Philanthropy Concierge

Hey Boo!
Happy October.
#𝔻𝕠𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕ℕ𝕎𝔸
#ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕪ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕖

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage month, follow these great businesses and organizations. Please share others in the comments!
NWA Hispanic Leadership Council .nwa
Conexión de Negocios

#𝔻𝕠𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕ℕ𝕎𝔸
#ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕪ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕖

Take a moment to advocate for children right NOW, right from your PHONE! ☎️

VOCA funds CASA of Northwest Arkansas, Children's Safety Center of Washington County, Peace at Home Family Shelter , NWA Center For Sexual Assault and many other ESSENTIAL services that help our neighbors heal from trauma.

Do it now, then return to your regular scheduled programming. Thanks!

Grassroots Advocacy Let elected officials know the CASA/GAL program matters to your community.

Happy Memorial Day weekend. #DoGoodNWA #memorialdayweekend #PhilanthropyConcierge #Arkansas #NWArkansas #NWARK #FayettevilleAR #fayettevillearkansas #springdalearkansas  #rogersar #rogersarkansas #bentonvillearkansas #bentonvillear  #becausebentonville #siloamspringsar

Blessings on this holy weekend.

What's on my mind? Fellow Arkansans in Little Rock and Wynne and towns in between. Those who were impacted and those who are responding. Praying for strength, safety and resilience.

I know the urge is to go and help. Right now, the best thing we can do is stay out of the way and allow trained first responders and disaster recovery workers and volunteers to do their work. There will be MANY ways to help in the weeks and months to come.

For now: financial contributions are practical and flexible.

The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are typically the first in and the last to leave when disaster strikes. There is also a Disaster Relief Fund opened by the state government.

https://appengine.egov.com/apps/ar/adem/donations

It was such an honor to represent Arkansas Community Foundation () today whike speaking to my nonprofit colleagues about Donor Advised Funds. Special shout out to my friend and Fayetteville Affiliate Board member Ben McLintock of for providing the Financial Advisor/Tax Attorney expertise.

Our presentation was followed by a fun convo with Dr. Danna Grear about her journey as a philanthropist.

It was great to see so many of my long time friends, especially Fred Hueston.

The local chapter of AFP gave each speaker a plant as thank you gift. Such a a nice touch! 🪴

Do your 2023 goals include "Make meaningful difference"?

Well, here's your chance!

Don't miss our first "Cheers to Mentorship" night at Bentonville Brewing TOMORROW, January 13th at 4pm! Anyone who fills out an inquiry card will receive a free beer ticket, and any current Bigs that bring a friend receive a free round on us!

Learn more about mentorship at BBBSNWA.org.

Best job ever.

I can't resist a good meme. 🤣

Engage NWA can help your organization respectfully honor and celebrate Juneteenth. Make plans and register to attend.

Juneteenth has been a regionally and locally celebrated holiday for decades but has only been recognized as a culturally and historically significant national holiday as of 2021. This monumental change as well as the status of our civic discourse on race has left some businesses and organizations unsure of how to respectfully honor and celebrate this day.

Join us to learn about the history of Juneteenth and how to honor and support the day in the workplace.

Please register in advance here: https://bit.ly/3Q4uW07

New Year's Eve is a day for dreaming, setting goals, and making resolutions. As it turns out, it is also a day for posting pithy inspirational quotes found on the internet . I was torn, so I chose two. The first, by Alfred Lord Tennyson (pictured) and the second, below:

"Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New year's prayer, not a resolution. I'm praying for courage." - Susan Sontag

What's your dream/goal/ resolution for 2022?

#2022

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

The other day I saw an older gentleman out for a walk on the Razorback Greenway. He carried with him a small bag and a litter grabber. Three things came to my mind:

#1. What a brilliant way to maximize his time! He's "getting his steps in" as we say, while also cleaning up the trail as he goes. He must feel doubly satisfied at the end of his walk!

#2. Since the man was a senior, I couldn't help but wonder how long this has been his habit. How much trash has he cleaned up in his lifetime? What would the Greenway look like WITHOUT his daily effort?

#3. What small thing can I do, daily, to make my little corner of the 🌎 a little bit better?

Mother's Day is this weekend. Yes (!) you should treat your mom (or the mommy of your littles!) to breakfast in bed 🍳🛌, a lovely brunch, or a springtime bouquet of flowers 💐. Some moms want quality time together with their kids, while others might want a break from it all for just.one.day! 😅

But no matter what gift you give TO your mom, a gift IN HER HONOR to an organization that serves/helps/protects/empowers mothers will be especially meaningful this year.

I've tagged just a few... you're welcome to add others in the comments!

