The Beautiful Volunteer Spirit and the Case For Firefighting

Like each flower in bloom during this summer season, each volunteer on your fire department brings unique, beautiful value to your team. For those volunteers who become lifelong members, their commitment to responding amidst the other demands of life is automatic. They and their families sacrifice precious moments like meal times together for the pager's call of others in need and a job to do.

There are currently more than 900,000 501 (c) (3) organizations in the United States. Like your fire department, all of these nonprofits are in need of continued and additional public support to keep moving forward. The honor of receiving their choice in supporting you requires a strong "case statement." Your fire department's development efforts will improve with a clear, concise written statement that quantifies your community value.

That case statement starts with your wonderful volunteers. If you aren't already doing so, start tracking the hours your volunteers give. Include training times and call response. Include station tours, special events and other community service functions. Ask your officers for estimates on the additional time they give. Include time given by nonmembers who may volunteer with any of the above. Once this estimate is assembled, a conservative dollar value can be given to demonstrate how many times over the investment of each of your financial supporters is matched by your volunteers.

While you're at it, if you're looking for ideas on how to continue recognizing and appreciating the volunteers who beautify your fire department's garden, this link is a good place to start.

For more information on developing your fire department's case statement and assigning value to your volunteer's time commitments, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland.

Do You Have a Map Book for Your Department's Funding Needs?

Your page comes in. Your blue light goes on. You arrive at the Station. Your map book comes out. You follow the directions they contain so your call response can be faster and more accurate. You update your map book when you can, perhaps even with handwritten notes to address construction issues or other traffic challenges. Your map book helps you get to know the nooks and crannies of your community as you use it for more and more calls.

Your Department's funding needs deserve their own map book. When you plan for your funding needs, you plan for your Department to move forward. Dedicating time and energy towards this effort can help you develop a document that includes:

1. Your Department's priorities for equipment and training for the next three to five years

2. Anticipated funding gaps for the same time period

3. An action plan with time frame to ensure your highest priorities are funded

4. Ongoing cultivation activities that ensure your supporters remain positively engaged with your Department

5. A process for effectively driving around your own funding "traffic challenges" and still arriving at your destination

This Development Map Book for your Department can be most effectively developed through working with an independent facilitator. This facilitator can help you find your funding compass through a meeting or meetings with your officers and/or membership, as well as assembly of your book.

In short, a Development Map Book for your Department keeps the focus on your priorities and arrive at your progress destination faster and more accurately.

To discuss what kind of Development Map Book planning works best for your Department, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

Let's Fill the Boot Even Higher in 2009

The historic connection between Jerry's Kids/MDA is decades long and hundreds of thousands of dollars in support deep. That rich tradition is alive and well in Iowa. Whether your Fill the Boot efforts come from Labor Day weekend activity, your community summer parade or another event, thank you for making a tremendous difference for the families impacted by 43 neuromuscual diseases.

The Hiawatha Fire Department was recognized at Wednesday night's Hiawatha City Council meeting for being the top volunteer fire department in Iowa in terms of MDA Fill the Boot fundraising. This team raised $13,018 in 2008 to rank 5th among all fire departments in Iowa! Hiawatha sets up at storefront and intersection locations the weekend prior to and the weekend of Labor Day to reach this total. A few thoughts on how Hiawatha made this achievement possible:

1. Incredibly generous supporters. To everyone who lives in or drove though Hiawatha during the 2008 Fill the Boot, thank you!

2. Amazing volunteers. A core group of members and families of Hiawatha Fire gave 123 hours of time over two weekends in 2008. Many make it a family project. For each hour they worked, $106.27 was raised for MDA. Thank you, volunteers!

3. Resource allocation. Close tracking of funds raised during each shift at each location in 2007 allowed more effective allocation of volunteers in 2008 to ensure the most money possible was raised for the people served by MDA.

4. Cultivation. MDA District Director Teresa Cooper visits a Hiawatha Fire meeting to explain the project's value. Each volunteer and known donor receives a personal note. Key partners are thanked if time is available on the MDA Telethon.

A few ideas for Fill the Boot consideration in your community:
1. Setup a crowd connection at a popular community event - sporting event, summer parade, etc.
2. Ask your city for information on the intersections in your community with the most traffic. Find out what times the most traffic goes through those intersections and setup your Fill the Boot stations accordingly.
3. Consider collaborating with other community organizations like school service clubs, Rotary Clubs, etc. to ensure volunteer shifts are filled.
4. Creatively engage your members and/or local business community with challenge grants, mini boots in stores, small items to decorate windows with in return for a donation, etc.
5. Contact anyone you know who has been assisted by MDA efforts and offer them the chance to join in giving back.

By sharing more ideas, firefighters can have an even greater impact on Jerry's Kids in 2009. Together, we can Fill the Boot even higher in 2009 to benefit the people served through MDA! Your ideas in the comment section will make this happen. If your Fire Department wants to join or build on your Fill the Boot office, you may find your local MDA office by entering your zip code on the home page of http://www.mda.org. For more information on the state-leading efforts in Hiawatha, contact Josh Holland or Dawn Svenson Holland.