Robert Half International Renews Sponsorship of BDPA

Robert Half International renewed its corporate sponsorship with the National BDPA, including participation at the 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013 in Washington, DC.

"We are thrilled to partner with Robert Half to bring the Career Expo to Washington, DC. The job market is competitive and requires job seekers to make every effort to place them in direct contact with hiring employers. This conference brings students and employers from all over the country together for the career expo," said Monique Berry, National BDPA President.

Monique Berry and Ranelle Dunnam

Listed as one of this year’s FORTUNE magazine’s, 'World's Most Admired Companies', Robert Half is recognized in the industry as a global provider of business systems, finance, governance, risk and internal audit, technology, and operations experts for over 60 years. With over 400 consulting staff at 70 global locations in 23 countries, Robert Half reported 2012 revenues of $4.11 billion. Last year, Robert Half International was named to Human Resource Executive's 'Most Admired for HR' list and they are regularly recognized globally on the 'Best Places to Work' list.

Ranelle Dunnam, Robert Half Diversity & Inclusion Senior Manager said, "Robert Half congratulates BDPA on their 35th Annual Technology Conference in August 2013."

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult IT professionals.

For more information, contact Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Director, corpsales@bdpa.org, (301) 584-3135.

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Philadelphia Chapter ($500)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation approved a $500 grant disbursement to the BDPA Philadelphia chapter.

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden requested the funding in support of the chapter's expenses related to the upcoming National High School Computer Competition championship. The funds will support travel and lodging for three students, two trainers and the HSCC coordinator.

Wells Fargo Becomes a BDPA Bronze Sponsor

Wells Fargo, one of America’s largest financial services institutions is a Bronze Sponsor National BDPA at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. Wells Fargo earned a 2013 Corporate Epsilon Award from BDPA and is one of 11 finalists to be considered for the title of ‘Best Company for Blacks in Technology’. The winner of that penultimate award will be announced at the Awards Gala on August 17.

Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo ranks No. 25 on Fortune’s list of the largest companies in the United States. Wells Fargo has over 270,000 team members in 9,000 branches spread over 35 countries.

"The career fair would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors like Wells Fargo," said Monique Berry, National BDPA president.

Monique Berry and Wayne Hicks

Wells Fargo is respected worldwide as a diversified financial service company that offers both a community service appeal, as well as a global presence with $1.4 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo offers banking, consumer and commercial finance, insurance, investments, mortgage and ATM and Internet services.

“Wells Fargo has been an important part of the BDPA family for a number of years,” said Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Director. “Wells Fargo employees have served as local chapter presidents and the company has been recognized on both an individual and corporate level with our Epsilon Award. This financial institutional has demonstrated by their powerful example that they are serious about diversity recruitment and retention of its information technology employees. I am very proud to see Wells Fargo on board again in 2013 as a BDPA bronze level sponsor," he added.

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult IT professionals.

For more information, contact Wayne Hicks, corpsales@bdpa.org, (301) 584-3135.

Letter from BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Coordinator

Michael Wulf

BDPA Chapter Presidents, Officers, Members, & Volunteers!

My name is Michael Wulf and I’m a candidate running for BDPA Midwest Region Vice President.

With only a few weeks before we travel to the 35th Annual BDPA Technical Conference & Career Expo I wanted to introduce myself to each chapter in the Midwest Region and ask consideration for your support in my decision to run for office.

In the past 8 years I’ve been a volunteer heavily engaged in the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program ... more specifically, the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program in the Twin Cities. Most of you know me as their HSCC Coordinator. As a leader in corporate America, I use a collaborative style of management. In this role I view myself in the same capacity - in a supportive role to assist in making BDPA even more successful building on the great work of predecessors.

In this role I will partner with the elected National President, Regional Director, and many others to empower our Midwest region to be the best in BDPA!

Given the opportunity to be elected by your chapter delegates at the national conference my goals are:

• Expand communication between chapters, national and BETF.
• Grow membership and reactive inactive chapters in the region.
• Support local chapter and national initiatives.
• Support membership growth.
• Support youth education, professional development, and HSCC competition.

