lives.

Wounded Warrior Retreats

TreeHouse Farm is proud to honor those who served our nation and provide nature therapy for our veterans.

Click here to contact the TreeHouse Farm to learn more about retreats and other opportunities found on the farm.

Click here to make a donation to the TreeHouse Farm.

ABC House has services that are not offered anywhere else in Linn or Benton County. Whether it is about education, counseling, medical examinations, or other services…ABC House is ready to help local citizens and their children. Programs fall under these categories.

Medical Program

ABC House provides forensic medical exams by a physician who has specific training in child abuse issues and 13 years’ experience. The program offers a complete assessment of the child s state of health including a complete social and medical history. When necessary children are referred for follow up testing and care with their primary care provider or other specialty providers in the community.

Forensic Interviews

All interviews conducted at the center are digitally recorded for documentation purposes. The ABC House has a forensic interviewer on staff that has been trained to conduct age appropriate interviews according to best practice.

In addition, the forensic interviewer has significant experience and training in child development. All Law Enforcement and Dept. of Human Service, Child Protective Workers who conduct interviews at the ABC House receive training in forensic interviewing and meet a standard set according to the local Multi-Disciplinary Team.

Advocacy

The Advocacy program at ABC House provides families with services to help them understand the assessment process children will receive at the center. In addition, the Advocate will work with families to identify any needs they may have to help deal with the current family situation.

When appropriate, counseling will be scheduled for children and family members or if requested a referral for counseling will be made. Families will also receive information concerning resources available (such as housing, food, shelter from Domestic Violence) when appropriate.

The Advocate assists all eligible families in submitting a Crime Victim’s Compensation application.

Counseling

ABC House has a counseling program which focuses on providing healing services not only for children but also family members. It is the belief of ABC House that children and families need the support and understanding of each other to heal from the abuse a child has suffered. Referrals for outside services are also provided for families when needed or requested.

Community Education

Education and Prevention about child abuse issues is provided to the youth in the schools of Linn and Benton Counties as well as the community at large. Education about child abuse is believed to be a necessary component to stopping child abuse in the future. We have several presentations that cover the topics of child abuse, domestic/dating violence, and internet safety. In addition to presentations, our community education program holds a support group (GIRLS CIRCLE) for teen girls ages 12-18. We have 3-4 groups per year with each session lasting 8-10 weeks. Meetings are held one day per week for two hours.

ABC House is the only agency providing child abuse services to children suspected of having been abused in Linn and Benton Counties.

In order to build awareness and increase services, ABC House has made a commitment to raise awareness of the mission of the agency within the communities they serve.

Click here to help continue the ABC House mission.

Sustainable Tahoe volunteer force has demonstrated a blueprint for sustainable prosperity.

Each Sustainable Tahoe action has built upon the previous. The 2010 Stewardship Congress brought conservation groups together to design activities for the 2011 Expo, The 2010 Green Networking highlighted best practices that lead by example and the Tahoe Expo 2011 demonstrated an interlinked basin-wide geotourism taste of sustainable prosperity.

Using a Geotourism Implementation Framework(GIF) we are connecting Communities of Interest (COI): (Bikers, hikers, kayakers, birders, heritage, geo-caching, etc.) to a Tahoe watershed-wide interlinked (w/alternative transit) visitor experience where local pride in hosting enriches the visitors experience while sustaining and enhancing the area (environmentally, economically and socially).

If you feel inclined to be a part of this emerging story of shifting human behavior by making it fun….please share your skills in service to the water, land and air we all share.

These efforts have created a momentum and collaboration model putting Sustainable Tahoe in a position ripe for the next few phases of this organizations life cycle. The future is emerging from your present actions!

YOUR Actions are the key to keeping this water clean, community connected and currency flowing!

Sustainable Tahoe seeks financial support to continue spreading awareness, building relationships, pursuing opportunities, educating communities, and inspiring action. Click here to make a contribution to Sustainable Tahoe.

Nevada Youth Empowerment Project (NYEP), a 501c3 non-profit organization, located in Reno, Nevada, is a leader in developing residential independent living programming for older teenage youth.

Its Community Living Program (CLP) is a supportive transitional housing program for older youth that is based out of a home that has 5 bedrooms + 2 1/2 bathrooms located in a Northwest Reno residential area. The nearest bus line is less than 2 blocks away from the house, within walking distance. It is capable of housing up to six residents. There is a common (living) room, clothing closet, computer area, study room and office located at the facility which gives residents handy access to staff members.

Each resident is provided with a bedroom, which they may share with another resident or residents. They are provided with housing, food, case management and self-sufficiency training and support through daily adult guidance.

The house has a deadbolt lock with keypad entry. New residents have a 6pm curfew, however after 30 days in the program the resident may be eligible for a later curfew. The initial curfew is intended to help NYEP resident build buy-in to the program. Having them home by 6pm allows the resident to participate in scheduled evening activities and begin to grow the sense that they belong.

