LIVE UNITED Y’All!

By David P. Calzi
2009 Metro United Way Community Campaign Chair

Photo by Walt Norris of Dave Calzi at the Metro United Way 2009 Community Campaign end event at Neighborhood House. Click on the picture for more photos from the event!

The results that Metro United Way achieved during 2009, raising $27.1 million, will help continue to make a difference in many lives in our community. To all of our donors and volunteers who have supported us so generously, we are very grateful and hope that you feel a sense of pride in all that has been accomplished this year.

We realize, however, that the difficult times are not yet behind us. Over the past year, Metro United Way has continued to see an increase in requests for assistance with basic services — food and shelter. Many of these requests are from people who have never had to ask before. This means the needs are greater than ever and our work will continue to be important. We, as a community, will need to stay vigilant and address these challenges in 2010 and beyond.

It’s been an honor and pleasure to serve as your 2009 Metro United Way General Campaign Chair. I treasure every minute spent with the Metro United Way staff, volunteers and agencies and am appreciative of all that they have taught me and the opportunity I have had to serve our community.

I thank each of you for your support and know that you will continue to champion the cause of Metro United Way for many years to come.

Live United!

Sincerely,

David P. Calzi
2009 Metro United Way Community Campaign Chair

Giving community campaign, thank you

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

Not that kind of high silly…  No I am not talking about any Mick Jagger songs or Melvin Jackson lyrics. Nor am I referring to the euphoric high experienced by marathon runners and world class athletes. This blog is a few thoughts and words about another, far more altruistic high that is called the helper’s high.

It’s nothing new mind you. I would say that there is new research and old wisdom that each uphold the simple truth that those of us who are what I would call “dealers” are aware.

Simply put, it feels good to “get your good on.” And it not only feels good, but it also has been proven in the brain to lower the output of stress hormones, improve cardiovascular health, strengthen the immune system and extend life span. And unlike exercise, there’s evidence that the helper can actually get a small helper’s high even by simply recalling the helping or charitable acts long after they’re finished. Isn’t that a cool residual for doing good!

Think about it…the last time you felt needed, did something for someone else, helped a neighbor, volunteered a few hours or made a donation…you may have came away tired but also deeply refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 reads, “Those who refresh others are themselves refreshed.” Emerson also knew a thing or two about the helpers high as he wrote, “No man [or woman] can sincerely help another without helping himself.”

Lastly, have you seen the bus? This eye-catching bus is a big helper’s high we hope for our friends at TARC who have wrapped it up and are helping spread the LIVE UNITED message in our community. What do you say…wanna check in on the helper’s high? Ready to schedule a little time to do good and get on the bus –you know, we can’t do the work here at Metro United Way without you. It is your United Way and we have got some serious opportunity in our community and the world right now to lend a hand, give a dollar, help a neighbor, mentor a child….and the research shows we will be better for it!

When was the last time you felt the “helper’s high”? Do you think generosity plays a part in your personal or spiritual wellbeing? Are you ready to get your good on and get on the bus? What are your thoughts?

Giving, Health, Volunteering charitable benefits, helpers high, TARC

By Sommer Lally

Photo Credit: American Red Cross

As I write this blog it has been 1 full week since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti and still I’m struggling to make sense of it all. I have all of these thoughts and feelings swirling in my head and taking up space. Thoughts like:

“We should’ve done more. I should’ve done more. And if we had, would the devastation have been this extreme?”

As I’m sure many do I have feelings of guilt – the disaster has exacerbated the difficulties Haitians already faced and that I did little to help. It pains me to read about the 4 out 5 people in Haiti, prior to the earthquake, living in poverty with poor drinking water, food shortages and little access to education or opportunities for a better life. These are struggles I have never experienced because I was born into a family that I wouldn’t classify as “fortunate” but that always had enough to get by. Of course these guilty thoughts typically turn into anger and justifications.

“Why didn’t someone tell me it was this bad? Maybe I would have done something if I had only known . . .”