Given the opportunity to serve in this capacity my intention is together establish a Midwest action plan to align and accomplish our combined prioritized goals. I have the experience, passion and determination to deliver on what is needed. Together we can make a difference at a higher level than ever dreamed.

Things you may not have known about me that you may want to know why serving in this capacity is important.

• Father of a blended family with two daughters, two sons, and three grandchildren. Education and the mission of BDPA means a great deal to me.
• Extremely knowledgeable in the management of geographically dispersed matrix organizations – much like our Midwest region is organized. Veteran IT Professional serving IT for 32 years.
• I live in the “Midwest” keeping homes in both Minnesota and Illinois.

Sending this memo in advance of the national election to allow us both the opportunity to talk by phone. I will attempt to call you, however I can be reached at (651) 261-0408. See you at the “Get to know the candidate session” (8/14/2013).

Sincerely,
Michael G. Wulf, Candidate
BDPA Midwest Region Vice President

BDPA iRadio Show - August 13, 2013 (Chris Jackson, Dr. Mack Joyner, Pamela Sexton)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud to be the creator of the BDPA iRadio Show. You can listen to the archive version of the show using the widget shown in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. FREE download from the iTunes Store is also available for our listeners!

Find Additional Technology Podcasts with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guests on the August 13th show:

Dr. Mackale Joyner - software engineer, Texas Instruments - Mack Joyner is a software engineer for Texas Instruments. 17 years ago he was a high school senior trained by BDPA Kansas City chapter to compete in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship. He credits that BDPA experience with affirming his desire to pursue a career in software engineering. BDPA made a vital impact on his education endeavors as his participation in the national HSCC competition enhanced his college application to Rice University.

The door that the BDPA helped open at Rice subsequently led to other doors being opened, which enabled Mack to complete his PhD in Computer Science at Rice University. Dr. Joyner's research interests include developing compilation strategies for object-oriented languages in high-performance scientific computing. Dr. Joyner was simply a high schooler in Kansas City when BDPA met him. Now he is one of the top high performance computing experts in the world. Dr. Joyner is one of the reasons that BDPA exists! I hope that all BDPA members enjoy his story as much as we do. You can follow BDPA on Twitter -- @BDPA

Chris Jackson - chief of staff, Deloitte - Chris is the Chief of Staff for Deloitte Growth Enterprise Services. Chris is a frequently requested lecturer on global competitiveness, emerging technology and technology strategy. He has direct responsibility for driving the development and delivery of Deloitte's Growth Enterprise Services strategy, operating approach and identification of solution offerings for mid-market, high growth and privately held clients. As a leader in Deloitte Technology Strategy and Architecture practice, he is involved with of its Emerging Solution Cloud ERP efforts within Deloitte Innovation. His consulting expertise spans IT Strategy, Business Alignment and pre/post IT merger integration.

Chris was a presenter at the 2013 BDPA Technology Conference on the topic, 'ERP in the Cloud - What You Need To Know'. Participants in this workshop learned what company CIOs and CFOs need to consider when evaluating cloud-based ERP.

Chris' Twitter handle is @chris_jackson1

Pamela Sexton - conference director, National BDPA - Pamela agreed to be a recurring guest on the BDPA iRadio episode that airs on the 1st Tuesday of each month. She is pulling together the largest gathering of African American IT professionals in the nation on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC. There will be thousands of participants, hundreds of corporations, dozens of workshops, seminars, plenary sessions, a wonderful golf tournament, a 2-day career fair and so much more.

You can follow the BDPA Conference efforts on Twitter: @BDPA_Conference

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We hope you enjoy the insights and commentary on the show from each of these guests. Please take a moment to post a comment to let us know that you care!

Related articles

• VIDEO: Review of 2013 BDPA Technology Conference
• BDPA iRadio Show - January 14, 2014
• BDPA iRadio Show - March 25, 2014

Global Database Giant Oracle Partners with BDPA

Globally known as a leader in hardware and software systems, Oracle agreed to support the National BDPA at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. The Silver Level sponsorship includes $30,000 in college scholarships for deserving BDPA students all over the country. Oracle was named 'Corporation of the Year' by BDPA in 2012.

