New Youth at Risk Focus Area Launched
Abbey Kos

As Strengthening Communities VISTAs, you may have noticed a few changes within and around our grant lately. If you're a Family VISTA, perhaps you've heard some new voices on conference calls; other VISTAs may have heard rumblings about a new “Youth at Risk” program, either through newsletters and e-mails or through the VISTA grapevine. And if you were at the Austin PSO, you definitely saw people who didn't fit into the four original content areas of the Strengthening Communities grant. So who are these new VISTAs, and how do they fit in with the program?

At the February PSO in Austin , we welcomed eight new VISTAs, the pioneers of the Youth at Risk program. All of them are serving in several Michigan Volunteer Centers, working closely with the Volunteer Centers of Michigan home base in Lansing . Their content VISTA at the Points of Light Foundation is Abbey Kos, and their content lead is Youth and Family Manager Nina Langlie. (You may have seen Nina's name before, especially if you've read information about the Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute.)

The Youth at Risk program is the newest arm of the Strengthening Communities grant, equal in footing to our other four content areas. If all goes well this year, the program will be expanded beyond the state of Michigan , and Volunteer Centers across the country will be able to apply for Youth at Risk VISTAs during the third year of the grant.

Trying to define what makes a young person “at risk” is tricky. For example, being in a single-parent household is a risk factor; so is being a part of a family living below the poverty line. Our Youth at Risk VISTAs are seeking out ways to engage, involve, and strengthen the lives of youth at risk, no matter what their risk factors.

Within the state of Michigan , Molly Hilligoss will be serving as a contact for these new VISTAs. She is hosted at the Volunteer Centers of Michigan main office, and will help coordinate the Youth at Risk VISTAs statewide. Her supervisor, Sara Ballard, plays a part in the management of the program.

So if the phrase “Youth at Risk” pops up in your day-to-day VISTA activities, no need for confusion. These eight new VISTAs are starting their service and working together to play a key role in the Strengthening Communities grant. If you meet them at a training, hear them on a conference call, or catch them on an e-mail list, feel free to ask them more about the work they do!

It's a fact of life—everything costs money! Successful and ongoing fundraising is critical to sustaining a nonprofit mission. The educational seminar “Raising More Money: Sustainable Funding for Your Mission” outlines a model on how to recruit and maintain successful individual donors. “Raising More Money” notes that 84 percent of all nonprofit donations come from individuals, rather than businesses, foundations or organizations. The seminar also points out that 90 percent of people who volunteer donate to charitable organizations.

The two things one must possess in order to successfully fundraise are a passion for the mission and a system for doing so. The four-step system briefly outlined below boasts a high success rate, even for first-time implementation. For more in-depth information, visit www.raisingmoremoney.com

Please note two things while reading this article: 1) This is only one strategy of many fundraising strategies. There might be others that work better for your site. 2) Don't forget that any work, but especially fundraising and donor recruitment should be done with and through your supervisor.

Four Steps to Raising More Money for Your Mission :

1. Create a “Point of Entry”
   Host a casual one-hour introductory event with approximately 10-15 attendees telling them about your organization and mission. This can be in the form of a breakfast, meeting, seminar, etc. Your “Point of Entry” should:
1. Let them learn about you. Give them the facts! Who you are, what your organization does in the community, why it is special, why should they care, how do you do it, etc.
2. Give an emotional hook like a specific story of someone helped by your services. This will give potential donors a rational reason to justify their emotional want to help.
3. Get permission to move forward with more information. Provide a bowl for them to drop business cards or let them fill out an “I would like more information” card. This identifies people who are actually interested so you are not wasting your (or their) time moving forward. It also will help you gain their trust and provide credibility.
4. Do NOT ask for money at your Point of Entry event. This is purely informational and allows them to get to know your mission and vision for the future.
2. Follow Up
1. Call each person (who gave you permission) to follow up and move along the donor process. Letters and cards are nice, but not as personal and less actionable or likely to get you a response.
2. The follow-up call has 5 parts:
   1. Thank them for coming
   2. “What did you think?” Get them talking openly.
   3. Be quiet and listen to what they have to say. This not only provides good feedback for you, but they could also reveal something important for you to know about them and their priorities.
   4. “Do you see yourself getting involved?” This open-ended question allows them to elaborate on if they would like to be a volunteer, serve on your board or donate, among other capacities.
   5. “Do you know of anyone else we should be talking to about our mission?” Regardless of whether they say yes or no to being involved, they could know other people to put you in contact with.
3. Ask for Money. Once you've built the relationship, learned about their needs/wants and educated them about yours, it's time to ask for money. By this point, you should have developed the trust and relationship enough that you're simply “nudging the inevitable.” When you ask for money, you should already know the answer. The “Ask Event” can be a program or an individual meeting, each containing its own set of detailed factors and guidelines. But, regardless of how you proceed with this, important things to remember when asking are:

1. Make sure they know your needs.
2. Provide a card that gives structured levels of giving for them to choose from, or allow them to write in their own. Example:
   1. ___ I will give $1,000 a year for 5 years
   2. ___ I will give $500 a year for 5 years
   3. ___ I will give $100 a year for 5 years
   4. ___ I will give $_____ for ___ years
   5. ___ I would like to get involved as a (circle all that apply): Volunteer, in-kind donor, board member, advisor…
3. Say a BIG Thank You
4. Introduce Others
1. Let donors bring/invite friends to your next Point of Entry event
2. Invite donors to free “feel good” events like exhibits, service projects or special events you are hosting. Keep them involved in your mission so you're not just asking for a check all the time.
3. Ask donors if they want to get involved in other ways (such as a volunteer capacity). Let them deepen their own relationship.

