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.

How To Teach Your Children About Giving and Donating

It may be easy for you to go through your house and find things you no longer need or have grown out of, but, it can be more difficult for a child to give up their possessions. Children tend to develop attachments to the toys they have. Although your child may put up a fuss, it’s important to teach them about caring, goodwill and compassion for others.

One of the best ways to teach your child about selflessness can be to have them go through their room and find gently used toys, books or clothes they’d like to give or donate. When you are approaching them, make sure to tell them why you want them to pick out these items, instead of simply telling them to find things they don’t want anymore. While explaining the importance of giving, keep their age and maturity in mind. You can say something such as “some people don’t have money to buy toys. I know you haven’t played with that truck in a long time, and it could make another little child very happy.” Consider the timing as well -- having them go through their toys before Christmas because other children may not receive anything during that time, or around their birthday because other children may not receive birthday presents. You don’t need to guilt them, but it’s a good reminder that they understand not everyone is as lucky or fortunate as they are.

After they understand why you want them to find items, ask for their input on what they think your household doesn’t need anymore. Once you have your child on-board with donating, the process can be very fun for them! Include them in bringing the gently used items to the location, so they can better understand the process of what happens to those items after they are donated. Remember to reward them for their efforts with acknowledgment and praise.

Not only will this process give your child the experience of giving, it may also open their eyes to all the things they can be grateful for in their own life.

Consider donating to ThriftWorks!, a thrift store owned and operated by WACOSA, a nonprofit serving adults with disabilities. All proceeds from ThriftWorks! benefit the mission to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work and live in their community.

We can accept:

• Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing & shoes
• Books, movies, games
• Toys
• Small household appliances
• Housewares
• Jewelry & accessories
• Linen & bedding
• Tools
• Furniture (after reviewed and approved)

The Season of Shredding

It's everyone's favorite time of year...tax season! Whether you've finished filing your taxes or still need to begin, knowing which documents to save or shred is in important part of putting together your "tax puzzle".

Have you ever heard of the “Three Year Rule”? After you have filed your taxes, make sure to hold on to certain documents for at least three years. Why three years? You need to keep your documents that will support the items on your tax return for three years in case the IRS needs to start an audit.

Shred after three years:
· Tax return forms
· Tax return schedules
· Property records
· Investment records & statements
· Business assets (for depreciation)

These aren't the only records to shred after you have completely filed your taxes. To ensure you will not be a victim of identity theft, shred anything with sensitive information on it.

Documents to shred sooner than 3 years:
· Tax records
· Pay stubs
· Bank statements
· Credit card statements
· Medical records
· Insurance records
· IRA contributions
· Home purchase/sale/improvements
· Warranties

Don’t have a shredder? WACOSA's DocuShred, located next ThriftWorks!, will shred all of your confidential documents.