Three Ways You Can Change the World

(ARA) - In this age of junk mail, do-not-call lists and spam, it’s often difficult to find valid, worthwhile messages. As a result, people might be hesitant to donate to a good cause, fearing a flood of direct mail, phone calls and e-mails will follow.

As the problem gets worse, people are seeking a way to give without being constantly bombarded with unwanted solicitations. A not-for-profit organization based in Portland, Ore., has developed an innovative approach to making donations hassle-free while respecting people’s privacy. They’ve also devised a way for donors to customize their giving to fit their unique interests and lifestyles.

In order to serve people in need both quickly and continually, Mercy Corps is launching three monthly giving programs on July 19, 2004: Give for Kids, Heroes Against Hunger, and Partners in Mercy.

• Give for Kids specifically addresses the most urgent needs of poor children around the world, helping them gain more reliable access to nutritious food, clean water, shelter and a good education.
• Heroes Against Hunger helps Mercy Corps ensure that children and families have enough to eat by supplying nutrient-rich foods to communities and establishing feeding programs in local schools.
• Partners in Mercy works to guarantee a brighter future for poor families by establishing projects that carry out such vital tasks as providing clean water to villages, creating economic opportunities for those most in need and building good, safe schools for children.

These three innovative monthly giving programs enable donors to choose the way they would like to help fight global poverty. Through their monthly donations, supporters help establish long-term solutions to eradicating poverty and making a difference in the world. Donors will receive periodic newsletters and information, but no additional solicitations.

“The need for mercy is ongoing,” says Dan O’Neill, the organization’s president and co-founder. “We need to provide constant relief to children and families and let them know that the world hasn’t forgotten about them.”

According to the United Nations, 3 billion people (half the world’s population) live on less than two dollars a day. Among them, more than 1.3 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. The consequences of this severe poverty are catastrophic: families suffer from malnutrition, preventable diseases, contaminated water supplies and decreased educational opportunities.

“The monthly support of our benefactors ensures that we have the resources to fight poverty and alleviate suffering,” O’Neill says. “It allows us not only to respond quickly to tragedies and disasters, but also helps us to assist individuals in learning valuable skills to rebuild their lives.”

Need has no nationality. Mercy Corps seeks to help people across the world, putting the needs of children and families first by providing rapid, long-term assistance to those most affected by the ravages of starvation and poverty. Mercy Corps has provided lifesaving assistance to people in 76 nations since 1979, helping families in need restore their lives, dignity and hope.

The needs of children and families around the world are overwhelming, but Mercy Corps’ monthly giving programs are helping to meet those needs in ways that touch and save lives.

Gifts that Give Twice Add Special Meaning to the Holidays

(ARA) - What’s the best present you can give a poor family in need?

Hope.

These days, many people are choosing to give holiday gifts that make a difference by improving the lives of impoverished families and children around the world.

Almost everyone has at least one friend, family member or co-worker who is nearly impossible to buy a gift for, because they really don’t need a new sweater or another coffee table book.

Maybe that’s one reason why a growing number of people are choosing to add meaning to the holidays by exchanging charitable donations instead of traditional gifts. What could embody the spirit of the holidays more than a gift that improves the lives of impoverished families and children around the world?

One international humanitarian organization, Mercy Corps, has made it easy to give more meaningful gifts this holiday season by offering “Mercy Kits.” These kits offer shoppers a unique present for someone on their holiday list, as well as a way to give critical assistance to families in need -- they’re gifts that give twice!

Many people are attracted to this idea because it adds a special meaning to the holiday season, which more and more people believe has become too commercialized. People also like the ease and convenience of purchasing charitable donations online, which means they can avoid long lines and jammed parking lots.

"Around the holidays, many people examine their values and look for ways to express those ideals in the gifts they give," says Mercy Corps Chief Development Officer Matthew De Galan. "Mercy Kits are gifts that truly make a difference in a needy person’s life, and offering them online makes holiday gift giving more convenient for shoppers.”

Mercy Corps operates humanitarian aid programs in more than 35 countries around the world including Iraq and Afghanistan, and each Mercy Kit helps support critical programs in places where the agency works. This year, Mercy Corps is offering 15 different Mercy Kits through its Web site at www.mercycorps.org.

