GivingCity Austin Nov/Dec 2012

WHERE

THE ARTS

AND THE

COMMUNITY

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TOGETHER

BALLET AUSTIN What makes our version of The Nutcracker the most successful in the country? Community, philanthropy and you.

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Nov/Dec 2012

2 GivingCityAustin.com

A healthier Central Texas starts here for you and your family.

Learn how you can support a healthier community at

setonfoundations.org

childrensaustin.org setonhaysfoundation.org

setonwilliamsonfdn.org setonfund.org

Nov/Dec 2012Issue 13

Editor-in-ChiefMonica M. Williams

DesignDJ StoutCarla DelgadoPentagram Design

Sales and Marketing DirectorRick Rondeau

ContributorsMichel HudsonCecily JohnsonKenneth MackArlen NydamJamie MaldonadoRebecca PersonsBeth PerkinsAllison Sass

Jay B Sauceda

Jessie Torrisi

GivingCity Austin is available online. To request print copies, please send an email to [email protected]. 2012 Copyright GivingCity Austin. No part of this document may be reproduced without permission.

Support GivingCity Austin!

GvingCity Austin is a fiscal sponsorship of the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations. To see membership and sponsor levels, please visit GivingCityAustin.org.

Checks may be made to GivingCity/TANO, 8001 Center Park Dr, Austin, TX 78754.

Dnations to GivingCity/TANO are tax-deductible.

5 EDITOR’S LETTER

6 BRIEFSNew look for creative nonprofit, a search for a leader and more.

10 HAPPENING NOWKomen needs you, how Austin ranks, Joshua Bingaman, Feast of Sharing and more.

37 GIVE BETTERHow to give back this holiday season.

44 COMMUNITY

46 PROFILEA super-mom gives away 30,000 coats.

26 STAYING POWERIn its 50-year history, thousands of dancers have taken the Austin stage to perform “The Nutcracker.” And generations of us have enjoyed it. But the real beauty of the ballet goes beyond the stage. What puts Ballet Austin’s pro-duction among the most resilient in the country?

32 A HISTORY OF SURVIVALIs the fight against AIDS is finally over? Twenty-five years after its birth, how AIDS Services of Austin faces new enemies: funding cuts and complacency.

DEPARTMENTS

G I V I N G C O N T E N T S

FEATURES

COVER STORY

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Cover photo by Jay B Sauceda

A healthier Central Texas starts here for you and your family.

Learn how you can support a healthier community at

setonfoundations.org

childrensaustin.org setonhaysfoundation.org

setonwilliamsonfdn.org setonfund.org

Nov/Dec 2012 5

If we’re going to make any progress in Austin philanthropy, it’s not going to be because the masses decide to step up. It’s going to be because a leader steps up and shows the way.

Austin philanthropy is hurting for a leader. Somone who can articulate the needs of the community and help us visualize the fu-ture; someone who will gather the best people and organizations to address the needs and lead them toward real solutions. (Not someone who will play it safe, call upon the same old figure heads and come up with a press release campaign based on old relation-ships and old money.)

We need someone who asks not only the new millionaires to give but someone brave enough to also ask the unasked populations — Hispanics, East Siders, high-tech employees, college students, dads from the suburbs, hipsters, musicians... all the people everyone assumes doesn’t care or can’t afford it. (They do and they can.)

We need someone who won’t rush to defend nonprofits when they come up short yet who will stick up for them when others fo-cus on the rare cases of nonprofit malfeasance. And when the shit really does hit the fan, like in a disaster, we need someone who can give all of us a clear, step-by-step action plan.

Who is this person or organization? Is there someone brave enough to do this in Austin now or will we have to wait for them to move here?

Is it you? Be brave. It might be you.

MONICAEditor-in-Chief

I’d love to hear from you. Find us on

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or online at

GivingCityAustin.org to comment. Or just

send me an e-mail message at monica@

givingcity.com.

WE NEED A LEADEREDITOR’S LETTER

G I V I N G I T B A C K

Nataly’s better!

In the previous issue we told you about Nataly, the 11-year-old Austin girl diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Many of you donated to The Care Communities to help Nataly’s family, and we wanted to tell you she’s finished her treatments and doctors believe she’s free of cancer. She’s even grown her hair back! Thank you for al-most $1,000 in donated funds and items. Your support meant so much to her family.


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EDUCATION

A CREATIVE NEW LOOKWith its unique blend of arts and education, Theatre

Action Project decided its name didn’t reflect what

it really was. “Creative Action better describes who

we are and what we do,” says Karen LaShelle, execu-

tive director. “Plus it’s an exciting name that makes

you want to know more.” ¶ Last June it was awarded

$103,600 from Impact Austin to launch an expan-

sion of its work with post-incarcerated youth. It is

also launching more after-school programs, a new

Pre-K program in partnership with Susan Marcus

and New World Kids and professional development

workshops in partnerships with

MindPOP. it also will pilot

an LGBTQ Youth Theatre

program this spring in part-

nership with OutYouth and

UT-Austin. ¶ “The applica-

tions of our unique blend

of arts and education are limit-

less,” says LaShelle, “and we thrive on

pushing ourselves to keep reaching more

communities each year.”

Want your own Creative Action T-shirt?

Visit CreativeAction.org

COMMUNITY

A Leadership Search Continues

The Austin Community Foundation is one of those umbrella organizations in Austin whose health and success is vital to the com-munity at large.

So when its most recent president, Jeff Garvey, resigned in April 2012 after just 10 months on the job, that raised some eyebrows in the nonprofit community. Garvey was hired to replace Ken Gladish, ACF’s previous president, who left to lead the Seton Foundations after almost three years, in Octo-ber 2010. MariBen Ramsey, ACF’s other top executive, had filled in as interim. Be-fore that, ACF had only had one other president, Richard Slaughter. In fact, during its entire 35-year history, ACF has only had three perma-

nent presidents, two of them in the past four years.

Now there’s interim president Jim Pendergast, a former telecom executive from San Marcos, who joined ACF in May 2012. At the time, ACF said the search for a new permanent president would start in September 2012, but as of November ACF board president says the search committee is still “developing and refining the search process.”

ACF handles about $100 million in philanthropic assets, including donor-advised funds and some property. Hundreds of people, businesses and organizations use ACF ser-vices to help them manage, grow and give away their funds every day. Its financial stability, donor services and community leadership are its stock in trade.

Aside from the turnover in its leadership, ACF recently implemented staff reduc-tions, fee increases and policy changes. But Pender-gast says all of this will put ACF on the right track.

“Every organization expe-riences changes from time to time and ACF is no excep-

tion,” says Pendergast. “I think it’s a healthy

thing.” Will ACF ever have

enough to make grants from its own fund again? “We have continued making annual en-dowment matching grants and expect to be in a position

to increase the scale of that initiative in 2014.”

Leslie Sweet, community

affairs for H-E-B and

Creative Action support-

er, models the nonprofit’s

new T-shirt.

Ken Gladish Jeff Garvey Jim PendergrastRichard Slaughter

Nov/Dec 2012 7

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Putting a Mission to Music

NONPROFIT PROS CONVENE TO LEARNIn September more than 700 nonprofit profes-

sionals gathered in Austin for the Texas Nonprofit

Summit. Hosted by Greenlights and One Star Foun-

dation, the conference featured discussions on

fundraising, board training, social media, volunteer

leadership and most other aspects of nonprofit

work. ¶“This year’s Texas Nonprofit Summit was

created on the theme of ‘inspiring allies and im-

pact’ and inspire it did,” says Evelyn Galante of

Greenlights. “We have never seen an audience

more captivated than with Dr. Tererai Trent’s story,

more engaged than throughout the incredible ses-

sion presentations, and more enthusiastic than

during our flash mob. A fantastic two days left at-

tendees re-invigorated around individual missions

and working together as a nonprofit sector.”

