Efforts For Donations To Vjg example essay topic

Victory Junction Gang Camp Fund-raising For four years now, it has been Kyle Petty's dream to build a camp in his son's memory for chronic and life-threatening illnesses of children from ages 7 to 15. Kyle and the NASCAR community have been fund raising for over four years to make this dream come true. Actor Paul Newman and Kyle and Pattie Petty are the founders of Victory Junction Gang Camp (VJG). The beautiful, natural setting for the VJG is seventy-two acres of land nestled in a hardwood forest. The camp is located in Randle man, North Carolina, approximately fifteen miles outside of Greensboro.

Nestled in the foothills of the Piedmont Triad, this site offers a forest with several creeks and woodland streams running through the property. Richard Petty donated the land to VJG. When the ground was broken, it cost 3.9 million. This is where the fund-raising begins. Kyle Petty has a charity motorcycle ride that he founded over ten years ago.

He has ridden over 31,500 miles and has raised over 4 million dollars. To keep the camp running, it costs 2.7 million dollars a year. The VJG has resources to raise funds, but it does take effort, time, and money to do this. Roshi Bull-Turner is the Development Associate of VJG, and it is her responsibility to manage the resources from the fund-raising events efficiently and effectively for the camp.

This paper will look at the fund-raising aspects. Are there enough corporate donations to keep VJG running? Has VJG advertised enough for the employees of corporations to donate? According to Roshi Bull who is an advertising specialist with VJG, ? It was hard work raising the funds to build this camp. The hardest part besides raising money, was speaking to the corporations.

The corporations keep the camp running by donating time, money, and goods.? Statement of Problem The problem of the study is to investigate the raising of funds to keep VJG up and running for terminally ill children. Corporations need more information on VJG in order to make the decision easier. It takes knowledge, time, and money in order to make this happen. Setting of Problem The setting of the problem is how to raise 24.4 million dollars to keep the camp running. VJG will enrich the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses by creating experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe, and medically sound.

This camp is located 15 miles outside of Greensboro, North Carolina. The camp supports up to 1000 children and 50 staff members per summer. The VJG staff consists of 19 full-time employees working on campaigning. There are nine founding hospitals, 17 doctors on staff, and over 200 volunteer medical personnel. VJG has many big named corporations donating to help raise the money. Among these is NASCAR.

Many of the owners and drivers have donated millions to VJG. These millions have helped raised awareness for the purpose behind the camp. Even NASCAR. com website, has a box to click on for VJG. This site has auctions from drivers that have donated signed merchandise, clothing, and other such things. All money raised through the website goes directly to VJG. Some of the big name corporations have donated supplies and services instead of money.

Lowe's and Home Depot have donated supplies to help erect the c Sealy donated mattresses for the sleeping quarters; Target has donated clothes for the children; Tide donated cleaning supplies; Dupont donated supplies to help protect the camp from weather; Time-Warner has donated the cable; Over cash-D emmitt Architects donated time to design the c Coca-Cola has donated their products to the c Nextel has donated phones for the staff and children to use, and Pizza Hut has donated pizzas for the children every week, History and Background of Problem The VJG needs to raise money in order to keep the camp running. This problem has existed since 2000 when Adam Petty was killed in a NASCAR race. Kyle, Pattie, and Richard Petty wanted to build a camp for terminally ill children in memory of Adam. The Petty's have rallied so many fund-raisers to help make this dream come true. As of June 2004, 24 million dollars has been raised and the goal is $24.4 million dollars. The campaign itself has turned towards having money for the camp to remain operational.

For this reason, VJC has a pledge payable gift up to five years. VJG accepts cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certain real estate, tangible personal property, bequests, and other forms of planned giving tools. Some companies have donated time, building materials, and equipment. VJC is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation. Kyle Petty's charity ride has escalated in popularity over the past four years bring in over 4 million dollars.

NASCAR has had the inaugural NASCAR day with all proceeds going to VJG. Several drivers have donated a million dollars from certain races. Even at the races, there is a booth set up for VJG for donations. All of these examples have had a major impact on the camp. Owners and drivers even donated their time in the off-season to physically build the camp. There are 36 buildings on the site, and each building is named after a major contributor to the camp.

VJG needs to make the public aware of the demand that needs to be met. Many sponsors from NASCAR have contributed supplies, equipment, and products to help maintain the camp. A lot of the products supplied are used at the camp for meals, activities, and cabins. Purpose of Project The purpose of this study is to develop a plan to make companies aware of VJG.

