TPC Scottsdale – Be Treated Like a Pro

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Set in the rugged Sonoran Desert and surrounded by the stunning McDowell Mountains, TPC Scottsdale offers two championship courses to enjoy – the world famous Stadium Course and the stunning Champions Course. As Arizona’s only PGA TOUR facility, it is truly a unique opportunity to experience quality and service normally reserved for professionals.

For more information about these amazing courses, please visit www.TPC.com.  To use this package in your up-coming charity fundraising event, please email us at info@winspireme.com or give us a call at 877.544.8555.

They’re Off and Running… Enjoy The Kentucky Derby!

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Winspire would like to raise our Mint Juleps and toast the auction winners who will be attending this year’s race by purchasing one of our 2012 Kentucky Derby packages at a charity fundraising event. Click Here to see our Derby packages for 2012.

Known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” for the approximate amount of time it takes all horses to cross the finish line, the Kentucky Derby draws close to 155,000 hat wearing, mint julep drinking, fried chicken eating horse racing fans to its legendary stands and infield each year.

Got a favorite horse??  Hopefully it will not be placed in post positions 15. . . in the 136 years of running, no horse has ever won from this starting spot.

May Donation Give-Away: Fairmont Scottsdale 2-Night Stay with Championship Golf

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We are happy to announce the new Donation Give-Away for May: Fairmont Scottsdale 2-Night Stay with Championship Golf. The winner of the monthly Donation Give-Away gets to choose an organization or fundraiser where this Winspire Experience can be used to raise money.

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess – Enjoy a two-night stay in a standard room including daily breakfast for (2) at this AAA 5-Diamond resort, which has come to reflect the dynamic environment that surrounds it. Enjoy authentically local Scottsdale lodging with the ideal blend of style, luxury and comfort, featuring the subtle undertones, earthy accents and patterns of the Southwest.

Pass this article along to all your co-workers and friends who support your organization asking them to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to greatly increase your chances of winning!

TPC Scottsdale – Enjoy a round of golf for (2) including greens fee, cart, and practice balls at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course or the Champions Course.

When you play at TPC Scottsdale, you will see what it’s like to play “inside the ropes” and enjoy the PGA TOUR experience. This high level of personalized service has earned this facility many local and national honors including:

  • One of the Top 3 golf facilities in Arizona for excellent service
  • One of the “Top 10 Public Course in Arizona” – Golf Digest
  • “One of America’s Best Courses” – Golfweek Magazine
  • One of the “Top 50 Golf and Resort Destinations in the World” – Conde Nast Traveler
  • One of the “Top 50 Golf Course for Women in the U.S” – Golf for Women Magazine

Based on Availability & Course Closures: July 1st – 30th & October 1st – 14th, 2012 | January 18 – February 17, 2013

Set in the Sonoran Desert and surrounded by the majestic McDowell Mountains, TPC Scottsdale embodies the standards of excellence in golf operations. The magnificent par-71, 7,216- yard Stadium Course, home of the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix Open and designed by the team of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, is a masterful blend of challenge and playability for the enjoyment of all levels of golfers, professional and amateur alike.

To be eligible for our monthly Donation Give-Away, you must Like Us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter. If you do both, you double your chances of winning.

Each month we will select at random from all online followers. There is no limit to the number of people from your Non-Profit who can enter, so send this along to your staff and get as many people to participate as possible! Questions? Email Us.

Congratulations to our March Donation Give-Away Winner: Love Jones & Youth For Tomorrow!

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Winspire is excited to announce the winner of the March 2012 Donation Give-Away! Love D. Jones of Bristow, VA will be using the Wrigley Field Rooftop Bleachers and Dining Experience with 3-Night Fairmont Stay for two package to help raise money for the organization Youth For Tomorrow, where she works as the Director of Special Events.

Youth For Tomorrow is committed to providing a safe, healthy, and compassionate environment for at-risk youth who have been abandoned, abused, or otherwise alienated from family and community. Their mission is to provide these kids the opportunity and motivation to focus their lives and develop the confidence, skills, intellectual ability, spiritual insight and moral integrity to become responsible and productive members of society.

