TEACHERS, CLUB LEADERS, PARENTS

Got a group of people ready to get started on a project?  Here is a guide to help your group get organized.

Step 1:  Sign up and create your individual profile. Every member of your group can make their own profile in the VolunteerMatch section of this website.  This individual profile allows each group member to keep track of their individual and group projects over time. Each person can then present create an organized, professionally designed resume and project plan to college admissions , employers, grandparents, etc. 

Step 2:  Choose a Cause.  Discuss with the group what the most important issues are to them.  What change do they want to see in the world? You may want to vote by raising hands or pass out pieces of paper to vote.  Here are the categories of causes that students have suggested. 

  • Animals
  • Arts and Education
  • Children's Issues
  • Environmental Issues
  • Health
  • Poverty

Step 3: Choose an Organization.  Select a nonprofit organization from the VolunteerMatch page that addresses the cause your group chose to support.  If you would like to support another organization addressing one of these causes, you can nominate that organization for the Boomerang Foundation.

Here are some questions your group can discuss when selecting a nonprofit organization:

  1. What issues(s) does the organization address?

  2. How does this organization tackle the problems they address? What programs do they have?

  3. If you send money to this organization, how will it be used?

  4. Do you have a choice about how your donation will be spent?

  5. Do you think people in your community would be interested in supporting this organization? Why or why not?

  6. Would you be able to tell people about this organization and feel proud about supporting it?

Step 4 – Contact the nonprofit organization 

Go to the nonprofit's website and see if there are any volunteer or fundraising opportunities currently available.  Guide the group as the search the website and help them determine who the best person is to contact.  For example, for fundraising projects, it is usually the Director of Development.  Check to see if they have a volunteer coordinator. 

Here are some tips to share with students before they call or email the nonprofit.  (the students should place the call!)

  1. Remember that people who work at nonprofits are busy and usually under staffed.

  2. Discuss phone etiquette with the group: introducing yourself, speaking clearly, planning what to say ahead of time, etc.  It is always nice to tell the nonprofit that you appreciate what they do and that you selected their organization because you believe in their mission.

  3. It's often a good idea to jot down notes of talking points and questions before making the call.

Step 5 - Plan your project

If the nonprofit organization does not have a specific project for you to do for them, you can to create your own project using one or more of the ideasideas and nice planning tool project planner to help the group create a well-developed plan with your group and then print out the completed program (impressive).  This tool actually has all of the key elements of a professional business plan.  When finished, your students can feel proud that they have developed their own business plan.  on this site.  The Boomerang Foundation has developed a list of

Here are some pre-packaged projects that have been successful for other groups.

  1. Boom Boom! Compassion Week on Campus

  2. How to Have a Sweet Bake Sale

If you come up with a new, fun idea that works, be sure to share it here.

Now, the fun starts! 

  1. Make sure you get photos and videos of your project so that you can inspire others and share our progress on your group page.  Remember to tag your videos and photos boomerangfoundation so they load automatically to this website.

  2. Gather all of interesting information you can find about the organization you want to support.  You can ask someone from the organization to give you brochures or flyers if they are available.

  3. Spread the word!  Use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube (with your parent’s supervision!) to send out the details – Who, What, When and Where!

  4. Advertise! Put up posters, run ads in newspapers, call the radio stations, send out press release (click here for a sample press release)

  5. At your fundraising event, make sure you are gracious, polite and thankful.  Thank everyone for every amount they contribute.

 

Step 6 – Give Your Gift

Send your donation to the organization with a note about what you did and be sure to share any touching stories and experiences you had along the way.

You can send your donation online or by mail. We recommend not sending cash.

Step 7 – Tell the World – Inspire Others!

This section is recommended for participants 13 years or older who have experience using social media.  We encourage parents and guardians to participate with their kids while using social media.

Social Media is an umbrella term for the online tools that connect us and allow us to share content, insights, experiences, comments, individual perspectives, profiles, and media itself, making it possible for groups of people to converse and interact online.

Modern social media tools include blogs, micro blogs, podcasts, status updates, message boards, bookmarks, networks, communities, and vlogs. With these new tools social media is shifting away from a submissive broadcast audience to a significantly more interactive one. Learn more about how to get started on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Flickr.

With parents' permission, you can use social media to help spread the message to more people, faster. Social media allows instantaneous distribution without using any paper!

Tell us about acts of compassion you witness or your fund raising efforts through your social media networks.

Ideas:

  1. On your Facebook wall, post videos of your group's project and tell your friends how to get involved,

  2. Join the Boomerang Foundation group on Facebook and invite your friends to join,

  3. Blog about what compassion means to you, the compassion you've witnessed or an act you've done yourself to support other kids,

  4. Catch someone in the act of compassion with your camera phone and upload the photos to Flickr or upload video to YouTube, or bookmark with Delicious,

  5. Remember to always tag your content with the boomerangfoundation tag.

Get busy, get creative, get out and make the world a better place. 

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