The more pictures and footage I see in the media, the more upset I get at the conditions in Haiti prior to the earthquake. I like to tell myself I might have done something about it – whether or not this is actually the case – if I had been more informed about the need. In my perfect world the media would shed more light on such issues/conditions before disaster strikes. With such powerful reach comes an obligation to inform and educate people about critical needs locally, nationally and globally. If we were to grade local TV stations and our national new programs on how well they do this, what do you think the results would be?

“$21 million in Text-to-Give donations! Holy Cow, why can’t we do that?”

At the same time I think about those in our own community facing poverty and their own challenges/obstacles to a better life – how do I, as a fundraiser, learn from the incredible efforts of disaster relief organizations like the American Red Cross? How do I harness that knowledge to raise much-needed funds to meet basic needs and fund important initiatives like Success By 6 and Gheens Bridges to Tomorrow?

In a recent post Joanne Fritz brought up some very good points about how and why mobile giving has been such a successful fundraising/donation tool during this crisis. In particular, I think her point about social media spreading the word and upping the ante with matching donations was right on. But I also think that part of the success has to do with the sense of urgency surrounding the disaster. It’s apparent that the need is there and that it is immediate – the media and disaster relief organizations have been very effective at communicating that need and providing updates on the crisis. This sense of urgency coupled with advances in cell phone technology, social media, and the American Red Cross’ ability to almost immediately implement the campaign resulted in record text-to-give donations in a very short amount of time.

Along the same lines, I think the challenge for us and other non-profits in achieving successful mobile giving results will be in communicating the urgent need for donations. But then again, maybe this obstacle can easily be overcome with a sponsor/corporate donor willing to match donations within a specific period of time. What do you think? Is there a greater obstacle/challenge to running a successful mobile giving campaign? What other ways can we create/communicate the same sense of urgency to potential donors?

I’ve had other thoughts too about how this disaster has brought out generosity in people all over the world and how touched I am by the continued stories of people rescued from the rubble, but I won’t share them all with you today.  Instead, I’d like to hear what thoughts you’ve had about the crisis. Are there any that you struggle with?

*United Way’s Response to the Crisis:

• United Way’s role is to support long-term recovery efforts to rebuild lives and infrastructure devastated by the disaster and to address educational, financial and health-related challenges.
• United Way Worldwide members in the Caribbean region have mobilized their staff, volunteer leaders and resources in response and will act in an advisory role to determine the most pressing long-term recovery needs.
• Examples may include access to health care, rebuilding schools and housing, meeting critical basic needs for shelter, food and clothing.
• The United Way Worldwide Disaster Relief fund is accepting donations to assist communities and people whose lives have been devestated by the earthquake.  You can make a gift online or make a $5 donation by texting HAITI to UNITED (864833).

Giving fundraising, Haiti, mobile giving, text-to-give

Every year we celebrate the successes of the campaign through our many lists - our Top 25 (most dollars raised) and Terrific 25 (most dollars raised per capita) celebrate mostly big businesses, and some smaller ones, too. We also celebrate our Wow Campaigns - those with a 10% increase over last year and new campaigns.

I’d like to use this space, though, to celebrate all the truly small businesses, many of them locally owned and operated, who contribute more modest yet important amounts to our campaign. I recently put out a challenge to local busineses to give $100 and here’s who accepted. Many gave much more than this, but all who gave are appreciated:

Parsons Corporation
Amazing Products, Inc.
OVASCO Industries
W.R. Willett Lumber Company
B-Dry Systems of Louisville, Inc.
Jake’s Natural Lawn Care
LSE Engineering
US Specialties
Cox, Allen & Associates Architects
Bironas, Inc.
Embry Bosse Funeral Home
Twinbrook Nursing Home
Cecil & Cecil
UHL Truck Sales of Kentuckiana
Budget Business SErvice
Ratterman & Sons, Inc.
Old Kentucky Insurance, Inc.
Godsey Associates Architects
Klarer Construction Co., Inc.
Bob’s Deck Refinishing, Inc.
Video Kitchen
Ted McCain Company, Inc.
Spindletop Draperies, Inc.
Trinity Presbyterian Women
Mirror Glaze Distributors, Inc.
The Prudential Parks & Weisberg Realtors
A M Electric Company, Inc.
Hunt Tractor
Sparkle Brite Car Wash
ICCO
Eline Develpment Company
A.I.A. Agency, Inc.
Premium Foil Products Company
Vari-Comp, Inc.
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of KY
A.J. Seibert Company, Inc.
Editorial Services Company
Tamplin & Company
Eyedia
Bilancia

If you are a customer of one of these businesses, please be proud and thank them for their commitment to our community!

