How to Host a Fundraiser ?

Whether you're trying to raise money for your organization or a charity, fundraising can be difficult if not planned right. Many people avoid hosting a fundraiser because they see the task as too overwhelming. But you can successfully host a fundraiser by following these tips.

 

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Instructions:

Things You'll Need:

A theme
A budget
A menu
Items for auction Entertainment

1. Pick a theme. 

Before holding your event, choose a theme that will represent your cause. If you're raising money for an international adoption, bring in food and decor from that country. If you're trying to raise funds for a charity, come up with ideas that tie into your cause. Even the invitations or fliers should reflect the theme of your event.

2. Create a budget. 

Remember that you're trying to raise money, so you are going to have to work within a pretty tight budget. Ask vendors in your area if they would be willing to donate food, raffle prizes or other items for your fundraiser. Some may not have anything to donate but will give you money towards your cause.

 

3. Prepare a menu. 

Depending on your cause, you need to choose between a casual menu or a formal dinner. Some great fundraisers have featured a barbecue, while other successful events have included a 5-course meal. Since you are working within a limited budget, your menu will depend largely on what you can afford to spend. You can have an elegant meal on a small budget just by shopping around at warehouse grocery stores.

 

4.Plan the entertainment. 

You should have something planned besides just a dinner. One great way to raise even more money for your cause is to have a silent auction or even a public auction. You can ask local vendors to donate items to auction. You can also invite a band to play or have a talent show. Try to do something that ties into the evening's theme.

5.Present your cause. 

With all of your planning for the fundraiser, it's easy to forget why you are inviting these people here in the first place! Prepare a short presentation about your cause, showing everyone why you are desperate to raise funds and how they can help Hosting a non-profit fundraiser is one way of earning money for an important cause.

Fundraisers can take the form of a variety of events, but the common themes within them are charity and community. A fundraiser's success is often reliant on the organization and commitment of its hosts. Holding any large event involves long hours of planning and most fundraiser workers do this for no pay. The payoff of a fundraiser comes from its contributions to a particular cause rather than individual profits.

How to Hold a Nonprofit Fundraiser:

Instructions.

1. Pick an organization, cause, or charity that all the fundraising profits will go to. Decide on a target amount that you wish to make from the fundraiser. Non-profit fundraisers imply that all earnings other than those used for the event's expenses will go to the chosen cause.

2. Assemble a team of volunteers who are willing to work at the fundraiser for little to no payment. Non-profit fundraisers are best conducted using a volunteer workforce so that a larger percentage of the overall earnings can go to the fundraiser's cause. 

Within the team of volunteers, assign job titles according to experience and expertise with particular tasks. Important positions within a team of volunteers are those in charge of marketing the event, those responsible for the money as it comes in, and those making sure the event runs seamlessly.

3. Brainstorm with the fundraising team on ideas for the main event. Common fundraising events include: auctions, carnivals or fairs, bake sales, dances, car washes, walk-a-thons, and concerts. Remember to create an atmosphere in which people will feel charitable and in the mood to donate money to your cause.

4. Book a venue for the event well in advance. Decide on the venue based on the type of event that the fundraiser encompasses. For example, if the event is a black-tie auction an appropriate venue would be an elegant hotel banquet room or a high-end restaurant. If the event is a walk-a-thon, streets must be closed with city permission or perhaps school track facilities can be utilized.

5. Host the event graciously. Socialize with the guests and make them feel appreciated. Emphasize, throughout the event, how important the fundraiser's cause is and keep the guests updated on how much money has been made so far. Adding a personal touch through your interactions with the guests will put a face to the broader cause and inspire the generosity needed for a successful fundraiser.

 

(COMPILED BY THE INFORMATION DIVISION IPC)

International Peace Commission-IPC
(Incorporated as Not for Profit in the USA)
www.ipc-online.info
Helpline: +1 816 984 6316

Education: Quality, Access and innovation

Education is a fundamental factor in achieving success and growth in different aspects of life. Education equips people with the knowledge to achieve all of the Millennium Development Goals by providing the skills to increase income, create employment opportunities, reduce hunger and poverty and enhance socio-economic development.

In the case of women, educating women and girls has proven to lead to higher earnings, improved child and family health and reduced fertility rates.

In 2000, world leaders adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration where the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG-2) is to “Achieve Universal Primary Education,” ensuring that children across the globe will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015.

In an effort to improve education, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will follow the six goals of “Education for All” of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

These goals are:

(1) expand early childhood care and education.

(2) provide free and compulsory primary education for all.

(3) promote learning and life skills for young people and adults.