"We are delighted to have the continued support of Oracle as a BDPA partner. As the premier association of Black Information Technology professionals, this 35th annual conference provides an ideal venue to showcase Oracle's commitment to workforce diversity," stated Monique Berry, National BDPA President.

Traci Wade and Monique Berry

With more than 390,000 customers—including 100 of the Fortune 100—and with deployments across a wide variety of industries in more than 145 countries around the globe, Oracle offers an optimized and fully integrated stack of business hardware and software systems. Oracle provides its customers with hardware and software engineered to work together—integrated from disk to applications─that meet their business needs and solve their business problems. And Oracle continues to innovate and to lead the industry, with a focus on solving the problems of the customers who rely on their technology.

Traci Wade, Oracle Diversity Consultant said, "Oracle is honored to have a long standing partnership with BDPA to provide scholarship donations to scholars who are pursuing their goals to achieve degrees in the STEM fields."

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult IT professionals.

For more information, contact Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Department, corpsales@bdpa.org, (301) 584-3135.

National BDPA High School Computer Competition Championship Finalists (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program is designed to introduce K-12 students and under-served communities to the field of Information Technology through hands-on training. BDPA encourage these students to seek higher levels of education by providing incentives through scholarships. Many of these young people have let us know how important it is for them to be groomed by BDPA to become our next generation of IT professionals.

BDPA has grown this program by leaps and bounds since it was created in 1986 by Dr. Jesse Bemley.  There were over 600 students from 46 local BDPA chapters who began the year with hopes of winning the 2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship.

We are down to the 17 chapters who have garnered the volunteer and financial support necessary to bring a team to the championship being held August 14-17 in Washington DC.  HSCC coordinator Michelle Cooke informed us that the 2013 HSCC Championship finalists are:

Defending HSCC Champs (Atlanta)

1. Atlanta - defending champions!'
2. Charlotte
3. Chicago
4. Cincinnati
5. Dallas
6. Detroit
7. Greater Columbia
8. Los Angeles
9. Middle Tennessee
10. New Jersey
11. New York
12. Philadelphia
13. Southern Minnesota - they won it all 5 years ago and 10 years ago!
14. St. Louis
15. Triangle
16. Twin Cities
17. Washington DC

Let the 'wolf tickets' begin! Who do you think will be the 2013 National BDPA HSCC champion?  Within a few days we will know which HSCC students will win college scholarships funded by Creating IT Futures Foundation, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, PCC Technology Group, University of Phoenix, Walgreens and individual donors like you!

National BDPA Conference History (1979-2013)

We want to have an interactive blog. Here is a list of the past 35 national BDPA technology conferences. Take a look at the themes and locations. Let your memories roam on the networking, education and fun that you had as a participant at one or more of these annual conferences. How many of these did you attend?

• 2013 - "Diverse Opportunities in the Age of Convergence" (Washington DC)
• 2012 - "Transforming the IT Professional" (Baltimore, MD)
• 2011 - "Ignite, Inspire & Empower: The GPS of Future Technologists" (Chicago, IL)
• 2010 - "Access for All" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 2009 - "Challenges for Today, Strategies for Tomorrow" (Raleigh, NC)
• 2008 - "Harnessing Emerging Technologies to Advance IT Careers" (Atlanta, GA)
• 2007 - "Global Strategy for the IT Professional" (Washington DC)
• 2006 - "Picturing the Future of Information Technology" (Los Angeles, CA)
• 2005 - "Driving Innovation, Bringing Value and Embracing Change" (Detroit, MI)
• 2004 - "BDPA: Securing Our Future Through Technology" (Dallas, TX)
• 2003 - "Information Technology: From the Classroom to the Boardroom" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 2002 - "Changing the Culture of IT: From Access to Ownership" (Orlando, FL)
• 2001 - "Empowering the Nation Through Information" (Chicago, IL)
• 2000 - "Taking IT to the Net: From High-Tops to High-Tech" (Washington, DC)
• 1999 - "Closing the Gap in Information Technology" (Atlanta, GA)
• 1998 - "Unveiling the Magic of Emerging Technologies" (Orlando, FL)
• 1997 - "Looking at Tomorrow, Today"(Houston, TX)
• 1996 - "Building World Class Skills for Information Technology" (Atlanta, GA)