Learn more at TexasNonprofitSummit.org

Nonprofiteers charge up the crowd with a flashmob at the opening

keynote of the Texas Nonprofit Summit.

To celebrate its 25 years, the Christi Center decided to do something different.

“We’d never really had a celebration before,” says executive director Cara Fox. As a nonprofit that provides free, ongoing grief support services to anyone adjusting to life after the death of a loved on, Fox says most of its gatherings are remem-brances, which are usually not fundraisers.

“I heard about Music Doing Good from my mom,” says Fox, whose mother is a professional fundraiser in Houston. The nonprofit performance group uses original music, video, spo-ken word and classic songs to communicate the mission of other nonprofits.

Music Doing Good came down and spent a day and a half interviewing staff and clients on video. Then for the performance they intermixed clips from the interviews with songs like

“You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Lean On Me” and “Calling All Angels,” as well as a song written specifically for The Christi Center called “It Comes In Waves.”

“They were just incredi-ble,” says Fox. “I was flooded with emails from people. For a lot of people, it was the best event Christi Center has ever done.”

Fox says the event was as much a friend-raiser as it was a fundraiser. Fifty percent of the attendees were new to The Christi Center and the event, held at Hill’s Cafe and also featuring a live performance by Johnny Dee’s Rocket 88s, raised more than $30,000 after expenses.

“This was an all-out celebration. Our mission is peer-based so our people form lifelong friendships; they become beacons of hope to others. We laugh a lot.”

Learn more at MusicDoingGood.org and

FortheLoveofChristi.org

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G I V I N G N E W S

FUNDRAISERS

AUSTIN ON STAGE

Two kick-off events, an anniversary and a celebrity speaker highlight the summer’s events.

Michael Wilson, Beth Jaster, Kay McHorse and Drew Sawyer; Vicki Aycock, EmyLou Sawyer, Don Cook

and Peggy Pickle.

SEPTEMBER 29

Topfer Opening Night CelebrationThe new Topfer Theatre at ZACH kicked off its opening in a big way with performances across the theaters.

Jessica Pierce and Haley Montgromery;

Wendy Topfer and Lisa Rosenbaum; Mort

and Bobbi Topfer.

SEPTEMBER 27

Capital City Village CelebrationCapital City Village celebrated its first anniversary at Laguna Gloria.

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OCTOBER 11

Hospice AustinAt the Hospice Austin 7th Annual Beauty of Life event, al-most 1,000 people gathered for the Four Seaons luncheon featuring Kathryn Stockett, author of acclaimed bestseller The Help.

Sabrina Barker-Truscott and Nancy Nichols; Eric and Maria Groten, event

co-chair; event co-chair Mary Tally and Rusty Tally.

SEPTEMBER 19

Dancing with the Stars Kick-OffThe Center for Child Protection kicked off its Dancing with the Stars event with an evening in the elegant setting of Nieman Marcus.

Suzy Balagia, Evan Smith and Amber Carden; Susan Johnson and Marjon

Christopher; Megan Lyon and Kimberly Johnson.

For more social photos visit KeepAustinGiving.org


Thank You!

On November 2, a group of 375 generous Austinites came together to celebrate and invest in the futures

of our city’s great kids. And had a fabulous time doing so. Thanks to everyone who was a part of this

record-breaking evening for the Boys & Girls Clubs.

TITLE SPONSORVirtus Private WealthVirtus Real Estate Management

MENTORKaren & George CaseyEZ CorpHarden HealthcareSilicon Labs

HEROAdjacent TechnologiesRobbie & Tom AusleyBroaddus & AssociatesBuffington Capital HoldingsCalendar ClubCappello GroupTracy & Mike CoffinPeggy & Robert DavisFulbright & Jaworski, LLPHester Capital ManagementHicks Family Charitable FoundationMickey & Jamie HoltzmanBecky & Gary KeilGayla & Mark KiesterLynn & Larry MeyerRusty Morrison & Catherine CotmanMorrison, Friedrick & SpinnNoble Strategic PartnersPriceWaterhouseCoopersSchlosser Development CorporationSendero HealthcareLeslie & Marty ScirrattStephens InsuranceSuperior Health PlanLinda & Dick ThompsonTime Warner CableYoungblood Tire & Automotive

GUARDIANCarlos AnciraAlan BlakeSteve BurtRosemary & Dr. John Sibley ButlerHarriett & Ken ChoffelSean CusackPatrick FlynnSusan HenricksBrock PurslowJune & Terry Young

LIVE AUCTION CONTRIBUTORSMelanie & Ben BarnesSuzanna ChoffelCounty Line BBQPatrick FlynnHilton OrlandoBruce HughesIKEAKruger’s Diamond JewelersPeg & Dan ListromNakiaScrappy Jud NewcombS&M ImportsMaline & Michael Quist

SILENT AUCTION AND “LITTLE BLACK BOX” CONTRIBUTORSAbel’s on the LakeAbuelo’sAmerican ConstructorsArbor Car WashAT&T Executive Conference Center and HotelBarbeques GaloreBartlett’s

Barton Creek Country ClubBecker VineyardsBlue BridalBody & Soul WorksKay & Dr. Jim BroaddusJuliette BuckLynn ButlerCalendar ClubCarmelo’sChuy’sCigar PalaceDavid Yurman – The DomainDiscover ChiropracticElegant LimosDr. Bill EstesMike EtieEZ CorpFirestoneFleming’s Prime SteakhouseRobert FowlerGreat Hills Country ClubGrey Rock Golf clubHeritage Tree CareHilton AustinKristi HolthouserHome DepotHouse PizzaHula HutHut’s HamburgersHutson’s ClothingJack Allen’s KitchenJames Avery JewelryBrian JonesKendra Scott JewelryGayla & Mark KiesterNancy LambLaura Elizabeth JewelryLonghorn SteakhouseCindy LopezMaggiano’s

Magnolia CaféMoonshine Patio Bar & GrillNyle MaxwellMichelin TiresMilk & Honey SpaModesty Hair StudioNeiman MarcusNancy Eldridge Therapeutic MassagePaco’s TacosPainting with a TwistPerry’s Steakhouse & GrillePF Chang’sPromise PizzaMaline & Michael QuistREIRobin Jackson PhotographyRuth’s Chris SteakhouseS&M ImportsAmy SilveyLeslie & Marty ScirrattSpontuneousSports ClipsStubb’s BBQTexas Rowing DockTexas Stars Hockey TeamThe Little Yoga HouseMary TuckerTwin Creeks Country ClubUchi UchikoUniversity of Texas AthleticsWater 2 WineWhole Earth ProvisionsYMCA of AustinTerry Young

SPECIAL THANKSGala Committee MembersMark Albers

Julie BarschowKaren & George CaseyTerrell Gates, Event ChairGary KeilMark KiesterAmanda StovallLinda Hank Thompson

Adam BurdenAndrew Bost, AuctioneerAT&T Executive Conference CenterBGCAA Club StaffBrian BeaulieuChris Patunas PhotographyChris TysonDebbie ArmijoDiamantina CasianoDick ThompsonErika GonzalezElizabeth RodenErica Gallardo TaftGreg Hamilton, Travis County SheriffJeff DailyMichael IsraelZack Jackson – Sketch ArtistHolli LopezJennifer KnightJoe StalloneKelley CarmonKelly St. JulienLeo SantanaLindsey WolfMandarin Flower Co.Tere & Gary MayneRob FowlerSandy McIlree, EmceeSusan MartinSusan & Michael MeyerSWANK Audio VisualsJohn TullisUnique Design and EventsOur GREAT Kids!

