Dos Semanas…

By quisoljs | Published: February 17, 2013

I feel like I’ve learned all that I can so far and that the only way for it all to come together is for us to finally go. It’s been nothing short of an educational journey learning about LAMB, Honduras, and the ASB movement and I truly believe that all that I’ve learned and experienced this far has prepared me for our trip while providing a rich experience.

I think our time in class and in meetings with the other ASB participants has laid the groundwork for a sustainable commitment to service and our social issue for all of us and that when we go to Honduras, we’ll return with a new sense of motivation, driving us to continue our work in Honduras in a local context.

I still feel like we don’t know exactly what we’ll do when we get to Honduras, but I’m confident that we’ll apply our knowledge as best as we can. If anything, we’ll continue to develop a long-term relationship with the LAMB Institue and the Alonzo Movement particularly which will strengthen the impact of future trips.

I’m excited to go!

 

Posted in Spring 2013, Week 6 | Leave a comment

In Two Weeks Time…

By Olivia Ghiz | Published: February 17, 2013

In two weeks time, we will be en route to Honduras.  It seems like our crash course in Honduran politics and history was just yesterday.  When I really think about it though, those first readings were really the spring board into a long journey we’ve had learning about all things Honduras, LAMB, Alonzo Movement, and Non-Profit.  The amount we’ve been able to cover in a short month and a half has been impressive.  I do feel well-versed in the workings of LAMB and the Alonzo Movement (to the extent of which I think we can), and likewise with the current situation in Honduras.  However, as always, the more we learn about something, the more we realize that there is so much more to learn, and the absences in our understanding are highlighted.   

I think the course has been as comprehensive as possible, tackling a wealth of knowledge and information in such a short span of time.  The background readings we did I think really help to shape the rest of the course.  The information about Central America, and Honduras as complex political units with real policy, governmental, and economic issues intertwine with the issues we see in Tegucigalpa, and those that LAMB tries to combat.  I think the ASB meetings likewise are vital, as they provide us with supplemental reflection time as a group that we cannot incorporate into class time.  I think both the course and the ASB meetings have been essential in group dynamic, as we are now a strong group and I think will be able to help each other during our trip.

I think I feel about as prepared as I’ll ever be.  I think this trip will be new territory for almost all of our members, each of us stepping out of our comfort zone in one way or another.  As uncharted territory, it’s hard to go in with certain expectations, because they’re almost guaranteed to change once we arrive.  However, content-wise, and in terms of working with the Alonzo Movement, I think the class and project especially have infused in us crucial knowledge that will accompany us daily in Honduras.

In terms of gaps in knowledge, I think those will always exist.  Technicalities of the Alonzo Movement are still unclear to me, as I think they are rather unclear in reality.  Questions we keep asking ourselves in class: how do the kids get there? Are there parents that want their kids to participate? What kind of activities are they involved in when it’s not their night at the Alonzo Movement?  How does the community perceive LAMB? I also still wonder about the government in Honduras.   Are there measures being taken to ensure transparency and productivity?  How do they plan on coming out of their economic downturn?  Do they think their policy on gang imprisonment is effective (especially in light of the recent prison fire)?  Are other (better-off) countries in Central and South America offering any type of infrastructural aid?

Of course these are overarching questions, difficult to answer, but I’m looking forward to experiencing the culture first-hand.  Hasta pronto, Honduras.

Posted in Week 6 | Leave a comment

T Minus 14 Days

By nocellakc | Published: February 17, 2013

This coursed has progressed well. We learned about what kind of service is detrimental and how to really take advantage of what is available to you in the community you are helping in order to promote actual long lasting growth. It’s important to help the community learn to help itself. Learning how to efficiently work with donors and create successful fundraisers is another important key to helping a community get started on the path to where it wants to be.
ASB meetings have been explaining the importance and qualities of being an active citizen. Through each meeting we reflect more about how we as servers of the community have and are changing in order to reach the ultimate goal of an active citizen.
I am incredibly excited for the trip to Honduras and have been counting down the days since day one. It will be exciting to use my Spanish in a new context other than in a classroom setting.
My only questions about LAMB are about the Alonzo Movement and what exactly we will be doing during our week there. A week is short amount of time so I am curious as to what exactly we will be able to get done in order to assist LAMB and The Alonzo Movement in the most useful way possible.

