Tag: support Page 1 of 3

How to Lead Your Community Well When Under Pressure

On May 17, 2023

Leading a community during challenging times requires unique skills and strategies. Influential leaders must rise to the occasion when faced with pressure and uncertainty, providing their community guidance, support, and stability. Consider these strategies for leading your community well under pressure, drawing from proven techniques to help you navigate crises and emerge stronger as a leader.

Maintain Clear Communication

Clear and transparent communication is vital during times of pressure. Keep your community informed about the situation, challenges, and steps being taken to address them. Provide regular updates, share relevant information, and address concerns promptly. By being open and accessible, you foster trust and keep your community engaged and informed.

Display Calm and Resilience

As a leader, remaining calm and composed during challenging times is essential. Projecting a sense of calmness and resilience reassures your community and instills confidence. Manage your emotions effectively, demonstrating that you can handle pressure and adversity while focusing on the community’s overall well-being.

Lead by Example

During times of pressure, leaders must lead by example. Set the tone for your community by displaying the behaviors and attitudes you expect from others. Show empathy, compassion, and understanding, and encourage collaboration and unity. When your community sees you modeling the values and behaviors you promote, they are more likely to follow suit.

Foster Collaboration and Support

Create an environment that encourages collaboration and support among community members. Facilitate open communication channels and provide platforms for people to share ideas, concerns, and solutions. Encourage teamwork, empathy, and mutual support, as these elements can help your community navigate challenges together, fostering a sense of unity and resilience.

Adapt and Innovate

Under pressure, leaders must be adaptable and willing to embrace change. Encourage your community to think creatively and explore innovative solutions to the challenges. Foster a continuous learning and improvement culture where new ideas are encouraged and tested. By fostering adaptability and innovation, you position your community to overcome obstacles and emerge stronger.

Prioritize Self-Care

Leading under pressure can be demanding, both physically and emotionally. To effectively lead your community, prioritize self-care. Take care of your own well-being by managing stress, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and seeking support when needed. By looking after yourself, you ensure that you can continue to lead with clarity, focus, and resilience.

Leading a community during challenging times requires unique skills and strategies. Remember, effective leadership is about providing solutions and supporting and empowering your community members. Implementing these strategies fosters unity, resilience, and growth, even in the most challenging circumstances.

Great Charities in New Jersey to Consider Supporting This Holiday Season

By Jerry Swon

On November 24, 2022

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

It’s important to pause and think about the individuals and organizations in need this holiday season. We’ve collected a list of several non-profit organizations in New Jersey that you and your family can support.

Center for Food Action

The Center for Food Action provides food, shelter, and heating assistance to northern New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents. It also offers advocacy and counseling services. Your monetary support will help these individuals and families keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads year-round.

Holiday Express

The holidays can be hard for some people, especially those who are alone. That’s why the Tinton Falls-based organization Holiday Express provides gifts, food, and friendship to those in need during the season.

Bridge of Books Foundation

In New Jersey, there are thousands of children who don’t have access to books. During the holiday season, the Bridge of Books Foundation distributes new and used books to children in need. You can help these kids by donating new or used books or making a monetary contribution.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Through the efforts of Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey, a child who has been removed from his or her family due to abuse can receive a voice. This organization is dedicated to providing these kids with a well-trained and qualified advocate. You can also support local programs by making a monetary contribution or volunteering your time.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey

In New Jersey, over a million people go hungry each day. Many of them are children. The FoodBank of New Jersey works with various food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens to provide nutritious meals to those in need. Every dollar that you give can help provide three meals to these individuals.

Good Grief

Since 2004, Good Grief has been working to ensure that children in New Jersey don’t have to grieve alone. Through its programs, the organization is able to provide free and unlimited support to kids and teens who have lost a parent or sibling.

