The Epilepsy Foundation has planned the first-ever National Walk for Epilepsy, to be held in Washington DC. On March 31, 2007 thousands of people will walk the 5K route from Constitution Avenue to Jefferson Drive on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness and money for epilepsy research.

The event takes place on the first day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and should bring 5,000 walkers to help raise money to support programs to eliminate stigma and raise awareness of epilepsy.

“Epilepsy is the most-common neurological condition in almost three million Americans, but few people know that it can affect anyone, anywhere at any time,” said Eric R. Hargis, President and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. “The goals of the Walk are to raise public awareness about the condition and to secure much needed funding to find a cure. We are also striving to create an environment where people living with epilepsy have equal access to all life experiences.”

The National Walk for Epilepsy is hosted by The Epilepsy Foundation, a national voluntary health organization established in 1967, works to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences; to improve how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted and valued in society; and to promote research for a cure.

The event is sponsored by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics. “Ortho-McNeil Neurologics is very excited to be a part of the National Walk for Epilepsy, because our commitment to the epilepsy community extends beyond providing treatment,” said Janet Vergis, President, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc.

Honorary Chair for this first-ever Walk is actor Greg Grunberg, who is best-known for his television roles as Sean Blumberg on Felicity, Eric Weiss on Alias, and Matt Parkman on NBC’s new hit show, Heroes. Greg and his wife Elizabeth’s 10-year-old son, Jake, has epilepsy. “It is such an honor to participate in any way we can to raise awareness in the fight against epilepsy,” Grunberg said. “To be able to march on Washington with those directly effected and their families lets our family know we are not alone.”

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Kim Klein of Grassroots Fundraising Journal is hosting an online seminar (webinar) on a topic that would be of interest to many locally based community groups.

How Small Groups Can Raise Big Money
December 4, 2006 (Monday) AT 12 NOON PT/1 PM MT/2 PM CT/3 PM ET

Have you ever thought, “If only we had our own building? Or, “If only we could create a reserve fund to get us through our lean times? Or “If only we had the money to build a health clinic or theater or new school?” You will be surprised at how much money you can raise, using the skills you already have, without a lot of front money.

This workshop is for organizations with budgets under $750,000. Learn how a grassroots agency with a budget of $300,000 raised $1,000,000 for a building, or how an environmental group with a budget of $600,000 formed a coalition to raise $15 million to save a forest.

You will learn how to plan and implement a capital campaign that works for your small organization. You will understand capital campaign concepts like feasibility studies, lead gifts, naming opportunities and how or whether they apply to your situation. You will know how to proceed and what to watch out for and how to recruit a fundraising team to help you.

Find out more about this and other Grassroots Fundraising Journal Seminars

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While looking for a new job in fund-raising, someone suggested that I look into The Foundation Center’s online courses. I am certainly glad that I did. They offer a variety of courses, some for a fee and others that are free.

The Foundation Center is well-known as a leading authority on philanthropy. It was first established in 1956 and there are now Center locations in several large cities across the United States. The headquarters is in New York City and Field Offices are in Atlanta, GA; Cleveland, OH; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. The Foundation Center has an extensive library of information about foundations for organizations and individuals. They also offer on-site classes.

But what can you do if you live in a part of the country that does not have a Foundation Center located near you? For this reason they have also created online courses. The online courses are extensive and offer lots of information on their subject area.

In speaking with Dr. JuWon Choi, Vice President for Educational Services of The Foundation Center, I discovered that they actually offer three different types of online training opportunities.

Free Online Courses

“The first type is what we call “tools and resources” and they are online guides to help grantseekers to make the most of the Foundation Center’s web site and databases. Examples include Guide to the Foundation Center’s Web Site and The Foundation Directory Online Guided Tour. Anybody can access these from our web site free of charge,” said Dr. Choi.

