When I’m up on stage in front of the crowd, I can see a lot, but I can’t see everything. Even though I’m proud of all the good that Baker Auction Company does, sometimes the greatest acts of kindness happen behind the scenes. No matter how much you think you know about your event, there’s a good chance you don’t know everything. Recently, we were hosting an auction for a scholarship foundation. About a week before the auction, the father of a well-known family in the community tragically died in a farming accident. He left behind a wife and five kids. I knew the family, but I didn’t know that some of his kids and their aunts and uncles were at the auction that night. We started warming up the crowd with a card game where players had a chance to win a cash prize, and a little girl won $500 playing the game. I found out later that she was one of the farmer’s kids. Then, about halfway through the evening, we started the bidding for one of the night’s big-ticket items: a purebred doodle puppy. Stories From the Stage Not Every Act of Kindness Happens Where We Can See It For a lot of kids out there, all it takes is one dedicated mentor to launch them into a bright, successful future. At the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada, that’s what we try to provide for the kids in our community. If you’re not already familiar with the work Big Brothers Big Sisters does nationwide, we pair kids, ages 6–14, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds with adult mentors for an entire year. Many of these kids come from single-parent households, and around 65%–70% come from households where English is not the primary language spoken. It’s our passion to give these kids opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have through mentorship. With such an important mission, we want to make sure we have the resources to continue our mentorship programs. I was fortunate enough to see Baker Auction Company in action at a fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Club in Bend, Oregon, back in 2018. I was impressed with their energy onstage and how they could engage a room and get the audience invested in an organization’s mission. When I went back to Reno, I told my team about And Helping Disadvantaged Youths Go to College Topping Their Own Fundraising Records If you’ve ever worked with us before, you know we like to start the bidding low. We started off at $100, knowing full well it would go for way more.
Is That Picture Worth $1,000? How to Avoid Copyright Infringement for Your Organization
We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and for organizations like yours, this is especially true. Images used on a website and in marketing materials contribute to a specific vision and encourage customers to buy into a service, product, or give at your next gala. However, obtaining and using those images requires much more than a quick search on Google. To make the biggest splash while avoiding heavy penalties that can tank your business, follow these tips when searching for images. Presume all images are protected by copyright. Never assume that an image you find while browsing the internet is free to use. It may be easy to download one you like and use it on your website, social media account, or blog, but it can have devastating consequences. Someone who wrongfully uses copyright material worth at least $2,500 may face up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines according to federal statute. Play it safe by assuming every image or photograph you find online is protected by copyright law. Always ask permission for use. Even if an image isn’t under copyright, you still might not have permission to use it. Find the source of the image, and inquire about using it for your own organization. The image itself may have certain conditions you need to meet before you can use it. For instance, a licensing agreement may require you to pay a fee, give credit to the original creator, or guarantee the image’s use as-is without further alteration. In other instances, ask the photographer, designer, or artist for permission to use the image and agree to include a watermark or a link to their website. Find and use free images instead. Several websites, such as Pexels, Pixabay, and Morguefile, provide hundreds of photos for organizations to use for free and without worry of copyright infringement. Creative Commons is also a great resource to consult. This nonprofit provides free licenses and tools that make copyright material easy to understand. You may need to meet some agreements under a Creative Commons license, but afterwards, you can access and use numerous photos.
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