Posted in Week 6 | Leave a comment

Two weeks until lift off…

By lovelylr | Published: February 16, 2013

I can’t believe how fast this class has gone by and how much we have accomplished. I feel like having a class along with the ASB meetings has been a great help regarding preparation for going on the trip. In the class we have been able to learn all about the area of Honduras that we are going to and really try to understand what the organization we are working with is trying to accomplish. Without the class I don’t feel like I would be nearly as knowledgable about the organization and all that they have accomplished so far. The meetings have been helpful to reemphasize some of the ideas we have talked about to make sure that we are respecting the people and not trying to take over but instead apply asset based community development and just come in to assist with what we can so there can be mutual learning.

I also think that our preparation with the Skype call and trying to get all of the information we can about what the Alonzo Movement and LAMB have already done has been very important with helping to build a connection. The Skype call helped us discover that they are looking to change their methodologies some with the new partnerships they have developed. This means that they would like to begin incorporating more evaluation into their organization so that they can see the changes they are making and where there may still be room for improvement. This is something that we can continue from when the group went last year because they began evaluating the kids, so we can do that as well as begin to develop a method for evaluating the staff and volunteers.

I still have some questions with how they choose the kids for the organization and everything. We haven’t gotten direct answers for everything but I feel things will be much more evident when I can actually be there and visualize the progress they are making with the kids and what they do with the kids on a day to day basis. However, my biggest concern is whether or not be will be able to make a difference in the small amount of time we are there. Hopefully if nothing else is will enhance the partnership that has begun to develop. I think it would be awesome for the College of Charleston to become more involved with LAMB and the Alonzo Movement in particular because the woman who started it is not only from the College but the kids that are part of AM are there to find new opportunities and one of the goals is to get them through schooling and find more scholarships so that they can attend the trade school or the local university. This would be an excellent project for the College to take on because it would show their international reach to help children in other school attend college as well.

I am so ready to go now though! I know they will appreciate the sports equipment that we are bringing for them and it will be fun to just get to hang out with them and bring a smile to their faces. This is my first time going out of the country so I am obviously very nervous but I am also extremely excited. This is exactly what we have been working towards so we just need to get there and do all that we can with the time we have and hopefully continue some of our fundraising work when we return!

Posted in Week 6 | Leave a comment

Prepared, Excited, Nervous, Sore from Shots.

By flockec | Published: February 15, 2013

Wow! Our trip is a mere two page flips away in my planner or a slight scroll down on my iCalendar. I remember the vague impressions I had of what our work would be or what visiting Honduras (or leaving the country) would feel like, but the more we discuss the multi-faceted aspects of culture and political issues, the more we talk about intentional service to create a sustainable future, and the more we learn about the Alonzo Movement, the more excited (and anxious) I am to leave.

There are many unanswered questions we have about the functioning of the Alonzo Movement. We want to see how the new methodologies from New Horizons, World Justice Mission, and Sports with Values are implemented. We want to gain a greater understanding of what the boys want for their futures from the Alonzo Movement. Most of all, we want to know how we can help.

However, I feel like I understand the mission and vision of LAMB and the Alonzo Movement. Armed with this knowledge, we are empowered and further energized by the outlook of the Active Citizen Continuum we’ve learned at ASB. Right now, we could be considered conscientious citizens: we have deeply studied our organization, its impact, its goals, and have even served with a local organization that echoes the same focus of AM. We know how to actively apply the weeks of class and endless pages of reading to the situation in Honduras.

I am so excited to go. I feel that we as a group have the potential to have a positive impact. There may be some thinking on our feet or haphazardness, but we will have our learning and each other to lean upon.

