The Do’s and Don’ts of Fundraising

Deciding to fundraise is a brave and important commitment. But aside from selecting your cause and receiving donations….what else do you need to know?

Here are a few tips of what you should and should not do while fundraising. Follow these tips to get you off to a great start and ensure that you pull your fundraiser off successfully!

 

Don’t:

  • DON’T be afraid of asking people for contributions – your cause needs them!
  • DON’T take no for an answer if a person’s reason for declining is because they don’t think it’s a worthy cause. Instead, take te opportunity to challenge their perceptions.
  • DON’T just ask for money – you will need all kinds of contributions from people whether it is their time, goods or money. Be willing to let people help in different ways.
  • DON’T get stuck in old ways – regularly re-evaluate your methods and what is and isn’t working.
  • DON’T try to fix the whole world in one day – focus on smaller goals and the tangible changes that reaching these goals will bring about.
  • DON’T put forward false positivity if things are not going well. Be straight with your contributors if you reach a bump in the road. You never know – this may even further motivate your donors to act!
  • DON’T get distracted or tire from the main goal – make the fundraiser your primary focus until the targets you set have been reached.
  • DON’T try to do everything on your own. Fundraising takes a lot of work so delegate some tasks to the other committee members, or rope in your friends and family.
  • DON’T use a one-size-fits-all approach. Try something…if it doesn’t work, try something else.
  • DON’T hesitate to ask the same contributor’s again – people get busy and need reminding. They may also have different circumstances than they did when you asked the first time and may be able to offer something else.
  • DON’T forget to consider the costs you will need to cover and incorporate it into your fundraising goals. The last thing you want is for everyone helping out to start feeling out of pocket because they had to cover all the expenses.
  • DON’T become greedy about donations – every penny counts.
  • DON’T be unrealistic about what your fundraiser can achieve in the time that you have – you have to set targets based on the resources that you have.
  • DON’T sit back and wait for the money to come to you…it won’t. You will have to work for it.
  • DON’T spam your contributor’s or overwhelm them – they are your biggest asset!

 

Do:

  • DO ask your donors to support your cause. If they don’t know about it, they can’t help.
  • DO keep emphasising the positives and the tangible effects that raising this money will have on your cause.
  • DO acknowledge and thank each and every contributor for their donation – whether large or small.
  • DO keep an open mind as to how people can help – if someone can help in a way that you hadn’t thought of, hear them out.
  • DO involve your donors – keep them informed with a newsletter, social media pages or phone calls. Keep donors informed along the way – what progress has been made and what goals are still active.
  • DO check that your fundraiser is legal. This might mean checking local by-laws and guidelines before setting your fundraiser in stone.
  • DO build your database by keeping accurate records of names and contact information and continuing to build on it.
  • DO streamline your approach to fundraising. Ensure that all of your fundraising work is in keeping with the goals and missions of the organisation and is working towards the overall objective.
  • DO be specific about donations – tell people how much you need and how they can contribute.
  • DO take advantage of the resources you have available, particularly free ones.
  • DO utilise social media by opening fundraising pages and spreading the word through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • DO put your money where your mouth is. Even those volunteering their time should lead by example by contributing to their cause.
  • DO set a specific target so that everyone can see what you are aiming for.
  • DO give your donor’s several options for contributing by offering a mailing address for cheques as well as internet banking options and ‘Pay Now’.
  • DO remember to have fun!

Cancer: Managing Emotionally

Often people underestimate the emotional toll that cancer can have. Being diagnosed with cancer is a life-changing event – no matter which stage you are at.

Dealing with these life changes as well as undergoing treatment and side effects can be just as hard on a person emotionally, as it is physically.  From the time you get the diagnosis to the time you finish up with your treatment, cancer can bring about a broad range of feelings – ones that you are often not prepared for. Cancer can be disruptive to almost every facet of a person’s life including relationships, home life and hobbies or interests. Depending on how serious the diagnosis is and what sort of treatment will have to be carried out, it can make you re-evaluate everything in life, from relationships, to working situations, to the future.

