(BDA group 122319)
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Our 2023 Outreach Projects
#1 — We sent both of DA's books to 19 locations of Bridge of Hope — https://bridgeofhopeinc.org/locations/ — which helps families avoid homelessness. We followed up with one single email to all locations and program managers, asking them to share our free literature offer with their service recipients. Our cost was $568.07.
#2 — We sent 124 one-page FAXs to all available US Bankruptcy Court trustee executives and regional offices, plus to all of the credit counseling agencies and financial management education providers certified by the US Bankruptcy Court system, asking them to share our free literature offer whenever they have the opportunity. Our cost was $19.99 from our tech fund for 800 one-page FAXs per month; we will renew at $34.99 for 1,000 pages per month.
#3 — We sent 37 emails to various eviction resolution and dispute resolution agencies throughout the state of Washington. If you have access to multi-page lists of tenant eviction resources for other states, as either a tenant or landlord, please send them to bdaworkshops@gmail.com so that we can reach out and offer our message of hope to folks who are experiencing significant financial difficulties and may be compulsive debtors like us.
#4 — We sent 64 one-page FAXs to all available state substance abuse and mental health agencies at https://findtreatment.gov/state-agencies. Those two agencies share a FAX in most states, but we sent two wherever there were two FAX numbers available.
#5 — We sent emails to all of the primary international (to us) associations of social workers listed by the International Federation of Social Workers at https://www.ifsw.org/about-ifsw/our-members/, who had available email addresses on their web pages. Our emails introduced Debtors Anonymous to these associations, including several important links at debtorsanonymous.org. Of the 139 countries listed on the web page above, there were email addresses, often multiple email addresses, for 103 of the relevant social worker associations. That is: 25 African countries; 23 Asia Pacific countries; 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries (this is where Mexico is listed); 37 European countries; and Canada.
#6 — We sent both of DA's books to 56 locations (including one international advocacy branch) and the US Headquarters of the National Association of Social Workers — https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Chapters/Find-a-Chapter — which is the largest organization for social workers in the world with more than 150,000 members. Our cost was $1,707.67.
#7 — We made our initial outreach to the National Association of Black Social Workers — https://www.nabsw.org/page/ActiveChapters — by sending both of DA's books to the National Office Manager at their National Headquarters. We have asked the Office Manager to take a look at DA's books and to provide us with a list of chapter addresses and phone numbers if he thinks these books are something they would be interested in having and referring to members and members' clients. We count 77 chapters on their website. At our average $30 per mailing, including sales tax and free shipping, we're looking at $2,310 for this mailing once we have the list of addresses.
#8 — We sent 67 one-page FAXs to all available county directors of the Alabama Department of Human Resources listed at https://dhr.alabama.gov/county-office-contact/.
#9 — We sent 50 one-page FAXs to all available counties in California's Department of Social Services listed at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/county-offices.
#10 — We sent 48 one-page FAXs to all available counties in Colorado's Department of Human Services listed at https://cdhs.colorado.gov/our-partners/counties/contact-your-county-human-services-department.
#11 — We sent 70 one-page FAXs to all available counties in Florida's Department of Children and Families listed at https://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/access/map.shtml.
#12 — We sent 130 one-page FAXs to all available counties in Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services listed at https://dfcs.georgia.gov/locations.
#13 — We shared three phone calls, two more emails, and a FAX with the National Office Manager of the National Association of Black Social Workers — https://www.nabsw.org/page/ActiveChapters. We discussed the possibility of receiving a list of addresses and phone numbers for the 77 chapters on their website. That list will not be made available. On the other hand, the National Office Manager is willing to ask the President of the NABSW if we could provide books for each of the 360 estimated registrant packets for their upcoming 55th annual conference in Chicago in early April. At the wholesale price of $10 per book from the GSO, plus 10% sales tax and 10% shipping, we're looking at $4,320 for this distribution of conference-approved literature to 360 social workers. Any related earmarked donations are welcome.
#14 — We sent 90 of the outreach brochures we had designed and printed (for our Outreach to Veterans project in October 2022) to a fellow DA member in Pennsylvania, who will be distributing the brochures in her local county courthouse. We will happily provide outreach brochures — in bundles of 45 — to any DA or BDA member who asks. However, we beg of you not to request the brochures then leave them in your car, on your desk, near your fireplace, under your bird, etc.
#15 — We sent 21 one-page FAXs to all available processing centers in Hawaii's Human Services system listed at https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/bessd/files/2012/12/Statewide-processing-Centers-1.26.15.pdf.
#16 — We sent 72 one-page FAXs to all available Family Community Resource Centers in Illinois' Department of Human Services listed at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?module=12.
#17 — We're a go on providing DA conference-approved books for the participant packets for the 55th Annual NABSW National Conference -- https://web.cvent.com/event/c447ebfa-24dd-4ec4-b0dc-136fe1d493ac/summary?rt=trnT8QLMaUKaea5XqN14Cg. Here are the details so far:
Their early bird registration closes on March 3rd, to which they usually add 100 more to project for late and onsite registrations. We'll be following up on March 6th to get their estimated attendance. For now, we're still working with 350 as our base, rounded to 360 because DA's books come in boxes of 20 when paying the lowest price of $10 per book.