Posted in Week 6 | Leave a comment

Fundraising Ideas

By boothke | Published: February 11, 2013

LAMB and specifically the Alonzo Movement rely heavily on donations from the United States to meet their financial needs. Having read about the many different methods of fundraising and attempting different methods of our own for our trip, I think there a few key methods that would be best to adopt. The first is keeping past and possible donors up-to-date on the the organization and the goals that it has accomplished. During our Skype conversation I was pleasantly surprised to hear all the progress that they have made this year, but that is just the point: we were surprised. This is especially interesting considering the amount of time we spent poring over the website and all the materials provided to us. If we did not know all of the exciting new developments, potential new donors did not either. I think starting a newsletter or e-mail blast update would be a cheap, effective way to keep people informed, not to mention updating the Facebook page and website. Because LAMB is an organization that obviously focuses on the individuals in Flor, I think a sponsorship campaign might be successful. It would entail finding a sponsor for each of the boys who attends the Alonzo Movement to pay for the expenses associated with the program. Each sponsor would be able to get information on their recipient a few times the year, hopefully contributed to by the recipient himself. This would be a personalized way to get donations and would make donors more connected to the organization (providing a face to associate it with). I also believe that grassroots fundraising would be a good option because it would raise awareness and hopefully bring in many small donations. Of course, grants that would be able to fund large or new parts of the program would also be a great option.

Posted in Spring 2013, Week 4 | Leave a comment

In Order to Write a Successful Proposal…

By Olivia Ghiz | Published: February 10, 2013

Although at first we were unsure as to whether or not LAMB actually wanted our assistance in writing grants and funding proposals, upon our recent Skype conversation with David and Denis, it became clear that we could indeed do them a great service by drafting these kinds of proposals. We must now focus our attention on the grant writing process, and the logistics behind creating an effective proposal.  A lot of the non-profit readings hit upon the same major strategies and topics, but I found the Grassroots Fundraising Journey the most comprehensive and helpful.  Reading this article I was consistently thinking about LAMB and the Alonzo Movement, and how we can fit their needs and values into this kind of format.  However, it became clear to me that we cannot write a proposal without sustained communication with the board at LAMB.  Many of the components involve showcasing what the organization wants donors to see, something we cannot presume.  However, there are still a lot of steps we can take now, and many things we can do to guide LAMB in successful fundraising tactics.

The readings stressed that in order to obtain and sustain funding, it is vital to strategically increase communication with donors.  I think something we can do to help is not only draft grant proposals but begin a system to keep in touch with existing donors.  We should find out how LAMB maintains their relationships with partners, and make sure something effective exists.  For example, some sort of brief periodic newsletter could be a dynamic way to update donors: show them how their money is being used, who is benefitting, and that the organization is grateful.  This could help remind the donors why they should care about the organization, again something the readings stressed as critical.

In order to draft a proposal or an annual report (something I think would be extremely useful but laborious and require more time) there are a few major components we must establish:

  1. Nature of our partners and donors
    1. What do they value? (Values must be in line with those of LAMB)
    2. Are they technology proficient or must we communicate via paper only?
  2. Revealing personal stories
    1.   What are two personal stories or examples that truly show the mission and vision of the organization and exemplify why donor help is important?
  3. Problems and Needs
    1. What are the urgent and/or long term problems that the organization needs the donors to help fix?
    2. Important not just to talk about successes, but why we need donations.
    3. Included in this would be a financial report: what kind of funding presently, what is the financial burden, and consequently what is the need.
  4. Pictures!
  5. Central Idea
    1. What is the single most important idea, value, or need that we want to come across in the proposal? Without this kind of direction it can be easy to get lost in descriptions and overwhelm the reader with information.
  6. Basic outline from Magical World of Grant and Proposal writing
    1. We need money to accomplish ___________________.
    2. We plan to do ____________ because _______________.
    3. It will cost ______________.
    4. In the end, we will have accomplished ____________________.

 

In collaboration with LAMB, I think we can establish these main points, and build the framework for a grant proposal which will hopefully provide the Alonzo Movement and LAMB with the funding they need.

