Ideas That Work

A different kind of tea party

With talk of tea parties in the news, let's take a look at the great success Milwaukee volunteers have had with their annual tea luncheon fundraiser. This year marked the sixth year for the event, with almost 200 ladies attending.

Milwaukee Learning Center board member Marcia Christensen said that Carol Dadaian, the wife of a Milwaukee Valley member, came up with the original idea. Since then, the idea has been passed along to the Valley of Indianapolis, where volunteers have also seen great success.

Planning began with a core committee of 6 members who were responsible for overseeing the different aspects of the event, including the dining room setup, kitchen area, fashion show and raffle. A hostess was assigned to each table and was responsible for inviting 7 ladies to fill her table. Each hostess decorated her own table with her own theme.

A highlight for attendees was the Milwaukee Valley members, dressed in tuxedos and white gloves, serving the ladies throughout the event.

"The ladies think it's so special to have the gentlemen serving them," Marcia said.

After the meal, a student and mother gave a short account of the good work the Center is doing. "It's important to the ladies there because then they know what they're there for," Marcia said.

After the Center presentation, guests enjoyed a fashion show put on by a local shop. The tea party averages between 200 and 250 attendants, and $10 of every ticket is donated to the Milwaukee Learning Center.

Volunteers have made changes over the years to help things run more smoothly. This year ladies wrote their names and table number on the back of their tickets. Instead of taking the time to announce the winners, the men drew names and delivered the prizes throughout the event.

One thing that hasn't changed is the cost for raffle tickets: volunteers still sold 12 tickets for $10 and 25 tickets for $20. "Keeping the ticket prices down on the raffle tickets themselves has really made a difference," Marcia said. "Other raffles we've been to have raised the price of tickets and haven't sold as many."

This year's event raised $5,000 for the Milwaukee Learning Center.

"I don't think there's any better reason to get together and do a fundraiser than the Learning Center," Marcia said. "We are providing children with the tools they need to have a successful life. It really touches me to think we can help them."

News You Can Use

The Perils of Naming

Several of our Learning Centers have been named to recognize a generous patron of the program or a person of Masonic significance. Naming opportunities are generally a tried and true method of encouraging and acknowledging extraordinary commitment to the an effort or charitable program.

What happens however when the dark side of the person recognized is exposed? This is what happened in Auburn, CA recently. The town of 13,000 was left a 28 acre parcel of land in the estate of William B. Shockley for use as a park, provided it was named for him and his late wife.

On the face of this, it was a no-brainer. Shockley was a Nobel Laureate in physics and is credited as one of the inventors of the transistor. Who better to name a park after?

Unfortunately, it also came out that Shockley was a vocal supporter of the idea of eugenics, the discredited belief that intelligence in racially determined and which advocated sterilization of people deemed socially and intellectually unfit.

Well, you can imagine the uproar. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Similar issues spring up from time to time - schools named for the founder of the Klu Klux Klan. Buildings dedicated to businessmen indicted for fraud or other crimes. It is impossible to entirely avoid the problem, but worth scratching below the surface to sidestep a possible problem.

You can access the August 31, 2009 Wall Street Journal article on the Shockley affair here (a subscription may be required).

Inspiration

"Carry on any enterprise as if all future success depended on it."

-Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu
Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu

The Cardinal Richelieu was born on this date in 1585. He is perhaps the most famous minister and religious figure of Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century France. "The Crimson Eminence" as he was known, rose to First Minister of Louis XIII - essentially the world's first prime minister. He wielded awesome power and used it to quell violently domestic uprisings. He thus became the chief villain in Alexandre Dumas' books.

This quote is a brilliant message to all of us who care about our Learning Centers. The times we are in require your passionate actions today. The future of your Learning Center and the children we serve today and tomorrow are depending on you.

Ideas That Work

Letter Writing 101 (part 2)


Last week I began this topic by providing 5 steps to begin crafting a successful fundraising letter. Those steps were:

• Start with a need.
• Determine if a letter is the appropriate vehicle for for your request.
• Fire up your need.
  
• Tell a passionate story.
  
• Keeping the reader's interest in mind.

As we continue this topic, consider a few more points to ensure that your direct mail program is successful.