• 1995 - "Linking Business, Education and Technology" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 1994 - "Unleashing the Power of a Creative People" (Cleveland, OH)
• 1993 - "Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders in the Heart of America" (Kansas City, MO)
• 1992 - "Shaping the Information Technology Professional: Current and Future" (Detroit, MI)
• 1991 - "BDPA Getting to the Core of Technology" (New York, NY)
• 1990 - "Education and Technology Bonding for Excellence" (Washington, DC)
• 1989 - "Ideas in the Making" (Los Angeles, CA)
• 1988 - "Growth and Success by Design" (Chicago, IL)
• 1987 - "A Bridge to Success" (New Orleans, LA)
• 1986 - "Securing Your Professional Future" (Atlanta, GA)
• 1985 - "A Decade of Professional Growth" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 1984 - "Information Processing: A Vote for the Future" (Cleveland, OH)
• 1983 - "Rise to the Challenge" (Newark, NJ)
• 1982 - "Entrepreneurship: A Successful Attitude" (Detroit, MI)
• 1981 - "Growth Through Professional Association" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 1980 - "A New Era of Minority Involvement in Data Processing" (Washington, DC)
• 1979 - "The Role of the Black Technical Organization" (Philadelphia, PA)

Which was your first national conference? Which was your favorite national conference? What is your best conference memory? C'mon, let's talk!

Food Lion Charitable Foundation

Being a leading corporate citizen requires commitment to the community. Realizing this, Food Lion sought a way to strengthen and enrich the lives of people in the communities Food Lion serves. The Food Lion Charitable Foundation was established in 2001 as part of a charitable giving program to give financial support to feed the hungry through Feeding America agencies in their 11-state operating area.

Preference for funding is given to organizations or programs that involve Food Lion associates and are located in Food Lion's marketing territory. The Foundation considers requests from organizations that feed the hungry.

Contributions are considered for public charities with 501(c)(3) designations who:

1. have an active and responsible board of trustees;
2. exhibit ethical publicity methods and solicitation of funds;
3. provide for an appropriate audit to reveal income and disbursements in reasonable detail
4. can demonstrate long-term financial viability

If you believe your funding proposal fits within the Food Lion Charitable Foundation guidelines, request a grant application package from the following address:

Food Lion Charitable Foundation
Kyna Foster, Community Affairs
P.O. Box 1330
Salisbury, N.C. 28145-1330
email: flcf@foodlion.com

BDPA Middle Tennessee High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program is growing stronger all across the nation. Evidence of this fact can be found in Nashville, TN ... home of our BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter. The SITES program is designed to instruct students in technology and build them for success in the future business world.

Here are the young people in the 2013 SITES program in Middle Tennessee:

Back row (L-R): Donald Black II, Corey Crowder, Marvin Nde, Bryan Nde, Kareem DaSilva
Front row (L-R): Braylen Love, Patrice Buckley, Katherine Holbert, Kameron Malone, Charlton White
Not in photo: Tiffani Thompson, Ashton Fletcher, Cynthia Kamga, Jasmine Ivie, Nataya Wade, Julian Kirby, Alexis Greer

BDPA Middle Tennessee chapter is growing the research capability of its students by implementing the BDPA IT Showcase on a local level. The students have researched and presented their findings in a wide-range of topics that include: Artificial Life, Cyber Security and Social Media. In addition to the technical instruction given by BDPA volunteers to these young people ... there is a focus on grooming the life skills of students including: Decision Making, Financial Literacy, Goal Setting, Personal Responsibility, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Project Management and Time Management.