During this difficult time, a person may experience a range of different emotions including depression, anxiety, a sense of isolation and even anger. Whether you are currently experiencing these new feelings, or are watching a loved one experience them, it’s important to read on, and realize that these feeling are normal and that everyone deals with their emotions differently.

 

Feeling Overwhelmed

When someone first learns that they have cancer, they may feel overwhelmed.

They may be overwhelmed by thoughts of their future and whether or not they are going to live, by the changes and disruptions in their normal routines, by the amount of medical information that they are suddenly being exposed to or by the feelings of losing control that they may be experiencing.

Though it can be a lot to take in at first, the best thing to do is to try and organise your thoughts and then begin to understand your condition as best you can. Try to learn as much as possible about your cancer and ask lots of questions at medical appointments. This will help to ensure that you are comfortable talking about your condition and are well informed and able to make decisions about your treatment.

 

Feeling Angry

It’s completely normal to feel angry about cancer. People who have been diagnosed with cancer often feel anger or resentment toward themselves, their loved ones or even their health care providers. While this type of anger normally surfaces when a person is diagnosed, anger can surface at any time throughout the cancer journey – even after treatment has finished and survivorship has begun.

It is helpful for people experiencing these feelings to know that this anger is a common response to have for someone living with cancer, and is completely natural.  When one considers the toll that cancer-related symptoms and treatments can take on the body it is understandable why even these things alone would cause someone to become angry.

While most people associate anger with negative connotations, anger is not necessarily a bad emotion – and sometimes, it is one that people need to feel. If anger is expressed in a healthy way it can be a safe, positive thing to experience and can often motivate people with cancer to overcome the obstacles they are facing.

The best way to cope with feelings of anger is to recognise them – identify anger for what it is and acknowledge that you are struggling with it. Once you have recognised it, it will be easier to identify when you are feeling angry, making you are less likely to confuse your emotions or take anger out on others without realizing it. Once you have identified your feelings, find a safe and healthy way to express it. This might include talking about it, undertaking a physical activity such as kickboxing, beating on a pillow or just having a good yell and cry to release some of your frustrations.

 

Feeling Stressed or Anxious

Cancer can be one of the most stressful experiences in life – for both the patient and their loved ones. Cancer can put strain on every area of life – from financial to work. It is completely normal to experience feelings of stress or anxiety when you are diagnosed with cancer. Often this results in feelings of tenseness, and can include many symptoms such as an increased heart rate, aches and pains, changes in diet, weakness or dizziness or an inability to sleep.

It is important that these symptoms are not simply overlooked, as stress and anxiety can actually inhibit the body from undertaking its natural healing processes, making your recovery longer. Studies have also shown that chronic stress can be detrimental to the immune system and affect overall wellbeing. If you are concerned about stress or anxiety, consult your doctor and consider the following tips for reducing stress:

  • Stay organised. Keep track of your appointments and activities using a day planner or a suitable app. Avoid overbooking yourself and try not to book too many appointments in one day or week. Know your limits and how much energy you have and be sure to prioritise – some things can wait.
  • Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask your loved ones for help. People will likely offer their support so think about specific tasks they could help with and take them up on the offer.
  • Don’t get overwhelmed. If you have large tasks that need to be completed, try breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This might seem silly, but it makes otherwise overwhelming things seem easier to handle. If you need to clean the house, do just one room at a time, and have a break in-between.
  • Get on top of your finances. Cancer can hit your wallet hard, so be sure to manage this as soon as possible. Organise any insurances you have and how you will manage the cost of your cancer care before the bills start piling up.
  • Try to get some exercise in. When you have the energy, incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into your day. This can lower stress levels and give you time to regularly reflect and clear your head.
  • Consider what other support you might need. There are lots of other people going through the same journey so if you are finding yourself feeling stressed or anxious consider joining a support group or talking to a counsellor or social worker.
  • Make time each day to do something that relaxes you – this might be reading a book, listening to music or taking a bubble bath. It is important to set this wind-down time aside to destress each day. You may want to consider incorporating some relaxation techniques into your day to lower your stress levels – this might be deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
  • Talk to your doctor about medication. If you are finding that your stress levels are becoming out of control, speak to your doctor about whether or not you would benefit from medication. Ensure that your doctor also knows what cancer related medicines and treatments you are taking so that they don’t prescribe a medication that could interact with them.

