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Unit 12: 
Initiatives for Communities, Campaigns, and NGO's
 

Unit 1:  Who are lobbyists & what motivates them?
Unit 2:  Turkey's image abroad
.
Unit 3:  History of Turkish communities worldwide & reasons for a weak Turkish lobby.

Unit 4:  National & ethnic interests: Anti-Turkey lobbies, misrepresentation of facts & defamation
.
Unit 5:  The Turkish lobby dilemma in the United States as a case study.
Unit 6:  Problems encountered by Turkish lobbies in the EU, Germany, France & worldwide.
Unit 7:  Current Turkish lobby issues & the role of public diplomacy.
Unit 8   What can be learned from powerful lobbies such as the Jewish/Pro-Israel lobby?
Unit 9   New approaches to educating & informing Turkish lobbying groups.
Unit 10  Media relations, advertising & professional communications skills.
Unit 11  Initiatives for individuals & public speaking.
Unit 12  Initiatives for communities, campaigns, & NGO'S.
Unit 13: Fund-raising, public relations, & what can be done domestically.
Unit 14: Turkish lobbies undergo a period of transition: The need to strengthen old & new leadership.
Unit 15: Long-term strategies & lobbying in the post-September 11 era.

I. OUTLINE FOR UNIT 12 Initiatives for communities, campaigns, and NGO's.

    1. Getting organized.

        a. Uniting people with a similar mindset, similar values, and similar aspirations.
        b. Resources: financial strength, membership size, political skills, organizational cohesiveness, and prestige.
        c. Vision, goals, and a plan of action.

    2. Networks and connections.

        a.  Improving your chances to gain access to lawmakers.

II. EXERCISE, ACTIVITIES & PROJECTS

Volunteer for a community service.
Join a new organization.

III. QUESTIONS

What motivates you to be part of a group?
How would you determine if a group is credible, trustworthy, and hard working?
How would you define leaders, active members, and passive members of an organization?
What would convince you to support an organization?
What gives an organization prestige?
What percentage of people do you think are involved in volunteer and community work in Turkey?

IV. BACKGROUND MATERIAL

Think about what kind of new lobbying leadership is needed in the post-September 11 world. This new leadership must be able to understand the complexity of problems, convey the current concerns of Turkey, work to correct inaccurate images of Turkey, and present the realities of the modern-day Turkish Republic. Due to the war on terror, the portrayal of the Muslim world is also of concern to the Turkish lobby, which must strive to present a realistic view of Turkey as a secular nation of modern Muslims.

As a community of lobbyists, you must be able to connect people with a similar mindset, similar values, and similar aspirations. You must also forge a collective identity and be able to be a consensus-builder. You will need to establish a sense of trust, present a vision and agenda that is achievable, and that people believe will improve the current situation. If people agree with it, they will support it. They can also convince others to support it. Members of this community should also feel some type of satisfaction for their support, and for sharing in this collective identity.

After determining the skills needed to engage in leadership activities, defining goals, and identifying key audiences, you will need to motivate, inspire and organize the people around you, and not lose sight of your guiding vision. Your leaders will also need to be effective communicators and problem solvers. Your leaders will need energy to mobilize groups, the ability to allocate and delegate responsibilities, and the resources of those who share your concerns. Resources include financial strength, membership size, political skills, organizational cohesiveness, and prestige.

Use your growing network of friendships and connections. Begin to have meeting in the homes of people that are well-known in the community. Or ask a well-known and respected individual to help host an event (and at your meeting find out who can host future events). Create a committee in charge exclusively for planning these events. Get the Turkish business community involved by asking them to contribute space, food, decorations, or other appropriate items perhaps with their logos and details of their products or services. Make sure you plan similar events for the following months (perhaps around a raffle, sports event, or special holiday). Creativity is a key to success. Once you have established a core of dedicated people from your local network, you can get more volunteers and support, and later tap into global networks (don't forget about old friends from childhood, work, and alumnae organizations). Try to attract passive members as well as active members, since passive members can also be concerned and contribute to your efforts in a variety of ways. Any active member, must however be prepared to work hard and be more deeply committed.