Moms Helping Moms

The organization, which is called the Moms Helping Moms Foundation, provides low-income families in the state with the necessary supplies to start their babies off on the right foot. Through its baby supply bank, this organization accepts new and gently used items such as clothes and strollers. Your monetary support will allow these families to receive a week’s worth of diapers.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

You can support New Jersey’s wildlife species by making a monetary contribution to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation. This organization is dedicated to protecting the habitats and species of wildlife in the state. One of its recent fundraising campaigns focused on saving bald eagles.

Easy Ways to Help Schools in Your Community

By Jerry Swon

On August 18, 2022

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

Schools are a critical part of supporting your local community. Unfortunately, many lack funding or are understaffed, which is where you come in! During the school year, we can all play a role in helping schools by donating supplies, volunteering, or buying a new backpack for a student. There are many easy ways to support schools in our community.

Volunteer Your Time

You can volunteer your time in various ways, such as volunteering in the office, taking field trips, or working on clerical tasks. Volunteers are beneficial in making sure that the school year is a success. Contact the school directly to find out more about volunteer opportunities at your school.

Donate School Supplies

When shopping for school supplies, ask your school or teacher if there are any items you can purchase that can be used for other students. Many students come to school with no supplies, and teachers spend a lot of money on their own supplies. By donating supplies, you can help ensure that all of your child’s classrooms have the necessary equipment to succeed.

Attend Board Meetings

Although school board meetings are not everyone’s favorite way to spend time, they can be very informative. They can provide valuable insight into the decisions that affect your child’s school. In addition to learning about the various choices that affect your child’s education, you can also participate in the discussion about the needs in your community.

Join a Committee

Usually, school districts and individual schools are looking for people to serve on various committees that are focused on specific goals. These include topics such as health and wellness, diversity and inclusion, and school safety. Usually, these committees look for people with a passion for the subject and a background in working with children. These committees can give you a voice in how your local school supports these needs.

Ask About Specific Needs

One of the easiest ways to help schools in your community is by asking what you can do to help them. This can be as simple as volunteering at a kindergarten or middle school. By asking what you can do, you show the school that you care about their students and want to make a difference. Throughout the school year, there will be a variety of needs that need to be met.

Why Your Company Should Sponsor a Youth Sports Team

By Jerry Swon

On April 27, 2022

In Blog, Community

Youth sports are a great way to get a company’s name, reach a specific demographic, and foster positive relationships with customers, employees, and community members.

Sponsoring a team can also be a fun way to better know their employees and customers and give them a sense of purpose and camaraderie.

Reasons to support a youth sports team

Sponsorships can help companies reach their target market: By sponsoring a youth sports team, they can tap into the lives of many people who frequently interact with their company. These people include employees, customers, and community members. Sponsoring a team can help them reach their target market and promote their brand.

To foster a more inclusive culture: A sports team can help build an inclusive culture by bringing together a wide range of people. Sports teams often include people of diverse backgrounds and provide a common ground for people of different genders, races, religions, or sexual orientations to come together.

To help build strong workplace relationships: When employees and customers see companies brand featured on the sports gear of their local team, they’re sending a message that their company is invested in the community and cares about the wellbeing of its employees and customers.

A sponsorship relationship with a youth sports team can have a lasting impact: Research has shown that the longer a business partner stays with a company, the more likely the partner will acquire the company. This means that a sports team sponsorship can have a lasting impact on the company by helping to build the business’s culture and brand.

Increased Name Recognition: When a company sponsors a youth sports team, they associate their company’s name with a particular sport and the athletes who participate in it. This can give the company a more professional image and strengthen its reputation as a trustworthy business.

Increased Brand Awareness: When a company sponsors a sports team, they’re also growing their organization’s visibility on local sports broadcasts and websites, which can help increase brand awareness.

Improved Employee Morale: When employees see their favorite sports team wearing their company’s logo on the jersey, they will feel more comfortable discussing their job with their colleagues. This can increase employee morale and retention.

Greater Customer Loyalty: When companies sponsor a sports team, they connect with their customers and build brand loyalty. This can increase the sales of their products and services.

