PROJECT UPDATES
WEEK 12 - APRIL 18
While volunteering this week, I helped edit the invitation list for the September anniversary event. I manually checked that all the top constituents were on the invite list, and then added them in through Bloomerang if they were not, editing capitalization or abbreviation errors in the process. Then, I wrote up a letter informing a family member of donations made to TRT in memory of a recently deceased relative. Lastly, I began a poster project which I will continue to work on next week. The poster shows a number of common native baby birds at different stages of development. The poster has photos of the birds at each stage with descriptions of what they look like and how they behave. The poster will be hung somewhere on site where visitors can read it. Since thousands of baby birds are brought to TRT in the spring and summer, we hope that the poster will help reduce the number of admitted fledglings that are not actually injured or orphaned. People often mistake baby birds just learning to fly as being injured/orphaned since they are usually picked up off the ground below the nest and appear to be struggling to fly.
While volunteering this week, I helped edit the invitation list for the September anniversary event. I manually checked that all the top constituents were on the invite list, and then added them in through Bloomerang if they were not, editing capitalization or abbreviation errors in the process. Then, I wrote up a letter informing a family member of donations made to TRT in memory of a recently deceased relative. Lastly, I began a poster project which I will continue to work on next week. The poster shows a number of common native baby birds at different stages of development. The poster has photos of the birds at each stage with descriptions of what they look like and how they behave. The poster will be hung somewhere on site where visitors can read it. Since thousands of baby birds are brought to TRT in the spring and summer, we hope that the poster will help reduce the number of admitted fledglings that are not actually injured or orphaned. People often mistake baby birds just learning to fly as being injured/orphaned since they are usually picked up off the ground below the nest and appear to be struggling to fly.
WEEK 11 - APRIL 11
This past week I spent a few hours trying to find organizations that might donate or give a charitable grant to TRT. I looked through a database of 990 forms to find organizations that have donated in the past year or two to causes similar to what TRT does, like environmental conservation or education, animal welfare, etc. If I find any that look promising, I collect contact info like mailing address, phone number, website, and any available information on how to apply for a grant and compile it into a spreadsheet. While this is not thrilling work, it is important for non-profits like TRT that rely on donations and grants to run. One really cool organization I found while doing this is the Subaru of America Foundation. They have headquarter locations around NJ so a lot of the charities they support are in state. The minimum grant is $5,000, but is often higher for charities around the corporate headquarters. In past years the organization has donated to many youth environmental education causes, and they have 2 donation cycles each year so I think the Subaru Foundation is a great potential donor.
This past week I spent a few hours trying to find organizations that might donate or give a charitable grant to TRT. I looked through a database of 990 forms to find organizations that have donated in the past year or two to causes similar to what TRT does, like environmental conservation or education, animal welfare, etc. If I find any that look promising, I collect contact info like mailing address, phone number, website, and any available information on how to apply for a grant and compile it into a spreadsheet. While this is not thrilling work, it is important for non-profits like TRT that rely on donations and grants to run. One really cool organization I found while doing this is the Subaru of America Foundation. They have headquarter locations around NJ so a lot of the charities they support are in state. The minimum grant is $5,000, but is often higher for charities around the corporate headquarters. In past years the organization has donated to many youth environmental education causes, and they have 2 donation cycles each year so I think the Subaru Foundation is a great potential donor.
WEEK 10 - APRIL 4
This week I helped create more material for the education center. I made an educational word search of bird-related terms, and some more advanced bonus words with definitions. I also helped to organize paperwork for raffle prize baskets for the upcoming anniversary event in the fall.
This week I helped create more material for the education center. I made an educational word search of bird-related terms, and some more advanced bonus words with definitions. I also helped to organize paperwork for raffle prize baskets for the upcoming anniversary event in the fall.
