There are opportunities for involvement with Christian HELP/CFEC in the following areas: (Not a complete list, check our website and Facebook page for additional opportunities for involvement)

 •Committee Member- Serve on the stewardship committee, capital campaign committee, social entrepreneurial committee, marketing committee, or Casselberry Task Force
 •Board Membership (application process required)- Serve on the board as a champion for the Christian HELP organization helping to set board policy and governance, and vision for future sustainability.
 •Job Skill Class instructors- Wednesday afternoons 3:00-4:30PM. Facilitate classes on Resume skills, Interview skills, and Basic Job Search using a PowerPoint presentation and adding in your experiences.
•Boot Camp Mentors and Facilitators- This program will run on 4 Saturdays starting in February. Facilitators will help with teaching and encouraging students. Mentors will coach students for a 6 week period following the class. Times will be set up at mutual convenience.
 •Resume Preparation and Coaching- At the Christian HELP office on Tuesdays from 10-2. Rotating Schedule. Must have prior resume writing and or/review experience.
 •Jobs Initiative Facilitators- Teach job skills modules based on Re-Charge and Re-Energize your job search curriculum. There are 6 full day modules on the topics of: Creating your Job Search Plan, Resumes and Cover Letters, Networking, Job Search Tactics, Interview and Impressions, and Performance Excellence. Teach a full or ½ day. (Training provided)
 •Jobs Initiative Mock Interviewers- Participate in the module 5 class interviewing students and providing feedback on the interview.
 •Jobs Initiative Mentors- Mentor students who have been newly hired for a position and act as the liaison between the student and the employer when challenges arise.
 •Employment Counselor- This position requires a minimum of 1 day a week commitment. Work directly with clients to assess job needs, resume needs, provide job leads, provide coaching to the job seeker. Must be willing to pray with clients.
 •Job Fair/ Employment Seminar Volunteers- volunteer at the job fair and/or employment seminars to serve the job seekers and employers in a variety of different roles
•Food Pantry- volunteer as a corporate or church group for corporate pantry day or on a regular basis to sort food, help clients, unload trucks, and other general duties.
 •Christmas volunteers- volunteer to help with the Christmas program. See website for job listing. •Ambassador- represent Christian HELP in the community at outreach events
•Host a Food Drive –The pantry is in need of non-perishable goods all year long
 •Special projects and events

 Contact Julie 407-834-4022 volunteer@christianhelp.org Zeynep 407-430-3022 Zeynep@christianhelp.org – All Jobs Initiative opportunities
 www.ChristianHELP.org      www.CFEC.org      www.CFJI.org 
450 Seminola Blvd Casselberry, FL 32707

Give $25, win a chance at a bike! Help us get back on the front page :)

Get a Bike

As you know, we're part of an amazing campaign called The JobRaising Challenge which is designed to raise lots awareness about unemployment and help put Americans back to work. The Skoll Foundation is giving away $5,000 this week to the charity that gets the most donations. We know we can win it. Please. Go Here and give whatever you can. The whole process takes seconds and if you give at least $25, you'll be entered to win a Bixby bike by Shinola worth $1,950. Pretty amazing. The contest ends on 2/20 at 5pm EST and winners will be notified by email. If you have any questions, please email CrowdRise and they'll be ready to help solve everything. Thanks again for all your support. For real. Christian HELP Click Here to check out the rules for the Shinola Bixby Bike contest, mini-challenge and grand prize rules.

Our Big Dreams for 2013

Mayor's Job Fair 2013

I am a dreamer... I can see the big picture... I begin with the end in mind...

As we finish the first month of 2013 (where does time go?), it is amazing to reflect upon all the things that were accomplished in 2012 and to reach even further this year.  Amazingly, while the dreams are lofty and a little scary, it is the impact of those dreams, the personal touch, that makes my passion meter rise.

I love working in a place where people matter.  We can make decisions based on what is the right thing to do.  We can give personalized attention.  We can make a difference for someone, and they in turn make a difference for us. 

This year, we would LOVE to:

1. See out new jobs initiative grow and make an impact in the lives of job seekers, community partners, and employers.  We would like to see all of our students graduate and get jobs.

2. Open a business that can provide transitional employment and provide $ back into the non-profit to help more people.

3. Have a successful building campaign so we can finally all be in one space with all of our services at one place (and have a place for everyone to park).

4. Win JobRaising... we are only $50,000 behind.  You can help at http://www.crowdrise.com/cfec-jr.  It is a stretch, but we still have time...

