Archive for September 6th, 2010

As we go about our lives, we find several opportunities to donate to a variety of causes that are very deserving. This article numbers the five main reasons why people do not offer money to charities.

1. I will not afford to give to charity

Many people really do not possess the money to give to charity. What’s more, a lot of people could actually need the help of one of the many charities available. For instance we have helped many Canadian charities in the past. On the other hand, for many more people, coming up with just $5 to give to a worthy cause is usually very possible to do.

You can come across a plethora of methods of saving money that you can later give to a charity. Possibly you don’t travel to Starbucks once. Don’t go to a restaurant one night and stay home and prepare a home cooked meal instead.

2. My donation may simply be allocated toward operating expenses.

Charities do need to spend some money on expenses such as travel, administration, shipping, security, and others to guarantee they are able to assist the people who need them.

After all is said and done, if you truly care about a cause and that charity is resourceful enough to get assistance to the needy, that’s all that matters.

3. I do not surmise any charity does what it says it will do.

Particular organizations have engaged in scamming activities previously. In addition, people have established charities in order to rip off money for their own use rather than providing assistance to someone else.

Not all charities are like this, so please do not let a bad experience keep you from giving money to legitimate groups.For instance, you should always pick a registered charity with the Government as they are often audited. This is the case with the Canadian charity we donate to. Your money might help these organizations achieve their aim.

4. The money I could provide is not enough

You may imagine that just $5 won’t do any good. On the other hand, even $5 may be enough to get medicine, water, food, and other necessities to a person who really needs it.

Your donation is not the only one the charity might get. Your money will accumulate with the money from other people to make a solid impact. Your funding, no matter how much, is important.

5. They don’t need any more money

Once a major disaster is done and it’s not on TV anymore, it’s easy to believe that no one needs your money anymore.

In a lot of instances, when the event is not making headlines anymore, your money is truly needed even more because more work has to be done. Once a charity becomes established, usually they cannot do all of the work themselves due to the fact that there is so much to do.

It is your duty to supply any amount of money that you can to a charity that is close to you.

Till next time!
Richard
Vancouver condos

Writing a business plan is a detailed process that is both educational and revealing.  For existing businesses it is  an opportunity  to re-evaluate profit margins and focus on  the prominent  areas of the business or cut out the areas that are losing money.  For business plans  for startup companies it is  a chance  to really  focus on,  and understand the industry and evaluate whether your  brand new business  will be successful before you make  an investment of time and money. 

 Although  up to 44% of new  companies   will last  4 years or more the success of any new business is  good planning,   access to capital and good business management.  

Here are 5 tips for  developing  a killer business plan that is sure to impress:

1)   Do Your Own Research 

Creating a solid business plan is the  singular   primary  step in knowing your industry and understanding what it will take to be successful in your chosen field.  Part of  developing a plan should be to evaluate the competition , refine your business strategy and  start to understand if your value proposition meets a  realistic  need in the marketplace.  Going through the  initial steps  of creating a business plan is an invaluable process that will help to  solidify whether or not  your business will be able to survive the market trends.  Don’t pay someone else to do  your research  for you or it may end up costing you morethan you think.

2)   Consider Your Target Audience 

Business plans are created for many different reasons.  Will it be for presenting to aboard for project approval?   Is it  to submit for funding?  Is it simply to re-evaluatethe business for profitability?  Each of these  avenues  will require  changes  to the plan format and style you  will need  to use throughout the document.  If you are  attempting  to get funding then you will  have to  have very specific  cost and ROI projections that are  measurable and realistic.   If you arepresenting to a board or non-profit it is likelythat you will need to include a focus on  involvement in the community  and impact (either positive or negative) to the  current  organization.   Remember your audience  as you  develop  your  business plan  to ensure youhit the  important topics  and leave no questions unanswered.

3)   Quality Reference Material Is Key 

It is  vital  to  integrate  a  diverse  mix of  research  material in your plan document.   The internet is great for  the latest news  but is not nearly as reliable as printed publications.   Always  use a good mix of reputable website  reference  along with  well known  facts and  industry specific  statistics  most often  found in printed  literature.   Industry publications and  industry magazines  are  an excellent  way to get thelatest  trends and news  in a reputable place.   Always include references  from industry publications as well to  raise the standard  yourplan and  develop  credibility in your due diligence.  Always  make sure to  properly document  your  references  or any quotes you may use.  This will also develop  credibility while ensuring you are not infringing on any copyright protections of the content you use.  To  easily  cite your  reference sources there is an  web-based  tool that you can use to enter in your info and get back the  accurately formatted entry for a works cited page.  It  will help make  the process a breeze:  http://www.easybib.com/.

4)   Business Plan Example 

Now that you have  various   notes and articles,  marketinformation and  loads of statistics  it is time to  combine  it all together in a formatthat will highlight the research you have compiled.  Finding business plan examples can be  difficult  as every  plan  is different (see point #2 above), however you can  develop  your own based on a combination of the different topics or areas  you want to cover.  If you  do need  a business plan template that is already formatted with sample headings and the different categories already setup, consider using the plan layout  from a site like http://www.business-plan-examples.com.  This site offers a real business plan in Word format for  quickly   substituting   information and headings.   In addition the  source file comes with  a break-even analysis template in Excel as well as a 1 year Pro-Forma template in Excel with the formulas already built  for  quickly  updating and projecting costs for the year.   This is a big time saver and an easy  solution  to quickly get  your  business plan document underway without  having to start  from scratch.

5)   Find Industry Experts   

Finally,  after  you have compiled your data, reach out to some industry experts like local college professors, trade show organizers, or even the local Chamber of Commerce for some feedback and input on your plan.  It  is always beneficial  to get a  second opinion  on the  document  before making the finalpresentation.  Having  multiple  people review the work will shed light on areas that may be lacking orconfirm that the business plan is ready to present.

Don’t get caught spending  valuable time  figuring out the Table of Contents, Works Cited or overall plan formatting.  Use thetemplates or resources that are readily available to you and spend the time focusing where you  need to,  on the  reporting  and presentation of your business idea.