What is the Rent To Own Industry and Where is it Going?

The $6.8-billion rent to own industry-or RTO-is relatively new to the American economy. The unique rent-to-own transaction sprang up in the 1960s in response to a growing consumer need for acquiring the use of household products without incurring debt or jeopardizing the family's credit. Rent-to-own customers come from all walks of life, desiring consumer durable goods in their homes without the long-term financial obligations associated with credit sales.

Michigan Child Welfare - Why a Web-Based Information System is Mission Critical

Attention child welfare, child protective services, foster care and kinship care providers... How you collect, store and share your information can make all the difference.

Brother, Can You Spare Me a Dime? Pros and Cons to Online Giving

Let's go through a little thought exercise - a sort of parable. Imagine you and a few staff members are shipwrecked on a deserted island in the tropics...

Donating, A Worthy Cause For Your Old Car

One of the toughest decisions to make when you want to get a new car is what to do with the old one. We have seen pretty old cars running around the streets. We have heard of how special the car is and the sentimental value it has for the previous generations. Those cars were there for them when they had their first dates. Or it was the car used to rush someone to the hospital to give birth.

Volunteering - The Right Fit For You

When volunteering, you may be tempted to say yes to the first opportunity that is presented to you or you may automatically volunteer in an environment similar to your day-to-day working life. You may be busy but chances are it will not provide you with a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment.

The Basics Of Donating Your Car In California

Do you live in California and would like to make a car donation to charity? Or, do you want to make a car donation to a charity based in California? If you answered yes to either question or both, doing so is quite easy. You only need to call a charity and voila, it's finished, it's done! You could start walking with that good feeling in your heart.

Free Software for Non-profit Organizations

Once your organization finally gets a computer built in this century, your next step is to find software for it that won't deplete the coffers. Pirated software is tempting, but, if the ethical dilemma doesn't keep you away from it, its associated risks may: you could pick up a computer virus from pirated software or you could get caught with software you're not authorized to have. The good news is that there is so much great free software, organizations on a budget can find great alternatives to many of the proprietary programs.

Common Mistakes Pastors Make About Employee - Volunteer Screening

A pastor in San Diego County told me recently that they were using one of these brand name "Instant Nationwide" background check services that was, in fact, recommended by their popular church liability insurance carrier. When I showed the pastor on the service's own website that they search nothing in San Diego County he was naturally upset and alarmed. He said that they had been using the service for years to screen their employees and volunteers.

Spring Training - Selling Tips for Non Profits

Non profits do not consider the need or the use of selling when trying to obtain donor dollars. Offered here are some practical types for this volatile economy to get more dollars heading in your direction.

How to Effectively Raise Funds for Non-Profit Groups

Techniques for increasing revenue for your nonprofit organization. Learn simple and effective fund raising strategies that will greatly help your organization.

Creating Advisory Councils - The Nonprofit Organization's Path to Progress

Advisory Councils are an easy-to-develop, flexible, high-impact means of re-energizing a nonprofit organization's leadership, networking, fundraising, and influence. Learn how to create a council and watch your organization's advancement potential turn into progress.

Non-profit - Or Not Just Not Profiting?

Do you run a non-profit? Do you feel as though you can't use good business practices as a result? Get the low down on using strong, viable business rules to make the most out of your non-profit strategies both online and in other marketing collateral.

Legal Secretary Association - A Non-profit Organization

A legal secretary association includes numerous educational and training programs in the legal profession. These programs are meant for the betterment of their members who are the legal secretaries in different law firms. The secretaries involved in these training programs, learn and share their views and ideas so that the workload is lessened.

Donate Stuffed Animals And Bring A Smile To A Sad Face

Every child has a dream to own toys, no wonder children have their most precious memories attached to their toys. This is applicable to those children who are fortunate enough to buy, play and own toys. But there are also children within the US and around the globe, who have never seen a single toy in their whole life.

How to Raise Enough Funds For Your Non-Profit Group

Learn all about how you can raise more money for your non-profit group. Learn the steps to successful fundraising all the time.

Nonprofit Organization President Search To-Do List

The nonprofit organization President/CEO announced he/she is leaving. What does the Board of Trustees do now? Here's a To-Do list to guide you from "Uh Oh" to "Yipee."

Should The Church Ever Put Professional Services on Retainer?

Senior pastors sometimes need an outside set of eyes to help them find ways to grow the church. Retained professional services can be helpful to that end. When you find a good service provider specific to your need you have found a good thing. When you want to go to the next level, outside help is always a great resource available to you and your church.