 

Feeling Depressed

As well as experiencing anxiety about your cancer, you may also experience sadness or depression. Depression can occur at any stage of your cancer – from the time you receive the news, till after treatment is finished, and is a completely normal response to the onset of any major health problem.

Depression can affect many facets of physical and mental health including energy levels, eating, emotional feelings, mood, concentration, sleeping and can even lead to thoughts about hurting yourself or others. Like stress, depression can lower a person’s quality of life and make it difficult for them to go about daily activities. Though it is common for people to experience depression during or after cancer, it should not go untreated as it can undermine the strength (both emotional and physical) needed to get through the cancer journey.

You will need as much support as you can get from your friends and family, and may also want to consider what other support you may need. Tell your doctor what you are feeling and talk to them about what else might help – whether it is support in a group environment, some medication or other treatment such as counselling. Most importantly – don’t bottle up your feelings. Talk to someone you can trust about how you have been feeling and be open about your struggle.

 

Feeling Guilty

A common emotion suffered by cancer patients is that of guilt. You may feel guilt over getting cancer and how that has affected your friends and family, you may feel as though you are a burden on those around you or you may be feeling that your lifestyle choices are to blame for your cancer and are experiencing guilt for this reason. You are not alone – many people with cancer have these feelings.

Guilt can be experienced by those with cancer – and by those surrounding them. Often loved ones also experience guilt for many reasons. It is important to express these feelings of blame or regret with those around you. Feelings of guilt can come in many forms:

  • Guilt for not having noticed symptoms or seeking medical attention earlier
  • Guilt for feeling like a burden to your family
  • Guilt over not being able to cope with a normal schedule or workload due to your health
  • Guilt over the financial costs of your cancer treatment
  • You may even have ‘survivor’s guilt’ which is associated with feelings of guilt related to why you survived your cancer when other’s did not

Whatever the guilt is that you are experiencing, it is important to let go of it. A lot of the guilt that you might experience may be misplaced. Even if the guilt is justified, it is not healthy to dwell on these feelings and it is detrimental to your wellbeing to continue to be drained by them. Try to remember that cancer is nobody’s fault. There is a lot about cancer that even doctors and scientists are yet to fully understand so let go of any mistakes you think you have made and focus on what’s ahead.

 

Express Yourself!

The most important thing to do is speak up! Research has proven that those who express their feelings are able to let go of them more than those who choose to bottle them up. If you are comfortable, the best people to talk to are family and friends. If this is not possible, then talk to another survivor, a counsellor or consider joining a support group. Here are some last minute tips to keeping your chin up during this turbulent time in your life:

  • Stay Positive. Easier said than done, but making a conscious effort to be hopeful and positive can help. Try and redirect your energy to focusing on what lies ahead and getting well.
  • Accept Bad Days. You will have your bad days, and sometimes you need to just put your pyjamas back on and wallow. This is okay – if you can’t be positive and life is just getting you down then just declare it a ‘cancer day’ and crawl back into bed. People will understand.
  • Be Open About Your Cancer. It can be difficult for many people to talk about your cancer so talk about it , if you are comfortable doing so. People will want to support you but may not always know how to. Make them, and yourself, more at ease by discussing it and being open about what you are going through.
  • Control What You Can. Cancer can make you feel like you’ve lost control of everything. Take some of that control back by being actively involved in your health care, keeping yourself informed, setting and keeping your appointments and making changes in your life that will help you to manage while you are having treatment. These little things will not only help you to manage your care better, but will also give you back your sense of control over your life.

