There Is Still Good Reason To Smile!

There Is Still Good Reason To Smile!

The announcement in January by Amazon that it would be discontinuing its AmazonSmile program came as a surprise and disappointment to many. For customers signed up for the Smile program, Amazon had – since 2013 – donated 0.5% of the transaction value to a registered charity of that customer’s choice.

Amazon justified its decision by arguing that with one million registered non-profit recipients around the world, its impact had remained behind the organization’s expectations. Another explanation could, of course, be that after AmazonSmile attracted so many new customers, they have now decided to simply cut costs and increase margins by a further 0,5%. Whatever the real reason, the program ended on 20 February 2023.

I was never a big fan of the BNI Foundation promoting AmazonSmile to raise funds for us, because I truly believe that BNI members should be buying whatever they need from other BNI members, even if it ends up costing a bit more. After all, BNI is all about investing in relationships and we are not likely to build a relationship with a Member from Amazon anywhere in the world any time soon.

Having said that, most of us resort to buying from them from time to time, because they are quick and (normally) reliable. And knowing that every time we spend money with them a small part went to – in my case – the BNI Foundation made giving them our business feel just a little bit more acceptable.

Of course, realistically speaking, the benefit was actually very small. To raise $100 dollars in donation income, BNI members needed to spend $20.000 AND remember to purchase through the Smile.Amazon portal, not through Amazon itself! In 2022, we received a grand total of $550, so maybe Amazon was right about the impact not living up to expectations!

So why is there still good reason to smile? Because generating that income required purchases of $110.000 and there are a lot cheaper, simpler, and more effective ways of helping the BNI Foundation to support children and education than that. A monthly donation of $50 or $100 dollars or more will get you recognition on our website and there are also three levels of contribution to the Misner Endowment Fund, which mean you will be helping children for ever!

Any amount of money means that we can fund more projects than would otherwise be possible, but in the spirit of Givers Gain®, it doesn’t even have to be money! Through Business Voices™ there are multiple ways for you to help children in your local community get a better start in life, not least Future Leaders Week, which takes place from 15 – 21 October 2023. For further information, or just to talk to us about the BNI Foundation and how we can help you to grow your business, your chapter and your region, please contact us on info@bnifoundation.org.

Thank you, yours still smiling 😊

Kevin Barber, March 17, 2023

BNI Global Convention 2021 Fundraising Success

BNI Foundation Fundraising Success Report: BNI Global Convention 2021

Each year, the BNI Foundation is an integral part of the BNI Global Convention which was held virtually this year on October 6-9, 2021. This year, with the help of our amazing donors, the BNI Foundation raised over $40,000 with donors from 46 countries to help support children’s education around the world. Our fundraising efforts could not be successful without the continued support of the BNI Global Events Team and the BNI Executive Team who believe in the Foundation’s mission to make the world better for children. The main sources of fundraising came from attendees adding a donation to their event registration, raffle tickets, and the silent auction.

Keynote speakers from Global Convention donated their time and talents to the BNI Foundation by way of 121 Consultations in our silent auction. Stan Phelps, Dr. Cindy McGovern, Calvin Strachan, Charlie Lawson, Dr. Jeff Barnes, Linda Clemons, Mike Murphy, Robert Skrob, and Dr. Ivan Misner all championed the silent auction with their consultations, books, wine tastings, etc. as items in the auction resulting in over $9,000 raised.

We take pride in how much the Foundation has grown over the last 3 years, despite the global challenges we all faced and will continue to face. It was a time to build relationships with our donors and members of the BNI community as we continued to help support children’s education. The growth is in the numbers. The growth is because of our generous donors. We look forward to updating you on the impact of these donations and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together at the 2022 Global Convention.

 

Alphabetical Donor Country List

Impromptu Fundraiser

Keifer Sutherland Helps Collect $1,000 for BNI Foundation at Impromptu Fundraiser

Fundraising for the BNI Foundation was a huge success at this year’s BNI US National Conference in Las Vegas. The Foundation has surpassed it’s goal of raising $20,000 in direct donations. At the end of the conference the BNI Foundation had raised $26,000 as well as signed up six new Heroes and five new Super Heroes. Heroes and Super Heroes are supporters who commit to donate $50 a month and $100 a month respectively.

