The Fundraising Factory

Katmandu

December 9th, 2011

Never in a million years did I think I would be blogging about a recipe but occasionally I break out the pots and pans here at DBL and whip something up for everyone.  Today’s dish is really a bowl.  It’s called Katmandu Stew and it is out of this world yummy, very healthy and vegan to boot!  I just love it and there are usually leftovers.  When I make this at home the eastern seasonings linger  in the house for a couple of days.  I did forget it’s Friday and we are open to the public from noon til 5.  Already a few people have stopped in and asked what’s cooking, it smells so good in here?  hmmm….Is there a restaurant in DBL’s future?  That would make me the Chief, Cook and do I really have to do the dishes too?  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Katmandu Stew

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 pinch of cinnamon

2 cups organic red lentils, rinsed

1 medium sweet potato, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 cup of chopped Kale

1 medium red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 or 2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic or dried red chiles (I use Lan Chi brand from Whole Foods)

5 cups water

Salt from any Sea

1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Toast the cumin seeds and powder, fennel seeds, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon in a cast iron frying pan on high heat until the cumin seeds start to pop.

2. Add the red lentils and stir until the spices are mixed in.   Add a splash of water and continue cooking and stirring.   Add the sweet potato, carrots, kale, onion, garlic, chili paste, and 4 cups water.

3. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil, then stir again, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked.   Add salt to taste, and serve garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro.  Enjoy!

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Have You Reached Your Turning Point?

October 18th, 2011

Did you know that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month? Designs by Lucinda is honoring that month in several ways.  First, you’ll notice that this blog is posted in purple, the symbolic color for domestic violence.  Also, we are highlighting a  great nonprofit that has been a long-time customer and powerful advocate against domestic violence–Turning Point of Lehigh Valley.


Turning Point is a place where victims of abuse and their children can find emergency shelter and support services.  Annually, the agency assists over 5,000 victims of domestic violence.  In addition to providing support to domestic violence victims, Turning Point’s mission includes working toward ending domestic violence through education and increasing community awareness.

Designs By Lucinda is proud to say that we have been able to work with this great agency since 1992 to help reach these goals.  All of Turning Point’s services are free, so in order to provide shelter and related services, the agency relies heavily on fundraising.  Designs By Lucinda pins and earrings have been a staple in these fundraising efforts.  In the last 19 years, Turning Point has utilized these custom pieces of art to raise over $100,000.  Quite a chunk of change for a product that sells for around $16 per item!

But just as important is the continued conversations and awareness that the pins spread.  In fact, when we asked Anne Mayer, our contact at Turning Point, how the pins have helped her organization, she was quick to acknowledge that the uniqueness of the pins creates intrigue and conversations.  It’s the perfect opening to share the mission of Turning Point.  Anne also noted that fundraising with the pins is easy because volunteers often handle the pin sales either through their workplaces, at various other venues, or as walking advertisements when wearing the pins.  It is a hassle-free way to spread the word about domestic violence while generating revenue to provide needed services.

As with so many nonprofits, Turning Point experiences ups and downs in donations and fundraising revenue.  We asked about the challenges that they experience, and Anne mentioned that sometimes turnover at the volunteer level or within the various businesses where they are sold, can effect pin sales.  This shows the importance of keeping in touch with the offices and salons to make sure someone is dedicated to promoting the pins and ensuring that a variety of pins are on display.

We wanted to know what has made the pins a success for Turning Point for over 19 years. Anne’s insight was to have a good selection of pins.  Whether you are a domestic violence organization or a housing organization, you should offer a variety of pins to your customers.  The traditional pins are important to have on hand, but seasonal pins are also beneficial and increase fundraising revenue.  She also follows many of our mottos that have proven to be successful:  Wear One and Carry 10 in Your Purse!  Point out the fact that each pin is unique.  People love things that are original.  Lastly, look for easy venues such as doctors’ offices and hair salons because so many women visit these places regularly.  These simple techniques have worked for Turning Point since 1992.  Designs By Lucinda looks forward to working with Turning Point for many more years.

How you can help.
The beneficiary of Fundraising Friday on October 21st is Turning Point of Lehigh Valley.  Turning Point will receive 30% of all individual sales placed on Designs By Lucinda’s website this Friday.  Please share this with everyone you know.  Let’s all do our part to help!  Together we can Change the World One Pin At A Time!  Please Share, Care & Give!