 

Just remember: there will be good days, and bad days. Try to let the good ones be more frequent than the bad and focus on what you can control and what is good in your life: family and friends.

 

Fainting: When to Seek Medical Advice

If you have fainted before, you know that moment of blackout can be confusing, disorienting or even scary. But how do you know if you need to seek medical advice?

Fainting can be an indicator of a serious medial problem. Let’s take a closer look into what fainting is and what it means.

What is fainting?
Fainting is defined as a brief loss of consciousness due to temporary shortage of blood flow to the brain. The medical term for fainting is “syncope.”

It is serious?
Most of the time, a single fainting incident is not a serious concern. These non-serious fainting episodes can be caused by a couple of different things.

One is the vasovagal reflex. The vasovagal reflex can be triggered by everyday events like fear, pain, stress, holding your breath, coughing, or even urinating. Because of its link to a trigger, this cause for fainting is usually easy to identify.

Another non-serious cause of fainting is orthostatic hypotension. This refers to a sudden drop in blood pressure, triggered by a change of position. Common causes for this include standing up too fast, becoming dehydrated, or taking certain medications.

However, fainting can be a sign of very serious medical conditions, so experts advise that any fainting incident be treated as a medical emergency.

These conditions include heart or blood vessel issues like heart disease, a blood clot in the lungs, or a heart vale problem. It can also be a sign of a nervous system problem like a seizure, stroke or transient ischemic attack (or TIA—also known as a mini-stroke).

What to do
If you feel faint, lay down or sit and put your head between your knees. This can restore blood flow and prevent a blackout.

But if you do pass out, always get medical attention. Experts recommend that any loss of consciousness like fainting be treated as a medical emergency.

Always Seek Medical Advice

As many as 4 in 10 people will faint at least once in their lives, according to Patient. Though it’s usually nothing to be concerned about, fainting can be a sign of a serious medial problem, so you should always seek medical advice following an episode.

Shakespeare Made Fun

 

You’ve likely heard your students complain about Shakespeare before. Every teacher has. He is hard to read. His work is boring. His work is not easily relatable. As a teacher, you know these complaints are quite untrue except perhaps for the difficulty in reading Shakespeare’s English. But how do you share the joy of Shakespeare’s work with your students while still making it fun? This article will explore several Shakespeare-themed activities which you and your students can do, and at the end if they still do not like Shakespeare, at least they will be able to say they had fun and learned about this brilliant wordsmith anyhow.

 

All The World is a Stage

Set the stage. If you are going to study Hamlet, for example, turn off the classroom lights, and set LED tea lights on tables and desks throughout the classroom to give the feel of a dark, slightly spooky night. Be sure to set the tea lights somewhere where they are not a distraction to students. You could even create a night backdrop. If you are going to teach Romeo and Juliet, you could create a scene that looks like the iconic window. Use inexpensive props, and your classroom will look like a Shakespeare set in no time. As a bonus, students will realize something is different, and will likely pay more attention.

 

Playlists

As you study the sections of a Shakespeare play, make sure to ask your students their thoughts on the characters. Discuss the character’s motives and personalities so that your class gets to know the characters. Then ask them to do a 3-5 song playlist of their favorite characters. With each song choice, ask them to include a two-paragraph mini essay explaining why they chose the song they chose. If you wanted, you could even ask them to properly cite song lyrics. Your students will much more easily remember that Justin Bieber was Romeo than simply answering questions about who Romeo killed on a reading quiz.

 

Hamlet’s Father

If you are studying Hamlet, you could have a discussion of the various ways to create Hamlet’s father’s ghost. Have your students discuss various ways of creating the ghost, including puppets, bedsheets ghosts, and anything else your students think up. Then discuss how the ghost was created in Shakespeare’s time. Be sure to discuss what makes the ghost foreboding.

