The Truck Driver's Responsibility - Trucking Safety, First And Always
The Truck Driver’s Responsibility – Trucking Safety, First And AlwaysLet's talk about what exactly the truck driver is responsible for when it comes to hauling freight. To be on the safe side let's assume that the driver is responsible for absolutely everything unless I specifically say otherwise.And I probably won't say otherwise.A typical story you'll hear a truck driver tell after his truck has tipped over is, “I was going around the curve on the offramp and the load shifted causing the truck to tip.” And I believe every word of this story almost every time because that's exactly what usually happened, exceptpast. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for

Consultancies return to MBA hiring
These days a top MBA is almost a prerequisite in order to reach senior or even mid-management levels at many of the major consulting firms. The leading strategy consultancies in particular have redoubled their recruiting efforts: McKinsey hired over five hundred MBAs in 2005 and this figure was set to rise in 2006; Booz Allen Hamilton, BCG, Bain and IBM Consulting all hired over one hundred MBAs in 2005 and were expecting increases again in 2006. By comparison, the larger banks have been hiring as few as two hundred MBAs a year and the numbers relating to the technology and industry sectors are significantly lower again.According to the 2005 TopMBA.com Recruitment and Salary Survey, demand for MBAs in the consultancy sector rose by a colossal 35% in just

Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as someone who has not donated to your organization within the last year, two years or three years. Donors who have not sent you a gift in over three years are not lapsed donors. They are former donors.

Lapsed donors are valuable. Unlike strangers, they have supported you before. And they believe in your mission enough to have sent you a gift (or gifts). That means they are worth mailing to. You can expect to receive an 11 percent response rate from a mailing to lapsed donors if your results are typical, says fundraising expert Kent Dove (Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program. Jossey-Bass, 2001).

Here are some tips on writing an appeal letter that will win them back. In the fund development profession, the letter you write is called a recovery letter because it aims to recover donors who have lapsed.

1. Write to one person

You will likely not know why each donor has lapsed. Donors stop giving for any number of reasons. Some forget. Some lose interest. Some get distracted with the arrival of children—or grandchildren. Others decide they do not like your new executive director’s ties. Each donor is an individual, and the way to win each one back is to send a warm, sincere, personal letter from your heart to theirs.

2. Say “we miss you”

What you are trying to communicate in your letter is that you miss the donor more than their donations, which should always be true. You have lost a supporter first, and a source of support second. So write your letter in such a way that you show your concern for the person. Here are some lines to use:

1. We have not heard from you since March 2004. We miss you! We are counting on your renewed support this year for . . .
2. We miss you. We miss your moral support, and we miss your financial support.
3. We sure have missed hearing from you these last few years.

3. Invite the donor to come back

Provide a tangible way for the donor to renew support. Ask for a gift toward a particular project. Offer a subscription to your free newsletter. Do something to involve the donor and make them take action.

4. Customize your appeal

Whenever possible, customize your recovery letter to the unique circumstances of each lapsed donor. For example, if you know from your database that a donor only sent a gift once a year at Christmas, mention that in your letter. Or if another donor supported only one area of your work, mention that. The more that your letter appeals to the interests of your donors, the more likely you are to recover them. Here’s an example:

“The last time we heard from you, you had generously responded to the humanitarian crisis in Honduras. You sent us a gift that helped us meet the immediate needs of that emergency. Today, I am writing to you because I think you can help us overcome another crisis.”

5. Match your language to the length of lapse

Statistically speaking, the longer you’ve had to wait for a gift, the less likely you are to receive one. That means you should segment your database into groups of 12-, 24- and 36-month lapsed donors (or another criteria that you use), and send each group a slightly different appeal. To a donor who has not given in a year, for example, you can say, “We miss you.” To the donor who has not sent a gift in three years, you can say, “You have supported us in the past. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for

Ten Tips To Workplace Noise Management
Have you streamlined your business with innovative equipment and progressive training, yet, efficiency eludes you? Do you cringe when you hear the words human error? Is the cash register too quiet and the standard office operating procedure chaotic and unproductive? How can you make your business run smoother and demand optimum performance from your team without becoming more stressed yourself? Stress is your company’s worst enemy. The cost in health care, mistakes on the job, troubled family lives and unpleasant work environments often add up to lost revenues for your company. Take a moment to step back and incorporate some stress reducing techniques regarding noise at the workplace. These tips will help management be more successful with employees and employees

1. Write to one person

You will likely not know why each donor has lapsed. Donors stop giving for any number of reasons. Some forget. Some lose interest. Some get distracted with the arrival of children—or grandchildren. Others decide they do not like your new executive director’s ties. Each donor is an individual, and the way to win each one back is to send a warm, sincere, personal letter from your heart to theirs.

2. Say “we miss you”

What you are trying to communicate in your letter is that you miss the donor more than their donations, which should always be true. You have lost a supporter first, and a source of support second. So write your letter in such a way that you show your concern for the person. Here are some lines to use:

1. We have not heard from you since March 2004. We miss you! We are counting on your renewed support this year for . . .
2. We miss you. We miss your moral support, and we miss your financial support.
3. We sure have missed hearing from you these last few years.

3. Invite the donor to come back

Provide a tangible way for the donor to renew support. Ask for a gift toward a particular project. Offer a subscription to your free newsletter. Do something to involve the donor and make them take action.

4. Customize your appeal

Whenever possible, customize your recovery letter to the unique circumstances of each lapsed donor. For example, if you know from your database that a donor only sent a gift once a year at Christmas, mention that in your letter. Or if another donor supported only one area of your work, mention that. The more that your letter appeals to the interests of your donors, the more likely you are to recover them. Here’s an example:

“The last time we heard from you, you had generously responded to the humanitarian crisis in Honduras. You sent us a gift that helped us meet the immediate needs of that emergency. Today, I am writing to you because I think you can help us overcome another crisis.”

