Castrocaro is becoming more and more 'the place of fundraising. Already 'the second edition of the CAF Executive Management and Decision Making , a co-production " Central Ethics - Philanthropy Centro Studi "for the University of Bologna. It 'a course in practical and operational week intensive that combines the profit (the course) with pleasure (a week of spa and wellness including) ... Here are some photos of as many as 21 participants! And from them I expect a comment!

CAF Executive - We are working!

Start at 10.00 today, the lessons of the course "Principles and Techniques of Fundraising", a large current (about 50 students) more 'of recent years and entered the Master ... To all my new students a dear wish of good begins and a sentence of hope: "What is fundraising for you?" 'What is fundraising? "Good job!

"This is my home ... where is the house?" He sang it years ago, a singer who has lived for many years in Forlì. In fact, even today I find myself in the same situation, I'm changing home, but I have not bought a new one, I'm building a new one. This is different.

First of all I think the house has a value deeply symbolic yet tangible, human. The house is not everything, because what counts are the relationships with people (and the people of Abruzzo the show), but it is important. And 'the gathering place of family, friends, morning, evening or afternoon to do homework or play Playstation (when you have 3 children like me).

Then the house has a meaning also for how it was built and my him. Read this article published on the issue locally Il Resto del Carlino and discover a little more wood in my house .... ( and here you can also find a video )

Roof entirely photovoltaic, solar thermal, rainwater collection for use in bathrooms, exceptionally kept warm (not put on the air conditioning), exceptional grip in the cold (with a floor heating that will turn the water at 28 degrees), heating with heat pump (heating and boiler, no exhaust). The wood? Stand the test of time? I bet I was there, because if you do not teach what you put into practice, and you do not try to pollute less, recycle more ', to be "zero impact", then those that say they are all lies, are all ecologists of words and not deeds.

My choice is therefore an "ideological" in the sense of the word, but supported by economic reasoning. There 'a philosophy of life behind this choice: first, and he shared with me my wife, and then the main traveling companions, the architects Roberto Pistolesi and Leila Polimeno Fainello Mauritius and the manufacturer ( www.rondonigroup.it ) . The wood has greater stability in an earthquake (resistant to 7 degrees), as well as fires, fencing electromagnetic pollution, is more 'live healthier. And it is more 'economical, because it costs less than concrete.

But then economics and ecology can go together? If I did not believe, I would struggle to make the teaching of business administration in nonprofit organizations.

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Just tornoto from Lisbon, where he continued my work to the Church of the Little Shepherds of Fatima, the first church in the world dedicated to the Shepherds (who are not saints, they are .... Blessed only). I find it really challenging and interesting to deal with a foreign cause, and at the same time, local. The extraordinary power that these shepherds have for Portugal, every day convinces me more. There 'organization, person who is not impressed by this opportunity to meet and at the same time ... has great fundraising opportunity.

A couple of photos from the ultra-popular shop of souvenirs of the shepherd ...

... With opportunities for all tastes and all pockets. We're working on, we're working on, soon, certainly before Christmas, we will emerge with the beginning of the campaign. I'll tell you!

Meanwhile, I'm going to pick up some new idea all'IFRC (International Fundraising Congress) in the Netherlands. It 'a couple of years since I went, but every once in a while' to netowrking International does not hurt. I hope to meet some fellow ... Portuguese. (VM)

Italy began to turn, pass the holidays for my training and consulting.

I was now ENS - National Deaf in Campania, Naples (pictured here), where a volcanic President

cav. rag. Camillo Galluccio (pictured with me), has organized a training day for staff and supporters of the organization. A beautiful and "quaint" location in downtown Naples waiting for me, right in the middle district of Naples.

It is an institution with 100 years of history ( see website ), worthy of support, for the seriousness and the iniative that is useful (for example, a service of "translation" on the phone for the deaf, who write requests and chatting of operating the phone call in the name and on their own, www.mondoens.it ), but that does fund raising. It 'was a fantastic day.

My first course of fundraising with a sign language interpreter (sign language) that trduceva my words to the audience. A course in which the objections, questions, were the moments of pause of total silence, and see people talking, angry, arguing, through intense and vivid gestures of the hands was beautiful.

