Fundraising

Target's Super Love Sender online campaign is a creative, free way for people to support a charity of their choice while getting in the Valentine's Day/Super Bowl Spirit.

Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday are only a week apart, and Target is celebrating with a two-week-long online giving campaign through their Facebook page at facebook.com/Target!

Their ‘Super Love Sender’ campaign, which runs from January 31 through February 14, 2010, combines football and romance just in time for these special days. Participants will decide how 5 national charities will receive a portion of $1 million donation from Target to fund educational programming. The charities are:

• The Salvation Army
• Kids In Need Foundation
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• United Way
• United Through Reading® Military Program

Through Super Love Sender, participants can send a funny, football-inspired valentine video card to significant others, friends, and family in support of the charity of their choice. Best of all, the cards are free to participants!  Every time an online video card is sent, the selected charity will receive one vote.  The total percentage of votes will correlate to the charities’ portion of the $1 million received in a one-time donation from Target.

I won’t tell you who to root for during the Super Bowl, BUT, I will, of course, encourage you to select the Salvation Army when sending out your Super Love Sender cards. The Salvation Army will use funds to support the educational enrichment of children and families during the back-to-school timeframe.

When I checked out the Super Love Sender and made my own card, I was truly impressed by Target’s creativity! You can customize your online card by selecting from 3 themes: a song, dance, or poem, all performed by goofy football players on a stage of plush pink. These athletes may not be the most macho guys in the huddle, but they will score a laugh.

If you’re thinking about a significant other, the poem theme may be the way to go (the football player’s cougar growl is worthy of provoking a smile), and the dance theme would be great for anyone ( the ‘freestyle scrimmage’ and ‘man in motion choreography’ are just a few examples of the dance moves to choose from).

Participants can send a maximum of 10 video cards per computer per day, throughout the campaign.  All votes and dollars allocated will be updated in real time on the Target Facebook Page, and the final donation allocation will be announced on February 15, 2010.

And thank you to Target for creating a fun and innovative campaign to support charities and education. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week for education, the arts, social services and volunteerism nationwide.

Once you create a card for someone special, be sure to leave a comment on our blog about how you chose to personalize it and your tips for other participants!

People Magazine is celebrating 35 years and they’re giving you a chance to give away some gifts.

Once you register and tell People what your favorite charity is, 35 people will be chosen at random to win $1000 for that charity.   That’s a possibility of $35,000!

Do some good for the Army: learn more and register today and help The Salvation Army!

The Salvation Army knows that need knows no season.

Unfortunately, in a troubled economy with more people than ever before seeking help from social service agencies, the Army – and many similar organizations – has found itself in need of help.

Food kitchens and pantries across the country have seen exponential increase in the community’s need for their services.  However, as need continues to rise, donations are becoming few and far between.

However, for one Salvation Army Food Pantry in Austin, Minnesota, the calvary has arrived.

The Austin Daily Herald reports that the United Way’s board of directors in that locale will make a $15,000 donation from their Emergency Fund to assist the Salvation Army in paying its bills.

According to the article, the Army had sent out a plea for help to the community and all of its major donors for help.  The United Way, recognizing the Austin Salvation Army as a sponsored partner, awarded the grant from its Emergency Fund.

Sadly, the story of the Austin Salvation Army is commonplace the nation over.  While are generous during the Army’s Red Kettle Campaign at Christmas, donations of time, talent and money are less plentiful throughout the year when the funds are still needed to support daily social services to the community.

You can help the Army in your area, too, by making a donation.  Online donations can be made here or you can call 1-800-SAL-Army.  You can even mail donations to your local Salvation Army using the National Website’s zip code locator, located in the upper right-hand corner of the site’s homepage.

Be a hero…do some good!

(photo by Eric Johnson) Lori Blanton, case manager for the Salvation Army, stands in the a store room at the Salvation Army that sits low on food items. The Salvation Army, a source for those in need, has now found itself in need, partly because of the struggling economy.

