DONOR NEWSLETTER FALL A season of hope.

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1 DONOR NEWSLETTER FALL 2017 A season of hope. Hello Lighthouse Keepers! We truly appreciate the hearts of our donors. As an active donor, you are living out The Lighthouse s vision; you are helping to guide the vulnerable out of life s storms, towards hope. You are what keeps our clients needs met, our programs running, our shelter open - without our donors we wouldn t be able to fulfill our mission. So, thank you. It s been awhile since we talked, and so much has been happening at The Lighthouse, so we d like to bring you up to date. The following letter has updates regarding many aspects our daily operations, as well as what s been going on with Building Hope, our building campaign. With so much going on there are always challenges, but it is a season of good change at The Lighthouse. It is a season of hope. Love, The Lighthouse 1

2 WHAT S HAPPENING AT THE LIGHTHOUSE? Check out our brand new website! [OrilliaLighthouse.ca] The Lighthouse s website has experienced a major overhaul - it is definitely worth a look! It is regularly updated with our current events and ways to get involved. Check out our website for updates. DID YOU KNOW? You can donate electronically through our website! Please make use of this great time saver! Updates can also be found on The Lighthouse s social media pages! Find us on Facebook, Twitter (@orillialight) and Instagram (@orillialight). On these pages we post about current events, any specific needs The Lighthouse has and to celebrate our community partners! Current Events Snapshot There is a lot going on this fall at The Lighthouse! In September we have two great annual fundraising events. Our Fall Golf Classic fundraiser is happening at Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club on September 22nd. Check out fallgolfclassic.ca to be a sponsor or to register for a great day of golf! On September 30th, it s the Ride For Refuge! Come out and bicycle or walk to support charities in Orillia that provide refuge and hope for displaced, vulnerable and exploited people. Visit rideforrefuge.org to register a team, to volunteer, or to be a sponsor. Make sure you designate your donation to The Lighthouse on the donation page! This is a great event for the whole family and we will have many features to enjoy that day such as: local dignitaries meet & greets, Life onsite playing music, an antique fire truck from the Orillia Fire Department, a Pipe and Drum band from 99 Lynx Squadron, the Salvation Army food truck, as well as a lunch provided for all volunteers and participants. Don t miss out! 2

3 Ways To Get Involved If you cannot make it to our major events, there are many other ways to be a part of the amazing work happening at The Lighthouse. Here are just a few: The daily operation of The Lighthouse requires volunteers to run the soup kitchen. If you can be present from 9:00am-12:30pm to prepare food and serve it to our clients, that is an incredible way to make a difference! Saturdays especially! Are you a handyperson? There are always odd jobs needing to be done around our building! We are looking for prayer warriors to wrap our building, clients, staff and operations daily in prayer. We need teams to volunteer for our community dinners and community lunches! Come with your group of volunteers and enough food for 75 individuals. Booking is happening now for 2018! trish@orillialighthouse.ca for more information or to get your spot! We have great program called Meat the Need in which donors can donate the designated monthly meat to the Lighthouse, eg. December is Ham... contact trish@orilllialighthouse.ca for more information. The Lighthouse always appreciates in-kind donations, such as toiletries, clothing & food. BUILDING HOPE STARTS WITH YOU. 75 Queen St. If you haven t seen our future home on 75 Queen St. in Orillia, go check it out! The Building Hope Campaign will be ongoing for the next two years. It is a full-time fundraising project led by The Lighthouse s Development Coordinator, Lynn Thomas. Building Hope is currently in the design and fundraising stage. This may be the silent phase of the campaign, but it has been packed full of activities, such as putting all the committees into place, and starting campaign planning with our partner consultant John Pugsley from Gladstone Consulting. Information sessions will be coming soon, so be on the lookout for more information coming your way! The building and design rendering is expected to be ready by November. (Photo above: Board Chair, Glenn Wagner at Building Hope s future location, 75 Queen St.) 3

4 Progress Report: Donor Management We have been busy getting ready for Building Hope; part of that has been reviewing all of our existing systems and information records. We recently launched GiftWorks, which is our new donor and donation management system. This will greatly impact the administration and efficiency of all donorship going forward. We especially need all donor addresses ; this will simplify the receipting process, and will allow us to send you your tax receipts more quickly and efficiently. We will also be able to alert you of upcoming events and send you invitations! At the end of this letter, you will find a section with a link to the donor information form that we would love for you to fill out and get back to us, so we can update your records. There is also a link to a donor feedback survey we would really appreciate if you completed, because your opinions matter to us! THE LIFE OF YOUR DONATIONS Here at The Lighthouse, it s important to us that you know where your donations are going. Currently, we have two donation paths: The Lighthouse and Building Hope. Donations made to The Lighthouse help in the everyday running of the soup kitchen and shelter. Last year, the soup kitchen served over 17,000 meals to those in need in our community. The shelter is available for up to 14 men nightly for emergency housing. We also partner with community organizations to provide support and resources that help to create solutions such as housing, employment and counselling. The Lighthouse is also a daily safe haven for many through the morning and afternoon drop-in program. These programs are making incredible differences in the lives of those who need The Lighthouse s services. Donations to Building Hope will be going toward a homeless hub that will provide emergency shelter for men, women, families and youth, as well as mental health and addiction counselling. Ways To Give There are so many different ways to give to The Lighthouse, to continue to keep our light strong in the community. We gladly accept any cash donations, in-kind donations (food, clothing, etc.), stocks, securities, monthly direct deposit, or multi-year installments. If you have any questions or would like to donate to The Lighthouse, please contact us! 4

5 Donor Information & Survey HOUSEKEEPING Please fill out (a) the donor information form, as well as (b) the donor feedback survey. These forms can either be filled out on paper, or electronically. If you would like to complete the form and survey online, please go to the following links: 1. Donor Information Form: 2. Donor Feedback Survey: If you have any questions at all, please contact Lynn Thomas at The Lighthouse ( ) or through ) Who Do I Contact? With so much going on at The Lighthouse, you may not know who you should call. Here is a quick guide to The Lighthouse staff team: STAFF Trish Holloway Operations Manager Lynn Thomas Development Coordinator John Pugsley Building Hope Consultant Sara Ulrick Client Services Coordinator CONTACT IF... You have any questions about the operations of The Lighthouse (soup kitchen or shelter) You would like to volunteer You would like to make an in-kind donation Any general questions regarding The Lighthouse You would like to make a monetary donation You would like to participate in one of our fundraising events (e.g. Ride for Refuge) You have a question about the Building Hope Campaign, or would like to donate to Building Hope You have any questions regarding your donations or tax receipts You have a question about the Building Hope Campaign, or would like to donate to Building Hope You would like to set up a meeting to discuss ongoing donation to Building Hope for the duration of the campaign You require use of The Lighthouse services, e.g. shelter or soup kitchen You would like to be connected to our community partners, e.g. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) You are experiencing a crisis Any general questions regarding The Lighthouse All staff can be contact through our main phone line,

6 All staff have specific s: Linda Goodall: Trish Holloway: Lynn Thomas: John Pugsley: Sara Ulrick: Update on Linda Goodall, Executive Director of The Lighthouse As many of you know, Linda has been on medical leave for the past few months. While it is uncertain when Linda will return to The Lighthouse, the hope is that she will be able to start back in September on modified duties. She is doing well and is looking forward to returning. 6