Thank You!















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G I V I N G N E W S

SURVEY SPECIAL NEEDS ADULTS

Last month, the Arc of the Capital Area’s Building

Bridges event included an auction of several dozen

original art pieces created by adults and children

with developmental disabilities. ¶ While all those

pieces were snapped up, don’t worry: There’s lots

more where that came from! ¶ If you’ve never been

to the Arc of the Arts Studio and Gallery, prepared

to be amazed and moved. Paintings, sculpture

and folk art pieces range from

lovely to incredible, and most

of the work is priced to sell.

In 1997, Austin ranked an embarrassing 48th out of the 50 big-gest metro areas for donations to charity. But according to an update to that study, released earlier this year, we moved up in 2008 to 32nd in the country. Good news, right?

Well, before you pop the cork take a closer look: While we moved up in rank, we actually gave less. In 1997 we gave a mere 5.8 percent of our discretionary income to charity, but eleven years later we gave 4.2 percent, more than a whole percentage point less that what we’d given before.

This places Austin below Portland, Charlotte and Los Angeles, not to mention Dallas, Houston and San Antonio for charitable giving.

For a city proud of its top rankings in other categories (tech start-ups, veggie-friendly, music, fitness), how can we rank higher for local giving?

PRISCILLA CORTEZFundraising consultant, Bacon Lee & Associates“We need to continue to support those organizations that are shedding light on why it’s important to create this culture of philanthropy and what it can do for our city. I also think people underestimate other people’s capacity for giving. There are segments out there that are waiting to be asked.”

DAN GILLETCEO, Kimbia, online giving tool“From our perspective, we know that online giving is on the rise and that a nonprofit’s online dona-tions platform can help increase its reach across the Web. The second opportunity will be in peer-to-peer fundraising. When we start to make it easier for more people to give, we’ll see giving become an important part of our society.”

LES GAGEPhilanthropist, former city council member and owner of Gage Furniture“Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see people giving as much. But, golly, we do have quite a few volunteers out there. We see them commit to volunteering, but they don’t commit to giving money. But we’ve got to start someplace. We’ve got to teach people that giving is important, not just to the community, but that it’s important to your soul. It’s one of those great things you get to do in your life. It just feels so wonderful to try to help someone.”

RACHEL MUIRManager, Blackbaud, fundraising software“The challenge today is to understand how nonprof-its connect with donors. Then once they reach donors, how can they continue to nurture that relationship? At the end of the day, we know that people will give again if they know their gift made a difference.”

Arc of the Arts Holiday Art Show & Open HouseDec. 5, 6 - 8 pm6717 Burnet Rd.

BUY ART, SUPPORT SPECIAL ARTISTS

Where We StandAre we more or less generous than other cities? A hard look at our rank now.


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HEALTH CARE

From the night she first discovered the lump in her breast to today, free of cancer, recovering from months of treat-ments, Sheila Boyer has had the support of patient navigators like those from the Breast Cancer Resource Center.

They paid for her mammogram, sat with her through the biopsy and connected her to Medicaid. Though Boyer had a job at the time, it did not come with health insurance. Without that help, it’s likely Boyer would not have received those treatments.

This past fall, Boyer’s 31-year-old daughter formed “Team Sheila B. Blessed” to run the Race for the Cure on Nov. 4, to benefit Komen Austin. Seventy-five percent of all money donated to Komen Austin stays in Austin to fund breast cancer resources like the BCRC. In fact, Komen Austin has funded BCRC for 11 years and funds 9 other organizations that offer breast health pro-grams in the Austin area like Samaritan Health Ministries, Community Action Inc., and Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region.

The misconception that Komen Austin does not fund the local Planned Parenthood may be one reason why race donations were down 50 percent. The attention the national organization got from a decisive decision earlier this year has impacted donations to local Komen affiliates across the country. In Austin, that means Ko-men is at risk of funding only half of the breast cancer services in 2013 as it did in 2012.

“Can you imagine having to tell a woman she can’t get a lifesaving mammogram, or worse, tell her we don’t have the money to pay for her treatment?” says Christy Casey-Moore of Komen Austin. “Unfortunately, we may have to.”

Boyer says she and her family will do their part. “My experience motivated us to give and to reach out to our com-munity to give.” As Boyer points out, with one in eight women diagnosed every day, “the money raised is going to touch so many lives like mine,” adding, “I know I’m a blessed person.”

Learn more at KomenAustin.org.

RETURNING THE FAVORWhen an uninsured Sheila Boyer found a lump in her breast, a Komen-Austin

funded resource stepped up to save her. Now she’s giving back.

Help Sheila’s Cause

Of every donation made to Komen Austin, 75 percent of it stays in Austin to help women

like Boyers. You can donate to the Komen Austin Race for the Cure through Nov. 30, and

to Komen Austin anytime. Visit KomenAustin.org.

Nov/Dec 2012 13

December 1, 2012 Four Seasons Hotel Austin ragstowags.org

Rags to Wags is Austin Humane Society’s largest fundraiser with proceeds saving the lives of Austin’s homeless animals. This fun-�lled evening will include a seated dinner, live and silent auctions, and a show featuring AHS dogs!

Don’t miss out! Sponsorships start at $500 or individual tickets are only $125. Get yours today at ragstowags.org.

Benefiting



EVENTS

FALL FUNDRAISERSWith concerts, golf, races and galas, there’s something for everyone this season.

NOVEMBER 10

2 More Than a GameThere are probably hundreds of golf tournaments in Central Texas every year, but none have the synergy of The First Tee’s More Than a Game. The nonprofit leverages all the great character-building lessons from golf to help more than 4,000 kids build self-esteem, self-worth and a love of the game. The tournament offers players a chance to play with celebrities at the gorgeous Barton Creek Resort.

Learn more at TheFistTeeAustin.org

DECEMBER 4

1 An Evening with ElizaDozens of Austin artists have fulfilled the musical wishes for Swan Song, a nonprofit that organizes private concerts for people facing a terminal illness. Eliza Gilkyson is one of those artists, and she’s also agreed to per-form at its annual fundraiser at the Gibson Showroom.

Learn more at SwanSongs.org

DECEMBER 7

3 Lights of LoveMore than 4,000 people will participate in Lights of Love, the annual 5K run that takes place in the dark at Mueller Hangar that benfits Ronald McDon-ald House Charities of Austin. But while the race is just for fun, the real competition heats up online. Teams submit photos, photo boards and video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to compete for extra fundrais-ing dollars, all toward the overall prize for top fundraising team.

Learn more at RMHC-Austin.org

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NOVEMBER

2 The Black & White Gala at

AT&T Executive Education and

Conference Center. Benefitting

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin

area. bgcaustin.org

3 Putting on the Ritz Austin

Children’s Shelter Gala at the

Hilton Austin Hotel. Benefitting

the Austin Children’s Shelter.

austinchildrenshelter.org

4 2012 Komen Austin Race for

the Cure Downtown. Benefit-

ting Susan G. Komen Foundation.

komenaustin.org

8 Barkanalia at Camp Lucy.

Benefitting PAWS Shelter and

Humane Society. barkanalia.org

8 10th Annual Big Reds &

Bubbles at The Driskill Hotel.