In a chance encounter, actor Keifer Sutherland, who was visiting the Red Rock Casino, was kind enough to offer his support for an impromptu fundraiser at the hotel lounge. Guests were quick to demonstrate their generosity, donating cash, and even poker chips, right on the spot. By evening’s end, Mr. Sutherland had helped raise $1,000 to contribute the Foundation’s goal.

The funds raised will allow the BNI Foundation to double the number of Givers Gain® awarded this year. We would like to thank all of the BNI Foundation’s supporters and donors that are helping us reach our goals. Remember that the BNI Foundation is your Foundation, and its work is only possible when our members drive home the Givers Gain® core value.

 

2018 National Conference

The BNI Foundation at the BNI National Conference

The BNI National Conference in Las Vegas is right around the corner and the BNI Foundation has been working hard to bring attendees a great program and to take advantage of this opportunity to do more for our community schools and students. Keep reading to find out what’s in store.

Givers Gain® Grants Awarded to Double in 2018

This year the BNI Foundation is striving to double the number of yearly Givers Gain® Grants awarded from ten to twenty. To do this we hope too attract more monthly donors with our Join the CLUB program. During the National Conference we will be holding a drive to bring in more Heroes and Super Heroes so we can get more grants out to worthy schools and educational organizations. The $1,000 Givers Gain® Grants are awarded to help fund specific programs. The BNI Foundation is striving to add ten additional Givers Gain® Grants to 2018 by attracting:

  • 20 New Heroes
  • 20 New Super Heroes
  • $20,000 New Direct Donations

The grants will be awarded as follows:

  • 5 Givers Gain® Grants in June
  • 5 Givers Gain® Grants in October
  • A Special Grant Cycle from November 15 to December 15th with 10 additional Givers Gain® Grants

The Heroes program designates those giving $50 a month as Heroes and those giving $100 or more every month as Super Heroes. Any individual or group can be a Hero or Super Hero. During the BNI National Conference in Las Vegas, the BNI Foundation will campaign to encourage BNI member, chapters and regions to Join the CLUB by becoming a Hero or Super Hero.

Students to be Speed Mentored at the BNI National Conference

At this year’s BNI National Conference in Las Vegas, the BNI Foundation will host a speed mentoring session with students from a local Las Vegas high school. During the event, students will talk to several entrepreneurs for a few minutes each and then take part in an open “networking” session. The successful speed mentoring program truly encapsulates the BNI Foundation’s mission to create a conduit between business and education to meet children’s educational needs. If you will be attending this year’s conference and would like to be involved as a mentor, please contact David Kauffman, foundation Vice-Chair, at Davidk@bnifoundation.org

Win Dinner with Beth and Ivan Misner and More

Attendees of the BNI National Conference will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win dinner with BNI Foundation founders, Beth and Ivan Misner, while simultaneously supporting the Foundation’s cause. Additionally, a 50/50 raffle will see one winner receiving half of the 50/50 raffle proceeds. Please reach into your pockets for a chance to win one of these great prizes, and more importantly, help the BNI Foundation continue its work helping schools and students around the world.

Please stay tuned for more by visiting our website, https://bnifoundation.org, where we will be posting 2018 BNI US National Conference updates including details about our Saturday morning Walk and Talk and other events we are working on. Also, be sure to visit our booth while at the conference.

Giving Tuesday Kicks Off Season of Giving

Five years ago, the good people of 92nd Street Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association (92nd Street Y) , a community center in New York City, came up with the idea of a day of giving to kick off the holiday season. Social media blog Mashable used their incredible reach (6,000,000 Twitter followers, 3,200,000 Facebook fans) to help spread the word. With the help of founding partners Skype and Cisco, Giving Tuesday was born on November 27, 2012. The first Tuesday after Thanksgiving would become a day when people would reach in to their pockets and donate to a worthy charity. The first Giving Tuesday was a tremendous success.

