Charities tapping into social networks for support


(ARA) – The way we talk with our friends, the way we date, eat, watch TV, even the way we vote has been transformed by the sudden and overwhelming popularity of social media technology. Our activities in the actual world are becoming ever more deeply intertwined with our activities in the virtual world.

In their ongoing efforts to find new supporters and strengthen bonds with the ones they already have, charities, too, are flocking to social media. Unlike letters in your mailbox or TV commercials, digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter give charities a chance to engage supporters in emotionally powerful ways – ways that not only encourage monetary giving, but turn supporters into full-blown advocates.  

Take the example of the humanitarian organization CARE. In 1946, CARE began sending boxes of food and essential supplies to a Europe reeling from Second World War. The program resonated with so many senders and receivers that the phrase “care package” became a common synonym for any gift parcels sent to far-away friends and relatives. Today the organization is trying to tap into fond memories of this legacy through social media. At www.CAREpackage.org, CARE invites donors to fill a digital CARE Package with money supporting CARE’s long-term poverty fighting programs focusing on girls’ education, maternal health, and economic empowerment for women through microfinance and small business training. Where it differs most from traditional online giving is through functions allowing social network friends to build packages together – all connected through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. CARE Package “senders” are also invited to educate themselves and their friends on key issues, and as well offer tools to reach out to elected representatives.

CARE is not alone in using social networking to generate support. Applications like TwitChange generate interest and big money for charitable causes by auctioning the opportunity to be followed, mentioned or retweeted by their favorite celebrities on Twitter.

Even large corporate givers with a big presence in traditional marketing venues are moving into the social media space. General Mills and Merck have teamed up for an online charitable giving project called Join My Village. Simply by clicking on hyperlinks to videos, visitors to www.JoinMyVillage.com can steer donations from the two corporations to a microsavings program helping rural girls and women in Malawi. Because the site interfaces with Facebook and Twitter, it’s easy for users to invite their social networks to participate, increasing total donations, but also awareness of poverty issues around the globe.

How charitable giving through social networking will evolve during the next years, or even the next 10 months, is anyone’s guess. A decade ago, few people (if anyone) predicted the social network-based advocacy and giving that’s exploding in popularity today. What is certain is that changes in technology inevitably create new ways for charities and supporters to connect.

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Bingo play for older adults is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the Selma McDonald’s, 335 U.S. 70 East, Selma. Play is free, with prizes awarded. For more information, call 975-1411.

Vendors needed

Selma is seeking vendors for its All-American Festival. The fee is $50, and electricity, if needed, is $25. For more information call 975-1411. The festival is scheduled for 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. Monday, July 4, in downtown Selma. This year’s event will include live entertainment, a children’s area, free watermelon slices and fireworks. For more information, call 975-1411.

Contestants sought

The Selma Railroad Days Pageant is seeking contestants for the pageant in September. The divisions are Tiny Miss, for ages 4-6; Little Miss, 7-9; Junior Miss, 10-13; Teen Miss, 14-16; and Miss, 17-20. The entry fee is $100. For more information, call Deborah Baker at 965-3395.

Flapjack fundraiser

A pancake breakfast is scheduled from 7 till 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at Applebee’s, 1240 N. Brightleaf Blvd., Smithfield. The cost is $7 and includes a short stack of pancakes, sausage, milk, juice and coffee. Proceeds will go to the Me Fine Foundation, which aids families of children who are fighting life-threatening illnesses. For more information, call Elizabeth Diaz at 202-0086.

Volunteers needed

REACT, which provides roadside assistance to stranded motorists, is looking for volunteers. For more information, call 269-3453 or send an email to johnstonreact@yahoo.com.

Volunteer workshop

A free workshop for volunteers is scheduled from 8:30 till 10 a.m. Monday, June 20, at the Johnston County Council on Aging, 1363 W. Market St., Smithfield. Faye Stone of the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service will talk about the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards Program. Volunteers can receive 1.5 hours toward certification. To register, send an email to wsmiley@3hc.org. For more information, call Wanda Smiley at 910-385-8605.
Read More: THE HERALD

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CHARLOTTE
After her husband died in 2006, Mary Logan found herself alone in Lincolnton, N.C. Retired after years of working in the town’s mill, she decided to move closer to her family in Charlotte.