Foundations Don't Fund General Operating Costs - Or Do They?

Do you still believe that tired old legend about how difficult it is to find foundations that support general operating expenses? It's one of the grant writing myths that even I bought into. Why not?

Non-Profit Organizations Find Ways to Thank Volunteers

Good volunteers are hard to find. For all the good intentions of most of them, it's rare to find ones who really throw themselves into the cause and go above and beyond expectations. However without a little acknowledgement from the organization, volunteers can feel taken for granted and get burned out.

Marketing Goods Meet Non-Profits

Paradoxically, the non-profit sector is big business. Board members, executives, nationwide conglomerations and franchises... but promotional products and even just marketing in general can seem to be missing from the equation.

10 Key Steps on Starting a Nonprofit Organization

Successfully starting a nonprofit is a 1 in 2 gamble. Among the 30,000 nonprofits created each year in America, 50 percent of them failed. We are not sure how they failed or why they failed, but analysts believe it could all be rooted in the correct planning before start up.

How To Reward Your Incredible Volunteers Throughout The Year!

We have searched the Internet high and low for ideas - both inexpensive and expensive to celebrate your volunteer staffs. I hope that some of the items generate some creative juices in your programs within your non-profit organizations. Listed below is a list of several outstanding suggestions that we thought were "tops" in celebrating your wonderful volunteers.

Five Non-Monetary Ways To Assist A Charitable Foundation

One thing I've quickly learned is that when you launch a charitable organization, you are likely to be approached by friends and colleagues who would like to get involved. It can be a testament to your cause, and one of the most important ways you can honor this is to be prepared to find meaningful ways for them to contribute. Beyond the monetary contributions that are so important, I wanted to list five non-monetary ways to assist a charitable organization that would seem to me to be valued at any time, by any charity.

Metasoft's Big Online Vs The Foundation Center's Foundation Finder

Can't afford an expensive prospective research/foundation finder tool? Learn a few tips on making daily, free research part of your grant writing toolbox!

Your Grant Proposal's Been Rejected - Now What?

Don't look at that declined grant proposal as a failure! Think of it as an opportunity to building a lasting relationship and improve your chances of funding!

What It Takes To Create & Run Canada's Single Largest Fundraising Event

You've probably already seen the flyers encouraging participants to walk 60 km in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer in August. In just six years, the weekend trek has become one of the largest fundraisers across Canada. Brian Pendleton, President of CauseForce and Alexis Guptman, Coordinator for the Jewish General Hospital Foundation in Montreal share what goes into creating innovative year-round marketing.

Establishing a Non-Profit Member List

A strong donor base is the life's blood of any non-profit organization. Having a list of members that contribute to your organization on a regular basis will not only keep your non-profit solvent, but keep it thriving.

Use Marketing To Grow Your Non-Profit

A business is only as good as its marketing-your non-profit can have the noblest aspirations in the world, but if no one knows about who you are and what you're trying to do, they won't be able to help. That is why it is essential that any non-profit develop a well-thought-out marketing strategy.

Assumptions About Church Building Lead to Costly Mistakes

When beginning a church construction process, there are a lot of details to consider. Paying attention to the little things will ensure that your project is successful.

Designing a Master Plan for Your Church Design

Every church design project should have a master plan that takes into account land use issues as well as the future growth and use of the church buildings. Here are the basics of designing a church master plan.

Why You Need a Master Plan for your Church Project

On the surface, a church construction project may seem like a simple thing, but just like any other development, there are rules and regulations that must be followed. A master plan will ensure your church building process goes smoothly.

What Every Pastor Should Know Before Building a New Church

When you start thinking about a new church construction project, you're sure to be excited by how you will use the new building. But don't get too swept up in fantasy to forget about the reality of regulations and legalities that must be met by your church building.

Nonprofits Need An Email Marketing Strategy

Consider that there is an estimated 97 million people within the United States and Canada have access to the internet- which is about 30 percent of the total population. Almost everyone with a computer and internet access has an email account, and yet, many non-profit organizations do not make it part of their marketing strategy to collect email addresses from their members, donors, or activists! Most non-profit or conservation organizations have attracted a large group of people who believe in the cause of the organization enough to become dues-paying members or otherwise support the issues.

Eleemosynaries? CEOs All In

CEOs and Business Owners in Wisconsin are active Eleemosynaries; their employees, too

Nonprofit Donations And How You Can Benefit From Free Money!

