Pepsi Refresh Project Final Report

58 that is the number we ended at. My understanding is that if we had reached 30 we would have been asked to participate again. Instead we have to resubmit our request.

The over all experience was pretty positive. We can now see the value of twitter, facebook, blogging and linkedin. It was hard to tell how many votes we received using social media but I am sure that what we did get helped us to increase our ranking.

The one really nice thing about the Pepsi Refresh Project are the comments at the bottom of every entrants page. Different organizations were helping each other vote and there were many comments about our program. All good and encouraging. Our You Tube video reached almost 500 hits.

There was a little work involved and the voting process is definitely confusing but all well worth the effort, even if we didn't get the 250K.

IDEAL DONORS

Ideal donors are: passionate, motivated by the mission, successful in spite of the odds, compassionate and know they make a difference.

What is your Special Event Committee Doing for your NPO?

If it is picking out the decorations and choosing the menu you are in trouble. That kind of decision making needs a decision maker. The coordinator of the event can choose a fish, meat and chicken. Done
What your committee should be working on is sponsorships, auction items, and guests. Choose your committee among the most influential people you know. Ask them to pull more people in to then attract more people. First send out the sponsorship requests. Tie in the sponsorship to tables. For example a $1,000 sponsorship will include a table of eight.
Auction items will be the secondary ask. Once you have a decent amount of items, consider the guest list. Do you have the caliber of people that will spend some money on your items.
I once went to an auction that only had two people bidding on items. Most of the guests were not the big wigs of the company. they were there as guests of the company. Too bad because when all was said and done the host could have gave a donation and skipped the party.
Remember a special event committee is there to make the connections that you do not have. Use the event to introduce your NPO to a community of new faces.

Pepsi Refresh Project Update

Well we have just 8 days left and everyone is coming alive. I have helped more people register to vote in the last three days than in the last month. Devereux Pocono is ranked 87th. Remember we we trying to get to 1 or 2.

Four months ago when I submitted our grant request is all seemed so simple. I work for a parent company that has 6000 employees. I sent over 2000 emails with the help of our local chamber. I went through my email list at work and home. Anytime someone sent me a "junk" email I sent them a request to vote email back. And all their friends got the same request.

I used Facebook, linkedin, twitter and this blog to get the word out. The race is not over and we are at a respectful 87, but darn it I want to be number 2.

We are trying to expand our School to Community Transition program for folks with Autism and Developmental Disabilities. I am getting beat by a school that wants to build a wight room! well that just goes to show you that this contest is about reaching as many people as possible. You have to send out a lot of emails before you get a few votes.

Now that we are on the last half of the contest I can see the staff rallying together to vote and cheer us to the top. It is nice to feel like your co-workers are right there with you in this race. We have many wonderful comments about our center and I hope just the right person reads the information or watches the You Tube video and feels the compassion to give. Even if we don't get the $250,000 we still are winners.

Submitting Grant Requests Online

More and more foundations are accepting grant submissions on line.  Some will only accept requests from their website.  Everything must be submitted through their link.  Don’t let this stop you from submitting a request.

First read all the guidelines.  Be sure that your organization is a fit with the funders’ priorities.  Many foundations have a quick pretest of 5 or 6 questions.  If you pass then you are asked to register.

Once you register you are usually sent to the application.  I fill in the usual, contact info, mission statement etc.  Then I print out the application.  It is a good idea to answer all the questions in word and cut and paste them in all at once. 

Sometimes there are time limits on completing the application.  Remember to click the save button as you fill in the questions.  Many times you will be asked for resumes, 501 (c) 3 letters, budgets, etc.  Sometimes the funders request these documents in pdf form.

Print out the application before you submit it.  That way you have a copy of what you sent in.  Every funder is a little different but once you submit an online application you may find they are much easier and less time consuming to complete.

Timline for Special Events

Special Events take an enormous amount of man power.  Many times the volunteer staff changes after a few years.  That is why I recommend using a time line. The time line can be as detailed as you like.  It can also be altered during and after an event.  Details can be included so even the most minor part of the event is not forgotten.  Open this link to see a sample time line that you can use as a starting point for your next successful event.

Looking for Volunteers?

You are about to begin a major gifts campaign.  Where do you look for volunteers?

Try looking in Annual Reports, Business and Foundation Directories, Country Club Members, Steering Committees,  Boards of other non-profits or businesses, service clubs, Banks, Honor Societies, etc.  The names you see will help you to identify community minded individuals.  You ae looking for someone already connected with your organization.

Remember to recruit downward.  Your most influential person should be your campaign chair.  The chairperson can then look to his/her circle of influence to assist in filling the top of the committee levels.

Pepsi Refrsh Project Update

Today I stopped by a couple of buildings where we have day programs.  I brought a 12 pack of Pepsi and offered everyone a Pepsi that let me help them register.  I also showed them how to sign in tomorrow.  I hope it helped.  I probably registered a dozen folks.  We are now at 103.  Quite a jump from 279 where we started 15 days ago.  I think it is time to send out another round of emails to my personal friends. Do I have any left?  I have been grabbing people off the street to vote.  And we still only dropped a few places.  this is a little tougher than I thought it would be.  Butnot ready to give up yet.  The excitement at the office is catching on and we are getting some wonderful comments about our center. http://www.refresheverything.com/schooltocommunitytransition    Keep voting!!!!