Gather a group of friends to be your core lobby. Include a lawyer, advertising or public relations specialist, a person with a good knowledge of history, a person with a knowledge of the legislative and political process, a person with good linguistic skills, a person with good research capability, a person who is familiar with evolving technologies, and someone who is a good speaker and capable of absorbing information quickly. This is how you can gain the tools and background if you have not been involved in politics or lobbying before. If you are unable to gather such a group, start with just two or three people. Once you are successful, others will want to join you.

As a group in order to be successful, you will have to have good personal relationships, be able to reason together, draw up a short and long-term plan, develop good communications skills, and be like-minded. Be persistent, disciplined, and plan strategically. You must maintain the interest and involvement of your members. One of your immediate aims is to train yourselves, and train as a group, to cooperate and learn the importance of communication skills and how to be convincing.

Remember, there is no reason to elect yourself as leader once you have set things in motion. There may be others aspiring to lead, who have a sense of responsibility and sense of duty towards the group. So try to determine which individuals receive respect, and demonstrate leadership qualities that are rooted in a sense of service (try to avoid those who might be opportunistic and use power for private purposes rather than the common good). The visible commitment shown by one or a few people, should justify and legitimize the power given to them. Whether you wish to lead, or only to provide guidance, it is best to set rules from the beginning, and avoid any tensions that may result from inequalities of power in the group. There should also be an understanding of how it will be determined in the future if a leader is not adequately fulfilling his or her responsibilities and duties, and keeping the people he or she represents satisfied. If any group should fail in their first endeavors, they should keep in mind that failure is a way of learning. Keep focused on your goals. Once you have a strategic plan you will be able to plan activities. You may want to seek private sector involvement.

Now try to include in your group someone who has had experience in local politics. Perhaps with their help you can find people to help in image building for your group. This will improve your chances to gain access to lawmakers and be involved in political activities. Such people understand the political process better than those who have not worked in politics or policymaking.  With their advice select speakers you can invite from various fields, such as public relations, advertising, media relations, and fund-raising. Invite members of non-governmental organizations and other lobbying groups. With these credible advisors, plan for action (action can include direct or indirect lobbying, grassroots, letter writing campaigns, fund-raising for a candidate, etc).

Try to make a list of names of people who want to help you raise funds and influence policies or public opinion. Try to attract individuals who are already part of local organizations and are involved in their community. The ability to mobilize support may take some time. With money a group can purchase the necessary skills needed for successful lobbying. Since resources are limited in many Turkish communities abroad, different approaches and methods should be considered. Online fund-raising web sites can reach for support beyond your geographic area. Web sites can give visitors the option of either submitting a payment with a credit card through a secure transaction online, sending money to suggested organizations, or printing out a form and mailing it with a donation to the organization they choose.

If your group is respected in your community, it will be involved in face-to-face direct contact with officials, it will be able to contact media representatives, and affect public opinion.
Because your group will be involved with different types of relationships (perhaps business to business, people-to-people, or government to government) it is good that you select a spokesman for your group. Also have a media spokesman who can be ready for interpreting the impact of current events.

Read about civil society developments and NGO's that are successful. Find new approaches to expand your audience and ways to communicate with them, such as with informational CD's. People are always impressed with what is professional. There are plenty of opportunities for us to use our human potential. Now is the time to discover them and use them. Visit organizations in your area which also try to target various audiences, and invite members of these organizations to speak to your group. Members of travel associations, volunteer church groups, local government officials, or educational organizations might all be useful.

