Tag Archives: Fundraising Strategies

Lynn Clark “Keeps It Going” with Community Connections

When we launched the Keep It! Campaign, one of the core ideas was that our success or failure would be directly related to how well we were able to harness the “Power of Ten”. The key to this strategy was the idea of multiplication. Raising funds is certainly critical, but it’s even more important to “Keep It Going!” by connecting others to the cause. As we have moved forward, a number of key individuals have helped us to unlock the “Power of Ten”. Their stories are as diverse as they are inspiring. Each has connected a wide range of people to the project, raised significant funds to support the cause, and brought their own personal talents and interests to the project. Through a feature entitled “Keep It! Going”, we salute these champions by sharing their stories and recognizing their contribution with a simple keychain created by the children of Ivory Park.

Lynn Clark cares about communities. Whether it’s her hometown neighbors, a South African township in need, or PASC students and peers, she believes in nurturing relationships. It is this desire to build strong connections that has made Clark one of the Keep It! Campaign’s most loyal advocates.

Clark is the student council adviser and a health and physical education teacher at Norwin High School (North Huntingdon, PA). She values the lessons modeled through the PASC and encourages her students to practice these ideals. Through student council initiatives, Norwin’s student leaders are learning decision-making skills that allow them to be proactive in meeting needs in their own community and beyond. “Our group is very active in PASC state conferences and summer programs,” says Clark. “I send my students to these workshops to learn about leadership. We value our relationship with the PASC and believe it is important to support their initiatives as well as what is happening in our own neighborhood.”

It was through a former student’s experience at a 2009 PASC summer workshop that Clark first learned about the Campaign for Ivory Park. She recalls Forrest Mance’s excitement when he first shared the Keep It! story with his peers, and she enthusiastically backed his efforts to gain the council’s support for the campaign. As a result, students raised more than $700 through a dodgeball tournament held on behalf of Keep It! “Forrest is an awesome leader who took the initiative to organize, plan, and collect the funds,” notes Clark. And while Mance got the ball rolling in support of the campaign, it has been Clark’s job to help maintain the momentum through the years.

“I try to influence the students when I can,” says Clark. “I want them to know that it is important to support our own community but that, even if it’s not in our neck of the woods, we can make a difference. It’s important to be supportive of those who need our help whenever and wherever we can.” This philosophy was put into play in the spring of 2011, when the Norwin student council hosted another dodgeball tournament. Clark notes that the students were excited about the opportunity to provide additional support for Keep It! when an unforeseen and violent act of nature changed their plans. “Our community was hit by a destructive tornado in the spring,” explains Clark. “Some areas were devastated.” In this case, Clark and her students knew that they needed to provide support to neighbors who were dealing with the crisis, so tournament proceeds were donated to local relief efforts.

Still, Clark notes that Ivory Park is always in the hearts and minds of her students. “The kids have seen pictures of the difference they are making in South Africa,” she says. “They want to be a part of it. They want to know about the progress being made. It has become personal for them.” Because of this, Clark and her students donated their remaining funds for the 2010-2011 school year to Keep It! In addition, students have donated concession stand proceeds from a November 2011 power puff game and are planning a February 2012 Keep It! dodgeball tournament.

“One of our long term goals is to expand the scope of Keep It! beyond Ivory park as we continue to accomplish our goals in South Africa,” explains Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski. “Norwin’s experience is the perfect illustration of how the idea of ‘Act Locally, Reach Globally’ can impact communities at home as well as abroad. When student leaders and their advisers are proactive rather than reactive, they are ready to respond to a crisis as soon as the need arises. They become decision makers and change agents, not just fund raisers. This doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design. It’s sustainable, scalable, and replicable. Those are the hallmarks of social entrepreneurship.”

Through community connections and her efforts to provide sustainability for the Keep It! Campaign, Clark is teaching her students about the importance of reaching out to those in their own community and abroad. In October of 2010, her outstanding efforts were acknowledged when she was named a PASC adviser of the year. The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Lynn Clark, a campaign champion who “Keeps It Going” through sustained support and community connections.

Introducing "Keep It! Going"

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When we launched the Keep It! Campaign, one of the core ideas was that our success or failure would be directly related to how well we were able to harness the “Power of Ten”.