The second type is what is called “Quick Tutorials”. “The “Quick Tutorials” introduce grantseekers to the world of foundations, proposal writing, and related topics. These resemble short e-books and examples include Proposal Writing Short Course (available in 6 languages), Guide to Funding Research, and Establishing a Nonprofit Organization. Again, anybody can access these from our web site free of charge,”said Dr. Choi

Pay As You Go Courses

“The third type is more intensive courses that reinforce lessons with interactivity, assignments, and self-tests. You have taken two of our courses—Grantseeking Basics for Individuals and Grantseeking Basics for Nonprofit Organizations. In addition, we have many others such as Getting Ready for Foundation Fundraising and Proposal Writing. Some of our courses are available free of charge and some are fee-based,” said Dr. Choi

As Dr. Choi mentions, I took the courses Grantseeking Basics for Nonprofit Organizations and also Grantseeking for Basics for Individuals. I enjoyed these classes. I did not have any previous grantwriting experience before. I found them to be very informative, and also extremely approachable. There is great detail in this class, it is not the type of class that someone would probably complete in a single evening. This is more a class that someone can go back to over several evenings.

Grantseeking Basics for Nonprofit Organization Course

The course Grantseeking Basics for Nonprofit Organization, for example, takes you step-by-step through the grantwriting process, explaining to you how it works as if you were going to write a grant. That in some ways was a bit challenging for me because I did not have a specific organization in mind. So I used the idea of writing a grant for an organization I was doing some volunteer work for – so that I had an organization to direct the assignments towards.

I thought the assignments were excellent, there were enough assignments to keep you thinking about the project without overwhelming you with too much work. It was clear that you could also take the assignments to a deeper level, and there were even book recommendations offered so you could further your study beyond the course, which was just great to see, because how many times have we been in a class and a professor has suggested we read an article or look at a specific book? So this was very much like being in a class.

One of the challenges with the course is that you cannot print it out. I would have liked the opportunity to review the lessons at a later date after doing the examples. The Foundation Center does make it clear that you do have access to the course for 180 days, which is certainly a very generous amount of time – and this gives you lots of time to go back and reflect. There is also the ability to take notes inside the course as you are taking it. But once I learned I could not print out my notes I chose to take my notes on a Word document so I could print them out and save them on my own computer.

The design of this course is also very attractive. I know that is not the only reason to consider taking this type of course, but when you are learning online, it is helpful to have something that is going to be “easy on your eyes” and make learning comfortable. This is a very attractive looking course with a variety of graphics offered (pie charts and some other graphics). Different colored text is also used, which makes reading easier. I was also very impressed that The Foundation Center could cover such a dense subject, but make the course’s text very condensed in a number of ways – there is no superfluous writing in this course.

New Courses from The Foundation Center

Dr. Choi confirms that there will be more online courses offered in the future. “Yes, we recently issued our 8th online training course, Getting Ready for Foundation Fundraising which we made available free of charge, and already many people are finding it helpful. We are getting close to introducing a comprehensive course on proposal writing. We have a few other courses in various stages of development at the moment.

Find out more about The Foundation Center Online Training Courses

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One of the biggest mistakes event organizers make is forgetting about publicity until after almost all the planning is complete.

Do that, and you’ll blow your chances of getting the best coverage possible. Smart Publicity Hounds are aware of any and all media opportunities and keep them top of mind when planning. Here are eight questions to ask yourself during the early days of your planning:

1. Do we need pre-event coverage in national magazines in order for the event to be a success? If so, what are the editorial deadlines for getting into those publications?

You particularly need to know about deadlines for routine things like calendar listings. If publicity in national magazines is absolutely essential, you may have to pitch six or seven months before the event because many magazines have long lead times. And if you’re pitching stories that far ahead, it means your planning will be pushed back, too.

2. Is the event taking place in or near a city that’s a hub for one or more of the major airlines? If so, coverage in the airlines’ in-flight magazines could really boost attendance, particularly if the event can be considered a tourist attraction.

The May 2004 issue of NWA World Traveler, the in-flight magazine published by Northwest Airlines, includes stories and photos about several events, from the Memphis in May International Festival to an art show featuring works by Scandinavian wood carvers at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. (See “Special Report #29: Fly High with Publicity in Inflight Magazines.”)

3. Do we have enough photos and other graphics to submit to national publications? If not, you need to round them up before your publicity campaign begins. That could mean planning eight or nine months before the event.

For example, a regional art festival that’s taking place for the first time obviously use in its media kit photos from the previous year. Instead, organizers would have to provide beautiful color photos of some of the artwork that will be displayed at that first show. You will also have to make sure the photos are available in several different formats-prints, slides and electronically.

