Fundraising 101

The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) is offering a one-hour webinar entitled Fundraising 101: The Basics You Need To Know! at 2 p.m. Dec. 3.

In Fundraising 101, participants will learn basic fundraising terminology (including definitions for annual, major and planned gifts), how to examine the traditional donor pyramid, look at various fundraising vehicles and touch briefly on the ethics and benchmarks in fundraising.

The presenter, Joy Simpson, serves as Director of Development for The Citadel Foundation; she has been with The Citadel since 1998. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive with experience in all aspects of development, including annual campaigns, capital campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, special events, public relations, and communications. Additionally, Joy is an adjunct faculty member for the University of Charleston’s Master of Public Administration Program, teaching their Fund Raising and Marketing course. She is active with the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and served as chapter President in 2007.

Cost to participate in the webinar is $25 for SCANPO members and $40 for non-members. Join us and save time, money and gas while learning valuable fundraising skills from your desk.

To register or for more information, visit www.scanpo.org or call 803-929-0399.

Bull Riders Coming to Florence Civic Center

The Florence Civic Center and Ken J Productions are proud to announce the Florence debut of several highly respected and world renowned Bull Riders for the PBR Copenhagen Challenger Tour on Nov. 21st and 22nd.

For the first time in history, Florence has taken the next big step in bull riding … the PBR! The Copenhagen Challenger Tour is one of the most exciting bull riding events in the world and stars all the riders and bulls you see and know on television. There are more than 40 riders scheduled for this event.

Visitors Invited to Experience A Storybook Holiday

Historic Columbia Foundation will present A Storybook Holiday, tours of Columbia’s historic house museums and family programs from November 21 - December 31. Visitors can experience the anticipation of traditional holiday celebrations through historic house tours, candlelight tours, family programming, workshops, and carriage rides. During tours, guides will lead visitors throughout the decorated Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion and the Mann-Simons Cottage as they detail the lives of families, social activities and décor from the 19th and early 20th century.

For more information on Historic Columbia Foundation’s holiday events and programs, call 803.252.1770, ext.33 or visit www.HistoricColumbia.org.

NESA Holds Three Day Regional Economic Development Assessment Event

The North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA), an economic development organization encompassing South Carolina’s northeast region, wrapped up its regional assessment event on Wednesday November 5th. The three day event featured a consultant from Silverlode Consulting who offered analysis and advice to counties within the NESA region on becoming more competitive in their responses to Requests for Information for economic development projects.

The event is part of an ongoing NESA initiative aimed at introducing economic development consultants to the region, improving the northeast region’s efforts to bring development to the area and ensuring that those who advise companies regarding location decisions are aware of the incredible opportunities presented by the Pee Dee and Waccamaw regions.

“Through events like this we ensure that the counties in our region consistently receive top-quality advice on the best way to attract new investment,” said Jeff McKay, NESA’s Executive Director.

Overall, Silverlode’s assessment of the NESA region concluded that in terms of site selection the area is very hospitable and boasts a strong infrastructure. The consultants also noted several arenas in which the region could improve and discussed ways to achieve success on those fronts.

“We’ve come a long way in a short while, but there is always room for improvement,” McKay said. “I look forward to working with the counties as they begin to implement the steps we discussed over the past three days.”

Cherry McCoy, Chesterfield County’s Economic Development Director, expressed her intention to incorporate the lessons learned at the event into her county’s operations. “I am confident that by taking what we’ve learned at this event and applying it in Chesterfield County we will continue to improve our economic development efforts,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to participate in a program of this nature for some time and am very grateful to NESA for putting this event together,” McCoy said.

The Silverlode Consulting Corporation provides economic development solutions for public and private sectors throughout North America. The firm offers over five decades of combined experience and has worked extensively with organizations of all sizes and from a variety of industries.

The North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA) is a regional economic development organization that serves a nine-county region in the northeast corner of South Carolina. NESA’s primary objective is to significantly enhance the quality of life for residents of the region by creating additional jobs and capital investment within the existing industry base as well as through recruitment of new companies and expansion of tourism related development. NESA’s nine member counties are Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg.

Stroke Recovery Techniques

Roger Maxwell, author of the new book "Taking Charge of Your Stroke Recovery: A Personal Recovery Workbook" (www.takingchargebooks.com), suffered a massive stroke in his late 40's. Advised he could only “cross his fingers and wait” when insurance-paid hospital rehab ended and left him severely disabled, Maxwell realized he had to take charge of his own stroke recovery.

Taking Charge of Your Stroke Recovery: A Personal Recovery Workbook is a step-by-step, home-based recovery method that reveals the techniques of recovery proven in clinical studies to be the most effective. Maxwell calls these principles “Recovery Basics.” He shares the following little known facts about stroke recovery:

1. Far more stroke survivors can fully recover from the effects of stroke than currently do.
2. Stroke survivors need to take charge of their stroke recovery to fully recover from stroke.
3. You can prevent your stroke from becoming a “life sentence”!
4. Good brain nutrition is important.
5. Doing the right exercises the right way is key.

Find out the warning signs of a stroke at the American Heart Association Web site.

Christmas Wars Starting Now

According to Fox News, the Christmas Wars are starting now as the American Humanist Association starts a $40,000 ad campaign on Washington, D.C., buses. The ads proclaim: "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake."

From the story

"We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there arhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."
...
In the past five years, groups such as the American Family Association and the Catholic League have criticized or threatened boycotts of retailers who use generic "holiday" greetings.
...
In mid-October, the American Family Association started selling buttons that say "It's OK to say Merry Christmas." The humanists' entry into the marketplace of ideas did not impress AFA president Tim Wildmon.

More on the Christmas Wars can be found at the Pew Forum, at Alternet, at MediaMatters and at Christianity Today.

Debra Fine's Top 10 Conversation Bombshells

Thanksgiving can mean the ideal family get together or a day of awkward moments, uncomfortable silences and eruptions of family feuds. Here are Debra Fine's Top 10 Conversation Bombshells:

1. "Are you two ever going to get married?"
2. “I heard Sarah got into Northwestern…why in the world is she going to Michigan State instead?”
3."No, thanks. I gave up drinking after I saw the toll it took on you."
4. “Why did you two leave that beautiful home for this dump?”
5. “I knew your candidate did not stand a chance, what do you have to say for yourself now?”
6. "Aren't you full yet?" or "Why aren't you eating anything?"
7. "Yes, I know you're a parent. But haven't you ever thought about working?"
8. "I see you still can't be bothered with ironing a shirt."
9. "How is it that your son looks just like you and your daughter looks like she could be from a different family?" Other examples include: “Did your son get into Yale?” and “How is the girlfriend?”
10. "Did you cook this yourself, or did you just thaw it out?"

The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Win Clients, Deliver Great Presentations, and Solve Conflicts at Work 2008 By Debra Fine, Hyperion Books
www.DebraFine.com

Have any of these or other bombshells dropped at your Thanksgiving table? Post your stories as a comment here.