For most of us, taxes are neither fun, nor easy. Note that the Gettysburg address is 269 words, the Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words, and the Bible is only 773,000 words. However, the tax law has grown from 11,400 words in 1913, to over 7 million words today. In other words, taxes are complicated!

For people in low-income communities, taxes can be quite an obstacle given factors such as education, language, and financial barriers. Taxes can also mean missed opportunities. For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is designed to give people, with certain qualifications, significant tax relief. Unfortunately, approximately 25% of eligible families don't access this available tax credit.

This is where The Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada comes into play. The Volunteer Center has collaborated with the Vegas Valley Coalition to expand work in assisting families in the middle to low-income tax brackets. The Coalition is comprised of a group of businesses, service-providers, government agencies, and the Volunteer Center . During tax season the Coalition provides free tax preparation, education information on how to develop more assets, and EITC assistance.

The Coalition has been very successful in increasing the number of low-income volunteers at tax preparation sites. Their strategies for success include:

• Reaching out to the local Hispanic Community and incorporating members as volunteers;
• Meeting with Coalition members and community leaders to develop and implement strategies to define volunteer roles for families and recruit them to work with the Coalition;
• Using families and residents of these communities to help organize tax preparation sites and encouraging other families to learn more about asset development;
• Teaching volunteers to work together to support these efforts and gain volunteer-based job skill development; and
• Partnering with the Latin Chamber of Commerce to host an informational fair for the Hispanic community.

MASTER OF DISASTER TRIVIA

QUESTION: During a tornado or hurricane, is it better to keep your window open or shut?
(See bottom of newsletter for answer)

I hope everyone will join with me in warmly welcoming the 20 new VISTAs who began their year of service after attending their PSO in February. Jenn Fauss and Abbey Kos and I went down to my home state of Texas to meet this good looking bunch and provide them with an extra day of training and orientation to the Strengthening Communities VISTA Initiative. Some highlights of the extra day of Points of Light Foundation training were the launch of the new Youth and Risk focus area, the great dinner at Iron Cactus, a Tex-Mex restaurant in downtown Austin, and being each other's sweethearts on Valentine's Day.

Wise Words From Veteran VISTAs

As the new VISTAs were coming on board, the Points of Light VISTA staff thought it would be a good idea to poll our entire VISTA team and ask the veteran VISTAs if they had any words of wisdom to share. Here is the advice that they offered. Thanks to everyone who responded.

Christine Marcucci, San Diego , CA :
My advice is to take things slow even if everyone is whizzing all around you.

Hubert Lee, Fairfax , VA :
Keep in touch with friends/family and if possible with other VISTAs they work with. Also, make sure you budget yourself.

Bob LaFave, East Lansing , MI :
Be persistent. I have found that just when I think I may have something figured out, something changes. Embrace these challenges. Whether its dealing with your own living expenses, or issues with the IRS or volunteers, it is your chance to make your mark in your community, and your program.

Kerin Schroeder, Las Vegas , NV :
1) Listen. 2) Observe. 3) Adapt as quickly as possible. 4) Be thankful for whatever space is provided. 5) Ask.

Barb Manning, East Lansing , MI :
1) Breathe. 2) Ask your supervisor what his or her expectations are of you. 3) Get monthly feedback. 4) Smile.

Shelly Tibbs, Manassas , VA :
If you have any questions about anything, always ask someone. I was lost when I first started until I finally started asking questions.

Melissa Finley, Salinas , CA :
Be patient - do not try to "define" your duties within the first month... it won't happen. But I promise it all starts to take shape, allow things to take their course.

Deb Steed, Greenville , MI :
1) Don't panic! It is definitely not as overwhelming as you may be feeling at the moment. 2) The lessons you learn will be invaluable. 3) Remember to laugh and have a good time while doing your initiative.

Jan Casey and Shari Shell, Fremont , MI :
Give yourself time to learn. When we started, we both had a lot to learn before we could really start to do our job. But now we feel confident that we can be helpful to our community, especially in a time of disaster.

Roy Bates, Frederick, MD:
You can't do enough to get into contact with the community. Try to think of every gathering that might be a way to let people know about the programs you are supporting, like Volunteer Fire Companies, Volunteer Ambulance Companies, Amateur Radio Clubs, municipal governments, and the local ministerial council.

