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Fundraising For Youth Groups December 31, 2009

Filed under: Fortune @ 3:33 am

Youth Groups are almost always in need of funds. Holding fundraisers to finance important trips like tournaments, museums, and musical events are just some of the needs that have to be met through fundraising. Others include the need for uniforms, sports equipment, art supplies, musical instruments, and more.

There are a lot of different ways your youth group can raise the funds they need. In this article, I will explore some of those with you and try to help you avoid some of the pitfalls. I will let you benefit from my experience and I will help you avoid some of my mistakes.

Let’s start right off with candy. I have tried to use candy as a fundraising tool on more than one occasion for more than one youth group.

Pros and Cons of using candy as a youth group fundraiser.

Pros: Candy is cheap and can be sold for a great profit for your youth group. Everyone likes candy, so it’s a fairly easy sale, especially if you go with name brand candy. The candy is cheap enough that most people have enough money in their pocket to purchase it.

Cons: Candy melts. Trust me on this. Candy melts and when it does, your profits melt with it as you try to clean whatever it melted all over. The members of your youth group eat Candy and when the parents have to pay for all the candy YOU let their child eat, you get phone calls. Trust me on this. You get a lot of phone calls. Candy smells. Trust me on this. Wherever you store the candy will smell like candy forever. Bigger children steal candy from smaller children and again parents end up paying for the candy and you get the phone calls.

Coupon Books are another commonly used Youth Group Fundraiser.

Pros: Some coupon books are filled with free stuff and everyone loves free stuff! Your youth group can raise as much as $10 per coupon book so they need to make less sales to reach their goals.

Cons: Everyone still has last year’s coupon book. None of the coupons have been used. They never have it with them whenever they go somewhere they might have been able to use it for. I have been to a door to sell coupon books and had a guy hand me 7 unused coupon books as his donation. He said if I resold those, I would be able to raise more money than if he just bought one again this year. Coupons expire. They usually have a cost of about $10 to $15 per book, but of course the children in YOUR youth group will never lose any of them and their parents won’t be calling YOU, like with the candy.

Basically, every fundraiser your youth group takes on will come with responsibility and they all have their pros and cons. However, if you look for a product that has the following features, I believe you will have a more successful fundraising opportunity for your youth group.

1. Choose products that do not melt, expire, rot, or otherwise perish.

2. Choose products that do not have a large cost per unit, no matter what the profit.

3. Choose products that everyone uses and will get a lot of uses from. Something they will remember being very useful will get them to continue supporting your youth group.

4. Choose products that do not require a lot of storage space.

5. Choose products that are popular like things with the donor’s favorite major league baseball or football team logo on them.

If you follow those simple rules, your youth group fundraiser will be easy to manage, you won’t end up stuck with a lot of leftover product to store, your storage area won’t smell, you won’t need to clean up messes, and best of all, the parents of your youth group participants won’t be calling you.

D. David Dugan is the president of DD&C and personally helps to maintain their computer support forum at forum.dugancom.com. Be sure to check out the Brax Fundraising website www.braxfundraising.com


Job Search Using the Web to Win December 30, 2009

The Internet offers huge opportunities for a job hunter, but also presents several potential challenges. It also adds some complexities, and a lot more things to think about…and be wary of.

Job hunting needs to be thought of as a personalized, very directed marketing operation where you are the product. Your resume is an ad. Your extended network of contacts is your source for job leads.

So where does the internet fit in? At AA-Careers, we just posted a job on a popular job board and got over 650 responses in a calendar week. For a single opening. That’s increased competition for job openings.

Had a strong candidate called us ahead of our posting that ad, they could have secured the position prior to having all that competition. How? By knowing someone at our office who became aware of the job prior to posting. Everyone was aware of the job for at least 9 days before it was posted. Who in your network might know of a job that’s coming available soon?

Be sure to check your cover letter and resume carefully! When we did an analysis of the 650 resumes, we found a large number of errors. 63% of the applicants were easily eliminated with a fast-paced triage process. How? The same way any HR professional would. By rejecting resumes where the objective didn’t match our position description. By passing over candidates whose cover letters gave us causes not to engage them, like "I know I’m overqualified but I really need a job". By eliminating job hunters whose documents that didn’t open properly. And by rejecting candidates who didn’t bother to spell check their cover letter and/or resume.

So the good news is that job sites give you a feel of who is hiring, and for what kinds of positions. But once those jobs are posted, the competition is intense. You can still try, if you have a well written resume, designed to appeal directly and clearly to the recruiter. And if you have practiced interviewing – so you don’t stumble at a critical point.

Another issue to be aware of is how easily you can be investigated on the web. As we Googled several candidates, we ran into some MySpace comments that were in questionable taste. Nothing larcenous, but enough to sway our thinking about who to hire.