The key to this strategy was the idea of multiplication. Raising funds is certainly critical, but it’s even more important to “Keep It Going!” by connecting others to the cause. As we have moved forward, a number of key individuals have helped us to unlock the “Power of Ten”. Their stories are as diverse as they are inspiring. Each has connected a wide range of people to the project, raised significant funds to support the cause, and brought their own personal talents and interests to the project. Through a new feature entitled “Keep It! Going”, we will salute these champions by sharing their stories and recognizing their contribution with a simple keychain created by the children of Ivory Park.

Todd Slobodnyak and the Zombies of Westminster “Keep It Going!”

At Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, Humans are fighting for survival, and this time, the opponent is more threatening than a mid-term chemistry exam. Zombies are on the loose, and their main objective is to tag as many Humans as possible. With socks and Nerf guns as their only instruments of defense, Humans are losing ground. Fortunately for them, there are no real losers on this battlefield. Instead, the efforts of Humans and Zombies alike have resulted in a victory for the Keep It! Campaign.

College student Todd Slobodnyak is the organizer for the Westminster version of Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ), a trendy game of moderated tag that is spreading through campuses across the nation. Slobodnyak explains that the popularity of HvZ has made it a perfect way to raise funds and awareness for the Keep It! Campaign. He describes the fundraiser as a week-long, campus-wide game of tag. Last fall, Slobodynak and the HvZ crew raised $350 for the cause. He plans to hold the event once a semester and hopes to earn at least $700 in donations during the upcoming spring competition.

Students at Westminster College team up for Ivory Park in a spirited game of Humans vs. Zombies.

Slobodnyak first learned about Keep It! through his work with the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils and PASC alum and Keep It! founder Bob Tryanski. “When I was in high school, I was a PASC delegate for three years. Now as an alum, I try my best to help out by giving back,” he says. “Bob Tryanski has been a good friend and a role model. When I heard about the Keep It! Campaign, I wanted to get involved. It’s a great program with a great purpose.”

In addition to his support of the campaign, Slobodnyak has found other ways to stay connected to his leadership roots. He is a valuable staff member at the PASC Advanced Gold summer workshops and has agreed to serve as a mentor to a PASC Regional Representative throughout the 2011 Keep It! Dodgeball Tournament contest.

“Todd’s commitment to the Keep It! Campaign is the perfect example of how you can harness the Power of Ten,” says Campaign founder, Bob Tryanski. “It goes way beyond merely making a difference. Todd has harnessed his connections with PASC alums, PASC workshop delegates and staff, and brought them together with his swim team, student organizations, and other friends at Westminster. Those connections have broadened our network of support for Ivory Park and helped us to discover this great project model – the HvZ tournament as a way to ‘Keep It Going’ on college campuses.”

When he is not herding Zombies or working with the PASC, Slobodnyak is an avid swimmer and busy college student. He is currently pursuing a degree in marine biology with a minor in secondary education and is considering a career in aquatic ecology. Whether he is serving as a mentor to student leaders or organizing a fundraiser in support of a community, Slobodnyak is always looking for ways to give back. Wherever his future path might lead, it is certain that it will be shaped by his altruistic nature and a winning desire to serve. The Keep It! Campaign is proud to honor Todd Slobodnyak, a campaign champion who “Keeps It Going!”

For tips on organizing a Humans vs. Zombies fundraiser to benefit the Keep It! Campaign, contact Todd Slobodnyak at slobodtd@westminster.edu.

PASC Introduces a Dodgeball Tournament Contest to Support the Keep It! Campaign

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In January, we invited PASC members to celebrate the progress made in Ivory Park, South Africa through their support of the “Keep It!” Campaign. Since the project’s inception 18-months ago, an expanding network of social entrepreneurs has allowed us to make significant advances toward our goal. A library has been built, books are on the shelves, and we are funding the salaries of several fulltime teachers. We have raised half of our fundraising goal. As we look forward to continued progress in 2011, we would like to introduce an exciting year-long initiative inspired by several of our PASC member schools and organized by our regional representatives.

This year, PASC and “Keep It!” are sponsoring a statewide contest to challenge member schools to act locally and reach globally. With this contest, schools are invited to host dodgeball tournaments in support of the Keep It! Campaign. The tournament is based on a scalable, replicable project model first used by students at North Allegheny. With the assistance of NA students and staff, PASC and Keep It! supporters have developed a how-to manual that documents the secrets to planning a successful dodgeball tournament. This manual is now available to all PASC member schools.

