6/24/2012

The Value of a Donation and a repeated Thank you.

Promoting Others, Bird-Dogging, Lead Generating…Call It What You Want

No “Slant” here.  No “Spin” here.  Never Do.  I typically deal with Facts.

Facts enable Simplicity.  Facts enable me to stare into the camera so to speak and tell my piece.  In my case i stare into my blogs to you all and into each and every single person we help.

I have been trying to write this for a while now.   I simply haven’t had the head room or the words.   Now i will make the attempt.  This will be a long one, so you may want to grab a cup of coffee, tea or the like and sit back.

I met someone online a little over a year ago i believe via Social media and posting about homelessness and donation needs.   He does not know i am writing this and will be most likely be surprised that i am.   This letter is as much written to him as it is to everyone else i am trying to reach out to.  He will probably hate (too harsh a word possibly) me for doing this and i may even risk losing a highly valued donor and someone i personally feel indebted to in which i most likely will never be able to repay.   Sacrifice for another is what it is to me.   Ahhh for the beauty of blogging.  :-))!

A man named Mike Taylor in Minnesota, a Real Estate agent/broker contacted me.  We spoke in general terms as anyone just meeting would.  As time progressed we spoke in more details more specifics.  We got to know each other very well or as well as you can without ever meeting in person face to face.  We got to know personal details about each other.

Mr. Taylor told me about a new program he was developing in order to help nonprofit organizations across the country who help homeless youth and families.   I liked it.  Loved the idea and still do.  The difficult part is getting others to see the beauty of it, simplicity of it and why.   The new Program of his was to involve or require the nonprofits participation on a simple level.

The bottom line of it and what every nonprofit likes to hear is the $$$.   Mr. Taylor’s program is designed to give away/donate FIFTY PERCENT (50%) of all company program revenue to nonprofits helping homeless youth and families.  Yes, i just stated 50%!

Why I, Lance Greene, Founder of Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life Inc., an IRS Registered 501c3 Nonprofit became to believe in this new program called Responsible Referrals i will detail the facts as i know them below.

As Founder of Straight Ahead Outreach i like to have some idea of who is donating to our organization if it is at all possible.  I want to know that they are giving up their earned monies to a cause they truly believe in and care about.  Not simply to get a tax deduction.  In fact in our 501c3 application i detailed that any donations over $1000.00, i personally will make an attempt to know why the person is donating and a little about them and if the reasons are not in line with our organization or i feel they will put a hardship on that donors personal finances then i will turn the donation down, yes, pass it up.

Some brief history, FACTS as i know them.  1) FACT:  Mike Taylor, is the owner of Meridian Concepts of Minnesota and the creator of Responsible Referrals which is the vehicle for his “New Program”.   2)  FACT: He is humble and basically shy unless provoked :-))!   3)  He is as generous as he can be without damaging his own finances  4) FACT:  He is driven and determined to give 50% of his revenues from his business Responsible Referrals program to nonprofits helping homeless youth and families.  5)  FACT: The reason i got to know him so well was via his Responsible Referrals program.  6) FACT:  Responsible Referrals, at the time i met Mike Taylor was running a Contest for nonprofits to win $1000.00.    7)  FACT: Yep, there he is, presenting the check to the winner, last year to a nonprofit helping homeless youth and families in Atlanta, GA.

As Founder of my nonprofit, one of the types of nonprofits he targets, i like to research a little about people who donate to us just to get a tiny picture of their makeup.  Profile them i guess you could say.  When i did and what i got from this man of God who loves to and desires deep within his being, his Soul to help others i jumped in with all my being and Soul in belief of his New Program.  (he will think i am trying to “Spin” it by calling it “new”)  Bear with me on this.  I am about to get to that.

Again, there is no “Spin”.  Simply what i see as FOUNDER of my nonprofit helping those in need the homeless including youth and families, which i believe in our time of becoming close friends, Mr. Taylor has forgotten that i am exactly that.

FACTS CONTINUED and why i love what this man is doing and wants to do more of:  A little history.  History is what builds the now.  History is what makes the man or woman who and what they are today.

8)  FACT as i know it:  Mr. Taylor has helped people as long as i have, since the early 80′s.   9)  FACT as i know it: At first giving $$ to those he would over hear in need.  10)  FACT as i know it: In 2008 he came up with a personal Christmas Season of Giving (very cool story)   11)  FACT:  In 2009 Mr. Taylor created “SOS” – Segway Off The Streets and set out to raise monies to donate once again.   12) SOS was documented on TV News stations in MN and gained some level of public recognition and raised funds of approx $8000 if i recall properly.  13)  SOS blog:  http://segwayoffthestreets.blogspot.com/   14) SOS and Stand Up For Kids info: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/exchange/post/11627   15)  NBC15 WMTV SPOT in MN on SOS and Mike Taylor:  http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/52471372.html  16)  Segway Off the Streets PDF of Stand Up For Kids newsletter article July 2009  http://www.standupforkids.org/newsletter/JulyNewsletter2009.pdf

17) FACT:  Do you ALL see a pattern here as i do of someone who cares and is willing to try and work to give to others?  To me as FOUNDER of Straight Ahead Outreach, i sure do.  Patterns, that is what i see.  That is what is important.  FACTS: This is all History of what this person is doing and has done to try to help others.