5. Follow God's will and plan for our future :)

We appreciate the people who make this possible through volunteering, prayer, and financial investment.

The steps we are taking:

1.  Engage more volunteers, community partners, and employers.  Share the vision with groups, at outreach events, and with our politicians, and media.  Shout from the rooftops about successes.
2. Work with local business leaders (in progress) to formulate business plans and strategies.  We are in the next round for the University of Miami Business Plan contest! (Go Canes!)
3. The plans are coming together, the committee is strong, reaching out to potential investors, identifying property, and working the plan...
4. Asking for donations, telling the world our story, blogging, and leveraging social media.
5. Listening and Praying!

I heard once goals are just dreams with deadlines... so I guess we need a few more deadlines.

Sandi

Help us meet the challenge on Job Raising

Christian HELP is excited to be one of the 74 chosen.  Please consider supporting us on CrowdRise Starting January 21, 2013.

74 Finalists Selected in Race to Address Jobs Crisis

Girls Who Code, Jobs for the Future, and YouthBuild Among Groups Vying to Outraise the Field Starting Inauguration Day

*** full list of finalists at bottom ***

Palo Alto, CA – Jan 16, 2012 – On Inauguration Day, when politicians return to Washington to face the same jobs crisis, 74 organizations will begin a crowd funding competition to demonstrate who has the most promising, scalable employment solutions. They are finalists in the JobRaising Challenge, an innovative competition to help job-creating nonprofits raise money and publicity. The Skoll Foundation, The Huffington Post, and knowledge partner McKinsey & Company have selected the most innovative, feasible, and scalable candidates of the 210 applicants representing 31 states and 110 cities across America. Starting on Monday, January 21^st, the American people can choose to donate to one or more of these organizations.  Top fundraisers will be eligible for $250,000 in prizes by The Skoll Foundation.   

The finalists represent innovative ideas to help fight the jobs crisis. Examples include New York’s Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Inc., who has been building a “jobs pipeline” to transition our returning servicemen and women back into the workforce and gain critical work and life skills. Another finalist, Women’s Bean Project, based in Denver, gives short-term jobs to chronically unemployed women.  The Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington and CrowdRise co-founder and actor Edward Norton recently explained the JobRaising Challenge and the finalist phase on HuffPost Live.

Beginning January 21^st, anyone can participate in the JobRaising Challenge at www.jobraising.com by donating to or fundraising for one or more organizations they believe can best solve the jobs crisis. In addition, McKinsey & Company will select one organization to offer pro-bono mentoring services.  The nonprofit that raises the most money will get $150k, the second will get $50k, and the third $30k from the Skoll Foundation.  The remaining $20k will be used for shorter-term incentives along the way. The JobRaising Challenge intensively leverages these dollars with additional donations though social media-driven crowdfunding.

The effort is also enabled by The Huffington Post's platform and its 50 million unique visitors in the U.S.  per month (comScore, November 2012). HuffPost will provide exposure throughout the contest to participating organizations by inviting them to blog, and will tap its community -- currently commenting at a rate of 9 million per month -- to engage in the JobRaising Challenge. 



“It’s been just terrific to see the positive impact so many outstanding non-profit organizations are having on the U.S. jobs market,” said Sally Osberg, president of the Skoll Foundation.  “The entrepreneurial finalists for this landmark competition are generating jobs, vitalizing communities, and transforming lives.” 

“We wanted to do something constructive during this crisis, which has left more than 25 million Americans unemployed or underemployed,” said Arianna Huffington, chair, president, and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group. “We also wanted to change the narrative, go beyond the fatalistic acceptance that nothing can be done and tap into the ingenuity and resilience that have always defined our country. So I’m delighted to be partnering with the Skoll Foundation, CrowdRise, and McKinsey & Company to raise money, raise awareness and help put Americans back to work.”

“It's so cool to see The Skoll Foundation and The Huffington Post embrace such an innovative approach to helping job creation in America,” said Edward Norton, cofounder of CrowdRise. “We're psyched that so many organizations get to participate and drive lots of dollars and awareness to their causes.”

The Skoll Foundation, The Huffington Post, CrowdRise, and McKinsey & Company, announced the JobRaising Challenge at the Republican and Democratic conventions. It is a new kind of philanthropic initiative to help job-creating nonprofits raise money, raise awareness and help put Americans back to work through highly engaged, cost-efficient incentive fundraising.

