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After planning for your new illness support group for weeks, or perhaps even months, it’s finally time to have your first meeting. You’ve gone through the steps of preparing a proposal to start up a support group. It’s been approved by whoever is in charge, such as an organization or church. And you’ve put together a welcome folder for all the people who will attend. You have topics to discuss, speakers scheduled, and perhaps even a study planned.

So, you’re meeting is sure to run perfectly, Right? Unfortunately, all the plans in the world cannot cancel out a few unforeseen situations. Below are four of the aggravations you may experience during those first few meetings. Knowing what hurdles you may encounter can help you be prepared in advance.

(1) Few people attend.

How it feels: Although it can be disappointing to put so much work into the meeting and have just one or two people come (or maybe none at all!) realize that this can be typical. Don’t take it personally. You are fighting an uphill battle in getting people to attend. When they feel ill, they don’t especially want to go and socialize with others. When they feel well, they’d rather do something much more fun then sit around and talk about the times they are in pain.

What to do: A good motto to remember is, “Hope for the best and prepare for the few.” The founder of HopeKeepers, which is a Christian support group program for the chronically ill, agrees. “It can be such a disappointment when you feel God leading you to start a group and then only one person shows up. But from personal experience I can say that God knows what He is doing and may have planned it that way! The first time I had only one woman come to a HopeKeepers meeting, we ended up having an amazing conversation. Later she disclosed that she was extremely leery about attending and probably wouldn’t have spoken at all if other people had been there.”

Keep an outline of your lesson, and include what topics were discussed. Then you can easily “repeat” the meeting with little preparation. And it may not hurt to call people, and without pressuring them, ask if there is anything that you can do to make it easier for them to attend. For example, do they need a ride? What is their best time of day for a meeting?

(2) Everyone seems to ignore your lesson plan.

How it feels: As though your ideas aren’t interesting or inspiring enough to keep their attention. It can also feel as though no one appreciates all of the time you spent in preparation.

What to do: Allow some flexibility at first and then add in more structure as the group meets. The truth is that most people are probably excited and even relieved to have other people who understand what they are going through. Simply gathering people together in one room and can open the floodgates of emotions that people have held back for years. It’s hard to hold up a book and a lesson plan and force people to remain focused when a member is in tears over the ending of her marriage, for which she blames her illness. This situation can occur at any meeting, but may be more frequent during the first month.

Talk to your group about your desire to allow people to share, but also that you want everyone to leave feeling refreshed. So regardless of what happens during the meeting, you will plan to end with an uplifting article, scripture, poem, prayer, devotional, etc.

(3) Everyone just complains about everything! Their relationships, the medical professionals, their illness-the list is never ending.

How it feels: Like you are expected to manage a small riot. There are many built up emotions where people have experienced deeply wounded feelings, unjust consequences, and even medical errors. It can seem they want you to fix the situation or else they will talk incessantly about it to everyone.

What to do: Set up some basic guidelines before your first meeting if possible, and include the “venting guidelines.” Read “10 Ways to Make Your Illness Support Group Uplifting.” Set a timer and allow everyone to have 60 seconds to share their most frustrating experience of the week. Start a contest with a prize for who handled their situation the best or most creatively. Or be silly and give an award for someone to take home for the week, like “Aggravated the Alligator Award” (a rubber alligator)

Don’t forget to include others in the conversation. For example, say, “Jane, some of us can really relate to what you are feeling. Is there someone here who would like to share how she or he has dealt with these emotions?” If you are doing a lesson plan, say, “Since I want to get you all out of here on time, lets move on to question six, and if someone has some encouragement for Jane, they can share that with her after our meeting.” (Make sue that someone is you if no one else steps forward.)

(4) One person dominates the conversation and seems to take over the meetings, disregarding any plans you have or other’s need to talk.

How it feels: Annoying! After all your preparation it can be exasperating to have someone else taking over the dominant role and leading the meeting down a path that you see will lack encouragement for others. You may also be worried that this person’s actions will scare away newcomers.

What to do: Set firm boundaries from the beginning. While it’s vital that people are encouraged to communicate their frustrations, they are also responsible for respecting others in the group. They need to watch their language, the quantity of time they dominate a conversation, and how they comment on people’s treatments or decisions.