NGO's are private bodies, usually of a charitable nature and legal status, operating on a "not for profit" basis to provide  wide-ranging benefits for individuals or societies. They are sometimes seen as pressure groups, and indeed part of their activity involves bringing public pressure on governments and international organizations to adopt their preferred policy. NGO's may operate on a national level, or some such as Oxfam, are large international organizations with large budgets, almost entirely donated by the public. They usually have complex bureaucracies and invaluable public support and trust. Some are partially involved with government. NGO's are often trusted more than governments and invariably more than any commercial organization because of public faith in altruism as their only motivation. The rise to prominence of NGO's is in part due to the failure of governments to mobilize resources, but it goes also to the widespread distrust of the state in civil society, and to the inherently suspect nature of individual states acting at the international level.

"Non-Governmental Organization" or "NGO" is a term used by the United Nations for the purpose of recognizing and giving access to a range of bodies other than the nation-states which comprise its official membership. The title "NGO" confers some legitimacy, and makes it easier for an NGO to operate in several different countries where there might be considerable resentment at the intrusion of an agency formally tied to another state. For example, it is easier for a country to allow a team of a human rights group such as Amnesty International to inspect conditions in its prisons than to allow another state, or even the UN itself. "Because the NGO is, precisely, non-governmental, no precedent is set which allows future incursions on national sovereignty. There is a problem arising from the public's faith in the motives of NGO's, namely that they also seem to take on an authority that may not be appropriate. If an environmental lobby organization denounces government policy on pollution control, it is very hard for the government in question to establish its own credentials, because whatever it says it is always seen as suspect when compared with the apparently impartial and 'innocent' views of the NGO. Furthermore, NGO's inevitably concentrate on a single issue, with no responsibility for the impact that their undoubtedly good work in one policy area may have to resources, or even policy plans,  in another area."
(excerpts from the "Dictionary of Politics" by David Robertson, Taylor & Francis Group, London, 2004)

Lobbying is about information and communications. Leadership is about imagining new possibilities. It is about convincing people that things are possible. That they are necessary. It is about having the ability to seize the moment. It is about seizing the opportunity. It is also a belief that you can change things. Yes, things can be different. The answer is taking action. It is about being part of something bigger than yourself. Now go ahead and have an historic impact.
 


Overview by Country: Turkey
EFC: Promoting the work of foundations & corporate funders in Europe & the world
From www.efc.be/projects/philanthropy/turkey.htm

Turkey is home to approximately 90,000 associations and 5,000 foundations. The concept and term of "foundations" dates back hundreds of years to the Ottoman Empire when there was a significant proliferation of such institutions (for more information about this topic please refer to “A History of Philanthropic Foundations: The Islamic Work from the Seventh Century to the Present” by Murat Cizakca, Bogazici University Press).

The functions of foundations in Turkey undertake more of an "operational" role rather than a "grantmaking" role and thus this type of activity is currently limited in terms of practice as well as legal and fiscal frameworks. The major differentiating characteristic between these two organisation structures (which operate under their own respective legal and fiscal codes in Turkish law), are that associations have members and foundations have endowments (the minimum requirement today is 400,000 Euros).

Taking into consideration the various legal and fiscal differences between these organisations, when it comes to service delivery, associations and foundations formed for public benefit activity such as education, health, culture, etc. operate as non-governmental organisations (NGOs). They operate their own programmes and receive funding support for operations from their members (if an association), from their endowment investments (if a foundation) and/or from external donor organisations. Community philanthropy organisations (CPOs) tend to assume a structure of associations, and are a sub-set within the category of operating NGOs.

These organisations exist in several towns and cities all over the country - both rural and urban. From Gaziantep (Southeastern Turkey) to Istanbul (which has not just one but several CPOs at the township levels) tend to serve one or more of the following purposes:

·                      Environmental and historical preservation

·                      Promotion of tourism and economic development

·                      Providing scholarships to students

·                      Providing support to natives of the community who migrate to larger cities

The earthquakes of 1999 acted as a catalyst for formation and revitalisation of CPOs specifically in Istanbul and surrounding regions. A recent USAID project focused on networking a number of community organisations and preparing them for disaster relief and other related purposes. This project was limited to approximately 15 organisations and only for the purpose of disaster preparedness.

