Soooo who's snowed in today? I have to admit if I was going to be snowed in, Sunday would be the day I would pick for this to happen. We actually missed the storm up here in central NY. Who would of thunk it? I moved further north and somehow keep missing all of these fun storms. For those of you who are in the middle of all of this, I wish you all safety and warmth. Stay indoors and snuggle up with your family.


It's been awhile since I've done a Sunday Snaps. I unintentionally took off a lot of time from blogging over the last 2-3 months. I didn't put my all into it and guess what? I feel better mentally and actually miss my blog.

Not much came out of the last 2 weeks blog wise. Another Blog Staycation happened and that always makes me happy. This time around was slow moving on my end due to a lot of personal stuff that came on. I sat down and wrote a lot about what I want to post here. I have been reading a lot. This has really helped me clear my head and that makes me feel better.

On Thursday I went to another adult coloring club night at Barnes and Nobles. I really enjoy that my local store is offering this. I am not sure if it's something happening all over or just here, but check it out on your local page to see. I think it is fun to hang out with a bunch of people, coloring and discussing colored pencils, pens, and markers.

Friday I got some fabulous news, which I am planning to talk about tomorrow. I don't want to give it away yet, so please come back tomorrow to see my news. I will say it has warmed my heart and offered me lots of love this weekend.

Today I am pretending I am snowed in. Most of the east coast is, so why not join them? I am hanging out on my couch writing, planning, and nursing the beginning of a cold. Perfect day for hot tea, books, and naps.

Looking ahead this week I have a few fun posts planned. I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend and stay warm!

I came into this room completely unprepared. I have nothing planned and I'm feeling a little under the weather. Could it have anything to do with the snow that fell last night? Probably. Nothing frustrates me more in the morning than seeing fresh snow that I may have to shovel and/or clean off my car.

Anyone else feel like this?

So today is going to be one of those typical Mondays, and I am going to leave you with that.

I have you all have a wonderful week! See you back here on Wednesday.

You may see hundreds of solicitations a year from local and national charities and non-profits. Maybe you are someone who donates regularly, or maybe you are interested but have no idea how to go about making a donation.

I have been working for a non-profit organization for just over 2 months now and it has really opened my eyes to how time consuming processing donations can be. Non-profits depend on these donations to keep their organizations alive and running and the donors depend on getting that tax receipt for the end of the year.

Because most of these organizations are living on the bare minimums they most likely only have one or two people processing these gifts. This can take a lot of time, especially at the end of the year when everyone is trying to get in last minute donations. 

Here are a few tips to make this process run a bit smoother for both the donor and the processing officer so you get your tax receipt that much quicker.

Use the donation card: If you receive a card in the mail, please use it. Sending just a check in an envelope with limited information can be very difficult, especially if you have never donated before. We strive to get all of your information correct in our systems to make sure you are properly thanked and receive your tax receipt promptly.

Handwriting: We understand that everyone does not have perfect handwriting, however if we can not read what it is you have written to us, we could make a mistake. This is especially true if you would like us to send a card in honor of someone. If we cannot read the name it may be impossible to do that.

Details: If this donation is for something specific or you would like us to send a notification to someone on your behalf, please provide the proper information. This includes: full name and address. We do appreciate everything you do, and can understand you may be in a hurry when sending out your donation, but the process goes much quicker and more accurate if all the information is there when we receive your donation.

Credit card information: If you decide to send us a credit card to use, please make sure you give us all of the information. We need the full card number as well as the expiration date. It is clearly marked on the donation card what is required. Going back to the handwriting category, this would be another area to make sure you are writing clearly. 

Patience: We love each and every donor who donates to our organization, and we understand you may get concerned that you have not received notification from us right away.  We ask that you have confidence and patience in us, as we are trying to weed through and decipher numerous donations on a daily basis. We strive to get your acknowledgement out promptly, but there will be times where it  may take a few extra days.

I think I have covered the basics here. A few steps to make your donating experience a pleasant experience. The more information you can provide the better. We are happy to go out and look for this information for you, but this will push back the time it takes us to get your tax receipt out to you.

I hope this was helpful to anyone out there who makes donations, or someone who is debating making a donation.

Let me know if you have any further tips in the comments!