Put together some simple guidelines (not anything too overwhelming) and pass these out to new members in a welcome folder. When someone is dominating the group, and she doesn’t get your hints, privately speak to her one-on-one. Consider if she would be a good candidate for being in charge of some part of the meeting, like icebreakers, so she feels she has something solid she can share with the group. As these type of situations occur, people can be gently reminded of the guidelines they were given when they first joined the group. It’s easier to refer to them and ask if she has any questions; this way she won’t take it as such a personal attack on her behavior.

To wrap this up, know that facilitating a support group is often assumed to be a simple task. It’s a myth that you let people know you’re getting together to share and support one another, lots of people show up, and everyone’s personalities just click. It rarely works this way.

It takes a special person who can communicate with others effectively. One who can gently guide people in the direction you wish them to go, so that the group grows rather than becomes a complaint session. A leader must be able to offer compassion, but also set boundaries and even diffuse anger. As situations arise, talk to other leaders for ideas and support. Keep in mind that no leader ever feels one-hundred percent capable. A willingness to learn and listen is at the top of the list of leadership qualities.

If one is healthy, is there a need to take fatty acids? Fatty acids are crucial for the proper functioning of every living cell in the body. The human brain comprises 60% fat, of which roughly 20% are long-chain fatty acids. Crucial for cellular messaging these fats play an important role in brain function. Sadly the body hasn’t evolved to distinguish between ‘good’ fats (such as EPA - eicosapentaenoic acid - or GLA) and ‘bad’ fats (hydrogenated fats found in margarines and pastries, for example).For everyone who takes fish oil to curb inflammatory processes in the body. Further, research has shown that persons with behavioral problems and learning difficulties do best with a fish oil supplement that contains more EPA than DHA (e.g.

What fish oil supplement do you recommend? Home | My Story | Glossary | Contact Us | Links | Health Awareness | Color Your Way To 5 A Day | Inflammation FAQ Commission Structure | Monthly Health Tip | General FAQ | Great Fruits & Vegetables | Statistics | About UsIt’s virgin because it is cold-pressed and non-raffinated i.e. unprocessed and unrefined. Therefore the all-important triterpenes remain intact within the oil.

What is VegEPA? VegEPA is a patented formula of long-chain fatty acids, combining the health-enhancing properties of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) from marine fish oil and 100 mg organic virgin evening primrose oil (EPO). Each capsule provides 280 mg ultra-pure clinical-grade EPA and 100 mg EPO. VegEPA is manufactured under pharmaceutical control and is GMP approved. For information about VegEPA, please click here.It is the only supplement that has scientifically been shown to decrease mortality. A double-blinded placebo-controlled study of fish oil supplements found that mortality from sudden cardiac death was reduced by half. That one intervention alone reduced mortality that much.

Why two products?What is Go Fish? Go Fish Omega 3 Fish Oil? is a fish oil supplement from Dr. Sears Family Approved that contains a pharmaceutical-grade, high potency, properly balanced ratio of DHA to EPA, geared specifically for the developmental needs of children representing a dramatic breakthrough in omega-3 supplementation. This formula also has virtually no fish odor or aftertaste. Go Fish Omega 3 Fish Oil is pleasantly flavored with natural citrus and guaranteed to be Mercury Free!Fish oil is an excellent supplement.

Why is a fish oil supplement so important? It is the only supplement that has scientifically been shown to decrease mortality. A double-blinded placebo-controlled study of fish oil supplements found that mortality from sudden cardiac death was reduced by half. That one intervention alone reduced mortality that much. Certainly, everyone who is concerned about their health should take a daily fish oil supplement.By supplementing diet with long-chain fatty acids (as contained in VegEPA or OmegaForce) the ‘blocks’ presented by the modern lifestyle and diet are effectively bypassed. This means that the fatty acids can and will be absorbed by the body. A healthy diet helps to boost the utilisation of fatty acids, however.