Giving Community, Giving, small business, thank you

By David Caldwell

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I always figured that if you really want to make a change in your life you should just do it – don’t wait for a “special” day to make it happen. That changed for me last year.

Since college I’ve been a non-smoker…sort of. I’ve always been that guy who might have a pack of cigarettes in his truck while he tells you he doesn’t smoke. I know how horrible the habit is for your health – I saw the black lung in science class too. I know how addictive the practice is – my dad smoked for 30 plus years. None of that ever stopped me from “kinda” smoking. I justified it to myself because I wasn’t a “real” smoker. I just smoked when I drank, or was really stressed, or it was Tuesday – you know, just a little. I was the familiar stranger in the smokers’ circle.

As the ball drops this year, I’ll be kissing my sweetheart with smoke-free breath, and celebrating 365 days without a cigarette. My goal is a lot more years of the same, but for now I’ll celebrate the first one.

So what are you resolving to do this year? If you haven’t quite decided, let me make a suggestion. Make a resolution to make a difference in the life of a child.

You could donate some books to the child care center down the street. You could volunteer to teach an art activity at your child’s school. You could find a way to be a role model for the kids across town and across the street that need a few more caring adults in their lives. You could write a check to your favorite child focused agency. You could call your legislator and tell them to make children more of a priority when they make decisions.

Think about all you’ll have to celebrate after a year of working to improve the life of a child. If you want to give, advocate, or volunteer, you can visit our website. If you want a few more ideas or some help in making your resolution a reality, let me know. Have a wonderful holiday, and ring in the New Year in a meaningful way!

Photo Credit: maxxtraffic

Advocacy, Giving, Volunteering Children, Live United, making a difference, opportunity, Volunteer

To volunteer is to freely give of your time to others, a pretty obvious concept to grasp. I find it hard to come up with an example of when that statement isn’t, at least in part, true. Even if you are volunteering because you “have-to” or if you are volunteering because you think it looks good on your resume, you can’t avoid the fact that you are sharing (for free!) your time and your talent.

Of course, most of the people I come in contact with in my role as the Volunteer Engagement Center director don’t fall into the categories of “have-tos” or “resume-builders”. The volunteers I know give of their time and talent for more reasons than I can account for in this very short blog. Some of the reasons why they are called to volunteer are related to their passion, gratefulness, good feelings they get when they are helping, and their desire to be a part of positive change. 

Hurray for them, I say. Bravo!  However, I have one beef with these benevolent beings, these angels among us: they don’t like to brag about themselves or take credit for the work they do…ever.

Oh, I can understand, it can be hard to talk about yourself, and your friends might get really annoyed when you go on and on about how wonderful you are, but you have got to get OVER it.  Saying things like: “I don’t do it for the notoriety or the attention” or “I don’t want a special acknowledgement for my efforts” are understandably noble postures, and are much more preferable to saying “I am so awesome, they ought to erect a statue in my honor”. You get the point.

All I am saying is, if you don’t brag a little or share a story or two about the time you provide as a volunteer, how are you going convince non-volunteers to volunteer? Telling stories about your volunteering can be compelling, and down right entertaining. It may be just the right motivation someone needs to get out there and start volunteering on their own.

Next time, I will be sharing some FlipVideo footage of some volunteer stories. In the meantime, here is a link to some great volunteer stories: http://www.networkforgood.org/volunteer/volunteerstories.aspx

Advocacy, General, Giving, Volunteering recruitment, stories

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

I will admit that I love how Hank can bellow….Are you ready for some FOOTBALL? And, I am. I am ready and excited about the hiring of Coach Charlie Strong for the University of Louisville so I will attribute this seemingly football inspired United Way blog to this fact. The recent press conference introducing the new Coach won me over when he shared his heart and emotion over the joy of attaining his career dream of a head coaching position and the opportunity to lead a program. It was so easy to feel his sincerity when he spoke and now it will be even easier to pull for his success both on the field and in the community.