Rhona Colbert, Muskegon , MI :
1) Take a deep breath. If you come back from PSO with all that energy and no where to channel it, you are either going to overwhelm people with your enthusiasm or tick them off. 2) Face Time is important. Get out in the community and let people know who you are, even if some of the meetings seem redundant. Absorb the culture of the community, even if you have lived their your whole life. 3) Ask! Ask! Ask! And Listen! Just because you can see where your program fits in does not mean that is the case or perception of those you want to partner with or help. Ask them what they need and then tailor your program to fit into their needs. 4) Finally, don't tick off the red-head in DC (just kidding).

Sean Duggan, San Diego , CA :
(1) You will come to doubt the sanity of your decision to become a VISTA ... this is normal! You have to walk through this ... but you don't have to walk alone ... talk to your POLF supervisors early and regularly! Do not "keep it in."
(2) This is your year ... it has to work for you ... you have to make sure that it does.
(3) Have a sit-down discussion early with your on-site supervisor if it appears that you are being drawn too much away from your understanding of what your role was to be. If it is too far out of balance, ask for conference call with POLF supervisors.
(4) Make sure you understand what your goals/activities are and how they relate to what POLF has committed to on a national level to CNCS. You will probably want to focus on a few of them because that is where your emphasis needs to be. Be sure you get agreement from your on-site supervisor and POLF to modifications of goals if modifications are required
(5) Be willing to compromise ... but only to a point.
(6) The responsibility for your success rests on you. Remember that you are only "one point of light", you are not the light show!!!
(7) Strive to be happy!

The Points of Light Foundation, through the generosity of the Universal Peace Federation, is pleased to offer the Alliance for Recovery Awards to member Volunteer Centers. These awards are intended to support efforts to serve those affected by the hurricanes of 2005 and build capacity for responding to future disasters by mobilizing more faith groups in relief and recovery efforts through service; and provide high quality, high visibility service projects that engage volunteers in meaningful activities and strengthen communities.

Thirty-three Volunteer Centers were recently announced to be Alliance for Recovery Award recipients. A special congratulations goes to the following winning sites who are also members of the Americorps*VISTA Strengthening Communities Initiative.

Volunteer! Baton Rouge , Baton Rouge , LA
Volunteer Center of Monterey County , Salinas , CA
Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona , Tucson , AZ
Volunteer Macon, Inc., Macon , GA
Volunteer Memphis , Memphis , TN

Friendship Volunteer Center, Sarasota, FL
United Way and Volunteer Connections of Montcalm, Greenville, MI
Volunteer Center of Alachua County, Gainsville, FL
Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Volunteer Frederick, Frederick, MD
Volunteer Services of Manatee County, Bradenton, FL
VolunteerLEON, Tallahassee, FL

Cathy Guenthhardt, Muskegon , MI : On Holy Saturday, which is between Good Friday and Easter, the people in the Polish community have their food blessed. The baskets are full of foods such as sausage, hardboiled eggs, wine, etc. Each of the foods represent something. For example, it is said that eggs mean new life. This has been a tradition in our family since I was a little girl.

Deb Steed, Greenville , MI : I have had 3 exchange students that I am still very close to. While staying with our family they integrated some of their traditions and we have kept them.

• Christmas from Germany : On December 5th St. Nicholas leaves a small present in a shoe by the door. Ah...but, if naughty, a lump of coal.

• New Year's Eve from Brazil : Wearing white clothes to bring good luck for the next year. Adding color to each outfit implies different meanings, for example, red is love and green represents wealth.

• Switzerland : "Santa" comes from the black forest and doesn't bring presents, a fairy does instead. I like our traditions better.

I did find out however, that CHOCOLATE is loved by all and preferably from their own countries!

Sean Duggan, San Diego , CA : Well! I decided today that I should have a special holiday to celebrate life in general. Since there is no time like the present, I will now celebrate it every year on February 21st. Gosh, only 365 more days until the next one!

Kristi Hansen and Barbara Taylor, Richfield , UT : Here in Utah we celebrate the 24th of July because it is a State Holiday. It was the day the pioneers, after their trek across the plains from back east, finally settled in the valley of the Great Salt Lake . We have parades, rodeos, and family parties to celebrate our heritage. Utah also has a lot of their small towns that have heritage days such as: Danish days. Swedish days, Octoberfest and some celebrate their crops, such as Tomato days.

Michelle Harburg, Washington , DC : In Michigan we eat Paczkis only on Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Mardi Gras. Paczkis (pronounced Poonch-skis) are rich, gourmet pastries similar to donuts. They are made from a richer dough filled with a variety of jellies, preserves, or custards.

Traditionally Paczkis are only eaten the day before Lent (Fat Tuesday). This tradition began with Polish Catholics who would unload their pantries of all lard, eggs, and sugar in preparation for Lent. They would then use these supplies to make Paczkis, which are; you guessed it, full of fat, calories, and sugar. BUT, they are so delicious! That is why we only have them once a year. Michigan happens to have a lot Polish people and this is why so many Michiganders are also familiar with this tradition.

ANSWER TO TRIVIA: Open, to reduce the damage to the building. Just be sure to stay away from the windows to avoid flying debris.