4. Can we plan specific activities in which we can ask media people to participate, not just report?

If your event includes a parade, a popular local TV anchor might agree to serve as the grand marshal. If you need someone to judge a competition, consider asking media representatives. If you need a keynote speaker, TV people will often oblige. If they do, there’s a good chance they’ll include your event on that night’s newscast. If you’re planning an air balloon festival, make sure someone from your group can take a reporter for a ride in an air balloon at least several days or weeks before your event begins, so they have time write about it.

5. Are we designing invitations so that they attract the media? If so, your efforts are focused on the wrong people. Media folks are not impressed by clever invitations.

In fact, when I worked as an editor, I hated opening an invitation that included an unexpected handful of glitter or confetti that fell into my lap. Design invitations to attract the people who will be paying to attend your event. Impress the media with great story angles, and make it easy for them to cover the parts of your event that most interest them.

6. Are we budgeting for fancy press packages, overnight delivery and other unexpected “surprises” for the media, such as a news release about the event hidden inside a balloon bouquet and delivered by a courier? If so, please don’t waste your money on ostentatious press kits either.

When I worked as an editor, I once received a balloon bouquet from someone I didn’t know, with a note instructing me to pop the yellow balloon. I hate popping balloons. But I popped it anyway. The news release that was folded up and put inside the balloon flew across the room and landed under a bookcase. By the time I retrieved it and unfolded it, I wasn’t amused. I was furious! What do you suppose I did with that news release? When delivering things to the media, also avoid hard-to-open packages such as cardboard tubes.

7. Have we checked to see which other events are taking place at the same time as ours? And if so, are we prepared to reschedule?

Nothing is worse than spending long months and thousands of dollars planning an event, sending the invitations, buying the ads, then discovering a few weeks before it begins that it’s competing with two or three other major events in the same city. If that happens, your chances for media coverage are much slimmer. Check with your convention and visitors bureau, city hall, chamber of commerce and other groups to see which events are competing with yours.

8. If we’re serving food, can we come up with a clever food theme to help attract publicity? Media people might not like fancy invitations or unusual press kits, but some of them LOVE fancy and unusual gifts of food.

For example, a PR team hired to publicize the opening of a new train museum sent huge cakes shaped like a train to local TV stations, to attract attention. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a local chain of hamburger restaurants sent bags of hamburgers to local TV and radio stations on opening day of baseball season this year, with the offer of giving all customers free burgers during one day if the Brewers win 10 games in a row. The promotion was on most radio stations in town and on several of the TV stations, too. Note: Gifts of food are used most effectively with the broadcast media. Many print media have ethics policies that prohibit food gifts. If you aren’t sure, call beforehand and ask.

If you run into problems with publicity during this year’s event, and the problems could have been avoided with better planning, you can add even more questions to the list above.

For more than 800 tips on how to make your next event a smash–with the public and the media–see “How to Plan & Promote Sizzling Special Events.”

About the Author:As a media relations consultant and professional speaker, Joan Stewart shows people how to use newspapers, television and other media to establish credibility, promote a favorite cause or issue, attract attention for special events, sell more products and services, and more.

Subscribe to “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity at

And I thought lawn racing was just on King of the Hill. I grew up in a small town so I can relate… making this video even more entertaining.

Stay tuned to the end to see why these everyday guys are really hometown heroes.

Everyday heros from towns large and small are making a difference in their communities. My Hometown Helper grants can make it happen. Every month through May 2007, Hamburger Helper will choose one organization for a monetary grant of up to $15,000. Public schools, city governments, fire departments, city park & recreation departments or other organizations with 501(c) (4) status are eligible.

All the group has to do is to register online with My Hometown Helper and complete an essay of two hundred and fifty words or less describing how they the need help.

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This is a book review that is way overdue. In fact I have personally recommended this book about a dozen times to fundraisers in my community and website visitors alike in the past few months. Let me explain…

In March of this year I received a review copy of The Fundraising Houseparty kindly sent to me by the author, Morrie Warshawski. While reading through the handbook I realized what a great fundraising strategy this is for many cause oriented groups.

So what is a Fundraising Houseparty?

First, a houseparty is not a “special event” like a dinner where tickets are sold, sponsorships are solicited and auctions are held to raise funds. The focus is entirely on the mission of the organization and how it fulfils its purpose.