Benefitting The Wine & Food

Foundation of Texas. winefood-

foundation.org

8 Lone Stars and Angels Party

at The Bob Bullock Texas State

History Museum. Benefitting St.

Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

stjude.org

9 4th Annual Charity Bash Live

Auction at Ballet Austin. Ben-

efitting Center for Child Protec-

tion and Seedling Foundation.

citizengeneration.org

10 Artreach Fair Trade Festival

at 8332 Mesa Dr. Benefitting

Fair Trade Artisans around the

world. artreachfair.org

10 6th Annual Hill Country

Nights at Texas Disposal Sys-

tems. Benefitting Hill Country

Conservancy. hillcountryconser-

vancy.org

11 Heartbeats and Heroes at

AT&T Conference Center. Ben-

efitting Championship Hearts

Foundation. championshiphearts-

foundation.org

11 Eleven Eleven: An Evening

of Extraordinary Fashion at The

Driskill Hotel. Benefitting Hos-

pice Austin and their Pet Peace

of Mind Program. hospiceaustin.org

12 More Than A Game-Celeb-

rity Golf Tournament at Barton

Creek Resort. Benefitting The

First Tee of Greater Austin.

thefirstteeaustin.org

12 The World Premier of ‘In her

Shoes’ at Stateside Theater.

Benefitting Dress for Success

Austin. austintheatre.org

14-18 A Christmas Affair, The

welve Days of Christmas at the

Palmer Events Center. Benefit-

ting the Junior League of Austin.

jlaustin.org

17 Smokin’ Flames BBQ and

Can Run at Cowboy Harley-Da-

vidson. Benefitting Capital Area

Food Bank. starcrazyevents.com

17 The Roots of a New Begin-

ning at Emma S. Barrientos

Mexican-American Cultural Cen-

ter. Benefitting Serie Project.

serieproject.org

Nov 28- Dec 24 Blue Genie Art

Bazaar at Marchesa Hall & The-

ater. Benefitting Travis County

Center for Child Protection.

bluegenieartbazaar.com

DECEMBER

1 Rags to Wags Gala at Four

Seasons Hotel Austin. Benefit-

ting Austin Humane Society.

austinhumanesociety.org

1 The State Dinner at LBJ Presi-

dential Library. Benefitting The

LBJ Foundation. lbjlibrary.org

2 2012 Dancing with the

Stars Austin at Hilton Austin.

Benefitting The Center for Child

Protection

7 5th Annual Lights of Live 5k

and Kids K at Mueller Browning

Hangar. Benefitting The Ronald

McDonald House Charities-

Austin and Central Texas.

rmhc-austin.org

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW

FOR GIVINGCITY AUSTIN

UPCOMING ISSUES AND

EVENTS IN 2013:

Jan/Feb:Resolve to Get Involved

March/April:Businesses Giving Back

May/June:Your Best Fundraiser Ever

July/Aug:The New Philanthropists

Sept/Oct:Step Up and Volunteer

Nov/Dec:Austin’s Biggest Donors

Each issue will launch with a

fun event where, as always,

you can connect with others

who care about our community.

Become a member of GivingC-

ity Austin today for invitations

and announcements!

CALENDAR

Nov/Dec 2012 15



COMMUNITY

NOVEMBER 20

H-E-B Feast of Sharing

With guest and volunteers coming from all across Central Texas, it’s a party at Palmer every year.

Photographs by Arlen Nydam

Each year more than 13,000 people line up outside Palmer Events Center for the annual H-E-B Feast of Shar-ing. Turkey, stuffing, green beans, roll and pie, all plated and served by hundreds of volunteers, many of them H-E-B employees.

A family finds a table, and an alert volunteer raises her hand to let servers know who needs food, drink, dessert. Kids kneel in their seats, soaking in as much of the scene as they can. When the meal arrives, they scrape their plates happy to have a warm meal in this joyous holiday atmosphere.

Anyone can come — and everyone does. Last year guests included families, el-derly couples, “one percent” protestors, police officers, homeless people and plenty of people who could have easily afforded a fancy meal downtown but chose Feast of Sharing instead.

Coordinated by the un-sinkable Tamra Jones of H-E-B, the event also features local celebrities, performers, musicians and a family fair featuring crafts, nonprofit booths and free books for the kids. Now in its twenty-third year in Austin, H-E-B hosts Feasts of Sharing in more than 20 communities across Texas.

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Buying or Selling a Home?

Change your address, Change the world.

www.GiveRealty.com | 512-338-4483

TM

Hire us and we will donate $1875.00 to your favorite nonprofit*. At Give Realty our clients and community come first, that’s why we have donated over $206,000 to the causes our clients are passionate about.

*based on a $250K sales or purchase price. Must be a 501(c)3 in good standing.

Buying or Selling a Home?

Change your address, Change the world.

www.GiveRealty.com | 512-338-4483

TM

Hire us and we will donate $1875.00 to your favorite nonprofit*. At Give Realty our clients and community come first, that’s why we have donated over $206,000 to the causes our clients are passionate about.

*based on a $250K sales or purchase price. Must be a 501(c)3 in good standing.

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PHILANTHROPY

THE NEW GIVING CAMPAIGNSThe campaigning isn’t over, and now it’s for Austin! Here’s a breakdown of three major

campaigns happening now and how you can get involved.

“We’re reminding people that it’s a great opportu-nity for them to give back to the communities, even if it’s not with United Way, as long as they are giving back to a local nonprofit that they believe in.”

— Christa Berry of United Way

WHAT A three-month media campaign in online, radio, print advertising and on CapMetro buses to garner and inspire increased phil-anthropic giving in Austin.

WHEN Late September to early December

WHO United Way partnered with Creative Suitcase and several in-kind media donations including 3M, The Austin American-Statesman and Google.

WHY To remind the local community of its role in encouraging giving.

WHAT YOU CAN DO Use United Way’s “Impact Calculator” to determine what impact your dona-tion would have on the community.

Visit Hands On Central Texas for opportunities to get involved.

Donate to any nonprofit in Central Texas. Learn more at UnitedWayAustin.org

WHAT YOU CAN DO Support Keep Austin Gen-erous by making tax-free donations.

Create your own Keep Austin Generous event.

Recruit businesses. Offer 50-cent donation opportu-nities to customers. Donate at least one percent of your pre-tax earnings.

Volunteer for Keep Austin Generous Events.

Volunteer at KAG Experi-ence at the Trail of Lights.

Volunteer at the KAG Race. Volunteer as a software developer.

Become a sponsor. Learn more at KeepAustinGenerous.org

WHAT A week-long campaign corroborating with the Trail of Lights to raise $1 million to give away to local nonprofits, and simultaneously register thousands of volunteer hours. The total amount raised will be given away in its entirety in the form of $1,000 MiniDo-nations credits to randomly chosen participants who will then donate it to the nonprofit of their choice.

WHEN December 15-23

WHO MiniDonations

WHY To engage every member of the community in giving while demonstrat-ing the ease of incorporating philanthropy into the lives of Central Texans.

“Our goal for Amplify Austin is really focused on new givers.”

— Patsy Woods Martin of I Live Here, I Give Here

WHAT A 24-hour online giving frenzy aimed at rais-ing $1 million for 300 local nonprofits.

WHEN March 4-5

WHO I Live Here, I Give Here.

