Washington REALTORS®️’s Post

Maximize Your Impact This Holiday Season With CharityAuctionsToday As we approach the end of the year, it’s crucial to capitalize on the significant opportunities that come with year-end giving. The final months of the year often bring in the largest portion of donations for nonprofits, and running a holiday auction is a powerful way to engage your supporters and boost donations before the year closes. Whether it’s a cozy wine basket for a relaxing night in, tickets to unforgettable concerts or sporting events, game night baskets for holiday fun, or gift certificates to local restaurants—these items are perfect for sparking excitement and generating bids. CharityAuctionsToday makes it simple to create a seamless, impactful online auction that will help you reach your fundraising goals. Don't miss out on the holiday giving rush. Start your free auction today and give your supporters a chance to contribute while enjoying unique, memorable items this holiday season. Let us help you make the most of the season’s generosity with a platform that’s easy to use, secure, and designed to maximize your impact. Get started with $100 off your next auction with us, don’t wait—this exclusive offer ends soon! https://lnkd.in/gzYGpBA4 #YearEndGiving #HolidayFundraising #NonprofitSuccess #CharityAuctions #FundraisingGoals #GiveBack

Donating can be such a fulfilling experience, and there are so many ways to make a positive impact! 💖 We've all dropped off clothing at local charities, but what if you have larger items like a piano or an armoire? 🎹🛋️ National organizations like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity often offer pick-up services for furniture in good condition, just check in your area. Here are some other ways you can make charitable donations without spending a dime: The Best Places To Donate Your Unwanted Goods https://hubs.ly/Q02ZlnL50

Giving Tuesday is today. As a marketer, I like it as it feels cleansing after the onslaught of “buy more stuff” that has hijacked Thanksgiving weekend. (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday). One of the very special things about our country is our relationship to charity and helping others in our communities. We are unique. In fact, the US is the most generous country in the world over the past ten years according to the Charitable Aid Foundation, Americans are about twice as generous in their private giving as Canadians, and 3-15 times as charitable as other developed nations. It’s who we are and who we have always been. In the 1830’s, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote “Democracy in America”. He had many observations that get quoted often. I have always liked this one. “The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.” While we feel divided by forces and organizations with profit and power motives, the data shows the opposite. If we want to make America great and move forward, we can each do that by helping in our communities. Back to Giving Tuesday…the data shows most of us already give money and time. A question I’ve been asking over the past couple of years is am I giving enough and how could I make a bigger impact? The answers I came up with are no, I’m not giving enough and yes, of course, I could be making a bigger impact. That is my ask of this community on Giving Tuesday. Simply ask yourself those questions. Am I giving enough and how could I make a bigger impact? You will probably come to a similar conclusion as I did. My recommendation is to be intentional with your choice of how and how much you give. Realize that your time and expertise may be vastly more valuable than any check you can write. Non-profits are businesses with the same issues as our for-profit businesses. Helping them can come in many forms in addition to financial or volunteering that supports their mission. Your talent and positive energy could be a force multiplier for an organization. Something I’ve started is a monthly platelet and plasma donation. It takes me four hours from doorstep to doorstep. I try to do it the first Friday of each month. (https://www.redcross.org/). The Red Cross has done a great job making this easy AND making people feel appreciated and part of something important. I was inspired by my friend Luke Rouns who regularly donates and has for, at least, as long as I’ve known him. There are many other ways to give. If you’ve made it this far in the post, please share what you do and how to get involved. Realize that these acts of kindness and generosity are things we can do to heal and grow our country through building stronger communities.

