yop2com Article Directory

I’m a board member of a local nonprofit and we are about to launch our annual campaign. Like other nonprofits in our community, we are facing a very competitive funding environment. There are more agencies seeking more money from more sophisticated donors.

It’s enough to make you run for cover.

The reality is that fundraising is not easy, but it isn’t impossible. There are some mistakes to avoid if you want to be more successful.

1. Overestimating what your donors know about youA recent ad in “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” made this point very well. There is a picture of a couple with their checkbook. The text on the picture reads: “They don’t know why to choose your organization over another, how you handle your finances, if your letter is truthful.” The text ends with the question, “And you want them to donate money?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t worry I’m not going off into religious rantings. ?

Having recovered from my trials and tribulations of January I headed into February with a revived passionate verve. I was finally over the lingering cold and ready for action. I broke into the workout regime, gently not expecting too much of myself after an almost 3 week hiatus. The passion was glowing, a light ember within. As the week wore on and I continued to beat my expectations. I tried a little harder and while I was at it added a new cardio regime called High Intensity Interval Training. It is exactly what it sounds like and it can be accomplished in 20 minutes. (I explain it in further detail in the next article)

Now one client in particular to whom I will give the name Jackie has been working with me since late summer and while making excellent fitness gains has not lost the weight she has set out to. In fact she has gained a pound or two. So while working out this new cardio regime I invited Jackie to join me With the cold weather still lingering, we tended to use her gym more often than not, which is why no one else has been invited.

Read the rest of this entry »

We introduced muffins to you last week and many of you bought our new Apple Oat Muffin Mix. Now we’re going to tell you how to "fancy up" your muffins. We’ll show you how to add a touch of orange to your muffins, put a fancy graham crumb topping on them, or top them with cream cheese. You can do this with your Apple Oat Muffins or a recipe of your choice.

First, for the orange muffins . . .

Pick a recipe that uses baking soda (or baking soda and baking powder) as a leavener. Baking soda is alkaline and needs an acid to complete the chemical reaction that causes the bubbles. Buttermilk is the acid most often used. Since orange juice is an acid, you can use that in place of buttermilk. Add a streusel topping and include one tablespoon of orange zest.

Here is a streusel topping mix that works well:

Orange Nut Streusel Topping

Read the rest of this entry »

If you have bad credit history and are looking to get a home mortgage loan, then chances are you are going to need to know all about how the FICO credit scoring system works.

FICO - Fair ISAAC & Company - is the leading credit reporting agency that lenders turn to when it comes time to credit scoring your home loan mortgage application; so if you do have bad credit history, these guys will know.

The formula used by FICO cannot be disclosed because of a decision made by U.S. Congress. There are some things generally known about FICO which that could help you understand why and how you can get approved:

1. The higher your FICO score, the better chance you have of getting that home mortgage loan. Also, the higher your score, the more room you have to negotiate a lower interest rate.

2. If you have a FICO score lower than 500, there is very little chance you’ll be getting a mortgage home loan.

Read the rest of this entry »

No deposit bonuses are very popular, especially among “not-so-wealthy” online casino players who want to play but are not so eager to give out money.

Although giving away free money doesn’t seem to be a very wise thing to do (average no deposit bonus is around $10), thousands of online casinos are doing it and most of them are very happy about it too. Because many players come back for more after they’ve gambled down their bonus money. “Coming back for more” means depositing money to their casino account.

Usually players get their free money in few hours after they’ve registered their credit card. Some online casinos want a new player to send them an extra e-mail, which means you’ll get your bonus after a day or so. Not so good option for a player, because some players are not patient enough to wait so they deposit money before they receive bonus money. Has happened to me several times, when I’ve had a sudden urge to play online poker.

Read the rest of this entry »