Conclusion

When companies sponsor a sports team, they associate the company’s name with a particular sport and the athletes who participate in it. This can give the company a more professional image and strengthen its reputation as a trustworthy business.

Making a large donation to a youth sports team is a great way to get its name out there for free and help build a company’s reputation.

How to Follow Through With Your Philanthropic Resolution

By Jerry Swon

On December 21, 2021

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

As the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, many people make resolutions to better themselves in the coming year. Whether it’s committing to a fitness routine or vowing to save more money, there are plenty of goals that people set for themselves during the first month of the year. But what about those who pledged to become more philanthropic? How can they follow through on their resolution and make a real difference in their community?

Here are a few tips for making your philanthropic resolutions a reality:

1. Define what “philanthropy” means to you.

The word “philanthropy” comes from the Greek words “Philos” (meaning “love”) and “Anthropos” (meaning “human”). So, philanthropy can be defined as the love of humans. But what does that mean for you?

Do you want to volunteer your time at a local homeless shelter? Or maybe donate to your favorite charity? It’s essential to define what philanthropy means to you to create specific goals and objectives for yourself.

2. Make a plan.

Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to make a plan of action. Figure out how much time you can commit to volunteering or how much money you want to donate each month. This will help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

3. Find a community of like-minded people.

It can be helpful to find a community of people who share the same philanthropic values. This can provide support and motivation as you work to make a difference in your community.

4. Be patient.

Don’t expect to change the world overnight. Remember that it takes time and effort to make a real difference in the lives of others. Have patience and be persistent in your efforts.

5. Celebrate your successes!

It’s important to celebrate your successes along the way. Not only does this help keep you motivated and cheerful, but it will also inspire others who want to make a difference as well.

6. Give back.

The best way to follow through on your philanthropic resolutions is to give back. Volunteer your time, money or skills to a cause that’s important to you. This is the best way to make a real impact in your community.

Resolving to become more philanthropic can be a rewarding experience. By following these tips, you can ensure that your resolution becomes a reality. And who knows? You might find that helping others is the best way to help yourself.

How to Balance Profit and Purpose at your Business

By Jerry Swon

On July 13, 2021

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

We often see a business as an entity that we put up, either commercial or industrial, to make a profit. What if we included passion in this equation? Doing what we love the most, professionally, to produce profit sounds fun. One gets some fulfillment and a sense of purpose if they do it. Here are several ways one can use to balance profit and purpose in a business:

• Be inspired
For one to archive results, you need to sit down and evaluate the scenario. Try and do something new and different. It brings in a refreshing change and most probably bears different results. Travel to new places and try to learn as much as possible from your tours.

• Be ready to take action
Identify a gap in the market and try to see how you can develop ways of providing a solution to existing gaps.

• Empower your workers and others
Once you have identified your business purpose and are already meeting this purpose, it is wise to empower those you work with. Let everyone in your team have a sense of purpose. Let everyone have a role and part to play to complete the picture. You will do this by clearly outlining your vision and purpose and going further ahead to have everyone get well-defined goals and responsibilities. Delegate duties and let everyone be accountable. That way, the business is sure to continue running in the same way, even in your absence, and still, keep meeting its purpose and objectives.

• Fund the business growth
As the business grows, it sometimes requires additional funding to meet the growing demands and expand to other regions and areas. To do this, you have to be strategic. It would help if you found the right kind of partners or alternative funding. Whether partners or financiers, they must believe in your cause first to support it. Find people who love your product and believe in your mission. They are most likely to support growth and expansion.

The business world is a complex one. It requires patience, determination, and hard work. The impact of the business is usually far more significant when the profits are tied and connected with one’s purpose.

