Community « Resources Now

Co-Creating Community

As a newcomer to Charm City,it’s managed to quickly capture my heart with its quirky neighborhoods and rich history. Being a transplant from the Midwest,Baltimore’s industrial past has easily made me feel at home. Like other metropolitan areas,Baltimore has been struggling during the economic crisis of the past few years and [...]

A Problem that SHOULD NOT Exist

Our communities,government and the human population are becoming desensitized to the homelessness and the disenfranchised. Everybody deserves a place to sleep and something to eat. This video was recorded in Chicago by Andrew Messer and Nicole Malovany with the help of DePaul University in Chicago. Homelessness is prevalent in the [...]

Spring Fundraising Cleaning:Get the Dust Bunnies out of your Database

Spring has finally come and it’s time to throw open the windows,clean out the closet and sweep under the bed. If you haven’t cleaned up entries in your nonprofit database in a while,it’s probably a good time to do that now.

A robust database with correct names and addresses and accurate giving [...]

Wealth Inequality:The One Percent &The 99 Percent

Wealth inequality in America is a major issue for those who do not have wealth. It is reported that 99 percent of American wealth is held by 1 percent of the American population. This wealth is generated through inheritance and capitalism. When someone inherits massive wealth,he or she has a variety of [...]

Crowdmapping for Social Change

In 1854,John Snow plotted cholera deaths on a map of London’s Soho district to determine the cause of a deadly epidemic sweeping the community. By mapping the geography of the outbreak,Snow was able to successfully pinpoint the cause;argue for public action to disengage the source,and stop the epidemic.

Today,[...]

Questions to Ask for Evaluating and Reflecting on Community Work

800px-FEMA_-_24202_-_Photograph_by_George_Armstrong_taken_on_04-28-2006_in_Mississippi

A few weeks ago we started using a new framework to categorize our posts on this blog:Strategic Factors for Building Community:The Five Cs (5Cs).

Here at Campaign Consultation,Inc. we use the 5Cs model as a foundation for much of our community development work world-wide. The 5Cs (Community,Cash,Control,[...]

Avoid Fundraising Rejection with “Keep the Change Programs”

Change happens (Photo credit:adam*b)

Fundraising can be quite a daunting task considering that –in most cases –there is a 5:1 rejection ratio. Well,I am here to let you know you don’t have to do it alone,and you don’t have to hear rejection!

Doing a local “Keep the Change [...]

Rethinking Service

Every community is full of assets. Not just the buildings on Main Street,the vegetables exchanged at the farmer’s market,or the money people donate to a good cause,but the people who fill our town. Each city is full of talent and creativity but traditional volunteer programs haven’t done a good job of [...]

Preparing for the Volunteers When Disaster Strikes

Hurricane Isaac is expected to reach Louisiana this morning near the seventh anniversary of Katrina. While people in the storm’s path batten down the hatches,others around the country are preparing to serve and assist in the areas affected by this most recent natural disaster.

After Hurricane Katrina,many organizations had trouble managing the [...]

Goals for Successful Recognition Event

Many organizations create a special event to show appreciation to their volunteers. These events are important to keep volunteers motivated and enthusiastic. Recognition has multiple functions beyond simple human courtesy. To the volunteer,recognition signifies that someone notices and someone cares. To the rest of the organization,recognition creates role models and communicates standards. [...]