I saw them excited at the end of the day and I would not be more 'left (I did not do even one minute of rest). An intense day started well and went to great ... if it were not for the usual Alitalia has 1 hour late to return (and so I guess I get home until 1am::. First Rome, then Bologna, then the car up to Forlì) ... in any case a good start to work. This weekend I expect a final two days of vacation on Monday and Tuesday ... I expect the performance of Misuari Foundation Adolesc great, good weekend! (VM)

I wrote Francesco Santini, my collaborator at Philanthropy Centro Studi, who a few months ago he went to teach a course on the Internet for fundraising in a workshop on fundraising in Sardinia. Talk of the value of training, one thing we believe that, differently from what some think, has a value only theoretical but also practical, eg to resolve, clarify, improve upon everything that has to do with fundraising. Here's what I wrote:

"I had a simple test of the value of training. At the seminar held in Sardinia was a person with a serious illness and the difficult name, mucopolysaccharidosis. Together we watched, with the other participants, their website www.mucopolisaccaridosi.it How do you see now is a net improvement, think first about 20 were alive on the menu of choice and as many on the left, was not a navigable site . The site is made ​​by hand (but with passion) from people who are part of the association. I gave advice on how to improve it by restricting the number of options on the home page ... and have done so. Do not think I've helped to save the world or defeat this disease, but to communicate better (with all the implications that this entails), perhaps. "[Photo by maidink with Creative Commons license ]

Last weekend I was at Pennicina, a magical place where the mountains Oltrepò Pavese holds its training for its operators Adolesc Foundation. It is growing in culture and practice of fundraising. A close-knit Development Committee for the development of fund raising, fund raising is building together. Some run (for example, Laura, who is always first!) Others go a little 'slower, but the group is really a great group!

Francesco Santini, my collaborator, has played a very interesting use of the Internet for communication and fundraising for nonprofit organizations. Together with the staff and volunteers of the Foundation is passionate talking about the topic structure of sites, blogs, myspace, widgets, and how to communicate and write online.

And around all this training going on a natural environment even more passion and desire to do well the fundraiser, I must say that this weekend a small contribution to the culture of fundraising, with Francesco Santini, we gave . No proposals or communications plans "fell down", but shared with those who will then put in place.

Really interested in a class and an organization that works. The CSV of Catanzaro has made the course of collection of Volunteers for a class of 25 representatives of voluntary organizations. The reality is a bit 'naive, but with huge potential for growth and especially, a great desire to learn.

Really interested in a class and an organization that works. The CSV of Catanzaro has made the course of collection of Volunteers for a class of 25 representatives of voluntary organizations. The reality is a bit 'naive, but with huge potential for growth and especially, a great desire to learn. One of the students sent me this fascinating challenge: an ad for volunteers collecting "poetic" works well ... maybe not according to the official canons of marketing ... but is that really the only thing it does "work" in nonprofit communications? (VM)

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I am to Padua to take a training course for volunteers.
From fundraising to raising people. But you really need to find volunteers? Nonprofit organization can exist without volunteers? You can exploit fully the "voluntary" as "voluntary" or we will just make use of volunteers as simple laborers "at less cost."
How much of the credibility of its ability to be "special" employee, is valued? How different is the contribution that a person can give to a nonprofit organization paid.
In practice, the basic question is: "if you had an unlimited budget, no staff problems of any kind, you will use also the volunteers? If you do not have problems of scarcity of economic resources also would like the volunteers participate with you? "We must be honest and answer this question, because if you give yourself the answer is" no, I would try them, but would do anything with the staff paid "then maybe you should think ... discuss! (VM)

A course in Turin. A strange and beautiful city, a group of people of Turin Social Cooperatives members of a consortium of social "C6" (or perhaps CISE) who decide to learn more of fund raising, to understand more if it can be a chance for them, to transfer part of the budget by "conventions" "contracts" to "donations". Interested in understanding more about this subject. Tomorrow I'll put up the pictures, while I record a feature that I'm increasingly finding: even social cooperatives are moving! The world of fund raising is in turmoil ... (VM)