You can make Valentine’s Day extra special for your loved ones by decorating your home with beautiful centerpieces, including fresh flowers in your décor and gifting thoughtful Valentine’s gifts. Valentines day is a perfect occasion to spend time with friends and family. Valentines decorations can uplift the ambience of your home. Here are a few tips to bring Valentine’s Day cheer to your home.

Fresh Flowers and Planters
Fresh flowers and greenery always make a home look refreshing and lively. Flowering houseplants are excellent ideas for Valentine‘s decorations. Place flowering plants like lilies and jasmines in beautiful urns and planters around your home. These houseplants are easy to maintain and when they bloom, they fill up the home with their wonderful fragrance. Small planters made from ceramic or porcelain can be used to decorate tabletops, mantel places, and windowsills. Bigger planters made from hardy material like terracotta or plastic are suited for outdoor spaces like the porch or patio. Basket planters and hanging planters also make ideal Valentine’s decorations.

Homemade Crafts
Homemade Valentine’s ornaments make charming Valentine ‘s decorations. Do-it-yourself craft projects are a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Handcrafted decorations like garlands, banners and framed quotations make pretty home décor. You can decorate plain glass votive candle holders with ribbons and glass beads. Create a welcoming ambience by decorating your front door with a fresh flower wreath or pretty wreath made from heart-shaped cutouts.

Valentines day celebrations would be incomplete without heartfelt Valentine’s gifts. Here are some ideas to gift your friends and family.

Jewelry Boxes and Cases
Jewelry is a classic gift idea and a jewelry case is the perfect accompaniment. You can gift beautiful jewelry cases and boxes filled with pretty trinkets or even tasty Valentine candy and chocolates. Monogrammed jewelry cases are especially thoughtful. Friends and loved ones will cherish jewelry boxes personalized with their names, initials or special messages. Ornate antique jewelry boxes made from wood or silver are wonderful Valentine’s gifts.

Picture Frames
Photo frames with your favorite snaps are great Valentine’s gifts. Sterling silver frames or antique wooden frames are beautiful and complement any home décor. You can gift a set of photo frames in varying sizes and shapes with cherished pictures to family members.

With these ideas, you can easily find perfect valentines gifts for family and friends.

Source by roxcy lewis

Fresh cut fruit gift baskets are something new and they are a wonderful alternative to sending flowers.  While flowers are beautiful to look at, sending a fresh cut fruit basket is an edible delight.  The fact that they can be delivered nationwide is also a huge selling point.

Here are some reasons why you should consider sending fresh cut fruit gift baskets for a holiday gift:

Convenience: You can order fresh cut fruit gift baskets online or over the phone in a matter of minutes.  They are delivered right to the door of the recipient.  There is no standing in line, shopping, driving, etc.  All you do is place the order and then the gift is on its way.  You can also place the order ahead of time and schedule a delivery date for a later time.  (This is a great option if you have a habit of forgetting special occasions.)

Cost: These gift baskets are not too expensive.  When you factor in the fact that you don’t have to drive around to get it and that you don’t have to stand in line or fight crowds, it makes an even more economical choice.  In these economic times, it just makes sense to go with a gift that helps your budget.  You can also order gift baskets of different sizes and they have gift baskets that will fit any budget.

Health: Fresh fruit is a much healthier alternative to the traditional gift of candy or other sweets.  Sending a fresh cut fruit gift basket can be a wonderful way to encourage someone who has made the decision to live a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, or otherwise change their eating habits.  It also makes a great gift for any holiday, because it provides a healthy (but delicious) treat.

Sending one of these gift baskets to a child or teenager is also a great idea.  Some children don’t enjoy eating fruit, but having the fruit delivered in such a unique and attractive fashion could be the incentive they need to start enjoying this healthy snack.  Mom and dad would appreciate it, too.

Sending a fresh cut fruit gift basket to an expectant mother or a new mother is also a fantastic idea.  Pregnant women and new mothers need to watch what they eat and having fresh fruit delivered in this way will not only make them feel great because they know someone is thinking about them, it will also be a welcome treat.

Novelty: Since these gift baskets are something relatively new, receiving one as a gift can be a pleasant surprise because it is such a unique gift.  You can rest assured that the recipient will be on the phone thanking you and also calling friends and family and raving about how wonderful this gift is.