WHY To inspire Central Texans to invest more in our community, while generat-ing hundreds of first time donors and re-connecting with those who have do-nated before.

WHAT YOU CAN DO Donate to one or more of the 300 registered nonprofits.

Become an ambassador by setting up a fundraising page to promote any of the registered nonprofits.

Participating nonprofits can attend training ses-sions to cultivate more donations and get the most of the Amplify Austin experience.

Donate toward awards given to nonprofits throughout the event. Media sponsors advertise event. Businesses can be-come “donation stations,” where donors can make their contributions on Amplify Austin day. Learn more at ILiveHereIGiveHere.org

“Giving isn’t just about giving online, giving big sums of money, it’s really about giving in the easiest of ways with the things you do every day.”

— Leo Ramirez of MiniDonations

AMPLIFY AUSTINKEEP AUSTIN GENEROUSUNITED WAY CAMPAIGN

BY REBECCA PERSONS



YOUTH SERVICES

The Big Reveal

Photographs by Arlen Nydam, Cecily Johnson and Kenneth Mack

Home. It’s the one thing that’s been beyond the grasp of most of LifeWorks clients. The one thing they’ve needed and longed for their whole lives.

But when a LifeWorks client is finally on her own, she often must balance a job, school and a young child. Keeping that balance is hard enough, never mind finding the resource to turn a bare apartment into the kind of home she’s always dreamed about.

That’s what makes the Home Improvement Chal-lenge so special. Volunteer designers partner with volunteer leaders from eight corporate and commu-nity teams to makeover the apartments of eight Life-Works clients. Planning hap-pens weeks in advance. The volunteers fundraise to buy the paint, furniture, fixtures. And all the remodeling has to be done in eight hours.

Apartments are emptied, walls are painted, belong-ings organized, new and re-furbished furniture is moved in, all while the client waits off-site for the big reveal.

Learn more about how LifeWorks volun-

teers are changing the lives of young families at

LifeWorksAustin.org

“I’m not going to leave this apartment for a week,” says client

Lidia Simmons. “I feel like a celebrity right now, but it’s just

me and my son.”

“You guys deserve

this,” says Jenny

Cokins, volunteer

interior designer. “The

way you’ve changed

your life for the better,

for you and your son.

You deserve it.”

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ing experience,”

says Ingrid Butts,

who lead her team

of 3M co-workers.

“The look on her

face makes it so

worthwhile.”



BUSINESSES GIVING BACK

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Joshua Bingaman left home in Oklahoma for Los Angeles to be a musician. In L.A. he wrote songs, sang and performed, and he even recorded a couple of al-bums. But he wasn’t long for L.A. and he joined his older brother in San Francisco where they decided to make some-thing out of their love of sneakers. They opened Subterranean Shoe Room in the Mission District. An unlikely store in an unlikely place.

Yes, he loves shoes. But it was the store that changed him. The Bingaman’s created a friendly oasis in the working-class neighbor-hood, which was still

coming out of its gangs and punks past and had been mostly written off by other businesses. While the store got street cred for its shoe selection, it also built a community by hosting events, raising money for local causes and inviting anybody in the neighborhood to join in. And they did.

“The only reason I fueled off of the store was the people,” says Bingaman.

With the goal of franchising the store, Bingaman and his wife Sarah set out for Austin. But instead of opening a store, Bingaman opened a coffee shop.

“People told us to check Austin out,” remembers Bingaman. “We didn’t know why we would want to be here. But we both fell in love with the city and the opportunity we saw it to be.”

At a time when everyone seemed to be opening a little coffee shop in East Austin, Progress stood out. Bingaman had created that same Subterra-nean scene from the Mission District here on East 5th Street.

“It’s the mix of people,” says Binga-man. “I mean, you come here and see CPAs, rock stars, artists, herma-nos, families.... They all come together and it’s not because of coffee. It’s because Progress gives them a reason to come together.”

Bingaman is a gener-ous businessman, perhaps overly gener-ous. He confesses to sneaking cash into the backpacks of his employees. He hosts fundraisers and con-certs for local causes and artists. His sells roasted coffee beans that benefit local nonprofits like Project LOOP and the Sustain-able Food Center. He puts his heart and soul and personal resources into Progress and keeping that commu-nity alive.

But he still really digs shoes. While travel-ing to Istanbul years back to reconnect with extended family, Bingaman discovered a shoemaker that still made boots by hand. He connected with that ethos and created HELM Boots, picturing a shoe store built around

BY MONICA M. WILLIAMS

THIS IS PROGRESSJoshua Bingaman — entrepreneur, father, philanthropist, designer and East Austin’s

eternal optimist — gives his all to people and community.

the same values as Subterranean and Prog-ress, one that cherishes people and honors their contributions.

Bingaman probably puts more money, time and soul into Progress and Helm than he can afford... at least by other people’s standards.

“I consider myself successful if I’m sur-rounded by good people and not too much debt,” says Bingaman. “I’ve always found this cycle of self-support, I’ve always thought that tomorrow will meet tomorrow’s provisions.”

Learn more at ProgressCoffee.com

“It’s the mix of people. I

mean, you come here and

see CPAs, rock stars, art-

ists, hermanos, families....

They all come together

and it’s not because of

coffee. It’s because Prog-

ress gives them a reason

to come together.”


It takes funding, hard work, and initiative to build a healthy community, and that’s the mission of St. David’s Foundation. As a joint owner of St. David’s HealthCare, the Foundation achieves its goals by investing the proceeds from the hospitals

back into the Central Texas community.

In 2012, the Foundation will give more than $39 million to the community through grants to numerous agencies, local safety net clinics, and the highly acclaimed

St. David’s Dental Program. By funding initiatives in six key areas – Healthy Aging, Healthy Futures, Healthy Living, Healthy Minds, Healthy People and Healthy

Smiles – St. David’s Foundation focuses on improving the health and health care of all Central Texans today and for years to come. Learn more at

www.stdavidsfoundation.org.

At St. David’s Foundation, helping create a healthier Central Texas is our

job. And we sure do love our job.

Impact. Community. Health.

Nov/Dec 2012 25

Keep Austin Giving – an online social column by Austin photojournalist Robert Godwin – shares news and photos of the nonprofit events you attend. So whether you are in the photos or want to share them, Keep Austin Giving is your source.

Check out the latest happenings at keepaustingiving.org.

A Candid Look at Austin’s Nonprofit Scene


STAYING POWER

BY MONICA M. WILLIAMSPHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY B SAUCEDA

In fact, they grow more beautiful with age, partly because we get to know them better with each performance but also because their resilience proves their inner strength. Each costume has been engineered to last a very long time.

In a way, the costumes are a symbol of “The Nutcracker” itself, particularly Ballet Austin’s version. In the past 49 years of its performance, more than 1.5 million people have seen the lo-cal production of the “The Nutcracker,” and this year — its Golden Anniversary — it’s likely to see many sell-out performances. In fact, last year Ballet Austin’s production of “The Nutcracker” filled more seats than any other production of “The Nutcracker” in the country.

Its resilience proves its inner strength, for “The Nutcracker” is more than a ballet; it’s an economic engine for the community. And a lasting Austin tradition.

THE COSTUMES OF BALLET AUSTIN’S “THE NUTCRACKER” HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES ON DOZENS OF DANCERS. AND YET THEIR BEAUTY HASN’T FADED.