(4) increase adult literacy by 50 per cent, (5) achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015 and

(6) improve the quality of education.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has prioritized the issue of equal access to education, empowerment of women through girls’ education and gender equality, education in emergencies and post-crisis education, early childhood development and school readiness and enhancing quality in primary and secondary education. To reach these goals, UNICEF has been working on a series of initiatives, including back on track education, back to school campaigns, child-friendly schools, school readiness, essential learning, learning plus and life skills based education.

 

Importance of Education:

Education provides people with the ability to access tools that improves people’s lives. According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, poverty and unequal access to schooling does not stop the high adolescent birth rates. In fact, unequal access to education jeopardizes the health and opportunities for social and economic advancement for girls and women.

The report also notes the social progress made from education. In particular, contraceptive use is four times higher among women with a secondary education than among those with no education. For women in the poorest households and among those with no education, negligible progress was seen over the last decade.

Children who receive early childhood care and education are more likely to develop basic cognitive and language skills, and be better socially and emotionally equipped. A proper education broadens opportunities for young people and helps develop the skills necessary to stimulate sustainable economic development.

Problems with Education:

Some of the education implementation problems across the globe are due to the limited access to education, high drop out rates, grade repetition and poor quality of education. Today, at least 72 million children of school age are still denied the right to education due to financial, social or other challenges, including high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.

In a report by UNESCO, titled “Education for All—Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the Marginalized”, the publication estimated that achieving MDG-2 of universal primary education and goals of “education for all” across 46 low-income countries by 2015 would require an additional $24 billion per year in addition to the estimated existing national spending on basic education of $12 billion in 2007.

There is a fear that progress made in past 10 years will stall or be reversed as a consequence of the slower economic growth. In fact, many of the world’s poorest countries are not on track to meet the 2015 education targets.

In countries in which accessibility is not a problem, quality of the education available still remains a challenge. Of the students enrolled in school, millions drop out or leave school without having gained the most basic literacy and numeracy skills due to poor quality of education. To ensure schooling is useful, it is necessary to enforce proper infrastructure and a relevant curriculum.

Teachers are necessary to facilitate learning and education; therefore it is vital to make sure there is not a shortage of teachers. Furthermore, a shortage of teachers can be a major barrier to delivering education. To further ensure quality, teachers need to be well trained and motivated.

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon elaborates on the importance to financing “Education for All” stating, that “aid for education produces great returns for poverty reduction, economic growth, child survival and democracy.”

For example, the abolition of primary school fees in Burundi resulted in a threefold increase in primary-school enrolment since 1999, reaching 99 percent in 2008.

Looking to the future:

This year’s theme of the High-level Segment (HLS) of the ECOSOC Substantive Session in Geneva is education. The 2011 Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) will focus on the theme of “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education”. The theme aims to bring governments and civil society together to assess progress and challenges to ensure the MDG-2 is met by 2015.

(COMPILED BY THE IPC INFORMATION SERVICE DIVISION)

International Peace Commission-IPC
(Incorporated as Not for Profit in the USA) 

www.ipc-online.info 

Helpline: +1 816 984 6316

Staff Recruitment Policy for NGOs:

Staff recruitment is the process of hiring staff to carry out various activities in an organization. In NGOs, staff recruitment is mostly determined by the availability of ongoing projects and how they have been budgeted. Nevertheless, staff recruitment is essential because many donors seek to know what policies grantees have adopted in terms of hiring personnel for projects funded by them.

Recruitment can be done internally (through referrals or inventories) or externally (through open job advertisements or employment agencies). In both cases, it is necessary to specify that a policy is in place to manage these processes.

Volunteers and Personnel Recruitment:

Volunteers:

Volunteers are individuals who work at NGO out of their own choice or have been deputed at NGO by other organizations. They will be assigned tasks from time to time as deemed necessary by NGO. NGO will have a limited contract with volunteers and will not provide any compensation except under special conditions. They will not be considered as full-time or part-time employees of the organization.

Personnel Recruitment:

NGO believes in equal employment opportunity to each individual, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant condition. This policy applies to recruitment and advertising; hiring and job assignment; promotion, demotion and transfer; layoff or termination; rates of pay and benefits; selection for training; and the provision of any other human resources service.

Notice of Vacant or New Position:

It is the responsibility of the Board of Members to fill vacant positions as well as new regular positions and new temporary positions of a duration exceeding more than six months. The Board must make sure that the positions can be filled under the organizational budget.

For all new positions, a job description shall be established and include the following elements:

• position summary
• description of duties and responsibilities
• conditions of work
• qualifications.