In addition to presenting students with valuable lessons in leadership, the goal of the dodgeball project is to fund our continuing efforts in Ivory Park AND to support community needs in your own hometown. This concept is being modeled by one of our partner schools. At Oak Park Elementary, students have created a sunshine fund. Monies raised throughout the year are shared by the Oak Park and the Ivory Park communities. Support of the sunshine fund allows students and staff to care for their own neighbors while building connections with people thousands of miles away.

It is hoped that through Keep It! Dodgeball Tournaments, schools can provide support to their own communities and to Ivory Park. The details for the dodgeball tournament contest are as follows:

• Our goal is to recruit sixty schools to sponsor Keep It! Dodgeball Tournaments before October 15, 2011.

• Between January 15th and March 15th PASC will promote the tournament idea and recruit schools to register online at www.keepitcampaign.com/dodgeball.

Continue reading →

Your Dollars Are Making a Difference

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In Ivory Park, small donations can make a world of difference. Here’s how your dollars are transforming the community:

■$10 buys a book for the library.
■$10 covers the cost of a hot meal a day for three children at the day care center for an entire month
■$10 covers the cost of a hot meal for a senior citizen at the soup kitchen twice a week for a full month.
■$10 a month covers a teacher’s salary for an entire month over the course of a year.
■$25 a month pays the salaries of five cooks for an entire month over the course of a year.
■$50 a month pays the salary of a librarian for one month over the course of a year.
■$100 covers propane, transportation, and other costs at the Suppa du Mamma Soup Kitchen.
■$375 per month provides a daily, balanced meal to 120 of the children at Sedimosang Center.

■$500 provides 60 seniors with two meals a week for an entire month at the Suppa du Mamma Kitchen.
■$750 covers the cost for a local librarian to receive a week of professional development training.
■$875 pays for a computer database system to catalog the library collection and manage the library.
■$1,500 pays the salary of a teacher/tutor for an entire year.
■$6,000 builds a complete, state-of-the-art kitchen that feeds 120 preschool children every day, 60 senior citizens twice a week and another 160 school-age children every day after school.

To join our efforts by donating to the project, follow the attached link. Together, we are building a community of hope.

http://www.bobtryanski.com/keepitcampaign/ivorypark/donate.html

PASC Progress Report

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Thanks to PASC, “Keep It!” Reaches New Heights and Expands Its Challenge to “ACT LOCALLY, REACH GLOBALLY!”

While there is still much work to do, the efforts of our PASC partners and additional supporters are making a difference each and every day for the residents of Ivory Park. Read about the changes that have already taken place.

When the “Keep It!” Campaign was launched in September of 2009, our goal was to motivate young people to develop their capacity as social entrepreneurs. For the campaign’s inaugural project, young entrepreneurs were challenged to act locally and reach globally by helping to build a community of hope in Ivory Park, South Africa. Thanks to the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils, hope is alive and well in Ivory Park.

Backed by critical support from our member schools, “Keep It!” is drawing an ever increasing number of dedicated volunteers. Their efforts are resulting in steady progress toward the development of strong student leaders and the completion of project goals.

The dream is to build a community of hope in Ivory park. Helping us is a national network of social entrepreneurs led by the PASC.

To date, we have raised a little more than $20,000. These funds have allowed PASC to make a positive impact in Ivory Park, where U.S. dollars go a long way. A library has been built and the first round of books is already on the shelves. We have been able to fund the salaries of three full-time teachers for an entire calendar year. A fourth teacher’s salary has been covered by regular monthly contributions from a small group of PASC alums who have embraced the “Power of Ten” concept by contributing ten dollars a month.

In addition, construction of the community center kitchen has been completed. Much of the funding is in place, and our partners at First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, TN, have pledged enough funds to cover the remaining kitchen costs.