In tandem with the increasing role and activity of the nonprofit sector in Turkey overall, CPOs in different regions of the country are experiencing similar capacity and operational development. Nowadays, Turkish CPOs are slowly starting to engage their communities in the so called “social development work”, which relates to providing education, support  for the poorest, to families, women and children, etc.

In assuming these new service delivery areas, CPOs in Turkey share common challenges similar to all NGOs in Turkey and elsewhere:

·                     Lack of human, financial and technical resources;

·                      Lack of organisational skills;

·                     Legal and fiscal restrictions;

·                      Lack of public awareness, as far as the overall value of these organisations and their mission are concerned (which leads to lack of civic engagement).

The specific challenges faced by CPOs are rooted in the overall lack of research and analysis on how these organisations form their support mechanisms and their resource mobilisation strategies. In addition, since they tend to be small and relatively informally functioning, they have less access to resources and networks to help them develop and foster. In a country with 70 million in population and a vast diversity in regional needs and issues, CPOs have a value proposition unlike NGOs that operate at the national level and therefore require more focus and attention from the sectoral support and donor communities alike.

Useful links:        Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV)


Eurobriefing convenes EU Commission and foundations on migrant integration

Friday, 28 April 2006

Some 40 representatives of the foundation sector, the European Commission and other experts in the field of migration came together during an EFC Eurobriefing on Migrant Integration to examine the potential role of foundations in developing a set of constructive policies and practices within Member States and at EU level, as well as to identify and address gaps where appropriate.

The Eurobriefing took place on March 20th 2006 in Brussels and was chaired by Chaired by Sukhvinder Stubbs of the Barrow Cadbury Trust.

The discussions were a follow-up to the December 2005 European Council decision regarding “Common Basic Principles on Integration”, and the European Commission Communication “A Common Agenda for Integration”, which was released in September 2005.

Participants reviewed selected foundations’ projects related to the social and economic inclusion of migrants, policy-making and NGO capacity building, as well as “managing” diversity and the tensions that may arise in local communities. Participants noted that migrant integration is a two-way process. They stressed the need for a holistic approach in addressing integration, as well as coordinated responses to multiple disadvantages and the needs of groups at particular risk.

EU representatives emphasised that foundations can bring added value, particularly by identifying gaps in national or local provisions and in promoting innovation and good practice, thus helping to steer the European agenda. In addition they can act as bridges, improving understanding and information exchange between NGOs and local and national governments.

The event revealed the need for greater pooling of data and knowledge on foundation practices, the need for increased exchange among foundations, and between foundations and public authorities including the EU. The importance of the new EFC Diversity, Migration and Integration Interest Group was underlined as a platform to identify occurring themes and neglected aspects relating to migrant integration in developing future projects. The EFC and its members will also need to look at how to boost research in the field.


DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUNDERS IN THE USA:

Different types of funders make different kinds of grants. It is important to search all types of funders when searching for funding for your program or project.

Private Foundations
A non-governmental, nonprofit organization with an endowment (usually donated from a single source, such as an individual, family or corporation) and program managed by its own trustees or directors. Private foundations are established to maintain or aid social, educational, religious or other charitable activities serving the common welfare, primarily through the making of grants.

Corporate Grantmakers
This includes company-sponsored foundations and corporate giving programs. A company-sponsored foundation (also referred to as a corporate foundation) is a private foundation whose assets are derived primarily from the contributions of a for-profit business. While a company-sponsored foundation may maintain close ties with its parent company, it is an independent organization with its own endowment and as such is subject to the same rules and regulations as other private foundations. Corporate giving programs are grantmaking programs established and administered within a for-profit business organization. Some companies make charitable contributions through both a corporate giving program and a company-sponsored foundation.