Notice of a new or vacant position must be approved by the Board before it is released publicly.

Recruitment for a new or vacant position can be opened to internal and external competition. For external recruitment, positions in the professional category can be advertised publicly through newspapers if they are regular positions, or if there is a limited tendering process for consultation.

Interview and selection:

As a general rule, a selection committee comprising of, at least two members shall be assembled for filling all positions.

The committee will go through the applications received, retaining those that show the best qualifications. It will evaluate each candidate’s application with the help of an evaluation form created beforehand, containing well-defined criteria.

A list of the candidates chosen to be interviewed will be shortlisted by the Selection Committee. The interviews will serve to make a final choice and also to establish a database of potential future candidates.

Policy for Annual Performance Evaluation at NGOs:

Annual Performance Evaluation:

The annual performance evaluation is the analysis, based on documentation from previous stages of the process, of an employee’s work record. The evaluation addresses two fundamental questions. The first relates to the past and involves verifying what was accomplished qualitatively and quantitatively during the year. The second relates to the future and consists of identifying means to be considered to ensure the employee continues to grow and develop.

The performance evaluation form should include all the sections needed for the evaluation. This includes a section relating to performance evaluation in relation to the objectives established at the outset and in relation to the responsibilities of the position, a section that specifies or targets what is needed for the employee’s development and finally a section allowing the employee and the evaluator to express their comments and affix their respective signatures. The form should also include a performance level classification and a definition of each of these levels.

The annual performance evaluation does not have any financial impact on salaries. It is first and foremost a tool to evaluate the employee’s performance and take remedial action if necessary.

Skill Training and Professional Development:

Depending on available funds, NGO should foster the professional development of its employees in order to be as effective as possible in its activities. The training programs chosen should address the actual needs identified and expressed during performance evaluation sessions.

Bond:

As part of the staff and organizational development activities, NGO may at times decide to send a designated staff person for trainings and/or further studies both abroad as well as at local level. NGO will bear the full/partial costs of the trainings/studies for this. However, the designated staff sponsored for the trainings/studies is required to sign a bond with NGO that requires him/her to complete the full tenure of working with the organization.

Performance Evaluation System Policy for NGOs:

Elements of the Performance Evaluation System

A performance evaluation system is composed of three main stages that generally take place over a period of a year:

Performance planning:

The performance planning stage enables employees and supervisors to come to an agreement on what is to be accomplished during the year and how it will be carried out. The following procedures and tools are used to facilitate this stage:

a) Job description or list of duties

Each employee must have an up-to-date job description defining the purpose of the work and the responsibilities involved.

b) Setting of objectives

For each key responsibility associated with a position, at least one objective should be established for a particular period. The objectives should be clear and quantifiable, and the assessment criteria should be mentioned.

c) Individual action plan

The individual action plan is a planning tool used to specify the steps to be taken to achieve the objectives set beforehand. The action plan should be prepared jointly with the immediate supervisor. It may also involve new initiatives facilitating improved productivity or personal capacity development.

Performance Monitoring and Management:

Staff performance and productivity should be managed on an on-going basis throughout the year. The following elements, among others, are involved:

a) On-going Supervision

This means taking the time to observe, examine sources of difficulty and seek solutions.

b) Regular Communication

This involves regular exchanges so that employees can receive feedback about their performance and receive the necessary supervision.

c) Periodic Evaluation

This involves formal, scheduled meetings between an employee and supervisor to discuss activities carried out, end results and the adjustment of the action plan and objectives, if necessary. A minimum of one meeting every six months is suggested to ensure satisfactory results.

(COMPILED BY THE IPC NGO RESOURCE SERVICE DIVISION)

Millions facing severe food crisis amid worsening drought in Horn of Africa – UN

Millions of people are being pushed closer to destitution by factors beyond their control in the Horn of Africa.

28 June 2011 – An estimated 10 million people across the Horn of Africa are facing a severe food crisis following a prolonged drought in the region, with child malnutrition rates in some areas twice the emergency threshold amid high food prices that have left families desperate, the United Nations reported today.

In some areas of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda, drought conditions are the worst in 60 years, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update.
 
Almost half the of children arriving in refugees camps in Ethiopia from southern Somalia are malnourished, while 11 districts in Kenya have reported malnutrition rates above the 15 per cent emergency threshold. Supplementary and therapeutic feeding programmes are struggling to keep pace with the rising needs, according to OCHA.
 
Drought-related displacement and refugee flows are on the rise, with an average of 15,000 Somalis arriving in Kenya and Ethiopia every month this year seeking assistance.
 