This is an excited, extremely bright group of students that came ready to learn each Saturday! We need your help ... please make a secure online donation right away to the BDPA Middle Tennessee Scholarship Fund.

BDPA Leaders Tout Upcoming Career Fair on 'NewsTalk' in Washington DC

 

National BDPA founder Earl Pace and media mogul Sharrarne Morton share insights about the 35th annual BDPA Technology Conference on a recent episode of 'NewsTalk'.

Take a moment to enjoy the interview on the ABC affiliate network in Washington DC.

Earl, Sharrarne and other BDPA leaders are working hard to encourage heavy foot traffic at the BDPA Career Fair on August 16-17, 2013 at the Washington Hilton. Attend in person ... bring your resume and a friend! If you can't attend in person then you can still register on the BDPA Job Board.

BDPA Los Angeles High School Computer Competition (2013)

BDPA's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program is flourishing in Southern California. BDPA Los Angeles chapter is training 47 middle- and high-school students representing 29 area schools this year. Course topics include HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL.

Front row:  Pooja Cheboulu, Desirai Lewis, Monique Muepo, Autum Alexander,
Justice Mozell-Guy, Fariahn Morris, Marcus Schumann

Second row:  Amir Rose-Aminifu, Tiana Dollison, Jaylin Gant, Paige Soloman,
Jada McKeney, Cierra Crooms, Cardan Mikes, Matthew Dollison, Morgan Gant, Steven Moreno

Third row:  Steven Zavala, Ryan Beheshti, Trayer Harvey, Austin Jackson-DeYoung,
C’Terra Carter, Ahmir Wilson, Justin Witt, Daniel Beheshti, Miles Williams, Lafiate Germeille Jr.

Not pictured:  Adonai Alexander, Nicholar Banks, Emari Bennett, Jaylin Blannon, Akil Brown,
Elijah Drew, Ajhanae Favors, Thomas Hamilton, Kayla Miller, Brendan Nwokekoro,
Rahman Oladipupo, Shawn Pugh-Molina, Aisja Snaders, Giovanni Smith Jr, Khalia Taylor,
Jordan Tortes-Barker, Maya Washington

This year BDPA Los Angeles chapter introduced cloud computing and mobile development to its program. The class is led by two experienced IT professionals - Temitope Sonuyi and John C. Malonson III. California State University, Dominguez Hills and BDPA Los Angeles created a strategic partnership that allows for this hands-on training to take place on a university campus. Many of the students take advantage of this strategic partnership to earn college credit for the course taught by BDPA volunteers.

Five of these students will earn the right to represent Los Angeles in the 2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship taking place this month in Washington DC. Please help us help these young people by making a secure online donation to support the Brandon Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Eileen Gadsden Accepts Nomination for Office of BDPA Northeast Regional Vice President

BDPA Philadelphia chapter president Eileen Gadsden is a hard-working woman! She owns her own strategic branding company, E-Region Enterprises. Gadsden still wants to do more. She accepted the nomination for BDPA Northeast Region Vice President which would place her on the National BDPA Board of Directors in 2014-2015.

Prior to serving as a local chapter president, Gadsden served BDPA Philadelphia for three years as vice president of strategy and planning. She also served as the national co-chairperson of the BDPA Entrepreneurial Advisory Group.

Gadsden's plan is to assist the local chapters in the BDPA Northeast region - Baltimore, Boston Metrowest, Hartford, New Jersey, New York, Northern Delaware, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and Washington DC - reach their strategic goals by increasing membership, corporate support and community engagement.

"It has been a great honor to work in Philadelphia as an educator an influencer in the information technology space. I am looking forward to the next challenge of bringing the BDPA vision to reduce the digital divide both at the academic and professional level throughout the northeast region of our nation." said Eileen Gadsden.

Eileen holds a MBA from Penn State University and a BS from St. Joseph's University. She was honorably discharged after serving 12 years in the United States Army Reserves. Earlier this year Ms. Gadsden was recognized as one of the most influential Philadelphia women by the NAACP Philadelphia Branch for her work with BDPA. Her passion for the chapter's youth technology program was documented in a documentary published by CBS Philly called, 'Brotherly Love: Teaching Tech High School Kids'.

