The Black Doll Affair: "We're Pretty....Philanthropic"

Christmas is approaching and many young girls will receive dolls as gifts this holiday season. For African American girls, its important that the dolls they receive look like them.

The Oprah Show even dedicated an episode about this very topic a year ago. She featured then 18-year old Kiri Davis, a young filmmaker who replicated the famous 'doll test' from the 1940s by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, which concluded black children preferred white dolls over black dolls when asked which doll was good, which was bad, and which looked most like them. Fifty years later, Kiri found the same results.

Kiri shared to Oprah, "I think those attitudes that existed 50 years ago are still here." She concluded that overturning these ideals of beauty is everyone's responsibility.

Dana Hill, a PR, marketing and event consultant based in Atlanta, was watching that episode and it hit her like a ton of bricks. Two months later, Dana decided to host a Christmas party to give beautiful black dolls to beautiful black girls by beautiful black women. She used her public relations background to get the Atlanta community to donate black dolls, also enlisting the support of the local newspaper, radio stations and models from a modeling agency to hand out the dolls.

The event was a success, and it was the first time many of the girls ever received a black doll. Although Dana had planned this as a one time event, many asked, what about next year? The Black Doll Affair was born.

The Black Doll Affair is a philanthropic, social network of black women who donate black dolls to black girls at Christmas. The philanthropic women of the Black Doll Affair are referred to as The Black Dolls, volunteers of all ages and sizes. Some are fashion models while others are community role models, hence their slogan, We're pretty...philanthropic. By donating these beautiful black dolls, they hope to increase the self-esteem of black girls and remind them of their beauty.

I first learned about Dana and The Black Doll Affair after reading an article about them in the Sun Sentinel newspaper recently. I became so intrigued that I contacted Dana to learn more and to share how you can get involved!

How to Join: There are currently two chapters: Atlanta and Florida, with a forthcoming chapter in Los Angeles. By donating $10 (just $10!) you'll become a member, with your donation used to purchase a doll. You'll then receive a Black Doll wristband. That's it! If there isn't a chapter in your city or state, they still welcome you to join. Members come from all over, including New York, Connecticut, and even overseas. The Black Dolls use the social networking site Meetup.com to interact with each other, post year round event information, photos and more.

Membership is open to everyone! For men, there's The Black Doll Brothers and The Porcelain Pals in Florida for Latino women and other races.

Not only do the young girls benefit, but the women do as well. Black Doll member Brandi shares, "The Black Doll Affair is a great organization with a significant mission. It's so important that young girls know how beautiful they are inside and out to transition into strong women that take over the world. And not only does the Black Doll Affair do just that, it brings together black women who otherwise may have never connected and shows unity."

Be A Doll, Give A Doll!

To join, visit the website at http://www.blackdollaffair.com/.

Is It Dangerous to Cut Back on Fund-Raising Costs?

Our tendency is to cut back where as the right direction might be to start a new initiative in order to energize our donors!
December 18, 2008

Many fund raisers are facing pressure to cut costs as donations drop. But Jeff Malloch, a direct-mail consultant, warns that cost-cutting mania can lead to really bad decisions.
Writing in a letter posted on The Agitator blog, he tells nonprofit officials to remember that reducing expenses only makes sense if it contributes over the longer term to higher (or more stable) revenues.

Mr. Malloch takes on several fund-raising ideas in a recent Chronicle article, saying they focus too much on cutbacks and not enough on innovation. For example, he says that the Mint Museum of Art’s decision to combine three solicitations into one year-end mailing, which saved $5,000.
Writes Mr. Malloch: “This is a dangerous move without any testing to back it up. She may have saved $5,000, but she needs to consider how much revenue she potentially loses by combining three entirely different messages and appeals into one, likely now a disjointed and confusing mailing?”
He also takes issue with Catholic Charities USA’s decision to replace its traditional year-end letter to donors with a postcard bearing photographs of people in need.
The postcard idea may have been cheaper to produce, says Mr. Malloch, but it ignores research that longer letters do work and, by not including a return envelope, doesn’t provide donors with an easy way to give.

In another post on The Agitator blog, Roger Craver writes about a friend’s “contrarian approach” to fund raising during the recession.
The friend, Jerry Huntsinger, a freelance writer, tells fund raisers not to “go silent” with donors simply to save some money. He also urges charities to be aggressive in their fund raising during the recession, so they don’t miss the recovery; to mention the word recession frequently, so donors are aware of the difficulties they’re facing; and to “reduce your staff instead of reducing your mailings.”
Perhaps his boldest advice is to “launch a new program,” which he says will energize donors.