Funds have also been directed to support feeding programs for the daycare center, soup kitchen, and an after-school program for teen orphans who, because of the AIDS crisis, are parenting their younger siblings. The program allows the teens to continue their education while their siblings are cared for at the daycare center. It also provides a hot meal, a tutor, and a place to study after school. Altogether, these programs now feed 150 preschool children, 60 senior citizens, and 75 teens. Continue reading →

The First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, TN: The Power of Ten in Action

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The congregation at the First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville, TN, has a history of reaching out to others in need. Through mission works large and small, church members are committed to caring for people in their own community and beyond. Recently, the congregation embraced the Keep It! Campaign and the people of Ivory Park by agreeing to provide financial support for Ivory Park initiatives. Church member Ann VanBuskirk explains that the congregation is dedicated to raising enough funds to complete the Suppa du Mamma Soup Kitchen. The new central kitchen located in the Ivory Park community center will provide hot meals for senior citizens and children.

First Pres Youth Photo

A variety of groups throughout the church have joined the fundraising campaign. The women’s group hosted a benefit breakfast, the senior high youth group organized and performed at a church-based dinner theater, and in November, the congregation participated in an International Bazaar. VanBuskirk notes that the bazaar has become an annual tradition that provides shoppers with access to unique gifts and accessories while providing support to artisans from Palestine, Nicaragua, and other parts of the world. This year, the church sold $400 worth of Awava merchandise resulting in $200 in fair trade wages for the Awava artisans in Uganda and $200 for Ivory Park.

Bob Tryanski, founder of the Keep It! Campaign, explains that the new kitchen will consolidate existing efforts to provide nutritious meals to those most in need. Previously, the soup kitchen operated separately from a feeding program in the Sedimosang Day Care Center and an after school meal program for teenage orphans. Now, one central kitchen will serve all of these programs. As a result, meal programs will become less costly and more time efficient. In addition, it will create sustainable jobs for the cooks.

Tryanski also points out the significant impact that has been created by building a network through the Power of Ten. “When you realize the effects this project can have, it’s difficult not to get involved,” says Tryanski. “Thanks to the efforts of great volunteers like our friends at the First Presbyterian Church, the new kitchen will feed 150 preschool children every day, 60 senior citizens several times a week and another 160 school-age children each day after school. In terms of dollars, $10 will feed three kids for a month, and $100 will pay the salary of two of the cooks for a month.”

To date, supporters at First Presbyterian have contributed over $2000 and are more than one third of the way toward reaching their goal.

Oak Park Elementary School: “Bridging the Parks”

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Seasonal fundraisers provide consistent support and teach students about local and global citizenship.

At Oak Park Elementary School in Lansdale, PA, students and staff are discovering creative ways to care for their own community while building connections with people thousands of miles away. Brett Baker, 6^th grade teacher, explains that Oak Park students and staff have always been responsive to meeting the needs of others. “Our school family is community minded,” he says. “Whether the needs are in our own backyard or far away, we rally around the cause.” He notes that Oak Park families have supported local food banks, adopted a school ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and provided resources for residents of Haiti.

“Bridging the Parks” represents the school’s latest effort to act locally and reach globally by building a bridge between Oak Park Elementary and Ivory Park, South Africa. In October, Bob Tryanski – founder of the Keep It! Campaign – traveled to Oak Park and acquainted students with the challenges facing Ivory Park residents. He explained that donations from Oak Park will help to support the feeding program at the Sedimosang Day Care Center and will also provide books for the new library. A $200 check presented by students at the orientation assembly will pay for meals for 20 Ivory Park children for an entire month.

Baker explains that throughout the school year, students and staff will be participating in the “Bridging the Parks” campaign through a variety of simple, fun, and profitable initiatives. As the campaign catalysts, sixth graders will be driving the fund raisers and learning important service lessons in the process. The monies raised will be shared by the Oak Park and Ivory Park communities throughout the coming year.

October: “You are Gourd-geous Fundraiser to Squash Out Poverty”

In this fundraiser geared toward the autumn season, Baker mobilized his sixth graders to take orders for colorful gourds. For $1, students could order a gourd and request that it be delivered to a fellow student or staff member along with a note reminding the recipient that he or she is “gourd-geous”. In this three day sale, dedicated students sold more than 500 gourds.

November: “Friendship Grams”

This fundraiser allows students to celebrate Thanksgiving by showing thanks for special friends and staff members. For just 25 cents, students can purchase a friendship gram – a small note of gratitude adorned with a piece of candy.

December: “Spirit of Giving”

In an important life lesson about generosity, the Oak Park staff will embrace the spirit of the season by asking for donations in lieu of more traditional holiday gifts from their students. The gifts received will be used to support children in the local community and in Ivory Park.