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Can Sir

October 6th, 2011

Steve Jobs- February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011. A man of true genius.  Our lives will be forever changed because of him.  The Mac, IPod, IPhone, IPad…  If these words are foreign to you, then you must be living under a massive boulder.  Mr. Jobs revolutionized how we listen to music, communicate, entertain and even find happiness in our lives.  We celebrate his intellect, passion and the technology that he put forth. But we also must reflect on his battle with cancer.  A diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer in 2004 followed by a liver transplant.  The selfish side of us may have worried about the next generation IPhone and our investment in Apple but the compassionate side feared for his life.  So although we cannot forget  to appreciate one man’s talent, we must not forget our part in supporting a cure for all types of cancer.

In summary, if you see someone wearing a black turtleneck, blue jeans talking on their IPhone, they too may be paying tribute to Mr. Jobs.  But the real tribute is supporting and believing that we will identify a cure for Pancreatic, Breast, Ovarian , Prostate and the other cancers that strip the lives that add meaning and compassion in our lives.  Use your Iphone and make a donation to cure cancer on his behalf.

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Connecting People through Design

August 12th, 2011

Why, allow me to introduce myself; my name is Jessica.  I am a jack of all trades here at Designs by Lucinda but where I shine the most is creating all of our custom designs.  I have been working here for nearly 7 years.  I’ve had my hand in almost everything we do here; from assembling to shipping.  While working hard on new designs to add to the line up I have been going to college for Arts and Entrepreneurial Studies, with a concentration in Sculpture and Jewelry Design.  I love working with my hands and taking separate entities and working with them so they become a single union; whether that be soldering a band and stone setting to form a ring or combining a square and a triangle and watching it evolve into a house pin!  To me jewelry is not just a way for people to adorn themselves (sure, that’s a perk) but what truly excites me about jewelry is the human connections that are linked because of it.  I am about to enter a new frontier with my family and become an aunt. My bother and sister in law are expecting a little boy and the little guy is due on my birthday!  To celebrate and commemorate the date I am designing a pendant for my brother with the baby’s name and its actual birth date.  It’s these moments that give my art life. We don’t know the name of the baby just yet; right now we fondly refer to him as alien.  Don’t fret, Alien will not be the name on the pendant!  When I’m not out and about creating and melting metals with my torch I spend my time supporting other local artists by going to music shows and exploring northern Maine on a whitewater raft with my boyfriend who is a licensed guide at Crab Apple White Water.

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Peanut Butter Please?

August 4th, 2011

July 31, 2011 wasn’t designated as a day to collect food for the South Portland Food Cupboard.  But it was the day that I felt compelled to give back to my community.  Something you would think would come quite easily for me since I have spent over 25 years helping non profits through my company, Designs By Lucinda.  There was uneasiness about approaching strangers and asking for a food donation…  How would I be received and what if they said no?   There’s safety in numbers so I decided to recruit my Mother and 2 sisters to join me.  My Mom, has cared for my sister Kim who has been confined to a wheelchair since birth due to Cerebral Palsy and my youngest sister Jane, happens to live on the same street as my Mother so it was a perfect location to go door to door.  The game plan was for Jane and me to approach the homes while Kim, in her electric wheelchair and Mother waited at the end of the driveways.  With my family beside me my nerves were calmed.  The first doorbell was rung and the door opened.  With a warm hello, a brief introduction of my family and an explanation for our calling it was without hesitation that the individual rushed off to their kitchen and returned with an armful of canned goods.  All remaining nervousness vanished and replaced with excitement and pure joy.  Doorbell after doorbell I introduced my family, collected food and laughed with my sisters and Mother as we reminisced growing up on that very street.  As Kim wheeled the box of items from home to home it continued to fill. Not one person said they could not donate.  Even a single Mother searched her cupboards for something she could part with.  As she handed me organic baby food she said that she hoped it would be able to help another Mother with a young child.

At the end of the day I reflected on this entire experience.  What started out as wanting to do a little something for a local food cupboard turned into an overwhelmingly satisfying experience.  I was able to enjoy meaningful time with my family.  I was able to see the faces of the people as they were asked to help and I witnessed that people really do want to help one another and were grateful that we had made it so easy for them to do that.  My original purpose of  providing the Food Cupboard with much needed food was accomplished.  In hindsight, I could have easily gone to the local market to purchase all the items, but I wouldn’t trade my experience for all the convenience in world or anything else for that matter. It was a day full of grace!