Each Mercy Kit recipient receives a personalized card saying that a friend, family member or co-worker has made a donation to Mercy Corps in his/her name. Examples of this year’s Mercy Kits include:

• A Sheep Kit that sells for $70 and provides an impoverished family with a sheep that helps them generate valuable income from selling wool.
• A Rainforest Kit for $60, which helps Nicaraguan coffee farmers support their families by growing and processing environmentally friendly coffee near protected cloud forests.
• A Peace Kit for $50, which helps poor families in Iraq achieve peaceful communities and rebuild ruined infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.

In August 2004, Mercy Corps received an A+ rating for its financial performance from the American Institute of Philanthropy. The agency’s 91 percent efficiency rating ensures donors that their resources are devoted directly to humanitarian aid programs.

Holiday shopping has never been easier, or more meaningful. Make a difference this season.

How to Teach Children The Value of Giving

(NUI) - In today's materialistic culture, teaching a child the value of giving during the holidays is not always easy. Passing on values like generosity and care for your neighbor can be a challenge, especially with the pressure of holiday expectations. But, it can be done.

Heifer International has a great idea for parents seeking to give their children the good feeling that comes from bringing happiness to someone else.

For more than 50 years, Heifer International has provided farm animals and training in sustainable agriculture to poor families with marginal resources. They do this through donations given in honor of a friend or loved one.

While kids might not understand what it means to write a check to charity, they can easily grasp the power of giving an animal - a goat, flock of chickens, cow, llama or honey bees, to name a few - that Heifer International provides to poor families in need.

Children know that the gift of an animal makes it possible for those who have no resources to get milk, eggs, wool, fertilizer or honey.

"Kids get pleasure from seeing someone else happy," said Charles A. Smith, a professor of child development at the School of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University. The act of giving unleashes the idea that a child can touch someone's life. Heifer International believes that experience empowers children and shows them that they can make a difference in the world.

Children can help further by raising money to buy the animals. They can "Carol for Cows" or make and sell animal ornaments and cookies. Some may choose to decorate cans with Heifer International catalog pictures for placement at local stores and restaurants to collect money to help end world hunger.

They also can participate in Read to Feed, Heifer's educational program that teaches kids about places in the world where the children's lives are much different from their own. Visit www.readtofeed.org for more information and a free curriculum guide.

From Hanukkah to Christmas to Kwanzaa, Heifer offers a unique way to teach a child about helping the less fortunate.

Some Tips to Help Your Non-Profit Attract and Keep Volunteers

1. Before you recruit help, get a clear picture of what you want them to accomplish. Be specific so you don’t end up with willing volunteers who have nothing to do. Respect the fact that they have busy lives and are carving out some time to help you. If they end up sitting around or looking for tasks to do, they may decide you don't really need them after all.

2. Once you know what you need people to accomplish, gather whatever supplies they will need. Brainstorm with another staff member to make a list of supplies, space, and utilities required. For example, to complete their tasks will they need an available electrical outlet and/or easy access to running water?

3. When volunteers come for the first time, give them a tour of the facilities. Introduce them to key staff and other volunteers, and show them where to put their coats and purses and where the bathrooms and break rooms are.

4. Set expectations and be clear about them. Most people who wish to volunteer do so because they sincerely want to contribute. Write up some guidelines if the tasks require it. And let them know what you need them to accomplish and when.

5. Set time parameters. Chances are your volunteers have busy lives and though they wish to give you some of their time, they are more likely to want to help if they can count on being done at a specific hour. Not many people want an open-ended commitment. Plus you can schedule your staff better if you know what help can be expected.

6. Provide training. Even if the task is simple, have someone available to answer questions and demonstrate if necessary. Whenever a volunteer is on your premises someone should be available as a go-to person for them.

7. Coordinate with your staff so they know which of them is the go-to person of the day. Remember, the staff member you assign should have good people skills. Many employees who have never supervised, let it go to their heads and get pushy with volunteer help. Diplomatically remind the staff how important volunteer help is, how hard it is to recruit them, and how easy it is to lose them.

8. Don’t abandon your helpers. This may sound like a no-brainer, but it does happen. At one non-profit, a staff member rounded up a few volunteers to help paint a large private office. The key word in that sentence was “help.” The volunteers were eager to get to work. But once they were in full swing the employee excused herself, saying she had personal shopping to do. The volunteers finished the job and cleaned up afterwards, but never returned.

9. Show appreciation. Take advantage of opportunities to let your volunteers know how they are appreciated, like sending a thank-you card, maybe an occasional lunch. Some organizations schedule Volunteer Appreciation Days just to thank volunteers with a cake and maybe pizza if funds permit.