LEARN HOW YOU CAN JOIN MEMBERS IN SAVING BIG ON EVERYTHING NEEDED TO RUN YOUR PROGRAM
Are you looking to cut costs for your organization? Hundreds of your fellow Members are already taking advantage of our Member Discount Program, and on average, they are realizing savings of 10% on their expenditures!
TOGETHER, WE SAVE
You can leverage the buying power of the nationwide Meals on Wheels network to provide significant savings for your organization through partnerships with a full range of select providers. Our negotiated discounts deliver real cost savings on the products and services you need most, such as food service, vehicles, office supplies, payroll services, insurance, background checks, telecommunications and much more.
To learn more, check out the recording of our March 13 webinar that features representatives from two of our most popular Member Discount Program partners – US Foods and GM – about the valuable discounts they offer Members. You will also hear from a fellow Member about their experience and results from participating, along with some helpful advice on how you can save, too.
LISTEN NOW
GET STARTED TODAY
Log on to Member Central to visit the Discount Program section under RESOURCES and learn more about all of our select providers. You can even sign up for a free savings analysis to see how much your program could save! Contact our Member Relations Manager, Doyle Delph, at 571-339-1616 or doyle@mealsonwheelsamerica.org with questions or to get started.
2018 MEALS ON WHEELS LOVES PETS GRANTS: LAUNCH DATE AND NEW INCENTIVE ANNOUNCED
Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grants are designed to support Members with their existing pet programs or help them start new ones. For the 11th year, we will be providing need-based awards of up to $2,500 to eligible Member programs, thanks to funding from Banfield Charitable Trust.
NEW THIS YEAR
In an effort to encourage sustainability,
Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grants will match funds raised up to $2,500 for applicants with pet assistance programs that have been in existence for longer than one year. The funds need to have been raised between January 1, 2018 through the time that you submit your application. Funds raised can take many forms, including in-kind pet food donations, vet services, volunteer hours, donated gas gift-cards, etc. Existing programs who do not have fundraising amounts will not receive a pets grants.
Register now for a free webinar on Thursday, April 12 to learn more about these changes.
REGISTER NOW
The applications period for the 2018 grant cycle will open Friday, May 4
Funding can be used for:
- Pet food purchases, including prescription diet foods and treats
- Cat litter and other pet supplies
- Grooming
- Veterinary care, including medications, flea and tick preventive, spay/neuter, etc.
- Temporary boarding expenses
- Pet food storage rental
- Food storage bins and storage bags
- Gas grants for volunteers to deliver pet food
Only Meals on Wheels America Member programs in good standing throughout the grant review period are eligible to apply for and receive a 2018 Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grant. We encourage you to reach out to the
Pet Advisory Council if you’d like some guidance on applying.
PET RESOURCE LIBRARY
Whether you want to expand your existing pet program or are looking to start a new one, it can be helpful to see what other Members have done to successfully support their pet programs. The Meals on Wheels Loves Pets Member Advisory Council has gathered a variety of sample resources and collateral examples from Member programs across the country and organized them into one easy-to-reference library to help provide direction for your efforts. Access the library in Member Central to explore resources and examples of pet program brochures, budget tracking templates, community partnership guides and more to jumpstart the creative thinking for your program.
Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming grant cycle!
KEYS TO SUCCESS FROM THE MEALS ON WHEELS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
TOPIC OF THE MONTH: GAINING FOCUS FOR SPRING AND BEYOND
“We’re so busy doing our jobs,” writes best-selling business author Seth Godin, “that we can’t get any work done.” In this case, we mean the deep work of taking a look at your program from the 10,000 foot perspective, from an evaluative or strategic perspective from a visionary perspective. Spring is traditionally a time of renewal. It’s also a great time to revisit your focus.
How often do you plan time for introspection? When is the last time you looked at your organizational practices? Are you getting a return on investment? If you are not getting a return on investment it might be time to rethink your strategy. How is that strategic plan coming along, by the way? Are you achieving your goals? Where do you want your program to grow? More money or more variety in meal offerings? Stop, sit down and think with the help of the articles below.
STAY CONNECTED
It's easy to engage with the Meals on Wheels Leadership Academy outside of the virtual classroom! Simply join our Linkedin Discussion Group and/or follow @MOWAcademy on Twitter.
YOUR LEARNING TEAM
We're here to ensure you're getting the most out of the learning opportunities offered by Meals on Wheels America! If you have questions or suggestions about learning events, feel free to contact academy@mealsonwheelsamerica.org or reach out directly using the contact information below.
RETHINKING VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION – WEBINAR, APRIL 10
Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? For many Meals on Wheels programs, volunteers are the heart of the organization, so it is important to celebrate and recognize the individuals who commit to changing lives. Every volunteer desires and deserves to be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. But, how do we recognize people in a way that is meaningful to them? Join Meals on Wheels America and Barry Altland from Head, Hearts and Hands Engagement Collective on Tuesday, April 10 at 3:30 EDT to reach beyond the traditional recognition practices that have long been used by organizations and discover more significant methods for honoring the time and talents offered by volunteers. After all, meaningful recognition is just like engagement; it happens one person at a time.
In this webinar you will:
- Define and contrast the concepts of appreciation, recognition, reward and incentive;
- Discover a new Feedback model;
- Determine the appropriate strategy for your organization to create a lower investment/higher return on your acknowledgement efforts; and
- Link the insights gained from a discovery conversation with a volunteer to the most appropriate way to recognize them for their time and talent investment.
WEBINAR: Rethinking Volunteer Recognition
PRESENTER: Barry Altland, Creator of Head, Hearts and Hands Engagement Collective
WHEN: Tuesday, April 10, 2018
TIME: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDT
FEE: FREE
REGISTER NOW
HOW TO LEVERAGE YOUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM TO SERVE MORE CLIENTS AND RAISE MORE MONEY – WEBINAR, APRIL 26
Are you leaving client service opportunities and even money on the table? It’s possible for Meals on Wheels programs to expand capacity and increase giving by reframing their approach to volunteer and donor engagement. Join Meals on Wheels America on Thursday, April 26 to discover the “abundance" model for stakeholder involvement presented by Elisa Kosarin of TwentyHats. This proven model treats all donations – volunteer, financial and in-kind –as the basis for continued relationship-building and greater giving. Programs of all sizes will learn practical next steps for implementing this model, even when faced with staffing and budget constraints. Creating mission-focused volunteer roles that attract busy professionals and appeal to donors will also be a focus.
In this webinar you will:
- Learn about the abundance model for stakeholder engagement;
- Identify some common challenges in implementing the model;
- Review tools and systems that support relationship management; and
- Outline practical, actionable strategies for transitioning to the abundance model.
WEBINAR: How to Leverage Your Volunteer Program to Serve More Clients and Raise More Money
PRESENTER: Elisa Kosarin, TwentyHats
WHEN: Thursday, April 26, 2018
TIME: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EDT
FEE: FREE
REGISTER NOW