Organizations Helping Military Veterans

By Jerry Swon

On February 8, 2021

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

Choosing a charity can be challenging. There are numerous organizations and nonprofits, all with different causes. So how do you choose a charity to donate your time or money to? The first step is choosing what type of cause you’d like to become involved in. Many people would like to find ways to support the troops. Whether you’ve served yourself or have a veteran in your family, helping military veterans is a wonderful cause to align yourself with. If you’d like to make a difference in a service member’s or a veteran’s life then the next step is finding nonprofit.

The best charity organizations are those that focus on serving people in need. To do so, a nonprofit should be transparent with its finances and practices. If you’re looking for organizations to help military veterans there are a broad range of programs. Some groups focus on providing assistance such as utilities, rent, or medical expenses while others focus on boosting troops’ morale.

Here are a few highly-rated American organizations that are helping military veterans.

Freedom Service Dogs of America

This organization is special. The program adopts shelter dogs and then trains them to become service dogs. The majority of the dogs are then rehomed to military veterans and personnel who are injured or need assistance. The Freedom Service Dogs of America provides lifetime support to all of the veterans and their dogs and is 100 percent donor-funded. There is no charge for veteran clients.

The Gary Sinise Foundation

Actor, Gary Sinise has advocated for American military members for years. His foundation supports not only active duty service members and veterans but also first responders. The program’s mission to show gratitude towards those who serve this country through a number of programs. They host celebrations to boost morale, build homes for wounded veterans, and provide meals to families.

Operation Second Chance

This organization assists servicemen and women as they transition back into civilian life or back into active duty. Operation Second Chance has programs that pay and help to accommodate disabled veterans whether through remodeling housing or helping family members manage affairs. The charity does wonderful work in supporting soldiers in their rehabilitation and recovery.

There are many other ways to become involved with charities that don’t involve monetary donations. You can volunteer at a veterans hospital, provide calling cards, bake homemade treats, or write letters in support of our troops. Consider taking the time and finding a way to show appreciation for those who serve the country.

How a Philanthropy Program Can Help Business

By Jerry Swon

On November 20, 2020

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

Philanthropy programs in business involve financial contributions to society, donations to a specific cause, or employees volunteering their time to help or drive a cause. Many companies have embraced corporate social responsibility and are continuously dialing up their procedures to prioritize the activities. This factor is businesses have seen corporate philanthropy’s benefits for them, their employees, and the community. Here is how philanthropy is beneficial to a business.

Promote Company Image

Most people tend to align positively with companies that give back to the community that gives them business. They, therefore, develop a good impression of the company and will trust its services. In most instances, the result is more business from the community they support as they have built a bond of trust.

Happy Employees

Companies that involve their employees in philanthropy enjoy the benefits of a team with high morale. Enthusiastic employees are more productive and willing to be team players. Besides, the importance of corporate philanthropy is that it brings meaning to their staff showing them the organization cares about their personal needs and the community.

Excellent Recruitment

People always want to work for companies with a good reputation, and corporate philanthropy is a perfect mirror of this attribute. Philanthropic companies have an excellent resource of well-abled applicants in the communities they give assist. Individuals with a knack for giving back to society will be attracted to such businesses, bringing with them diverse talents.

Increase sales

People tend to spend more on brands that give back to society and support good causes than brands that do not have any social responsibility. Therefore, with a philanthropy program, businesses enjoy benefits such as high sales and profit margins and are likely to get more customers who support the same cause.

Brand Marketing

Since Corporate Social Responsibility has become significant in businesses, philanthropy is an excellent way to promote their brands in wider regions. Getting down to the community level and reaching out to customers to find out what matters to them and what changes they would like can market a business brand cost-efficiently. Philanthropy programs are ways for a business to present a unique identity that resonates with their clients and potential customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an excellent philanthropy program is beneficial to the business, employees, and the community. It is a win-win for everyone if the intent is good and the ultimate goals are transparent. For a business, this is an investment that pays off in the long run.

The Future of Philanthropy

By Jerry Swon

On September 10, 2020

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

To say that COVID-19 has had an affect on everyone would be an understatement. There isn’t a single industry that hasn’t been impacted by the virus. While there has been a significant rise in philanthropy over the past several decades the pandemic has created a major need for more giving.