UPDATED 08/21/2024: We want to thank the amazing community for their support, please keep sharing and let's gather all the equipment and items we need to get Closet Share up and running. Closet Share is a community-focused program dedicated to collecting local clothing donations, washing and sorting them into tiers, and cataloging them on an online store for community members to access. We provide affordable clothing solutions through a tiered system, with Tier 1 offering free clothing for low-income families and organizations, and Tier 2 allowing the broader community to purchase items at low costs. Additionally, our Boxes of Rags program repurposes unusable textiles to prevent them from ending up in landfills, contributing to environmental sustainability. We are excited to announce that we have recently leased a warehouse to expand our operations. Unfortunately, we did not receive the government funding we applied for, and the warehouse requires some renovations to get it functioning for our program. We need various supplies, and if you have any items that you would be interested in donating to Closet Share, we would greatly appreciate it. We are also always looking for volunteers to help with the growth and building of Closet Share's warehouse. Your support can make a significant difference in our community! • Shelving • Laundry Consumables • White Boards • Electrical • Plumbing • Repair of washers and Dryers • Racking for Hanging Clothes (2x4’s and poles would work) You can reach out to Melissa at 249-878-7513 or info@closetshare.ca if you have any questions or would like to donate any of the above items or even volunteer some time to our great cause. #Volunteers #volunteer #sudbury #sudburyontario #nonprofit #MakeADifference #makeanimpact

Christmas fundraising... According to Enthuse's Christmas Giving Insights 2024 report, in the run-up to last Christmas the most popular time to donate to charity was in the first week. Usually the second half of December is more busy, but in 2023 giving seemed to shift forwards. In that week, December 1st was the most popular day in the run-up to Christmas. Interestingly, Giving Tuesday which fell on 28 November did not outstrip donations in either the run-up to Christmas, or even in that week. December 21st was the date when the highest amount of donations were given though. The report also reveals that weekdays are more popular as donation days than weekends in December, with Fridays in December in poll position. It feels like early fundraising campaigns worked well last year, is this what you are planning? https://lnkd.in/eyCwA4d3

🍨 This weekend, my wife, Monica, and I are hosting a garage sale to declutter our lives. We've put in a lot of work, and as I watched her sort through our belongings, I realized how this process can inspire us to give back to our communities.   Monica’s methodical approach to our garage sale was impressive. She assessed each item with a critical eye and prioritized what added value. Notably, she marked down items to ensure they sold quickly, even below their true worth. This made me think about how we can take stock of what we have and use it to benefit others. I learned the following:   1. Assess and Evaluate: Monica evaluated our possessions, deciding what to keep, sell, and donate. And while I put up the unsuccessful brave fight to try to keep more than I would part with, I realized from the negotiating that we should regularly assess our resources and identify what we no longer need, from clothes and household items to our time and skills and make way for new and better. 2. Prioritize and Donate: We focused on giving away items that could add value to others. Monica set aside items to donate, supporting local causes. Organizations today are in great need and often rely on community support. Your contributions can in fact offer much-needed help. 3. Mark Down for Maximum Impact: Monica’s strategy of marking down items taught me that sometimes the true value of what we give isn’t in the monetary worth but in the immediate effect it will have on another’s life. By pricing items lower, she ensured they found new homes where they would be appreciated and used. Sorry to see some of my old Royal Doulton Toby Mugs go, but I know they will be appreciated by their new owners (alas, my family thinks their faces are creepy).   4. Volunteer Your Time and Skills: Beyond material donations, consider giving back with your time, energy and experience. Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding and help you connect with your community and the doers that make things happen. 5. Celebrate Giving: I know that after our successful garage sale this weekend, Monica will plan to celebrate. Similarly, I recommend making time to enjoy the act of giving and recognize the positive work you’re doing. Like Monica, treat yourself to that Dairy Queen sundae!   So, as you see us selling this weekend, think about how you can declutter your life and make a difference for others. Happy decluttering and giving!   #DeclutterForGood #GiveBack #CommunitySupport #Charity #Volunteer #SpringCleaning #GarageSale #Donate #MakeADifference #GiveWhatYouCan #HelpingOthers #FulfillmentThroughGiving #SupportLocalCauses #PayitForward #LeadershipLessons

