First, thank you GRACE for placing the yellow banner on the top of the page asking for help!
I didn't realize that only 0.1% of site visitors donate to GRACE. It is a god send organization when I learned the love of my wife has lung cancer. The lung cancer survival statistic is abysmal just like donation to GRACE.
I like to think people (patients and love ones) are just struggling with the cancer journey and might forget that to receive means to give. Saying "thank you" or "keep up the good work" alone will not sustain a non-profit organization. Yellow banner on the top of the page is a good reminder to me that I need to support a non-profit organization that I benefit from. So I am clicking the donation button to make a donation and hope many will follow.
Reply # - March 10, 2015, 08:41 AM
Thank you. We appreciate your
Thank you. We appreciate your support very much.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - March 12, 2015, 01:03 PM
I dont know where to put this
I dont know where to put this comment and so, because it is related to this topic, i will write here.
I have long been meaning to make a donation to Grace.
My dilemma is that I am South African. The exchange rate from SA rand to US dollar is dismal. Roughly, if I make a donation of, say, 1 000 SA rand, it will translate into $100 (thats the dollar sign, right?). Im not even sure what exchange costs might be and dony know what will eventually reach Grace. So, a stupid question please - what will be a minimum dollar amount that will translate into a meaningful donation for me to make.
PS: I'm just and ordinary monthly salaried person. Grace has been (still is) a great resource to me in my husband's LC journey.
Blessings,
Delia
Reply # - March 12, 2015, 02:53 PM
Hi Delia,
Hi Delia,
I am not speaking on GRACE's behalf, but just from my standpoint as a caretaker of a lung cancer survivor and the benefits I got from many volunteers who keep the GRACE going. I believe it takes HEART to keep GRACE going. Like you, I consider myself an ordinary person living an ordinary life raising kids and keeping extremely busy with activities....until extraordinary thing knocked on our door: cancer.
Our family does fund raising for lung cancer cause in Seattle, WA. I take the approach of "small makes big". The last 3 years, our family had raised over $20,000 through generosity and support of many friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, etc. The individual donations received have ranged from $500 to $1. People do what they feel is comfortable for them. The most important thing is that people participate. The participation makes our heart warm and the $ donated benefit lung cancer cause.
If I was Dr. West, many volunteered faculties, and underpaid support staff, my heart will feel warm knowing that there are many beneficiaries of their work/effort support GRACE not only through words of "thank you", but also through simple actions of "Small makes big". Talk is often cheap while simple action speaks loud.
I donated to Website Rebuild fund last year and I was surprised that after almost year, they barely raised 50% of the small amount needed. And when I saw the yellow banner that less than 0.1% of visitors to the site make any donation to this great non-profit organization, it inspired me initiate this communication stream.
When I saw the yellow banner, I donated $100 with the confidence that "small makes big". All of the people associated with Grace with HEART deserves our support to keep it going spiritually and financially.
Reply # - March 12, 2015, 03:46 PM
Thank you thank you thank you
Operations Director, GRACE
Thank you thank you thank you, everyone, for this discussion. Asking for donations is always a difficult struggle, and it is the deed that we have to do in order for GRACE to survive. We even struggled with the text to put on the yellow banner. I don't know that we all agreed that it was a good way to go.
GRACE was never meant to be a money maker - Dr. West has never ever taken any money for his part in this nonprofit. Many of you know that I started working with him in 2009, doing whatever needed to be done to keep this site operationally functioning, while my friend Melissa and his patient was still alive. She passed away in 2010, and I kept on because as hard as it was, I saw then how terribly important GRACE was to so many people.
I am a paid employee - but we have always joked that I could be working at a fast food restaurant bringing in more than I do here... (my husband loves that one...). I mention this because there has not been one single person who works for GRACE in any capacity that hasn't given much much more than than they have received. I am continually amazed by the wonderful people involved, from Jim and Janine - our wonderful massively knowledgeable moderators, to Mark our AMAZING tech guy who has brought us back from the brink a zillion times, to our faculty who have given so much of their time to bring education to the site and the community, to our board members who offer so much and have the best information and help to keep us headed in the right direction. Also to Carlea, our new(ish!) Executive Director who is taking us to new places and beyond. But mostly to Dr. West who cares so much about the community here and who gives and gives of his time and knowledge. Pretty selflessly.
Operations Director for GRACE. Have worked with cancerGRACE.org since July 2009. Became involved as a caregiver to my best friend, and quickly came to see that GRACE is filling a need in the area of cancer education.
Reply # - March 12, 2015, 04:01 PM
ANY WAY, my point is - it
Operations Director, GRACE
ANY WAY, my point is - it takes funding to keep us going. Sometimes we run by the skin of our teeth - and that is scary. GRACE effects so many people, and we know that we help people. I am here and do what I do because I see the outcomes and I see how important this is to people's lives.
I wish we didn't have to ask for donations - but we do. As for Delia's question -- every little bit helps. If you donate through our donation page or paypal - funds are specifically received in US dollars. Just like with any other nonprofit -- wikipedia or PBS or the local zoo - or any other- if every person who came to GRACE donated $100.00, we would be done with the "ask" in a day (or less).