JobRaising Finalists:

Accion International - Boston, MA

Anti-Displacement Project, DBA Alliance to Develop Power/ADP - Springfield, MA

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) - Dearborn, MI

Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, Inc. - Atlanta, GA

Baker Industries, Inc. - Malvern, PA

Bayaud Enterprises Inc. - Denver, CO

Blue Jacket, Inc. - Fort Wayne, IN

Boaz & Ruth, Inc. - Richmond, VA

Businesses United in Investing Lending and Development - Redwood City, CA

Capital Workforce Partners - Hartford, CT

Career Gear, Inc. - New York, NY

Career Wardrobe - Philadelphia, PA

Center for  Employment Opportunities - New York, NY

Challenge Industries Inc. - Ithaca, NY

Christian HELP Foundation, Inc. - Casselberry, FL

City Year, Inc. - Boston, MA

Code for America Labs - San Francisco, CA

Council for Adult and Experiential Learning - Chicago, IL

Creating an Environment of Success, Inc. - Nashville, TN

DC Central Kitchen - Washington, DC

Dress for Success Worldwide - New York, NY

Easter Seals TriState - Cincinnati, OH

Economic and Community Development Institute - Columbus, OH

Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. - Indianapolis, IN

FareStart - Seattle, WA

Getting Out and Staying Out, Inc. - New York, NY

Girls Who Code, Inc. - New York, NY

Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc - Bridgeport, CT

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, National Transitional Jobs Network - Chicago, IL

Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement - Chicago, IL

Homeboy Industries - Los Angeles, CA

Hot Bread Kitchen, Ltd. - New York, NY

Inner-City Computer Stars Foundation - Chicago, IL

Interise - Boston, MA

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Inc. - New York, NY

Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service - San Francisco, CA

Jewish Vocational Service (Boston) - Boston, MA

JVS Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA

Jobs for the Future - Boston, MA

JobsFirstNYC - New York, NY

Juma Ventures - San Francisco, CA

Kiva - San Francisco, CA

Leap, Inc. d/b/a Brooklyn Workforce Innovations - Brooklyn, NY

Midtown Assistance Center - Atlanta, GA

Nontraditional Employment for Women - New York, NY

NPower Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA

Opportunity Finance Network - Philadelphia, PA

Outside the Box - Indianapolis, IN

Pacific Diversified Services - San Anselmo, CA

Parents and Friends, Inc. - La Porte, IN

Programs Employing People (PEP) - Philadelphia, PA

Project Return, Inc. - Nashville, TN

Rubicon Programs Inc. - Richmond, CA

Samasource - San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center - San Francisco, CA

SER - Jobs For Progress Houston - Houston, TX

Startup Weekend - Seattle, WA

StepUp Ministry - Raleigh, NC

Student Veterans of America - Washington, DC

Students Rising Above - San Francisco, CA

Taller San Jose - Santa Ana, CA

The Corps Network - Washington, DC

The HOPE Program - Brooklyn, NY

The SkillSource Group, Inc. - Vienna, VA

Twin Cities RISE! - Minneapolis, MN

Upwardly Global - San Francisco, CA

Urban Alliance - Washington, DC

Venture for America, Inc. - New York, NY

Wardrobe for Opportunity - Oakland, CA

Women Helping Women - Santa Ana, CA

Women's Bean Project - Denver, CO

Year Up, Inc - Boston, MA

YouthBiz Inc - Denver, CO

YouthBuild USA Inc - Somerville, MA

About The Skoll Foundation

Jeff Skoll created The Skoll Foundation in 1999 to pursue his vision of a sustainable world of peace and prosperity. Led by CEO Sally Osberg since 2001, its mission is to drive large scale change by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world’s most pressing problems. Social entrepreneurs are society’s change agents, creators of innovations that disrupt the status quo and transform our world. By identifying the people and programs already creating positive change, Skoll Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact and fundamentally improve society.

Over the past 12 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $342 million, including investments in 91 social entrepreneurs and 74 organizations on five continents. In addition to grant-making, the Foundation funds a $20 million+ portfolio of program-related and mission-aligned investments. Skoll also operates the annual Skoll World Forum, the premier conference on social entrepreneurship, and shares the stories of social entrepreneurs through partnerships with leading film and broadcast organizations including the PBS NewsHour and the Sundance Institute, to drive awareness of social entrepreneurship and its potential to address the critical issues of our time. For more information, visit http://www.skollfoundation.org/.