 

Perform a Mini Play

A full play would be difficult to perform in a small space, but you could perform one scene from the play you are studying. Assign each student a character part. If you have more students than characters, assign some to make sound effects, flash the lights to make lightning or raise and lower backdrops. This way, your students can feel as if they are part of the Shakespeare experience.

 

Your lessons on Shakespeare do not have to be boring! They can be fun, informative and memorable. With the above activities, you can teach your class Shakespeare in a way they will never forget. Also, these are just a few suggestions to get you started. Use your imagination and creativity, and you can probably come up with many more. Believe us, your students will thank you.

A to Z of Fundraising

 

Fundraising is one of the most crucial yet difficult tasks of any organization. If you do not succeed in this endeavor, monetary goals will likely not be met and the whole organization will suffer. So how do you properly raise funds without your fundraising efforts going stale? How do you drum up support at the exact right time of the year for your contributors to want to give? If you would like answers to these and the other important questions that any fundraising effort needs to answer, then this article is for you. We will delve deep into the mysteries of fundraising and pull out the answers to make your next fundraising attempt a success.

 

Research Your Donors

As with any undertaking, research is very important for your fundraising goals. It can give you an edge when communicating with potential donors in a variety of ways. First of all, if you research your donors’ interests, it will give them the sense that you know them. Secondly, researching their interests gives you a way to connect your cause to the things that they are passionate about. Donors are more likely to donate to a cause that fits in with one of their passions in some way, as they tend to feel that a cause of this nature is worth their hard-earned dollars. Researching your donors also can make them feel as if you care about their interests, passions, hobbies and desires and about them as people instead of just donation numbers. This will make them far more likely to donate to your cause.

 

Practice Asking for Donations

No one asks for donors perfectly on the first try. That is why practice is absolutely crucial. Without practice, you will wind up stuttering and nervous or leaving out necessary information. You will look unprofessional, and unprofessional causes get fewer donors. By the time you are sitting in front of a possible donor, you should have practiced all the possible paths the conversation could take many times over. This way you do not get caught unawares when the conversation veers down an unexpected path. Another benefit to practicing every aspect of your ask is that the conversation will flow much more naturally, and you can simply focus on talking with your donors, learning about them and connecting.

There are three steps to practicing your asks. Start by writing down your asks and reading them aloud. When you have them memorized well enough that you do not need your written copy any longer, move on to practicing in front of a mirror. Just like when you were in elementary school, practicing your asks in front of a mirror can help you gain confidence and discover parts of your presentation that need more attention before you actually reach the donors. Finally, record yourself on video practicing. It would be wise to show this video to a friend or family member or someone that you trust. This extra pair of eyes can be valuable in pointing out problems or hesitations or things that you might have missed in your donation speech. Recording yourself on video also lets you see your own performance from a distance, so you can more objectively observe what the donors will see.

 

Never Surprise Your Donors

Make sure, up front, that your donors know you are asking them for money. If they act surprised, something is deeply amiss with your delivery. On the first call you make to them, it should be made clear that you are interested in them as a person but that there is a deeper purpose for your call. This gives your donors a chance to prepare their responses, questions and objections. Good fundraising is not about bullying your donors into submission. Rather, it is about showing them how your causes line up with their passions. A harassed donor is far less likely to donate to your cause, and much more likely to simply slam down the phone or snap at you, and things go much more smoothly when you and the potential donor are on a level playing field.

 

Do Not Bore the Donors

Being boring feels safe. You have a preprogrammed script and you want to stick to that script because you have memorized it. However, it is better to vary your script to fit your audience. This is not a speech, after all, but a request for funds from people who can either accept or reject it. It is important to study the flow of the conversation and tailor your delivery to suit the tone. If a donor seems cautious, for example, it is best to gently encourage them. If a donor is assertive, then you may back off the encouragement. Flexibility in delivery means that your audience can be more easily taken into account, and your donors will appreciate not being bored to tears.