Grantmaking Public Charities
A public foundation is a non-governmental public charity that operates grants programs benefiting unrelated organizations or individuals as one of its primary purposes. There is no legal or IRS definition of a public foundation, but such a designation is needed to encompass the growing number of grantmaking institutions that are "not a private foundation."

Community Foundations
Community foundations are 501(c)(3) organizations that make grants for charitable purposes in a specific community or region. The funds available to a community foundation are usually derived from many donors and held in an endowment that is independently administered; income earned by the endowment is then used to make grants. Although a community foundation may be classified by the IRS as a private foundation, most are classified as public charities and are thus eligible for maximum tax-deductible contributions from the general public.

Government Grants Programs
There are numerous funding opportunities from county, state and federal grants programs. Grantseekers are encouraged to call the government sources directly to obtain information and requests for proposals. (Updated 2006)


100,000 Americans Asked to Raise Their Hands for Civic Leadership
Wednesday April 26, 2006

Hands On Network Joins With Corporate America to Launch National Recruitment Campaign Cultivating Leaders From Nation's Workforce to Lead 6.4 Million Volunteers

ATLANTA, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- "Raise your hand, America," says the Hands On Network Corporate Service Council, an alliance of 47 Fortune 500 companies and civic organizations committed to mobilizing the corporate workforce to be a community change force throughout North America. The program, announced today as part of National Volunteer Week activities, envisions 100,000 volunteers stepping forward in the largest-ever campaign to recruit and train individuals to manage thousands of service projects over the next two years. The Corporate Service Council is chaired by Bob Nardelli, chairman, president & CEO of The Home Depot, in partnership with Michelle Nunn, co-founder and CEO of national nonprofit Hands On Network.

These 100,000 Hands On volunteer leaders will come from corporate America, colleges and universities, and the general public. Prospective volunteer leaders can raise the hand count via application at http://www.handsonleaders.org . Each leader will gain project planning and project management skills taught through online and face-to-face training; many will assist with long-term disaster recovery, as well as be deployed during national emergencies or disasters and work in their local communities on managing projects ranging from school refurbishments to tutoring programs and park cleanups.

"Our goal is to create a sustainable model that will yield volunteer-driven projects and community impact," says Michelle Nunn, CEO and co-founder of Hands On Network. "With an unprecedented partnership between corporate America and service sectors, we're empowered to change the face of volunteerism in America -- starting with an army of inspired leaders. Imagine what this group can accomplish as more and more individuals are inspired to serve as a result of recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and its impact in the Gulf region."

National and regional training and certification programs will be accomplished through online and in-person training modules to be implemented by Hands On Network, a growing network of 56 national and international nonprofit organizations that act as "civic action centers." Potential leaders will be recruited through corporate outreach as well as consumer marketing channels, such as a national broadcast public service announcement produced by Discovery, in-flight video programming via Delta Air Lines, retail bag stuffers at The Home Depot, and in-store announcements at Albertsons.

By 2007, the Hands On Network Corporate Service Council pledges to achieve a 10 percent increase in volunteerism across the nation, mobilizing 6.4 million volunteers for projects designed to have an immediate, tangible impact on children and education, health and wellness, and the environment. The following are among the program goals:

    - Transform 1,000 underserved schools and recreation centers to enliven
       and enhance their physical space and learning models, and to nurture
       and teach the children they serve.
    - Provide advocacy and accessibility and promote increased independence in
       partnership with 1,000 individuals who have physical disabilities,
       including war veterans, seniors and citizens displaced by hurricanes
       and other natural disasters.
    - Build or renovate 1,000 parks, playgrounds, green spaces and natural
       areas, including areas impacted by hurricanes and other natural
       disasters, to provide locations for communities to gather and share a
       common experience.