The package will be placed in the live auction for the upcoming Burgundy & Gold Banquet on May 16th at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA.

“We have used the services at Winspire for the last 3 years and have purchased well over 40 trips. The exciting vacation packages and experiences have added much excitement and spirited bidding to our Live Auctions at our events!! Kevin and the staff at Winspire are amazing to work with. Each and every “winner” of these packages have reported their travel and accommodations and the total vacation experience exceeded their expectations and the concierge services at Winspire were spectacular!! Thank you so very much for making my job that much easier!”
- Love D. Jones

Troubled by what he learned while working with at-risk adolescents in the Washington, DC area on his first tour as Washington Redskins Head Coach, Joe Gibbs envisioned a program to help these young boys and girls. His vision was for a program that would combine character rehabilitation, quality education, and personal faith and life skills in a “New Life Center”. With the help from local business leaders and friends, Youth For Tomorrow opened its doors in 1986.

From 1986 to 2003 the program served only boys living in the original campus home, The William A. Hazel House. The boys attended classes in a trailer. Through an aggressive Capital Campaign, a new school building was opened in 2003, The Joe Gibbs Center for Academic and Physical Education. A generous donation from Bob Wiser, and his wish for YFT to serve at-risk girls, five girls’ homes were built and the girls’ program was launched. The secondary school is fully accredited by the State of Virginia. Since 1986, more than 1,000 children and their families have been benefitted from the program services offered at YFT.

Gibbs remains totally committed and remains actively involved serving as Chairman of the Board and attending YFT Fundraising events.

Winspire is proud to partner with such a wonderful organization. We would like to congratulate both Love and Youth For Tomorrow for winning the March Donation Give-Away, and wish them the best in 2012.

Winspire Team Member Beats Living Legend in Mountainbike Race

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We are thrilled to recognize one of our very own here at Winspire for his truly amazing accomplishment. Dana Weber, Winpsire’s Director of Operations, recently won the 2012 Orange County Vision Quest Moutainbike Race, beating a two-time Olympian in the process.

While we knew Dana was an avid rider – rolling into work almost every morning on his bike following a 40 mile(!) trek from home – none of us knew he was such an epic weekend warrior!

Following is an article published in the OC Register about Dana’s victory. Winspire is proud to have such an incredible athlete in our ranks…

BY DAVID WHITING
BY DAVID WHITING
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
dwhiting@ocregister.com

Coach was wrong. Nice guys don’t finish last.

And when everything’s just right, they beat living legends.

Dana Weber, an Aliso Viejo resident who turns 31 on Wednesday, April 18, got an early birthday present the other week.

He won one of the toughest mountain bike races in the nation – Orange County’s Vision Quest put on by the Warrior’s Society. The race covers 55 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation in the Santa Ana Mountains. Yes, that includes Saddleback.

But Weber didn’t just win the race. By one of the narrowest margins in Vision Quest history – 1:11 in a five-hour race – Weber nosed out Tinker Juarez, a professional mountain bike racer who has dominated the sport for two decades.

Understand that last year, Juarez, a two-time Olympian, won Vision Quest as well as several other endurance races.

The really cool thing? Juarez just happens to be a nice guy as well. With Weber pushing on his tail mid-race, the pro allowed the amateur to pass.

Weber’s day job is director of operations for Irvine-based Winspire, a travel agency of sorts for non-profits seeking to raise funds. Time-pressed – his wife, Beth, is due with the couple’s first child in August – Weber blends commute times with training and turns what would be a short drive into a 40-mile bike ride.

I talked to Weber after his accomplishment on April 7 and traded e-mails. The Texas A&M graduated offered, “It’s not so much about racing the other riders, but much more about challenging yourself to your absolute limits.”