Though she grew up with very little, Logan never once considered herself poor. Despite her limited means, Logan knew there were some things no one should go without. That’s why she was thankful to find the Free Store, a program sponsored by Crisis Assistance Ministry that distributes clothing, shoes and other necessities to people in need.

“Nobody should go without clothes. Nobody,” she said. “I’ve found things that I thought I would never find. I mean, really, it’s a blessing.”

Logan isn’t someone you might expect to see at the Free Store. By her own admission, she has the means to shop at department stores, but she simply said, “I’d rather come here.”

Surprised? You shouldn’t be, said store manager John Wakefield. He said Crisis Assistance Ministry’s goal is to help everyone, including patrons like Logan.

“We don’t care where you live, how much money you make, if you have a job or not, or if you have a home or not,” he said. “We want you to take that money and go help pay your rent, your utilities, your food bill for your kids, whatever it may be, and just come here and help take that extra pressure off.”

Crisis Assistance Ministry began in 1975, during the mid-1970s economic downturn. A group of local clergy set out with the goal of “pooling resources to more effectively meet the needs of low-income families in financial crisis in Mecklenburg County.” The Free Store became a staple of Crisis Assistance Ministry’s offerings in 1978.

Ministry grows in response to need

Today, Crisis Assistance Ministry has grown to become one of the largest nonprofit agencies of its kind in North Carolina. The organization receives most of its funding from government grants and private contributions. In 2009, grants and contributions exceeded $17 million, with almost half coming from the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Rather than reacting in the wake of financial disaster, Wakefield said the organization takes measures to prevent financial distress for individuals before it occurs. Redirecting funds from expenses like clothing and toward more pressing financial obligations is one way to accomplish the goal.

“We have approximately 7,000 individuals in Charlotte right now without homes,” he said. “We want to keep that number from going up, and that’s truly what we’re here for.”

Last year, Crisis Assistance Ministry helped more than 50,000 Charlotte area families through financial assistance programs, furniture and appliance distribution, as well as the Free Store. Communications Director Akilah Luke said it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of people lined up outside their doors every day as early as 6 a.m., especially during the cold winter months. By intervening and helping these families before their situations worsen, Luke said Crisis Assistance Ministry plays a distinctive role.

“We’re that place — that safety net to catch families before they become homeless, and just allow people to just continue on with their lives and live with dignity,” she said.

But contrary to what one might expect, the majority of their patrons aren’t living in extreme circumstances. Just looking around the expansive waiting room inside Crisis Assistance Ministry’s main branch, there are faces that are not immediately associated with financial hardship. Instead you see folks like Mary Logan, the people you interact with every day.

“The families we serve are the working poor,” Luke said. “These are people that are your school bus drivers, the people who are checking you out at the grocery store, maybe it’s the barista at your coffee shop. These are the people that you’re helping, your neighbors.”

The number of people seeking financial assistance has increased significantly since the beginning of the financial crisis. Before the recession hit in 2006, Crisis Assistance Ministry served just over 40,000 families. Today, due in part to increases of more than 60 percent in hunger and homelessness since 2007, the organization is serving more than 10,000 additional families.

Charlotte city officials are also involved in fighting the growing number of homeless, and the almost 40,000 citizens living in extreme poverty. The city’s communications manager Jamie Banks said one way they are attacking this problem is by seeking to increase the amount of affordable housing throughout the city.

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill found that traditional measures of poverty did not adequately reflect the dispersion of poverty in North Carolina. As a result, scholars discovered that large – and largely affluent – metropolitan areas like Charlotte and Raleigh contain sections of concentrated poverty.

READ MORE:REESENEWS

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Jan 26, 2011 – RALEIGH, N.C. (January 26, 2011) Advocates for Health in Action (AHA) presents Dig In, the second annual community gardens summit, on Saturday, March 5, from 8:30 am-1:00 pm at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh. Dig In is designed for anyone who wants to build and maintain a community garden or gain expertise for success in his or her home garden. Registration is now open for this free event for the public (online at http://www.AdvocatesForHealthInAction.org , but space is limited
Dig In will feature presentations from urban farming and gardening experts, hands-on workshops and educational booths—all designed to help the community dig in and grow fresh, healthy food.