Last September, the Hands On Network Corporate Service Council donated 810,000 hours of service in one month alone and has also implemented numerous projects in the Gulf region, which have resulted in approximately 650 homes being repaired since September 2005.

During National Volunteer Week, Hands On Network will undertake a range of service activities:

    - National Civilian Conservation Corps project in Biloxi
    - House restoration projects
    - Community garden planting
    - Mentoring of at-risk children in Pittsburgh
    - Special Olympics track and field events
    - Homework assistance for children at Boys and Girls Clubs
    - Other activities that have an educational focus
    - Assistance at the Toddler Play Hour at the Salvation Army's Harbor House
       in the Bay Area

The week's activities will culminate during JazzFest in New Orleans with the launch of a new Hands On affiliate through an intensive week of volunteer activities, including the following:

    - Renovations to legendary Jazz club Ernie K-Doe Mother-in-Law Lounge
    - Renovations to the home of Benny Jones of the Treme Brass Band
    - Renovations to the home of saxophonist Donnie Harrison
    - Large-scale volunteer project in New Orleans City Park that will feature
       live music from local jazz musicians as volunteers work to renovate and
       beautify the park

The Hands On Network Corporate Service Council seeks to extend and enhance volunteer and civic action through corporate participation. In fact, each member company has pledged a 10 percent minimum increase in its employee involvement in community service projects.

"We will harness and focus the power of the corporate workforce as never before to improve the communities where we live, work and play. We have a powerful resource in millions of people, corporate Americans, who now will have even greater support from their employers to learn to lead volunteer teams and touch countless lives," said Bob Nardelli.

Additional companies are being recruited for the Corporate Service Council, an engine of force that will strategically unleash the power of volunteerism across the nation. These new companies will extend the reach of the Corporate Service Council and create broader and deeper civic action. New members include Anheuser-Busch, Cbeyond Communications, Countrywide Financial, Sprint Nextel and Manning Selvage & Lee.

The founding members of the Corporate Service Council include: 3M Company; AARP; Accenture; Albertson's, Inc.; BellSouth Corporation; The Case Foundation; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Civic Enterprises; The Coca-Cola Company; Dell, Inc.; Delta Air Lines; Discovery Communications, Inc.; Fannie Mae; FedEx Corporation; General Electric Company; The Hitachi Foundation; The Home Depot, Inc.; KaBOOM!; Masco Corporation; Nuclear Threat Initiative; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Qwest Communications International, Inc.; Retail Industry Leaders Association; SAP America, Inc.; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.; Turner Broadcasting; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Young & Rubicam Brands; and Yum! Brands, Inc.

About Hands On Network

Hands On Network is leading a national civic movement bringing people together to tackle tough community problems. The Hands On movement is led by a network of 52 local nonprofit organizations that act as civic action centers. The Hands On approach inspires volunteers, creates leaders, and changes lives and communities through effective volunteer action. For more information about Hands On Network, please visit http://www.HandsOnNetwork.org or call (404) 979-2900.


Community contributions: Students invest more than 300,000 hours


William and Mary students have more than doubled the amount of volunteer hours they provide the local community and now contribute 323,000 hours of community service per year, according to a recent survey.

The number of volunteer hours, which is up from the previous mark of 150,000 hours per year reported by students in 2002, were calculated as a result of a recent student survey conducted by the College’s Office of Student Volunteer Services and the Office of Public Affairs. Seventy-five percent of undergraduates and 50 percent of graduate students report that they have volunteered during their time at the College. Ninety percent of undergraduates report they will volunteer in the community they reside in after graduation, according to the survey.

“This survey more than reflects William and Mary’s long-standing commitment to volunteer service and the perspective students gain by working in and with this special Greater Williamsburg community,” said President Gene R. Nichol. “It also makes clear our students’ powerful contributions: Multiplying their annual community-service hours by the minimum wage results in a $1.6 million contribution in service to the community. They make possible more endeavors than can be counted and inspire quite a few of their elders along the way.”

