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  1. Working Together For More Good!!

    September 8, 2011 by smal4533

    Strategic Alliance Building Increases the Good!

     

    A recent posting at Nonprofit Quarterly got me all excited! It is about nonprofit groups inWisconsincoming together to share resources.  Kristin Barrali reports:

     

     “In Madison, Community Shares of Wisconsin will open a new collaborative effort, the Center for Change Project, where nonprofits will not only share office space but will also ultimately share other back office services as well. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that six organizations comprise the initial group: the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation, BadgerStat, Community Shares of Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Women’s Network and the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association.

    The Center for Change Project also plans to connect with local businesses. Community Shares director Crystel Anders told the State Journal that the project “goes beyond just sharing a space. It’s about eventually sharing staff and providing professional resources for nonprofits.” Groups will share printers and other equipment but eventually the goal is for them to share staff and volunteers as well.”

    There is much talk about how this is the future for many nonprofits and can assist in creating sustainability.  Another group in Milwaukee has done the same for environmental causes called the Milwaukee Environmental Consortium which is comprised of over twenty organizations.

     

    The cost savings benefits are obvious but I really enjoy thinking about the positive psychological impact this has for building and sustaining momentum and motivation towards doing ongoing good.  It’s usually easier when people help one another versus trying to go it alone.  Our group is very appreciative of the chance to work as a Network Partner  with Best Friends Animal Society and would love the chance to collaborate on a local level with other groups as well.

    Congrats to these great groups! If you know of any other such projects please let me know- I would love to learn more about them!

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  2. Practical Ethics

    September 5, 2011 by smal4533

     

    Why Ethics?

     

    Obviously, ethics are important for a nonprofit or small organization.  Ethics will help guard your tax-exempt status, good standing, and keep you focused on your mission. From an ethics standpoint, nonprofits are often the vehicle of choice for delivery of a specific service because they are deemed more trustworthy (Hansmann, 1980). We can say we are ethical and create a code of conduct for everyone to sign but how do we really build it into our organizations?

    With increased trust, comes increased responsibility to the public and the population a nonprofit serves.  Strickland & Vaughn (2008) suggest that organizational culture is one of the most important factors influencing the ethics of a nonprofit. They propose a multi-level approach to creating a culture of ethics similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, with the goal of becoming a self-actualized organization.   What is your organization culture?  What can you do to build strong ethics into your organization so that it, basically according to Stickland and Vaughn, becomes part of the psychological and/or physiological needs of your organization?

    In light of recent nonprofit scandals, Rhodes and Packel wrote a great article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review about identifying the causes of unethical behavior and identified four causes of unethical behavior.  Increasing our understanding of underlying causes can help us prevent unethical behavior before it starts.

      • Moral awareness: recognition that a situation raises ethical issues
      • Moral decision making: determining what course of action is ethically sound
      • Moral intent: identifying which values should take priority in the decision
      • Moral action: following through on ethical decisions.

     

    So, if you are thinking of creating your own nonprofit or organization consider building these essential components into your business plan: one based on financial competence, accountability, reciprocity, respect, and integrity.  Caution is also needed in the way smaller social movement organizations present their message to the public; they are encouraged to follow the principles of truth, equity, social responsibility, and authenticity (Freeman, 2009). This is especially difficult for animal welfare organizations as their message may involve targeting populationsthat have been deemed abusive or neglectful towards animals.

     As part of your business plan you need a code of ethics that is applicable to your organization.  You will want to give consideration to ethics in many areas such as fundraising, accounting, marketing, and personnel management. Also, having documented training for staff, directors, board members, and volunteers very valuable.  Create your whistleblower and document destruction policies.  Help everyone understand how to deal with grey areas- make sure no one accepts gifts, etc. that could give the appearance of impropriety.  Know the laws and do not think you can get around them if you do not adhere to them in some way.  If you are following the 65/35 Wise Giving Guidelines that means 65% of what you bring in must go towards your mission.  Only 35% can go to fundraising and everything else.  Do this and stick to it!  To get more ideas about how to build ethics into your organization here are some helpful links:

    Center for Nonprofit Managment

    The National Council of Nonprofits

    Wise Giving Guidelines

    National Nonprofit Ethics Survey

    Florida Atlantic University Nonprofit Resource Center

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    Category Small Talk | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

  3. Good Books: The Better World Handbook

    September 1, 2011 by smal4533

     

     

    The Better World Handbook (Second Edition)

    Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, Brett Johnson 

    What?  You don’t have this book? The thinking behind The Better World Handbook is exactly what the masses of the world needs.  The taglines of the book are, “You don’t have to be an activist to make a difference in the world” and “Small changes that make a big difference”- what could be more appealing than that?

    For people already involved in social change work the book provides an overview of various issues facing our world today and selected resources.  The authors cover everything from shopping, interpersonal relationships, to politics and beyond.  It’s a great starter book to help people identify what issues might appeal to them and motivate them to the greater good.  Many people have just not yet identified what they feel passionate enough about to do more good.  They may not realize that there are ways to do more good in every aspect of life and this book is a great gift for those people! From their website they wrote this book as, “the definitive guide for the average person wanting to make a positive difference in the world. Our book is specifically designed for well-intentioned people who may be too busy to be actively involved in social change organizations.”

    I especially enjoyed the media (the authors explain the hazards of mental junk food) and politics sections of the book.  The Money in Politics section was “in your face” and honest. Deep Democracy?  Who talks about that?  It’s in there!  There are also other tips as to how to develop your own voting plan or how to contact your representatives.  It is accessible reading and should appeal to most readers interested in doing more.

