$10,000 Grant Awarded to C.A.S.T.

This just in! A grant, written by AE, was awarded to the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation from the First Financial Northwest Foundation Fund in the sum of $10,000. Wonderful news!! This money will go directly toward supporting local fishing programs hosted by C.A.S.T. for special needs children.

Thank you FFNWFF and Renton Community Foundation.

Meet n' greet with author Gini Cunningham!

Join recently published educator & author Virginia Cunningham, discussing her objectives behind "The New Teacher's Companion: Practical Wisdom for Succeeding in the Classroom"
Thursday, Jan. 14^th, 2010
5:30-7pm
Patsy Clark's Mansion, French Room
2208 West 2nd Avenue Spokane, WA 99201

Gini Cunningham, Masters in Education, Board Certified in Early Adolescent/Adolescent English/Language Arts 5-8 Secondary Education, with 30 years of K-12 teaching experience is the author of The New Teacher's Companion (published by ASCD 11/09) and several other educational resources. Gini will be in Spokane on Jan 14^th to discuss her new book and her objectives behind her energized work.

Please join us for some drinks and apps and meet and chat with Gini. 10% discount on books purchased at the event. Visit www.energizedlearning.net to learn more about her services and resources.

MUST RSVP to Andrea Estes at andrea@ae-consulting.net, or call 206-355-7514. Everyone welcome, education professionals encouraged, and there's NO COST to attend. LIMITED SEATING available.

C.A.S.T. awarded $3,000 from Nysether Family Foundation

Excellent news as we near the end of this financially challenging year, the Nysether Family Foundation awarded a $3,000 grant written by AE to support the C.A.S.T. Program through the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation!

Emphasis in Nysether's awards is given to those orgs that are dedicated to improving the quality of life and services available for local youth, seniors, and developmentally challenged individuals of all ages and preserving our quality of life by advocating the intrinsic value of animal life in our environment and the conservation and preservation of our natural landscapes while recognizing the private property rights of others.

Thank you Nysether Family Foundation for your generous support to a wonderful foundation that serves our special needs children teaching them how to fish!

Tips on Donating During the Time for Giving

The end of the year has approached us and there are several nonprofit organizations that are in need. As an individual and/or a company there are many factors that can play a role in your giving objectives. This is entirely a personal decision and cannot be swayed in any direction based upon one issue alone. However, here are some things to consider when choosing where you allocate your funds and some guiding tips:

1. Do you want to support local needs or reach a wider demographic? Often your local, smaller nonprofits can easily get overlooked yet have a great need and return it straight back to your local community. Run a Google Search for your area, example "Spokane Nonprofits", or check with a local chamber, or call AE to help provide direction.

2. Folks will typically look at a charity's overhead percentage to quickly determine if they allocate their money wisely. This is not a tell-all factor and is not an accurate litmus test. Call the charity or drop them an email and ask where your donation goes! Then use your judgement from there. Understand that charities have to run similar to businesses in our current era and do need operating support...this is often the hardest funding to attain, yet the most valuable in building a better nonprofit org.

3. Do check that your donation is being made to a 501(c)3 and obtain a receipt for tax-deduction purposes. Ask to be put on their email/mailing list for updated communication on their efforts. This helps you as a donor stay informed.

These tips will help guide you on your giving during this wonderful holiday season and in the future!

Northwest Heating & Cooling has an updated site!

AE Consulting re-wrote the copy for NWHC's web site! Check it out. We tightened up the content, added in some optimization strategies, and are excited to see the results. We'll do an analysis of the site in few months to track the progress. Stay tuned...

New Client: Affinity Investments in Tacoma, WA

AE is looking forward to working with Affinity Investments Inc., a commercial real estate firm based in Tacoma, WA. Affinity is in their 3rd year of business and has hired AE to provide guidance on developing a marketing mix to support their growing business! Keep an eye out for http://www.affinityinvest.com/

C.A.S.T. wins $1000 from Renton Rotary

AE was told today that their grant request was honored by the Renton Rotary and C.A.S.T. for Kids will receive $1,000 toward its programs!!

New client: NW Heating & Cooling

AE has brought on NW Heating & Cooling as a new client! Owner Christine Day has hired AE for web-based marketing support and research for Women Owned Business grants and contract prospects. We are excited about our partnership and the projects ahead. Welcome NW Heating & Cooling.

Finally! Some positive news about the economy...

Although coming out of our economic downturn will be slow, our progress is noteworthy. Attached is a BBC article discussing global progress and some leading factors.

21st Century Marketing ROI Made Clear

From TopRank Online Marketing Blog:
I’ve been in the business of SEO for about 12 years and have worked with hundreds of companies of all sizes. I cannot be anything but biased towards the benefits of optimizing web sites to improve visibility in search and the commercial outcomes that can result. Read On

Raising Start-Up Capital

Good article from Inc.com with ideas and inspiration for start-ups and entrepreneurs!

Working wirelessly: What you need to know

Many companies are making the leap to wireless networks in the office for both financial savings in overall equipment and sheer convenience for their employees. They also often provide mobile PCs with wireless capabilities to their employees so that they can be productive anytime anywhere, hence enhancing the company's bottom-line.

Video on Grant Funding and the Need for Operations Funding

Finding operational funding is a shared challenge amongst all nonprofits. Rest assured, there is a wave of advocacy directed toward grant makers to help them understand that when money is allocated toward programs, there is a strong need for money to be allocated toward the resources that run and manage those programs too!

An Editor's Added Value

Assisting in the editing of client materials is Cara Lorello. Cara is a former newspaper reporter and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English & Technical Communications from EWU. Her multi-faceted news writing & editing experience provides a strong added value to AE's services.

Welcome to AE's Blog

Welcome to AE's Sharing for Small Businesses & Nonprofits Blog!

AE follows several web posts, news feeds, and other blogs about current business news & trends and will be sharing the ones that are important to our clients.

You'll see recent articles on economic & industry trends, funding news, technology trends, AE's client success stories, and other business opportunities & events in the Washington area.

Feel free to sign-up, follow, and comment on our posts...and don't hesitate to make a recommendation for certain topics you feel are share-worthy.

It's difficult to keep up with all the information out there and the changing trends in business. Let AE help narrow it down for you & help keep you competitive in your market!