Valley Gives

Today our community comes together for Valley Gives.  We need you to join us!

What is Valley Gives?  It’s 24 hours of unprecedented local nonprofit giving- and it’s your chance to make a real difference, right here in our community.

There are many great organizations that make the Pioneer Valley an amazing place to live and work.  If you love helping people realize their true potential, then we hope you will consider supporting New England Business Associates on Valley Gives Day.

By showing your love for NEBA through Valley Gives, you will help sustain an organization that works each day to ensure that individuals with disabilities have an opportunity to gain meaningful employment and experience life more fully.

Please participate in this great event today, 12/12/12.  You can find New England Business Associates at http://www.razoo.com/NEBA

Start your 2013 business plan in place, now!

Get your business receipts and invoices organized!

 Yes, it is time to start planning your tax return.

 To maximize your deductions, make your tax deductible donations before December 31^st.  If you plan to give a donation to an organization, now is the time to do it and get a possible reduction in your 2012 taxes.  Use a credit card or check, the preferred way to donate, as you have a paper trail to document your financial gift. A cash gift cannot be documented unless you receive a receipt.

 For those business owners who do the bookkeeping, start now to collect the receipts and invoices needed for completing your 2012 tax return.  Analyze the information to determine how profitable your business was in 2012.  Now you can plan for a more profitable 2013. 

January 1^st is not far away. This is when most people make their New Year’s resolutions for change.   This is an excellent time to make those business changes that you believe will make more profit.

 Reviewing sales invoices from 2012 will reveal how many sales (customers) you had as well as the revenue collected.   Did you have more customer contacts in 2012 than in 2011?  This information is key to knowing if the business is growing.  How many new customers? How many returning customers?  AN increase in revenue does NOT tell the whole story.

Did revenue per customer go up over 2011?  Except for a price increase in your product or service, the goal should be for a larger average sale per customer from year to year.

 Knowing the operating costs for 2012 indicates where operating changes may be needed, either to reduce or increase expenditures in a particular area of the operation.  Knowing 2012 costs assists in deciding to hire more staff, let staff go, increase technology purchases.  Each change requires a statement of outcome so that the change can be measured December, 2013, for impact and ongoing practice.

 If you have no method for tracking sales or costs, contact SCORE for assistance in developing this business process.  SCORE can be found in your local phone book and is a free service of the US Small Business Association.

 The economy is growing. Markets are now generating revenue.  A business plan with  growth goals or stated revenue for 2013 can mean a more profitable business for you. 

 Get started……review those receipts and statements from 2012; analyze what they mean to you.  Know where you have been so you can plan where to go next. 

 

The Spirit of Giving

Giving can take on many forms.  One may give another a material gift or else something intangible such as a compliment.  Perhaps a person may  give the gift of a smile or a pat on the back for a job well done.  There are many who wish to give something back to a person or organization that has made an impact on their lives, and many who give without the knowledge that they are even doing so.  Giving is a natural part of living and we all take part in it on some level.

With the holiday season upon us we begin to think of gifts to give to our loved ones.  We try to capture their essence in the gifts we select and hope that the gifts will bring smiles to their faces.  We feel joy when a gift we gave is well received and that in itself is a gift from the recipient.  The giver and the recipient both feel happy because of the gift .

Every day people give each other  compliments for many reasons.  Perhaps a person is dressed nicely or maybe they did really well on a project.  Compliments are yet another way to give.  They put smiles on people’s faces which in turn are gifts to the person who gave the compliment.  Even something so small as a smile or a pat on the back can be enough to turn a person’s day from dark to light; yet another way to give a gift.

For so many of us the need to give back to either a person or an organization is strong. At NEBA we are touched daily by our co-workers and those we support.  We may choose to give back to them in any of the ways above mentioned.  We feel the need to show them how much they mean to us and whatever our method of doing so we are giving them a gift.   Likewise we might feel the need to give back to an organization which we feel deserves credit for what they do.  We may choose to volunteer or make a donation to show our support.  We acknowledge their positive presence within our community and support their mission.

Giving is a way to make not only the recipient happy, but also the giver.  It can change a persons day and remind them that they are cared for.  Giving is a true expression of gratitude and we all have something to be grateful for.

Valley Gives

On 12/12/12 our community will come together for Valley Gives.  We need you to join us!

What is Valley Gives?  It is 24 hours of unprecedented LOCAL non-profit giving-and it’s your chance to make a real difference, right here in our community.

There are many great organizations that make the Pioneer Valley an amazing place to live and work.  If you love helping people realize their true potential, then we hope you will consider supporting New England Business Associates on Valley Gives Day.