Here’s Weber’s race in his words:

Night before

I can’t wait for tomorrow and the Vision Quest! It’s been a nice Good Friday with the office closing early, a solid spin on my road bike, and a little nap. The 3:30 a.m. wake-up call will be here before I know it…

I believe God has a good day in store, but no matter what happens I’ll be at church Sunday full of thanks and praise. Happy Easter!

Race start

As I climbed Blackstar Canyon in the dark early hours of the morning, going pretty much at my limit and watching Tinker and a couple others ride away, I had no idea it would be my day. But I did know I was riding the pace I should be and that there were five hours of really tough mountain biking to go.

After 1:40, my wife, Beth, was at an aid station and gave me much needed moral support.

Fifty minutes and 4,000 feet of elevation later, I was told the gap to Tinker was 3:30. The peak was only about 30 minutes away and I started thinking anything can still happen…

From Santiago Peak it was 3,900 vertical feet down on one of the best single tracks in all of Southern California – Holy Jim Trail. I thought that if I rode it perfectly I might be able to get Tinker in sight before heading into the last third of the race.

Halfway down, I spotted him and my day started taking on a whole new meaning. Tinker and I rode the lower half of Holy Jim and went through a checkpoint together.

From there it was out to West Horse Thief, a single track climb so ridiculous that everyone considers it a hike-a-bike. But two weeks before, I rode through it. That built some confidence for the most decisive part of the race.

I led Tinker into that last third of the race so I was able to set the pace. But I was having pretty severe cramps off and on. Still, I told myself that every minute I was able keep leading was another minute closer to possibly winning.

Tinker and I crested the Main Divide Road together. From there we had about 10 minutes of fire road before dropping down the rugged Trabuco Trail. I was expecting Tinker to attack. But I kept forcing my pedals over. We rode side by side until the last few meters where he pulled away into the descent.

Before long I was back on Tinker’s wheel and he let me by. It was all or nothing – get a gap and hold it – or get a flat or crash trying.

The gap opened up pretty quick and the adrenaline took over. I came out of the Trabuco loop in one piece and out of sight from Tinker. The final 10-15 minutes of pedaling on the fire road to the finish involved a lot of praying and cramping, but there was no slowing down.

Finally, I crossed the finish line about a minute ahead of Tinker. Exhausted, relief washed over me.

Epilogue

It’s still crazy to me that we went under five hours. But I believe God showed me a lot of grace and gave me the strength to have one of the best rides of my life. I’m super thankful to have a ride like that and to have amazing friends and family to enjoy it with!

Most-Wanted Hotel Amenities – Wi-Fi Tops the List! (INFOGRAPHIC)

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A new survey from Hotels.com explores the hotel amenities that are of most value to travelers. The survey finds free Wi-Fi is by far the most important inclusion… far surpassing free breakfast and even free parking.

The survey also explores what other amenities go a long way to please hotel guests, and nothing does the job like a good old-fashioned happy hour or wine tasting.

Check out the infographic below for more insight from the USA Hotel Amenities Survey 2012.

Wonderful Showing at AFP International

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Winspire Team Members Amanda Miles & Corrine Walters hanging out with the Winspire Duo

It was great to see everyone at last weekend’s AFP International show in Vancouver, BC, and we were thrilled to be able to make so many new friends. The first two days were quite busy with a great meeting and lecture schedule providing plenty of incentive for attendees to visit the Marketplace. Although some crummy weather hindered everyone’s last day in town, our team had a great time throughout the weekend.

During the show, AFP announced some interesting and encouraging statistics:

  1. In 2011, 53% of nonprofits reported an increase in fundraising contributions, compared to 43% in 2010.
  2. 16% reported their fundraising was flat in 2011, an improvement from 24% in 2010.

This shows us that charitable giving is on the upswing, which should bode well for organizations across the Nonprofit industry. We look forward to next year’s show in San Diego!

Winspire Inspired by Someone Cares Soup Kitchen

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Several times a year, we roll up our sleeves and head out of the office to give back to the community where we live and work. This week, Winspire spent an afternoon working alongside a group of amazing staff and volunteers at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa, a city nestled between Newport Beach and Irvine in Southern California. This organization’s story and the good deeds they are doing are truly amazing and inspiring.