I’m a huge fan of the television show “The Amazing Race.”  I enjoy watching the wacky team challenges and the team dynamics each week.  It’s a fascinating show simply because you get to see human communication and teamwork at its best – and sometimes its worst.

While I doubt I’d ever be brave enough to tryout for that show…or find a partner crazy enough to pair up for me for the weeks-long, globetrotting expedition, the Western Pennsylvania Salvation Army’s “The Most Amazing Race” looks like it’s going to be just as much fun.

Beginning with a qualifying event today, and the real, scavenger hunt-like challenge tomorrow, 25 teams will race around the city of Pittsburgh, completing zany physical and mental tasks along the way, for a chance to win a prize package that includes $5,000 for first place, two 32-inch flat screen televisions, four Steelers tickets and more.

All they had to do to earn a spot in the race was fundraise a minimum of $500 in the name of The Army.  The team that fundraised the most money will also win a cash prize at the race’s conclusion.

For those of you in the Pittsburgh area who’d like to cheer on the Army’s Most Amazing Racers, an itinerary of tomorrow’s events can be found here.

If you aren’t in the immediate Pittsburgh vicinity, but would still like to participate, consider making an online donation to the Army instead.

I was in high school, maybe college, before I realized that there was something known as a vintage doll community.  In it, the most avid of collectors often pay top dollar to add old Barbies and baby dolls to their collections.

By the time I was graduating college, some of the dolls I’d played with as a child were increasing in value.  Certainly though, after the many home haircuts and make-up experiments I’d put my dollsthrough as a child, they wouldn’t be worth anything to a collector.

But for those who held on to their childhood toys, keeping the packaging sometimes and ensuring their pristine condition, it can be an opportunity to do some good for others.

A Times Union article tells the Seventh Annual “Every Doll Needs A Home” Doll Auction.  The event supports The Salvation Army’s Evangeline Booth Miracle Home in New York, an emergency homeless shelter for women and their children, and this year 110 different dolls will be auctioned off.

Scheduled for next week, Thursday, September 24th, dolls are expected to go at prices anywhere from $2 to $200 and the proceeds go directly to maintaining upkeep at the Booth home and educational programs to help the women who stay there improve their lives.

I hadn’t the foresight – or the patience – to preserve my dolls as a child, but it’s encouraging to see that others are putting their collections to good use.

Do you have a unique collection or talent that you think could do some good for The Army?  Put it to use and do some good for someone else!

The Southern California Division of The Salvation Army reports that it is continuing its disaster response to the Station and Auburn wildfires as firefighters are gaining the upper hand on the deadly blaze.

“The Station Fire is the largest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles County having consumed more than 140,000 acres (218 square miles),” they report.  “To date it has also destroyed 92 houses and other structures worth $14 million and has cost more than $20 million to fight. But favorable weather conditions have helped fire fighters increase containment of the blaze from 5 percent on Monday to more than 22 percent by late Tuesday.”

Since the Army began its efforts last Saturday, more than 1500 meals have been served.  Volunteers and Army staff and Officers continue to provide physical and spiritual nourishment to the growing number of displaced.

Looking ahead though, the Army knows that it will need continued donations in order to fulfill its commitment of long-term support for the many evacuees.

Monetary donations remain the most pressing need, but donations of food, personal items and time are also needed.  The SoCal division is also soliciting new volunteers so that its efforts can be even stronger for future emergency needs.

Truly, the work and mission of the Army means that people from all walks of life can support the Army in whichever way suits them best: apply to be an on-site volunteer; if you’re in the area, drop off goods at one of the emergency shelters; or donate money online directly to the cause.

How will you choose to help the Army ensure a ‘good’ future for these and other disaster survivors?

Image courtesy of The Salvation Army – Canada

The Salvation Army in Canada wrote a blog post suggesting “5 Ways to Support The Salvation Army Through Social Media.”

The entry shares five interesting ways that you can support the work of the Army while you Tweet, udpate your status on Facebook, or even contemplate your next viral video.

