Daniel Straus Letter of Commendation from New Jersey Governor Chris Christy

When Daniel Straus undertook the responsibility to make his staff at Careone whole from their losses in Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey's Governor Chris Christy sent a warm letter of thanks whihc was read by Careone manager Tim Hodges

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.

Cars for Kids supports Go Green

Americans are not known for their strict commitment to environmental responsibility. Each year, about 250 million tons of garbage is thrown away in the US, roughly equal to four pounds per person, per day. Concerns of ballooning landfills have prompted cities like San Francisco to aim for a zero waste goal. Local and national organizations have been enthusiastic supporters.

 In 2009, prompted by public support and organizations like Kars for Kids, who have been a major player in the city’s car recycling scene for years, San Francisco became the first city in the country to require that residents and businesses separate their trash from compostable goods, which has led to an astonishing 80% reduction in the amount of garbage headed to the landfill. 

The reduction in garbage has in part been propelled by massive contributions from Kars4Kids, the leading national car donation charity for over a decade. Since 2005 alone, the charity has saved 160,000 barrels of oil, recycled 22,000 tons of steel and 1,600 tons of non-ferrous metal in the San Francisco area. The metal alone would produce 448 million toy cars, which, if lined up, would stretch across the United States 113 times.

What Congress Should Consider as they look to change Immigration Laws

Good example of immigrant contribution to the United States.  Philanthropic people who succeed, coming here with little and contribute back so much.

... Daniel Straus and his wife Joyce are now huge philanthropists, employing the lessons of their parents. They donate to schools, synagogues, education centers and universities, hospitals, Jewish, women's and Israel causes...  (Read the whole article) 

Charity Begins at Home, Daniel Straus Knows that Well

When CareOne CEO Daniel Straus saw the impact of Hurricane Sandy last fall, he, as many other people of good-will did, looked hard to find the appropriate way to help victims.  Groups such as the Met Council offered food, Kars for Kids gave coats to kids, thousands of other people and charities donated whatever they could to people who lost homes, needed heat, and a hand up.  Straus did not want to be just another face in the crowd, and knowing that so many angles were already being handled, he decided to look inward and help with all of the above to the people who meant the most to him and his family.

Many of the workers at his Careone facilities live or lived in the disaster struck areas, and they were deeply affected.  "What a better way to help," he thought, "than to make the people at Careone as whole as we can get them."  He called his friends, one being the philanthropist Raphael Benaroya, and asked for help.  His center established a small application that anyone working for Careone who suffered losses would fill out.  The documents were so that Straus could assess just how much was needed.  Once compiled, they knew they needed about $1 million.  Straus and Benaroya donated personally and the final donations will be distributed on April 24 at his King George facility in New Jersey. 

All told, about 100 employees and their families will be made whole from the damages.  "We can't make it all better, nor take away the hurt and emotional losses, and we can't replace what had intrinsic value to individuals and families, but we can help our friends and our collective families rebuild and offer a fresh start," Straus said.

At the ceremony, Daniel E. Straus will distribute $30,000 to community-based relief funds: $15,000 each to the Hope For Highlands and Middletown Disaster Relief Fund.

Here is a man who knows where charity begins and puts his efforts into making sure that the people who help him get where he is get what they need and deserve.

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.

Outlandishly Toxic Outlander Sport

You know that new car smell that everyone adores? The smell is derived from chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to name just two of hundreds of chemicals that go into the manufacturing of the plastic parts in your car. Unfortunately, the chemicals can be lethal and exposure to these chemicals is known to increase the risk for learning disabilities, cancer, birth defects, and liver toxicity.

According to healthystuff.org the worst offender in a study that examined over 200 vehicles from model years 2011 and 2012, was the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The cleanest car studied was the 2012 Honda Civic. What made the Honda Civic such a good choice?

The car earned a low score for toxicity for refraining from use of BFR in all of its interior components and kept interior fabrics and trim, PVC-free. The manufacturer also made sure to keep use of heavy metals and metal allergens to a minimum. The result? A car that is less likely to make you sick.

Natural Products

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, on the other hand, used flame retardants based on antimony and bromine in for its seat fabrics, seat base, and center console. Did you think that leather, being a natural product, would be safe? Think again, the leather Mitsubishi uses so frequently for car components are treated with chromium. According to the study, the lead content of the seat materials in the Outlander Sport model came in at 400 parts per million.

If you are one of the lucky ones who purchased a Honda Civic in the past couple of years, breathe a sigh of relief (without fear of taking in dangerous chemicals). But if you’re one of the unlucky souls who purchased the Outlander Sport, you may want to consider donating your car to a car donation charity such as Kars4Kids that will take care to make sure that the car is processed in a responsible manner, without further polluting the environment.

Esti Landau is a non-profit consultant for Kars4Kids.