    Of course, and this is strictly a personal issue, I feel the book does not share enough information on animal welfare or animal rights (and these two things are different by the way).  They list only a few organizations and do not convey how supporting animal welfare and animal rights leads to a better world in terms of: compassion, environmental pollution, community, shopping, social justice, and is totally left out of their comprehensive peace section. This topic is relegated to a pretty small portion of the book- only around 10 brief mentions between animal welfare and species extinction that I could identify; surprising since animal welfare actually impacts just about everything else in the book from shopping to spirituality. They also highlight PETA as an “Amazing Organization” and as a bully breed supporter and no-kill advocate, PETA would not be my first choice.

    I also think the tagline, “You don’t have to be an activist to make a difference in the world” is a little sad. I think being an activist is a good thing and this is just a reminder that many people do not think so. 

    That said, the book offers a great overview of ways people can think about doing good in different aspects of their lives.  I applaud the authors for what they have done with this book and wish to see more like it.  If you know of any- please send them my way at: lmenck@animalcareforartists.org.

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  4. Animal Welfare Education and Creating Compassionate Children

    August 29, 2011 by smal4533

    It’s never too early to start teaching compassion!

     

    Recently, I was visiting family and we made a trip to Kohler, Wisconsin.  We stopped in at the Movers and Shakers toy store and I was elated to come across this display:

    Big thanks to the shop for devoting a section of the store towards building healthy relationships between children and animals.  Humane education is an area that seems to be gaining more ground these days whether it come from an animal welfare standpoint or the numerous studies that have shown violent behavior towards animals as a child is linked with adult violence towards humans.   

    Of course, the books at Movers and Shakers did not touch on that issue directly but rather the practical issues like wanting a dog (which one to get) or the importance of walking a dog.  The lessons a child could take away from these has got to be substantial: responsible ownership and compassion to name just a couple.  Since many families will choose to bring a pet into their home what a wonderful step towards making sure the children (and parents) will do what they can to make it a healthy environment for everyone involved.  

    We have a great opportunity to all be humane educators to the children around us and teaching compassion can extend not just to animals but also to the environment or other humans.  Resources are plentiful- below is a brief listing out of the many I found online. If you are teacher, child-care provider, parent, guardian, or know a family that is considering adopting a new family member please consider sharing these resources with them!  

    Best Friends Animal Society 

    Unchain Your Dog

    Humane Society

    Thinking Outside the Cage

    Volunteer Guide

    This was also an interesting find about a public art initiative helping to educate about the link between animal and child welfare and domestic violence.  I love it when artists use their art for the greater good.

    Okey’s Promise

    I might also add that if you are getting a gift for a child (or someone in touch with their inner-child) there are many great books out there!

     

    Image courtesy of Rob Kelly

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    Category Small Talk | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

  5. Some Pickles for Homeless Pets…

    August 25, 2011 by smal4533

     What do pickles have to do with homeless pets?

     

    Last week, my friend contacted me about our Strut Your Mutt fundraising  for Best Friends Animal Society and Animal Care for Artists and was saddened that it is a little slower than last year.  Due to the recession and many people we know who are out of work many nonprofit groups are noticing a decline.

    However, we have raised a little and it is something to be thankful for.  I told her that I had to remember my “jar of pickles” and know that even the smallest efforts can mean the world to someone (or in this case an animal in need).

    What do pickles have to do with this?  Well, as a kid my parents were among that huge wave of divorces that hit in the 1970’s.  At around eight years old, my mother was suddenly a single mom who had never even obtained her high school degree.  The two year custody battle and divorce had sapped my parents of whatever resources they had.  On top of the lack of education, my mother also struggled with manic-depression and life was just very difficult for her.  Although we were fortunate that my dad never missed child-support payments it was not always enough and food was an issue.  We were able to supplement with food stamps or church donations for awhile and that was helpful.  I recall my mother picking me up from school one day when I was around 13 and her crying that she did not have anything to feed me when we got home.  My heart breaks for all of the parents out there who have to tell that to their child.

    When things started to improve, one of the highlights was when my dad would come to visit and instead of a trip to the toy store or the mall I asked for my gifts to be a trip to the grocery store.  He would take me and let me buy all of those things that we could not normally get- this included things like fancy cereal or the big treat: pickles and olives!!  We would get home and eat a whole jar for dinner!  Oh the decadent joy!!!

    Today, life is better but those times stick in your head.  Those times remind me to be grateful for all of the “little things” that make a difference.  No matter what we raise with our fundraiser this year- even if it is as small as a “jar of pickles” – it will make a difference and could mean helping keep an animal with their owner, a vet visit, or a spay/neuter procedure.  All good is good.

    This is a letter we received in 2010 after we gave an artist just enough to cover a vet visit; just enough for a vet visit and some antibiotics and this is the difference it made:

    Dear Laura,

    I just wanted to thank you formally for your organizations financial assistance with my cat, Sophia’s, recent veterinary care.  It’s been a very difficult time for me lately due to a major slump in available work in the motion picture special effects industry.  I’ve been barely scraping by on unemployment benefits for some time now, and when my pet fell ill, I was faced with the very difficult but very urgent decision between paying my rent or paying the vet to fix my cat.  What a horrible position to be in, to be actually considering letting nature “run its course.”  It makes me shudder just thinking about it.  But, thanks to The Animal Care for Artists Initiative, I didn’t have to decide between sacrificing my welfare or my pet’s.  Your payment of Sophia’s vet bill llowed me to pay my bills while still giving her the medical treatment she needed.  Sophia is doing very well now, and so am I.

    Thanks again A.C.A.I.

    (name on file)

    It doesn’t take much to help people. After the discussion with my friend I came into work to receive a wonderful gift of pickles and olives and had this for dinner:

    It may seem like a little thing but it meant the world to me.

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