Kars for Kids Offers Six ways to Motivate Volunteers

Many people may think that volunteering isn’t something done all that often, so why waste your summer vacation doing so? However, many non-profit organizations actually find that volunteering spikes during the summer months. But if you think about it, it makes some sense. Families are taking vacation; children are on summer break... There’s ample free time to spend at least a few hours volunteering.

But then comes the age old question; why should I volunteer if I’m not getting paid? Many organizations face this question on a daily basis and it presents the issue, how do we keep our volunteers coming, and more so, how do we keep them motivated and engaged? Kars for Kids, a national car donation charity, has come up with some clever tips for all the non-profits out there to help them keep their volunteers excited about helping and encourage their helpers and others to continue to come.

Some tips from Kars4Kids include:

• ·         Making your volunteers feel needed and appreciated
• ·         Asking volunteers to help in specific, actionable ways
• ·         Inspiring your volunteers with the cause, not the organization
• ·         Staying connected, and make sure your communication channels go both ways
• ·         Developing a community of volunteers
• ·         Showing your volunteers how they made a difference

There it is: Six ways to motivate and encourage your volunteers so that next time you’re searching for some to come out and help, you can show proclaim that you know how to treat your volunteers and how to make the experience an exciting one and meaningful one.

The Obligation to Give

Even in colonial times, Americans formed groups of volunteers to address community needs. In some cases, those needs were collective, in other cases the need might be that of a single individual in need of temporary assistance. People, both communities and individuals, knew that in times of need, they could turn to these groups for help. More to the point, it was understood that the community was obligated to assist the needy.

On the other hand, never did communities or individuals confuse the obligation to give with the right to receive. In America, at least, that’s just the way things were. Giving was always a one-way street.

Alexis de Tocqueville, in his work, “Democracy in America,” offered an apt description of the creation and purpose of American nonprofits that is still fresh and relevant for our times. “Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations . . . to give entertainments, to found seminaries, to build inns, to construct churches, to diffuse books, to send missionaries to the antipodes. . . ”

Winter Coat Giveaway

The nature of nonprofits and the needs they fill have not much changed since the time of de Tocqueville. The Kars for Kids car donation program, for instance, distributes thousands of free winter coats to children who would otherwise be without warm winter clothing. This same charity also distributes back-to-school supplies to children from low income homes that would otherwise not have the basic means toward academic (and life) success. This is the perfect case of a nonprofit meeting the observed needs of a particular sector of society.

 Recent government cutbacks in funding to nonprofits, however, have made it hard for nonprofits to fulfill community and individual needs. Some nonprofits are beginning to speak out against this situation.

After all, governments have only one source of spending money: tax dollars, taken from individual Americans. Our taxes are the font from which nonprofit services flow. But when businesses are impeded by local government, tax receipts go down. In such a scenario, those who can’t make it through the month are the ones who lose out, because the economy isn’t healthy enough to support the nonprofits that would help them.

Health Equals Generosity

Back in 1630, the American colonists met a challenge. They sought to build a “city upon the hill,” where the residents would care for one another and in so doing, create a society in which responsibility for the community was a core value. They realized early on that a healthy economy was predicated on being wealthy enough to give generously. Those early colonists believed that in this endeavor, they honored their Creator, a belief we would do well to adopt.  

Kars for Kids Send Tips for the Road on Memorial Day Weekend

With the unofficial kickoff of summer this weekend, there is plenty to look forward to; great weather, the beach, road trips, barbeques. But along with the upcoming months of summer fun, comes some of the most dangerous driving conditions.  In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day are the most danger days to be on the road.   Each summer holiday individually has more car fatalities than there are on New Year’s Eve or Thanksgiving.

The summer weather is one aspect of the season that many people look forward to, but this means dangerous driving conditions.  Luckily, Kars for Kids, a national car donation charity, has our back, sharing various tips on how to stay safe on the road. 

A common danger brought on by summer is allergies.  Allergies can cause drowsiness and sneezing can impair a driver’s vision.   Speak to your doctor about what you can do to help your allergies. High temperatures can lead to tire punctures and blow-outs so make sure to check air pressure and check for any cracks in your tires before embarking on long trips. Thunderstorms, which are much more frequent in the summer months, make it harder to see the road and can make the brakes less effective. If you’re caught in a storm then slow down, brake earlier than normal, and if you find yourself uncomfortable driving through the storm, pull over in an open area to avoid falling trees. 

Kars4Kids wishes everyone a happy and safe kickoff to summer!