Fresh cut fruit gift baskets are a welcome arrival for any occasion.  Because they are so convenient, economical, unique, and healthy; they are the perfect choice for anyone celebrating any type of special day.

Source by Michelle Blaise

This year seek to indulge yourself, spoil your clients, and entice friends or family with an amazing pecan gift assortment. Even very picky people love to get Christmas gift boxes filled to the brim with fresh delicious nuts, fruit, and treats like candied pecans. Small family farms such as Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, GA are the absolute best place to get the amazing fresh taste that will make your pecan gift memorable. For example, the pecans at Pearson Farm are all baked in very small batches with the freshest of ingredients using family recipes passed down from generation to generation.

It is amazingly affordable to create gift boxes, tins, or baskets to present during the holiday season, especially when you use fresh produce. Your pecan gift can be presented in tiers of Christmas gift boxes, in traditional gift baskets, or you can purchase beautiful tins and line them with decorative paper. If you do not really have the time but would like to present a warm and cheerful pecan gift there is always the option of having it made for you as well. Not all pre-made gifts are made with equal quality and care, be sure to choose a shop that uses only the freshest pecans such as the small family kitchen behind Pearson Farm’s cheerful Christmas gift boxes and tins.

Be certain you order before the Christmas rush. Although the first pecan harvest will not occur until early in November, farms such as Pearson Farm are beginning to accept orders in advance. Ordering early will ensure plenty of time for your delicious fresh pecans and other delicious delicacies to arrive. Whether for just yourself, your valued clients, your dear friends or close family members, the packages of shelled pecan halves and unshelled pecans are perfect pecan gifts for the upcoming holidays. Southern pecans, pecan custard pies, candied pecans, and cakes are all wonderful gourmet gifts, perfect for filling your Christmas gift boxes, tins, or baskets with.

In addition to choosing fresh pecans for gifting, snacking, and baking with, Pearson Farm also offers a large assortment of great pecan gift tins and Christmas gift boxes already prepared with combinations of: Signature Toasted & Sea Salted Pecans, Savory Seasoned Pecans, Cinnamon Roasted Pecans, Southern Praline Pecans and Natural Pecan Halves. Maple Pecan Clusters, Chocolate covered pecans and clusters, Homemade Southern Custard Pecan Pie and Chocolate Pecan Pie. It’s a pecan gift holiday!

by Terry Gray

Why do you think that corporate gift baskets are important, or maybe even essential, in the ordinary course of conducting business in todays world? Corporate gift baskets can definitely be more certain than not to assist a Company in enhancing and strengthening the business or other relationships with the targeted persons or organizations such as your customers, employees, associations, suppliers and so forth. A successful manager and boss cherish and strengthen ties with their most important channels of integration and values by one way or another, or through items sent to symbolize gratitude and appreciation, reward or compensation.

Shopping for corporate gift baskets has never been made any easier given that there are a great diversity of corporate gift baskets differentiated by types, colour and style. There are definitely vast choicest selections of such gift baskets on the Internet, not limited to the most delectable food and refreshment assortments, rich catalog of office goods and objects with superior and eminent attributes. And beyond the above both simple and straightforward corporate gift baskets collections, some of the Companys management and owner may prefer to touch the hearts of their intended recipients by adding zest and innovation to their corporate gift baskets. Two of which that have been popularly well-received and adopted are baby corporate gift baskets and maternity corporate gift baskets.

As a great choice for the parents who are celebrating the joyfulness and bliss of their new-born baby, the baby gift baskets are the best and most touching gift for showing appreciation and happiness to these parents. The delivery of the baby gift baskets bring more than simply the collection of baby items but the meaningful message of love and share of joy for the new soul and this piece of extra attention is just enough to touch the hearts of the parents.

As we know that a baby basket corporate gift can become a source of pleasure and joy for the Companys employees, clients and customers; there is a great mixture of baby gift items around the marketplace. With the thought of delicate care and comfort for the baby in mind, choosing an ideal baby gift basket is therefore important because it signifies sincerity and warmth of welcome for the new-born baby of the father or mother.

Colour theme also reflects an important consideration for the selection of a baby gift basket for the corporate employees and clients of the Company. Blue and pink colour are most common colour theme for the baby gifts with blue apparently matching the baby boy and pink better suiting the baby girl.

