Category Archives: nonprofit

Chicago Shines a Light on Suicide Prevention

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If you live in Chicago or will be in town on Saturday, March 14th, join me at the Hilton Magnificent Mile and meet the good folks carrying out the mission of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Volunteers from all over will gather to share stories and learn how to increase awareness for the cause. I will be giving the volunteers useful tips on how to engage others through storytelling.

Suicide is a serious public health problem that takes an enormous toll on families, friends, classmates, co-workers, and communities, as well as on our military personnel and veterans.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013–the most recent year for which full data is available–someone in the United States died by suicide every 12.9 minutes. This makes it the 10th leading cause of death for Americans, but unlike many other leading causes, suicide continues to claim more lives each year. Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among young people age 15 to 24. The highest overall rates of suicide are for adults age 40 to 59.

To know the reason for someone’s suicide death is challenging. Research has shown that most people who die by suicide have a potentially treatable mental disorder at the time of their death. The disorder has often gone unrecognized and untreated. What we know about the causes of suicide is lagging behind that of other life-threatening illnesses because the stigma surrounding suicide has limited society’s investment in vital research. To find out more, you can go to the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Since its founding in 1987, AFSP has connected tens of thousands of people who have lost a family member, loved one or friend to suicide and help them cope. AFSP has reached thousands of individuals who are at risk for suicide, as well as those who love and care for them to make prevention possible. In order to help people understand the facts, AFSP has gained the participation of members of the scientific and clinical communities, who conduct groundbreaking research on suicide and its prevention.

To fully achieve its mission, AFSP engages individuals and families, scientists and legislators, and community organizations in essential dialogue to increase awareness, understanding and support for those impacted by suicide.

Register today for the AFSP Volunteer Gathering on Saturday, March 14th and take the first step with me. It is a journey in which everyone must participate because the stories surrounding suicide reflects what’s happening in our homes, our schools and our communities. The more we openly talk about it and listen, the better we can see and act.

Source: www.afspil.org

The Trust presents On the Table at the Philanthropy Club

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Thank you to Eva Penar, Director of Marketing and Communications at The Chicago Community Trust, and Jean Westrick, Independent Consultant to the Trust, for leading a dynamic discussion at the Philanthropy Club’s March 3rd session on how individuals and organizations can participate in the Trust’s civic engagement initiative called On the Table.

onthetable_logoIn 2014, the ambassador program for On the Table created a social viral campaign that led to over 17 million digital impressions. As May 12, 2015 marks the Trust’s Centennial, that day will see thousands of people throughout Chicagoland gathered around tables sharing meals, sharing stories and sharing commitments to make our region the most philanthropic in the nation. These conversations will bring people together around a common vision which is the first step to realizing change and making an impact in our communities.

Barkada Circle is happy to be an ambassador for the program and will be hosting two On the Tables, one in the city and one in a suburb. Stay tuned for details.

For more information about On the Table, visit their website at http://www.onthetable.com.

Chicago AMA Convenes Marketers with a Mission

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chicagoamaThe Chicago AMA continues its tradition of inviting the larger community of nonprofit marketers to participate in open dialogue and identify key trends and tectonic shifts in the field for the coming year. This collaborative process will shape a vital program to support shared interests and hone high-priority focus areas for communication and development professionals. As with previous years, the outcome will be a series of dynamic conversations between thought leaders sharing ideas, best practices and resources to help them gain a fresh perspective, build relationships and develop innovative strategies.

The program comprises two distinct, yet related tracks: a think tank for marketers of nonprofit organizations and a think tank for marketers of higher education institutions. Participants begin their discussion with a starter list of topics. At the end of each think tank, they will have defined three to four major topics with talking points for the 2015 program year.

Below are the starter lists for each Special Interest Group (SIG), event details and registration links. Admission is free. Sign up today for one or both!

IMG_5576Chicago AMA Nonprofit Marketing Think Tank
 Tuesday, November 18, 2014
8:00 am – 10:00 am
The Chicago Community Trust
225 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 2200
Chicago, IL 60601

Nonprofit SIG Preliminary Topics:

  • Content marketing tools and social media
  • Mobile & responsive website design
  • Personalizing donor communications
  • Big Data for fundraisers
  • Different types of gifts – from bequests to monthly giving
  • Direct mail & acquiring new donors
  • Bring media back to social media – producing videos, photos & infographics
  • Strategic planning & engaging your stakeholders
  • Why can’t we be friends?  Successful Executive Director & Development Director relationships
  • #GivingTuesday on December 2nd

Registration: http://alturl.com/iat5p

IMG_5535Chicago AMA Higher Education Marketing Think Tank
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
i.c.stars
415 N. Dearborn St.
Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60654

Higher Ed SIG Preliminary Topics:

  • How can cause marketing advance your institutions reputation?
  • Social media as a recruitment tool
  • From school rankings to student outcomes, what is most compelling?
  • Using your brand as a recruitment tool
  • How do you develop your school’s value proposition
  • Mobilizing the university to support your marketing efforts
  • Webcentric – What’s the outlook for web communication?

Registration: http://alturl.com/q2eeg

Stories help you dream big and overcome your fears.

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Mary.Nerburn.photo_Today on Barkada Circle radio, we interviewed Mary Nerburn––author, coach, speaker, and entrepreneur/business owner. Mary is celebrating the one-year anniversary of her book, Jack It Up: A 50-Something Women’s Guide to Fixing a Flat Life and Start Living Again. Internationally, women and men of all ages are benefitting from her wisdom.

In today’s program, she tells the Barkada Circle audience how she uses storytelling in helping people dream big once more, push through fears and show up in life again. Mary’s no-nonsense approach appeals to those who seek an engaged authentic life by answering their true calling and realizing their new life mission. Her reminder for embracing your true north is “Like a pebble in your shoe, your dream will nag at you until you respond and live it.”

Jack It Up explores core values as the foundation for decision making and suggests ways to identify and act on personal giftedness as well as using laughter, movement and connecting with nature to create balance. The reader is guided from one chapter to the next with tools for both reflecting and making real changes with laser questions such as, “What do you know about your potential and what do you intend to do with this insight?”

Listen to the podcast of today’s program.

Mary is available for workshops, book readings and consultations with individuals or companies: http://www.MaryNerburn.com. Mary’s book Jack It Up is available at http://www.JackItUpStartLivingAgain.com.