DonorsResource.org at 2012 IBM Employee Charitable Contribution Campaign 

Elizabeth and Jennifer at DonorsResource.org's booth

Thank you to IBM for hosting another Charitable Contribution Campaign and inviting DonorsResource.org!  It was great sharing what we do with people who care and meeting other AMAZING nonprofits who are making a difference in their communities.  Thank you to those who stopped by! 

Tips and Tricks

Hello Everybody!

This is Jennifer Mick again reporting back on things that she has learned at the AMA nonprofit Marketing Conference in Washington DC.  One of the most important things I learned on the trip is to thank people when they have helped you, so I want to say a HUGE thank you to the planning committee of the conference for taking me in and making me feel like a part of the family.  It was great being surrounded by so many passionate people and making such amazing connections!  I would like to share some of things I learned while I was there:

• Get out and GO NETWORK!  
• Tell your story
• Establish a strong supporter base by starting with your friends
• Use all of your resources
• Don't be afraid to ask for help
• Use the tools you are provided (SOCIAL MEDIA)
• The Youth are strong and compelling leaders

If you are interested in learning more about my few tips email me at jennifer@donorsresource.org and I will share with you more about what I have learned and the amazing people who taught it to me.  In the future I hope to set up a nonprofit mixer hosted by DonorsResource.org with valuable speakers and information on stuff that you want to learn about!  If you have any suggestions email me!

AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference Report

Hello everybody!  It's Jennifer Mick reporting from Washington DC at the AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference!  I've had such a great first day here, the speakers have been great and all the people are so kind.  One of my all time favorite things about working with nonprofits are the amazing people who dedicate there time to making it all work.  I've never met kinder or more passionate people in my life!  I've made some really great connections with people all across the country as well as people from Google and Facebook.  I really encourage any teens who are interested in nonprofit work or marketing to reach out to the AMA and ask if they can join next year, everyone has been so supportive of me and my goals even though I am only a teenager.   I'll post some of the things I have learned soon, so stay posted!

This summer one of our interns, Jennifer Mick, has an amazing opportunity to be a part of the American Marketing Associations' nonprofit marketing conference in Washington DC.  She will be helping out through the conference as well as taking photos and attending the presentations herself.  She looks forward to meeting amazing people from across the country whose work involves making a better community.  When she returns she will share her wonderful experience on our blog!

If you want to find out more on this event, click the link:  http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/2012_Nonprofit_Marketing_Conference.aspx

The DonorsResource Interns this past year have done a great job reaching out to nonprofits and by the end of the year DonorsResource.org reached out to the Kentucky Community!  We are now running a DonorsResource.org in Oregon and Kentucky.  The interns worked hard to revamp our social media, especially Facebook and Twitter and we are almost at our goal for 500 Facebook likes!  Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive!  Now with summer upon us we have a few interns still working hard to keep our engines running.  Follow us on our social media, and we'll keep you updated on what we are up to!

My name is Nathan Siegel and I'm a junior at Riverdale High School. DonorsResource is a great website because it brings non profit organizations and people together. I joined primarily because I like helping my community and making society better. My job is a market analyst, I look at organizations and provide useful information for the company. Also what I plan to do is create public interest surveys so we know what the public wants.

It didn’t occur to me DonorsResource would be a non-profit organization, as opposed to something involving organs, or blood donations.  Not wanting to be stuck in Mr. Wechter’s SAT prep for my Oldoni period; I eagerly switched into the next available class, DonorsResource, without a second thought.  After learning about its mission of connecting non-profit’s with donations, I was eager to jump on board.  Over the summer I had participated in a camp called Exploregon, which provided underprivileged teenagers with the unique opportunity to do things like, cliff diving, and zip lining.  I met many interesting people, and was surprised by how they were in need of such basic things like a backpack, or a raincoat, stuff I take for granted on a daily basis.  The idea of reaching out to them and making a difference, is what made me want to pursue working at DonorsResource, so that they may one day be able to get that raincoat, and backpack.

Hello, my name is Nathan Gruenberg.  I am really looking forward to working with DonorsResource this year!  DonorsResource is a great opportunity for me to get some real-work experience and help out in my community.  Along with new intern Andy Koida, I am working on business outreach, with my main focus being local green (environmentally friendly) businesses.  I am really looking forward to making new connections with some great businesses and as a result, help DonorsResource grow. 