According to the Ministry of Health, stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in Singapore, with a prevalence of 4 per cent among adults aged 50 and above. The latest Singapore Stroke Registry Report in 2020 stated that the disease accounted for 8 per cent of deaths here. It is also the biggest cause of long-term disability, which includes impaired speech, restricted physical abilities, weakness or paralysis of limbs on one side of the body, and a slowed ability to communicate. While Singaporeans are living longer, stroke incidences have almost doubled in the past decade. There is also a rise in young people getting stroke, often leaving them unable to work and return to their normal routines. Established in 2015, S3 is the first and only stroke-focused community rehabilitation and wellness agency dedicated to meeting the needs of post-stroke survivors and their caregivers across Singapore. With S3, post-discharge survivors of stroke are able to receive care continuum through rehabilitation that integrates advanced assistive technologies with conventional therapy as well as their signature S3 Wellness programme supporting cognitive and psychosocial development in order to maximise recovery potential, independence and reintegration. I am excited to share that they are organizing an inaugural Charity Golf Fundraiser on 29 August 2024, at Sentosa's Serapong Golf Course. Please help them to raise funds either by sponsoring their golf flights or through donations. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Let's make a difference together! ⛳️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gya2aDRq #StrokeRecovery #BeyondStrokeSG #S3Cares #FundraisingSG #CharityGolf #HealthierSG #SwingforS3 #wellbeing #golf #donations. #sentosagolfclub #serapong #sentosa #singapore #hedgefunds #familyoffices #investment #treasury

Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the internationally recognized day to contribute to charity, is upon us. It’s time for all nonprofits and donors to get ready. Learn more about how you can prepare, as a donor, to create your own giving strategy in my recent article: https://lnkd.in/gBXvpJUN

Fundraising has been tough for the past 4 years with no sign of it easing Fundraising through challenge events are popular with your supporters especially firewalking events but since the pandemic I’ve noticed a decline in quality and safety Big promises are made by some firewalk providers that their firewalk will be a spectacular, transformative experience. You post what they promise, an amazing event with images of flames and happy people but the reality was as exciting as a damp squib (think New Year's fireworks display in London versus a £100 box of fireworks in your back garden) Chaotic, cluttered, disorganised, disappointing, dull They rock up with some red and white tape to attach to whatever structures are in place, that’s if they’ve even thought about barriers, wood in the boot of their car (not kidding), a some hi-viz vests (why? They're not on a construction site) Pre-firewalk ‘training’ consists of talking about how amazing they think they are, their journey, singing a song, putting your hand on your heart and thinking of rainbows and unicorns The firewalk was more like a fire step…one step, two steps and off All a bit ‘meh’ and in some cases, painful You work hard with these events; your supporters work hard raising much needed funds Fundraising firewalking is a special skill that your supporters deserve Demand better next up: How to see through the shiny blurb to know just how experienced they are at providing firewalks karen@blazefirewalking.com 07712048042 #firewalking #fundraising #charity #events #FirewalkingInstructor #CorporateSupport

Here are 3 ways your corporate, school, or faith group can get involved with Home Sweet Home! 🤝 Small Group Volunteering: Bring your team to our warehouse to assist with sorting donations, organizing our shopping area, and preparing items for the families we serve. 🔨 Dresser Builds: Host a unique team-building experience by constructing dressers for children in need. We'll coordinate with your group on ordering, quantity, location preferences (on-site or off-site), and more. 📦 Donation Drives: Make a direct impact by hosting a donation drive. Choose what you'd like to collect (linens, small appliances, new bed pillows, kitchen utensils), and we'll provide all the necessary support to ensure a successful drive. Contact us at volunteer@homesweethomestl.org for group volunteering or dresser builds, and corlena.hall@homesweethomestl.org for donation drive inquiries. #HomeSweetHomeSTL #VolunteerOpportunity #GetInvolved #STLnonprofit #FurnishHope