About The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post is a Pulitzer Prize-winning source of breaking news, features, and entertainment, as well as a highly engaged community for opinion and conversation. The Huffington Post has 43.7 million monthly U.S. unique visitors (comScore August, 2012) posting over eight million comments each month. The site has over 30,000 bloggers -- from politicians, students and celebrities to academics, parents and policy experts -- who contribute in real-time on the subjects they are most passionate about. The Huffington Post has editions in the UK, Canada, Quebec, France, Spain, and Italy.

About CrowdRise

CrowdRise is a fundraising site dedicated to the idea that raising money for charity and giving back has got to be fun. CrowdRise's custom-built platform and game mechanics provide fundraisers, charities and events with a unique way to raise the most money for their causes and share compelling philanthropic stories with their personal networks. The site lets anyone turn their friends into an active base of donors for any cause. In 2011 CrowdRise topped Mashable's list of "Most Innovative Crowdfunding Platforms" and was named a "Top 25 Best Global Philanthropist" by Barron's. CrowdRise was founded by actor and activist Edward Norton , producer Shauna Robertson, and the founders of Moosejaw, Robert and Jeffro Wolfe. Thousands of charitable organizations, events, celebrities and everyday donors have made CrowdRise their philanthropic base for giving back.

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Resolutions

It is hard to believe that 2013 is just a couple of days away. This year is coming to a close and it is time for the list of resolutions to come out. For Christian HELP this year, our resolution is simple, it is the same as every year, follow God. He is wiser than we are, and He has a plan.

Your prayers, volunteer hours, and financial support are the cornerstone of Christian HELP.  It is because of you, God's work is able to be done and His plan is followed.

The exciting thing is we are seeing His plan unfold in big ways. January marks the start of our Central Florida Jobs initiative http://cfji.org classes. This program has been a labor of love and is coming together really wonderfully. The program is designed to empower job seekers with the skills they need to become excellent employees. There is so much great content! The end result should be job seekers getting jobs!

We have drawn the dream for our building plan and are ready to raise funds for this project. An increase in space would allow us to do more mission. Help more people, do more coaching and counseling, feed more families, and bring more people the good news of Christ. We love loving on people and they have been showing us the love too! This Christmas we received so many letters of thanks and gifts from people who had used our services. We are so grateful.

We are exploring business ideas which is scary and exciting all at once. Our vision is to create transitional jobs, a job training program, and a revenue stream which will enable us to reach even more people in relevant ways to help them to truly move forward to care for their families on their own.

We hope that you will be part of this wonderful ministry in 2013 and beyond.  If you have not had the opportunity to come out and take a tour, we have one on January 7th and another on February 4th from noon-1. Email Jackie to RSVP and get all the details.

Thank you for all of your support-

Sandi

Knowing who to help

This weekend I had the privilege of judging a debate competition for high school students.  They have a variety of different forums to debate or do public speaking.  I have to say each time I go, I just gain more respect for the students who spend so much time in preparation for the event and demonstrate such professionalism.

During the events we have some down time where we hang out in the judges lounge.  I was reading the book Same Kind of Different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  It is a wonderful story of a couple who became involved with a Union Rescue Mission in Texas and really got to know the people in the program.  The people at my table started a discussion on how you never know if the people asking for help really need it, how people might use your money to buy alcohol or cigarettes, and how some people just live off the system.

I agree, there are some abusers out there.  We see people who sign up for more than one Christmas program or visit more than one pantry.  This is not the majority of the people we see, though. We see many people who have lost their jobs or are working below their ability.  They are trying hard to get back on their feet. Many do not want to ask for help.  This year I had a lady call to say she did not need Christmas after all because a family member was going to help out.  She wanted to make sure someone who really needed the help would not miss out.

We work with people individually to help them set goals.  We follow up with them to make sure they are reaching the milestones we are asking them to reach.  Some people have a more difficult time than others reaching them.  We are patient, but we do outline our expectations. 

The goal of Christian HELP is to help people find jobs.  We provide a safe place for people to share their fears and concerns as well as a way to meet their physical and spiritual needs. We provide help to everyone without judging them.  Who knows if one of us will be the inspiration or the facilitator to helping them turn their life around.

When you donate to Christian HELP, we are committed to using your dollars wisely.  You are making a difference in the lives of people experiencing unemployment or underemployment and we value your contribution to making the world a better place. 

As we look to the final month of the year, we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting Christian HELP financially.  Just $50 sponsors a family for Christmas, $100 will; sponsor a student to go through our Jobs Initiative, $20 sponsors a student for boot camp, and $15 will feed a family of 4 for a week.

You can donate online at http://christianhelp.org/donate.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Sandi

Strategic Year-End Giving: Why? Where? How?