“While conflict has been a fact of life for them for years, it is the drought that has taken them to breaking point. Many have walked for days, are exhausted, in poor health, desperate for food and water, and arriving in a worse condition than usual,” according to the OCHA update on the drought situation in the region.
 
The influx of Somalis into refugee camps in the Dadaab area of Kenya’s North-Eastern province – the largest refugee settlement in the world – has led to worsening overcrowding amid limited resources.
 
The drought has forced children out of school as both human and livestock diseases spread. Competition for the meagre resources is causing tensions among communities.
 
The price of grain in drought-affected areas of Kenya is 30 to 80 per cent more than the five-year average, according to OCHA, while in Ethiopia, the consumer price index for food increased by almost 41 per cent last month.
 
Further food price hikes area expected in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia, but could ease after the next harvests expected later this year.
 
OCHA called for the scaling up of the emergency response in all affected areas, urging governments, donors and relief agencies step up efforts to prevent further deterioration.
 
Further funding is also required to enable humanitarian agencies to provide the necessary assistance. UN agencies and the partners this year requested $529 million for Somalia, but only 50 per cent of that amount has been received.
 
In Kenya, where $525 million is required, about 54 per cent of that money has been obtained so far. The appeal for Djibouti is for $39 million, but only 30 per cent has been received.

Mastering the Art of Conflict Resolution

 

In so many places arzound the globe conflict simultaneously corrode societies, divide people and in many cases define nations. It can be heartbreaking to see the misery and pain that these conflicts cause but even sadder are the day-to-day conflicts we face in our own little world.

Whether among family, friends or co-workers, I believe that we’ve all had to face conflict with someone else. While this article will not address conflict on world scale, it will present you with some insight on how to effectively resolve conflicts that you face in your life. The fact is that change begins with you and I do believe that the most effective way to change the world is one person at a time.

As one of my mentors always asks, “How do you eat an elephant?” To which the answer is always “One bite at a time.”

The Art of Conflict Resolution is grounded in natural laws – correct principles that hold true no matter what situation you face. They are simple in concept and they always work; however, they are not always easy to put into practice.

Following are 5 practices that will most certainly help you to become more effective at resolving conflicts you face no matter with whom. When these practices become habits, you will become a person of solution rather than conflict.

#1 – Accept the truth:

One of the first things you must be willing to do is to accept all truths relating to and about the conflict you face. If you do not accept the truth, no solution you come up with will be a win/win because it will have been based on a false foundation.

Firstly, you must accept the truth about yourself. You must be willing to take an honest look at yourself and decipher what you might have done to create and/or escalate the conflict. If for whatever reason, you honestly don’t know what you have done then you must simply accept the possibility and probability that in all likelihood, you have done something that help to create and/or escalate the conflict. The fact that you may be unaware of what that is exactly is irrelevant – you only have to accept the possibility.

Secondly, you must also accept the truth about the other party to your conflict. Be honest about what he/she/they might have done to rub you the wrong way. Although difficult, you must also accept the possibility that he/she/they do not know that they have offended you in any way. In fact, this is often the case in most day-to-day conflicts; the parties are usually unaware of what really created or escalated it. They make many assumptions; however, once the truth comes out, the picture often looks quite different.

Thirdly, you must accept the truth of your situation. Can your situation truly improve without resolving this conflict? Will you be ok emotionally if this conflict continues? The more protracted the conflict, the harder it will be to get to the bottom of it.

It is important for you to accept the truth that unless you resolve this conflict as quickly as possible, you will be unable to move on with peace of mind.

If you can accept these truths and possibilities, you will be off to a great start.

#2 – Accept inevitable change:

Change is a constant – it is an undeniable principle and yet so many of us refuse to do it even when all the evidence tells us it is the best course of action. The fact is that change is inevitable whether we are willing to accept it or not – it will happen with or without us. The only question you need to ask when things change is, “Will it be more valuable for all involved if I change too or if I stay my course?”

When it comes to conflict resolution; the fact that you have a conflict in the first place already tells you that any solution will involve change. In this vein, you must be willing to accept the fact that you may have to change some of the things you are doing in order for the situation to get better and ultimately succeed.

It is utterly useless talking to a party you have a conflict with about a resolution if you are unwilling to change your position or behavior. In fact, if you truly seek the best solution, you must be willing to see the world from the other party’s point of view. Unless you seek that “ah-ha” moment, it will be a much more arduous road to a resolution.

Change is inevitable, accept it otherwise your conflict will most certainly continue.