Havenwood
Peace at Home Family Shelter
Magdalene Serenity House
Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter
Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas

MAY is month. We know our bodies need good nutrition, lots of hydration, daily exercise, plenty of rest, and occasional maintenance to maintain peak physical health.

The same goes for our mental health.

We need to put good stuff IN - like meaningful work, positive thoughts, and caring and affirming relationships.

Allow ourselves periods of REST- by carving out time to pursue our personal interests, establishing healthy boundaries, elimInating toxic relationships, practicing self-care.

And perform necessary MAINTENANCE- talking with a therapist, practicing yoga or meditating, connecting with your community and/or higher power, working the 12 steps.

I hope to share lots of resources for obtaining and maintaining optimal mental health throughout the month of May. I would love it if you would share YOUR FAVORITE resources and/or strategies too. Tag them in the comments or shoot me a DM if you prefer. Have a great week!

Greetings NWA nonprofit friends and colleagues.
Over the past several weeks, I've been establishing a social media presence as (FB and Insta).

My goal is to create a personal brand related to what I DO, because people who know me can't always remember the name of where I WORK. 🙃 (Arkansas Community Foundation/ )

My role at the Community Foundation is that of a connector: facilitating introductions between generous Arkansans and the causes they care about. On Instagram Stories I highlight and share news, events, opportunities, needs and job openings.

I have started using the hashtag and invite/encourage you to use it too!

~ Jody aka Philanthropy Concierge

Just a friendly reminder from the beloved Mr. Rogers (via yours truly, the Philanthropy Concierge), on this drizzly Saturday: Be Kind.

What are you doing this weekend?

is back!
In celebration of ALL THINGS APRIL, tag your favorite nonprofits! April is , , ,

What did I miss?

Love your Mother.

Mr. Sam and Helen Walton had an indelible impact on the culture of our region. Though they are giants in our memories, they were humble in life. Their generosity inspired friends, neighbors, associates, and family members towards philanthropy as well.

Wanna know more about community needs? ? opportunities?

Like.
Follow.
Learn.

WELCOME!
How can I help you connect with the causes that matter to YOU?

In my early career, I was a child welfare worker with the Department of Human Services. I know firsthand the commitment and dedication it takes to work in such a difficult field. Our CASA program in NWA is as strong as it is because of the steadfast leadership of THIS WOMAN RIGHT HERE, as well as the team of professionals she surrounds herself with. Happy Anniversary Crystal Jacobsen Vickmark. Thank you for your commitment to Arkansas' kids in care.

Would you believe it if we told you that our Executive Director Crystal Vickmark has worked at CASA of NWA for 18 years?? It's true, Crystal celebrates her 18th anniversary this month! Crystal is a truly fantastic leader with a huge heart. When talking to her, you immediately feel how much she cares about CASA, children in care, our volunteers, and our staff.

To illustrate that, here's one of her favorite CASA memories:
"One of my favorite memories is when I shared with our staff and volunteers that we had reached our 2020 goal of serving every child, and ahead of schedule in June 2019. When the Advocate Supervisor came into my office that morning to share that the final case had been assigned, we sat in my office and cried. It was the day of Arbor's (our Training Manager) retirement party, and I could not wait to make the announcement! Several staff asked me throughout the day and I fibbed, saying that the case was still unassigned. Everyone knew how hard we had worked towards that goal, especially Arbor who had trained 100's of volunteers over the years. What an amazing gift to share with her that all of her hard work had resulted in every child having a CASA by their side in our community. It still makes me smile."

Thank you for your leadership, Crystal, which made achieving that momentous goal possible!

Happy Sunday . How are you spending this gorgeous day? Leave a gif in the comments.

Here in NWA, so many companies did well. And in turn, the people in those companies did well. Our region is fortunate that the founders of those companies ALSO wanted to do GOOD in the world, inspiring others in turn. Philanthropy is in our DNA!

Today is day . . . So get out there and do some good!

When you give to a cause, it's not (or at least shouldn't be!) a transaction, it's an interaction. It is the beginning of a relationship. Not all relationships last forever, but while you're in it, you should be getting som**hing out of it.
Satisfaction.
Knowledge.
Connection.
What do YOU want out of your charitable giving? If you're unsure, reach out to me! I'd be happy to help you identify your personal values and motivations for giving, and then find just the right cause(s) to support!

When you throw a ball, you AIM it towards the catcher, right? Let me help you work on your AIM to hit your charitable giving goals.

"Hop" on over and follow on Instagram too for lots of news highlighted in stories!

We all know how important it is to "shop local." The same goes for charitable giving! Whenever possible, choose a local organization with boots on the ground providing the critical services our neighbors need and our communities depend on.