Which city in America gives the most money per capita than in any other major metropolis?

Which city in America gives the most money per capita than in any other
major metropolis? Be one of the first ten people to respond with the
correct answer to be entered in this month’s drawing for the Holiday
Joy Gift Box.

Do You Know the answer?

Special Olympics Wins Awards

The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Boise and Sun Valley, Idaho won top honors for Sports Event of the Year and Best Amateur Multi-Sports Event from SportsTravel Magazine. The awards were handed out at TEAMS 2009, the world’s largest gathering of sports- event organizers. The 2009 World Games beat out events that included the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, Super Bowl XLIII (43), the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, which was voted on by the readers of SportsTravel Magazine. Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, and the entire Special Olympics family is thrilled that the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games won these honors.

Fundraising to the Max!

Special Olympics chapters are thinking of innovative ways to raise money in a tough economy.

110 individuals signed up to make the leap for Special Olympics Hawaii’s Over the Edge of Waikiki. Participants raised more the $116,016 for Special Olympics Hawaii!

In its ninth year, the Special Olympics Kentucky Ride to Win topped $28,000! Ride to Win is one of the largest motorcycle events in Central Kentucky. 500 bikers began their day in Richmond, made their way to Burgin and later stopped at Kroger stores in Nicholasville and Versailles before rolling into Lexington for the post-ride festivities. Lowell King was the event’s top fundraiser and raised $3,551 for the event.

Special Olympics Missouri’s new fundraiser, Over the Edge, premiered in four Missouri cities this year. Participants raised $1,000 each for the chance to rappel down a prominent building in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis or Columbia. Overall, participants brought in more than $170,000 for athletes across the state!

Special Olympics Montana held its 9th Annual World of Winners (WOW!) Online Auction on November 16-20. There was something for everyone!

As part of the LETR campaign, law enforcement officers delivered Krispy Kreme doughnuts to vendors, co-workers, friends and family on December 4 for a show of support for Special Olympics Nevada. All proceeds benefited Special Olympics Nevada.

The World’s Largest Truck Convoy® raised $100,000 for Special Olympics Wisconsin! 137 trucks cruised at 40 miles per hour down the highway from Richfield to Oshkosh. Truck horns echoed under bridges lines with athletes waving banners and cheering on the 5th Annual World’s Largest Truck Convoy®. The convoy was a huge success and saw an increase in participation from 2008.

New England Patriots and Special Olympics Massachusetts Team Up!

Special Olympics Massachusetts and the New England Patriots, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, the King Philip Youth Football League and the Wrentham Development Center teamed up for the first annual SOMA State Flag Football & Cheerleading Games. More than 250 Special Olympics athletes and Unified® Partners from across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire participated in the event, which featured Unified 5/5 flag games, football skills and cheerleading demonstrations. Unified® Sports combines individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team playing as equal teammates against other Unified teams.

Strategy that Works!

Prerecorded messages are a key strategy in Heritage’s partnership with the St. Labre Indian School located in Ashland, MT. As part of St. Labre’s campaign strategy, the messages go out at 6:00 p.m. on each Monday evening with a second effort going out at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday’s. The messages are scheduled to continue every week until February 2010. After St. Labre receives a first-time direct mail acquisition donor, they send out a thank-you letter followed by the message, and then their “new donor package” follows. Although it is too soon to tell what sort of lift St. Labre is receiving with the prerecorded message, they plan to continue with the plan well into 2010.

The Fine Art of Thank You

Now more than ever, we all know that saying “thank you” is essential for any successful program. Not all thank you’s are created equally. Here are some fresh ideas:

1. Send pictures to your major donors
2. Send thank you notes from the people you serve.
3. Send thank you notes from your board members.
4. Send offline thank you notes for online gifts.
5. Call instead of sending a thank you note.
6. Send thank you notes to your staff.

Not only is saying thank you vital to fundraising success, but it is also critical to acknowledge your donors’ investments in your organization. There are many ways to say thanks. It’s the right thing to do and it will pay off.

(Credit: Fundraising Success, Jocelyn Harmon, November 2009)

Precorded Messages

Let Heritage contact your donors via a prerecorded message! The President/CEO, Chairman of the Board or someone who has benefited from the Organization can record a brief message to say thank-you, invite your donors to an upcoming event, or educate them about the mission of your organization. Please talk to your Account Executive to see how this strategy can work for your campaign.

The Top 10 Charitable Cities

Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, 2005 was the year of giving large with Americans donating $273 billion to charity, 10 percent more than in 2004. People in Atlanta give more per capita than in any other major metropolis. They see their money used wisely, at least on the local level: the city's charities are first in fund-raising efficiency, spending just 6½ cents to raise a dollar.

In addition to IRS data on individual donations (adjusted for cost of living), the number of corporate charitable foundations and their per capita contributions were looked at, according to the Foundation Center. The number of people who volunteer with AmeriCorps, an organization that mentors underprivileged youth and builds affordable housing was also considered. Armed with these numbers, plus the Urban Institute's state rankings of donations per capita, the top 10 cities are listed below. The good news is that we all open our wallets – some just a little wider.

Credit: Men's Health, Matt Bean, November 2009.

Tidbits

Effective January 1, 2010, the filing fee for tax-exempt status will increase to $850 for organizations with gross receipts that exceed $10,000 annually over a four-year period.

The Redesign Project Manager for the IRS Form 990 has admitted that the amount of time tax-exempt organizations have to take in preparing and completing the redesigned form is longer than it took to complete the old version. He insists the time required will be reduced as organizations become more familiar with the form.

The Minnesota Charities Council has announced revisions in its standards. Previously, the standards required that seventy percent of a nonprofit’s expenses must be spent on programs. Under the new standards, the figure is reduced to sixty percent if the nonprofit can include a justifiable explanation. The new standards also include tighter travel and reimbursement policies, and absolutely prohibit loans to board members.

In New Mexico, the state has started rejecting signed contracts with fundraisers, citing a requirement in the statute which mandates that “intended contracts’ be reviewed and approved by the state prior to execution.

The state of Oregon has begun to enforce its “do-not-call” law. The law applies to calls made by telefundraisers. The state uses the National Do Not Call Registry, but the problem is the National Registry does not apply to calls made by or on behalf of nonprofits, meaning that Oregon’s rules are especially stringent.

'Tis the Season!

The Holiday Season is upon us. From our family to yours, we wish you a joyous and wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! ’Tis the season to be merry with family and friends and reflect upon our blessings. We look forward to serving you in 2010.

The Heritage Company
2402 Wildwood Ave.
Sherwood, AR 72120

The Heritage Advantage Requests

www.theheritagecompany.com

Contact Heritage by Email

By Phone:
Marilyn Michie
1.800.643.8822 ext.1148