Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Connecting Children, Charities and Communities

What a fantastic celebration of childhood we've had this September! Festival of Children is in full swing, with one weekend left to go - and it has been an all-around astounding success. Our participating charities and performers are reaching so many new people, spreading the word about their organizations, and recruiting new donors and volunteers. We couldn't ask for more!
We hope you'll come visit us if you're in the area for our final weekend, as we close out the month and move on to Season of Caring Presents The Possible Dream, our annual grant-making program.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A Celebration for Children All Over America!

We wanted to share some good news with you!

On June 7, over 1,000 mayors from around the country gathered in Oklahoma City for the United States Conference of Mayors. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido introduced a resolution to the conference on behalf of Festival of Children Foundation, and as a result, the conference resolved to designate September National Child Awareness Month!

SEE IT HERE!

A few members of our staff just returned from Washington, DC where we met with local Members of Congress and state senators to encourage their support of National Child Awareness Month at the federal level. We eagerly await the passing of these resolutions in Congress and the Senate, which are expected to be introduced in the weeks ahead. This would be the third year in a row that the legislation is recognized for the entire month.

If you want more information on National Child Awareness Month, visit www.nationalchildawarenessmonth.org.

Stay tuned! And hey, thanks for your continued support of our efforts!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Taking the Nation's Capitol by Storm!

On Monday, part of the Festival of Children Foundation team will head to our nation's Capitol, Washington, DC to lobby for our political leaders' support of National Child Awareness Month. We'll meet with several congressmen and congresswoman, state senators and other "movers and shakers" to garner their endorsements of this monthlong celebration of children.

This will be the third year in a row that we're granted the designation of National Child Awareness Month and it will provide a platform to turn the nation's attention to children for the entire month of September! If you're a charity, a business, or just someone who cares about children, you can help us celebrate! To learn how you can get more involved, visit www.nationalchildawarenessmonth.org.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

FREE Legal Counsel for YOUR Organization

Attention Member Organizations!

Did you know that, in collaboration with two renowned law firms, Festival of Children Foundation offers pro bono legal services to our member organizations nationwide?

Our friends at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Latham & Watkins are working to put the limited resources of children's charities back to work for the kids. This means that, if your organization meets the minimum requirements of what these firms can offer in their pro bono programs, your legal issues can be resolved at no cost.

We invite you to apply for free legal counsel on matters including corporate governance, your tax-exempt status, human resources, intellectual property, real estate and lease issues, and more. Please contact us directly by sending an email to tpodlas@festivalofchildren.org with your specific request and we will determine which law firm best fits your needs.

"At Seyfarth Shaw, we are always looking for innovative ways to expand our pro bono program. Partnering with Festival of Children Foundation allows us the potential to provide pro bono legal services to a much larger group of deserving children's charities than if we had tried to find and approach each group separately," remarked Allegra Rich, Pro Bono & Philanthropy Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

We hope you can take advantage of this exciting resource, and we thank our pro bono legal service partners for their commitment to helping improve the lives of children.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Summer Webinars

You've probably heard us mention our wonderful partnership with Achieve Guidance, a firm that provides guidance, resources, and success strategies to nonprofits across the country. This summer, if you're a member of Festival of Children Foundation, you have access to informational webinars presented by their outstanding consultants. We promise you'll enjoy this series! You can log in to Achieve's website to register in advance; just let us know if you're missing a username and password.

Managing Forms of Capital
06/08/2010 12:00pm
Mention “capital” and it often conjures up images of financial capital, yet this is only one of a number of types of capital necessary for running an effective organization. Learn about the different types of capital and how the most successful organizations maximize their use of all of the diverse types of capital at their disposal.
Presented by Derrick Feldmann
12pm Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific

Developing Effective Messaging
07/13/2010 12:00pm
Why does it always seem like the same organizations have awesome messages? Does it mean they’ve spent thousands on a creative firm? Not always. Learn the processes used by public relations and marketing professionals for successfully accomplishing the daunting task of developing effective messaging.
Presented by Derrick Feldmann and John Thomas
12pm Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific

Planned Giving: Starting the Conversation
08/10/2010 12:00pm
Mention the words “planned giving” and development staff and boards get nervous. The reality is that most organizations don’t have a planned giving program—and not because it’s too complicated—because they don’t know how to start having the conversations with their donors. Learn how to develop a planned giving program that begins with simple and meaningful conversations with your donors.
Presented by Derrick Feldmann
12pm Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific

Conversations with Foundations
09/14/2010 12:00pm
You spend a fair amount of time talking about foundations, but what are they saying about you? Learn about the “behind the scenes” work and conversations that foundations are having about you, and how you can provide foundation staff and trustees with the greatest amount of value at each interaction!
Presented by Joanna Nixon
12pm Eastern, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Our Home Sweet Home... On the Web

We're so excited about the launch of our new website!
It's easy to navigate, interactive, and a place to invite our constituents to become a larger part of the work we do to improve the lives of children by strengthening our member organizations across the country. We hope you'll get involved in our mission and we'd love to hear your feedback. In fact, leave a comment below and we'll select someone at random to receive a special gift from us soon! There's a sneak peak to the right...tell your friends!
Together, dreams are possible.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Filling the Engagement Gap: An Executive Training Seminar

On Friday, May 7, Festival of Children Foundation will continue our executive training seminar series with an outstanding, interactive session led by Derrick Feldman, CEO of Achieve Guidance. Derrick will be joined by Bryan Gray of MediaSauce and will help participants understand the "engagement gap" in fundraising - what it is, and how to create opportunities for online and offline fundraising to build a stronger program. Participants will leave with the tools to establish next generation campaigns, approaches for online fundraising, and techniques to move relationships with constituents offline. If you are a Southern California member organization and would like to learn more or attend this program, contact Eileen Daniher at (714) 438-3286.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Restaurant Group Supports Monthly Fundraising Program for Charities

Wahoo’s Fish Taco, a restaurant group dedicated to making a positive difference in the communities they work in, has launched a program to support as many as four causes a month throughout 2010. All southern California Wahoo's locations will participate in this exciting effort to designate 20% of their profit from each order to a selected youth-serving organization. In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month and National Autism Awareness Month, Wahoo's will be supporting Children's Bureau and TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), both member charities of FOCF, for the week of April 19-25. Download the flyer for Children's Bureau or TACA from our website, and support these important causes while sharing delicious food with friends and family!

Thank you, Wahoo's, for your dedication to improving the lives of children!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Agency "Buddies Up" with FOCF to Document Powerful Stories

This year, we're thrilled to "buddy up" with Pete Deutschmann, Chief Buddy at The Buddy Group, a digital engagement agency that is challenging our eight recipient charities that received funding from The Possible Dream to share their stories in a powerful way.
As The Buddy Group closely monitors each organization in the weeks ahead, they will select one lucky recipient and work together to create a professional sizzle video that showcases the work being done. They will offer creative strategy, help to define the voice of the organization, and work with local media sources to publish the finished product and provide invaluble awareness of the organization. Learn more about The Buddy Group!
Thank you, Pete, for this incredible offer to our charities. We can't wait to see their dreams brought to life through your creative work.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

"To Get Our Name Out There"

Derrick Feldmann, CEO of Achieve Guidance (a valued Festival of Children Foundation partner!) authored an informative article about getting your organization's name "out there" - how to do it effectively, and how to avoid the pitfalls.
We'll continue to share valuable information that pertains to the world of charity, and would love to educate you on subjects specific to your organization. Tell us what you want to hear by commenting below after you've read the article!

Download the Article

Monday, March 15, 2010

Children's Charities Granted Funds to Help Dreams

Last October, nearly 100 children's charities from across Orange County, CA submitted their ideas for ways to impact the lives of children in need. To celebrate the end of Orange County Register's Season of Caring program, eight charities were granted their wishes this month, with funds to help make their dreams come true. The projects were identified through our grant-making program, The Possible Dream. Recipient charities include Festival of Children Foundation members Girls Inc., Kids Konnected, Orangewood Children's Foundation, and more. Stay tuned as we follow their dreams together at The Possible Dream online!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

We've joined the blogosphere!

Welcome to Festival of Children Foundation's blog. With the launch of our new website (in the next few weeks!) also comes an additional tool for us to communicate with the general public, as well as with our 400+ children's charities nationwide.

We're so excited to blog and invite you to join our discussion. Whether you're a charity, an individual looking to get involved, or a representative of a company that cares, we're glad you're here! Keep checking back as we'll continue to share news, stories from the field, and exciting opportunities for you to get involved in our work.