Idea 6: Donate Office Supplies

Donations of needed office supplies to First Place frees up money in our budget so we can spend it on our programs helping children and families.

Every donor to First Place is a little different. Retired teachers like to help out the classrooms, Girl Scout Troops often hold a hygiene donation drive – but when offices call us we often ask “Will you donate paper?”

In our school building, copy paper is one of our largest expenses – but we can only cut back so much without interfering with learning in the classroom.

Last January, Integral Consulting in Pioneer Square did just that. They donated over a dozen cases of paper so our teachers could make sure their lesson plans stayed on track!

One case of Office Depot Brand Copy Paper costs $35.99. A donation of 5 cases of paper would enable us to put about $180 towards our programs.

What are some of our other office supply needs?

• White Board Markers and erasers
• Paper shredder
• A-Z File sorter
• Recordable CDs or DVDs for class projects
• Extension Cords (grounded, 3-prong)
• 9 x 12 Mailing Envelopes
• File folders

If you or your company is considering making a gift to First Place, consider ordering a few extra cases of paper for us or purchasing a gift card to an office supply store or Costco.

View Holiday Wish Lists for Programs (pdf)
View Holiday Giving Page

Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.

Previous Idea a Day Posts:
Write a Review on GreatNonprofits.org
Be a Secret Santa for a Child
Make a Birthday Wish on Facebook
Link Your Website to First Place

Idea 5: Link Your Website to First Place

Individuals who have taken our First Look Tour rave that First Place is Seattle’s best kept secret. (We’ve also been told it’s the best tour in town.)

But we don’t want to be a secret – we want to share our work! Today, you can support First Place by sharing a link to our website.

Our site traffic sources tells us that less than 15% of our traffic comes from search engines and the rest comes from other websites that link to First Place. This data tells us that we are reaching most of our new supporters through trusted referral sources, such as you.

If you support First Place, here’s how you can share a link to our website:

• List us on your community giving page along with our logo.
• Add a link to First Place in your personal email signature such as “First Place touched my heart today, what about you? http://www.firstplaceschool.org” or “Did you know I volunteer at First Place? http://www.firstplaceschool.org”
• Send an email to people on your team at work, or to your vendors, sharing a memory or thought about our mission or past volunteer work.
• Send an email to your book club with a link to First Place.

Who are some of our most surprising referral sources from our Google Analytics this month?

• O’Dea High School has a link to First Place on a page that refers students to community service opportunities.
• Antioch University Seattle added a page to their website explaining our partnership.
  
• Rick’s Toys For Kids links to First Place as an organization it supports.
• Washington Housing Advocates promotes First Place on their homepage.

If you do decide to link to us – please let us know and we’ll post an updated list.

Here is a copy of our logo if you would like to use it on your website.



Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.

Previous Idea a Day Posts:
Idea a Day Intro
Adopt a Classroom for the Holidays
Write a Review on GreatNonprofits.org
Be a Secret Santa for a Child
Make a Birthday Wish on Facebook

Idea 4: Make a Birthday Wish on Facebook

Happy Birthday to you! When your day comes, your Facebook page is letting your friends and family know exactly when to send you a special note.

Did you know that your Facebook page can also be used to make a difference in your community? By using the “Make a Birthday Wish for Charity” application on Facebook, you can have your Facebook community invest in organizations you care about, such as First Place.

So just how simple is it to add this application to your Facebook page? Just follow these steps:

1. Download Facebook's Causes Application if you haven't already.

2. You’ll then be directed to the Birthday Wish setup page. Step 3 on this page ("Select Your Birthday Cause")will allow you to add your cause, and don’t forget to search for and select "First Place”.

3. After you've completed these steps, help promote your Birthday Wish page to your friends using Facebook's suggestions! Here are some additional ways you can encourage friends and family to support First Place through your Birthday Wish by informing them that:

• First Place educates and nurtures children whose families struggle with the risk or reality of homelessness, where we offer housing, culturally relevant education and support services.
• Children can attend First Place School where they receive specialized attention, help catching up in school, plus meals, free bus transportation, counseling and health care services.
• Family Homelessness is often invisible. Families with children often sleep in cars, motels, emergency shelters and in the spare bedroom of a friend or relative. Many are single parents escaping domestic violence and working to keep their children safe.

If you decide to use this application, we’d love to hear from you. And of course, don’t forget to Facebook friend us and join our Cause.


Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.