The five-question survey was sent to undergraduate and graduate students on March 22, and the College received 3,290 responses, or a return rate of 49 percent, said Drew Stelljes, coordinator of student volunteer services, who compiled the results with Joshua Lovell, director of public outreach at the College.

William and Mary has a strong tradition of volunteering in the community, Stelljes said. The Office of Student Volunteer Services works regularly with 49 nonprofit and government agencies in the Greater Williamsburg area. Overall, the College has partnerships with 90 local nonprofit agencies and schools. Stelljes said that the vast majority of the reported volunteer hours—an estimated 300,000 a year—are contributed to the Greater Williamsburg community.

“Students have integrated their service experiences into their lives, often to the point of making personal or career choices,” Stelljes said. “These students no longer view service only as a function of their school experience. They strive to live a life integrated with their service work; their commitment is consistent, and they pledge a lifetime to the pursuit of social justice in society.”

Stelljes said students volunteer their time in a variety of ways. For example, 75 students volunteer each semester at Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital; 87 students tutor clients of the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Program; more than 300 students volunteer each year with Housing Partnerships, Inc., a local agency that provides home-repair assistance to low-income families; 70 students volunteer as mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters; and 200 students tutor at 14 local schools through College Partnership for Kids, a program in which students contribute approximately 400 hours of community service each week and 10,000 hours each academic year.

William and Mary students and Williamsburg have a long history of partnering in terms of youth programs for local children and their families, said Peter Walentisch, director of Williamsburg’s Human Services Department.

“This partnership has provided not only experimental opportunities for our college students but valuable role-modeling opportunities for city teens as well,” Walentisch said. “Our middle- and high-school youth have been introduced to college students from all over the country, if not the world, who have shared their values, experiences, goal-setting and their commitment not only to learning but also to giving back to the community.”

Some students, such as senior Catherine Schwenkler, develop their own community-service programs. Schwenkler founded a night resource program for students and parents at James River Elementary School. The program provides residents, many from the local Hispanic community, with community counseling, health care, tutoring and English-as-a-second-language classes for families living in the Grove area of James City County. In 2003, Schwenkler organized a student trip to Reynosa, Mexico, to help build housing for deserving families. The Reynosa Project is now a twice-annual campus service trip.

“I think that in whatever capacity, William and Mary students who are engaged in service create an unparalleled level of mutual trust and appreciation in the wider community,” Schwenkler said. “People in Williamsburg, as well as other communities both national and international where we serve, see that unlike the archetypal college students, we sincerely desire to think beyond ourselves and make a positive difference in the world. Not only are people’s needs met through service, but relationships also are built that bridge age, social class, gender, race and national origin. Community members and students alike experience that we are all people and are designed to learn from one another and appreciate one another.”

Senior Jason Starr helped to found William and Mary Medical Mission Corps, a group that recruits William and Mary undergraduates to assist in medical-mission trips to impoverished villages in Latin America. In 2005, the group served approximately 250 patients in two villages in the Dominican Republic. In 2006, the group traveled to the village of Villa Mella and treated 730 patients.

“For me, service has been the most pure form of leadership training to which I have ever been exposed,” Starr said. “No class, no seminar, no group discussion has prepared me to take an active role in the community—no matter how large or how small that community is—than interacting with its members in an honest attempt to help. The service community at William and Mary is so strong because it encapsulates the entire campus community.”

The students’ volunteer efforts also provide a critical service to the local community, said Nancy Fazzone, executive director of the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Program. The literacy program, she said, has benefited from thousands of hours of instruction by volunteer tutors from the College and community.

“This year the student-led Crossing Language Barriers Club recruited a large number of college tutors for the program,” said Fazzone, adding that without the students’ efforts, “many learners would not have received instruction.”