AA-Careers provides a extensive set of services for Bay Area job seekers, providing our clients a personal career consultant, a managed job hunting campaign, modern tools like a personal website, video, highly targeted resume, and much more. Let us know if we can help you.

Be careful out there, and good hunting!


Pitfalls Best Kept in Mind if You Look for a Less Expensive Auto Insurance Policy December 29, 2009

Filed under: Road Trippers, Unassigned @ 8:17 am

Nobody likes to spend any more time acquiring affordable car insurance than is utterly essential, but very cheap auto insurance is important, most especially when you are on a tight budget. A hasty decision may be a disaster for your finances. If you will be renewing your insurance, here are some common errors you should avoid. It might seem to be a great deal to get a good price on your automobile insurance, even so the wrong sort of policy may result costing much more than any savings. So then, when getting an inexpensive auto insurance quote, discover all of the alternatives available to you and what each one means.

At the bottom, the insurance coverage is usually termed ‘third party’, which just provides cover for the damage or accidental injuries that can occur to another party in an accident. Next, you can opt for fire and theft coverage, this should pay for anything or make the repairs if there’s a fire, someone causes damage, or if your vehicle is stolen. Lastly, there is fully comprehensive coverage. This covers your automobile for accidental damage in addition to fire, theft and any damage that occurs to any other cars involved. Finally, it’s simple to add extra cover for example: windshield replacement, wildlife, insurance coverage when driving internationally, breakdown recovery, the use of another motorcar if yours needs fixed, legal costs, or even extra cover for yourself, your family, and even any property you might keep in your automobile. More Often Than Not you will receive what you pay for. Sometimes, a cut-rate motor insurance quote does not inform you about hidden charges. These may be for things such as: a hidden fee for paying monthly, the costs of updating your policy before it expires, and extra charges for every additional driver on your policy. Also, very cheap automobile insurance can often cost you more if anything happens.

You can make your insurance premiums even less costly by snapping up any offers you qualify for and by the installation of security devices to cut the chance of theft. Sometimes keeping the miles on your car down can also decrease your costs.

Do not fork out more for insurance than you absolutely need to, still do not undercut yourself either. By being aware of the more common slip-ups, and take into consideration your alternatives, it’s easy to get the appropriate insurance policy and be frugal simultaneously.

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A Gift For Everyone From 1800Flowers.com December 26, 2009

Filed under: Lifestyle Management @ 2:43 am

Today the most successful internet flower store in the United States, 1800Flowers.com has been in the floral business since 1976. The business experienced phenomenal growth and made the best of new technology to even better assist the market. Customer care and products of the best possible standard are the secrets of its success. And, with St. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day being the most frantic days, this business helps scores satisfied customers every year.

1800flowers.com have a product to suit every last taste. flowers such as lilies, marigolds, tulips, delphiniums, and many others are fresh and pure in color. Or how about a special gift like fruit selections or some gourmet candies? There are also many gift baskets, posies, indoor plants, and cute toys to go along with the food and flowers. In short, 1800Flowers.com has a gift to suit everyone in your address book.

It’s easy to place your order twenty-four hours every day either via calling or on the net. Let’s face it, it’s invariably the right time to send flowers. It doesn’t matter what the occasion is or whether it is for someone special, or a client, one of these wonderful items will delight them. Floral gifts are a special way to celebrate all sorts of special occasions. Combinations of red roses, teddy bears, and candies are always popular St. Valentine’s Day presents. Show your appreciation to someone with a bouquet of pretty blooms or a houseplant. Understated arrangements for funerals bring comfort also bouquets of orange, black, and green add an extra dimension to Halloween. Why not cheer up a new mom with a colorful selection of blooms and send a stuffed toy for her new arrival? Irrespective of what you go for or where it’s sent, 1800Flowers.com guarantees to satisfy everybody with the freshest products. As long as you submit your order by 2 PM, your gift will be with its recipient the same day. The internet site is easy to navigate, and if you order you will speak to a courteous and experienced representative. Sending flowers and gifts world-wide has never been easier


Are You Thinking a Family City Break Do You Need Automobile Hire December 25, 2009

Filed under: Great Travel Tips, Road Trippers, Unassigned @ 6:57 pm

When going on vacation, a key means to nullify confusion about localised transit routes and rules, traveling on your individual agenda, and make detailed travelling plans without being concerned about the cost of additional travelling tickets is to organise auto renting for your trip. You to do this either by hiring a motorcar from a hire company near to your family and traveling to the destination, or by selecting a car renting company close to the destination airport and picking a motorcar up from the company once the flight arrives.

You can get the best rates on a rent-a-car by looking on the net for cheap car hire townsville airport. Why not use Google.com.au to discover automobile rental companies localised to wherever you live, and you should be confident to find many renting companies who you can then contact for notes of their rates and ready automobiles. Depending on the time frame you would like to rent cars, you can expect to get a smorgasbord of car style and rates open.

