Starfish Circle

New ways to Raise Money: Using Twitter for Good

2009-03-01T23:14:50-08:00

It is no secret that fund raising in today's economic climate is challenging. Every conference I go to lately everyone is talking about using twitter or other social media tools. Here' s a piece giving some thoughts on using Twitter to engage donors. Good stuff to check out.

http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/03/01/and-now-twitter-philanthropy/

Funding Opportunity: The Health Trust - Mini Grants

2008-04-28T09:46:07-07:00

To launch its Healthy Communities Initiative, The Health Trust will award one-time mini-grants in any amount up to a maximum of $1,500 to grassroots, community-based or faith-based organizations for short-term projects to be carried out between June 1st and November 30, 2008. Funds may be used to pay for targeted outreach/education efforts that include hosting a viewing of one or more episodes of the "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?", a seven-part documentary series exploring racial and social inequalities in health. Applicants should use the toolkit available at http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/ to plan an event for participants to view the film and engage in a dialogue about the social determinants of health. Organizations awarded a grant will receive a free copy of the DVD series. The Health Trust expects to award 15-20 grants.

The program announcement and guidelines are available on the Grants section of The Health Trust website at www.healthtrust.org. Proposals must be received at The Health Trust by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2008.

Questions should be directed to Angie Briones, THT Program Officer at 408.879.8431 or via email at angieb@healthtrust.org.

Oprah's Big Give FINALLY ends

2008-04-22T10:09:15-07:00

As a non profit professional, I can't tell you how irked I was watching Oprah's Big Give reality show. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Oprah. I love that she started this national discussion about philanthropy and reminded us all that we ALL can give. But wow, this season was horrible. I cringed watching two episodes and then could not bring myself to watch any more. Check out this article written by Joshua Horwitz, the executive director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence and his thoughts on this lost opportunity in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Though Oprah, if you are looking for contestants for next season, I'm IN!!

Check this out: Failing School System Drives Increased Crime in Santa Clara County

2008-03-31T23:54:37-07:00

According to the San Jose Mercury News there have been 12 homicides in the past 7 weeks. The majority were in District 2 – Eastside and downtown. Community Crime Prevention Associates reports nearly 5,000 students have dropped out of San Jose high schools in the last 2 years. In Santa Clara County, the dropout rate is soaring – 215% increase since 2002 in San Jose - and violence is on the rise.

Studies show that when graduation rates rise, violent crime goes down. We cannot afford to continue losing our young people – San Jose lost $34 Million in ADA due to dropouts last year for a total of $122 Million over the past 5 years. Studies show that a student who drops out of school and ends up in a life of crime, costs society $2.1 million in his/her lifetime.

Five hundred (500+) concerned community members will gather on Tuesday, April 1, 7:00-8:30 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2020 E. San Antonio St., San Jose, 95116 to demand the candidates for District 2 County Supervisor commit to bold leadership to stop the violence and save lives through great schools. PACT grassroots community and faith leaders will challenge SCC District 2 Supervisor candidates to make it their top priority to stop the violence and save lives by promoting and demanding great schools for all kids.

Why does this matter?:

All children deserve excellent public schools regardless of the neighborhoods where they live and their families’ socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.
All residents need to live in safe communities.
We have a problem: Chronically failing schools driving crime, AND we have solutions: national, research-based best practices are producing impressive results right here in East San Jose.
Our children and our community need bold leadership from public officials at all levels to grow the success and stop the failure.

Event Organized by: People Acting in Community Together (PACT) is a multi-ethnic, interfaith organization representing 19 congregations and 50,000 families in Santa Clara County.

Bone Marrow Drive -April 19th

2008-03-17T08:37:19-07:00

Mark you calendars! Next month, the women of Silicon Valley Moms Blog are hosting a bone marrow donor drive.

We are all super busy but this really shouldn't take that long. No needles, just a quick swab of your cheek. This is even more important for folks of color, as finding a bone marrow donor is close to impossible. Think now about if your are of mixed heritage - you got it, the chances are even slimmer. If you can't go to this event, make an appointment or stop by a booth next time you see a drive happening near you. Jill, one of th co-founders of SV Moms Blog has written her story and that of her mother's battle with Leukemia. She is one of the lucky ones, who will be receiving a transplant soon. There are many more waiting for someone like you.

You can help give the gift of life....

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Location: 95 Crescent Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (right near highway 101)
Time: 9:00am to 3:30pm
To be eligible to donate, you must be between the ages of 18 to 60.

Project Cornerstone's Asset Champions Breakfast

2008-03-07T20:50:11-08:00

Project Cornerstone hosted 900 people at the Fairmont hotel for it's 5th Annual Asset Champions breakfast. Radio personalilty Nurse Rona Renner served as keynote, with San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis and Gunderson High School senior Misha served as emcees.

The coffee was flowing and mood was lively for an early morning event. Kaiser Permanente's Education Theatre Program provided entertainment with a vignette from their award winning traveling group which teaches kids how to avoid peer pressure, make good decisions about their health and improve their neighborhoods.

Most importantly, Project Cornerstone honored several individuals and groups for their stellar work to ensure that young people thrive. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

Community Vales Youth: City of Milpitas Youth Program Team
Caring School Climate - Elementary School: Forest Hill School
Caring SChool Climate- Middle School: Union Middle School
Caring School Climate - High School: Ann Sobrato High School
Positive Peer Influence - Daniel Katz
Positive Cultural Identity - Alum Rock Counseling Center
Adult Role Model - So"o Poumele, Catholic Charities Washington United Youth Center

Looking to start a career in the arts?