Americans still giving, despite economic meltdown

SEATTLE – As more Americans turn to charity amid worsening economic gloom, operators of food banks and other aid groups are relying on the surprisingly resilient generosity of their neighbors and finding that even when times are tough, people still give.

In Seattle, Boeing Co. employees tripled their cash donations this year to Northwest Harvest, operator of Washington's largest food bank. And every week, Northwest Harvest spokeswoman Claire Acey says, companies call to say their employees have decided to skip their holiday party and buy food for the hungry instead.

"We see things like that and they are little beacons of hope," Acey said.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University says that historically, charitable giving has been recession-proof.

Contributions to American charities have increased during 39 of the past 40 years in today's dollars, and a change in the tax laws — not the stock market crash — can be blamed for the drop in 1987, said Melissa Brown, associate director of research for the center. Between 69 and 72 percent of people give routinely, she said.

Other research by the center has shown a connection between a drop in the Standard & Poors 500 stock index and a decrease in charitable giving, but the impact is less than 1 percent for every 100 points the index drops. Inflation and other economic factors can reverse the impact.

Brown said the stock market has a relatively small impact on charitable giving nationally. In 2002, when the stock market was down, 70 percent of the population still gave an average of $2,000, she said.

"It totaled billions of dollars and companies were going bankrupt and people were losing work," Brown said.

Charities in New York, whose fates are tied more directly to the stock market, have been hit harder by a decrease in donations this year, but the national picture is more positive.

A survey released this week by Federal Way, Wash.-based World Vision indicates that 2008 could actually be a better-than-usual Christmas for the nation's charitable organizations.

The telephone survey, conducted in late October by Harris Interactive, found that seven in 10 adults plan to spend less money on holiday presents this year, but about half say they are more likely to give a charitable gift than a traditional present such as clothing or an electronic toy.

World Vision hopes to take advantage of the giving nature of Americans with a holiday gift catalog where presents such as chickens and goats go to disadvantaged families in Africa and other parts of the world.

"At a time when people have things and they know that other people don't, Americans' generosity wins out," said Justin Greeves, senior vice president of Harris Interactive, which regularly polls Americans about their charitable giving.

The American Heart Association says donations are up this year, despite the economic downturn, and the Dallas-based charity is cautiously optimistic about holiday giving, said Suzie Upton, vice president for development.

The American Red Cross is in the middle of a major fundraising campaign to make up for a lack of giving earlier this year — the organization's disaster relief fund was broke before hurricane season.

But Red Cross spokesman Jonathan Aiken doesn't blame the economic downturn for the charity's empty pocketbook. He blames the election.

Aiken says America's focus on the presidential election took its eyes away from disaster relief for such things as hurricane relief in Texas and Louisiana.

The Washington, D.C.-based charity's national campaign to raise $100 million passed the $60-million mark after two months.

"We're pretty pleased with that," said Aiken, who could not compare the results with previous national campaigns because the organization does not regularly have them. Most of its income comes from spontaneous giving during national and international disasters.

United Way of King County, Wash., which is one of the most successful United Ways in the nation, expects to reach this year's fundraising goal of $110 million.

Volunteers say people seem insecure about the future, but they are also concerned about others and want to help, spokesman Jared Erlandson said.

Erlandson credits the presidential campaign for helping to set a tone for this year's campaign. "People are fired up and they want to help right now," he said.

Greeves, of Harris Interactive, said that in a year when people are having trouble meeting basic needs, giving by individuals usually increases food, shelter and health care.

"If it makes them feel good and they feel like it's making a difference, they'll give money," he said.
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On the Net:
Northwest Harvest: http://www.northwestharvest.org
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org
American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org
American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org
United Way of King County: http://www.uwkc.org
The Center on Philanthropy: http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu

EARLY DOUCET 908 FOUNDATION

LOUISIANA: NFLer Early Doucet of the Arizona Cardinals has launched the Early Doucet 980 Foundation in an effort to help underprivileged youth. Doucet was once labeled an at risk youth and overcame this by receiving help from his community.

The Foundation in partnership with All Sports Entertainment, will kick off this effort with a private luncheon for youth involved with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program in Doucet's home state of Louisiana, December 9, 2008 at the University Club, 15333 Memorial Tower Drive in Baton Rouge, LA. The event will provide youth with early Christmas gifts and will feature former Dallas Cowboys All Pro Leon Lett and LSU football players as speakers.