This blog deals with my efforts to start a charitable organization in Augusta, Georgia to help promote visitations and friendships between volunteers and lonely senior citizens. If you decide to start a charity in your community, you may have a totally different purpose, or goal, which you want to achieve. Regardless of the purpose, or goal, one of your first tasks should be for you to research the need for such a charity in your community. Obviously, if you determine that other organizations are already meeting the need, or goal, you have in mind, then you may elect to simply join in and help them, or you may decide to go in a different direction with your goals or ideas.
In my case, I have been doing research (for several months) by contacting various nursing homes and assisted living facilities to learn whether or not there is a need for the volunteer services I want to provide. I have primarily talked with social directors and others who interact with their resident senior citizens. The consensus, thus far, has been that there are, as I had predicted, a number of elderly people who have no one, i.e. no family or friends, who ever come to visit with them. I have also gotten some good feedback from the nursing home employees about my idea for this charity. As an attorney, here in Augusta, Georgia, I have also observed, from working on various cases, that there is a need for this charity. But I am glad that my research has confirmed this!
So, the "tip of the day" about starting a charitable organization is to first do your research! Make sure there is a need for the charitable goal you have in mind. Okay, that's enough for today! I have only just begun and there is so much more planning and other work to do, in order to help get Augusta Friends of Seniors, Inc. off the ground! Please stay tuned and please also consider what you can do in your own community!
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