By showing your love for NEBA through Valley Gives, you will help sustain an organization that works each day to ensure that individuals with disabilities have an opportunity to gain meaningful employment and experience life more fully.

Please participate in this great event by marking 12/12/12 on your calendar with a note to visit http://www.razoo.com/NEBA

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Thank you

Thank you…….

 

To be thankful…a state of gratitude and relief

 The presidential elections are behind us and we may be considering how the outcome affects us.  Because we live in a country where the rule of law prevails, political transition is hardly noticed.  The roads are available for use, in most cases at no direct cost. Communication lines are open.  We can watch TV, talk on the phone and use the internet.   For many countries this might not be the situation after a national election.  The threat of a post US election coup is not the norm.

 Our sense of security comes from our democratic tradition….thank you

 

Many of us are getting ready for the winter weather ahead.  For most of us that means getting the winter garments out of storage, putting up the storm windows and doors, piling up wood for heat.  Most of us are sheltered with some level of comfort and warmth.  We have the convenience of running water and indoor bathroom facilities.  Going to the grocery store to purchase what we need or want is a regular event.

 The US economy allows many to have a quality life …. thank you

 

To those who have limited or no access to the benefits of this country, there are organizations dedicated to assisting others in obtaining the basics of life.  At this time of the year they are working harder than ever to provide heat, food, clothing, as well as shelter to many who are unable to provide fully for themselves.  It is this non-profit sector of the economy that continues to give hope and a future to many individuals.  This is the time to assist these organizations so they can continue to provide for our neighbors in need during the cold months of winter and throughout the year. 

 “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” 

JFK, 1963                       

 To assist others in their time of need is an opportunity to grow…….thank you

  

The national holiday of Thanksgiving is a collective “thank you”.    Enjoy the holiday and consider your gifts.   

 

 

 

 

 

Put Your Best Face Forward

As human service workers assisting people with disabilities in finding and maintaining employment, we are required to follow a dress code. One of the reasons for this is that we want to be taken seriously by prospective or familiar employers. The way we present ourselves may be the difference between a person gaining a new position, or having a door figuratively, “slammed in their face”. We are the stewards between work and the people we support and it is imperative that we look presentable when out in the community.

Another reason for dressing presentably is that we want to be positive role models for the people we serve. Because of the stigma related to disability we want the folks we work with to dress well so that they are seen in a positive light. A person wearing a mickey mouse shirt to a job interview will be less likely to land the position than a person who arrives wearing business or business casual clothing. It is part of our job to help the people we support recognize the difference.

If we take the time to put our best face forward when arriving at work, those we serve will be more likely to understand the importance of it. If we want to show people with disabilities in a positive light, it is necessary that we take care of ourselves first.

Jobs as Socially Valued Roles

When one meets a new person, there is invariably a dialogue about what each person “does”. Typically jobs are discussed, but in the case that one of the parties does not have a job perhaps a volunteer or a care-giving position are spoken about. When either of the people are lacking these socially valued roles there might be a standstill in the conversation. Perhaps there may even be a judgment made by the working party that the other person is lazy or un-motivated. More often than not, however, the person who does not work has a good reason for it.

When looking at the statistics regarding people with disabilities, it is plain to see that they are a population lacking in opportunities for work. Often times they are discriminated against due to their impairment and not seen for the whole person they truly are. Other times they are hired only for part-time or menial work because of their disability; yet another form of discrimination. I once heard a woman say that people with disabilities are hired for the three F’s: food, flowers, and filth. I would add to that bagging groceries and stocking shelves. Again, forms of discrimination. It’s almost as if employers can’t see past the disability to the unique individual standing in front of them. If they did, they might see that the person is capable of so much more than they are being given credit for.

Socially valued roles are an integral part of our society. People receive their sense of self worth in part because of the roles they play in the world. When one has a job they love it makes them feel better about themselves than if they were merely sitting on a couch twiddling their thumbs all day. Additionally, a person might be a student, a volunteer, or a care-giver and gain the same satisfaction from it. The difference between having a volunteer job and a paid job though, is not only the pay-check but the satisfaction of knowing that one is a contributing member of society; making money as well as paying taxes that help the country go ‘round .

Many roles may be considered socially valued, that of parent or child, mentor or mentee, musician or artist. None however compare to that of worker. It’s just how our country functions. People value one another based upon whether or not they are a contributing member of society. That is why it is imperative to make more jobs available to people with disabilities. Not only jobs, but jobs that fit the person. They are already part of the marginalized populations within our country and we need to make a change that will showcase people with disabilities as hard workers. Workers who are doing what they love and squashing stereotypes that they are unable to work.

- Bridgid Preston