5 Services Your Donations Support at WACOSA

Your donations to WACOSA help support and make a difference in the lives of adults with disabilities, but have you ever wondered how? Your donations are greatly appreciated and make it possible for us to support our WACOSA clients with various services. These are just a few:

1. Activity Books

A $50 donation will provide one set of assorted activity books. Included in the set is four books, each with a different theme of puzzles, games, and trivia. Instead of having information read to them, our clients love to learn with activities like crossword puzzles and trivia questions.

2. Chairs

A $90 donation provides one chair for the WACOSA Senior Program at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud. These chairs are made with sturdy metal and vinyl upholstery. Plus, they are very comfortable and easy to clean. These chairs are great for our seniors when they need to sit or stand.

3. Speaker System Upgrade

A $300 donation will help us to get one iPod to update the speaker system at our Waite Park site. Right now, we are in need of an iPod for each of the three program areas.

4. Refrigerator

A $500 donation will supply us with one under the counter refrigerator unit. This will help to improve meal preparation. Along with this, it will help improve our clients medication administration.

5. Washing Machine or Dryer

A $1,000 donation allows us to purchase one commercial grade washing machine or dryer for our Sauk Centre site. This is used to wash and dry materials used by the Can Do! Cleaning Crews. Since the crews are cleaning at various local businesses, more than 550 towels and 25 mop heads are washed every day.

Through your generous donations, you make WACOSA’s mission possible - to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their community. We are in need of multiples of almost every items. To learn more about how you can help, visit our donation page.

Preparing for Give to the Max Day 2015

Preparing for Give to the Max Day 2015

 

Minnesotans around the state are gearing themselves for Give to the Max Day in hopes of breaking last year’s record of  $18 million donated to schools and nonprofits throughout the land of 10,000 lakes.

Give to the Max day is extremely important for nonprofits because it strengthens the nonprofit community by making their organizations more well known in the area. Creating relationships with community members helps find supporters that are passionate about the same goals and missions of making the community a better place.

GiveMn is a resource to help connect people with organizations within Minnesota. Every year, GiveMn sets aside one day to fundraise as much as possible for local schools and nonprofits in our community called Give to the Max Day. Fundraising is a major part of Give to the Max Day. Fundraising for your favorite organization can be difficult, but don’t let that stop you- there are tons of simple ways to get involved:

Use the Media

Using media to your advantage helps get the word out to all people in your communities. Contacting news stations, local newspapers, radio talk shows, and social media help spread the world about your passion for fundraising. The more people that know about the event, the more donors you receive.

MORE is More

Focus on getting multiple donors rather than focusing on the amount each individual donor gives. If you spend your time getting people to donate, they will be more interested in the cause with which you are participating rather than just solely asking for a number. Fundraising is all about the way you present it. Grab your audience’s attention making them want to support your mission.

Cite your Source

If you want people to donate to an organization because it means something special to you, tell them why it is important. Explain to potential donors why the organization is important to you and what, in your eyes, makes it special and worth funding. genuine appreciation through the eyes of someone involved will speak much louder than any other selling tactic you can think of.

This year, Give to the Max day is set for November 12, 2015, so grab your best fundraising skills, make a plan,  and let’s do our best to earn some funds for Minnesota Schools and nonprofits! If you have yet to choose a nonprofit, make WACOSA your organization of choice by visiting our Give MN page.

Spring Cleaning Gone Thrifty

Spring is near and it's always a good idea to get a head start on your spring cleaning list. When going through each room, you will likely come across objects you either forgot you had or don't have a use for anymore. Consider donating those items to a good cause. WACOSA's onsite thrift store, ThriftWorks!, is always looking for donations. 

ThriftWorks! accepts the following items:
· Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing & shoes
· Books, movies, games
· Toys
· Small household appliances
· Housewares
· Jewelry & accessories
· Linen & bedding
· Tools
· Furniture (only after reviewed and approved)

Make cleaning an exciting time by getting the whole family involved. Have your teens go through their closet, the little ones go through their toy room, and dads go through their tool shed. Let them know you will be donating their unwanted things to a good cause and it will be easier and and more rewarding experience.

Make separate piles of objects you know you want to keep, the things you maybe want to keep, and the things you for sure want to donate Once you're done with that, sort through your “maybe” piles with the whole family and it will take votes on what should stay and what should go.

By the time your spring cleaning is complete, you will have at least one thing to donate, we guarantee it.

  

Once your cleaning is finished, relax and feel good about making a donation to a place like ThriftWorks!.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

AgVenture Gives!

Watkins Farming Company Will Donate $500 to Local Charities

 AgVenture focuses on providing exceptional value and service to their customers. Their main goal is to deliver a superior service to customers in all areas of the farming enterprise. AgVenture believes in doing the right thing and to maintain high moral standards even if it may compromise short-term profitability. They are also willing to be sufficiently creative and flexible and, at the core, always operate under a high moral, ethical and legal standard.

 Sandy Hansen, owner of AgVenture Feed and Seed Inc, sees beyond the bottom line and is always mindful of the needs of her community. For her, a successful business is one that gives back to its customers, its employees, and its community. Sandy’s goal is to give ten percent of the company’s net profits away each year to various needs and causes.

Hansen's “pay it forward” state of mind contributed to the birth of a charitable Facebook contest. AgVenture will give back by donating $250 to the two charities who receive the most votes by December 22nd, 2013. Anyone who has a Facebook profile can vote once per day.

By voting for WACOSA, you are supporting our mission: provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their communities. We want individuals of all abilities to reach their full potential. We would greatly appreciate it if you took a few seconds out of your day to vote for WACOSA. Thank you for your help.

WACOSA

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