The Haas Foundation Website - Better than Ever!
 

Visit our blog to find the latest news and commentary about the Haas Foundation! Consider contributing in the comments section as we would love to hear what you are doing to raise funding and awareness! This blog was created by volunteers Mickey Riggs and Jessica Gaitan, and webmaster Evelyne Skorczynski.

Executive Director Bonnie Hilory says "Thank you each so much for providing the leadership on our first ever blog in 45 years! My hope is that everyone will share their ideas, suggestions and success stories on how they raise matching dollars for their Haas grant."

Other new website features are a list of acceptable uses of your grant funds (under the "School Eligibility" link), and Bidding for Good, an online auction resource - which provides a great way to help your school raise awareness and funding without speing money to do so! Working together, Haas Educator Ambassador Program (HEAP) members launched the page this month.

 

 Pathways to Parity Breakfast
 2nd Annual Event To Celebrate Success with Students

Come have breakfast with us at the Seattle Aquarium and hear uplifting stories about how students' lives have been dramatically changed through Haas Foundation support.

The breakfast buffet is complimentary, but if you would like to make a donation, more students will benefit.

Donors who have contributed over $250 in the last 12 months will receive a complimentary copy of our 1st edition book of Haas Foundation success stories.

Friday, March 14, 2008
7:00 a.m. check-in, socialize over breakfast
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. program

Seattle Aquarium, 1415 Western Ave # 505 - Seattle, WA 98101

Please consider bringing a friend to learn about our mission!
RSVP by March 4th to 206 352-1199 or bhilory@haasfoundation.org Saul & Dayee G. Haas Foundation is a 501(c) 3 organization.

 

 Student Artwork Needed!
 Preferably pieces that can be framed in 8 1/2 x 11 frames

Do the artists at your school want a real-world use for their designs? We need donated artwork to use for greeting cards, our 2nd edition book, and thank you gifts and plaques for donors and others who help us in our mission. (We currently have 11 donors waiting for plaques!) Your school will receive recognition for donations.

Submissions must be delivered or mailed to our office as soon as possible, and each must have a signed permission form.

Please contact Bonnie Hilory at bhilory@haasfoundation.org for more information and to get a copy of the form.

 

 Coordinator Training
 Avoid the year-end reporting blues...

Have you attended a Coordinator Training Class yet? This is required of each coordinator once during his or her tenure, and is also available to anyone who would like a review. In the class Sue Russell, School Fund Manager explains how the entire Haas School Fund process works. The focus is on how to submit your year-end report & how to leverage your Haas dollars. For example, a representative from the Seattle Sonics and Storm discusses easy ways to raise money toward a matching grant and often gives away free tickets to an upcoming game or posters for classrooms.

Sometimes a Haas Educator Ambassador Program member explains how their advocacy role benefits schools. Finally, there is always a drawing for a $110 grant that one lucky school receives for their Haas School Fund.

The class is also a wonderful networking tool for building relationships with coordinators from other schools.

The classes are held at our office in Seattle. The remaining dates for this school year are:

• March 19, 3-5:00 p.m. (5 openings)
• April 16, 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. (6 openings)
• May 21, 3-5:00 p.m. (10 openings)
• June 18, 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. (10 openings)

If you would like to attend one of these sessions, please contact Sue Russell at (206) 352-1199 or staff@haasfoundation.org

 

 Good-bye Paul, Hello Charlotte
 Accounting personnel change

Since 2005, Paul Bailey has served as the Foundation's fiscal secretary. This month Paul moved to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China where he will be teaching English as a Second Language with the Hanzhou Foreign Languages School (grades 7-12). We wish Paul good luck and safe journey on his new adventure.

Our new accountant, Charlotte Moss, works at two other nonprofits and has private clients as well. In the1980's and 1990's she worked in the computer industry (back in the main frame days), and also started her own business as a landscaper. We look forward to working with you, Charlotte!

Charlotte's email is the same as Paul's: accounting@haasfoundation.org

 

 Don't Delay for Matching Grants
 Submit what you have earned soon!

If your school plans to raise money toward a matching grant, don't delay! Matching grants are available until the funds are depleted or until June 30th, whichever comes first. To date we have disbursed over $35,000. We anticipate running out of funds by June.

We have budgeted $70,000 for matching grants this year. Funds are available on a first-come first-served basis.

 

 Want to get More Involved with the Haas Foundation?
 Consider joining a committee!

It would be wonderful to have more statewide representation on our committees. This will ensure that the Foundation meets your needs and benefits from the ideas and energy of grantees from every corner of the state. Some areas where you can help make an impact are:

• Haas Educator Ambassador Program (HEAP)- twice a year meeting
• Art committee- meets quarterly
• Procurement committee- meets last Monday of the month at 11 a.m.
• Steeering Committee for Jazz with Haas- meets last Monday of the month over lunch 11:30 to 1:30pm
• Become a virtual editor for our next book.
  
  Please volunteer! Check out our web site for opportunities, or write to bhlory@haasfoundation.org
  
  

   

 Supporting Matching Grant Funds
 Great ways to add to yours and ours

Goodshop

If your school added "Goodsearch" to computers as your search engine of choice, then you should also add its companion, "Goodshop" - which is another way to raise money for your matching grant fund.

Online merchants such as amazon.com, Best Buy, Nordstroms, Macy's, e-Bay, Barnes and Noble, Nike and many others now partner with Goodshop. Potential donors can name the charity of their choice (your school!) and use the links on the Goodshop page to click through to their favorite store before they begin shopping.

The retailer then donates a percentage of the sale to your school. For example, Nike donates 4 percent of all sales; Target offers 1.5 - 5.5 percent, depending on the item purchased. This information is clearly available on each merchant's profile on Goodshop.

Click on the Goodshop logo on our website for additional information.

Bidding for the Good!

365 days a year your school can post online auction items on our website. The 875 Washington State secondary schools that we currently fund now have access to this year-round online auction fundraising tool. To collaborate with the Haas Foundation, provide the items and promote them and this site within your community. The Haas Foundation facilitates the auction with the website, and your school personnel ships or delivers the items to the winners within one week of the auction closing.

Auction items submitted for a specific school are identified so donors know how to support their favorite school! Fun examples of school submissions are:

Reserved seating for graduation
Reserved parking space for a school or sports event
Tutoring help
Baseball clinic, tennis clinic, music lesson, etc.
Principal for the Day!

Note: Cost sharing in raising awareness and funding is of value to both the Haas Foundation and each school. The Foundation has paid all of the set-up expenses and provides the infrastructure & support for you to raise money for your Haas fund through this online auction. All net proceeds from auction items will be split 50-50% between the school and the Foundation unless otherwise negotiated in advance. Please contact our office if you would like more information and we will send you an information packet.



Table and Home

You can help the Haas Foundation increase its funding while beautifying your home and giving wonderful gifts. Think how time efficient it would be to get wedding, anniversary, holiday and birthday shopping for the year finished in the next two weeks!

The owners of TableAndHome.com have offered to donate to our organization 100% of the value of all qualified purchases made on their online store, TableAndHome.com, between now and Monday, March 17th, 2008. You'll also get $1 off, no sales tax and free shipping for orders over $99! To ensure that the Haas Foundation receives the 100% donation, purchasers on TableAndHome.com must type in HAAS100 when prompted for a coupon code on the website checkout. This generous donation offer pertains to all in-stock items for the duration of the promotion.

Offer Expires: March 17, 2008

This offer is open to anyone, so please share the information and the coupon code with friends, relatives, and work associates. We'd like to thank you in advance for your support of our organization.

- Bonnie Hilory, Executive Director