Why do I need to take Dr. Madsen’s Omega-3 MD fish oil supplements? There are countless reasons why you need to supplement Omega-3 EFAs, and Dr. Madsen’s Omega-3 MD? Phytoplankton-Fish Oil Supplement is the best available anywhere. Some of the top reasons for taking are some of the following: Omega-3 EFAs are the main components of brain and nerve tissue, including the retinas of the eyes, and essential constituents of every cell membrane in the body.Omega-3 EFAs survive in the bloodstream about 4-6 hours before they begin to breakdown. The body cannot make or store these Omega-3 EFAs, and that is why they are referred to “”essential”" fatty acids.

One of the best ways to utilize existing advertising tactics on the internet is to use SEO articles. SEO is the best way to get cheap advertising for your website. If you are a non profit organization, you can see a great return on SEO advertising in a matter of days.

The best part about a non profit organization is that you are giving back to a group or community. You have to heart in the right place, but there just may not be the funds available that you need to spread the word of your organization. If you fall into this category and your marketing budget is very low, you can utilize SEO strategies in order to bring visitors to your site and get the word our about the good work you and your organization are doing.

If you have a great website with excellent content and still no visitors, you will want pay attention to the pagerank you are getting. This will tell you how often your website is showing up on search engines. If it is low, then you know that you have some work to do. SEO can cost money, but there are also ways that you can get SEO results with little money and some effort on your part. You can first have one of your volunteers begins a blog. You can have a blog that will get the message across about what your organization does while giving a first hand experience of one of your volunteers. You can also include content that is relevant to your organization, such as pictures of animals that you have rescued or houses that your have built. This way, there is practically a second site used to bring traffic to the organization’s website. This blog will give your potential donors and new volunteers a reason to trust you and your organization.

Another trick that you can use is linking opportunities. If there is a person out there who has a website and believes in your cause, they will want to be able to link to your site from theirs. You can increase your pagerank this way and also network your site. You can exchange links, or use one way links. One way links are always much more beneficial . Find websites that are likeminded and let them know you would appreciate if they advertised your organization.

Either one of these advertising strategies can bring in more money and volunteers to your website. You can easily work less than an hour a week on either of these strategies in order to get eh word out about your organization. And everyone can help. You can have one person contacting places to do link advertising while another person writes about that week’s account volunteering for you so that you can post it on the blog. It will give anyone who reads it a first hand experience. This is an easy, money-saving advertising campaign that will work.

Jordan Mcpelt is a professional author who specializes in Non Profits and SEO for Non Profits. For more information on Non Profit SEO please visit http://www.grassroots.org

Don’t Assume PTA or PTO Members Get It The First Time. When you are trying to get the parents of your students behind your fundraising efforts, never be afraid that you are covering the same ground too often. Tell them many, many times why you are doing the fundraiser. It will surprise you how little makes it into your parents minds, even after they have read or heard something twice. Here are some tips to help you make sure that your important announcements get noticed and noted.

Give Specific Reasons For Why You Are Doing It. It is much better to give your parents very specific reasons for the PTA or PTO fundraising drive. You should have a specific goal set and a list of what the PTA or PTO is going to do with the money raised. Parents and teachers will be much more willing to help if they know exactly why you are raising the money

Methods: Take Home Backpack Flyers, There are several things that should always be done in preparation for your fundraiser. One action is to send a letter (take home packet) to parents shortly after school starts telling them about the PTA / PTO fundraising plan. Mention in the letter how you’re going to accomplish your money making goals. Mention to them what program or procuts you will be selling. ie catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, candy sale, smencils etc. Most will feel a sense of ownership in the PTA or PTO plans.

The second thing you will want to do is write and attach to your sales brochure a letter to the parents of your students. In this letter you will tell them again why you are doing a fundraising project. You might even take this opportunity to tell them what you spent the money on that was raised in last year’s fundraiser.

Methods: E-Mail If your school has a school wide email system or a call out system, use it to announce your sale. This is a great way to let parents know to check their children’s backpacks for their selling kits. I can’t tell you the number of times people have said that they didn’t even know a fundraiser was going on. That is missed opportunity every time it happens.

Methods: School Sign or Marquee Use your school’s marquee to announce when your sale is starting, ending, and delivering. Your parents live in your neighborhood and so they will look at the marquee every time they drive by the school on their way to work or the grocery store.

