MESI Major Case Study

I just wanted to mention a few things about the Manhattan Emergency Shelter, Inc. (MESI) who I did my major case study on.

Quick facts:

MESI can house 26 people in their location in Manhattan, where they provide temporary housing (6-10 weeks, but it’s circumstantial), and any sort of aide toward obtaining jobs, etc. Basically, they try to help their clients get to the root of why they are temporarily homeless and make sure that they can get back up on their feet.

Mandy Chapman Semple, executive director, believes that the poverty rate in Manhattan, Kan. is up to about 40%….which means that many times K-State students don’t see the amount of poverty that is all around them. Along with Semple, there are only about 5 people on staff at MESI. 

Much of how MESI survives in the community is by federal grants (local and state). Fundraising & contributions also make up a huge chunk in their operational fees. Semple does much of the fund-seeking for the organization, but it is hard to do when she is so busy and doesn’t have a large staff to assist her.

Upcoming events:

MESI is moving into a larger house: will be able to serve more clients and hopefully hire more staff (if there are enough funds).

Goal: raise $100,000 in the next two years.

I have a LOT more info. on MESI but I don’t want to bore everyone with a long LONG report, so if you have any questions or want more info. just ask!

Ariticle on Today’s Giving…

Libby,

I completely agree with you on online giving. I was shocked when I read some of the statistics you listed on your last post.

As much as I want to research charities and other good  causes, I get so many emails every day that I don’t need any more! I think this topic plays into the building relationships issue we have talked about in class many times. You need to actually find a connection, not email address, to insure more success in finding donors.

Like Libby said, I think that emails every once in a while can be beneficial, but when that is the first contact between a potential donor and the organization, that has disaster written all over it.

Oprah’s Big Give…where is the focus?

To be honest, I had never heard of this new Oprah’s Big Give philanthropic television series until a few days ago.  I think it sounds like a great show….but I have my worries.  My worries aren’t that I know this will put philanthropic giving to the forefront of millions of viewers each week, or that this could be the beginning of even more types of philanthropy (venture, etc.).  This show will definitely be an amazing promoter towards enriching lives by fund raising.  I am, although, worried that big-time networks some times focus on ratings more than the heart and soul that is found within shows such as these.

I scanned through some of the first news articles online about this show, and many of them centered on how many viewers tuned in, or a comparison to another show that aired the same night.  This isn’t American Idol…but wouldn’t it be great if a television show could carry as many loyal followers and viewers as that show.  Maybe those followers could become motivated to turn into philanthropic activists.

Why I’m taking this course!

This course was first brought to my attention when I was interviewing Prof Harvey about her work with the Greensburg Project this past fall. I became really interested in the possibility of working for an NPO, and decided to take the course.

Also, I think it’s imperative when you are in PR to know how effectively fund raise, so as a PR major, the course seems pertinent.

I think that’s all we’re supposed to write, and I hope that this works because I seem to be “blog-illiterate.”

–Courtney

Volunteering should be fun

Alison3, I totally agree with you about students not being “forced” to volunteer, but I also wonder what other options students should be given. Any ideas?

I went to a high school that required 100 service hours upon graduation.  I personally enjoyed volunteering, so that wasn’t a big deal, but for some it turned into a chore.  I knew a lot of people who would forge signatures or make up a story about volunteering in order to complete the minimum requirement.

Unfortunately, in this day, not everyone does things out of the kindness of their hearts.  It makes me wonder how many students at my high school would have actually done “service hours” if no one was monitoring them.

Maybe schools could offer specific service projects instead of saying “go to 100 hours of whatever you want.”  Maybe the issue is providing more guidance and direction to students who might be timid to go out on there own and find something they want to do.

Tax Deductions

In response to the previous post, I completely agree that tax exemptions should be left as is.

It’s as simple as, giving is rewarding, so sometimes there needs to be a reward.  I also, remember giving my clothes to places like Good Will when I was younger.  I had no idea that my parents were in any way receiving any other monetary reward from donating.  Now that I know there are some tax deductions involved, it really doesn’t change how I feel about donating.  Even people who donate just to get the deductions are, bottom line, still doing a good service to someone else.  Isn’t that the whole point of donating?

I wonder what would happen if the government took away all tax breaks.  Would non-profits see a huge decrease in funds? I think so.  In order to persuade people to take the time out of their day to donate, there sometimes has to be incentives, and tax deductions can be a very powerful one.