Here’s to peanut butter!
Lucinda

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Coloring Our World

July 29th, 2011

“The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color” –Hans Hofmann

Hey there, I’m Rebecca… I’ve been the Color Gal here at DBL for nearly a decade. My job is to choose the right medley of colors for each pin, as well as create the backgrounds, glitters and patterns. I’ve always been fascinated with the transformative power of color. When used in different combinations various moods can be created…I love the high contrast of black and white, the sweetness of pastels and the subtlety of somber muted tones. I’ve never met a color I didn’t like. When I’m not here at the shop working my magic, you are likely to find me swimming with my boyfriend in the frigid waters of the Atlantic or lounging about at home reading a really good novel. A cause that is important to me is the welfare of animals. I have been a strict vegetarian for over twenty years and I have adopted many cats at the local shelter. I even had the amazing experience of raising an orphaned baby squirrel last year! My other passions are creating art, exploring nature and challenging my mind. Someday I might like to try my hand at writing, or perhaps illustrate a children’s book.

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Posted in Pins, The Staff | 1 Comment »

Social Networking 150

June 30th, 2011
To find someone who doesn’t participate in social networking on some level is highly unusual.  Facebook and Twitter alone have over 1 billion users.  People are constantly checking the latest news feed or punching out a Twitter post on their iphone.  It seems that people have more friends now than at any other time in their life.  Do you every look at the list of friends or fans on Facebook?  These numbers are mind boggling to me. How can one be friends with over 1,000 people?  Or how can one Tweeter have so many followers?  I don’t ask these questions in envy, as I can barely find time to call or spend time with a dozen close friends.    But I have wondered-what is the point in having such a far reaching network?   Well, my question has been answered.  At least to some degree…An article written by Chris Taylor, Social Networking ‘Utopia” Isn’t Coming looked at how many real connections Twitter users have.  A study was conducted to determine how many people you can maintain contact with online before you are overwhelmed.
The study showed that we are hardwired to network in tight groups of 150.  This has been the magic number in communities, tribes and successful corporations.  We can comfortably manage 150 friends, business associates, connections and peers.   Rather than targeting 1,000 friends or followers with social interaction that is oftentimes meaningless to most, we can develop stronger relationships and messaging if we focus on a smaller group of people who share our interests, desires and business sense.  What the article does point out is that social networking allows us to select the 150 people we want as part of our virtual tribe.  It has broken down the barriers of proximity.
With this knowledge, I wonder if it makes sense to friend and tweet those that care about your cause and maximize the 150. Will we find that meaningful interactions with a smaller group of passionate followers generate deeper results?  I don’t know but I’ll bet someone is tweeting about it right now.

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An epidemic worth catching

June 22nd, 2011

Have you heard of the latest epidemic?  It’s infecting a large number of people over an even larger area.  Word has it that it has spread to 90 countries.  Luckily, they have identified the source; it’s called Positivity Nation™.  A Maine based non-profit, Positivity Nation™ was established just over a year ago by Lanette Pottle.  The mission of the non-profit is to create a world-wide epidemic of positivity…one small act at a time.

For Lanette, positive action takes many forms.  She shares positive thoughts on her website (http://www.positivity-nation.com) and Facebook page but she is also very active in her community.  She has a particular passion for working with youth and has taken Positivity Nation™ into her local elementary school.  In 2011, in celebration of the one year anniversary of Positivity Nation™, Lanette announced the creation of The HAPPY Grant (Helping & Acknowledging Positive, Purpose-led Youth) a funding program for youth ages 12-17 in Washington County, Maine who desire to make a difference in their communities.

To kick start The HAPPY Grant program, Lanette turned to Designs By Lucinda.  She discovered Designs By Lucinda while visiting a local business that had the pins on display.  She was quickly drawn to the beauty of the pins but more so, she was moved by the story included on the pin card.  She thought it was brilliant marketing to attach the pin to a card that shares Lucinda’s story from homelessness to successful entrepreneur, helping thousands of non-profits worldwide.  After reading the story, Lanette thought that the pins were a perfect fit for her cause – the same values and a very similar mission to make a change, one small act or pin at a time.  She placed an order for 40 Butterfly Pins to help raise money and credibility for Positivity Nation™ and specifically The HAPPY Grant program.

The HAPPY Grant was launched following a pilot classroom program where students were asked how they would use $10 to make the world a better place. With financial help from her facebook friends, she facilitated the execution of 15 student-led projects  that helped veteran homes, nursing homes, food banks, animal shelters and the Special Olympics fund for The Beckett Center , a day program in a neighboring city. (…a must read article on two passionate 8th grade boys who developed a basketball event to raise money for the Special Olympics Beckett Bombers Link).

