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.

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

The organization’s mission is to provide shelter and transitional services for homeless women and families.  Not only do they provide safe shelter, food and clothing but they dedicate much of their financial and personal resources to educating and preparing their guests to live independently.

We interviewed Rev. Barbara Certa-Werner to gain an understanding of their experience with Designs By Lucinda pins. Keep in mind, HHCS just started selling pins in 2010.  They have already purchased 660 pins including Crosses, flowers, hearts with houses and butterflies.  Barbara noted that the pins are a great additional revenue source.  She noted that the pins open the doors for them to discuss their organization’s accomplishments, goals, needs and the range of services they provide.  They are able to leave a bigger impression of the organization’s work and the customer leaves with a beautiful reminder of HHCS.

Barbara noted that although they have only been fundraising with the pins for 1 year, they are already a line item in the budget.  The revenues from the pin sales are used wherever they are needed.  Whether it is to run the shelter, purchase food, diapers or pay for case workers to ensure that all guests receive transitional assistance.  HCCS sells the pins at several different venues including the Wisconsin United Methodist Women’s Annual Conference, the Women’s Expo and craft shows.  They rely on board members to promote the pins and they highlight the pins on the front page of their website.

HCCS also taps into the pins cause- related marketing aspect.  Barbara noted that they use the pins to draw a connection between Lucinda’s story of homelessness to successful entrepreneur to the very goals of their organization.  They even use the pins to honor a guest that has achieved a considerable goal while at the shelter.

In wrapping up our interview with Barbara, we asked if she had a really good pin story.  A woman came to the booth at the Annual Conference for Wisconsin UMC, she saw the pins and was so excited about them but she didn’t have her checkbook.  She called her husband who drove 2 hours to bring her checkbook.  She ended up purchasing 18 pins as Christmas presents for her family and friends.  Truly a great story….

The Harbor House will be the beneficiary of this weeks Fundraising Friday.  HHCS will receive 30% of all individual sales placed on our website on Friday May 5th.

Proactive education is a key to the organizations success in preventing child abuse.  PCAVT invests a significant amount of resources both human and financial into Shaken Baby Syndrome training.  Training is offered to nearly all parents of newborns in Vermont.  PCAVT provides information on how to safely handle stressful moments with infants and the dangers of shaking a baby.  With knowledge the organization feels that their will be less cases of shaken baby syndrome.  Given the number of training courses that are required (in 2010 they held 169 courses); a large percentage of their budget is dedicated to this cause.  PCAVT has formed a powerful partnership with Designs By Lucinda.  They sell our Little Pal Pins to help fund the Shaken Baby Syndrome program and to raise recognition for children.  They are an ideal image that connects the organizations cause to a pin that is not only worn by women but by men as well.

It is a great communication vehicle that has outreach to both genders.  Men love the Little Pal Star pins as they associate them with wearing a sheriff’s badge.  Both men and women think the pins are unique and increase visibility for PCAVT.  When we inquired further into how the pins have helped their organization, they noted that because of Lucinda’s story, the pins have much more impact and have led to more support for their organization.   PCAVT said that there is greater connection between their donors when they hear how Lucinda was once homeless and went on to create an organization with a mission to give back.  The organization says that the people who wear the pins become ambassadors for Prevent Child Abuse Vermont through the conversations they start.  One teacher even said that “The Kid Pins are getting to be Vermont’s jewelry of choice.” Given this, we asked what outlets they use to sell the pins.  PCAVT said they use several distribution channels including stores, restaurants, conferences, schools, through volunteers, at their physical location and on their website www.pcavt.org.

One final statistic that the organization left us with was the number of Vermonters who have been impacted through their training programs in 2010- 37,532.  Quite a substantial number of people share their stories and life experiences so the trickle effect was far greater.  Thank you PCAVT for your good work and for partnering with us so that we can help in growing the number of people helped by your program.

Fundraisers are just like products.  They can be tracked on the bell curve.  Slowly rising, peeking and then tiring on the downhill.

When a fundraising event takes off and grows revenue for a few years in a row we pat ourselves on the back, include it as a line item in the annual budget, and hope it lasts forever. 

Since we are aware of the bell curve phenomenon it’s necessary to take our head out of the sand, put our thinking caps on and come up with the next best fundraiser before the downhill slide begins. 

It is the development committee’s responsibility to raise the funds for the budget and to come up with the fundraising ideas.

The chance of a fundraising committee coming up with a successful new fundraiser that is meaningful and unique improves when IME elements exist.

Inspiration, Motivation, and Execution elements are achieved through creative thinking.

Creative thinking is enhanced and maximized by social stimulation, (small group brainstorming), in other words you can’t do it alone.  Creativity drives the problem solving process when unexpected dynamics are introduced to the group.  Asking a question with constraints, such as what if the fundraiser is all about blue?  Or, no one can come to the event that is under 30.  Stimulation jump starts the grey matter into looking at things from a different perspective and firing off the synapses that can lead to new concepts, new ways of thinking and new fundraisers.  

Small group participation creates inclusion.  Shared ideas can lead to “buy in” and greater motivation to bring the idea to fruition.  Execution is easy when the person with the most enthusiasm for the idea is given the leadership role to oversee or chair the fundraiser. 

 As always Happy Fundraising,

Lucinda

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