A lovely greeting card would make the day for most parents because it simply reaffirms the show of care and concern for the coming of the new born baby. It is also interesting for the mother if she received additional person gift such as a beautiful dress.

You will not go wrong when choosing for a baby basket corporate gift if you are selecting something that are gentle on the baby body and provide great comfort and coziness. Appropriate baby products such as little toys, baby cream, powder and shampoos as well as soft towels and soaps are popular delight to parents. Other assortments of baby garments and mixture of diaper bags, baby bottles, outing stroller for little baby can also make great alternative to the more common baby products gift baskets. Also gaining popularity is the toy gift baskets for the child because toys excite little kid and kindle the happiness from the hearts for both the parents and their children.

Be mindful of the timing for the baby basket corporate gift though. However, this must not only be limited to a newborn baby. Baby basket corporate gifts can be sent to anyone who is celebrating a thing or two for a little one. Say, there are baby corporate baskets gifts that are created specifically for birthdays, Christmas and virtually all other occasions.

For broader choices of baby gift items, you can search on the catalogs as provided by the local retail store or through online merchants. Depending on your choice, you can have the customization and the personalization of the gift items. These two combined, you are sure to tap the sensibility side of any parent.

In India, sending jewelleries has become part and parcel of the culture of the nation locals when gifting for new babies. This idea of gifting can also be adopted if it is acceptable within your frame of values. Some creative individuals even go extra length to purchase gift cards or certificates with prepaid value such as $20 or $50 as the baby gifts. This gives the babys parents the discretion to choose and decide for themselves what they need for their child.

Careful selection of baby basket corporate gifts must involve careful attention to the age appropriateness of the gifts and personal preference of the parents for the particular kid and child for the particular age group. For instance, toys may be a better choice for an older kid rather than the newborns who may need baby stuffs mentioned earlier.

Source by Thomas Bronson

Have you run out of ideas for what to give your staff this Christmas? You want to show them that you appreciate their hard work, so why not try something different and give them gift baskets this holiday season?

Something For Every Budget –

In order to run a business proficiently, you need to carefully budget and account for every single expense. Your Christmas gifts, then, also must fit within your budget. The beauty of gift baskets is that they are available in every size, shape and configuration imaginable. Because of that, they are also available at many different prices. Whether you have a very constricted budget or one where the sky is the limit, you can find just the right thing when you pick out gift hampers. The best part? Low priced or high end, gift baskets also look stunning – and are always greatly appreciated.

Deliver To Employees’ Homes For A Fun Surprise –

Most employees expect to receive their Christmas gift at the office. Usually, the last day before the holiday the boss or manager rounds everybody up and hands out the gifts. In other words, there is really no element of surprise involved in gift giving at the office most of the time. Gift baskets are neat, though, because you can have them delivered directly to your employees’ homes and give them a real surprise. They won’t be expecting a package to arrive, and when they realise that it’s a gift hamper from their employer they will be doubly pleased.

Gifts That Keep On Giving –

In comparison to the commonly used gift vouchers and other traditional corporate gifts, Christmas hampers are an ideal solution because employees are able to take them home – or open them at home after they’re delivered – and share the contents with their friends and family. The gift hampers that you give your employees, then, can be enjoyed by many other people who will all be very impressed. Your employees will be able to enjoy the variety of tasty treats immediately upon unwrapping their Christmas hamper. Usually, those baskets will last for at least a few days, meaning that they can be enjoyed again and again. Without a doubt, gift hampers are great options for employees at Christmastime.

Source by Eva Judge

 

National Implications:  Why HBCU Presidents Need Entrepreneurial Focus

 

________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT

Public Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) presidents are being increasingly called upon to develop an entrepreneurial spirit that encourages fundraising from the private sector.  Fundraising at HBCUs is no longer the sole responsibility of development officers.  The overwhelming truth is that donors want relationships with CEOs, not managers.  So often, donors need to feel connected to the cause and the recipient.  This connection presupposes direct presidential involvement in the cultivation activities for donors.  Unfortunately, many HBCU presidents fail to engage in the donor cultivation and stewardship process that creates a continuum of giving by alumni, foundations, corporations, and other university friends who have an interest in charitable giving.  The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of presidential involvement in fundraising at HBCUs.