In 2013 Google entered the partnership and Giving Tuesday received extensive media coverage. Charitable giving on that day was twice what it had been the year before. By 2014 Giving Tuesday was being observed in 68 countries and resulted in an estimated $45.7 million in charitable donations. There was still plenty of room for the movement to grow as a survey that year revealed that only 18% of Americans were familiar with Giving Tuesday, compared to 93% familiar with Black Friday.

Last year Giving Tuesday broke records again with an estimated $168 million in donations worldwide, and this year is looking to be even bigger. Meanwhile, it has morphed from a single day of giving to the kick-off for a season of giving.

Join the CLUB

After being awarded a Givers Gain® Grant, which went toward a class library, a class of fourth graders in Miami were inspired to form a Monthly Hero Club by donating to the BNI Foundation. Teacher Jennifer Stay, wife of BNI Executive Director and Chairman Emeritus of the BNI Foundation Board, Jeff Stay, explained to her students what the BNI Foundation is and what it does. The students were so touched by the needs of children around the world that they decided they would each donate $1 a month to become a collective BNI Foundation Monthly Hero.

BNI Foundation co-founders, Beth and Ivan Misner were impressed by the social responsibility and initiative exhibited by the students. They deemed the group Mrs. Stay’s 4th Grade Class CLUB.

This Giving Tuesday, and during the season that follows, the BNI Foundation is asking BNI members around the world to Join the CLUB. If each member of a chapter donates just two or three dollars a month, we could have Super Hero Chapters all over the world. The more chapters that participate, the more schools and students we can help with our Givers Gain Grants of $1000 each.

As further incentive, the region with the highest percentage of Chapters who Join the CLUB between November 28, 2017 and January 15, 2018 will receive a personal visit from BNI Foundation Co-Founder, Beth Misner, and BNI Foundation Board Chair, Kevin Barber. Beth and Kevin will participate in both an outreach project with a community school and a social event with the regions’s members.

Please consider showing the kids how much their efforts mean by Joining Mrs. Stay’s 4th Grade Class CLUB today!

Mrs. Stay’s 4th Grade Class CLUB

After Mrs. Stay’s 4th grade class was awarded a Givers Gain Grant to purchase a class library, Mrs. Stay, wife of BNI Executive Director and Chairman Emeritus of the BNI Foundation Board, Jeff Stay, showed her nine-year-old students the BNI Connect 5 2016 film to explain more about what the foundation is and how the foundation builds a conduit between business and education.

When these children realized how many kids around the world have serious needs, some of them became tearful. They told Mrs. Stay they wanted to each begin bringing a dollar a month to school so their class could be a BNI Foundation Monthly Hero.
She asked them to each write a compelling letter home to their parents to get permission. Each child’s parent(s) agreed! Now, these amazing kids exhibit extraordinary leadership and social responsibility by bringing $1 per month to which Mrs. Stay adds the difference so the class can be a BNI Foundation Monthly Hero at $50 per month.

When BNI Foundation co-founders, Beth and Ivan Misner, learned what an entire class of nine-year-olds is doing, they knew this was too amazing to go unnoticed.

So, Mrs. Stay’s 4th Grade Class CLUB was born, and what better way to kick off this giving season then by asking your BNI Chapter to Join the CLUB to acknowledge their leadership and how inspiring they are, as kids, to us, as grown-ups.  We would love your BNI Chapter* to become BNI Foundation Super Hero ($100 per month). Every chapter that participates will help us send more grants to more teachers and impact more kids’ lives in your communities. 

It’s that simple!

 

Please tell Mrs. Stay’s class: YES! Our Chapter will Join the CLUB today! 

As Mrs. Stay’s 4th graders have proven, our Givers® Gain culture can truly make a difference.

Let’s take the lead from these 9-year-old students and show them what we can do to make their educational experiences better!  

* Each chapter’s members only need to donate a few dollars per month for most Chapters to reach the Super Hero ($100+ per month) level.