WEEK 9 - MARCH 28
During my hours at TRT this week, I helped prepare some educational materials to be used in the on-site classroom. A few matching games had been designed for children to play when they visit the educational center. The games are accompanied by a fact sheet to help kids match up what goes where. The games and fact sheets are designed to teach kids about different bird diets (omnivore, insectivore, frugivore, etc.) and types of nests (burrow, platform, cup, scrape, etc.). I created the fact sheets to go alongside the matching games and learned a lot while doing so! I also compiled information about threats to birds and made a fact sheet about them. One of the biggest threats to birds are windows because the reflectivity confuses them so they fly into them and injure themselves. Some others are outdoor cats, cars, and non-native plant species. Luckily, there are simple steps we can take to make our backyards more bird friendly and keep bird populations thriving.
I have also been learning how to use Bloomerang, which is a fundraising software. TRT and other nonprofit organizations use Bloomerang to keep track of donor information like current mailing addresses and donation history. I have learned how to update addresses, enter donations, and create new profiles as donations come in.
During my hours at TRT this week, I helped prepare some educational materials to be used in the on-site classroom. A few matching games had been designed for children to play when they visit the educational center. The games are accompanied by a fact sheet to help kids match up what goes where. The games and fact sheets are designed to teach kids about different bird diets (omnivore, insectivore, frugivore, etc.) and types of nests (burrow, platform, cup, scrape, etc.). I created the fact sheets to go alongside the matching games and learned a lot while doing so! I also compiled information about threats to birds and made a fact sheet about them. One of the biggest threats to birds are windows because the reflectivity confuses them so they fly into them and injure themselves. Some others are outdoor cats, cars, and non-native plant species. Luckily, there are simple steps we can take to make our backyards more bird friendly and keep bird populations thriving.
I have also been learning how to use Bloomerang, which is a fundraising software. TRT and other nonprofit organizations use Bloomerang to keep track of donor information like current mailing addresses and donation history. I have learned how to update addresses, enter donations, and create new profiles as donations come in.
WEEK 8 - MARCH 21
The Raptor Trust is celebrating a big anniversary this fall. To celebrate 35 years, they are hosting an event. This week I spent the majority of my time finding organizations (and their mailing address) to send invitations to for the event. I also looked up endangered and threated native bird species. I compared this list to TRT's list of birds they had taken in in the past year to see how many of the birds we rescued were threatened or endangered. This was really interesting to see because a lot of the endangered birds from the official state list had been brought into the Raptor Trust for rehabilitation, including some that were on federal endangerment or threatened lists.
The Raptor Trust is celebrating a big anniversary this fall. To celebrate 35 years, they are hosting an event. This week I spent the majority of my time finding organizations (and their mailing address) to send invitations to for the event. I also looked up endangered and threated native bird species. I compared this list to TRT's list of birds they had taken in in the past year to see how many of the birds we rescued were threatened or endangered. This was really interesting to see because a lot of the endangered birds from the official state list had been brought into the Raptor Trust for rehabilitation, including some that were on federal endangerment or threatened lists.
WEEK 7 - MARCH 7
No hours completed this week because TRT lost power in the storm- office was closed.
No hours completed this week because TRT lost power in the storm- office was closed.
WEEK 6 - FEBRUARY 28
No hours were completed this week because I was sick.
No hours were completed this week because I was sick.
WEEK 5 - FEBRUARY 21
This week at the Raptor Trust I finished updating the address changes in the database system. After that, I started a new project that I will continue working on. I looked through a database of organizations' 990 forms. The 990 forms show charitable donations made by the organization- including how much money was given to each non-profit and what category the non-profit falls under (education, arts, environmental, etc.). My job is to find companies or organizations that frequently make donations to environmental organizations, conservation efforts, and/or animal welfare groups and gather contact information so that we can ask for donations or grants from them.
This week at the Raptor Trust I finished updating the address changes in the database system. After that, I started a new project that I will continue working on. I looked through a database of organizations' 990 forms. The 990 forms show charitable donations made by the organization- including how much money was given to each non-profit and what category the non-profit falls under (education, arts, environmental, etc.). My job is to find companies or organizations that frequently make donations to environmental organizations, conservation efforts, and/or animal welfare groups and gather contact information so that we can ask for donations or grants from them.