If everyone donated the amount spent on double short latte breve's every day, (ok, that is me - Seattle, after all), it would possibly make that $100 in a month's time. I understand the need for those little pleasures. I also understand the need for GRACE.
That's it. And this is all just my unsolicited jabbering - in an attempt to let everyone know that we all know how important this organization is, and why we need to ask for donations, and why it needs to keep going and growing. THANK YOU to all of you who have donated, and THANK YOU all of you who are such an important part of this GRACE community.
hugs everyone... Denise
Operations Director for GRACE. Have worked with cancerGRACE.org since July 2009. Became involved as a caregiver to my best friend, and quickly came to see that GRACE is filling a need in the area of cancer education.
Reply # - March 14, 2015, 09:32 AM
Hi Denise
Hi Denise
Here are some thoughts because I care about the continuity of GRACE and I also know that without source(s) of funding, the no to minimal funding model that a non-profit is operating under is not sustainable.
I can't say I know the inner working of GRACE. I understand the comment "......Asking for donations is always a difficult struggle, and it is the deed that we have to do in order for GRACE to survive. We even struggled with the text to put on the yellow banner. I don’t know that we all agreed that it was a good way to go......" But the leadership of GRACE also needs to get over the struggle or discomfort of asking for support.
For a non-profit, its mission and its ability to raise funding go hand-in-hand, unless one has very rich founders (such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and rich friend (Warren Buffett). I am guessing that rich founders and rich friend do not exist in the case of GRACE.
I totally understand and appreciate the comment about "asking for donation and support." Our family had always supported others, ranging from girl scout cookies to car wash to church to passionate causes. We were so busy with life that if we weren't asked, no support on our part is highly likely. When we decided to support Lung Cancer cause by raising funds, my wife and struggled with tapping into our network to ask for support. We are comfortable with giving and not comfortable with receiving. Even as of today, we are still uncomfortable with the idea of asking for help. My wife is constantly saying "stop pestering people". When I have issues I am struggling with, I reach out to my mentors and the message is "It is a gift to others to allow them to help you". It is because I asked and continually to ask that we were able to raise over $20k the last 3 years just by our family alone.
Continue on next messagel
Reply # - March 14, 2015, 09:42 AM
If GRACE is to fold one day
If GRACE is to fold one day due to lack of financial support, the issue will be because GRACE leadership team is not able to overcome its own discomfort and struggle of asking and not willing to take on the recognition that its mission and its ability to raise funds go hand in hand. I personally believe that GRACE and many people with HEART do a very good job of moving toward its mission with very limited resources it has. Its ability to do more depends on how well it deal with the other side of the coin. By not willing to confront the challenge directly is to limit its ability to accomplish its mission. One of my mentors said it well "the problem is not out there, but in here". And many, many, and many will lose out.
SORRY that I am using this forum to communicate....do not know the mechanism to communicate something like this.
Reply # - March 14, 2015, 12:15 PM
wadvocator - I truly
Operations Director, GRACE
wadvocator - I truly appreciate your candidness. You are completely correct. We are a small army of givers -- so much easier than asking. Raising funds is a very important part of keeping this organization going, and if we want to grow, we have to realize that there is a business side to this whole thing.
And please don't feel sorry about using this forum to communicate -- this is a great discussion and I don't feel like there is any need for a private conversation. I have always felt that GRACE belongs to the people who use it -- and they need to know about the funding struggles. I have always thought that openness and honesty is the best way to go.
However -- if you have more to say and want to say it in a not so open forum, feel free to email me at dbrock@cancergrace.org. :) thanks once again.
Operations Director for GRACE. Have worked with cancerGRACE.org since July 2009. Became involved as a caregiver to my best friend, and quickly came to see that GRACE is filling a need in the area of cancer education.
Reply # - March 14, 2015, 12:18 PM
No sorry needed at all but a
No sorry needed at all but a thank you on our part.
Reply # - March 14, 2015, 06:29 PM
Hi Denise,
Hi Denise,
I am not naive enough to think that with this thread, there will be a mad rush of the community to donate to GRACE or to pipe into this discussion.
After reading your comment, I believe you realize that GRACE's mission and as a non-profit, its ability to raise funds, goes hand-in-hand. Your realization I don't believe change anything. It is the whole leadership team and the board members who need to be in sync regarding the fund raising side of the coin. If there is no collective recognition and willingness to deal with one's own discomfort in asking for help, there are enough examples of non-profit that ceased to exist....not because their missions are not worthy, it is because those non-profit never mastered the art of fund raising and the need for thicker skin. I have a friend who started a non-profit and ran it for 10 years. At the end of 10 years, he stopped because he was burned out. The way he described it as "it was like a slow chinese drip torture". It was his heart and passion that sustained him for 10 years of drips.
Many non-profits recognized that the business side of non-profit is as important as its mission side. That is why many of the Executive Directors are now titled CEO now vs. Executive Director. I don't know if the newly hired person has been given the responsibility for improve fund raising capability of GRACE.....if not, then there is needs to someone with such focus.
The business issue is within GRACE and not outside of GRACE and a community forum will not resolve this strategic issue. I hope you can find someone inside of GRACE to catalyze this important discussion.