We can remember how we felt when we were children. We can spend time remembering our various experiences feelings and needs which we had when we were children. But even that is not enough. The conditions and environment of our childhood years were very different than those, which our children experience today. Thus we must imagine that we are our children and try to understand how they feel. Then our words and actions will be in harmony with their needs. We need to believe in our children and ourselves. If we do not believe in ourselves, we cannot believe in our children. Let us have faith that both we and they are capable of facing life with our inner guidance, clarity and effectiveness. Let us believe in our spiritual oneness and the power of unconditional love is the solution for every problem. Let us be consistent and respect ourselves and our children. Let us continue our own education, our own growth, our own self-improvement, our own spiritual evolution. Let us be true to who we are and overcome our egos, our fears and attachments. Let us spend time with our children and share with them the beauty of our inner selves. Let us grow together in humility and simplicity with our children, discovering together the meaning and beauty of life. Let us close with some words from Maria Montessori:
"Without any doubt we have in the past been the unconscious oppressors of this new human seed which bursts forth pure and charged with energy. And we have superimposed ourselves upon it without admitting the needs of its spiritual expansion. So the child has remained almost completely hidden - or very much overshadowed - by this unconscious egotism of the adult. It would be an affirmation not too well received, I imagine, were I to say that very often the adult becomes an obstacle, rather than a help to the development of the child. It is a most difficult thing for us to accept that statement that, very often, it is our excessive care for the child which prevents the exercise of his own activities, and therefore the expansion of his own personality? "Thus it comes to pass that when we, with the very best intentions and with the most sincere wish to help, do everything for the child - when we wash him, lift him up and plunk him down on his chair, feed him, and put him into that species of cage we call his crib - in giving him all these unnecessary aids we do not really help but hinder him. "And later on, towards the boy or girl, we repeat the same error, when - still holding to the belief that he cannot learn anything without our help - we stuff him with intellectual nourishment, we nail him to the benches of the school so that he cannot move, we make every effort to uproot his moral defects, we crush or break his will, secure in our belief that in this way we are acting for his highest good. "And so we proceed in this manner indefinitely all along the line; and we call this education. "
Once you have found a grant that your organization may be eligible for, the next step is to write a grant proposal. If you think this sounds simple then you need to look into it more carefully, because many grant applications fail due to a poor or incomplete proposal. All the rules that apply to your grant proposal must be strictly adhered to. They are there for a reason that, while it may not be apparent to the applicant, is certainly needed for some specific reason. So if you are meant to email it in, don't fax it, or it will not even be read. Don't risk your application being disqualified before it even reaches its destination.
Funders don't just fund anything that comes along. They are not delighted to throw money at all sorts of proposals just because they land on the desk. Make sure you apply for the right kind of grant. If the funder loves the environment, they may not be kindly disposed towards big business. If they usually fund pet shelters or animal welfare, they may not be interested in education or sporting needs. Funders can be extremely specific in their choice and that's their prerogative.
When writing your grant proposal, start with a one-page outline in logical steps, then expand each step fully - and don't leave anything out. Be specific in your reasons for applying. 'To help the community' or 'for adult education' is not specific enough. Also be specific about your expenses. Research them thoroughly. Don't just estimate what you think they will be. Itemize each need and cost carefully and make sure you think of it all, don't leave half out because it doesn't seem that important. Grants committees think all costs are important - it's their money that is paying, after all.
After writing your proposal, ask at least two other people to read it and explain to you what your goals are. They should be people who don't know about your cause. Ask them questions to facilitate the process. If they can't understand it properly, it's back to the drawing board for you, because the grants committee most likely won't be able to either.
Never hurry the process of writing a good proposal. It takes time to get it right, especially if this is your first, and it will show if you rush the process. If there is a deadline for the grant that you cannot meet without rushing, then it may be wise to wait and go for it the following year instead.
If you think the task is too much for you, consider hiring a professional grant writer, but they will need to know a lot about the organization, so be prepared with lots of information.
How to Suggest Inheritance Giving from Supporters
Inheritance giving plays quite a large part in the fundraising processes. It may be that a person has been a loyal supporter of your organization's cause for some time, but now that they are retired, they are unable to give the amount that they used to when a good wage was coming in.
This is the time to suggest they may be interested in inheritance giving - leaving something in their will to your cause. If you leave it too late, they may not be able to remember you, since forgetfulness and dementia seem to play such a large part in elderly life.
To suggest inheritance giving requires a great deal of tact on the part of the fundraiser. You don't want the person to feel that they are about to die or anything so unpleasant. Remind them that their heirs could well benefit from their loyalty to your cause by not having to pay out a great deal of tax. Who would they rather be the beneficiary of their money, Uncle Sam or your cause?
The most common way to leave money to a charity by will is called specific bequest. This is a specified amount of money or an asset, or it could be a specific percentage of the estate. A contingency bequest could be set up even if the person is younger, with young children. Other gifts that can be left to a fundraising organization are life-insurance policies, stocks and bonds, or even real estate.
It is best that the supporter should see a solicitor or lawyer to facilitate the bequest. At the same time, this may motivate them to get their will written up legally if they have not done so. The lawyer will help them to assess the value of their estate and so find out how much tax is due on it. If they have a will already, then they need only add a codicil to be able to leave your organization a legacy. It must be done in a professional manner; otherwise it may be open to question or legal proceedings.
They will then be able to see where they stand with regards to taxes on their estate, and how much tax will have to be paid on it. Suggest to the supporter that they be open about the amount of the gift - and the tax savings - to their heirs. This will prepare them in advance and prevent any bad feelings.
Both Robert Elias Najemy & Justin Alan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Robert Elias Najemy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Self Esteem, Dating and Romance and Web Development. Robert E. Najemy, author of 25 books and life coach with 30 years of experience, has trained over 300 life coaches and now does so over the Internet. Become a life coach.Over 600 free article and lectures at. Robert Elias Najemy's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
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