• Test. What constitutes a successful direct mail appeal is this and only this - what is the return on the letter? Try your letter on a representative sample of your prospect base. See if the response is as good as you felt it should be. Better yet, you might try two different letters on two samples. Whatever provides the best response is the letter for you. It might not be the one you like best, but it isn't about what you like, it's about what works.
• Make it easy to respond. Every mailing should have a clear return slip and envelope with return address. The response slip might have suggested levels of donation. If you do this, make sure that the prospective donors all fit the levels indicated. Nothing is more deflating than a $1,000 donor giving $50 because that is the top level on the request form. Better yet, you might want to talk to this donor personally.
• Ask for a specific amount. This may be based on last year's gift or known capacity to give or whatever, but it is a good idea to ask for an amount, this sets donor sites higher.
• P.S. - use it. It is an idiosyncrasy in most of us that we scan most mail before reading it. As a result, the postscript occupies valuable real estate, isolated from the rest of the letter. This is the spot to sweeten the pot with another emotional appeal or a special offer.
• Don't be afraid of punctuation. This is important. In our rush to read, the writer needs tools to help the reader pay attention. Without the help of punctuation, I'd say,
  
  
  " The ability to grab the reader is hard indeed."
  
  
  Just remember, that like certain spices, a little can go a long way, so reserve this for the critical points.

Keep these points in mind when writing your next "Dear friend" letter and you may find you have a better response.

News You Can Use

Making Lemonade from Lemons

Yeah, this economy is rough. The business cycle has been slow. Now things are looking up, but still things are slow. Can this be at all good for your Learning Center?

Well, in one way it may. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal describes how to wrest opportunity from this economic climate.

The article describes the plight of professional services companies that are reaching out to non-profits as a way to keep their staff occupied as demand for their services is slow. (Read the full story here.)

What this means for you may be high quality support for services you may now have gotten otherwise. The types of services you may be able to get pro bono are:

• PR
• Advertising and marketing
• Web development
• Video production
• Event management

Be sure to look at both obvious service companies as well as large corporations, which may have staff or departments that are currently slow. A few tips may help:

• Clearly define a project with a short (3-6 month) time frame.
• Be prepared to be patient as this is a 'second priority' to paid work
• Consider how this project may also benefit the service provider (visibility, contacts, etc.)
• Make sure the project is something you really need.

Make your list of dream needs and who could help achieve these goals. Then reach out and ask for help. In this economy, you might be surprised.

Inspiration

This inspirational account from the Cambridge Learning Center was selected for our first monthly Inspiration contest. (Visit here for contest details.)

Cambridge Center Director Jen Navicky said she was "absolutely delighted" when she learned her narrative had been chosen. "I think it's really important to communicate to all the Centers the success students are having," Navicky said. "I can't wait to let (the girls featured) know they won us a contest!"

In the following narrative, Jen Navicky shares the successes of two of her Center's earliest students:

Each spring I try and touch base with our graduates… These girls happen to be “firsts,” but they mirror many of the children who have attended over the past 8 years. They both spoke at the opening dedication ceremony in the Fall of 2001.

Megan Eckelbarger was one of the first 2 children tutored at the Learning Center beginning in April 2001. She was 10 years old.

Leah Green began in the fall 2001. She was also 10 years old. She became our first graduate. I remember when she came to me and said, “I have gained so much from this, and I think I can go on alone now. I want to give my spot to someone who is struggling as much as I was several years ago.”

Both girls are now 18 years old and are graduating from Mid East Ohio Career and Technology Centers in May. Megan goes to the Buffalo campus and Leah goes to the Zanesville campus. They graciously returned to share their stories.

Question: What do you remember about your reading problems before you started at the Learning Center?

Megan: I would come home and cry every night when I had to do homework. I loved school, but I just couldn’t do the work. I couldn’t read it. My mom went to the school to get me tested so I could be on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This only helped a little. My grandpa was a Mason and had watched my mom struggle with the same thing. He found out about the Learning Center and got me here.

Leah: I had lots of trouble in school especially when I had to read out loud. The other kids laughed at me. My mom had to go to school again and again and ask them to help me. My teacher, Mrs. McGuire, got me tested. Then I would go to a special room and read out of a book that was a little kid’s book. I was very embarrassed to carry it around with me. A neighbor, Mrs. Messino suggested that we contact the Learning Center because she knew what you were doing here.

When I asked them what they remembered about the tutoring sessions, they both felt the one-on-one tutoring helped them feel successful. In classes they felt like they were always behind everyone else. They also mentioned the work with the Layers of Language where we delve into Anglo Saxon, Latin and Greek prefixes, roots and suffixes. Latin words are longer and help to increase students’ vocabulary. Greek is usually used for scientific terms. Megan is finding this helpful for the complicated terms in the courses of the dental assistant program she is currently in. Leah even remembers the color of the cards she used and many of the details of the words.

Both girls remembered when things got easier for them in school. Leah remembers being able to read chapter books instead of children’s books. She was delighted with her success and would take things home to read to her mom. Megan remembers reading about famous painters. She took French in school and loved it. (French is Latin and Greek based.) She felt like she knew some of it before she began the class. She now enjoys reading to the children at her job in Zanesville.

Question: What do you see in your future?