3 Questions Nonprofits Should Not Ignore

One of the keys to having a successful nonprofit is in asking pointed questions about your operation and giving truthful answers. In so doing, a nonprofit can identify what is working and what tactics to take toward improvement. Revealing flaws is the only way to tackle them, and the only way to reveal them in the first place is to look for them by asking the right questions. There may not necessarily be a flaw in a nonprofit’s workings but a better more efficient way to use resources. There may be a problem that needs an inventive solution.

The main takeaway is: it’s better to see the problems and fix them than to bury your head in the sand. The only way to see the problems is to take a cold hard look by asking questions that serve as prompts. Here are a few suggested questions a nonprofit might ask:

Are we getting anywhere? Profit and loss statements notwithstanding, it can be hard to see if a nonprofit is realizing its aims. Let’s say your nonprofit helps rescue abused pets, or is a car donation organization like Kars For Kids. You may be raising a lot of money from donors, but how many pets are you actually rescuing? How much of the money you raise is going to your organizations real goals? The only way to know is to set it out in writing: what are your specific goals within a specific time frame? Keep track of your organization’s work and revisit to see if you’re meeting your specs. If not, you may have to change your game plan, or possibly, your goals.

Are we flexible enough to move with the times? Once upon a time, a nonprofit could depend on a core group of donors who responded to snail mail requests with sizable checks. But the entire landscape of nonprofit organizations has changed. Today there is the Internet and dozens of social media networks just waiting to be plumbed. The technological boom and the way it has affected our lives cannot be ignored. These communities represent new ways to engage the public, generate new donors, and tell the story of your nonprofit. Donations can be made with the click of a mouse. Snail mail is so yesterday, and so not environmentally sound. Online communities and the Internet are just some of the changes in our world. Be on the lookout for new trends and take note.

Are we using our resources to best effect? This may be about money or it may even be about manpower. It’s certainly about removing the chaff from the wheat. Are you funding a program that just isn’t doing what it’s meant to do? Is it the staff? Is there excess spending? Is there a way to change that program and make it more efficient? Don’t be afraid to use any and all tools at your disposal and don’t shy away from talk about money. Budget reviews, for instance. Do you hear those two words and go, “UGH!” You shouldn’t. Your only concern should be building your nonprofit as best you can.

Moving forward means losing the fear, whatever that may be. Don’t keep it safe –don’t avoid the hard questions that can make your organization more efficient. Keeping a finger on the pulse of your nonprofit means you are always one step ahead of the competition.

Happy National Financial Literacy Month

The month of April is dedicated to educating consumers in handling their finances, which includes developing good money habits, and learning how to cope with debt. The dearth of financial literacy in the United States is less well-known than the reading difficulty known as “dyslexia” yet much more pervasive in our society.

Two in every five adults graded themselves barely passing or failing on matters financial, more than half (56%) of U.S. adults confess to having no budget, and a full third of all Americans, or 77 million adults, fail to pay their bills on time. This is according to a just-published study carried out under the auspices of two organizations: the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association.

During the month of April, consumers are encouraged to take advantage of this month’s Tools for Success including webinars on such topics as credit reporting and goal setting, and worksheets that can be filled out online and printed, such as the Financial Priorities Worksheet.

While this drive for financial literacy shows much promise, it is even more important to teach our youth about personal finance before they reach adulthood. That is the purpose of Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which aims to teach pre-kindergarten through college students all about establishing best financial practices. Another initiative, Springboard, has a poster contest that motivates contestants in 3^rd through 12^th grade toward learning about financial matters, under the guidance of teachers and other learning mentors.

Filling The Gap

Part of the problem in educating youth about financial literacy is in figuring out how to direct children toward these resources. The students who most need these lessons fail to receive them at home and schools may not be doing enough to fill in the gap. That’s where after school programs come in, a proven method of instilling academic motivation and self-esteem in our youth.

Adults who know little to nothing about finances were once children who might have been taught these subjects in school or in afterschool programs. If you’re wondering what you can do to support the development of financial literacy among this generation’s youth, it would make eminent sense to support afterschool programs. In this way, children are inculcated with financial wisdom before transitioning to adulthood.

Good with numbers? Why not volunteer your time at a local school or an afterschool program in your community?

Support Afterschool Programs

No time? Donate your car to Kars for Kids. The proceeds go to support afterschool programs for children.

The main thing is to be proactive and look for ways to help. The job won’t get done on its own. That’s what April and National Financial Literacy Month is all about: lending a helping hand, any way you can.

Esti Landau is a non-profit coordinator based in New Jersey.