The residents must use a sign-in/out log, located by the front door, whenever they leave the facility. This lets us know their whereabouts at all times as well as instilling in them a sense of accountability. The house is hard wired with fire alarms and equipped with a fire plan. An exit strategy, in case of emergency, is posted in 2 hallways in the house. A fire drill is rehearsed monthly.

Youth served by the CLP will be prepared to realize four milestones for success:

Completing education and/or training.
Increasing skills and income level, in most cases leading to economic self sufficiency through employment.
Obtaining and remaining in permanent housing; and
Greater self determination, including personal decision making and behavioral skills that will enable residents to avoid future homelessness, unplanned pregnancy and negative involvement with the criminal justice system.

Population Served by the CLP:

Homeless Teen Girls, 17-21 years old, from Northern Nevada

Services offered or coordinated by the CLP:

Programs uniquely tailored to meet the needs of older youth transitioning to adulthood.
Life skills training to support self sufficiency and independent living.
Group therapy; building strength of personal identity, healthy coping mechanisms, problem solving skills and action plans.
Employability development and placement with potential career development to enhance self-esteem and develop job readiness skills.
Educational advocacy and support including tutoring, college preparation and scholarship application assistance.
Structured and monitored volunteer opportunities within the community, as well as the support necessary to get the most of the experience.
Specialized training on how to live and work cooperatively with others.
Case management, referral and coordination assistance to access other necessary services and benefits.
Recreation and constructive use of leisure time.

Average length of stay at the CLP:

9-18 months

NYEP relies on financial contributions to maintain the high level of interaction and guidance to the girls. Click here to make a difference in the life of a young woman by contributing to NYEP.

ESL In-Home of Northern Nevada serves anyone who is interested in learning or improving their English, or related skills, such as workplace communication, GED preparation or Citizenship study. The organization’s program currently enlists 350 adult learners. While the majority of the students are Latinos, many are from countries all over the world such as China and Taiwan, Central and South America, Tibet, Europe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Africa and the Middle East as well as American born men and women who are eager to learn or improve their English.

Some who come to the ESL In-Home Program speak two or three other languages and have advanced educational degrees from their country. Others have no English speaking, reading nor writing skills. The organization’s students are highly motivated to improve their English.

Goals of the students include:

To become a U.S. Citizen
To obtain a GED
To communicate with children’s teachers without interpreters
To communicate with medical personnel withoout interpreters
To find a job
To advance in their employment
Grandparents wishing to read stories in English to their grandchildren
Parents wanting to help with children’s homework

Students are referred to the ESL In-Home Program by friends, relatives, libraries, neighbors, co-workers and state agencies. Many stay six months to one year until they can manage the language demands of their job and some continue until they can enter a community college or university.

ESL In-Home of Northern Nevada relies on private financial support to meet the needs of the ever-growing number of students learning English as a second language. Click here to make a donation, thus impacting the futures of many community residents.

The First Tee of Northern Nevada’s Life Skills Experience program consists of five progressive class levels of golf and life skills formulated with the help of experts in the fields of positive youth development, sports psychology, education, and golf, and backed by extensive independent research. Each level builds on skills learned in previous levels. In addition to having fun and learning a sport that can be played throughout their lives, youth who complete the five levels of The First Tee Life Skills Experience will benefit by the acquisition of relevant interpersonal communication, self-management, goal-setting, and resilience skills, and have many leadership and education opportunities unique to The First Tee of Northern Nevada.

A maximum of a 1:8 coach to student ratio is maintained to optimize each student’s experience. Within each class, students are divided into smaller groups based on their current golf expertise with golf instruction tailored to each skill group. Life skills for each class level are not taught separately, but are seamlessly incorporated into the golf instruction. Written and practical assessments on both golf and life skills are given at the end of the class session to measure competency and readiness for the next class level. On average, youth 7-12, typically require 18-24 hours of class participation (usually 2-3 complete sessions) prior to being “certified” at their current level.

Each class level has a specific curriculum of life skills, developmentally appropriate to specific age groups. As such, younger children in PLAYer or Par level classes, who may be accomplished golfers and who have demonstrated acquisition of their current life skills may be need to continue participating at their current level, or optional classes until they have reached the minimum age requirements for other class levels.

The First Tee of Northern Nevada relies on the support received from community leaders. Those wishing to make a difference in the life of a young man or woman are invited to click here and make a donation.

The Gifting Wishes Blog

Post Your Charity's Wish List Online for Free

Getting to know The Solace Tree

Charity brings Christmas wishes to 1,800 kids

TreeHouse Farm offers retreats for growth and inspiration

ABC House is ready to help local citizens and their children

Momentum and collaboration fueling Sustainable Tahoe’s growth

Teaching local residents to read and write the English language

The First Tee’s Life Skills Experience impacts kids of all ages and levels

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