WEEK 4 - FEBRUARY 14
This week I finally started my volunteering at the Raptor Trust. On Thursday, I spent about 4.5 hours in the office working on a couple projects. For the first project, I spent some time looking at websites, newspapers, and other media where we could potentially advertise for the fundraising event in May. I reached out to a number of sources to get more information about the cost and process of taking out ads. I also found community Facebook groups for neighboring towns where it would be free to post information about the event and thousands of people would see it.
The second assignment was to update the computer database information. Mainly, it was updating the addresses of people who had donated to the organization for mailing lists.
This week I finally started my volunteering at the Raptor Trust. On Thursday, I spent about 4.5 hours in the office working on a couple projects. For the first project, I spent some time looking at websites, newspapers, and other media where we could potentially advertise for the fundraising event in May. I reached out to a number of sources to get more information about the cost and process of taking out ads. I also found community Facebook groups for neighboring towns where it would be free to post information about the event and thousands of people would see it.
The second assignment was to update the computer database information. Mainly, it was updating the addresses of people who had donated to the organization for mailing lists.
WEEK 3 - FEBRUARY 7
I will begin my volunteering this Thursday 2/8. (Unfortunately, the timing of my starting the volunteering has made for 2 uneventful blog posts in a row.) On Thursday, I will begin working on a marketing research project. I will be finding contact information for potential advertising contacts for upcoming programs and events that the Raptor Trust is organizing or involved in.
Also, I will be talking to my supervisors to see if The Raptor Trust would be interested in attending Seton Hall's annual Eco Fest-- setting up an information table, maybe bringing a few birds to the event, etc.
I will begin my volunteering this Thursday 2/8. (Unfortunately, the timing of my starting the volunteering has made for 2 uneventful blog posts in a row.) On Thursday, I will begin working on a marketing research project. I will be finding contact information for potential advertising contacts for upcoming programs and events that the Raptor Trust is organizing or involved in.
Also, I will be talking to my supervisors to see if The Raptor Trust would be interested in attending Seton Hall's annual Eco Fest-- setting up an information table, maybe bringing a few birds to the event, etc.
WEEK 2 - JANUARY 31st
In the second week of my project, I almost have nothing new to report. I have been in contact with the staff from TRT and am planning to meet with them again and begin volunteering sometime next week, TBD.
In the second week of my project, I almost have nothing new to report. I have been in contact with the staff from TRT and am planning to meet with them again and begin volunteering sometime next week, TBD.
WEEK 1 - JANUARY 24th
During this first week of my project, I met with Chris Soucy, Executive Director and son of the founders of the organization, and Blake Putnam, Director of Development, from the Raptor Trust at their office in Long Hill. We discussed my background and interests, availability, and the type of work I might be doing as a volunteer, as well as what typically goes on at the Raptor Trust. Chris showed me around the grounds where the permanent resident birds can be viewed by visitors, as well as the infirmary area where sick or injured birds are treated.
We discussed volunteering a few hours per week, probably 4-5 hours on Fridays. There are a couple on-going data entry projects that I may be working on, as well as helping to plan and prepare for an event held in May. There may be additional administrative tasks that I would help with, and potentially assist with with the organization's social media pages.
During this first week of my project, I met with Chris Soucy, Executive Director and son of the founders of the organization, and Blake Putnam, Director of Development, from the Raptor Trust at their office in Long Hill. We discussed my background and interests, availability, and the type of work I might be doing as a volunteer, as well as what typically goes on at the Raptor Trust. Chris showed me around the grounds where the permanent resident birds can be viewed by visitors, as well as the infirmary area where sick or injured birds are treated.
We discussed volunteering a few hours per week, probably 4-5 hours on Fridays. There are a couple on-going data entry projects that I may be working on, as well as helping to plan and prepare for an event held in May. There may be additional administrative tasks that I would help with, and potentially assist with with the organization's social media pages.