The importance of Board Approval in Not-For-Profit organisations

So as we were coming close to the launch date of our new fund raising campaign 50K in 50 Days we have reached a massive obstacle that has stopped us from proceeding any further - Board Approval.

angelhands Inc. is a not- for-profit organisation and relies heavily on funding from sponsors and donations in order to sustain the services that they provide to the community. However the organisation is running on a $100,000 shortfall and needs to make at least $50,000 to cover themselves for a short period of time. Thus the need for the 50K In 50 Days campaign.

The board has put the campaign on hold due to some disagreements among board members and other issues pertaining to the campaign. Till then the launch date is yet to be confirmed. This is quite frustrating as my supervisor and myself have been working together with our team to ensure that we have the necessary ready within the previous launch date. However I have been made aware that such hindrances are commonplace in not-for-profit organisations due to the lack of resources and the need to wait for overheads for approval when making major decisions.

Although next week will be my final week with angelhands Inc. as part of my placement unit, I will continue doing PR work experience for them and will still be very much be involved in the work for the 50K In 50 Days campaign in the future.

So this is my final blog post, thank you for sharing your experiences. I wish you all the best for your future endeavors.

Till later,

Anastasia Arasu

Bentley Campus

15483214

Home Stretch

angelhands Inc. is in its final stretch of launching our campaign and things have started to get more hectic. Along with the nomination for the CESAwards being around the corner there has been quite a bit of tasks that need to be attended to and more deadlines that are to be met. It seems slightly hard juggling assignments, work, internship, and a social life. But I have never had a more productive semester throughout my time at uni and I am enjoying every moment of it.

 

I have passed my 10 day mark at my internship and it has been absolutely eventful and intense. I have gained so much of experience. Such as: keeping out an eye on media presence, liaising with the media to arrange potential media coverage, helping my supervisor out with her involvement in an educational video (coaching her in what to say and how to carry herself, with the aid of a media mentor), producing media release on our achievements and happenings, and being on the team in charge of the new fund raising campaign and working on the PR. These are just some of the PR adventures I have embarked on. I am coming close to the launch date and I am really excited to see how all our hard work falls into place

I will update you on the progress and the success of our launch and my final days at angelhands Inc. in my next post.

Till Later,

Anastasia Arasu

Bentley Campus

15483214

Guess who is a finalist in the Community Services Excellence Awards 2014?

Angelhands Inc. has been nominated for the Community Services Excellence Awards 2014 and has been selected as a finalist in the Volunteer Based Category. The event is an alliance between the Department of Local Government Communities and the WA Council of Social Service. The awards is held once in every two years. Here is a media statement from the government on the awards:  Government Media Statement .

A midst our crazy time planning the launch of our new fundraising campaign, this announcement has made our hard work seem like it is all worth it. In my previous post I emphasized how much in need of funding we were. If we are to win this award it would give us a much needed boost to our finances. Apart from the possible enhancement in the financial area, the awards has brought more awareness to our organization and the work that we do and my supervisor has said that, “any recognition that serves to raise awareness around the work of angelhands and the unique needs of people affected by crime in our society is truly appreciated.” Which is very true, the more awareness we gain the more our work is recognized by the public.

Seeing that angelhands was mentioned in the media statement from the government website I've decided to cash in on it. I worked on a media release for my supervisor to send out to her media contacts and surprised myself and my supervisor by producing one within 30 minutes. I never thought that I would be able to write one up in that span of time. I guess all that practice from my PR Techniques class has finally paid off and i couldn't be anymore prouder of myself.

There has also been an update and a slight change on our fundraising campaign 100K in 100 Days, upon further discussion with the board; my supervisor, the angelhand’s Director has decided that 100 thousand dollars is slightly beyond what we can reach and that 50 thousand is a more attainable target amount. Especially seeing that funding is needed immediately within a short amount of time. So now we are working towards the 50K in 50 Days campaign which is essentially due to be launched in the month of May. The campaign is well under way and I have been working closely with my supervisor and past year examples to help guide me in this journey. This is all very exciting, not wanting to sound like a cliché but I have just once again been reminded of the reasons as to why I fell in love with PR in the first place.

Till Later,

Anastasia Arasu

15483214
Bentley Campus