Lanette relies not only on monies raised through pin sales to support this program, but from donations that are made to Positivity Nation™.  She receives a great deal of exposure through her website, word of mouth and her Facebook page.  In a year’s time she has over 4700 fans!  We asked Lanette if she had ever thought about what would happen to Positivity Nation™ and The HAPPY Grant if every Facebook fan purchased just 1 pin to support her program.  There was a pause on the other end of the phone and then she replied “that’s an interesting thought”.  Perhaps in the moment of hesitation, she was processing what over $75,000 would do to create Positivity….

How you can help.
The beneficiary of Fundraising Friday on June 24th is Positivity Nation™ and The HAPPY Grant.  Positivity Nation™ will receive 30% of all individual sales placed on Designs By Lucinda’s website this Friday.  Please share this with everyone you know.  Let’s all do our part to help!  Together we can Change the World One Pin At A Time!  Please Share, Care & Give!

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Posted in Fundraising, Giving, Non Profit Profiles, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Touching Lives Goes Full Circle

June 2nd, 2011

Changing lives through education and housing…concepts that we often don’t think twice about.   We take for granted a high school education.  We can find ourselves being less than content with the place we call home.  Oftentimes it takes a tragedy like the overflowing Mississippi to remind us just how precious our home is in its current condition.  The Catherine McAuley Center (CMC) never needs to be reminded of the things that we take for granted.  It is their daily mission to offer transitional housing and learning services to those in need.  They have been helping people since 1989 and partnered with us shortly thereafter in 1993.   They have raised over $100,000 in profits from pin sales that have helped support the center’s Transitional Housing for Women and Adult Basic Education programs.  Like many of our customers, CMC loves the money that is raised from the pins, but is quick to note that the pins have greatly increased awareness of the Catherine McAuley Center which no price can be attached.

Catherine McAuley's Custom Pin

CMC’s success with Designs By Lucinda pins is the result of tapping into several outlets.  Sure, they use the good ol’ standby- wear one and carry a handful in your purse so that you are ready to sell when someone comments. But they also utilize space in their lobby for all to see upon entering the building, a website store  Catherine’s Comfortable Tea.  They maximize their staff including board members and the executive director.  CMC attends fundraising events, craft shows and farmers markets in order to target different customer bases.   We asked for advice on not only where but how to sell the pins.  They noted that it is critical to connect the pin to your organization.  If you are a shelter, house pins are a must.  Education groups should certainly have read pins in stock.  They also pointed out that it is important to brand your organization with Lucinda pins.  CMC ensures that their organizations mission/story is given to everyone that purchases a pin along with how they can be reached.  They have printed stickers that they affix to the Lucinda card, as well as print their own cards.  Another bit of advice is to switch things up.  Customers love a new look.  If you have promoted the same types of pins for a long period, the market will saturate.  They experienced first hand how a new fresh look will increase the number of pins purchased by individuals who had purchased in the past.

We ended our interview with a feel good story.  Here is what Andrea of CMC shared:  “Perhaps the most memorable pin story occurred while selling pins and gifts at a women’s conference in 2010.  A woman stopped at our table and immediately was drawn to the Fourth of July pins.  She got tears in her eyes and proceeded to tell me how one son had shipped over to Afghanistan the day before and another son and son-in-law were shipping out together the next week.  She wanted to buy a pin for each daughter-in-law and her daughter.  We talked for quite some time and we were both crying by the end of her visit.  Later in the afternoon she returned to purchase several more, one for herself and to give as gifts to others.  I’m used to touching other people with the story of the Center and Lucinda.  This time, I was the one touched.”

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Can You Get Your Donors to Ride a Harley?

May 23rd, 2011

I love having breakfast with inspiring people.  It starts the day off on the right foot.  Ken Schmidt former director of communications at Harley Davidson, national best selling author and public speaker shared his thoughts on the American and European consumer while I ate my cheerios.   He described us (consumers) that would be you too, as faceless, nameless, and invisible.  We have all had the experience with the automated phone system when what we really want is a person on the other end.  We shop online without a second thought as to giving our money and financial information over to a machine without a bit of human contact and think nothing of it.  We click and consume with no interaction to become only a transaction.

He suggested that we are numb to marketing messages.  They are all the same and have been for years so we know what to expect and ignore them.  We also know we can buy what we want; when we want it and have a certain price in mind about what we expect to pay.  What it all seemed to boil down to is we buy from companies we like. 

When we make it a point to humanize the individual we create an instant millisecond of trust.  If we trust, we like, and as said before we buy from people we like.  He turned Harley Davidson around with the simple observation that human behavior is the key to business.  So have you asked yourself, do your donors trust and like you?

Here is a great read if your interested in finding out how Ken helped kick start the  Harley Davidson come back.

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