#3 – Accept no triangulation:

One of the first, and most dangerous, things that many people do when they have a conflict with another is to involve a third party without consent. This almost always sends an already bad situation spiraling out of control into an abyss of confusion, blaming and dismay. I am hard-pressed to think of one situation where a conflict was successfully resolved by one party going behind another party’s back to involve a third party.

This is especially true when the third party you call on is of higher formal authority than the other party with which you have the conflict. You know what I mean – “I don’t like what you’re doing so I go tell your boss” kind of thing.

The best avenue to pursue when attempting to resolve a conflict is a direct one. Go directly to the source and keep the situation only between the conflicting parties. There are only 2 times when it is ok to triangulate a situation.

The first is when both conflicting parties agree that they need a mediator to help them resolve their issues. In that case both parties would consent and also agree on who the third party should be. This way, there are no surprises and no one feels ambushed.

The second is when one party refuses to participate in finding a resolution and in order to move on; your role requires that you inform others. For instance, in the case of a job, you may have a conflict with someone that is unwilling to talk or budge from his/her position thereby creating a roadblock. In this case it is totally fine to involve a third party as long as you inform the other party of your intent to do so. This way, again, there are no surprises and no one feels ambushed.

Aside from these 2 examples where triangulation is necessary and above board, in any other form it only serves to widen the void that the situation has created in the first place. Nothing good can come of any situation if one party feels betrayed or belittled. This course only makes the situation worse and moves you many more miles away from a true resolution.

#4 – Accept only win/win resolutions:

In resolving conflicts, it is important that both sides come away feeling great about where you end up. If one side comes away feeling ok and the other feeling great – this, in my opinion and experience, is definitely not ok.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to negotiation or resolving conflicts is that they compromise or worse – they accept a win for one side and a loss for the other. Nothing fuels resentment more that this type of thinking and method of problem solving.

In conflict resolution, it is important to go in genuinely seeking a win/win resolution. You must endeavor to have both parties come away from the situation feeling great about where you end up. In fact, the best resolutions are the ones where both parties are able to come up with a resolution that is better than what either side proposed in the first place. Sure, it takes patience and commitment; however, it is much better in the long run and success is virtually guaranteed when you work in this mindset.

If you truly wish to resolve the conflicts you face and have them stay resolved, seeking win/win resolutions is the only way to do that. If one party feels slighted, it will eventually come back to haunt you and then you will have to do this dance all over again. If you can accept that the pinnacle of excellence comes from synergy, it will be much easier for you to seek nothing but win/win resolutions in all your conflicts.

#5 – Accept the possibility of impasse:

This is by far, I believe, the hardest thing to do when it comes to conflict resolution. More often than not, it is difficult to walk away – even more so – the possibility is not even a consideration.

This is especially true when you have other entities of authority involved such as a corporate one where you are not the one charged with the responsibility of making the call to walk away from a situation that isn’t working.

The truth is though that this practice is a very powerful habit to develop. Even if you work in a corporate environment, you can still exercise this practice by simply going on record with your position.

Here it is in a Nutshell…

When you find yourself in a conflict with no available solution that creates a win/win outcome, you must be willing to walk away without injury, resentment or malice. In this case you simply state that your truest wish was that you could come to a win/win resolution; however since it appears that you are unable to do so together at this time, the best avenue to pursue is to walk away. Who knows? Perhaps you can come together again at a future date in another endeavor.

The point is that when you treat the other party with this high level of respect and authenticity, you not only gain their trust but also preserve the relationship. In most cases, when you deal with an impasse in this manner, future endeavors become a lot easier to execute and the relationship grows stronger.

If you are in a situation where you are not the person who makes the decision to walk away, you can exercise this practice by stating your position but that you are willing to go along with the resolution in the best interest of your team. As long as the resolution does not violate your core values or diminish the value you bring to the table, do what you need to do to collect your paycheck.

This is a personal choice and I would not presume to tell anyone how to deal with it. If you can afford the luxury, you can also opt off a project that is not going down the road of win/win. In my experience, even in a corporate setting, I have found that you gain more respect and trust from your peers and superiors when you step up to the plate in this way.

In my view, when it comes to conflict resolution, it’s either win/win or walk away. We can come back to the table at a later date with other ideas on how to resolve this conflict or with a brand new project.

But hey – who cares what I think – right? 

If you can turn these 5 practices into habits, you will master the Art of Conflict Resolution.

 

"Happy Resolving"

(COMPILED BY THE IPC INFORMATION)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Peace Commission-IPC
(Incorporated as Not for Profit in the USA)www.ipc-online.info
Helpline: +1 816 984 6316