Posted in Week 5 | Leave a comment

Finding Financial Support

By flockec | Published: February 10, 2013

LAMB, like all non-profit organizations, is dependent upon fundraising in order to facilitate the continued operation and expansion of its many programs. In this way, finding and maintaining venues for fundraising are absolutely necessary. LAMB has a history of mainly receiving funds from many private donors from the Charleston area. In fact, 95% of all fundings stems directly from this source. It was not until recently that LAMB has started to receive large grants from bigger organizations.

I see some of the recent developments and relationships budding at LAMB as opportunities to gain statistics and information that will positively represent the future good LAMB could do with financial support. The Alonzo Movement just recently accumulated enough money from private donors to start providing scholarships for 10 of its students for education at a trade school. Each of the scholarships costs $300, and the recipients must provide their own books and uniforms, showing the cooperative and responsible nature of its students. This pilot program could be a great starting point for LAMB. In the surveys taken by the College of Charleston groups last year, the students wished for education as a means of advancing their lives. Educational opportunities are strongly regarded as perfect representations of the forward-thinking measures of successful non-profit organizations, so this would be a strong selling point in terms of receiving grants.

My opinion would be to continue the relationship LAMB has with South Carolina residents in terms of receiving private donations. The flow of money from this region should not be stemmed. However, in addition to these private funds, we could work to start gaining research and statistics about the upcoming scholarships for students at the trade school NOW. By gaining baseline information and then using the students’ success after two years of trade school as case study examples of the good financial support can do, we could compile strong evidential support about why grant agencies should support the scholarship program and the Alonzo Movement in general. Although these first scholarships are funded by private donors, LAMB could support many more students if a grant agency donated a large sum of money. More money equals more students supported, and more support means more instances where the cycle of poverty is broken through the sustainable influence of education.

So, as of right now, I see the beginning and formation of trade school scholarships as a great foundation for our grant writing. We could follow the students’ progress and use their success as solid reasons for continuing the scholarship program on a greater level. We could research companies that align with LAMB’s policies and missions. We’d then be looking for a program with religious beliefs that also values education as a means of changing lives. This could be our mission and our plan.

Also, perhaps LAMB could host a major fundraising event in Charleston. Maybe instead of sending out letters or depending on friends of Suzy McCall in the area, there could be some sort of fundraising banquet or event to raise a lot of money all at once. We could help with the event!

 

Posted in Spring 2013 | Leave a comment

Make it Personal

By quisoljs | Published: February 10, 2013

From what I’ve learned about the Alonzo Movement, the vast majority of funds for the organization come from private donors. I think that this is the result of the founding of the LAMB Institute. LAMB grew out of Suzy McCall’s passion for Honduras which came from a personal connection she made with the place. I think that this personal connection is what fuels so many individuals to donate to the cause, and for that reason, fundraising efforts should be tailored to encourage the individuals to continue donating and possibly sharing the cause with their friends so that it will gain more support.

I think the key to accomplishing this is to make the donors feel personally involved with the organization. One means of doing this is something that Leanna suggested: a newsletter. I think this is a great idea for it will let the donors know the specific ways in which their money benefits the LAMB Institue and the Alonzo Movement. This newsletter could include developments LAMB is making show how the donors are truly making a difference; however, taking into consideration the huge amount of work that goes into LAMB, I feel a quarterly newsletter, would serve better than a monthly newsletter. The newsletters could also include profiles and stories about a few of the children who are beneficiaries of LAMB or the Alonzo Movement. A real testimonial would make an impact on a donor more than any type of quantitative value.

Another way to have donors personally connected to the LAMB institue would be to have events in the Charleston area that the donors could attend. I know that many of the donors are from South Carolina and that the headquarters is located here so it would be a good location for an event like a fundraising banquet. Something like a formal dinner could be organized so to raise money by having a ticket charge that would go to LAMB. At the event, there could be speakers to share the accomplishments of the LAMB Institute and possibly share a second means of fostering a personal connection: service trips.

