Valerie
Opinion 
Fundraisers have long supported budget shortfalls for not-for-profits. These popular events rode along side a wave of economic prosperity when it seemed people - of every socioeconomic class - were happy to write checks to help out a good cause. Suddenly, the silent auction was everywhere, and we were enjoying parties and fellowship with likeminded souls as we loaded up on autographed Peyton Manning jerseys and baskets filled with items we would have most likely never purchased for ourselves.
But then the economy tanked and local governments began to get stingy with their budgets. Unfortunately, our fundraisers met the same fate. I mean, who really wants to party when you feel poor and a family member is out of work? Today, people aren't supporting causes, they are supporting family members and this has really had an impact on non-profits everywhere. Add in the decline of government supports and what you have is a huge loss of resources for the disability community at large.
I have told more than one person, I think we might do better by simply putting a bucket in the middle of the room for donations and skipping the rest of the hoopla. We can most likely all agree that for the time being, we need to find another revenue source for our community. For those of you finding great success with your fundraising efforts, you are welcome to move on to something else, but for the majority of us out there, here are some neat trends and ideas that show fundraising promise:
Aspire, a Developmental Disabilities agency out of Chicago, has taken full advantage of this new concept by partnering with a national company to raise money for their organization. They have formed a strategic alliance with Metropolis Coffee Company, one of the nation's top artisan coffee roasters, and formed a company called Aspire CoffeeWorks. Take a look, and while you are there order a few pounds of coffee - it's good. Adults with special needs (to whom Aspire provides services to) work at their coffee company. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to these very programs which benefit the people who look to Aspire for services. Today, you can find their coffee plastered all over shelves in Chicago.
I don't know if Aspire pays their employees, but I also don't want to get caught up in the semantics of unpopular ideas of the past. If all the money goes back to them in the form of services, and they would be watching television in the front lobby if it didn't exist, is it a matter of accounting or morality? Right now, I can't make that call. But what I want to bring to the forefront is that this idea holds great promise for our community and every disability agency out there should start figuring out if this same kind of relationship would benefit their organization too.
Family
More and more family members are influencing business decisions which promote services, products or jobs for our loved ones. These supportive family members continue to find ways to take advantage of technological advances to meet the needs of our community and guide our businesses in knowing what is safe to do and what is not. (A common complaint we hear.)
I have written about Walgreen's and Apple and how they are engaging our market segment and providing great products and jobs to the very people the business community has ignored up to this point. And guess what? They are making money doing it. But it took someone in the ranks to take the leap of faith and run with it. In the case of Walgreens, it was a Senior Vice President who had a son with autism. The reality of the future for his son sprung this man into action. Thankfully, it will now be easier for other businesses to follow suit.
Are you or someone in your family able to influence a large employer on how to meet the employment needs of people with disabilities? Perhaps provide a better product at a better price to our market segment? I am currently working hard on my own husband to find ways to make a conscious effort to employ people through thoughtful design within his company.
My own word really of what I see happening among the families I follow. I am beginning to see our community morph into the rest of society. I understand fully that it was those before us who made this all possible. But we have come a long way, and I have always said, "You can't be equal if you always have to be special." Which means, continually relying on outside supports, passing laws which sound good but hinder employment, and lamenting about how hard our lives are, does not help our cause, which I hope some day won't even be a cause.
We need to morph into the rest of the world and put ourselves out of business. I believe this is already happening. Outside support services are determined on worse case scenarios, so let us be willing to walk away from what we truly do not need and find alternatives for our loved ones. Taking this approach promotes creativity, helps us find new opportunities and brings society closer to those we love.
What can you do on a personal level to move the disability community to the next level?
Special Needs Funding: Time To Try Something Different
Fundraisers have long supported budget shortfalls for not-for-profits. These popular events rode along side a wave of economic prosperity when it seemed people - of every socioeconomic class - were happy to write checks to help out a good cause. Suddenly, the silent auction was everywhere, and we were enjoying parties and fellowship with likeminded souls as we loaded up on autographed Peyton Manning jerseys and baskets filled with items we would have most likely never purchased for ourselves.
But then the economy tanked and local governments began to get stingy with their budgets. Unfortunately, our fundraisers met the same fate. I mean, who really wants to party when you feel poor and a family member is out of work? Today, people aren't supporting causes, they are supporting family members and this has really had an impact on non-profits everywhere. Add in the decline of government supports and what you have is a huge loss of resources for the disability community at large.
I have told more than one person, I think we might do better by simply putting a bucket in the middle of the room for donations and skipping the rest of the hoopla. We can most likely all agree that for the time being, we need to find another revenue source for our community. For those of you finding great success with your fundraising efforts, you are welcome to move on to something else, but for the majority of us out there, here are some neat trends and ideas that show fundraising promise:
Social Enterprise Partnerships
Aspire, a Developmental Disabilities agency out of Chicago, has taken full advantage of this new concept by partnering with a national company to raise money for their organization. They have formed a strategic alliance with Metropolis Coffee Company, one of the nation's top artisan coffee roasters, and formed a company called Aspire CoffeeWorks. Take a look, and while you are there order a few pounds of coffee - it's good. Adults with special needs (to whom Aspire provides services to) work at their coffee company. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to these very programs which benefit the people who look to Aspire for services. Today, you can find their coffee plastered all over shelves in Chicago.
I don't know if Aspire pays their employees, but I also don't want to get caught up in the semantics of unpopular ideas of the past. If all the money goes back to them in the form of services, and they would be watching television in the front lobby if it didn't exist, is it a matter of accounting or morality? Right now, I can't make that call. But what I want to bring to the forefront is that this idea holds great promise for our community and every disability agency out there should start figuring out if this same kind of relationship would benefit their organization too.
Family
More and more family members are influencing business decisions which promote services, products or jobs for our loved ones. These supportive family members continue to find ways to take advantage of technological advances to meet the needs of our community and guide our businesses in knowing what is safe to do and what is not. (A common complaint we hear.)
I have written about Walgreen's and Apple and how they are engaging our market segment and providing great products and jobs to the very people the business community has ignored up to this point. And guess what? They are making money doing it. But it took someone in the ranks to take the leap of faith and run with it. In the case of Walgreens, it was a Senior Vice President who had a son with autism. The reality of the future for his son sprung this man into action. Thankfully, it will now be easier for other businesses to follow suit.
Are you or someone in your family able to influence a large employer on how to meet the employment needs of people with disabilities? Perhaps provide a better product at a better price to our market segment? I am currently working hard on my own husband to find ways to make a conscious effort to employ people through thoughtful design within his company.
Morphing
My own word really of what I see happening among the families I follow. I am beginning to see our community morph into the rest of society. I understand fully that it was those before us who made this all possible. But we have come a long way, and I have always said, "You can't be equal if you always have to be special." Which means, continually relying on outside supports, passing laws which sound good but hinder employment, and lamenting about how hard our lives are, does not help our cause, which I hope some day won't even be a cause.
We need to morph into the rest of the world and put ourselves out of business. I believe this is already happening. Outside support services are determined on worse case scenarios, so let us be willing to walk away from what we truly do not need and find alternatives for our loved ones. Taking this approach promotes creativity, helps us find new opportunities and brings society closer to those we love.
What can you do on a personal level to move the disability community to the next level?