“The energy created by Dig In last year is still present,” commented Laura Aiken, executive director of AHA and Community Health Specialist at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. “We have seen at least 10 new community gardens created in Wake County, and our municipalities are adjusting policies to make it easier for community gardens to get started. AHA partners are excited to provide the tools and resources needed to make these gardens a reality, and we are thrilled to build upon last year’s inaugural event and engage even more people in gardening across our area.”

“Community gardens are increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Aiken continued. “Schools, churches, neighborhoods, community groups and other nonprofits can capitalize on the excitement around sustainable food systems, connect people with where their food comes from and promote environmentally friendly living.”

Read More:PRLor(Press Release)

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Raleigh, NC – In a continued effort to provide for the local community, Internet Marketing and Web Design Firm, TriMark Solutions, is donating company time and effort to increase the online presence of a local church. Christian Community Baptist Church is located in Raleigh, and provides a positive religious environment for local children and adults. TriMark Solutions has designed and developed a complete website, http://www.raleighchristianchurch.com/, which aims at providing easier access for reaching Pastor Glenn Davis, as well as allowing churchgoers a section to donate and submit prayer requests online.

TriMark Solutions President Randy Goins excitedly declared, “We’re blessed to have a large enough team to make up for our earlier years, and donate more of our time to charitable/non-profit organizations! Christian Community Baptist Church offers a positive and stable place for area Christian’s to worship and they were in great need of an online presence. We’re delighted that we could help them create one, and also to provide the Raleigh Church with opportunities on their website to not only answer member prayer request, but to also provide an opportunity for individuals to donate.”

Read More:CarolinaNewsWire

Clayton Police detectives are following up on leads as to who damaged the construction site of the new community center, but they are hoping their offer of a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction will produce more.
The vandalism apparently happened in daylight Aug. 23, when the crews were not working, Clayton Police Chief Glen Allen said. He said a patrol officer discovered the damage about 6:45 p.m.

The vandal or vandals smashed in a wall, knocked over scaffolding and drove the equipment over piles of building materials.

It is not clear how the hoodlum got the bulldozer started, Allen said.

The part of the construction site, at 715 Amelia Church Road, that was damaged is not visible from the road.

Town officials said the damage will delay the spring opening of the 30,000-square-foot center, but it’s not clear how long fixing it will take or how much it will cost.

“We strongly believe that there are people with knowledge of details that may help solve this case,” Allen said in a news release Monday.

He asks that anyone with information, even if it seems to be unimportant, call Detective Andy Jernigan at the Clayton Police Department at 553-4611 or call 911 to report the information.
Source:News & Observer

Religious organizations are using the Internet to spread their message.

(NewsUSA) – For an increasing number of Americans, the sky is the limit when it comes to receiving religious information online.

With the Internet’s ubiquitous existence in many people’s lives, Americans are no longer going online for only entertainment, news or communication. The Internet has changed the way that many consumers receive and distribute religious material and conduct faith-based activities as well.

In the early 2000s, Pew Internet Research polled more than 1,000 religious organizations and reported that 83 percent of respondents said their church’s use of the Internet helped congregational life, and 63 percent said that e-mail helped the church connect more with its surrounding community.

By 2004, the same research firm reported that nearly two-thirds of “wired” Americans had used the Internet for various spiritual or religious purposes. This number could grow even more with the continuing development of online technologies such as interactive streaming video players.

Greg Demetriades, chairman and chief executive officer of WhiteBlox, a developer of commercial online media players, says that large religious organizations represent one group that his company’s technology can benefit.

“Broadcasting faith-based services online is a fantastic way to provide 24/7 spiritual support and develop an even stronger sense of community,” said Demetriades. “In addition to live broadcasts of weekly services, an entire video library of services and workshops can be made available on-demand.”

Considering that religious services can be very social gatherings, the relative isolation of the Internet may at first seem like an inappropriate match.

But some online video solutions, like WhiteBlox’s, include chat rooms and viewer surveys within the player itself, so viewers can now experience a level of video interactivity and online community-building that was previously unavailable.

In addition, the Internet provides fertile ground for one of the most important functions of any religious organization: donations. With the ability to broadcast live or on-demand videos of services coupled with an easy online donation system, online broadcasting may prove to be the most divine gift of all for some religious groups.

For more information about Internet broadcasting, visit www.whiteblox.com or call 281-210-5214.

New church movements are causing the flight of many established clergy and long-standing members.

(NewsUSA) – Over the years, the atmosphere of the church has migrated from a quiet place of worship to that of music and praise.