50 Years

The Golden Anniver-sary season of Ballet

Austin’s The Nutcracker runs Dec. 8 to 23. For tickets visit BalletAustin.org

Nov/Dec 2012 27

THE ARTS


CLARA

Previous: Toy Soldier

Nov/Dec 2012 29

The Audience13,500 students attend

“The Nutcracker” school shows each year

from 140 schools and 25 school districts.

2,000 clients from local social service non-

profits who attend the “Night of Community” performance for free.

Ballet Austin donates 200 tickets for auctions

and raffles at events across the city.

HOLLIS GASTON MOTHER OF LEAH GASTON, ONE OF TWO DANCERS TO PLAY

“CLARA” IN THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION

“Leah has been dancing with the Academy since she was three years old, and now as a senior in high school she gets to be one of two ‘Clara’ dancers. It really is the pinnacle of all her training and sacrifice.

“We spend a good portion of our life at Ballet Aus-tin. Since she’s been in ‘The Nutcracker’ 10 times, it’s become a very special part of my family. The fact that she’s in the 50th anniversary performance makes it so much more special.

“Some of her best friends are friends from ballet, and she wants to pursue it as a professional. I want her to follow her dream but I know it’s not a terribly easy life. But it became a passion for her years ago, and it’s really clicked for her since then.”

ANTHONY J. CORROA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

“The Nutcracker has made a huge impact on the symphony for many years. People may not know this, but ASO has to guarantee a number of perfor-mances for the musicians and help them continue to work throughout the year. Ballet Austin supplies some of the performance so that ASO doesn’t have to and we can keep costs down.

“The number of people that are actually getting work from The Nutcracker is a huge accomplish-ment for any ballet company. It really is one of the crown jewels for the community.

“When you look at the entire company, you really have to look at the leadership of Cookie Ruiz and Stephen Mills, two of the most brilliant leaders of any arts organization. That leadership helps sustain the type of excellence in the arts that exists in Austin. I think the efforts we’re making to try to keep musicians gainfully employed in this community speaks volumes.”

The Arts CommunityBallet Austin has

contracted with the Austin Symphony Orchestra for the

music for 30 years.

Ballet Austin pays about $125,000 to the Austin Symphony Orchestra

annually for its services, for “The Nutcracker”

production alone.

Each season, “The Nutcracker” employs

32 dancers plus artistic staff, 52 musicians, 30 crewmembers and 25 administrative staff.

Each performance employs 52 local musi-cians and a conductor for 13 performances

and 2 rehearsals.

More than 200 children dance in “The Nut-cracker” every year.

THE ARTS

IMPACT


Ballet AustinBallet Austin’s produc-

tion of “The Nut-cracker” was the first in Texas and remains

its longest running production today.

Ballet Austin has the highest percentage of houses sold among dance companies

nationwide, at 90.4% of each house sold.

Each season, “The Nutcracker” accounts for about 50% of Ballet Austin’s ticket revenue, 25% of its total earned

revenue and almost 20% of its total gross

revenue.

JEFF TRIGGERFOUNDER OF LA CORSHA HOSIPITALITY GROUP, WHICH

TRANSFORMED THE DRISKILL HOTEL AND WILL OVERSEE THE

CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGE THE SEAHOLM PLAZA HOTEL IN

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

“For many people who come downtown to see ‘The Nutcracker,’ it’s rare to experience the ballet or a live symphony or The Long Center or even downtown Austin. So there are people who make an evening out of it, enjoying dining and entertain-ment before and after the show.

“It would be really hard to overstate the impact on the quality of life that ‘The Nutcracker’ makes, not just for those of us who live here but also for those who want to move here. Businesses come here because they want to relocate their employ-ees and their families to a city that has the kind of facilities and entertainment options that Austin has. And I think Ballet Austin helps us have it all.

“If ‘The Nutcracker ‘were to go away, clearly the holidays would be less enjoyable for many people. It’s a tradition.

“But it’s exciting to know that ‘The Nutcracker’ is doing just the opposite. It’s something that reinvents itself every year. Financially, Ballet Austin depends on it. But we need to realize how much the commu-nity depends on ‘The Nutcracker’, too.”

JON IVESTERSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS

FOR SILICON LABORATORIES

“I go to the ballet because I love the choreogra-phy and the artistry, but I go to ‘The Nutcracker’ because I want to feel like part of the community. There’s an excitement about being part of some-thing that all of Austin can enjoy as a way to kick off the holiday season. It has become part of our environment. It’s an honest tradition.

“I’m not sure what makes Austin’s performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ so successful, but I know people who saw it when they were children, whose parents and grandparents saw it and whose children will see it. And that’s what it takes. The dancers spend hours rehearsing, but they couldn’t perform with-out an audience. The audience is what creates that excitement and that experience.”

The Local BusinessEach season, The

Nutcracker supports employees from The Long Center, Sterling

Events, security, parking and valet, resulting

in more than $850,000 income for these busi-

nesses alone.

Audience members travel from Travis Coun-

ty, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Burnet and beyond.

“The Nutcracker” brings in an estimated half-

million dollars in hotel and dining revenue to

downtown Austin busi-nesses each year.

IMPACT

Nov/Dec 2012 31

THE ARTS

CHINESE TEA PERFORMER

Those Resilient Costumes

There are 200 total costumes for The Nutcracker.

The most expensive costume is the bad guy’s: The Rat King

costume costs $6,000.

120 loads of laundry are done each season to

wash the costumes.

Dancers go through 400 pairs of shoes for “The

Nutcracker”, and the Sugar Plum Fairy often goes through more than one pair of pointe shoes in a single performance.


H O W W E S U R V I V E A I D S

Twenty-five years after AIDS Services of

Austin opened its doors, the fight against

AIDS continues — and it’s as tough as ever.

BY JESSIE TORRISIPHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH PERKINS

So when AIDS Services of Austin (ASA) opened its doors in 1987, it was one of the first service centers for people with HIV not just in Austin, but across the country. It was not uncommon then to

see people outside ASA’s doors brandishing signs that read, “God created AIDS.”

In the beginning it was all ASA could to to help people with HIV – oftentimes, gay men who were estranged from their families – die with dignity.

Today, thanks to new drugs and treatments, ASA focuses on helping people live with HIV rather than die from it. Its daily work is to teach people to manage the virus, mitigate side effects, and face the mountain of bills and bureaucratic forms that accompany doctors’ visits, housing aid and employment needs. HIV has become survivable.

But HIV, the cause, has become less popular, and that has lead to a decrease in funding for ASA. Earlier this year, it lost $55,000 from the United Way and doesn’t yet know how it’ll plug the hole in this year’s budget. Another loss of $150,000 from federal budget cuts means ASA may have to cut back on programs or help fewer people.

All of this while 6,000 people in Central Texas are HIV positive... and the need for services increases every day. Despite 25 years of saving lives, will ASA find itself reliving its history?

Six years after the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States, then-President Ronald Reagan would still not address it. In 1985, panicky Texas health officials proposed to quarantine people with HIV.

Nov/Dec 2012 33

A second chance

“It made me realize that even though people

react out of ignorance, with education, they can become

compassionate.”

HEALTHCARE

It’s been more than 15 years since Paul Scott almost

died from HIV. The disease had wasted his body to 100 pounds. He

had fevers of 107 for days at a time. The doctor called his parents and told them to come, that he would not last through the night.

Somehow Paul hung on until 1996 when physicians administered a protease inhibitor that worked in a way no drug before had. Six weeks later, he was snorkeling in Hawaii, wondering what to do with the life he’d won back.

