Nickers n Neighs

Nickers n NeighsChelsea SmouseNon-Profit ProjectMGMT 321November 6, 2012

Hello, My name is Chelsea Smouse. I chose to get involved with Nickers n Neighs Therapeutic Riding Center for my MGMT 321 non-profit project. 1

Nickers n NeighsMission Statement: Nickers 'N Neighs Therapeutic Riding Center is a non-profit entity that uses equine activities to promote the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well being of people with disabilities.

Nickers n Neighs is a fantastic place. Nickers 'N Neighs Therapeutic Riding Center is a non-profit entity that uses equine activities to promote the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well being of people with disabilities.

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Nickers n NeighsFounded in 2006 by the Stoneybrook Foundation54 acre farmCurrently has 8 horses, capacity for 26

Nickers n Neighs was founding in 2006 by the Stoneybrook Foundation. The facility is housed on a 54 acre farm. Currently 8 horses call the riding center home. The riding center has a capacity for up to 26 horses. Some equine residents are purchased by the riding center others are donated. It takes very special horses to work with such amazing riders.3

Nickers n NeighsStudentsCerebral Palsy Autism Delayed DevelopmentPhysical limitations

Nickers n Neighs services all kinds of students will various disabilities. A majority of the students have Autism. Other students have Cerebral Palsy, delayed development or other various physical and mental limitations. Nickers n Neighs is set up to accommodate every student. The facility is even complete with a wheel chair ramp that allows wheel chair bound students to get aboard the horses. 4

Nickers n NeighsEach students gets an individual lesson plan that revolves around their needs, abilities and goalsShort term and long term goals

Lin Poldinsky is the riding centers program director. She, the other riding instructor Kim, and each students therapists and parents set up individualized lesson plans for each student. Each lesson plan involves goals as small as petting the horse to as large as trotting. Each goal set and surpassed is a huge victory for both the students and the facility. 5

Nickers n NeighsNeedsMore structured fundraising effortsConsidering adding staff member to focus on fundraising and marketing Community awareness

Nickers n Neighs hosts three annual fundraisers each year. They include a horse show, a golf outing and a trap shoot. The riding center is in need of a person dedicated to fundraising efforts and community awareness. Many people in the local horse community do not know much about the riding center and all of the good that they do. The riding center is considering adding a staff member that would solely be in charge of fundraising efforts and increasing community awareness.6

Nickers n NeighsMy ProjectTack swapMy GoalRaise moneyRaise awareness

In order to help Nickers n Neighs I decided on a small scale fund raiser. I was in charge of planning, hosting and running a tack swap at the riding center. We hoped to raise money and increase community awareness of the center at the same time.7

Nickers n NeighsProject OutlineTack swap held November 412pm 5pmLocation: Nickers n Neighs Arena

The tack swap was held November 4 from noon 5pm. We held the swap in the indoor arena at Nickers n Neighs so that the horse community would get a chance to see the facility and learn about all that they do.8

Nickers n NeighsProject Goals20 Vendor tablesChinese Auction ItemsProject Outcomes30 Vendors12 Chinese Auction ItemsOver 100 embroidered clothing items were donated which we sold for 100% profit and donated to the riding center

When I began this project I set goals. My goal was to have 20 vendors and a sizable Chinese Auction. On the day of the swap I had 30 vendors arrive and had a full table of 12 wonderful Chinese Auction items! Also, a woman by the name of Cindy Rowe donated over 100 brand new pieces of embroidered clothing for us to sell. We set up a table next to the Chinese Auction and sold sweatshirts for $10 and T-shirts for $5. We were able to get 100% of that profit to Nickers n Neighs and donated the left over clothing to the facility. 9

Nickers n Neighs Projected fundraising amount: $350-400Actual fundraising amount:$781

My projected goal for the tack swap fundraiser was between $350-400. We surpassed the goal by huge amounts! Our total for the day was $781. The parents group also ran a small food stand and generated over $300! It was a fantastic day; we not only raised a lot of money but were able to show the community what a great place Nickers n Neighs is!10

In ConclusionWe increased community awarenessWe introduced people to the facility and the staffWe raised a great amount of moneyWe accomplished networking for the riding center

In conclusion, I successfully met the standards that I had set for myself. We brought in over 150 people from the local community to the facility. They not only shopped at the tack swap and enjoyed the day, but also learned about Nickers n Neighs and saw what an amazing facility and program that they have. The staff was able to mingle with the public, answer questions and inform the local horse community about the riding center. We raised a great amount of money for a small scale fundraiser and increased the network of the riding center. It was a great day and I only hope to stay involved with such a fantastic organization. 11