The survey on student volunteerism is part of a second phase of a review of William and Mary’s local and statewide economic impact. The first phase of that report, which was released in February, examined the College’s direct impact on the economy and job market of the Greater Williamsburg area, the Hampton Roads region and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second phase will examine William and Mary’s indirect economic impact on the region.

“Our estimates of William and Mary’s direct economic impacts showed that the College adds over half a billion dollars in economic activity to the Commonwealth each year,” said Jim Golden, director of economic development and corporate affairs. “But that does not count the indirect impacts of our programs, including the academic programs, research, technology transfer, outreach, support for businesses, assistance to state and local economic development organizations or special projects. Student volunteers make up a significant part of our outreach efforts, and this survey demonstrates their growing participation in support of a wide spectrum of community activities.”

Below are some advocacy & interest group links which can give you an idea of what other people and communities are doing.
 
Public Interest Research Group www.pirg.org Center for Security Policy www.security-policy.org
National Rifle Association of America www.nra.org Coalition to Stop Gun Violence www.gunfree.org
Concerned Women for America www.cwfa.org American Conservative Union www.conservative.org
National Right to Life Committee www.nrlc.org Abortion & Reproductive Rights www.naral.org
Action on Smoking & Health www.ash.org Center for Study of Responsive Law www.csrl.org
Advocates for Youth www.advocatesforyouth.org Children's Defense Fund www.childrensdefense.org
Alliance for Justice www.afg.org Citizens Against Government Waste www.govt-waste.org
American Foundation for the Blind www.afb.org Citizens for a Sound Economy www.cse.org
Americans Back in Charge www.abic.org Citizens for Tax Justice www.ctj.org
AMVETS www.amvets.org Move On www.moveon.org
Executives for National Security www.bens.org Christian Coalition www.cc.org
Democratic National Committee www.democrats.org Council for a Livable World www.clw.org
Republican National Committee www.rnc.org Defenders of Wildlife www.defenders.org
Care www.care.org Environmental Defense Fund www.edf.org
Center for Law and Social Policy www.clasp.org Ethnics Resource Center www.ethnics.org
US Conference of Mayors www.usmayors.org Oxfam www.oxfam.org
Concord Coalition www.concordcoalition.org Greenpeace www.greenpeace.org
Amnesty International www.amnesty.org Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation www.cff.org Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.org
Democratic Leadership Council www.dlcppi.org Drug-Free Workplace www.drugfreeworkplace.org
Families USA Foundation www.familiesusa.org League of Conservation Voters www.lcv.org
Family Research Council www.frc.org League of Women Voters www.lwv.org
American Immigration Reform www.fairus.org Libertarian Party www.lp.org
National 4-H Council www.fourhcouncil.edu National Gay & Lesbian Task Force www.ngltf.org
Coalition on Health www.americashealth.org Jewish Democratic Council www.njdc.org
Committee for an Effective Congress www.ncec.org Reform of Marijuana Laws www.norml.org
National Safety Council www.nsc.org Organization for Women www.now.org
National Space Society www.nss.org National Parks & Conservation www.npca.org
National Taxpayers Union www.ntu.org World Wildlife Fund www.wwf.org
Historic Preservation www.nthp.org National Urban League www.nul.org
Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org
The Nature Conservancy www.tnc.org Population Environment Balance www.balance.org
Nuclear Control Institute www.nci.org Project Hope www.projhope.org
Ozone Action www.ozone.org Project on Government Oversight www.mnsinc.com/pogo
Public Voice for Food & Health www.publicvoice.org Rainbow Coalition www.rainbow.org
Sierra Club www.sierraclub.org The Wilderness Society www.tws.org
Washington Legal Foundation www.wlf.org The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org
Water Environment Federation www.wef.org Women's Legal Defense Fund www.wldf.org
World Future Society www.wfs.org Alliance to Save Energy www.ase.org
Ethical Treatment of Animals www.peta.org Parkinson's Research www.michaeljfox.com
National Council of La Raza www.nclr.org Audubon Society www.audubon.org


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