I received a very fair question (which in hindsight, we should have addressed as part of the campaign) in connection with our current fundraising campaign, where we're seeking to raise $20,000 before the en of March.
A member of the community asked me:
In review of the $20k that the Diabetes Hand Foundation is looking to raise, I'm curious how the funds are planned to be used? It would make giving a little easier.If I type a note like this, I'm curious how many more have had the same thought and did nothing about it.
I thought it would be a good idea to share with the whole community the reply I sent out, in case there are more of you who share the same question:
The funds for the campaign are not earmarked (unless you, as a donor want to designate your donation for a specific use). When we receive non-earmarked donations, here's what happens with them:
* For every dollar donated to Diabetes Hands Foundation, 78.5 cents go towards making our Programs possible for the benefit of people touched by diabetes, 18 cents are spent in Management and Administration, and 3.5 cents go towards Fundraising efforts (such as this very type of fundraising campaign). You can read more into the past use of funds on our most recent Annual Report, covering May 1, 2010 - April 31, 2011 (our Fiscal Year will be changing starting January 2013, when we will shift to a calendar year-based Fiscal Year.)
* As we move forward, the key areas we are focusing on are:
1) TuDiabetes (in English) and EsTuDiabetes (in Spanish): our two social networks, that serve nearly 40,000 registered members and almost 200 thousand non-registered visitors every month. Thanks to the two social networks, all these people no longer feel alone in their lives with diabetes and they can connect with and learn from others like themselves.
2) Big Blue Test: a program that emphasizes the importance of physical activity for diabetes management. In the past two years, more than 10,000 people have done the Big Blue Test. As a result, just as many people with diabetes in need have received life-saving help in the form of insulin, diabetes supplies and education.
3) Diabetes Advocates: this program serves as a platform for connecting individuals and organizations that have taken a leadership role in improving the world for people touched by diabetes. Members of the program (more than 100 project in 2012) are individuals and organizations that have taken a leadership role in improving the world for people touched by diabetes (BTW, 2012 membership applications for Diabetes Advocates is open until this Sunday).
4) DHF Seeds: a fund to foster and support forward-thinking ideas to empower, connect and inform people touched by diabetes. We launched this program in 2012 to support creative ideas from members of the diabetes community focused on making a better life with diabetes possible, by providing them with an outlet and the necessary resources to help take them to the “next level” (applications to DHF Seeds are restricted to Diabetes Advocates members and US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits; applications close at 5 pm PDT, Monday, April 2, 2012).
In short, rather than looking at the disease, Diabetes Hands Foundation seeks to understand the people living with diabetes and gives them the outlets to share ideas and experiences.
Don't hesite to let me know if you have any additional questions whatsoever.