• Feb. 19-21: Youth Fest, Monument
• Feb. 23-27: Western Regional 4-H Leaders' Forum, Sacramento, CA
• March 8: 4-H Youth Fund Board meeting
• March 15: CWF applications due
• March 18: Urban Expansion proposals due
• April 1-6: National 4-H Conference, Washington, D.C.

• South Central 4-H Leader Training information

South Central 4-H Leader Training

Attached with this week's 4-H Update is an informational brochure and registration materials for the upcoming leader's training in Pueblo. Save the date for Saturday, March 12, at the CSU Pueblo, Occhiato Student Center. The registration fee is $25 if received by March 1. Workshops include:

• Changes in Record Books (a.m. only)
• Horse Levels I & II (a.m. and p.m.)
• Dog Project (a.m. only)
• Foods and Nutrition (a.m. only)
• Outdoor Adventure (p.m. only)
• Veterinary Science (p.m. only)

For further information please contact the Pueblo County Extension office at 719.583.6566. - Ellen Butler

4-Hers Recognized With Spirit of Community Awards

Two 4-H members from Colorado were honored by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program that recognizes young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism. Twenty-one 4-H members were among the 104 young people named State Honorees. Another 22 4-Hers out of a total of 236 students nationwide were named Distinguished Finalists.

State Honoree: Congratulations to Landon Bergner, 18, of Holyoke (Phillips County). Landon, a senior at Holyoke High School, designed and implemented an extensive anti-tobacco education program to warn other young people about the dangers of tobacco products and secondhand smoke. He embarked on his project after a survey at his school revealed that half of all juniors and seniors had smoked cigarettes. "Knowing that eight out of ten teens who try tobacco will get hooked on it, I decided something had to be done to educate teens about the risks involved," he said.

After discussing the issue with school officials, Landon spent six months researching the harmful effects of tobacco. He then wrote and presented a multi-media presentation at school assemblies and state and national leadership conferences, and created an interactive computer CD for every high school and junior high student in his town. With grants of more than $6,000 and help from more than 80 volunteers, Landon also organized a tobacco education fair, cleaned up cigarette butts around schools and parks, built an anti-tobacco float for the homecoming parade, and produced public service announcements for local radio stations. Now in its third year, Landon's program, called "Tobacco: the Unfiltered Truth," has drawn accolades from school administrators and regional health officials. "Community service not only changes the way your peers and community perceive you, but more importantly, it changes the way you perceive yourself," Landon said. "It not only builds a stronger community, it builds a stronger YOU!"

Distinguished Finalist: Congratulations to Oriana Beemer, 16, of Loveland (Larimer County). Oriana, a junior at Mountain View High School, formed a knitting club that teaches high school students how to knit and crochet hats and other items for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. She solicited donations of knitting supplies, recruited volunteer knitting and crocheting teachers, promoted the club and oversaw the efforts of 100 students from three area high schools.

State Honorees receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, from April 30 to May 3 for several days of national recognition events. Ten of the State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers for 2005 at that time. Each of the Distinguished Finalists will receive an engraved bronze medallion. More than 20,000 high school and middle level students across the country were considered for this year's awards.

"Over the past 10 years, we've seen an incredible number of young Americans who have selflessly devoted their time and energy to helping others in their communities," said Arthur F. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "The volunteer work of this year's honorees is as inspiring as any we've seen, and we are honored to recognize the amazing contributions they've made to their neighborhoods, their cities and our nation."

The awards program is conducted by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Information on the volunteer activities of all of the State Honorees can be found at www.prudential.com/spirit or at www.principals.org/awards/prudential.cfm.

Congratulations to Landon and Oriana for a job well done! - Ellen Butler

Fund-Raising Advice from Both Sides of the Desk

By Jane Quinn

I remember those halcyon days when I didn't have to worry about where money came from. I started my youth work career in the protected employ of a city government, where others were charged with securing program funds. When I subsequently moved into the nonprofit sector, I experienced a baptism by fire. After two weeks on the job, I found myself on a plane to Cleveland where my sole assignment was to ask a kindly philanthropist for $25,000. We had a lovely lunch, during which I tried to muster the courage to ask for the grant. By the time dessert arrived, I still hadn't popped the question, causing him to inquire, "So when are you going to ask me for the money?" So I did. He said yes. And I was off to the races.

But I wish I'd known then all that I've learned in the intervening years - on both sides of the desk, as both a grant-seeker and grant-maker.

After my maiden voyage to Cleveland, I spent the next 10 years raising funds for youth programs as part of my jobs at the Center for Population Options (now Advocates for Youth) and Girls Clubs of America (now Girls Inc.). Then I took a decade-long break from soliciting funds to work for two philanthropies: the Carnegie Corp. of New York and the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund (now Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds). Two years ago, I returned to program development and fund-raising.

Here are a few things I've learned along the way about seeking grants:

• Do your homework. The object of foundation research is to find a fit between its priorities and yours. The Internet has made this work easier but it's still work - relentless, ongoing work.

 
• Find out how much money a foundation has. This never occurred to me as a neophyte fund-raiser. But it matters whether a foundation's grants budget is $5 million or $50 million - and also whether its assets are moving up or down.

 
• Take no for an answer. The most annoying experience I had as a grant-maker was getting arguments from grant-seekers about how their project actually fit our guidelines or why our guidelines were off base.

 
• Don't make end-runs. The second most annoying behavior I encountered was back-door approaches from potential grantees who contacted board members when our guidelines clearly stated that staff did the screening and recommending. If a particular source's process isn't clear, ask, "How does your foundation like to be approached?" But don't ask that question if you don't intend to follow the advice.

 
• Stay in touch. Things change, at their end and at yours. Although it's not inevitable that you will eventually find a fit, it is possible.

 
• Ask for feedback. Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of fit but something else. Find out what. Grant-makers are often in a strong position to help you improve your work.

 
• Cultivate relationships. Help funders learn about your organization by inviting program officers to visit and adding them to your organization's list to receive appropriate mailings.

Also, here are some tips for maintaining relationships once you secure a grant:

• Do what you promised. My biggest surprise as a funder was discovering that some organizations just didn't deliver. It's better to exceed modest goals than to underachieve on ambitious ones.

 
• Provide regular reports. Grantees who are thinking long- term take care to submit timely narrative and financial reports.

 
• Ask permission if you need to change the plan. Most funders have established processes for authorizing changes - sometimes called budget or program modifications.

 
• Don't forget to say thank you. Good manners are also good business. Give credit where credit is due. Make sure you understand how each foundation wants its grant acknowledged publicly, and make sure you get the correct spelling of its name. I was amazed to see how many variations there could be for the name "DeWitt Wallace- Reader's Digest Fund."

Jane Quinn is assistant executive director for community schools at the Children's Aid Society in New York City. janeq@childrensaidsociety.org - Jan Carroll