 

Seeking donations for your cause can be intimidating and difficult. You never know if you are going to be accepted or rejected, and the whole thing hinges upon your ability to make a good impression on the potential donor. If you are too stiff or formal, you risk alienating them. Researching your donors before you even begin that first phone call can show you what sorts of people they are as well as what their passions and other causes are. This, in turn leads to a more intuitive delivery on your part as you show the donor how their passions and your causes intersect. Practicing your delivery is also very important. Practice your delivery over and over until you have it completely to memory. Then vary it based on the donor you are interviewing. Be sure to gauge their mood and give them ample chances to make objections or to outright refuse. A level playing field between you and the donors is crucial. Fundraising efforts can seem very intimidating. However, they do not have to be. Using this article as your guide, along with some knowledge of your donors, you will soon be making money for your cause. You will not even have to bully the donors to do it.

Teaching New Vocabulary Words

Learning vocabulary an important part of education and life at any age. In fact, several markers of success in life have been correlated to having a larger vocabulary. In addition to this, keeping your students at grade level standards for vocabulary comprehension is critical for passing standardized assessment like Common Core’s PARCC tests.

But it takes more than copying down a new word’s definition for students to gain a true command over new vocabulary words. To help students grow a deep understanding of words, use interactive methods that make your students interact with the words in many different ways.

Here are some examples of ways to stretch students’ thinking and comprehension for new vocabulary:

Offer an extensive class library
Seeing new vocabulary words in context helps students learn new words. Encourage this by maintaining a large library of books students can borrow that are appropriate but challenging for the students’ level.

Identify vocabulary in books the class is reading together
Have students skim each chapter before reading it and write out any words they don’t know and use their lists as a guide to create a vocabulary list for the class. Before reading the chapter in full, review the list and their definitions.

Get students to restate or explain each word in their own words
This can be as simple as having students pair up with whoever sits next to them to discuss, or write it on paper. What’s important is that each student takes ownership of each word by explaining it themselves.

Have students create a visual representation of each word

As a class activity, have students create their own pictures (or other symbolic representations) of the words on the vocabulary list. This helps students think about a word’s meaning and gain a deeper understanding.

Have students create analogies for each word
This exercise is another way to tap into students’ creativity and get them to think more critically about the meanings of words on their vocabulary list. By creating their own analogies, students must determine their own understanding of a word’s given definition.

Have students find synonyms and antonyms for each word
Much like creating analogies for vocabulary words, this exercise makes students use other words in their vocabulary to develop a stronger contextual sense of the word’s definition.

Have students create their own jingles for the words and definitions.
The repetition of these creative exercises will help students engage with the vocabulary words with many different parts of their mind. Even better, a jingle can double as a mnemonic device that students can use as a reminder for words later on.

Keep reviewing old vocabulary words with games.
Don’t let old vocabulary words disappear after the test. To make sure those words become a long-term part of students’ vocabulary (and that they’re fresh for the end-of-year assessment), create games to play as a class that will reinforce them all year. Need ideas? Here’s a good place to start.

When these many different interactive learning techniques are used together, students develop a strong command over new vocabulary words. Better yet, an ability to use and understand these words stretches far beyond the next test and throughout students’ lives.

Using YouTube in the Classroom

As technology becomes more integrated into education methods, utilizing YouTube in the classroom is a trend on the rise. Early studies testing its effectiveness are proving promising.

In high school classrooms in Detroit, a video-enabled flipped classroom program helped reduce the fail rate for freshmen English and math classes by more than half. Additionally, semester to semester, discipline cases dropped from 736 to 249.

Used well, it’s clear that video can be a powerful educational tool. And it’s gaining traction, too—Education-oriented video channel TedEd has over a million subscribers.

How can you tap into this trend and enhance your students’ learning experience with YouTube? Here are some tips.