Megan: I will graduate in May from the dental assistant program in Buffalo OH. Next I’m going to look for a job in a dentist’s office. I may also begin classes at (Ohio University Zanesville) in their radiology program. In the future, I plan to go to the expanded function dentistry program at Jefferson Community College. Someday I’d like to go to dental school and open my own dental office.

Leah: I will graduate from Mid East Career and Technology Center in Zanesville in the early childhood program. I want to help children. Next year I want to go to Ashland University. I’ve gotten an academic scholarship there and also to Muskingum College. I have had all A’s every nine weeks for two years and am President of the National Honor Society. I will complete a degree in early childhood intervention K-3; Special Education. Right now I volunteer at Central Elementary and work with some special education children. I want to be a role model for other kids who struggle. I think I can be a good example for them and encourage them to never give up. I’m proud to be the first graduate of your program and I have an obligation to help others.

Question: What would you tell other children who struggle and their parents?

Megan: Both my parents and my grandparents helped me. I’d like to tell parents that it helps their kids to pursue their goals if they have exposure to many areas. I had good experiences with my orthodontist and my eye doctor that made me want to do something similar to what they were doing. While we were tutoring, we joked about being “word nerds.” I’m glad I am one because it really has helped me!

Leah: I’d tell them, “Never give up!” This is very important for parents too. They need to keep advocating for their child. My mother was very important in my successes so far. I came a long way in a short time. I can remember when things began to get easier for me. I was afraid things would be too hard in Junior High and High School but I found I could do the work and I found many classes that I enjoyed like speech and language arts. This was a surprise for me.

Both Megan and Leah are mature, articulate and confident in their abilities. They avoided becoming discouraged because they knew they were smart but weren’t able to show this in their schoolwork.

I was particularly gratified to hear both Megan and Leah emphasize their work with Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek words. This knowledge improves vocabulary and reading comprehension but I hadn’t thought of the benefits when going into specialized programs like the dental program in Zanesville.

To overcome reading problems takes a complicated mix of efforts by many. Parents, the school, outside help, increased maturity, and meaningful experiences all have to be coupled with intense effort by the students. Our tutors are very proud to be members of the team helping these students. It is gratifying when all the factors fall into place.

Both girls and their family support systems are to be congratulated. They are the epitome of the wonderful 32º Masonic program. They prove (once again) that our area is very fortunate to have this program funded by the Scottish Rite Masons.

Ideas That Work

Letter Writing 101 (part 1)

Today, while the first cool breezes of September kiss the pines and maples of the Lexington campus, I want to begin saying a few things about Fund-raising letters.

Fund-raising Letters are an art form. They are often not mail one eagerly anticipates receiving, yet when well written, they can move people to send money for things they might not have thought they really cared about. They may be both informative and evocative. Successful letter writing is a science and a skill. If you do it right, you may be rewarded with financial success (or maybe not). A bad letter means certain financial loss.

Let me start for the top then and offer you in the first of two entries, some advice about fund-raising letters:

• Start with a need. What is the point of your letter? You will soon compose a rhetorical case which ideally ends with the reader responding to you (giving money, volunteering, etc.). As you begin, be clear you know what the need is and how you want the reader to respond. This is important, because uncertainty is the enemy of response-focused composition.
• Determine if a letter is the appropriate vehicle for for your request. I knew a person who sent a direct mail letter seeking new board members. This is not a good use of the medium. A mass-mailed letter does not deliver the gravitas that a board membership invitation requires and deserves. Generally the same is true for major donations, which demand great personalization. Instead, letters succeed with a request for support that can be quantified at a convenient level - say, $50 memberships, or support of the 2010 walk program.
• Fire up your need. Back when I worked raising money for hospitals a colleague (no longer employed) said she asked recipients a recent appeal to increase the cash on hand of the hospital where she worked. Ugh! Are you raising money to "keep the lights on"? No, you're raising money to offer another child, just as precious as your own child or grandchild, the one in a lifetime opportunity to have a future unhampered by dyslexia. The lights are simply the means to this end. Drill down to the bones of what you are offing and find the spark that will inspire the reader.
• Tell a passionate story. The late anthropologist Joseph Campbell said that humanity is a race of storytellers. Most of us respond to powerful personal narrative than cold facts. Find a story that suited your letter. Tell it in an exciting way. Use the line of narrative from which to sparingly depart with relevant supporting information. And remember the reader. You want the reader to be moved, not bored.
• Keeping the reader's interest in mind. Yes, you have needs, but if you write thinking only of yourself, I guarantee a poor response to your letter. Constantly bounce between perspectives when writing. As the writer, describe your needs. But then, get on the other side of the table and pretend you are a recipient of this appeal. Has the writer kept you interest? Is it clear what is wanted?

This is a good start. To be continued, September 8...