I intend to collect data from NASCAR fans at some races. The data collected will show how campaigning methods can be used for companies that are unaware of the mission of VJG, and hopefully in return, have them donate. The data will be collected from a written survey that will be handed out at NASCAR races to fans from all over the country. Those surveyed will respond to the questions concerning campaigning and donating to VJC and what method of awareness was most effective in this decision. Importance / Significance of Project This information from surveyed NASCAR fans will benefit VJG in its awareness of campaigning. The information will be used for campaigning efforts for donations to VJG.

The more the fans know about VJG, the more awareness is for people to communicate inside the company that they work for. VJG has a website which explains how to donate. The campaigning staff at VJG can save time and money with word of mouth at the races. Speed Vision has even donated time to make the public and companies aware of the camp. VJG needs to be more effective in the campaigning methods. Even with big corporate sponsors donating, there are still several midsize companies that could be contacted.

The Petty's are committed to VJG not only for their son but all of the children who will probably not survive to be adults. This will be sent to VJG in order to help raise awareness for the campaigning efforts of donations. Literature Review There have been many debates on the relevance of the marketing concept to nonprofit organizations. The marketing concept has been adopted by many nonprofits but they have to face new and complex marketing problems. Most of these problems have risen from social, economic, and political environment (Hibbert and Horne, 1996). Charities tend to spend the main part of their marketing budgets on fund-raising and improving the operations of fund-raising.

Some may question this due to the marketing concept. According to Roshi Bull-Turner, ? The donations received at the camp were used to develop the land and build a state of the art medical facility for children with various illnesses. Since this goal has been met, the financial donations go towards the capital campaign of keeping the camp running.

Then the money will be set up in an endowment that will ensure the camp continues to operate year to year. This will support up to 1000 children and 60 staff members per summer. The camp will be opened year round to serve as a retreat to families with ill children? (Personal Communication, July 29, 2004). Formal organization of fund-raising can be divided into three different domains. The first domain includes staff and consultants operating as staff whose primary function in the organization are to generate grants and contributions.

This staff is sometimes referred to as the development staff, and their activities are to be represented in the organizations financial reports as a fund-raising expense. The second domain is the nonprofit organization's internal operations. For this, staff and volunteers do not think of themselves as the development staff. Within this, they do not have staff whose primary responsibility is fund-raising. In most times, the administrative staff is involved with grant writing, event planning, and solicitation of contributions. The third domain is the nonprofit organization's institutional environment.

The grant and contribution dollars raised by a nonprofit come from the institutional environment, but the environment itself can be a source of fund-raising (Hager, Rooney, and Pollak, 2002). Legislation pushed for a corporate governance bill now referred to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Congress discussed applying the same corporate governance standards to nonprofits but no decision has been made on this as of yet (Rash, 2004). Nonprofits are encouraged to follow the guidelines of Sarbanes-Oxley. To help give nonprofits guidelines to follow, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits has a program called Standards of Excellence, which provides organizations with a guideline of good practices nonprofits should follow to make sure they are run as openly as possible.

The items listed in the standards are having conflict on policies for employees and members of the board of directors, and audits for organizations with a budget greater than $300,000 and the willing disclosure of information to the public. A substantial number of nonprofit organizations in the USA report inflows of charitable contributions or grants without expenditures allocated to fund-raising cost. This observation raises questions about how fund-raising is carried out. The use of staff members dedicated to fund-raising is common, but much fund-raising is still carried out by executive directors, volunteers, and board members (Hager, Rooney, and Pollak, 2002). Nonprofits organizations are required to report on fund-raising efforts in their annual reports to the IRS (Form 990). There are different techniques that have cost loading attached to them.

A technique that is new to one organization is likely to have higher costs rather that an organization that has been developing and refining this technique over an extended period. Organizations carry a variety of different types of fund-raising to reduce the reliance on one particular method (Hagar, Rooney, and Pollak, 2002). There are several forms of fundraising that have higher costs, but the dividend is rewarded over several years. The old fashion fund-raising is called legacy.

It takes time to generate a program like this, but all the investment is upfront. In 10 years time, if the organization is generating substantial legacies at a very low cost, the performance is going to shoot up (Boswell, 2004). The best advice is to be upfront and tell the story behind the fund-raising effort. In 2003, North Carolina state agencies recorded that nonprofits received $601 million dollars from taxpayers.