Introduction

In reviewing the literature regarding alumni giving, it was determined that predominantly white institutions have alumni giving rates that range between 20-60 percent while black college alumni giving rates typically fall below ten percent.  At a time when endowments are decreasing due to economic forces and public support of institutions of higher education is at an all-time low, it is a matter of survival that black colleges increase their giving rates (Gasman, 2003, p.22).

Purpose of the Article

This purpose of this article is to demonstrate the importance of entrepreneurial orientation of public HBCUs and university presidents and to illustrate how those orientations are related to the revenue-generating activities of their institutions and the institutions’ financial stability.

The Problem

Increasing the endowments at HBCUs means placing more emphasis on cultivating alumni and educating them about the importance of philanthropy.  Advancement professionals at these specialized institutions face a growing dilemma – how to strengthen university resources in a climate that has historically relied almost wholly on public funding.  Public HBCUs will eventually be forced to identify private resources to survive and thrive.  The higher education landscape is changing rapidly and both private and public institutions are searching for new revenues – requiring more entrepreneurial ways (Bowen and Shapiro 1998).

Background of the Problem

Changing economic conditions at the state level have reduced the amount of governmental support available to public institutions of higher education.  These shrinking revenues have added a new responsibility to chief executive officers at institutions of higher education.  Embracing an appreciation for cultivating relationships with donors is a must step for university presidents at public institutions.  This is a different and oftentimes unwelcome responsibility among HBCU institutional leaders (Birnbaum, p. 39).

The fact of the matter is simply that HBCUs have to step up to the plate in order to compete with majority institutions.  The competition is on for student enrollment, student recruitment, public funding, and now private fundraising.  The need for funds has put tremendous pressure on the presidents of HBCUs–so much that 25 percent of all presidents of these institutions left their jobs during the two-year period between 2000 and 2002. A major source of these fundraising difficulties arises from the small size of the institutions and from their less-affluent alumni bases (New York Amsterdam News 2002).

Presidential Entrepreneurialism

Clark’s (1998) theoretical framework is the basis for defining and understanding the entrepreneurial university.  Entrepreneurial activities comprise third-stream income sources that include 1) innovative and profit-based, self-supporting operations that go beyond traditional sources, such as business development activities and innovative retail sales operations, 2) activities that develop and enhance traditional income streams such as endowment and tuition, and 3) activities that involve both traditional and nontraditional aspects, such as distance learning, which uses nontraditional methods of teaching to gain tuition, which is a traditional source of income (Riggs, p. 30).

Presidents Can Cultivate Satisfied Donors and Help Fundraisers Achieve Results

Engaging in basic, traditional fundraising efforts will help HBCU presidents secure substantial gifts from untapped donors as well as donors who have a history of giving.  Having an appreciation for the donor’s wishes is what presidents should embrace first.  If a donor does not feel connected to an organization or its leadership, the likelihood of acquiring a major gift is minimized.  Philanthropists rely on their relationships with organizations to influence their giving.  The lack of connection between prospective donors and organizations results in unsatisfied philanthropists.  It is incumbent upon the fundraiser and the institutional leader to resolve any differences in philosophical underpinnings prior to donor cultivation.  Cultivating meaningful and impacting gifts means resolving deliberative conflicts through choices grounded in responsibilities to persons (Johnsen, p. 115).

Senior fundraising professional and author, Penelope Burke, addresses donor philosophy best by saying, “When a donor sits down to write a check, her heart may be racing, she may be imagining how you will react when you open the envelope, and she is certainly wondering whether her gift will have a positive impact on the work you both cherish” (Burke, p. 15).  This statement is the foundation of the fundraising profession and a concept that university presidents should note.  People give money to people, not causes.  In translation, philanthropists give careful consideration to making sizeable donations, and when cultivated by the right person at the right time, the organization reaps the best harvest. 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have only recently embraced the concept of matching donor preferences with institutional funding needs.  Approaching donors from this angle has yielded more resources for HBCUs.  Many of these schools have discovered that using presidents to call alumni produces results.  When alumni receive a call from the current president, they feel important.  They feel like their gift was truly appreciated.  Establishing such a relationship will nearly guarantee support.  In the fund development community, stewards often overlook the importance of building relationships.  It is imperative that presidents understand and respect donors. 