Methods: Reminders via students Sending a note home in the student “take home pack” is another good way to get the word out to parents. I recommend that you send a reminder note on Friday’s.

Methods: Signs You can post signs advertising your fundraiser in various places around the school where parents will likely see them when dropping off or picking up their children.

Inside the school is where you want to do promotions that appeal to the students. The very best promotions will be geared toward the prizes that the students can earn. Things that are “different” will stand out to the students as the walk through the halls.

Methods: Do a live kick off A live presentation, especially one that is out of the ordinary, will leave an impression on the students. When the children return home, if the presentation has been memorable enough, the students will promote the sale better than a flier or letter ever could.

Methods: School Wide System During the daily announcements remind the students about the fundraiser. Take some time to do some bragging on some of your top selling students. This is a great opportunity to keep students motivated.

Working closely with your fundraising representative is paramount to your success. How you run your sale is literally as important as what you choose to sell. Planning and execution is the key to fundraiser if you want your parents, faculty, and students to support your fundraising drive. Your goal is to raise as much money as possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning. Remember, if you raise all the funds you need in the first fundraiser, you won’t have to do a second one!

PTA and PTO Members Just Don’t Get It The First Time. You can never cover the important things too much. For instance, why you are doing your fundraiser will give your parents a good reason to get behind the effort. If it absolutely needs to be communicated do not be afraid to repeat your message over and over. You would be shocked at how little information actually makes it to your PTA or PTO parents consciousness. Following are some tips and tricks to ensure that “the important stuff” gets noticed.

Be specific. If you are kicking off a fundraiser and you know what you’re raising the money for, let your parents, teachers, and volunteers know. If you aren’t sure what you’re going to do with the money yet, tell them what you did last year. If parents and teachers know that they will benefit they will be much more likely to support your sale.

Methods: Take Home Backpack Flyers, There are several things that should always be done in preparation for your fundraiser. One action is to send a letter (take home packet) to parents shortly after school starts telling them about the PTA / PTO fundraising plan. Mention in the letter how you’re going to accomplish your money making goals. Mention to them what program or procuts you will be selling. ie catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, candy sale, smencils etc. Most will feel a sense of ownership in the PTA or PTO plans.

The second thing you will want to do is write and attach to your sales brochure a letter to the parents of your students. In this letter you will tell them again why you are doing a fundraising project. You might even take this opportunity to tell them what you spent the money on that was raised in last year’s fundraiser.

Methods: Use The School Email System. If your organization or the school has many or most of the parent’s email addresses, then use that as an alternate way to get the word out the your fundraiser is about to begin.

Methods: Marquee Put a message up on the school marquee to let parents know about the sale. When it starts and ends are the best times to have a message up on the marquee. You can even change the message at various times during the sale just as a quick reminder that the sale is in progress.

Methods: Reminders via students In most schools students go home once or twice a week with a “Take Home Pack.” This is an excellent opportunity to have the teachers in the school include a note about your fundraiser. Remember that you don’t have to include lots of details in this note. These are simply reminders to the parents.

Methods: Signs If placed in strategic positions around the bus lanes and auto que lines, most of the parents will see them everyday. The main thing is that you don’t want to simply start a sale and forget about it until “money collection” day.

Inside the school is where you want to do promotions that appeal to the students. The very best promotions will be geared toward the prizes that the students can earn. Things that are “different” will stand out to the students as the walk through the halls.

Methods: Do a live kick off Doing a live presentation will affect your sale positively, especially if the students see or hear things that they don’t normally experience in a “standard” assembly. If enough of an impression is made on the minds of the students, they will certainly be sharing that with their parents when they get home.

Methods: PA System Remind students daily via regular morning announcements about the ongoing fundraising drive. This is an excellent opportunity to keep students motivated for the duration of the sale.

Working closely with your fundraising representative is paramount to your success. How you run your sale is literally as important as what you choose to sell. Planning and execution is the key to fundraiser if you want your parents, faculty, and students to support your fundraising drive. Your goal is to raise as much money as possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning. Remember, if you raise all the funds you need in the first fundraiser, you won’t have to do a second one!