For sure you take a quick look at these hiring companies:

Budget, Europcar , Easy Car, Holiday Autos, Europcar, Hertz, 121.

As sson as you have an idea of which car renting firm is going to give you the strongest car at the lightest price for the days and times you want it, you should be able to choose the motorcar you wish to rent. So now all you have to worry about is making it to your final destination on time


Everything You Must Know Concerning Laser Back Surgery December 24, 2009

Filed under: Unassigned, World Of Medicine @ 5:15 pm

Chronic back pain is a condition which seriously impacts on the quality of life of far too many people. If your surgeon can’t pinpoint the particular vertebrae which are causing the trouble, conventional back procedures aren’t always the safest option. Besides the difficulty in the diagnosis of a specific problem, the side-effects associated with a conventional back procedure frequently mean that this surgery is not right for every patient. Up until recently these people had very limited options, however now laser spine surgery is easily available. In fact, there are a number of advantages over traditional procedures. The complex structure of the spinal column means it is very tough to pinpoint precisely what is the root of the discomfort or other unpleasant symptoms. Research indicates that the side-effects often linked with traditional spine surgery make it unsuitable for use as a diagnostic procedure. This just does not happen with laser spine methods as it is substantially easier on the body’s tissues, this makes it ideal for diagnosis as well as treating spinal pain. Due to its fewer number of associated risks, some people who are not suitable for established procedures will indeed profit from laser spinal surgery. The procedure additionally can provide ease from issues like pain from the compression of the sciatic nerve. Anyone who endures a loss of sensation, discomfort, and mobility issues should find some relief from laser spine surgery as well. An individual who has been hurt in an accident often deals with chronic spinal pain because of scar-tissue forming at the time of injury. Scar-tissue is commonly made more severe by regular surgery. Laser back surgical techniques only involve one tiny cut, so they are an outstanding option for reducing and eradicating damaged tissue. Extensive tissue scarification usually occurs in traditional back procedures. Of course, this is not a problem with laser spinal methods. The orthopedic surgeon can decide on numerous methods via one tiny incision. Recuperation time is considerably shortened, as well as the amount of physical therapy necessary for the majority of individuals. The results are much better and consistent, this allows the patient to undergo less treatment and muster significantly fewer hazards to stress about.

The hazards commonly linked with conventional back operations are almost a problem of the past. Therefore, for those struggling with spinal discomfort or other distressing symptoms due to back problems, laser back surgery provides a risk-free and reliable solution.


Going Green: with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Setting an Example

Filed under: Entrepreneurs, Unassigned @ 11:53 am

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was launched in the 1970’s and in the beginning their main business was in highly leveraged transactions. More recently aiming to make the companies they take over more ecologically friendly, KKR have set in motion a unique proposal that has dramatically transformed the way business concerns and environmental groups work.

Green business practices became a hot topic in 2008 when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Pivotal green issues like toxic waste and inordinate consumption of water resources feature high on their list of objectives. In order to accomplish this, they utilize a routine known as eco-efficiency, this involves concepts such as waste reduction, maximum use of renewable resources, and reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals. Even though the project was a tremendous success, no-one realized how important the effects really were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, finished the first annual review. Factually exceeding everyone’s expectations, Ken saw that utilizing eco-efficiency not only increased environmental awareness, but was increasing the the net profit from all their companies as well. Currently, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have succeeded in getting virtually all of their companies participating in eco-efficiency principles. When you think about the fact that the total portfolio has a value of nearly $100 billion USD, you can imagine what a feat this really is. The original program is expanding to encompass new ventures. The Climate Corps Program administered by the EDF is a good example of this, it promotes eco-efficient principles to MBA interns.

KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to create systems that manage various resources. These systems let staff see how they are progressing and identify any underlying issues. Henry Kravis, the KKR, and the Environmental Defense Fund are groundbreakers when it comes to raising awareness of environmentally friendly business techniques. In summary, these systems have made environmentally friendly business practice not only viable, but commercially desirable, and their novel ideas are setting a new standard in today’s business world.