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, presidents and other upper-level administrators should embrace the understanding of fund development’s importance to institutional financial stability.  Administrators must be equipped with meaningful data that will offer insight to enhance the revenue stream from alumni and private industry.  “If historically Black colleges are to survive, they must learn how to plan effectively within the institutional context to achieve their desired fund-raising results” (Barrett, p. 7).   It is obvious that these specialized institutions must implement some method of strategic planning to develop advancement activities and strategies.

Employing a rational approach to developing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising campaign is key. Identifying institutional needs, developing plans for achieving those needs, beginning to implement those plans, and actually executing the campaigns will be critical to the survival of these institutions.

References

Barrett, T. G.  (2006, October/December). How strategic presidential leadership and institutional culture influenced fundraising effectiveness at Spelman College.   Planning for Higher Education, 35 (1), 5-18.

Birnbaum, R.  (1992). How academic leadership works:  Understanding success and failure in the college presidency.  San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

Bowen, W. & Shapirio, H. (1998).  Universities and their leadership.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press.

Burke, P. (2003).  Donor centered fundraising: How to hold on to your donors and raise much more money.  Chicago, IL:  Cygnus Applied Research.

Clark, B. R. (1998).  Creating entrepreneurial universities:  Organizational pathways of transformation.  Oxford, UK:  Pergamon Press.

Fundraising pressures plague HBCU presidents (2002, September 26-October 2). New York Amsterdam News.

Gasman, M. (2003).  Fund raising from Black-College alumni:  Successful strategies for supporting alma mater.  Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, 22.

Johnsen, L. L.   (May, 2005).  Understanding deliberative conflicts that confront academic fund raisers:  A grounded theory study.   Retrieved June 6, 2006, from ProQuest Information and Learning Company website:   http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search.

Riggs, D. G (2005).  Entrepreneurial activities in independent college and university presidents:  A view from the top.  Retrieved May 5, 2006, from ProQuest Information and Learning Company: http://www.lib.umi.com/dissertations/search

Source by William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

If you are creative and like to make gifts for others, then a work at home gift basket business might be right for you. Making gift baskets to sell is rewarding and fun. Many people like the idea of giving personalized baskets for holidays, birthdays and special events but dont have the time to put them together. When you start a gift basket business, you will be supplying them with something they need and getting the opportunity to put your talents to work.

Before you start your life as a gift basket Wahm, make sure that this business is something that you really want to do. If you have never made gift baskets, but like the idea, try making one or several for your next gift-giving event. This will also be an opportunity to show off your gift basket making skills to your friends and family. While you are planning and making your gift baskets ask yourself if this is something you can see yourself doing on a regular basis.

Making some sample gift baskets will also give you an idea of how much your supplies will cost and how much time it will take you to complete each basket. This will help you gauge pricing when you start your business. However, keep in mind that when you get a business license you will be able to buy craft supplies for wholesale prices.

Getting a business license is an important step in making yourself into an official Wahm. The process is simple and there are many tax benefits to becoming a legal businessperson. You will also get your supplies at wholesale and be able to get discounts on other business related expenses.

Once you have decided that making gift baskets is right for you, it is time to develop your catalog of basket options and prices. Think up a few prototypes for different situations. Although gift baskets are popular during the holiday season, you can also create them for graduations, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Valentines Day and other events. Create a few different gift basket ideas and then ask your friends and family for their opinions. Make sure your choices of design and gift basket items are popular with many people before you make them part of your catalog.

Have your prices ready for both standard baskets and custom baskets, and then make your business cards and start advertising. By now, your friends and family will know about your business and you can tell them to spread the word on your new venture. Network with other local businesses, like nail salons and florist shops, to get your name in front of more people. Targeting businesses that are frequented by women is a good tactic because women are more likely to purchase your baskets.

Around the holidays, corporate companies are looking to buy gifts for their clients and suppliers. This can lead to a lucrative seasonal business for you. You should start marketing your corporate gift business in October at the latest. Network with your husbands employers and the employers of your friends and family.

Being a gift basket Wahm is a great way to show of your creativity and provide a valuable service at the same time. The rewards are many and with planning and initiative, it can be a very profitable business venture for you.

Source by Karl Glantschnig