5. Match your language to the length of lapse

Statistically speaking, the longer you’ve had to wait for a gift, the less likely you are to receive one. That means you should segment your database into groups of 12-, 24- and 36-month lapsed donors (or another criteria that you use), and send each group a slightly different appeal. To a donor who has not given in a year, for example, you can say, “We miss you.” To the donor who has not sent a gift in three years, you can say, “You have supported us in the past. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for

Six Sigma and Upper Management
The one ultimate reward that counts for any business organization is improvement of bottom line profitability and the return of satisfied customers. This end result must justify all the initiatives taken by upper management. Upper management utilizes a tool called “cost of poor quality (or ”COPQ”) as a barometer for evaluating six sigma projects. Apparently, it is the only way to get upper management to accept six sigma. The upper echelons of corporations have come to realize the importance of six sigma for its tangible economic benefits.understand the value of upper management support for quality/process improvement top down fully, when you learn that management does not realize the importance of investing that extra time and money in quality improvement

enewed support this year for . . .

We miss you. We miss your moral support, and we miss your financial support.

We sure have missed hearing from you these last few years.

3. Invite the donor to come back

Provide a tangible way for the donor to renew support. Ask for a gift toward a particular project. Offer a subscription to your free newsletter. Do something to involve the donor and make them take action.

4. Customize your appeal

Whenever possible, customize your recovery letter to the unique circumstances of each lapsed donor. For example, if you know from your database that a donor only sent a gift once a year at Christmas, mention that in your letter. Or if another donor supported only one area of your work, mention that. The more that your letter appeals to the interests of your donors, the more likely you are to recover them. Here’s an example:

“The last time we heard from you, you had generously responded to the humanitarian crisis in Honduras. You sent us a gift that helped us meet the immediate needs of that emergency. Today, I am writing to you because I think you can help us overcome another crisis.”

5. Match your language to the length of lapse

Statistically speaking, the longer you’ve had to wait for a gift, the less likely you are to receive one. That means you should segment your database into groups of 12-, 24- and 36-month lapsed donors (or another criteria that you use), and send each group a slightly different appeal. To a donor who has not given in a year, for example, you can say, “We miss you.” To the donor who has not sent a gift in three years, you can say, “You have supported us in the past. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for

How To Achieve Financial Independence By Teaching Other Individuals
Welcome to new members. Thank you for Subscribing to help-u-b-free ezine.Greetings,Welcome to Help-u-b-free Ezine. I am Bill McCammon. Help-u-b-free is a Fenstoke Enterprises, Inc company about helping people change their future for ever and enjoy life to it's fullest. This is all about YOU!I will share with you how you can get out of debt in 8-12 years and save thousand of dollars of interest with simple changes that the banks do not want us to know.There is large number of families today experiencing most of or part of the challenges which I have listed below. We will offer you a solution which will provide you with a life full of happiness you deserve.How would it make you feel to get a fresh start in life and have your own

onors, the more likely you are to recover them. Here’s an example:

“The last time we heard from you, you had generously responded to the humanitarian crisis in Honduras. You sent us a gift that helped us meet the immediate needs of that emergency. Today, I am writing to you because I think you can help us overcome another crisis.”

5. Match your language to the length of lapse

Statistically speaking, the longer you’ve had to wait for a gift, the less likely you are to receive one. That means you should segment your database into groups of 12-, 24- and 36-month lapsed donors (or another criteria that you use), and send each group a slightly different appeal. To a donor who has not given in a year, for example, you can say, “We miss you.” To the donor who has not sent a gift in three years, you can say, “You have supported us in the past. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for

People Who Love What They Do
We all know them. Perhaps you are one (I am!). What makes people love what they do and others hate it? Why are some seemingly lucky enough to get up and do what they love each and every day; while others struggle to get out of bed and count the seconds until they can go home?Have you ever had a job that you hated, while a coworker loved the same job? Come on, be honest. Maybe you are in that situation now. I’ve been there. Did they look at you like you were crazy when you admitted that you didn’t, in fact, share their passion? There’s just no way explaining to these people why you feel the way you do, they’ll never understand. They love it too much. And a tiny part of you hates them for it.People who love their jobs have this unstoppable p

past. Your gifts made a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a gift today.” The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given in two or more years. Some examples:

12-month lapsed

“Your financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the end of this year will have a positive impact on the people, which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence for humanity.”

24-month lapsed

“Your financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now I’d like you to renew your support by joining with me and the volunteers at . . .”

36-month lapsed

“We have not heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has made a difference for populations in danger. I think you can help us overcome this crisis.”

6. Tailor your ask

Some of your lapsed donors will have given once and never again. Others will have given faithfully each month for years. Each donor demands a different letter. The more faithful your donor has been, the more that donor requires a personalized letter with a personalized ask amount. In other words, don’t take the easy way out and ask a one-time donor and a 10-year supporter for the same amount, treating each one the same way. You could ask the one-time donor for a gift that’s the same size as their last one. And you could ask the long-time supporter for a gift that’s the same size as their smallest one, or their average gift over time, or their last one, and so on. I’ll leave the decision to you.

7. Win back their hearts and minds

Lapsed donors need to be persuaded again to support your mission. You’ll need to re-state your case for support, and address any reasons you know of for donors stopping their support.

The two most important things to say in a recovery letter are that you miss the donor and that their support made a big difference in the lives of the people your organization serves. “A carefully crafted appeal that lets past donors know they are important, appreciated and missed almost always produces a net income,” says Stanley Weinstein (The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management).

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).