In a time where more and more of the world is creating their own, personal online web presence – and checking out that of others – this could be one of the easiest ways to do some good.

You may question how effective a Facebook status update asking others to donate to the Army may be.  Or perhaps you’re wondering if mentioning the Army’s increasing need for monetary, time and goods donations in your blog will even make a dent in the needs of the organization.

Worry no more…there’s no such thing as small help:

• A group of Ohio prison inmates regularly sends $5 individually to support the Army.
• A gradeschool classroom in the midwest held a class yard sale to raise money to send to the Army.  The children could see a massive fire burning from their classroom and simply wanted to help.
• A California man sends $5 every month and insists that no thank you letter be sent back to him “because it would cost money.”
• And one  Missouri man has been sending $5 every month for nearly 20 years.

There’s no such thing as “a little help.”  Everything that you do to spread the mission and support the cause of the Army goes a long way to ensuring that the Army can continue Doing The Most Good for years to come.

So go ahead: put your multimedia multitasking to good work.  Every “little bit” helps!

Linda Haskins, places a donation in the Salvation Army Kettle in front of Farmfresh located at 30 Town Center Way. (Karen Hymes, Daily Press / July 25, 2009)

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about how many local Salvation Army units across the country are putting out red kettles a bit early this year for special summer fundraising efforts. The New York Times even blogged about the effort a few weeks back and NBC mentioned the campaign on the Nightly News.

As Nightly News anchor Brian Williams put it:

“While they may seem out of season, for the first time since the recession back in the ’70s, they have been forced to fan out early in 25 cities, from New York to Cleveland to Lawrence, Kansas, because they need the money for those they care for.”

While it’s not unheard of for a local community to put out kettles “off-season,” it is unusual and we’ve definitely seen more of it this year during the economic slowdown.

Now some areas have completed the campaign (for the summer anyway) and had a chance to count up the money that will go to help people in need. The public’s continued generosity, even during these difficult times, is truly impressive. In Hampton Roads (Tidewater), VA, for example, The Salvation Army raised more than $17,000 during the month-long campaign.

As always, this money will go directly back to the community to support local programs. In the Tidewater region, fundraising will support Veterans Transitional Housing program for military veterans:

“More than $2,700 of that money will go toward the Veteran Transitional Housing program run by the Virginia Peninsula Command, which represents Newport News, Hampton, Gloucester and lower York County. The program provides housing for homeless veterans, said Matthew Pochily, spokesman for the Tidewater Command, which serves Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. He said the remainder of the money will go to programs in the Tidewater Command.”

Read more from the local Daily Press newspaper here.

Matthew Pochily of the Tidwater (Virginia) Command tells the Daily Press how their summer fundraising will benefit the Army’s efforts for the rest of the year.

Salvation Army branches throughout Hampton Roads raised nearly $17,400 during their first Christmas in July campaign last month, officials said Tuesday.

The economic downturn prompted the philanthropic organization to bring out its iconic bell ringers and red kettles, which are usually reserved for the Christmas season, during the summer to raise money.

Each branch recruited volunteers to stand in front of Farm Fresh stores on each Saturday last month to ring bells and collect donations. The money raised was to go toward a program designed by each branch.

Salvation Army branches in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Hampton raised $8,660 during the campaign.

More than $2,700 of that money will go toward the Veteran Transitional Housing program run by the Virginia Peninsula Command, which represents Newport News, Hampton, Gloucester and lower York County. The program provides housing for homeless veterans, said Matthew Pochily, spokesman for the Tidewater Command, which serves Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. He said the remainder of the money will go to programs in the Tidewater Command.

Williamsburg’s branch raised about $5,300 for its Apple Tree program, which provides clothing and school supplies for underprivileged children, Pochily said.

Meanwhile, Gloucester raised a little more than $3,400 for a variety of programs, officials said.

by Tyra M. Vaughn
Daily Press Newspaper
Newport News, Virginia