In Memoriam: Betsey Moran of 82North / DonorMarket

A few weeks ago, I had been trying to get Betsey Moran on the phone. I desperately wanted to profile the organization she directed, DonorMarket, which is the nonprofit "arm" of 82North, an online merchant account service.

My organization is a client of Betsey's, and DonorMarket has served us very well, but I wanted to know how the organization actually works. DonorMarket is an online merchant service, customizable, with very little cost per transaction for the client. Betsey was a truly special person who would return phone calls within five minutes, no matter the time of day. I would recommend Betsey's services to any nonprofit.

I won't say much more, but wanted to post Betsey's obituary and say that I will truly miss her. I wish I had a picture. I'll be sending a special interim donation of My Ten Bucks off to DonorMarket today. Go to http://www.donormarket.org/ to make a donation in Betsey's name.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.
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Obituary

Elizabeth S.E. Moran died on March 16, 2011 surrounded by her loving family after a battle with lung cancer. She is survived by her husband Frederick W. Moran and children Margaret S. and Patrick G. Moran.


Born in Baltimore, the daughter of Caroline Abell Coleman and the late Gage B. Ellis Jr. She is survived by her sister Amanda S. Washburn of Medfield, MA and brother Timothy G. Ellis of Boone, IA; sister-in-law Gail Milne and her husband Neville Milne of Baltimore. She is also survived by her aunts Elizabeth A. Petticrew of Austin, TX, Helene A. Loring of Tucson, AZ, Willoughby E. Royce of Wilmington, NC, and Elizabeth E. Myers of VA.

Betsey attended Bryn Mawr School and graduated from St. Paul's School for Girls in Baltimore. She received a BS degree from Ithaca College and MAS from Johns Hopkins University. Betsey was employed for many years by 1st National Bank of Maryland, followed by several years as a consultant with Price Waterhouse.

Her passions were helping others and conserving the environment. She pursued these goals through involvement in numerous organizations, and touched countless lives through the establishment of 82North in 2004, whose mission is to facilitate fundraising efforts of non-profit organizations.

She furthered her commitment to environmental efforts and conservation education through active involvement on the Board of the Delaware Nature Society, the Squam Lake Natural Science Center (New Hampshire), and as a member of the Holderness, New Hampshire Conservation Commission.

Actively involved as a parishioner of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, she served as the Chair of the 50th Anniversary Green Show, whose total proceeds support community outreach, was an Alter Guild Captain, and a member of the Outreach Committee. While living in New Hampshire, she served on the Vestry of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Plymouth.

Her love of Women's Lacrosse was always evident. In 2002, she founded the first Girls Lacrosse program in Plymouth, NH. Upon her return to Wilmington in 2003, she coached 2 years with the Wilmington (girls) Lacrosse program and coached Middle School Girls Lacrosse at the Tatnall School for 2 years.

Serving her community in other ways, she was Treasurer of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Delaware, served on the Board of the Garden Club of Wilmington, was the Co-Chair of the 2001 Heart Ball, and a committee member for the Delaware Antique Show

A memorial service will be held on April 1, at 1 pm at Christ Church, Wilmington (Greenville), DE

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to donormarket.org or hockeyfightscancer.com.
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I'll miss you, Betsey.

Hey, "Secret Millionaire", let's refocus!

James Malinchak is a motivational speaker profiled on March 20, 2011 on the ABC show Secret Millionaire. In the first few minutes, the narrator describes Malinchak as a resident of Las Vegas who spends thousands each night on his own entertainment. According to Secret Millionaire, Malinchak is one of the highest paid motivational speakers in the U.S.

Here's the ironic part: Secret Millionaire sends Malinchak out of his home state of Nevada to the city of Gary, Indiana. Does this strike anyone odd? Despite its flashy appearance, the outskirts of Las Vegas is racked with poverty! Why doesn't Secret Millionaire find charities that the donor can connect with and invest in - long-term - within his surrounding community?

There's the possibility that a native might be recognized; but I doubt that a high net-worth individual like Malinchak would be recognized by people who can barely put food on their own tables.

I love what you're doing, Secret Millionaire, I think it's amazing. The problem is you're not encouraging people to see the charities that may eventually serve them. I encourage you, executive-producers Grant Mansfield, Natalka Znak, Claire O'Donohoe and Leslie Garvin, and Paul Osborne, co-executive producer, to help these millionaires continue to provide support within their home states.

After all, how frequently can Malinchak make a run to Gary, Indiana to follow up with these charities? Once a year, maybe? If he went to a local charity, he could donate his money and volunteer his time as an expert in encouraging people to succeed.

Hey, it's just my opinion.