LAMB could encourage their donors to make trips to serve in Honduras by organizing group trips like the one we’re taking or by directing donors to other groups that make regular trips to Tegucigalpa. Such a trip would definitely create a lasting commitment to the organization among the donors and could serve as a way for LAMB donors to have a very special experience, almost like a gift in return for their donations.

In closing, I think that fostering personal connections between donors/potential donors and the LAMB Institute through regular communication and local events would be a good means of growing funds for the LAMB Institute. This is not to say, however, that I think other options should be discounted. Seeking federal and private grants could provide alternative funds for the LAMB Institute, but taking into account that private donation has been LAMB’s overwhelming strength, it should be utilized to the fullest.

Posted in Spring 2013, Week 5 | Leave a comment

Who, What, When, Where and Why

By nocellakc | Published: February 10, 2013

Writing to a donor or partners in order to get funding for a non-profit project can be a difficult task and often seems overwhelming. Breaking down the who, what, when, where and why of the whole process is critical to organizing a letter that gets the message through to your potential funder in a positive and efficient way.

Who
Do some research about what donors and partners missions and vision best align with your mission and vision. Local organizations are more likely to feel connected with a local project than larger corporations.
Also keep in mind the relationship you have with the donor or partner. Work with the program officer of an organization to perfect the proposal before it’s sent to the board.
Take the Alonzo Movement’s idea to find more funds for scholarships for boys who would like to further their education. The Alonzo Movement may want to research organizations that employ people with degrees in culinary skills. The organization sponsors so many students and depending on the progress and success of the student, they may be promised a job at the organization after graduation.

What
It’s important to be as specific as possible when explaining what your program wants to achieve. You want to ensure the donor or partner that this program is a good investment and will result in a positive outcome and return. You want to inspire your funder! Convince them that this program is a fresh, new idea that is bound to be successful. (With that in mind remember to plan programs thoroughly to make sure they are basically fail proof.)
To prove this to a funder keep in mind Dalya Massachi’s acronym:
F-facts and figures
Include these from previous programs that may resemble this one or use them from your current program if they are available
I-importance of issue
Let the donor know the urgency of the matter!
R-results envisioned
Including these will help the donor align him or herself with the mission and vision of the program or make it clear to them the similarities between your mission and vision and theirs.
S-Statistics
Include measurable outcomes that the donor will be able to see and retest if they would like to continue funding for another segment of the project
T-track record
Offer the donor something of which to trust you on. Offer success stories of past program or the commitment of the staff and all involved in the program to show how serious you are about the project and its success.
The Alonzo Movement may want to offer what other donors and partners have giving scholarships. As well as offer success stories of students who have received scholarships in the past.

When
Creating a timeline can be helpful when laying out the program for the funder. This timeline would track the sequence of events of the actual program as well as the budgets for each part. Mapping out a timeline for the program will help the funder know exactly what is going on in the program and how the money will be used.
The Alonzo Movement may want to include some of the classes a student might take in order to get a certain degree along with possible outside resources that would be useful for the student to take advantage of such as workshops or conferences etc.

Where
Letting the donor know exactly where all the funding will go is an important factor in whether or not they will donate and how much they will donate.
Also let the donor know the demographics of the program. Who will it be benefiting, where it will be benefiting. Giving this information will help make the outcomes and envisioned results clearer to the funder.
The Alonzo Movement would explain that it would like funding for x amount of boys from Flor del Campo neighborhood in order to further their education and ultimately create more opportunity for the boys to secure real jobs and keep the out of gangs as a source of income.

Why
Last but not least you must let the donor why you chose them. It’s important to make your proposal personal. Refer to them by name and include you in the letters. The more personal the proposal sounds the less likely the funder will be to write it off as any old program. Remember the people reading these letters of intent have read hundreds of letters promoting different programs. You want your program to the perfect for them, because of what they do.
The Alonzo Movement would contact business that employ people in the areas where the students are most interested and also promote spreading the word of God. In this way they are supporting the businesses cause as well as furthering their own.

Posted in Week 5 | Leave a comment
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