There is an old joke in the army, which says that the first rule is never to volunteer. We find that today most of the students follow this rule by heart. They prefer to sit back and go on with their lives and think that volunteer work is for the motivated students and not them.

Fundraising activities have potential to be very successful or very unsuccessful, and it usually depends on a few factors, including excitement, freshness, ease of use, efficiency, fun, information, etc. There are many things you can do to ensure the success of your fundraising activities. One of them is to really put some thought into why people give and how people give. Some people in your area may only give to childrens charities. Other may prefer to give to an education charity. Others may give to animals. If it seems as though many people in your area are more interested in charities other than your own, you can consider partnering up with one of those charities and running an event together. When you investigate why people give, you may find that it depends largely on their level of information, what they know about a given charity. If you inform the community about the value and reasons for your charity, how it may work with, benefit, or take some of the burden off of other childrens charities, an education charity, animal charities, charities for the elderly, etc., people may become pretty generous when they understand how things fit together. Education and communication are often the keys.

It's probably very unlikely that any woman in the United States hasn't attended some sort of house party like a Mary Kay party. Whether it was a tupperware party, a scrap-booking party, or a Scentsy party you've been there, done that, or at least heard of it.

All news stations and newspapers "go local." They take big national stories and find ways they relate to the local community in order to bring viewers and readers in- because people care most about what is happening to those close to them!

They always say "it's who you know" that gets you places in life. That is just as true for business men moving up the corporate ladder as it is for non-profit organizations and clubs. The more you network with local, popular, credible businesses, the more successful your organization is going to be. If the public sees that you are sponsored by their favorite clothing store, they are very likely to support your cause!

No one likes the word, "non-profit." It immediately conjures flaccid images of African refugee camps and half-watched, depressing, late-night infomercials. If you were trying to find a powerful, attractive word that could galvanize millions of people to give, non-profit is not that word. As a culture, we're too geared towards the power and lure of its antithesis, profit.

Do you know that donating cars could actually help improve other people's lives?

The essence of charity has a rich tradition in this town, from the early days of commercial development to the present. The varsities, businesses, and affiliations in the area place awfully high price on charity and community service. Actually, Duquesne University's scholars, faculty, and staff give over 200,000 hours a year to volunteer work. This kind of commitment is not rare among Pittsburghers, from millionaires to blue collar employees. Andrew Carnegie, of course, donated untold millions to various causes throughout the country, as did the Mellons, Hillmans, Westinghouse, the Fricks, and many others. Today, foundations like the Heinz Endowment write $60,000,000 in grants yearly.

Depending on their founding charter, non-profits offer a host of services designed to aid their local communities. Some aid the hungry, some provide health services, and some offer counseling services. The bottom line, regardless, is that people, who have no other recourse, have access to the help they need. This help can take the form of an affordable gym, as in the case of the YMCA and YWCA organizations, or it can be after-school help and counseling, along the lines of the services Big Brothers and Sister and 4 H Clubs offer.

Fund raising activities have potential to be exceedingly successful or terribly unsuccessful, and it customarily depends on one or two factors, including excitement, freshness, simplicity of use, efficiency, fun, info, for example. There are many things you can do to ensure the success of your fund raising activities. One of them is to truly put some thought into why people give and how folk give. A few of the people in your area may only give to childrens charities. Other could prefer to give to an education charity. Others may give to animals. If it appears as though many of us in your neighborhood are more inquisitive about charities apart from your own, you can consider partnering up with one of those charities and running an event together. When you analyze why folk give, you can find that it depends principally on their level of info, what they know about a given charity. If you inform the community about the price and reasons for your charity, how it may work with, benefit, or take some of the responsibility off of other childrens charities, an education charity, animal charities, charities for the aged, etc, people may become pretty generous when they understand how things fit together. Education and communication are sometimes the keys.