Previous Idea a Day Posts:
Idea a Day Intro
Adopt a Classroom for the Holidays
Write a Review on GreatNonprofits.org
Be a Secret Santa for a Child

Idea 3: Be “Secret Santa” for a Child

The holidays are an especially hard time for families struggling with homelessness. Parents desperately want to help their children feel the magic of the holidays, and children understand that they probably can’t expect a special gift when their family needs a home, and food, and clothes first.

At First Place we believe in making the holidays special for our children and families. Every year we match a donor (or a group of donors) to EVERY family at First Place in our Adopt a Family program. The First Place family makes their wish list, and the donor makes the family’s dreams come true by selecting some or all of the items to buy.

Parents positively melt with gratitude when they pick up the gifts for their children—and themselves. In spite of all the hardships the family has had this year, there will be a magical holiday, all because some generous donor cared so much about a family they didn’t even know.

Could you be that donor this year?

As of today, we have 12 families that need to be adopted.

Please consider helping, either on your own or with your Church group, book group, knitting group, bowling team—whatever group you might belong to.

Contact Lisa at lfoss@firstplaceschool.org, or call 206-323-6715 extension 1109 if you are interested in adopting a family.

Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas!

Previous Idea a Day Posts:
Idea a Day Intro
Adopt a Classroom for the Holidays
Write a Review on GreatNonprofits.org

Idea a Day 2: Write a Review on GreatNonprofits.org

One of the ways you can support First Place from your desk is to write a review about us online.

The website GreatNonprofits.org lets you write a review about your experiences with any registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. It’s user-friendly, quick, and you can even log-in using your Facebook account.

At First Place, we hear from individuals, companies and foundations that online research about our organization directly impacts their giving decisions.

Having good reviews can help us raise awareness about our mission, recruit volunteers, get positive media attention and help raise funds for our programs.

Our GreatNonprofits.org page can be found here: http://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/profile2/first-place1

Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.

Previous Idea a Day Posts:
Idea a Day Intro
Adopt a Classroom for the Holidays

Idea a Day 1: Adopt a Classroom for the Holidays

Over the holidays we have great success with our Adopt a Family program which provides gifts for families for the holidays, but we don’t get as much support for our teachers and classrooms.

We’ve asked all of our teachers, and our programs such as Mentoring/Tutoring program, Library, After School program, and even Technology and Marketing, to come up with their own wish list in the hopes that someone will adopt their program.

In-kind gifts for classrooms and programs have a direct impact on the children who attend First Place.


When a mentor spends an hour with a student, they choose a board game, a puzzle, a jewelry making kit or an art project from the volunteer room and those short weekly interactions have huge impacts on the rest of their life. A study by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America shows that children who have mentors are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs.

Tutors use books in our library to help students with their reading. Many children enter First Place up to 3 grade levels behind their peers. In a classroom of 30 children sometimes special needs are overlooked. At First Place, each child has an individual learning plan which helps them get back up to grade level.

Our After School Program provides arts and enrichment activities that our students may not otherwise have access to. Going to the local swimming pool and learning how to swim is just one example. First Place provides a towel, swimsuit, goggles and swim caps for each child at First Place that they can keep at the end of the program, but right now we’re running short on supplies.

2nd/3rd Grade Teacher Ms. Kristy uses pedometers to help her students measure distances and learn math.

When you adopt one of our classrooms or programs, you’re not just buying a pencil or a packet of paper, you are touching the life of a child.

To view Holiday Wish Lists and for more information about Adopting a Classroom or Program, please visit our Holiday Giving page.

Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.

Previous Idea a Day:
Idea a Day Intro Post

Idea a Day to Support First Place

What can you do today to make a positive impact in your community?

Especially around the holiday season we get a lot of phone calls asking us “What can we do to contribute to First Place?”

From now through January 1, 2010, our team will post an Idea a Day which will describe how you can support First Place through the holidays, and year round.

We also want to highlight the many generous volunteers and donors that help make our work possible. Our hope is that these ideas will spark something in you to take action.

Please send us your story telling us how your company, family, social club, girl scout troop or book club came together to support First Place and we’ll post it on here our blog.

It is our sincere wish that you will forward and share these ideas with your friends and coworkers.

Thank you for all of your support of our programs thus far. And remember to check back for daily updates and ideas! If you have any questions about the Idea a Day postings, please email Melissa Collett, Marketing & Events Manager.