The election results will be announced at the 35th annual National BDPA Technology Conference taking place August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC.

Fundraising Tip: How to Turn One-Time Donors Into Monthly Givers

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundation currently is supported almost exclusively by one-time donors. We have very few monthly givers. As such, I was very interested in a fundraising tip shared recently by the folks at Network for Good.


Thinking about monthly giving is one of the smartest things you can do as a fundraiser. Network for Good research shows that 30-40% of the donation volume for a nonprofit website is monthly giving, and that would be a great situation to find all nonprofits in -- thanking people every month instead of asking them for donations every few weeks.

How do you do that? How do you turn your annual givers into monthly supporters?

• Make sure your donation form asks what type of gift the donor wants to make ("Do you want to give us a monthly gift?"). Whenever you're asking for money, ask for the monthly pledge, not just a one-time gift.
  
• Revisit the language you're using in your appeals. Frame your ask in such a way that it's a win-win situation-monthly donations for you, convenience and budgeting for your donors. (Read more about the four parts of a great fundraising appeal.)
  
• Package the appeal in an exciting way. For example, some organizations have an ambassador program or a sponsor-a-child every month program. Put a face on that sustainable gift. This way you're creating some tangible tie to the idea of giving every month. Remember: To increase charitable donations, you should appeal to the heart--not the head.
  
• Don't be afraid to ask for a monthly gift of support after someone completes a one-time transaction. It can be ingrained as a nice thank-you message: "Thank you so much for making a one-time gift. This is how you can put your support to work for us each and every month. Would you consider becoming a monthly supporter?" We've seen great success in converting first-time online donors into monthly donors by doing that within the first three days of them making their first online gift.

Think of using this strategy during the holidays when you're experiencing high traffic of one-time gift donations!

Does this tip seem like one that you might use for your local chapter or nonprofit? If not, do you have a fundraising tip that you would like to share with us?

BDPA Indianapolis High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA Indianapolis chapter was founded in August 2004. They are a relatively young chapter with big dreams as evidenced by the fact that they will be hosting the 36th annual National BDPA Technology Conference in August 2014. But, first things first ... the chapter is working hard to build a legacy with its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

In its fifth year, the chapter's SITES program continues to grow with students from 4 different central Indiana high schools. Sessions take place each Saturday morning from 9AM – 2PM. Students receive training in HTML, PHP, and MYSQL as well as general mentorship and the opportunity to develop written and oral communication skills.

L-R: Mya Cruz, James Griffin, Lauren Ravenell
Not Shown: Saivion James, Dominic Alexander, Tim Ford)

This powerful program that provides such meaningful STEM training opportunities to young people in Indianapolis is funded by Eli Lilly, BDPA membership dues and individual supporters like you!

Fundraising Tip: How To Raise More Money Online

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) exists to raise money to support BDPA programs all over the nation.  Our story of helping young people win the future by working with them on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs is a powerful one.  Our challenge is turning the power of that story into donations to our nonprofit.  We need to do a much better job in meeting our fundraising goals.

I think that the following fundraising tip may be a helpful reminder to all of us that work with nonprofits that are doing good works.

Make Your Donation Button Shine

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Online fundraising is a critical component of any individual fundraising strategy. It's the fastest-growing piece of the development pie, plus when people hear about your organization, want to learn more, or seek updates on your work, they will visit your Web site.

It is critical to make sure that visitors can find your donation button within two seconds of clicking on your home page. This means that the button should be sizeable, colorful, prominent, and "above the fold," meaning it's visible on the page without the need to scroll down.

Play around with different iterations if you can and carefully note the impact on conversation rates and donation amounts -- Network for Good performed a test on their Web site and witnessed a 30 percent greater conversion when they changed their donation button from gray to red. Conversion at the last mile is key, so analyze how many people click on the button versus how many actually donate. If the link doesn't go straight to the donation page, fix it! You should also get creative and use images or different words to relate a donation to something tangible, e.g. "donate a science book" or "save our children's future."