Strategic Year-End Giving: Why? Where? How?
By David Souders



It’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving 2012 and I’ve been asked to pen some words for
Christian HELP’s monthly e-newsletter. The topic – Year-End Giving. Why ask me? As
a financial advisor with Ronald Blue & Co., I have the privilege of encouraging my
clients in philanthropy. I spend much of my time on the donor’s side of the table as they
wrestle with making giving decisions. At the same time, I am also a board member of
Christian HELP. Simply put, I love this ministry, and I believe the Lord has placed me
here to provide more than just a financial contribution, but I trust my thoughts on giving
should be helpful, regardless of where you give. Let’s focus on three critical giving
questions: Why? Where? How?

Why? – Why should we give? I am not going to preach at you…at least not in this article.
Instead, I will presume you are reading this because you’ve already experienced the joy
that comes with being generous. You probably already know that giving is a practical
way of acknowledging God’s provision, is a tangible way of meeting the needs of others,
and helps us find freedom in our finances when we are able to hold our treasures with an
open hand.

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we
give.” Reading into this a bit, I would add that we can change someone’s life by what we
give. Time for a brief ministry plug: This people impact is why my wife and I have made
Christian HELP a part of our giving and where we volunteer our time. We have seen the
faces and know the names of real people who have experienced real help through the
ministry of Christian HELP. It’s not just a ministry name without meaning. However, this
is just a part of where we give, which leads us to the next question…


Where? – Oftentimes this is the most complicated of the three questions. Your time and
resources are in limited supply; however, it seems there are an unlimited number of
opportunities for where we can give. Where do you start? I would encourage you to be
strategic and prayerful in your giving decisions. Begin by developing criteria for where
you give, rather than reacting to emotional appeals or relying on past giving history.
I was sitting in Starbucks a few months ago and overheard two men lamenting that every
time they sent in a donation to a ministry or their alma mater, they were bombarded with
telephone calls or “thank you” letters that were essentially masked requests for a followup
gift. In their words, this kind of “sucked the joy” out of their giving. Since this is a
common concern of mine and many of my clients, I diplomatically asked if I could join
their discussion and trade insights. We concluded that donors value personal, authentic
relationships with the ministries they support. Hands-on involvement is desired, if
applicable, and fruit/results that are consistent with the vision of the ministry and align
with the donor’s areas of interest are critical to engaging the donor’s heart. They are not
interested in more mailings, inefficient duplication of ministry efforts, or aggressive
pursuit of follow-up gifts. They want to see a ministry which is innovative, growing, and
accountable for results.

What criteria are important to you in evaluating a ministry? Seek God’s counsel and
make a list. Once you have determined where He would have you invest in His kingdom,
you are ready for the next question.

How? – Finally, a practical application question with many great solutions. Space limits
this discussion to gifts of financial resources. (Besides, this is supposed to be an article
about year-end giving, right?) The default response for most givers to the “how”
question is cash, but another source worth your consideration is giving non-cash
appreciated assets.

Let us assume you have some stock you bought for a low price and now is worth much
more than you paid for it. Sell that stock and you would owe capital gains tax on the
increase. In 2012, that tax rate can be as high as 15% with potentially higher rates in
2013. By giving the stock directly to a qualified charity, neither you nor the charity has to
pay taxes on the gain and you can likely claim a tax deduction for the gift while
maintaining your current cash reserves. The charity can sell the stock for fair market
value and use the proceeds for ministry purposes. It is a “win-win” for both you as the
donor and the recipient charity. This is not just a year-end strategy; it can be done
anytime and with many kinds of non-cash assets, including real estate. (Yes, some people
actually have real estate that is worth more than they originally paid!)
If you have someone assisting you with managing your investments or providing tax
advice, ask them to help you identify if you have appreciated assets suitable for this
charitable gifting strategy. Alternatively, you can contact Jackie Normand at Christian
HELP, and she can put you in touch with someone who can answer your questions.
As noted earlier, I am writing this with Thanksgiving on my mind. Before setting pen to
paper, I read from 2 Corinthians 9 when Paul exhorted the church of Corinth in their
generosity with these words, “This service you perform is not only supplying the needs of
the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (NIV)
As you engage in the Lord’s work by giving of your resources and time – whether to your
church, ministries, or Christian HELP in particular – know that lives are being changed.
Please be encouraged that those being served by these ministries give their thanks to God
because of you. On behalf of those who are invested in the ministry of Christian HELP, I
assure you we join in that thanksgiving whole-heartedly.