2007-10-03T22:49:45-07:00

I started out as a art history major in college. I was always fascinated by art and the art world, but my mother discouraged me from becoming a starving artist. sigh! Probably best since I really didn't have any artist talent. Instead, I started my career in the non profit world. Funny, huh? Regardless, the fine folks at the Arts Council are hosting a roundtable discussion to encourage people to think seriously about a career in the arts. Silicon Valley is notorious for our high tech expertise. Wouldn't it be great to also be synonymous with a vibrant arts scene and incubator for arts management talent? Check out the event here.

This event is put together by Silicon Valley Emerging Leaders for the Arts. Creative Conversations are local gatherings of emerging leaders in communities across the country and are part of a grassroots movement to elevate the profile of arts in America during National Arts and Humanities Month every October. To learn more about creative conversations in other communities across the country, visit the Americans for the Arts website.

The details about next week's San Jose program:

Do you currently work in the arts? Are you interested in pursuing a career in the arts? Have you always wanted to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of an arts organization? Well this is your chance. This event involves a series of roundtable discussions that will enable you to talk with established arts leaders and find out what it takes to work in arts management, what to expect and explore the different career paths you can take in the arts.

Hear from eight established local arts leaders through two, 30-minute roundtable discussions in the following careers: Executive Director, Development Director, Artistic/Program Director or Curator, and Marketing Director and get a chance meet and share ideas with other future arts leaders.

Navigating a Career in the Arts:
A Conversation with Local Arts Leaders
A Creative Conversation Hosted by Silicon Valley Emerging Leaders in the Arts
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Where: San Jose Repertory Theatre, Rehearsal Hall
Time: 5-7PM
Cost: FREE Space is limited.

To RSVP, please send an email to jrussell@artscouncil.org by Friday, October 5.

Current List of Panelists:

Executive Director
Jeffry Walker, Executive Director, Community School of Music & Arts; Cathy Kimball, Executive Director, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art;

Marketing/Communications Director
Lee Kopp, Director of Marketing and Publicity, Ballet San Jose;
Shannon McDonnell, Marketing Manager, San Francisco Symphony;

Development Director
Anne Holmes, Director of Development, TheatreWorks;
Monika Churchill, Director of Development, San Jose Repertory Theatre;

Artistic Director
Chike Nwoffiah, Executive & Artistic Director, Oriki Theater;
Elisa Marie Alvarado, Artistic Director, Teatro Vision.

Fundraising training for the hip hop set

2007-09-24T07:05:00-07:00

There are quite a few great blogs about fundraising on the blogosphere. Small non profit professionals have a lot to learn from advancement professionals at local universities. One blog in particular highlights tips and tools for those in that sector, in particular annual giving campaigns.

Dori Sonntag, Director of Annual Giving at Gonzaga University (in Spokane, Washington) created Inspired Annual Giving. She posted this hilarious training video from the folks at the University of Toronto. Depending on your constituents, it could be a great training intro tool when gearing folks up to do personal or annual asks. It certainly makes working/volunteering at a phone-a-thon so much more fun! Check out the University of Toronto's call center site. It has a ton of videos that can give you some inspiration.

Don't miss this video! It is sure to perk up your Monday morning.

She's Geeky Tech Unconference

2007-09-20T17:04:38-07:00

More often than not, I get pegged as the office tech support. Let me be clear, just because I know how to "bold" does not mean that I deserve that title. However, there is a conference for those of us that do revel in discussing what techonology can do to change the world and also want to get our inner-geek on. I think this is particularly useful for us in the non profit sector, as we can often find low-cost or free tools at these meet ups. One big complaint, I hear often is that web developers never create stuff that works for our sector. Well, this is a great opportunity to hear about what is coming up and maybe leave your two cents about what would help us do our jobs better.

A Women's Tech (un)conference is being held on October 22-23 in Mountain View, CA. Sign up here.

The She's Geeky (un)conference will provide an agenda-free and friendly environment for women who not only care about building technology that is useful for people, but who also want to encourage more women to get involved.

It is designed to provide women who self-identify as geeky and who are engaged in various technology-focused disciplines with a gathering space in which they can exchange skills and discuss ideas and form community across and within disciplines.

"U.S. Army Photo", number 163-12-62. Left: Patsy Simmers, holding ENIAC board Next: Mrs. Gail Taylor, holding EDVAC board Next: Mrs. Milly Beck, holding ORDVAC board Right: Mrs. Norma Stec, holding BRLESC-I board

1st Act Silicon Valley awarded $3.5 million

2007-09-19T14:47:21-07:00

Yesterday, the Knight Foundation announced a $3.5 million dollar investment in San Jose. Awarded to 1st Act Silicon Valley, this challenge grant is intended to help local leaders develop capacity and structure for local arts and culture organizations. Click here to read the press release.

I’ve been intrigued by this group since last summer, as they presented to the San Jose City Council a vision for downtown. It was inventive and ground breaking. The short sighted council’s response, “Great, but show me the money!” Well the folks at 1st Act now have the money and will hopefully leverage this to pull others into the fold - obviously no small task. However, choosing Connie Martinez, former Exectuive Director of the award winning Children's Discovery Museum as the efforts Managing Director, showcases their saavy and powerhouse line up of supporters.

As a San Jose resident, who frequents downtown, I am excited to hear of the things to come. It is certainly long over due. Forcing arts organizations to squabble over crumbs is just bad practice. If we expect to harness the Valley’s creativity to bring us into another golden age, then we should be doing what we can to incubate the arts and programs that encourage us all to think differently.

Once I figure out how to help, I’m there and hope some of you will join me. Thank you Knight Foundation for believing San Jose!
Download 2007_KnightFdnPressRelease-1.pdf