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Few, if any, of the local BDPA chapter websites are taking advantage of this tip. The National BDPA website has a 'donations' button located at the bottom of their left-hand navigation bar. We don't have a 'donate now' button on our BETF homepage. We have a 'Donate' option in the navigation bar ... but, I've learned from this fundraising tip that we're missing the boat on this one!

DONATE NOW!

This tip is inspired by Darian Heyman's new book, 'Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals'.

Does this tip seem like one that you might use for your local chapter or nonprofit? If not, do you have a fundraising tip that you would like to share with us?

Andersen Corporate Foundation

Andersen seeks to better people's lives and strengthen communities, focusing primarily where Andersen employees live and work. Andersen Corporate Foundation has expanded its giving to the many communities where Andersen has facilities and employees. These communities are co-located with BDPA chapters in New Jersey and Twin Cities.

One of the areas of focus for this foundation is 'EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT'. Andersen Corporate Foundation supports organizations that offer intellectual and social opportunities, primarily for young people K-12. They seek to fund programs that focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The STEM education provided by our SITES program in New Jersey and Twin Cities would be excellent.

BDPA Education and Technology (BETF) would be honored to team up with either chapter if they are interested in submitting a grant proposal to this funding source.

Message from BDPA Chicago Chapter President

Greetings,

I am seeking your support to become your next National Vice President of BDPA. I am passionate about the organization and know that I have what it takes to move us forward. My key focus areas will be Brand Rejuvenation, Member Value Proposition and Cultural Transformation of National BDPA.

Please review the attached brief summary and also share with your delegates to gain a little more insight about me.

Pamela Sexton, Candidate, National BDPA Vice President (2014-2015) from Wayne Hicks

I am looking forward to meeting you and your delegates next week to discuss any suggestions or concerns you may have going into 2014. Thanks for your support.

Thanks & Regards,
Pamela Sexton
BDPA Chicago Chapter President
National BDPA VP Strategy & Planning
2013 National BDPA Conference Director
Email pamela.sexton@bdpa.org

Archer Daniels Midland Company

The Archer Daniels Midland Company converts corn, oilseeds, wheat, and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, chemical, and energy uses. The Company’s new ADM Cares program supports safe, responsible, and environmentally sound agricultural practices in critical growing regions in more than 60 countries around the world including North America, South America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Grantmaking is focused on four areas: health and safety programs for farm workers and children who live on farms, responsible use of agricultural chemicals, sustainable farming practices, and rehabilitation and preservation of environmentally sensitive lands. The Program will focus 1 percent of pre-tax earnings to investments to support these grant interests.

At the local level, the Company will continue to support educational initiatives for children and young adults, and other programs that build vibrant communities.

Submit your online application for ADM Cares funding at any time.

Introducing the 1st Annual BDPA Hall of Fame

Earl Pace

In 2013, BDPA will inaugurate its first members into the BDPA Hall Of Fame. Similar to other national and professional organizations, BDPA will celebrate and acknowledge members of the organization who have made very significant contributions to the existence, advancement and success of the organization.

From August 14-17, 2013, BDPA will conduct its 35th annual Technology Conference and Career Fair at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. In addition to distribution of several organization awards, conducting numerous development workshops, networking sessions and panel discussions, this year’s Conference will also include the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It is expected that over seven hundred members, corporate leaders and technology professionals will attend the event.

Diane Davis

This year’s Hall Of Fame group was selected by a panel of the BDPA National Executive Council. In 2014 and beyond, nominations will be accepted from the BDPA Community and enshrines announced during the annual BPDA National Technology Conference.

The following individuals represent the inaugural BDPA Hall of Fame group.

Dr. Jesse Bemley

- Innovator, Dr. Jesse Bemley
- Contributor, Diane Davis
- Co-Founder, Earl A Pace Jr
- Co-Founder, the late David Wimberly

Please visit www.BDPA.org for more information regarding BDPA, our 35th Anniversary Technology Conference and Career Fair or this year’s 2013 Hall of Fame group.