Thanking Your Volunteers

Thought you might enjoy some ideas I found on Amazon.  These are inexpensive gifts that you can give a special volunteer.  The first item is from the Willow Tree Collection.  I really like this next idea.  It is a desk caddy gift basket.  The next one I found is a Scented Candle with a note of thanks.  Both the Willow Tree and Art of Appreciation companies have several variations to choose from,

The Power of Words

In the fund raising field there is a lot of writing.  Case statements, visions, appeals . . . the list goes on and on.  Below is a list of action words that I thought you might be able to use.


Achieve, Accelerate, Acquire, Address, Administer, Advocate, Aid, Allocate, Assist, Attained, Built, Care, Collaborate. Collect, Comfort, Consult, Contribute, Coordinate,Deliver, Demonstrate, Develop, Diagnose, Document, Eliminate, Enable, Enforce, Enhance, Ensure, Establish, Exceed, Expand, Facilitate, Formulate, Foster, Gain, Gave, Generate, Guide, Help, Illustrate, Implement, Improve, Increase, Influence, Illustrate, Initiate, Interpret, Introduce, Launch, Led, Listen, Manage, Master, Maximize, Minimize, Negotiate, Observe, Offer, Organize, Overcame, Oversee, Partnere, Persuade, Plan, Prepare, Prioritize, Produce, Project, Propose, Raise, Receive, Reduce, Response, Shape, streamline, Succeed, Surpass, Target, Test, Train, Validate, Visualize, Won.

Pepsi Refresh Project

Well with only 19 days left we are holding our own at 115. I know we have a long way to go but we didn't drop back on Friday afternoon so that means at least some of the people that received my email are voting over the weekend. I have faith we can still win this thing. One of the hardest parts is not knowing how many more votes we need to catch up to the number one or two spot.
I encourage everyone viewing this blog to click the link at the top of the page and vote for Devereux You must log in and then vote. A little tricky but a nice way to contribute without spending a dime.

EMarketing, Using Your Website as a Marketing Tool

This is the name of a Business for Breakfast session hosted by the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce on June 8th. Jason Trump of JT Design was the presenter.

I liked this session for two reasons.
1. I knew what he was talking about. Some things I am already doing and other tips I could use to enhance my own blog and the social media I use for the non-profit I work for.
2. I got it! Many people in the room looked lost from the start but I could follow as Jason made practical suggestions.

A few useful tidbits I learned were that it takes 6 to 9 months to get a blog off the ground. Blog newbies need to keep blogging. Writing consistently helps to get you on Google’s radar.

Organic promoting of your blog also means free. Those free promotional offers that Google sent me in the mail were valuable and I should not throw the next one away. Instead I will use it to promote my blog.

Do you have to contact your webmaster to make changes on your website? Maybe there are more changes or corrections after the post. Is this all costing you time and money? That is why more businesses are adding a blog page to their website. Information can be quickly and easily added and it is so easy you can do it your self.

The best part of the social media world is that if you look on the internet many people will gladly help you with your questions. Allow me to recommend Jason’s Blog for more social media tips. http://www.jtdesigns.com/jtblog/

Pepsi Refresh Project

Just a quick update to tell everyone that on day 8 we have made it to 149. Still moving toward number one. I didn't send a reminder email out and the votes seem to have slowed down. Not to fear I will have a new email waiting for all Devereux employees in the morning. Hopefully everyone will see the importance of their vote. and get on the bandwagon.
You can also help by voting using the link at the top of this blog. The funds will help Devereux to expand its School to Work Transition program for folks with Autism and developmental disabilities.

Pepsi Refresh Project

Sorry no posts for a few days. I have been busy with this Pepsi Refresh Project. This is a wonderful idea for Pepsi. They get millions of people talking about them and they give lots of money away so that is good for the community.
Here is how it works. NPO's, businesses and just anyone with an idea creates a proposal online. You can add photos and videos. Once that is complete you wait til the last day of the month. At midnight you submit your request. Pepsi chooses over one thousand entries in four dollar amounts, $5,000, $25,000, #50,000, and $250,000.
There are categories such as education, neighborhood, etc.
It took me three months to get picked to compete. I was so excited about this opportunity, I work for a national organization with over 7,000 employees. This should be a piece of cake.
If only it was. . . After just 5 days this project has taken its toll. Here are some of the things I learned.
1. Just because I send an email requesting that the recipient votes doesn't mean people are going to jump on the bandwagon and vote.
2. You have to get a momentum going at the start and keep it going through out the month.
3. This is all about social media. You should have your face book, blog, website ready to go and filled with members.
4. There is a lot of competition out there.
5. Even with 7,000 emails we jumped from 219 to 171 in the rankings. Sounds wonderful but will not be enough to win.

I will let you know how we progress as the month goes on. . .