We have some VERY exciting news!  We are up for an award for a $2,500 prize that would go to support our nonprofit and our project!   Please help us get to #1 by voting for us by joining the site with your email, click vote for us, and then confirming in your email.  Feel Free to unsubscribe from the site right after voting!  Your support means so much to us, thank you! 
Click here to help: http://jumo-organizations.maker.good.is/projects/GroovyInterns

Hi, my name is Andy Koida and this is my first year at DonorsResource.  My job is to reach out to other local businesses to support our organization. My goal for this year to get the name “DonorsResource “out to local businesses, and explain the benefits of this program.  I am looking forward to interacting with many businesses throughout our community.  I am very excited to work with this team, and I hope to make a good influence on our community.

Hello, my name is Nick Condon and this is my first year as a DonorsResource intern! I decided to get involved with DonorsResource because I was very interested in the idea that high school students could run a non-profit organization. My position at DonorsResource is a nonprofit outreach specialist. My job is to connect more non-profits to our website so that they can use our site and get the "stuff" they need. I am very excited to be working for DonorsResource and hope to have a great rest of the year!

My name is Chloe, and I’m a nonprofit outreach and social media intern. I became involved with DonorsResource.org in February when I helped out with a smaller project, and I really wanted to be a part of DonorsResource.org once I learned more about the great things it can do for nonprofits. My job is to contact nonprofits that haven’t joined our website yet and tell them about the great donations DonorsResource.org can connect them with. I like this job because I get to communicate directly with the nonprofits that we serve, and the nonprofits become aware of the opportunity to receive the supplies they need through our website. I also post on our Facebook and twitter pages, and I have a goal of increasing our number of followers and spreading the word about the great organizations that register with us. I’m very excited to be an intern and can’t wait to see where DonorsResource.org will go in the future!

Our DonorsResource intern group has gotten a lot of attention from students at Riverdale High School.  As time goes on we get more interest in being apart of our team!  This trimester we are welcoming a whole new group!  Say hello to our awesome new interns!

My name is Elizabeth Friedman, and I recently learned about DonorsResource and the wonderful intern program run here at Riverdale. I signed up to help immediately, and I am excited for this fantastic opportunity. My work consists of looking for schools to sign up on DonorsResource.org, finding schools that can donate stuff, or have a need for donated things. I look forward help make a difference in the community. Starting as an intern has given me a great opportunity, and I am having so much fun. I have learned so much, and am thrilled for the coming year.

Family Circle Feedback

We wanted to share with you a few of the many, many emails we have received since the article about our work was profiled in the March issue of Family Circle magazine.  Its so exciting to know that people want to make a difference in their communities and our platform could help this become a reality!

Hello,

    I think your idea is fantastic. I too have so much stuff and our local Goodwill and Salvation Army centers do not want it. I would love to see it go to a worthy person (s) or group.Large casseroles are still good, but I can't lift them with one hand ( I had a stroke and only one hand is good). I have a beautiful heavy winter coat ( Ive lost weight) that has many more years in it, but our charity says it is out-of-style. I had to give up my needlecrafts(stroke) I have hundreds of skeins of yarn. How can I help get a satellite center started in my area? Answers can be sent to the above e-mail. 

Thank you,

Patricia, Pittsburg/PA

Hello Della,

     I received in the mail today a copy of the article in Family Circle a Simple Matter of Give and Take… and read all about your outreach program and the wonderful work you have been doing in Oregon.  As I read your story tears ran down my face… I have been working to build the same resource here in the Cleveland area for the past 4 years… I too had the dream of taking excess resources, both goods and services and deploying them back into our community to those in need.  The dream had a data base like Craig’s list that was the driving force for this ministry.  We had a computer consultant help design a very basic website with a platform for collecting the data … but it is not very user friendly and has been remained unused for the past 3 years.  We have also begun working with other non-profit groups to collect and distribute furniture and clothing the needy and an office of Keller Williams Realty has provided us space in their basement and garage for these items.  Transportation and volunteers as you well know are hard to come by… so we have done the best we could. 

   We are starting to get more churches and groups in general interested in our program and are expecting our ministry to grow extensively this year.  I too have dreamed that this initiative would go nationwide as well as internationally… with the simple mission to use our technology to connect the resources with those in need. 