The state Senate of Nonprofits Oversight Committee has auditing requirements for grant recipients. The committee is expected to probe how decisions are made on handing out state money to nonprofits (Weisbecker, 2004). The programs of nonprofits are not under question in North Carolina, especially the human services area, just the state funding. Last year, legislation passed a law stating that nonprofits receiving more than $300,000 in state money are required to submit audits by an independent examiner. Nonprofits receiving $15,000 to $300,000 are required to submit sworn financial statements (Weisbecker, 2004). The state is spending tax dollars on different things rather that allowing people to decide which charities the money should be contributed to in the communities.

Donator's need to be sure that the nonprofits spend corporate donations the way they state that they are going to. Because of this, many officials require year-end reports from every nonprofit. This accounts for how donations are spent and what impact the program had on the community (Rash, 2004). Sara Lee invests about $2 million a year in state nonprofits, which is one of the North Carolina's larger corporate givers, which is asking for more accountability. All donors, including corporate donors, want to make sure they are making wise investments.

Hewlett-Packard has donated tens of thousands of dollars in technology donations (Knight, 2004). Some of the equipment that has been donated has been computers, monitors, printers, upgrades of software, and IT support. Nonprofit organizations throughout the United States benefited from 26 technology grants. A retired High Pointe businessman has raised far in excess of $1 million dollars for the camp, which helps bring the total close to $24.4 million fund-raising goal (Kimbrough, 2004). It seems as if the NASCAR community has tapped into their philanthropic side and stepped up to the plate to help raise awareness about this special camp being built.? After people know what the camp's all about, if they want to help, they will.

You just find money to do things that you? re sold on? Evidently; we? ve sold a few people in High Pointe on it? (p. 3). Fund-raising is very competitive. There are certain companies that donate to certain charities, which makes other nonprofits a threat.

With gas prices and layoffs, people and corporations are not donating (Luce, 2004). The hardest is to achieve is to educate the community about different nonprofits. Philanthropic trends have changed over the years. The old trends were word of mouth, mail, and telephone calls. The new trend is the use of technology to raise donations over the internet. E-giving seems to work for agencies with budgets big enough to purchase the technology and staff the operation (Hernandez, 2004).

Victory Junction Gang Camp has their own website that is set up to make online donations. It has instructions on donating, even step by step to prevent mistakes. There are nonprofit organizations that often utilize local and national celebrities, which include movie stars, professional athletes, and media personalities to boost attendance at important galas and raise awareness of the organization (Miller, 2004). This helps make the awareness effort more known to the public when there is a celebrity involved. More individual and corporate donations play into this scenario. If there is a well-known individual backing up a nonprofit, more sponsorship comes in.

It is as if there is a trust issue with the celebrity. Victory Junction Gang Camp uses the driver star power to help raise awareness of the fund-raising. Kyle Petty has his charity motorcycle ride across America to benefit the camp. Speedvision has donated airtime to the fund-raising awareness. Several sponsors have also helped in this manner. A portion of the tickets sold for the Pro Bass 400 race benefited the camp and along with this, Pro Bass has set up a booth at the camp that handles all the water events.

Even Harley Davidson has donated a giant plastic motorcycle that is in the lake and squirts water every fifteen minutes (Pearce, 2003). Nonprofit organizations draw in large crowds with the star power for critical fund-raising events. Organizations rely on the celebrities to donate their time to sit on boards or be the master of ceremony. A few nonprofits have had amazing luck obtaining a major star without paying for an agency to secure one, through local connections (Miller, 2004).

Within the NASCAR community, there are several stars that will not have to be paid to sit on board at VJGC. Victory Junction Gang Camp is a medical facility turned into a camp instead of a hospital environment. Much of its support comes from teaching hospital at the University of North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, and East Carolina University, and health care systems in Greensboro, Charlotte and High Point. Among the first major gifts was a $1 million dollar donation from the pharmaceutical giant Goody's to underwrite the hospital (Pearce, 2003). NASCAR driver Ryan Newman donated $500,000 dollars and New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahr e and wealthy businessman Leo Hinder, Jr. gave $1 million dollars each as seed money. Tony Stewart recently pledged $1 million dollars of his own money over 10 years (Pearce, 2003).