It continues to be an exciting time of year in NFL football also as the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals continue to rack up the W’s. While these two teams are perhaps the closest we have in our region to a home NFL team, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Colts fan or on the “Who-Dey” train right now, the NFL is deserving of recognition for the longstanding partnership and support of the United Way movement. Did you know that for 35 years, thispartnership has been a shining example of the tangible good that can be leveraged into a powerful vehicle for real change in people’s lives and the community?  Check out how the NFL LIVES UNITED and see if you can find one of your team’s favorite players too!

Yes, Tis the season for football and also for giving thanks and sharing. The words THANK YOU are two of the most powerful words you can speak, share and that you can hear. Thank you for helping make our community a better place to live and work.  If you gave in your campaign at work for United Way, thank you for caring and sharing to help change the lives of those who pass by you every day. The change we strive to create at Metro United Way doesn’t happen without you. Don’t just take my word for it….take a quick look at our recent field trip. It was a LIVE UNITED thank you tour. Check it out and you will see how we surprised a few loyal donors while they were working. I think you can imagine their surprise and you can also see the strong feelings created with an in-person and heartfelt thank you.

Advocacy, Events, General, Giving, Volunteering Charlie Strong, Common good, community change, Football, Live United, Louisville, NFL, passion, thank you, United Way

So, I hesitate to write this appeal just after Kerri has explained how not to go into debt this year….but if you’re still looking for unique and ridiculously nice gifts at a great price (and from a local retailer!), come out on Sunday, December 12th to both Louisville area Two Chicks & Co locations:

- 409 Spring Street in Jeffersonville - right next to Come Back Inn

- 12121 Shelbyville Road in Middletown

They’ll donate 15% of purchases that day to Metro United Way. Go ahead, buy yourself something nice, too!

Events, Giving Giving, local partnership, shop for a cause

By Howard Mason

The LIVE UNITED Social Innovation prize, presented by Ernst & Young, was designed for change makers in Kentuckiana who are prepared to put their ideas into action. The winners were picked by the public making credit card contributions to the eight finalists. Contributions were accepted through November 10, 2009.

Here are the finalists and their totals:

The competition closed at 9:00 a.m., November 10, 15 hours earlier than expected, due to an issue with the web donation technology.  Because the totals of the innovators in fourth and fifth place were virtually the same and it is not known what amounts would have been donated in the last 15 hours, fourth place was determined to be a tie and the award split among the two.

And the winners are…

The prize recipients and the amounts awarded will be:

1^st Place         $10,000 Grand Prize — Breaking New Grounds

2^nd Place        $5,000 Prize — Weber Gallery

3^rd Place         $5,000 Prize — Steward’s Staff

4^th Place         $5,000 Prize — Tie

• $2,500 Prize — Americana Family Literacy for Immigrants
• $2,500 Prize — Muscle Mover Clinic

Next steps:

December - Convene winners and finalists to launch learning community. Assess needs for support, learning, incubation.

January through June - Conduct monthly meetings of learning community with mentoring/education activities selected by participants.

Read about the finalists and their innovations at liveunitedyall.org/innovation

Education, General, Giving, Income Social Entrepreneur, Social Innovation, Social Innovation Prize

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

You may modify the recipe ingredients and feel free to substitute based on your desired results and the number of people you would like serve…

1 gallon of inspiration

2 cups of determination

2 cups of confidence

1 1/3 cup creativity

1 ¾ cup of gratitude

1 ½ cup of stick-to-it-iveness

1 ounce of prevention

Smidgeon of luck

Dash of all-spice

Pinch of encouragement

Mix

Stir

Shake

Knead

Whip

Allow the mixed ingredients a brief time to stew and simmer, check on your consistency and then bake–check midway through to make sure the result is looking good.

Share with your neighbors and celebrate!

What ingredients help you to be successful in your life? Work? Are they much the same or different?

General, Giving, Volunteering Community, Metro United Way, motivation, success