Nonprofit donations present a challenge to both collectors, and benefactors - recipients. This article presents some fundamental questions and answers facing Americans today.

Some Tips for Unique Community Fund Raising Ideas

Thinking up some unique community fund raising ideas can be both complicated and exciting. This is because fundraising ideas can make your funraising activites more pleasurable as well as profitable.

CEOs Active Philanthropists Part One

As we enter The Philanthropic Quarter (the last quarter of the year when your favorite charity is thinking they'll finish Strong) what are CEOs and Business Owners thinking about Philanthrophy?

Non-Profit Communication and Promotion Strategy - Using a Communications Coordinator

Montreal's Old Brewery Mission took over a century to hire their first Communications Coordinator. Now, in this interview, Christian Durand talks about how he is making up for lost time.

7 Key Steps to Powerful Membership Databases!

In today's fast moving world, volunteers of non-profit organizations are finding that they have less time to sit on Management Boards. This article looks at the time saving benefits of having membership databases set up correctly.

Give More Of Yourself and You Will Receive More

The bible verse that instructs us to give and ye shall receive is a dynamic force in the earth. If you want to learn how to increase your quality of life, I recommend you read this article.

Volunteering in Community Kitchens

The importance of organizations that have supported volunteering can never be overemphasized, as they represent a very significant contribution to the society. Volunteer work could be done for almost every organization, an example of which would in community kitchens.

Why Aligning Your Business with Charity is Important

Why align business with charity? Here are the top reasons why. It is true that in a business, big or small, nothing transpires unless a sale is made. This is why marketing plays such a big role in business.

Gauging Your Financial Strength - How Strong is Your Not-for-Profit?

A good strong financial position is the backbone of any well-run organization. Without a consistent flow of cash and income in and out of the company it would difficult for it to continue operating in one form or another.

Should Nonprofits Increase Their Focus On Advocacy?

The explosive growth of nonprofit advocacy and public policy groups in the last thirty years has coincided with the expansion of government. There are currently more than 1000 nonprofit organizations classified by the IRS as working to change public opinion and public policy.

Ready, Set, Go - 10 Tips For Getting Your Nonprofit Off To A Great Start

Have an idea for a great nonprofit? To ensure your venture's success, you need to do the same research required for starting a for-profit company. To help you get started, here are 10 tips to help you answer the basic questions who, what, when, where, why, and how.

7 Key Steps To Making Life For Non-Profit Board Members Easier!

Becoming a new Board Member of a non-profit organization can sometimes be an absolute nightmare! This article looks at some of the key problems that non-profit organizations face with membership communication and succession planning and how they can use handy applications to solve some of these problems.

Non-Profit Technology - 5 Signs Your Non-Profit Needs Technical Help

When your plumbing is in need of repair, chances are you don't call your family doctor- you call a plumber, right?! It wouldn't make sense to call the doctor to fix your plumbing, but many non-profit organizations are doing just that when dealing with their technology requirements.

Deliver 20 Times More Nonprofit Benefits With the Same Resources

Nonprofit organizations can deliver more benefits to beneficiaries when they improve their cost effectiveness in serving more beneficiaries by reducing both the costs to the organization and to the beneficiaries. This article has three examples of changing a nonprofit organization's business model to show how this can be accomplished.

Tips for Managing Your Small Non-Profit Organization

Many people are involved with helping small, non-profit organizations, in a variety of roles. Organizations range from semi-organized children's sports teams, to local chapters of professional societies, to well-established charitable service providers. The range of organization and management varies as well, from seat-of-the-pants, one or two people overwhelmed from doing the bulk of the work, to professionally managed with paid staff, and everything in between. Here are some tips to help you and your organization become more effective and successful.

Can Associations Serve the Industry, and its Members?

Trade associations and professional societies that primarily focus on legislative matters can run the risk of neglecting its membership. Does that mean that focusing on influencing politicians is a bad thing? Not as long as the organization's members don't get left behind. Unfortunately, this is just what happens, much too frequently.

Why You Should Volunteer At Your Local School

If you have never considered volunteering in your local school then you should because it can make a huge difference in the lives of the children, it can be very beneficial to your community, and it can be good for you as well. Just a few hours a month can make a big difference in the lives of others as well as your own.

Being a Hospital Volunteer

Most hospital volunteers do their work without receiving any kind of regular salary. They work in different health care settings and would usually be under a nurse's supervision. A lot of hospitals have their volunteers trained and supervised through auxiliaries, which are special non-profit organizations. Directors of these auxiliaries would usually be paid hospital employees.