Terms: Mrs. Stay’s 4th Grade Class CLUB will be running from Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2017, through April 1, 2018. The region with the highest percentage of chapters that Join the CLUB will receive a special, personal visit from BNI Foundation Co-Founder, Beth Misner, and BNI Foundation Board Chair, Kevin Barber, to participate in an outreach project for a school in YOUR community and a regional social event with YOUR BNI members. In the case of multiple chapters achieving the highest percentage of participation, a drawing will be held to select the winning BNI region. All chapters who Join the Club will receive a BNI Foundation badge ribbon for each member.

20 Years of Giving Fundraiser

The BNI Foundation kicked off Global Convention activities in style with a fundraiser to celebrate its twenty year anniversary! Everyone involved with the foundation was invited to the event which took place on the evening of November 8th in Long Beach, CA.

BNI Foundation co-founders Beth and Ivan Misner, Executive Director, Stephanie Starr,  staff, volunteers and Board members mingled as they enjoyed food, drinks and live a-cappella entertainment by Swingline. Also on hand to speak was award-winning film producer/director/writer, Barnet Bain. The evening was capped off with a silent auction.

Red Coats, Inc. generously sponsored the event which was graciously hosted by Margie and Emory Cowan, long time BNI Foundation supporters who truly embody the principle of Givers Gain®.

View a gallery of photos from the event here.

$10,000 Raised for Children’s Shelter

BNI member Jim McLemore, of A-Tec Office Solutions Inc., hosted a successful fundraiser for the Haven of Peace Children’s Shelter in Stockton, California. Thanks to the assistance provided by fellow members of the BNI Stockton Business Partners chapter in the Central Valley region, the event raised $10,000 for Haven of Peace.

Haven of Peace offers shelter, counseling, education and other forms of assistance to mother’s and children in need. They opened their doors in 1959.

BNI California Central Valley Executive Directors, John and Eva Lisle were the proud sponsors of this event. The donation of time, talent and treasure from this California region is truly appreciated.

Educational Grants Help Schools and Teachers Fund Projects

Educational Grants Help Schools and Teachers Fund Projects

We have written before in this space about the great need for funds in our nation’s classrooms. Lack of funding has created a situation where most teachers have to purchase basic supplies like books and paper with their own money. The good news is that there are a large number of educational grants available to schools and teachers.

Grants are funds (or sometimes products) that are gifted by a grant maker, usually a foundation, trust or government agency. They can be awarded to non-profit organizations, schools and educational organizations, and even businesses and individuals. More often than not, grants must be used for a specific project determined by the grant maker. Educational grants are available for a surprisingly large number of projects from equipping a classroom with computers to paying for a field trip or anything that can enrich education.

What follows is only a sampling of the grants that schools and teachers can apply for. Some of the grants are open for submissions at different times of the year so check each link for deadlines and eligibility requirements.

Elmer’s Teacher Tool Kit Grant

The Kids in Need Foundation and Elmer’s partnered to award this grant that provides $100 to $500 worth of school supplies to students with financial needs. The application requires a description of how funds will be used as well as how many students will be impacted.

Target Field Trip Grants

The purpose of these grants is to expand learning outside of the traditional classroom. Each Target store in the US awards three $700 grants that can be used for transportation, admission fees or other field trip expenses.

Pets in the Classroom Grants

This grant from the Pet Care Trust is designed to allow students to interact with a class pet. Funds are used to obtain, care for and maintain a classroom pet. Teachers of students from pre kinder to ninth grade are eligible to apply.

Toshiba Tech Grants

This grant is available for grades 6-12. The Toshiba America Foundation promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning by providing funds for technology enhanced education. Grants of up to $5000 can be used to purchase technology and supplies for STEM educational projects.

Givers Gain® Grants

The BNI Foundation awards ten $1000 grants each year, five in the summer and five in the winter, to 501c3 non-profit schools and educational organizations. Grants are by referral only and the school or organization must be partnered with a Business Voices team to be eligible.

Donors Choose

Donors Choose does not offer grants, but rather an innovative way to raise funds for schools. Public school teachers can request funds for classroom projects, listing the resources needed. Donors can pick which school and project they want to support and can donate money or needed supplies.