  • Create YouTube playlists as resources for the lessons.
  • Record class lessons and post them on YouTube for to access for on-demand review.
  • Keep videos short—no more than 10 minutes long—and opt for high-energy videos that will engage.
  • Use videos to bring a lesson to life: Watch a poet recite her own work, pull a segment of a play based on a book you’re reading, or show a reenactment of a moment in history.
  • Bring in a guest lecturer by showing filmed addresses from experts in fields you’re studying in class.
  • Every student’s learning pace is a little different. For students who take more time, sharing relevant videos for review can help students get the extra support they need. For students who are ahead of the pack, look for videos that can take lessons to the next level, keeping advanced students engaged.
  • Take advantage of education-oriented video tools like TeacherTube, TedEd, and YouTube for Schools to ensure quality educational content.
  • Don’t use video to replace lessons, only to supplement them.
  • The Internet, YouTube included, is full of all kinds of content, some extremely questionable for a classroom. Always watch videos all the way to the end before showing them to students, and never let students surf video content on their own.

A Powerful Educational Tool

When used wisely, YouTube can be a powerful tool to enhance students’ learning process. Early studies indicate significant improvements in performance and even in-class behavior when videos are used to enhance lessons. With some mindful application, you can tap into this potential to enrich your students’ education.

What Are Special Needs?

As of the 2012-13 school year, 14 percent of all public school students were receiving special education services, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But what does it mean for a child to have special needs?

Broadly speaking, “special needs” is used to describe children who require any kind of special support due to a physical, mental or emotional issue, beyond the average student. It’s a term that covers a wide variety of needs—one student may simply require a ramp to access the building from a wheelchair, while another may need special therapy.

Classifying the many different kinds of special needs can get complicated—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) identifies 13 separate categories. At a broader level, special needs can be broken into four general types: physical, behavioral, emotional, and sensory. 

Physical Special Needs
A physical special need is a physical limitation that permanently makes typical mobility or bodily control more challenging. It often requires special equipment like a wheelchair. Examples of physical special needs include children with muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, or chronic asthma.

Sensory Special Needs
Sensory impairments are conditions that limit one or more of a child’s senses. This includes blindness, deafness, visual impairments, and more.

Developmental Special Needs
Kids with developmental disabilities experience challenges with skills needed for certain aspects of life, such as language, mobility and learning. These include conditions such as dyslexia, Down syndrome or autism.

Behavioral/Emotional Special Needs
This type of special need refers to disorders that affect a child’s ability to respond to traditional discipline or struggle with psychological conditions. These include conditions such as ADHD, bipolar disorder, and oppositional defiance disorder.

Empowering Special Needs Kids to Take On Challenges

While children with special needs all have one thing in common—a need for a little extra support—this term refers to a broad range of unique needs. But special needs kids are much more than this label. Understanding the challenges these children face is a great first step to helping them overcome them for full, satisfying lives.

Direct Mail Fundraising

Mail

Even in the digital age, direct mail has continues to be a powerful method for nonprofits to connect to supporters for fundraising. In fact, one in three consumers reported they had taken action for a nonprofit in response to a piece of direct mail, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2015 DMA Fact Book.

But not all direct mail is equally effective—the writing and layout rules for direct mail are different from many other kinds of communication. If you want to be sure your materials catch donors’ attention and inspire action, follow these best practices.

Use a Call to Action
It may sound obvious, but people are a lot more likely to do what you want if you ask them. That’s what a call to action is: asking your audience to take a specific action to help your cause.

What action do you want your donors to take? Polish it into a short, simple, and specific phrase that you can use consistently across your direct mail and other marketing materials to drive readers to become donors. Be clear about what you want, and also about the benefits of this action.

Example: “Provide a month of clean water for $25.”

 

Write for Skimming
Most people will only give your direct mail a few seconds of consideration before deciding to read it in full or not. To grab attention quickly, create your mailer to be easily skimmed.

This means using big headlines, engaging images, bullet points, and white space to establish a clear order for the eye to follow. Think about what it’s most important for a person to understand immediately, and then provide supporting details once you’ve got their attention.

 

Repeat Yourself
In marketing, it’s often advantageous to repeat your key message multiple times, and direct mail is no exception.

