Each fall many companies in Chicago and other cities organize workplace fund raising campaigns to encourage employees to make weekly or monthly payroll deduction pledges to charities.  In these campaigns a small gift of $1 or $2 a week can add up to a donation of $50 or $100 to a charity over the course of a year.

Many companies allow employees to choose where their donation goes, and if your company is one of these, you can choose Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, and support the work you see on this web site and at http://www.cabriniconnections.net

Learn more about supporting Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection via workplace fund raising at http://www.cabriniconnections.net/donate/

One of the most proven ways to recruit new volunteers is to have your current volunteers ask friends and co-workers to volunteer with them.  We've created a template letter that you can use. Just personalize it with your own information and experiences.  If  you'd like to have more male volunteers, ask your volunteers to just send this to five men they know who might volunteer. If you're looking for technology help, send it to technology people.

Visit the Discussion Forum to share your own recruitment strategies or to join with the Tutor/Mentor Connection in a citywide volunteer mobilization effort.

Today more than 500 bloggers are participating in a marathon called Blogathon 2007, to raise money for their favorite charity.  You can read the history of this event and find the list of bloggers at http://www.blogathon.org/faq/2007/07/10/history_of_the_blogathon.php

I just learned about this and am too late to participate.  But I think it's a great idea. I'd like to find a way to duplicate it, getting 100 or more youth agency supporters to blog together. And I plan to try to participate the next time they do this, and encourage some of my own friends (like YOU) to also join in.  It can be a great way to raise visibility, recruit volunteers and raise needed dollars.

This week two events are being held which connect college and business volunteers with inner city kids. You can read about these on the Tutor/Mentor Blog and the Cabrini Blog. 

Our use of blogs illustrates a strategy small non profits can use to tell their story and reach potential volunteers and donors. As you develop your Back-to-School Volunteer Recruitment Campaign, think of using a blog, and of linking your blog to the Tutor/Mentor Blog, as part of a strategy to get the attention of a greater number of potential volunteers.  Just email your web address to us, or introduce yourself with a comment on the Tutor/Mentor Blog or in the Discussion Forums on this site.

If you lead a business, professional group, health care organization, church or alumni group, and want to lead a strategy where you connect your network to tutor/mentor programs in Chicago or in your own community, email tutormentor2@earthlink.net for our help in developing this strategy.

Visit http://cabriniblog.blogspot.com and view photos from the 2007 year end dinner. This celebrates the 15th year of providing tutoring/mentoring to Cabrini Green youth.

View the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection timeline and see how this organization has grown from the vision of a few volunteers.  Click on the 1965 to 1992 timeline to see how this vision started more than 40 years ago.