I would love to talk to you about our visions to see how we may help one another take our programs to the next level in our areas.I am passionate about providing Helping Hands to those in need… and allow them to one day stand on their own, live a productive happy life and eventually extend their hand to others who also find themselves in need.

I am inspired by you and your work and look forward to speaking with you.

Blessings.

Sheila

Dear Della Rae,

   I am not sure if you have organizations in the Massachusetts area, however I read your article in the Family magazine and I am willing to help expand your organization in the New England area. This is a wonderful Idea for I too have much to give and want it to go directly to a family in need.

Please let me know if I can be of service to you and your organization.

Best regards,

Tamara    

Michael Murray, Riverdale Guidance Counselor

The director of DonorsResource, Della Rae, took a calculated risk that high school students could run her website, which offers a way for community contributions of “stuff” to be distributed efficiently to non-profits in Portland that depend on such donations.  Riverdale students have stepped up to the challenge brilliantly, and Della’s charisma, sense-of-calling and high expectations have mentored them in ways that we are all thankful for. 

This project once again demonstrates the excellent work that high school students are capable of if given a chance.  Every high school needs to offer students multiple opportunities to step out of the classroom and produce results in the community.  The DonorsResource project at Riverdale High School has been profoundly empowering for the students involved, and models a dimension of high school education that is under-appreciated and under-utilized. 

Riverdale is grateful to Della Rae for her vision and generosity.  And we are grateful to the DonorsResource interns for proving, to anyone who looks, what students can accomplish when offered real and important tasks. 

Donorsresource.org Project

Riverdale students working on a service project for DonorResource.org.  The Volunteers [above]— (from left to right) Nathan Gruenburg, Elyse Crawford, Anna Erlandson, Jennie Hubbard and Ellie Bartlett. Thank you guys for the help!!!!!

Conferences Event

Jennifer Mick and I (Lucy Parkin) working at our school conferences raising money and spreading the mission of Donorsresource.org. Managed to raise $107 for our projects!!  

Ettalouise O'Donnell-King, Graphic Artist/Intern

My name is Ettalou and I run the graphics department. This year, I have been working on a myriad of things: new t-shirts for the interns, fliers for upcoming events, a new ad campaign and much more. I am excited for this new year and the new and exciting things that DonorsResource.org is doing.

Cole Burchiel, Marketing Department

Hi everyone!  My name is Cole Burchiel, and I'm starting out my first year at Donor's Resource by leading the Marketing department.  My work consists of getting the word out about Donor's Resource and all of the fabulous Non-Profits that we work with.  I've recently become involved with recruiting and organizing new interns as we expand as an organization.  Being an intern at Donor's Resource has provided me with such an amazing opportunity, and I am having so much fun with it.  It really is an incredible learning experience and I am so glad that I get to share it with everyone else here!

Della Rae

Since the inception of this program in March of 2011, students have volunteered approximately 800 hours of hands-on time and helped connect over 1,452 items with nonprofits in need.

We definitely realize that student service learning is a value that DonorsResouces.org provides to the community.

Our 2012 goals include raising the necessary funding to expand our youth service learning while developing a sustainable business model to make the program available outside the Portland area.

I'm over the top passionate about how connecting people with "stuff" managed by youth can function in all communities.

While our work keeps needed items from being stacked and forgotten in garages, it also builds and sustains communities. Yay!

Lucy Parkin Development Intern

Hi guys, this year I have changed positions from social media intern to development intern. I now get to  plan events and mixers for the nonprofit!! I am currently working on an event that involves our community and spreading the message of DonorsResource. This year is going to be really fun and exciting with all the new attention DonorsResource is getting. We are currently working on getting nonprofits up and going on the website thanks to students from Riverdale High School. Please keep following the blog twitter and facebook to stay involved! Thank you, Lucy Parkin

Collin Styring Program Coordinator Intern

Hi, my name is Collin Styring, I am the Program Coordinator for Donors Resource. This is my first year with Donors Resource and it has truly been a great experience so far. As Program Coordinator I check the Donors Resource service email, and respond to any questions nonprofits or donors might ask. I also gather information about nonprofits registered with Donors Resource, along with granting their original membership. Another recent responsibility that comes with being Program Coordinator is running Warehouse Wednesday. Warehouse Wednesday is a weekly email sent to all nonprofits registered with Donors Resource. This email contains the top five coolest donations of the week that aren't yet claimed by any nonprofit. I am very excited to continue my internship with Donors Resource, I am having a blast!