Why? As Bloomerang explains it, donating to a nonprofit lights up the brain’s pleasure center. Each time they read a mention of this action in your direct mail piece, it creates the simulation of the action in the brain, resulting in that same pleasurable feeling—which motivates a person to fulfill the action.

 

Mix it Up
While you want your branding and call to action to be consistent, change up your direct mail with a variety of materials that have different supporting content. This helps grab readers’ attention, while letting you reach out to your mailing list more frequently.

Keep these materials organized by planning out your full campaign and various messages beforehand.

 

Stand Out
Strategic design choices can help your direct mail get noticed. To stand out, stay way from the standard white envelopes and letter sizes and get creative. Bold colors (consistent with your brand, of course) and big or unusual sizes can earn your direct mail a few extra seconds of attention.

 

Suggest an Amount
People are more likely to make a donation when a specific amount is suggested to them. Keep the amount reasonable, and tie it to a tangible result (see the call to action example above).

For example, if your suggested donation is $25, create checkboxes for $10, $25, $50, and “As much as you’re able!” with a fill-in-the-blank option so the donor can choose their own amount if they prefer.

Reinforce your message yet again by circling your recommended amount on the form.

 

Make it Easy
The easier it is to donate, the more likely people are to do it.

Include everything needed to make a donation in the mailer. This may mean including a donation form and return envelope, and/or directing people to an easy-to-remember URL with a user-friendly form.

On the donation form, include checkboxes for the donation amounts, and be sure your organization is prepared to accept as many payment options as possible, including all major credit cards. Ask only for as much information from the donor as necessary.

 

Remember the Most Important Word
In direct mail, the most important word is you. 

Rather than focusing your message on what your donor’s money can do for you, focus on how a donation serves your donor. Remember, without donors, your organization’s work isn’t possible. Make them a part of the action.

 

Direct Mail Should Help Donors Help You

Most people want to give, but the clutter of every day life and other demands on their attention get in the way. A strategically crafted direct mail piece can cut through that clutter to get donors’ attention, and make it easy for them to give.

With these best practices, you can win more attention, optimize your response rates and draw in more donors. When it all comes together, your organization has the support to make a real impact, while donors get the satisfaction of knowing they helped make a difference, and everyone wins.

Take Action: Wear Your Cause

From ribbons to bracelets to t-shirts, it seems there is gear for every cause and every style these days.

And sure, it’s great to join in when it comes to a cause you believe in, but does sporting your awareness swag really make a difference to researchers and patients? Sometimes it can feel like a hollow gesture.

But don’t be deceived! When you wear your cause support, you take positive action on behalf of your cause awareness in three important ways.

1. Honor Survivors and Remember Those Lost
By wearing your awareness gear, you’re honoring those who have fought against that cancer, disease, or other struggle.

In 2015, the American Cancer Society projects an estimated 1,658,370 new cancer cases in America alone—not to mention the millions of loved ones impacted by each patient’s fight. Even if no one says anything to you, it’s likely that your act of support touched someone personally impacted by the fight against cancer.

2. The Positive Side of Peer Pressure
Peer pressure isn’t just for teens with attitude. In its simplest form, peer pressure just means that people tend to go along with what those around them are doing. By advocating for a cause, you tilt those mainstream currents in a positive direction of informed support and action.

3. Trigger Conversations
Be careful—if you’re wearing awareness swag, it’s likely someone will ask you about it.

When they do, it’s a fantastic opportunity to share about a cause you’re passionate about. Tell a little about why awareness matters to you, and if you’re willing, share your personal story. Before ending the conversation, tip them off on where to learn more about the cause, donate, and get their own support gear.

One Easy Action, Many Ripples of Impact
Because wearing your support for a cause is so easy to do, it can be easy to think that this action doesn’t matter. But in reality, wearing your support can make a big difference to others affected by the cause and trigger a chain of awareness in those around you.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up your swag and start a positive chain today.