My New Washboard ABS!!

I know what you're already thinking. OMG Jim, looks a LOT like Hugh Jackman…….. 

Frankly I think that goes without saying…

But what I'd like you to focus on here are the abs (and not what I am about to confess) You see the training with the TSK's is going great guns. At least it was. I climbed several "mountains" aka Long Reef golf course in the past few days but due to work commitments the training has taken a little bit of a backseat. 

The good thing is my new shorts work really well. They were all a part of the new clothing package that Julie and Alena splashed out on for my birthday. They are shorts, no pants, no shorts, no pants again….. They have a zip at the thigh so I can adjust them - and funnily enough they appear to have a duel purpose, hiking shorts one minute, appropriate attire for underneath my motorcycle gear the next!!! 

One other piece of great news is that I have been carb loading. I've heard that's great for you when you're training…… I'm not sure if chips and eating out each night (for work purposes of course) is what is meant by "carb loading", but hell, I'm giving it my all. 

So my abs and I are now thrilled to be pumped up and ready to tackle the weekend ahead. Only issue is that after a long arduous trek in the wilds of Collaroy I am ready for a nap by 2pm. I'm sure that's simply due to the long work hours and has nothing whatsoever to do with my fitness levels. 

I'm hoping that despite my likeness to Hugh, I don't get mobbed. I think I'll be OK.

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ

Days 2 and 3 The Quest for the Body Beautiful

Days 2 & 3

It occurred to me early on Saturday morning that perhaps as the time is looming closer, that I should be starting to get serious about my training. Up until now, my 'training' has consisted of walking Hugo and Xanthe my trusty side kicks (TSK's ) around the streets and possibly to the park in the mornings. Don't get me wrong, the TSK's love their morning walk - as do I, because (a) no one else in my family will do it, and (b) I get to listen to all my nerdy pod casts that trust me NO ONE wants to listen to in the rest of the house.

So, I came up with a plan…… It was genius. I devised a pure "Jim Hungerford" method of training…I got the backpack out (it now stinks so no one will be using that one again…), filled it full of weights - now let me explain "weights" I had to improvise here. Similar to MacGiver I searched the house for suitable "weights", fearing Julie would kill me if I stole out anything of substance, I resorted to …… yes filled hot water bottles…… OMG Im a genius. Then I found some old leg and arm weights that Julie had bought me in an earlier lifetime (funnily enough to avoid the whole "hot water bottle scenario" ) and I think I had a decent 10kg in total. How do I know this? because I guestimated - I'm as good as positive - of course it could have been 20kg, it felt like 50kg by the time I returned. Its a bit like catching fish - it just gets bigger.

Anyway, I got off track there for a second (must remember not to do that when I'm actually on the trail), so I set off with the TSK's and we walked for about 3kms…. Please restrain yourself from gasping. After taking the TSK's home I continued on my own with my MacGiver backpack and headed out again into the wilds of Collaroy. Only issue? it pissed down. So there I was, in my new trekking boots, my new shorts and my nerdy pod cast happily blaring away and I looked like a drowned rat. I fear this is a taste of things to come.

To be continued…….

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ

Dodging Llama spit ...

And not just with this!

In June as well as dodging llama spit, quite possibly floods and wondering if I should have laid off the chips a little bit more.

Yes its day one of my training! as you all may know by now I'm preparing to climb the Inca trail in Machu Picchu in June.

At first I thought I would just rock up there and walk it. When Julie couldn't stop laughing at me, I started to re think that plan and figured that perhaps my training should begin around now. So bear with me as I document the trials and tribulations of my "training" with you all. Because I seriously don't want to be the one left at the end of the pack everyday……..

https://shepherdcentreperuchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/HungerfordJ

The UK is launching "The Big Ask" to improve how often & how well charities ask

The Funding Commission in the UK (set up by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations) has reviewed the state of individual giving in the UK - from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009 giving declined by 12% in real terms. Our own benchmarking report of the tax campaigns of 28 Australian charities showed that between the 2009 and 2010 campaigns the money raised per donor mailed decreased by 8% (but charities contacted 11% more people so the gross still grew 2%).


The Funding Commission's response is to propose a campaign - the Big Ask - which aims to:

• Improve the quality and effectiveness of all forms of fundraising
• Help develop, support and promote innovative approaches to asking
• Promote the importance of the work of civil society organisations (CSOs)

It will do this by working to "increase the confidence and the competence of all those involved in asking for funds for charities, including trustees, chief executives, paid fundraisers, volunteer fundraisers and communications staff."

A great idea, and I just hope it works! Regardless, I'm sure we will be able to pick up many good ideas by following the process. The paper form the Commission is here:
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/Paper_7_Individual_Giving_0.pdf

 

Could regret be used to motivate donations?

I was reading the following article about the strong motivating power of feeling regretful:

http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/index.php/Kellogg/article/learning_to_use_regret/

It made me wonder - older donors are already the cornerstone of individual giving. If we asked them "do you wish you had made more of a difference to the world with your life?" (in effect) - and then offered them the opportunity to do that via supporting a charity - would they further increase their giving?

Baby photos boost response 5-fold!

Well, it may not be a traditional campaign, but a real-life study has shown that if a stranger finds a wallet, they are more than 5x likely to return it, if it contains a baby photo, compared to no photo!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6681923.ece
What would baby photos do to the response to fundraising campaigns?

Is there a dark side to Online Charity Contests?

Ian Wilhelm at the Chronicle of Philanthropy recently posted on 'The Dark Side of Online Charity Contests' - where he discussed potential downsides to online charity contests, such as staff distraction (as with much 'event' based fundraising, the return from the effort put in may be much less than the return from other fundraising activities) and the tendency that mainstream causes win (given they are in effect popularity contests).

However, if a charity has a clear focus on what outcomes they want through their participation, they can achieve tremendous results regardless of whether they end up with the financial prize. For instance, a current competition on Facebook is designed to focus on supporter involvement, rather than fundraising per se:

The small prize available reduces the incentive for large mainstream charities to focus on the competition and instead it is a forum where smaller, or less well-known, charities can feasibly mobilise their supporters to gain both presence as well as the potential for the prize.

As of the 19th December, the three leading charities were Hamlin Fistula International (from Australia); Corporación CreArte (from Chile); and the Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific. For these charities, the global awareness that has been created through their involvement in the competition, and the opportunity it provides to mobilise their supporters and increase their association with the charity, will be worth much more than $2,000.