People who are invited should have an interest in the cause and learning more about the organization. Attendees learn first hand what impact their support will have and are encouraged to make direct donations.

In his book Morrie lists the five basic essential elements of the houseparty:

1. People receive an invitation to come to a private home.
2. The invitation makes it clear that the evening will be a fundraising event.
3. Participants arrive and are served some refreshments.
4. Participants sit through a brief presentation.
5. A peer - someone articulate, respected and enthusiastic - stands up and asks everyone present to make a contribution.

This book makes the strategy and planning of the houseparty easy to understand and put into action. Included in the book are checklists, planning timelines, sample scripts and other helpful tools. You are shown step by step exactly how to plan a successful fundraising party.

What groups would benefit from a Fundraising Houseparty?

This book is based on Warshawski’s years of work with individuals and organizations in the field of visual and performing arts. However the actual instructions for planning the event are written in a way that other groups could apply them.

Community groups, senior care services, social service organizations and alumni associations could plan a house party fundraiser. While discussing the concept of the houseparty a friend told me that her church met its building campaign goal through a series of house parties. So this concept can be applied and adapted for a variety of organizations.

Fundraising Houseparty Results

The financial results from a houseparty will vary depending upon the organization, the attendees, the presentation and strength of the ask.

One of the great things about the houseparty though is the ability not to just raise funds, but raise friends. By beginning or building relationships with people who have an interest in your cause you will strengthen your organization. You may connect with new volunteers, future board members and other community members during or as a result of the party.

Fundraising Houseparty Case Study

When I read The Fundraising Houseparty I was convinced that it would be a good strategy for an organization for which I serve as the development coordinator. Christian Women’s Job Corps, a program that helps women go from welfare dependency to self sufficiency, is a national organization but our local group is less than 6 years old.

The houseparty was part of our general strategy to develop an individual donor base and reduce the dependancy on grants. For our first party our board members, volunteers and personal friends of our hostess, the board president, were invited.

Several people briefly spoke during the presentation, starting with our hostess welcoming everyone. Two women who had successfully completed the program gave heartfelt testimonies of how their lives had been greatly changed by the organization. One of our volunteer mentors spoke which emphasized the mentoring aspects of the program. Finally our board president-elect gave the “ask.”

Including mail-in donations the evening raised $2,054. In addition a foundation replied back to our party invitation with a grant application for an award up to $5,000. This is especially significant because that foundation does not accept solicitations; they only initiate grant awards.

Overall, the evening was a great success and the organization will be doing more home party fundraisers in the future.

Fundraising Houseparty Tips

As with any party you need to invite four times the number of people that you would like to attend. For our party last September 125 invitations were sent out and we had 54 people attend the party (including speakers and planning committee members).

As Morrie recommends in his book make sure that the invitation specifies that it is a benefit party. Including donation envelopes in the invitation for those who cannot attend also makes it pretty clear that the purpose of the event is to raise funds.

Organizers need to stay focused on the purpose of the party. The party should be held on it own and not as part of any other event. Activities which would distract attendees from the purpose of the benefit party should be avoided.

At our party at the end of the presentation people were given a brochure about the organization with a response envelope. They were encouraged to donate or pledge and could drop off the envelopes in a basket before they left. This worked very well.

Morrie Warshawski’s book The Fundraising Houseparty was indispensable in planning the CWJC party. Not only did it help me to plan the event, but also made it very easy to communicate the concept of the fundraiser to everyone who was participating - the other committee members, hosts and speakers - and help them feel comfortable with the role they would fill at the party. With this confidence we were able to host a successful party to raise funds and friends for our mission.

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If you’ve contacted us via the webform or in regard to one of our ebooks, CDs or other products in the past month or so you may have heard from Tracie Davis. I’ve known Tracie for several years and when I started looking for a customer service agent she was the first person that came to mind.

You’ll find that Tracie is very helpful and friendly. If you’re a morning person you’ll also find a kindred spirit…don’t be surprised if you get an email reply back early in the AM. Me on the other hand…well I’m more of a night owl. But that’s one of the great ways that we balance each other out.

Tracie is also a former nurse who is the proud grandma of three beautiful grand-girls. She is an active volunteer in her church where her husband serves as pastor. I’m proud to be working with Tracie who lends her many talents to help Step by Step Fundraising members connect with effective fundraising ideas.

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