As the nation experienced major shutdowns millions of American people were left out of work and without pay. Although so many were left struggling there was an immense number of those willing to offer a helping hand. People donated what they could to food banks and handed out meals, masks, and hand sanitizers. Furthermore, corporations stepped up and gave large amounts of money to foundations and nonprofits.

Thus, COVID relief donations had reached $7.8 billion dollars by the middle of April. 60% of those donated dollars were reported to be from corporations, businesses, and religious organizations in the United States. Now, well into October the unemployment rate is continuing to jump, however, thankfully, so has the number of people who are donating their time and money to help others.

It is clear that the pandemic has caused a shift in philanthropy. Many of the country’s wealthiest people have altered their priorities and found ways to give back in the present, instead of donating money towards things that may not come to fruition for years to come.

There is a link to global health and economic prosperity which has only been highlighted during the global pandemic. Many leaders in philanthropy have moved to more transparent positions, inspiring others to do the same. Philanthropists such as MacKenzie Scott and Jack Dorsey made major contributions and commitments, publicly, setting a new standard among their wealthy peers.

Even Forbes has changed and redefined the way that it measures philanthropy. Whereas the amount of money a foundation had used to be used to measure the organization’s charitable acts, now Forbes is focused on judging the actual amount of giving that takes place. Other companies will surely follow suit, helping to make philanthropic acts happen faster and have a further impact.

People around the world have realized that everyone can make a difference and come to fully understand the importance of giving. There are a plethora of ways to contribute to one’s community and even people who are struggling themselves have stepped up to participate in philanthropy. Although the pandemic is still creating new challenges every day, it has altered the future of philanthropy in beautiful and important ways.

The Best Foods You Can Donate to a Food Bank

By Jerry Swon

On February 6, 2020

In Blog, Community, Volunteer

Throughout the United States, one in seven people struggle with not getting enough food. Many people rely on food banks to get the food they need to feed their families. Anyone can donate to a local food bank, but what donations help the most? Below you will find the best foods to donate to food banks.

Protein Sources That Are Shelf-Table

Protein is an important part of anyone’s diet. Protein helps build and repair tissue, as well as become an important building block for bones, muscles, and skin. Try finding canned protein items like fish or chicken. You will also want to donate vegetarian protein sources such as beans and peanut butter. For someone who can’t eat meat, these substitutions can create a filling meal.

Food Bank Donation Suggestions:

Canned fish like tuna or salmon
Canned chicken
Canned beans
Canned soups
Nuts
Trail Mix

Pantry Staples

Look for shelf-stable foods that can be flavored a variety if ways and incorporated into multiple recipes. For example, canned cream of chicken soup can be used in all sorts of recipes like casseroles, chicken pot pie, chili, etc.

Food Bank Donation Suggestions:

Rice
Pasta
Tomato sauce
Canned vegetables
Cooking oils
Flour

What You Should Avoid Donating

While any donations are helpful, there are a few things that you will want to avoid donating. Probably the most obvious thing you should avoid donating is perishable food. The majority of your food should have a longer shelf life, and not go bad after only a few days. Besides nonperishable foods, you should also avoid donating junk food and any canned food that is damaged, unlabeled, or home made.

Junk Food and Soda

Food that is both shelf-stable and nutritious, is something that people struggle with getting the most. You might think your donation of treats, candy, or chips is adding some variety to the food bank, but in reality, food banks receive a lot more junk food than what they actually need. While everyone likes junk food and snacks, this kind of food is difficult to cook healthy and filling meals with.

Canned Food That is Damaged, Unlabeled, or Homemade

Canned food that is dented or has a rusty can, can be dangerous to consume. Dented cans can cause leaks which will compromise canned food which in turn can cause food poisoning. You will also want to leave any unlabeled or homemade items at home.

If you have any questions of what you can’t donate, feel free to call your local food bank.