Jeff Gordon pledged $1 million dollars, and the Jeff Gordon Foundation has helped sponsor some of the children that will be attending the VJG camp. NASCAR recently added the VJGC to its list of official charities that it sponsors. This is a valued designation that encourages support from almost every major team or race sponsor (Pearce, 2003). From car owners to track owners, everyone and every corporation is willing to lend a hand to this cause. With this accreditation, the networks that have racing will support VJG. This includes Speedvision, TNT, and FX.?

The new headline that reads on the VJGC website states that Springs Industries makes camp life more comfortable. The home furnishings leader outfitted the camp with waterproof mattress pads, 400 standard bed pillows, 1,000 white washcloths, 2,000 white bath towels, 2,000 twin sheet sets, and window blinds for the entire camp, ? (Roshi Bull-Turner, personal communication, September 14, 2004).? The generosity of Springs Industries continues to amaze me. We met with them early on and they agreed to sheets and towels for the camp, which is a huge donation. We are thrilled with our partner Spring Industries and we could not have outfitted our cabins without their help?

(Kyle Petty, personal communication, October 12, 2004).? With the help pf Bass Pro Shops, VJG campers have been reeling all summer long. Bass Pro Shops committed to funding the Bass Pro Shops Catch at VJGC with a generous commitment of $150,000. In addition to this, Bass Pro Shops provided all of the rods, reels, and fishing equipment necessary for a successful fishing trip. To top it off, Founder Johnny Morris sent three racing-dec aled Tracker fishing boats. There have been over 2,500 fish caught and kissed on the 7.5 acre lake at camp?

(Roshi Bull-Turner, personal communication, September 20, 2004). Here are some good examples of corporation donations from Roshi Bull-Turner.? On September 14th, Furnitureland South presented a check in the amount of $30,000 to the Petty family as a donation to the VJGC. Furnitureland South raised this money by holding bake sells, car washes, auctioning off merchandise, and proceeds from sells.

Anderson Hardwood Floors is joining America's largest spectator sport with a fall deal to benefit VJGC. Anderson?'s? Fuel their spirits. Ignite their soul Accelerate their dreams, ? promotion runs from October 1 through November 15 at Anderson's nationwide.

For every carton of Anderson flooring that is purchased will donate $5.00 to the VJGC? North & South Carolina Pizza Huts have announced a $250,000.00 donation to VJGC. In addition, North & South Carolina Pizza Huts haven embarked on a customer campaign raising additional funds for the camp. In addition, customer can donate y placing donations in the donation tires at every dine-in Pizza Hut restaurant in the Carolina?'s, in all, 325 stores will participate in the fund-raising efforts? (Roshi Bull-Turner, personal interview 2004). According to Kyle Petty, ?

Nextel will donate $1 million dollars to VJGC. Along with this donation, Nextel donated free wireless phones and services so that the medical professionals and administrators have access to instant communication throughout the camp. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of Nextel and everything that they have done for the camp and campers? (personal communication, October 12, 2004).? GlaxoSmithKline offers its help to VJGC.

GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's leading research-base pharmaceutical company with sponsorship of Gibbs Racing, are working together to raise awareness among NASCAR race fans to join the Race for Life. In conjunction with its new? Racing Mobile Health Unit, GlaxoSmithKline has again graciously agreed to be a drop-off point for donations for VJGC. The mobile unit has a trailer setup at every race for free screenings for the Race for Life. The donations raised from the mobile unit go directly to VJGC?

The VJGC is pleased to announce a $15,000 regional community donation from the Aetna Foundation to underwrite the cost of ten campers attending the VJGC Asthma camp. With the help of a $15,000 grant from the Aetna Foundation, will be able to children with asthma from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In addition to financial support, VJGC has received donations of quilts, bears, and afghans handmade by the staff of Aetna Employees? A press release from Kyle Petty stated, ? The Jeff Gordon Foundation has committed to sponsor a camper cabin at VJGC. The foundation will be on of sixteen cabins that campers will call home during their camping experience.

This is the second gift from the Jeff Gordon Foundation to the VJGC. We are all thrilled that Jeff Gordon Foundation will have a permanent presence at VJGC.? I continue to admire Jeff for his charitable work and his commitment and ongoing support of the VJGC? , stated Kyle Petty (Kyle Petty, personal communication, October, 2, 2004).? Three-year goal will raise $250,000 for cabin built by South Carolina's credit Unions. In keeping with the credit union philosophy of? people helping people? the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation's Board of Directors recommended the VJGC as a statewide Social Responsibility project to the Board of Directors of both North and South Carolina Credit Union Leagues. Both leagues unanimously endorsed the as their project?