A Word on Grant Writing

Grant Writing refers to the process of applying for a grant or making a grant proposal. Grant writing can be something of a skill that can be improved through repetition. Some organizations hire professional grant writers to increase their chances of securing funds. For teachers who will apply on their own, here are a few tips to help the application or proposal get noticed.

Get to know the grant maker – Research the organization awarding the grant to learn what they look for in an application. Reach out to them to learn what you can, read their blog and follow them on social media, if available.

Plan your project – Map out your project’s goals, needed supplies, cost, etc. Innovative and interesting project proposals tend to get more attention.

Give yourself time – A well-written grant proposal, and most applications, take time. Do not wait until just before the deadline to get started, as you will probably not be able to put in the time to make your proposal shine.

Do not limit yourself to the short list of grants above. Take some time to research what is available. You will be sure to find at least one grant for your specific classroom needs. Many more grants for all kinds of educational projects are just a Google search away.

What Non-Profits Need Most is Funding

What Non-Profits Need Most is Funding

Too many non-profit organizations fall into a financial trap of their own making. Being mission driven, they find themselves focusing on providing services without a clear picture of where the money will come from. Many non-profits fail to put a solid fundraising system in place. A major study of the challenges facing non-profits conducted in 2013 found that almost a quarter of the organizations surveyed had no fundraising plan whatsoever. Additionally, many non-profit board members lack training on essential fundraising skills like donor identification, prospecting and cultivating.

Non-profit organizations need a solid fundraising culture to succeed. Too many non-profits find themselves dealing with one financial crisis after another when efforts are too heavily focused on the cause, and few resources are dedicated to funding. Some in leadership positions at non-profit organizations do not consider income generation their top priority. This kind of thinking can cause an organization to fail to thrive, or worse, flat out fail, despite great ideas or potential.

Create a Fundraising Culture

A strong fundraising culture is created when all of an organization’s members and donors have an awareness of its mission and funding needs and are enthusiastic to work toward making both succeed. With a bit of basic information, and an appreciation for how the mission and fundraising interact, members and volunteers will create a network that spreads the non-profit’s vision and is ready to capitalize on fundraising opportunities. These basic tenets encourage a positive fundraising culture.

Mission and Vision

Members should understand exactly what change the non profit organization is trying to affect and how it goes about doing that. What are the primary goals of the non profit, and how does it use its resources to serve the community? Being able to articulate these points allows members and volunteers to promote the non-profit’s work.

Fundraising Plan

Every non-profit organization must understand the costs associated with sustaining its mission and vision, as well as its programs and services and how to make the project sustainable. The basics of the financial plan includes information about revenue sources and administrative and organizational expenses. Donors and members must know who donates to their non-profit and where other funds come from.

Pitch

Having fundraising pitches or elevator speeches prepared for every occasion is essential to take advantage of whatever opportunity arises. Preferably, board members already have pitches they use to secure donations from the philanthropists they solicit, but everyone ought to have an idea of what to say if the subject arises. It could simply be clearly communicating the organization’s goals, strategies and needs.

Where’s the Money?

Ideally, non-profits must secure support from many different sources. Some financial sources will occur episodically from events, a grant award or single donation. A combination of episodic and ongoing support, such as endowments, annual funds, recurring grants and the sale of services or products are preferable. Here are some traditional sources of philanthropic funding that non-profits can rely on.

  • Charitable Contributions from individuals account for almost three quarters of all charitable giving in this country.
  • Corporate Contributions have taken on added importance to companies as socially conscious consumers increasingly turn to like minded companies when making purchasing decisions.
  • Government Grants fund programs on the local, state and national levels.
  • Foundations come in many forms including family, community and corporate. Their purpose is to generate funds for other philanthropic organizations.

Non profit-organizations need to consider all of this and more to be successful. If every member at every level of the organization is committed to both the mission and the fundraising, the non-profit will have a substantial advantage in receiving support of all kinds.

The BNI Foundation is YOUR foundation. Our mission to create a conduit between business and education to meet children’s educational needs is powered by BNI. We rely on the support of BNI members, but anyone can help with their time or money. Click this link to find out how can take action.