Having seen the books, the National Office Manager thinks that sending half A Currency of Hope and half 12, 12, and 12 is the way to go. (We asked for his suggestion.) He will let their registrants know that a second book is available by request via our website, which will increase awareness of our literature offer and provide for more outreach engagement with helping professionals.
We would like to order the books on or as close to March 6th as possible, giving the GSO time to receive a billpay check, to prepare the order, and to get the books shipped to Chicago. We're guessing the hotel will accept the books a week before their conference starts but no sooner, and we'll want to give the GSO as wide a window as possible.
For anyone prepared to make a donation to this effort, our estimated cost as stated above is $4,320. Please make your contributions between March 1st and 5th if possible. That way we'll receive the money and spend it in the same month without reporting big swings in our PI fund balance or on our balance sheet.
#18 — We sent individual emails to each of the six active zone presidents listed at https://www.parentswithoutpartners.org/HTML/contact.html.
#19 — We sent 83 one-page FAXs to all available DHS Offices AND Child Support Recovery Units in Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services listed at https://hhs.iowa.gov/dhs_office_locator.
#20 — We received a follow up reply to our outreach to International Federation of Social Workers at https://www.ifsw.org/about-ifsw/our-members/, from a social worker in Mexico. We responded to offer her our two conference-approved books, which was not part of the original outreach project
#21 — We have ordered 500 DA conference-approved books for the participant packets for the 55th Annual NABSW National Conference -- https://web.cvent.com/event/c447ebfa-24dd-4ec4-b0dc-136fe1d493ac/summary?rt=trnT8QLMaUKaea5XqN14Cg. Here are the most recent details:
Their early bird registration closed on March 3rd with 391 pre-registrations, to which we've agreed to add 100 more to project for late and onsite registrations. This is an expansion from our earlier estimate of 350 books, yet we are fully funded for this project, in fact the project is fully self-supporting, donations in are equal to expenses out, based strictly on generous contributions from individual BDA members.
Our cost for this project, 500 books shipped from GSO to NABSW's conference hotel in Chicago, is $5,544. Thank you to God and to our BDA fellows!
#22 — We sent both of DA's books to the 2 locations (Dallas and Phoenix) of Helping Hands for Single Moms — https://helpinghandsforsinglemoms.org/. Our cost was $60.72.
#23 — We sent both of DA's books to The Life of a Single Mom (Baton Rouge, LA) — https://thelifeofasinglemom.com/. Our cost was $30.78.
#24 — We sent both of DA's books to the 5 regional offices (San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and Atlanta) of Mercy Housing — https://www.mercyhousing.org/regional-offices/. Our cost was $153.41.
#25 — We sent both of DA's books to The Single Mom KC (Overland Park, KS) — https://www.thesinglemomkc.org/. Our cost was $30.62.
#26 — We sent both of DA's books to Single Parent Advocate (Carrollton, TX) — https://singleparentadvocate.org/. Our cost was $30.32.
#27 — We sent both of DA's books to Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families (London, UK) — https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/. Our cost was $29.23.
#28 — We sent both of DA's books to Fellowship Housing (Hoffman Estates, IL) — https://www.fhcmoms.org/. Our cost was $30.80.
#29 — We sent both of DA's books to 38 food banks in the Feeding America network — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank — covering 12 western states (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico; Wyoming is served by Spokane, WA). Our cost was $1,145.19.
#30 — We sent both of DA's books to Arukah, a transitional housing program for men (Livermore, CA) — https://www.arukahweb.org/. Our cost was $30.88.
#31 — We sent both of DA's books to 36 food banks in the Feeding America network — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank — covering 12 states in the Central time zone (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky). Our cost was $1,088.06.
#32 — We sent follow-up emails to 36 food banks in the Feeding America network — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank — covering 12 states in the Central time zone (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky), letting them know their books were on the way, and why we had sent them.
#33 — We sent both of DA's books to 33 food banks in the Feeding America network — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank — covering 5 southern states in the Central time zone (Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama). Our cost was $998.84.
Last in this series of outreach projects, we will send DA's books to an estimated 100 food banks in the Feeding America network in the Eastern time zone. Our estimated cost will be $3,100.
#34 — We sent follow-up emails to 33 food banks in the Feeding America network — https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank — covering 5 southern states in the Central time zone (Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama), letting them know their books were on the way, and why we had sent them.
#35 — We sent both of DA's books to 19 Bishops / Episcopal Districts of the African Methodist Episcopal Church — https://www.ame-church.com/leadership/bishops-of-the-church/ — as a first action in a larger vision of inviting many more people of color to our fellowship and recovery from compulsive debting. Our cost was $573.40.
#36 — We sent follow-up emails to 19 Bishops / Episcopal Districts of the African Methodist Episcopal Church — https://www.ame-church.com/leadership/bishops-of-the-church/ — letting them know their books were on the way, and why we had sent them.