February: “You Rock”

Students and staff will be able to purchase a polished pet rock in a box – a keepsake designed to let that special Valentine know that he or she is not taken for “granite”.

Through creative, seasonal fundraisers, Oak Park Elementary School is providing consistent opportunities for students to affirm friendships and to become good citizens in their own community and across the globe, in Ivory Park.

North Allegheny High School Students Plan It, Dodge It, and Keep It!

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“Our mission is to help build a community of hope in Ivory Park, South Africa. Helping us to reach our goal is a network of social entrepreneurs – people who work together to develop sustainable projects that will ultimately give the people of Ivory Park control over their lives and their future. The results of these efforts are measurable; the projects are sustainable; the outcomes are scalable; the models are replicable. ”

Bob Tryanski

At North Allegheny High School in Wexford, PA, students are social entrepreneurs. Through a recent dodgeball tournament, organizers of You throw it; I dodge it; They keep it! did more than just raise funds for the people of Ivory Park, South Africa. They also developed a scalable, replicable project model – a tangible template of success filled with clear-cut strategies that other schools can apply.

Akshaya Arjunan, currently a senior at North Allegheny, served on the planning committee for the dodgeball event. She was introduced to the concept of social entrepreneurship and the Keep It! Campaign while attending an Advanced Gold Workshop sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils. After learning about the hardships facing Ivory Park residents, Arjunan was inspired to take action. She encouraged a committee of classmates to act locally and reach globally by including Ivory Park as a beneficiary of the high school’s upcoming tournament. Committee members agreed, and with the Keep It! seed firmly planted, organizers got busy cultivating an event that would provide the perfect mix of fun and fund raising.

Patti Dzambo, student council adviser, notes that the committee, composed of twelve student council officers from both the intermediate and senior high schools, met on a weekly basis during the two months preceding the tournament. While developing and executing their plans, students focused on designing a blueprint that was measurable, scalable, and replicable. “By brainstorming and paying attention to the details, students learned to solve problems before they occurred,” says Dzambo. “They knew that if they were detailed and well organized, then the project could be duplicated the next year and the next. Their work raising money for worthy beneficiaries such as Keep It! would live on at North Allegheny High School and beyond.”

Tesin Gnalian, a recent graduate of North Allegheny, served as a cabinet head for the student council service committee in charge of organizing the event. Gnalian explains that she and her peers were excited about the opportunity to make a difference and acknowledges that organizing the tournament required time, patience, and teamwork on the part of everyone involved. Still, she believes that the end results made it all worthwhile. “We get so caught up in our own lives that we forget that there are people out there who need things that you and I take for granted – basic necessities like food and water,” she says. “We need to take a step back from our own lives and give to those who need our help. The Keep It! Campaign gave me and my peers the opportunity to make a commitment and to give back.”

The efforts of student planners and participants resulted in a successful tournament with 23 teams taking the court. And, while tournament play may have appeared to be all fun and games, the final score resulted in life-changing benefits for the people of Ivory Park. The $1,108 in event proceeds has already been used toward the completion of a working library in Ivory Park. In addition to providing a variety of books to school children, the library will also be the site for an intergenerational literacy program.

With the assistance of North Allegheny students and staff and PASC assistant director Kathy Coll, the secrets to planning a successful dodgeball tournament have been documented in a “how to” manual that will be available to schools in Pennsylvania and throughout the country. “The wonderful thing about North Allegheny’s contribution is the way in which they have provided us with a replicable project model that is supported with written materials that other organizations can follow,” says Bob Tryanski, Keep It! founder. “Look at the organizations that have had tremendous success mobilizing high school students to support their cause through special programs — organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, or the American Cancer Society and their Relay for Life – and ask yourself what these organizations have in common. I think the answer is that each of them has an involvement template that any organization can follow. If other schools embrace the idea and implement the strategies outlined by the team at North Allegheny, the Dodgeball Tournament could turn out to be our Relay for Life. The possibilities are exciting!”

By providing a replicable project model, North Allegheny has achieved one of the hallmarks of social entrepreneurship. Keep It! encourages other schools to embrace the ideal and implement the strategies outlined by the team at North Allegheny. By working together to build a network of social entrepreneurs, there is no limit to the positive impact that students can create. . .in their own communities and across the globe in Ivory Park.