However, millions of people in their fifties, sixties, and seventies feel their churches have been hijacked by these church-growth movements characterized by loud praise bands, constant PowerPoint presentations and cavernous mega-churches devoid of any personal touches. They are bewildered by the changes and are dropping out after thirty, forty or fifty years in a congregation. Some consider it a crisis.

According to the Barna Group, a company who seeks to use their strengths in partnership with Christian ministries and individuals to be a catalyst in moral and spiritual transformation in the United States, the church as we know it will be gone in 20 years.

A new book called Who Stole My Church? gives pastors and church members hope that they can overcome the obstacles and accept change in the growing church.

In this fictional story, pastor and author Gordon MacDonald uses topical examples and all-too-familiar characters to reassure readers that it is possible to embrace change and to demonstrate how change can actually be a positive influence in their church.

“There are many books on church change. Usually written from the standpoint and the instruction of the change agent, the leader who has the responsibility to bring about something new,” writes MacDonald. “In this book, however, I decided to deal with the subject from the perspective of some of the people who are powerfully affected by change -; the dear people in the pew who have to live with and even support the new ways.”

While he understands the frustrations that come with change, MacDonald believes that finding a way to move gracefully into the twenty-first century is necessary for the church to survive. “Any church that has not turned its face toward the younger generation will simply cease to exist,” he says. “We’re not talking decades – we’re talking just a few years.”

Gordon MacDonald has been a pastor and author for more than forty years. He serves as editor-at-large for Leadership Journal and as a former chairman of World Relief. His most recent books include: The Life God Blesses, Renewing Your Spiritual Passion, Rebuilding Your Broken World, the best-seller Ordering Your Private World and When Men Think Private Thoughts.

For more information, visit www.thomasnelson.com.

The Rev. Sally Bingham is the godmother of the environmental movement in the religious community.Back in the 1990s, when religiously based environmentalists were still viewed as nature worshippers, she founded Episcopal Power & Light. Now called Interfaith Power & Light, the nonprofit organization has 27 chapters across the United States, including North Carolina. The mission of the organization is to mobilize a religious response to global warming through the promotion of renewable energy and conservation.

Bingham, the president of Interfaith Power & Light and the environmental minister at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, met with 20 religious leaders at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh last week. She said religious communities have made remarkable strides in addressing the intersection of faith and global climate change, and she encouraged them not to give up.

“You clergy need to talk about it,” she said. “I think it should be in every single sermon.”

We caught up with her on the occasion of Earth Day on Tuesday to ask her about the progress religious people have made on the issue.

Q: How are churches becoming more active in environmental issues?

A: Environmental issues were once political issues. They didn’t belong in the church. Now it’s integral to mainstream religions in ways unimaginable five years ago. … We’re seeing changes in the liturgy to reflect care for creation. That’s huge because in the Episcopal Church there’s a deep tradition that resists change.

I am seeing clergy take this responsibility seriously enough to actually say that care for creation belongs with love, justice and peace. You hear the term “JPIC,” or justice, peace and integrity of creation. It’s putting care for creation on parallel with love, justice and peace … We have a green mosque in Washington, D.C. We have hundreds of Protestant churches with solar panels on the roof. We have two large cathedrals with geothermal systems — in Boston and in Cleveland, Ohio. The Catholic Cathedral in Los Angeles in solar.

Q: How has Interfaith Power & Light changed?

A: We now have an office in San Francisco and a staff of seven. We coordinate this national campaign. That means we help the state programs get started … One of the important things we do is make sure the Interfaith Power & Light campaign doesn’t get sidetracked. We don’t want to be viewed as the Sierra Club at prayer. We’re not political. We’re not Republicans or Democrats. Our message is rooted in theology. It’s different from an environmental organization. We want to be seen as conservative people coming from a theological perspective. We don’t love trees more than people.

Q: What is the spiritual message you offer?

A: I see it as part of the commandment to love God and love your neighbor. If you love your neighbor, you don’t pollute your neighbor’s air. We are called to serve one another. If you see that your behavior is harming your neighbor and your neighborhood, other species, flora and fauna, or the next generation, it’s a direct disobedience to the commandment. Jesus said what you do to the least of these you do to me. If vulnerable and poor communities are harmed by our behavior, we’re insulting God.

Read More:News & Observer