The 19th Annual Orange Effect Foundation Golf for Autism was one for the record books! On August 4th in Elyria, Ohio, friends, supporters, and golf enthusiasts gathered for a beautiful day on the course with one mission in mind...helping children with speech disorders get the therapy and technology they need to communicate. Thanks to the generosity of our golfers, sponsors, and donors, this …
A Father’s Day Reflection: Finding Voice and Purpose
Father’s Day always makes me pause ... not just as a dad, but as someone who’s witnessed firsthand what it means to fight for a child’s future.When our oldest child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Pam and I faced the fear that every parent dreads: the unknown. Would our child speak? Connect? Play? We didn’t know. What we did know was that we’d do anything to help. That journey led us to …
Opportunities in Communication
I listened to an interesting podcast interview with someone named Chris Sacca on the Tim Ferris podcast (of Four-Hour Workweek fame). Chris seems to be one of those technology innovators that are in all the important meetings. He meets with leaders at ChatGPT, Microsoft, Google and all the rest. In the interview, Chris was asked what he thinks the career paths of the future will be. He …
Consistency Is Everything
I’ve been teaching marketers the practice of content marketing for over 20 years. The idea with content marketing is a little different from advertising. For advertising, a company pays to promote their product or service in the form of an ad on someone else’s website, a television ad, a billboard, etc. With content marketing, the company creates valuable and relevant content to help …
Board Member Spotlight: Joe Pulizzi
One of my passions is golf. Ever since I got to the age where I couldn’t hit a fastball, golf became my sport of choice. Golf was the game where I spent two hours with my dad on a Saturday morning or four hours on a Sunday with my friends. Or a random nine holes somewhere on a discounted Wednesday afternoon. For the past 20 years I’ve been in a golf league (St. Bridget’s) where I had the …
What Would You Golf 100 Holes For?
I’m turning 50 this year. I’m taking it pretty well so far. The only new thing I have committed to is running my first marathon. I’m following a pretty strict training schedule so that I can actually finish the entire 26.2 miles. Another “marathon” I have done the past three years is Orange Effect’s 100 Holes of Golf fundraiser. Trust me, trying to complete 100 holes of golf in ONE day is …
Orange Blessings: Six Things I’m Thankful For
It’s that time of year. Each of us has the opportunity to sit back, close our eyes, and be aware of all the blessings in our lives. At Orange Effect Foundation (OEF) we are thankful for so much. I believe a list is in order (don’t you love listing blog posts). Well, here you go: This year marks the 8th year of OEF’s existence. Pam and I initially launched the concept in 2007 when we worked …
Orange Effect Board Member Spotlight: Joe Pulizzi
Today's spotlight is on Orange Effect Foundation co-founder and fundraising chair, Joe Pulizzi. What do you do for your day job? Most importantly, I do what my wife has for me on the calendar. I spend most of my days working with content creators trying to help them build a business for themselves (at The Tilt). This involves writing articles, producing podcasts and organizing events …
Never Giving Up
It was April of 2020. The world was in a bad situation because of COVID-19. There was a lot of pain in too many places. Small not-for-profits weren't spared. At the time, the Orange Effect Foundation raised money through its annual golf event (OEF Golf for Autism) and through generous individual and corporate donations. At that particular moment, many of the donations dried up. I'm sure you …
The Best Speech Therapy Example Is No Example At All
At The Orange Effect Foundation, the board does an amazing job of contributing to the newsletter and blog. It’s important to our business model and the community. This week, of course, is my turn. And as such, I was sitting at lunch with my oldest son asking him what he thought I should write. It went like this: Me – What should I write for OEF this week? Son – I don’t …
100 Holes of Golf Marathon
Last year, it was desperate times in the fundraising space. Of course, this was not only for Orange Effect Foundation, but for almost every not-for-profit organization who survived on in-person fundraisers. During and after the lockdowns, we were unsure whether we'd be able to run our biggest fundraiser in August, our annual OEF Golf for Autism. In addition, donations were harder to come by …
A Personalized Approach to Fundraising
I had the opportunity to participate in a study regarding making large contributions to non-profits and foundations. During the study, I found out that a lot of donors feel the same way I do...they just want to know that what they give is making an impact and is used for how it was intended. From that study, I received a call from the New York Times for an interview. During the interview, I …