18)  For crying out loud!  I am up to 18 FACTS now.   Sheesh!

19)  2011 – Mike Taylor began his New Program of finding great Real Estate Agents for those of you interested or in the market to buy or sell some real estate for yourself.   This new program as i call it,  of Responsible Referrals  is designed to Donate 50% of its revenues as a for profit company to nonprofits across our country.  That is my term, “New Program” because as far as i see it the old program was the contest where he already Donated $1000.00 as shown in the photo above.  Oh and BTW, did i mention he flew to Atlanta to personally present the check to that nonprofit spending his own personal funds to do so?

20)  FACT: Everything he has given or Donated or plans to Donate in the future has been and will be from his personal funds.  When he had it and when he didn’t.

21)  FACT:  ALL of this up to this point and until i finish this blog is about him Donating or his desire to donate and his Personal Giving Pledge from 10/13/2011.   http://www.responsiblereferrals.com/Pdf/Pledge_MTaylor_10132011.pdf

22)  Again, FACT:  Do you see a pattern here yet?  I do.  I have experienced it in fact many times over.

23)  FACT: This same person is a repeat donor of Straight Ahead Outreach.  Maybe not anymore though after this blog….:-))!  We are an IRS registered 501c3 nonprofit.  THAT is a FACT too.

24)  FACT: This same person who is a repeat donor to STA, provided us with a donation this April/May to get our transmission repaired in our Mobile Crisis Outreach Van.

25)  FACT as I, FOUNDER of a nonprofit organization and not just a new friend of his:  (footnote: i keep putting Founder in bold so he will get it)  I, state without any exaggeration, “spin”, “angle”, “slant” or any such thing.  The FACT is, that without his personal donation to repair our van after it had been down since my birthday last 9/19/2011, 7 months, without it Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life Inc.,  most likely would not exist right now.

26)  FACT: I had fell apart on the phone while talking to Mike Taylor about how we were struggling so badly without our Mobile Crisis Outreach van.  Had a meltdown right then and there this April while he and i were having one of our many conversations about our desires to help others.  He found a way and mailed a check immediately.  He made room in his finances.

27)  FACT: Our Motto is:  ”Taking back Your life”.  As in Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking back Your Life.  We help others in need do that.  This person, Mike Taylor helped us as Straight Ahead Outreach do exactly that.  FACT: He personally helped STA Take back the Life of our organization that very day.

28)  FACT:  After all this i have written about and believe me there is much more to all this, I nominated Mr. Taylor for what is called a Classy Award.  He declined the nomination in his humbleness (is that a word?).

29)  FACT:  Why did he decline it?   Because he feels he has not done enough and that Responsible Referrals has not done enough as the  ”program” he designed it to be.  Do i believe he deserves one?  1000% YES!

30)  FACT:  Responsible Referrals locates great Real Estate Agents for you in your area.

31)  FACT: IF you use his services and real estate sales get completed he donates 50% of the revenues.   BUT, the meat of this is, he Locates great Real Estate Agents.

32)  FACT:  I know first hand.  He located a Real Estate Agent for my sister in Northern Minnesota out in the middle of nowhere.  I referred her to him, to Responsible Referrals.  As far as i am concerned his job was full-filled and ended there.  Why?  Because he did what he said he would do.  He located not a great but what my sister called an awesome real estate agent.  No, her house has not sold yet, but it is a large house on a large piece of property in Northern MN in a tough market.    Bottom line is, Responsible Referrals did exactly what they state they do.  Mike Taylor found my sister an awesome agent who she states she will continue to use.

WHAAAAAAAAT!!???   Not enough???  Not good enough???  Not a story ??? Whaaat?

YOU are the story Mr. Mike Taylor!

The whole reason i as FOUNDER of a nonprofit have gotten behind Responsible Referrals and partnered with his program is because of the past and present patterns and history of the person in Mike Taylor, his heart, his belief in Jesus and his determination and desire to help others!

No, he is not a millionaire, though i admit, i do not know that for a FACT.  I believe he is a simple man who lives modestly on a very modest income to say the least and who just simply wants to help in a huge way.

To me as FOUNDER of a 501c3 Nonprofit, people like Mike are priceless.  There are many of you like him out there and i Thank You all.

If you would like to know more about Responsible Referrals or you need to find a great Real Estate Agent in your area, please go to his main website at  http://responsiblereferrals.com/  or his sister site  at  http://responsiblereferrals.wordpress.com/  (out of my stubbornness i created this site for him unbeknownst to Mike at the time) and or call him at Toll Free (800) 921-4298

FACT:  If you do business with him he will Donate FIFTY Percent, 50% of his revenues to nonprofits like ours all over the country who help homeless youth and families.

Please, Call him right now and get to know what he is all about.  Use his services.  You won’t go wrong.

Toll Free (800) 921-4298 – This number goes directly to Mr. Mike Taylor.

Thank You Once Again Mike Taylor for all you DO and have DONE!  May Jesus Bless You for all you Do and have done in His name.

Lance Greene/Founder of Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life Inc., an IRS registered Nonprofit serving homeless youth, families and individual homeless people in need.

***P.S. hey Mike Taylor, did i mention i was the Founder of a nonprofit enough here?  :-))!     Go get em buddy!