We were greeted by Executive Shannon Santos, who was so warm and welcoming. We could feel her passion and her love for the soup kitchen the minute we walked in the door. Shannon is the granddaughter of the soup kitchen’s founder, Merle Hatleberg. In 1986, Merle was working as a site director for an Orange County seniors program. Each day, Merle had a number of hungry people coming to the door of her workplace. They were hungry but didn’t qualify as seniors for feeding. Many of these “people” were school-aged children. She was usually able to slip them some food, but there was an unmet need that was deeply troubling to her.

More about Someone Cares Soup Kitchen

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen provides meals to 300 people each and every day of the week. The Someone Cares Tutoring Program operates Monday through Thursday from 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. They currently serve 45 children, and each child receives 4 hours of individual instruction in the following areas:

  • Tutoring in reading, spelling, language, math, science and technology for three hours after school.
  • Professional tutors at 5:1 ratio students/tutors.
  • Assistance with understanding and keeping up with homework (as so many of the children’s parents do not speak English, they cannot assist their children with their homework).
  • Access to and training on computers and computer software that fosters academic skills and technical literacy.
  • Children are served either a meal or a healthy snack prior to being tutored and a take home snack for the evening.

Drawing on her own meager funds, she bought a large pot and made her first .pot of soup. on June 15, 1986. That first day, Merle served about 30 people and the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen was born. From 1986 until 1997, the Soup Kitchen served its meals – setting up in local churches or the community center. In 1997, with the help of many local businesses and fundraisers, the Soup Kitchen was able to purchase a building that was formerly a Chinese restaurant.

When Merle passed a few years ago, Shannon took over as Executive Director. Along with a handful dedicated staff and over 150 active volunteers, their mission is clear: To feed a daily nutritional meal to the homeless, the unemployed, the working poor, the mentally challenged, the physically challenged, the senior citizens and most important of all – the children. We provide these meals to our guests in a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere. We believe that no one should go to bed hungry, on the street or otherwise. The Soup Kitchen provides a nutritional and tasteful meal to the less fortunate in our community. A meal that we would be proud to serve to our family at home. A well-balanced meal, made fresh daily, consisting of vegetable soup, lettuce and fruit salads, hearty and filling side dishes, breads and muffins, desert, milk and water.

During our afternoon shift, we helped serve the meal that volunteers and staff had prepared earlier in the day. We passed out groceries donated by local businesses. Everyone received a pair of new socks and a bag of toiletries. “This is an amazingly well run operation. The staff members are so efficient and organized, the volunteers are friendly and helpful, and the guests we served were appreciative and thanked us for being there. It was unbelievable! And true to their mission, the atmosphere was most welcoming and warm. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this,” remarked Winspire’s Director of Travel Services Aaron Tom.

Melinda, Aaron & Stephanie from Winspire help organize socks

Later in the afternoon, kids from the local elementary school came in for tutoring, another service provided by this organization. What was once the waiting area of a Chinese restaurant is now lined with desks and chairs where students work with tutors for a few hours every afternoon.

We realize that there are likely similar organizations in many cities across the U.S. and Canada. Winspire salutes each and every one of you and your organizations for the great things you are doing in your communities. We are truly inspired!

Reminder to Come Visit us at the AFP International Conference!

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AFP International Conference on Fundraising LogoThe 49th AFP International Conference on Fundraising is coming up on April 1 – 3!! Winspire will be there so come visit us at Booth 1114.  For more specifics about the event please visit the AFP event homepage.

Say hello to our President – Jeff Cova, Director of Sales – Scott Juhl, Sales Consultant – Amanda Miles and other Winspire team members. Learn the details of our newest No-Risk Auction Packages, or simply stop on by to rest your aching feet!  We love meeting new people, visiting with our clients and learning about new ways we can support your organization.