What to Remember when Buying Academic Robes December 23, 2009

Robes represent a change from a certain level of education, from undergraduates to graduate education. These academic robes are worn with a mortar board to distinguish the graduates from a large number of groups in a graduation ceremony. As a graduate your role is to find the right graduation robes that will represent your degree. Your academic robes will stand for your level of educational accomplishment. In selecting suitable graduation robes you have to always consider the practice and the significance of wearing these academic robes.
• Previous to buying anything you have to try academic robes for bachelor’s degree holders. Fit some color black academic robes since it is the most frequent academic robes wore during a graduation ceremony. As a bachelor degree graduate you should look forward to on wearing the same colored robes and outsized a sleeve that goes ahead of your fingertips.
• Take a look of the exceptional sleeves that graduate student’s academic robes have. Examine all the robes to stay away from buying wrong graduation robes. A number of academic robes for Master’s have long black sleeves that expand ahead of your fingertips. It has a hole intended for each hand.
• Determine the appropriate academic color before purchasing a robe’s rim and hood. Every university and colleges typically assign detailed color for every course and field of study. The arrangement of color is done to systematize the commencement exercises. Academic robes are the most vital element of the whole ceremony that should be worn during the entire ceremony.
Purchase academic robes together with your cap to get affordable price. Several manufacturers offer a package which contains all elements that you need for your graduation day. This package is much affordable rather than buying in a piece.
• Find out the accurate tassel for your academy before purchasing your robe. It is significant that your tassel will be the counterpart the shade of your academic robes. Your tassel should include a metal piece at the base with your graduation year.
• Cautiously determine the base of your robe to find out the proper fit for you. The accurate length for your graduation robe should be above your ankles to prevent it from nibbling as you are walked across the stage.
• If you come across some problems while purchasing your academic robes you can consult the sales representative of your school bookstore. Keep in mind that you have to buy earlier to avoid rush. It is significant to buy early on to locate the correct robe that will fit you. If you purchase two weeks previous to the actual graduation day the stock might run out, and you may not find the appropriate size for your academic robes.

Looking for the accurate robe may be very easy if you will go after the above talk about tips. Remember that you have to buy precise robe for specific level of degree. Patience is the key in everything that you do, even when you are looking for the accurate kind of robe.


Flavorful Menus for Christmas Party Festive

Filed under: Eating Out, Games Playing, Lifestyle Management @ 12:14 pm

If your youngster’s got a sweet tooth, why not request his/her best buddies over for an afternoon biscuit embellishing fete? Not only will they have lots of merriment stacking on the multicolored frostings and candy ornamentations, they will have a blast savouring one another’s innovations! You might just begin a new tradition. Lend even more cheer to the holiday time of year with jolly cakes. What would Christmas Eve be sans cookies and milk for Santa? Step it up this December 24th with a few treats for Santa’s crowd like “No Bake” Elf Ball Bites, Reindeer Treats, Christmas Caramel Corn, and Gingerbread Santa Biscuits to make for a happy, prosperous Christmas Eve!

When invited to a holiday party, bringing the host or hostess a present is customary. Give a lot of cookies wrapped creatively by piling them up in a mug, piling them in a homemade Christmas take-out package, or simply stacking them up with a ornamental ribbon. Get crafty in the kitchen by embellishing a festive holiday take-out box for your biscuits or let Santa’s sled function as a jolly holiday cookie container. In a holiday time crunch? Bake a batch of Christmas cupcakes for your host. Holiday festivities are even better when a tray of cakes is on the celebration table! Fix up your popular cupcake recipe and then dress them as reindeer, snowflakes, gingerbread men or any one of these flavorful ideas. Red and green cookies in the figure of a Christmas tree or on a whimsical multi-tiered stand for a plainly merry Christmas festivity.

For parties, put the cake stands and platters on a coffee table, dining table or buffet table. Costume the area with a few stunning candles or by sprinkling dried cranberries or holly berry leaves across the table covering below the cake stands. If you are having your home baked treasures to someone else, or are making them as a gift, wrap them up just like a gift. Local craft shops sell glorious pastry and sweet boxes that are ideal. Also, check sweet boxes, which make for a lovely presentation – they are so gorgeous your receiver will feel bad opening them!


Always Take a Free Card

Filed under: Gambling, Games Playing, Great Fun @ 11:03 am

One of the biggest mistakes that rookies make is folding their hand when even though everyone in front of them folds. Even seasoned veterans will do this out of frustration at getting rags hand after hand.

A few years ago I was at a home poker game and eventually the poker blinds came around to me. I was pretty disappointed to see that I was dealt a 2-3 off-suit, and I waited for someone to raise me so that I could toss away the garbage in my hand. To my surprise, everybody limped in and I got to see the flop for free. It was late, and I’d had a slow night, so I was getting ready to toss my cards anyway out of frustration, but I fought off the idiot instinct and watched the flop.

I was glad that I did, as I watched a 3-3-2 with a spade draw come out to give me a full house, I slow played, called the few raises that came out, checked through the turn and watched the final spade come out on the river. It was beautiful-two people went all in, and I gladly called.

One of the sweetest moments in poker online is when you’re in the big blind position with a low to marginal hand and no one raises. It gets even sweeter when you hit on the flop, because no one ever suspects the big blind. The full boat just about tripled my stack and put me in the money-all from a hand that I almost threw away.


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