Sunday, September 10, 2017

Silicon Valley Women in HR...& Friends Mailing and Event Announcement

Dear Friends,

How are you? How's your summer?

Our last event was planned by Pam Sheppard and me. Our wonderful speaker was Ching Valdezco and her presentation was about improving communication. As a trainer, I thought she was spot-on and she had some wonderful tips. To learn more about Ching's employer, Exec-Comm, check out a sample chapter of their book, Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond.

Thanks, Ching and Pam!

It sure seems our world is in need of some help and repair, doesn't it? In our country alone, with hurricanes battering Texas, Florida and maybe more states to come it's been a challenging time.

A few years ago, I was privileged to work as a career coach at Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley ("JFSSV"). This work was enabled by a grant which only lasted a year, and we were in a depression. I helped many of my clients find jobs. This kind of work is very gratifying, and I was also impressed to see what JFSSV did with a very small staff, a lot of volunteers, and not a ton of money. They have many types of programs that help the community at large. Honestly, it was one of the best places I ever worked.

Seeing how much an organization can help individuals and families, therefore helping our community at large, it impressed on me even more the value of such organizations.

During a time when our country's budget will be strained by helping Texas, Florida, and other impacted states, non-profits step up to help fill the void. I've been told by some people they don't donate to the Red Cross due to the situation a few years ago, but they have new leadership and a good bill of health. They have infrastructure and know how to distribute goods and run a huge operation. There are many other organizations that do great work in their communities.

Each dollar you donate will be used and it's very much needed. I suggest that before you give, be sure the organization spends more of the money on their mission and not their internal operations. Here are some great sites:

1. Charity Navigator has a lot of information about selecting charities, things to look for, tips and so on. They do not rank charities unless they meet certain criteria, so not all organizations are listed, even though they may be perfectly sound.  Charity Watch rates charities and has a lot of interesting information.

2. KQED Forum had an excellent program called "What to know before you donate to hurricane victims" and you can listen online or download a podcast.

3. Here's  an excellent article about donations that help and those that hinder.

4. Through Amazon Smile, you can choose a a charity that will get a small sum when you order through their link. If you have a Lucky's Reward card, you can select a charity to support and they get a small sum when you buy groceries. With a Causes Charity Gift Card you can donate to your choice of one million charities including one of my favorites, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley.  

5. If you're near a CoinStar machine, you can donate directly to charitable organizations.  

Our next event is 
September 27 with Mary Jeanne Vincent presenting "5 Reasons Salary Negotiations Fail." Please click here to read all about it and RSVP if you're coming.

I hope to see you at our next event!

All the best,

Marcia

Author: "Strained Relations: Help for Struggling Parents of Troubled Teens" and "Recruiters on Recruiting” Site



   
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