Before HIV, Paul was hardly an activist. He was a litigation lawyer in Ten-nessee. “No one in my law firm knew I was gay, he says, “or HIV-positive.” A colleague had even advised Scott to not shake the hand of another man who was HIV-positive.

But that changed as soon as Paul took medical leave. Someone in the firm outed him. “There was a judge that spent his whole day calling every law firm in the city about my status.”

He couldn’t bring himself to go back to work, so Paul started volunteering, doing HIV prevention work, and he eventually opened up a primary care clinic in Chattanooga. Andthe colleague who’d been afraid to shake a man’s hand stopped him in the gym one day, wanting to know how he was doing.

Today, Scott is the executive director of ASA, where the main challenge is building bridges with communities that have been the last to receive services — particularly African-Americans and Latinos. “The biggest fallacy is to think AIDS Services of Austin can go into any community and be the cure or the voice of education. You have to build trust first.”

I


In the 1990s, Sue Campion taught AIDS awareness in the Bible Belt. She was working at a center for developmentally disabled people when she realized its clients were having sex.

“I was in Abilene where you couldn’t even talk about HIV,” she says. “I felt it was my role to educate the staff that worked with them.”

She didn’t set out to be an advocate for people with HIV, but later, when her ex-husband became infected, she was forced into the role. “I’m gay, but I wasn’t out at the time,” Sue explains. “I called ASA seeking services for my ex-husband, my best friend, out of desperation.”

She spoke to ASA’s founder for 20 minutes, and he was a much-needed sympathetic ear. “Just that simple act of kindness, I thought gosh, I’m going to volunteer there,” she recalls. A few years later, she did. Then she joined the board of ASA, and finally the staff as ASA’s chief programs officer.

In the early days, volunteers ran programs. “There really was a lesbian response. My generation was raised to believe that you get married, you have children. If you’re gay, that’s not an option. But we still had that upbringing. So women chimed in and helped. It was from a spirit of, I’ve got to do something to help my brothers who are dying.”

I

“My generation was raised to believe that you get married, you have children.

If you’re gay, that’s not an option. But we still had that upbringing. So women

chimed in and helped. It was from a spirit of, I’ve got to do something to help my

brothers who are dying.”

Nov/Dec 2012 35

HEALTHCARE

Learn More

An estimated 6,000 people live with AIDS and HIV in Central Texas. About 1 in 5 are unaware of their status. ASA provides ser-vices to more than 1,500 people and HIV prevention education to more than 10,000 people in Central Texas. Visit ASAustin.org to learn more.

Twenty-three year old Tyrone Rivers be-longs to the

fastest rising population of people with HIV – young people of color.

Growing up, Tyrone’s family didn’t talk about being gay or HIV, but he did get the “use protec-tion” speech. Homo-sexuality was silently acknowledged in his large, tight-knit family.

On the streets, in school, however, it was a different story. “I hear a lot of talk about HIV as ‘the disease.’ It disgusts people,” he says.

A week after getting diagnosed, Tyrone came to ASA. “I was seeking guid-ance: Was there going to be a life-plan for me? Was there going to be a date set when I’m dead?”

He fell into a deep depression. It was the week before Christmas. He had just dropped out of school. He remembers thinking, ‘Where do I go from here?’

But eventually, Tyrone started group therapy at ASA, where he sees a case manager to strategize how to stay healthy and make enough money to move out on his own.

Tyrone is a success story. Since July, his viral load has been undetectable though he battles stomach pains from the medicine. He plans to go back to school, is optimistic about falling in love, and is honest with his sexual partners. But for the rest of his life, he’ll have to deal with HIV.

There are several theories about why it’s so hard to bring infection rates down. One is that no matter what educators or advocates say, kids will be kids – to be young is to feel invincible. Others point to studies showing youth, when they’re rejected by family as many queer youth are, will take extra risks, even see HIV as a badge of belonging.

Tyrone believes fear of not being loved drives a type of denial. “In the mo-ment, you’re not thinking. You do things that you normally wouldn’t do. You can be easily persuaded because you want to get to that point regardless of what it takes.”

Information, he warns, “is only as good as the person who’s listening.”

T


MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY

YOUR DONATIONS HELP SUPPORT OUR MISSION TO MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY.

Become a member now and get your GivingCity T-shirt. GivingCityAustin.org

Nov/Dec 2012 37

GIVING SPIRIT

Don’t fight the urge to help others this sea-

son — everybody’s doing it! In fact, donations

at the end of the year account for 40 percent

of all donations made! So get out there, give

back and volunteer. But get started…these

opportunities fill up fast.

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COMMUNITY SERVICES

MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY MAKE AUSTIN A GIVING CITY


G I V I N G I D E A SG I V I N G I D E A S

CANstruction AustinNovember 10 at Barton Creek MallCanstructionaustin.orgIn this unique food drive, competing teams create impressive structures using only canned food! All food is donated to the Capi-tal Area Food Bank of Texas.

GIVE

21st Annual Thundercloud Turkey TrotNovember 22 at Auditorium ShoresThundercloud.comThe largest five-mile race in Texas is hoping to reach their goal of over 20,000 runners this year, all to benefit Caritas.

Operation TurkeyThanksgiving Day at three locations across AustinOperationTurkey.comHelp out on Thanksgiving morning by cooking food, sort-ing donations, and delivering dinners to those in need.

El Buen Samaritano Hands for Hope Thanksgiving Basket EventNovember 17 at El Buen Samaritano CampusElBuen.orgThis community-wide event gathers dona-tions of traditional Thanksgiving foods and distributes them to Austin families in need.

iACT’s 28th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving CelebrationNovember 18 at University United Methodist ChurchInterfaithTexas.orgA free, family, potluck event. Bring your favorite dish to share.

THANKS

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Nov/Dec 2012 39

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Blue SantaBlueSanta.orgMunicipal employees adopt families and you help by donating items, donating money or volunteering. Families needing assistance can visit several application sites.

Brown SantaBrownSanta.orgThe Travis County Sheriff’s raises money by hosting a 5K run, a motorcycle ride and accepting your dona-tions. Families needing assistance can visit several application sites.

Marine Toys for Tots FoundationToysforTots.orgDrop-offs accepted at ToysRUs stores. Last day to donate is Dec. 22.

Chuy’s Children Giving to Children ParadeChuysParade.comChuy’s celebrates 25 years of this totally Austin pa-rade. Bring a toy, sponsor a float or make a donation for this Dec. 1 event.

GIVE TOYS

Salvation Army Angel Tree ProgramUSS.SalvationArmy.orgSelect and shop for a child in need from the Angel Trees found at the Barton Creek Mall, Lakeline Mall and Hill Country Galleria.

Orange SantaUTexas.edu/Events/OrangeSantaStudents, faculty and staff drop off toys around campus.


G I V I N G I D E A SG I V I N G I D E A S

GIVE LOVE

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Bastrop Adopt-A-FamilyAdoptAFamily.usThe families displaced by the Bastrop wildfires still need help. Gather friends to make their holidays brighter this year.

Holiday Wishes: Partnership for ChildrenPartnershipsforChildren.orgSponsor a child in the care of Child Protective Services and purchase gifts on their holiday wish list. Donations and volunteers also needed.

Foundation Communities Holiday AssistanceFoundCom.orgSign up to sponsor a family or donate items from the wish list of this organization that offers affordable housing to families in need.

H-E-B Spirit as Big as Texas Food and Toy DriveHEB.comDrop off non-perishable foods and new toys at participat-ing stores and H-E-B will donate all contributions to local area food banks.

The Christmas Bureau of AustinCBofAustin.orgRegister to adopt a family that’s applied for assistance. You get to talk to the family and find out what they need. Every gift counts!

SafePlace Sponsor a FamilySafePlace.orgThe holidays are a difficult time for people and families fleeing abusive homes. You can sponsor a family or shop for the shelter.

Family Eldercare’s Holiday Giving DriveFamilyEldercare.orgMake the Holidays brighter by sponsoring gifts for seniors and adults with disabilities who would otherwise not receive gifts this Holiday Season.

LifeWorks Holiday HelpLifeWorks.orgAdopt a youth or a family, sponsor a holiday party, donate gift cards or host a backpack drive.

COMMUNITY SERVICES



FUNDRAISING

SCHOOL FUNDRAISERSBY MICHEL HUDSON

Across the city, moms (and dads) are raising serious cash for schools.

Can nonprofits learn a thing or two?

Every year PTO and PTA (parent-teacher organi-zations or associations) volunteers produce wildly successful fundraising events and campaigns, some of which would rival those of a nonprofit fundrais-ing event professional. Could parents know something they don’t? Here are some of the things PTAs do right.

CREATING COMMUNITYThis is where PTAs shine. A school has a sense of place, and the built-in constituency — parents, teachers, administrators and neighbors — creates a collaborative com-munity. The Caldwell Elementary School PTO and campus leaders sit down in May of each year to go over the campus “wish list,” with the PTO providing $10,000 to $20,000 in resources for teachers and students.

PLAYING TO VOLUNTEER STRENGTHSSince PTAs are almost exclusively volunteers, they’ve learned to take advantage of people’s skills. In fact, since almost none have a staff, volunteers are their greatest resource. Every volunteer on a PTA event committee is put to work.

WORKING ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET Just like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney could put on a full Broadway-level show in a barn, PTAs know how to make a winter

PTAs know how

to make a winter

wonderland out of

crepe paper and glitter.

With PTA volunteers,

creativity is key.

Nov/Dec 2012 43

wonderland out of crepe paper and glitter. Creativity is key with PTA volunteers, and it’s often amazing how they can pull together sup-plies for an entire event for less than $200.

Laura Mohammed, who has been a volun-teer with both Davis Elementary and Mur-chison Middle School, remembers a “call to arms” to create confetti eggs. Not only did they supply the event for very little money, they had fun doing it. Stor-age often is an issue for PTAs, too, so “dispos-able” or “borrowed” are well-used adjectives for them.

“You’ll always be told something can’t be done,” says Sharon Reynolds, a 15-year veteran of volunteering in her sons’ schools, “but you have to think outside the box.” If it’s a good idea, “you have to come back with ‘How can we make this happen?’”

GARNERING GRASSROOTS SUPPORTAlthough many non-profits are great at this, PTAs are, by definition, grassroots. They “work

where they play” and generate support where they live.

Diana Dworin, a former president of the Davis Elementary PTA, started a fundraiser for a science lab at the school, and collected a significant amount just by the “sheer force of her charm.” She hooked the fundraiser onto other events through-out the year by setting up a booth each time to communicate the value of the project.

Barton Hills Elemen-tary School has done an amazing job of getting local support for their carnival: They recruit alumni to serve as booth volunteers, raise monetary and auction donations from families, and receive donations for their Food Court from over 20 area stores and restaurants like Pei Wei, Olive Gar-den, and HEB.

Having students par-ticipate in the fundrais-ing process is another great way to get sup-port. How many parents can turn down their child’s pleas to “buy the plate I decorated” at the auction?

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Soliciting Major GiftsIf it takes at least three asks to get one donation, no matter what size, it follows that you need to focus on soliciting large donations to be more effective. Nonprofits know this; unfortunately, PTAs have a long history of asking for $5 here and $20 there.

With budgets for schools being cut every year, support from PTAs is more important than ever. When Reynolds was involved with McNeil High School’s band booster club, she said they needed to raise enough money annually — around $55K-$60K — to pay for letter jackets, a band trip, sheet music and even salaries. As she remarked, “They’re not just funding ‘fluff’ anymore.”

StewardshipNonprofits usually have a system in place for gift receipts, mainly because they have to for tax purposes. Because buying tickets to a school carnival or bidding on items at an auction aren’t really tax-deductible, many PTAs don’t even bother to keep track of the majority of their supporters. They may send receipts to the busi-

nesses who provide items or services, but that’s generally where it ends.

Stewardship is more than just a receipt for a gift, though; it’s making the donors feel good about their gifts so they will want to continue to support the cause. Nonprofits do a good job of creating ads to thank event sponsors, and they sometimes hold “Thank You” dinners for major donors. While these are expense items, without an immediate payoff, they know it is a necessary component in the solicitation cycle.

MarketingAsk a PTA leader what they’ve done for marketing, and most will point to the fliers they send home and the marquee in front of the school. Very few tap into tra-ditional media outlets or try to get publicity outside their schools. But they should. When they’re competing for sponsors and donations from area businesses, aware-ness of their good works is key to the success of PTAs. Nonprofits may not be great at marketing, but they know they need to tell their story.

Some Lessons from the Pros Most PTAs could learn a thing or two from nonprofit profes-sionals. Here are some areas with room for improvement.


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The sheer numbers of Coats for Kids would scare almost anyone.

Every year, 30,000 coats are donated to the annual coat drive, and every year those coats are sorted and distributed by about 2,500 volunteers, 300 of them kids.

More than 17,000 peo-ple walk through Palmer Events Center in 7 hours to pick out coats for their children. About 1,500 of them stop by the community fair offering services and information from 20 nonprofits.

Yes, there are many balls in the air. But Dawn Breyfogle, volun-teer chair of this year’s event, is in her element.

“Giving back to the community has always been important to me,” says Breyfogle. “I was even a candy striper in the seventh grade!”

Don’t worry about Breyfogle – the 2012 Coats for Kids isn’t her first rodeo. In fact, Breyfogle has been on the CFK committee for five years. But she says her new role as chair certainly is a more chal-lenging ride. After all, CFK is the largest single-

day giving event for children in Central Texas and the second largest coat distribution project in the United States. To date, Coats for Kids has distributed over 650,000 coats to needy children.

“My job is to make sure that I assist with all the different roles, but the sorting week managing thousand of volunteers is really the toughest job,” says Breyfogle.

Volunteers come from all walks of life, but the youth volunteers are the most special says Brey-fogle. Last year a group of homeless teens volun-teered from Pflugerville. The teens participate in a program that requires them to do community services. “They had no idea they got to pick out a coat, too. They were so excited,” remember Brey-fogle. “It all makes you so excited and proud to be part of the program.”

As the date approaches, Breyfogle actually gets less nervous. “I’m not as stressed. Everyone is do-ing their part, volunteers are signing up, schools are getting the informa-tion. Everything is falling into place!”

Learn more at JLAustin.org/Coats

BY MONICA M. WILLIAMS

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DAWN BREYFOGLE COATS FOR KIDS 2012 CHAIRThousands of coats, thousands of volunteers ... but this supermom is up for the job.

To donateCoat collection runs from Nov. 12 - Dec. 5 Donors deliver

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To get a coatDistribution Day is Dec. 8, 8am – 3pm.

Nov/Dec 2012 47

"We’re excited to launch our 10th Back on My Feet location in Austin in January 2013. Kimbia makes personalized fundraising simple, so we can achieve our mission in any city." Anne Mahlum Founder and CEO Back On My Feet

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GivingCity Austin Nov/Dec 2012