Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/nonprofit/)
As the pandemic raged across New York City in spring 2020, Jose Rivera trekked from the Bronx to Coney Island, Brooklyn to Far Rockaway, Queens, dropping off 100 computer tablets and dozens of food vouchers to public school students, including undocumented Yemenis and Bangladeshis and their families.
Running a youth-centered nonprofit has many unique challenges, but an engaged and invested board should not be one of them. If one of your biggest problems in running your organization is engaging your board members in fundraising, this article is for you. Here at Fordable Fundraising, we have found that incorporating these five practices reduces revolving door syndrome and encourages board members to engage in fundraising more deeply:
1: Define Each Board Member’s Role
Whether you have board members already or you are looking to onboard new members, defining board members’ roles based on their positions and key strengths will provide a solid foundation of executive support to meet initiatives. This can be as simple as a one-page job description or a detailed summary of this role. Having your board members be part of this conversation can lead to more buy-in and better outcomes overall.
Pay your staff and keep your nonprofit afloat for the next two months by applying this very day for emergency funding provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).
As a global pandemic looms over New York City, one group in particular might be getting left behind, homeless youth — a vulnerable subset of the general homeless population made up of runaway youth, LGBTQ teens and other young people experiencing homelessness.
People often talk about the art and science of fundraising. And they’re right. Raising money, especially gifts from individuals, takes a strategic mix of savvy relationship building and effective implementation of the right processes, plans and metrics. But there’s a third piece of the puzzle that we don’t talk as much about … attitude. Attitude dictates our level of confidence to engage donors, it impacts whether we approach our work with an abundance mentality or a scarcity mentality, and it infuses all the training and tools we’ve been given over the years with the organizational will to finally put them to use.
A comprehensive job description is a great first step when hiring a data analyst, but what often gets overlooked is the type of person best suited for this role. A data analyst, especially in the landscape of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), might wear several hats that extend their skills outside the technical demands of the job.
At a glance it can be hard to see the impact of the breadth of services offered by the Whitefoord Community Program (WCP) on the cluster of Atlanta neighborhoods they serve. The non-profit runs four health clinics in nearby schools, offers child development and pre-K services, after school programs, digital media training, summer reading and math workshops and even a Bike Rite health initiative.
In a time of tight city and state budget, more and more municipalities are looking for ways to deliver services to the communities that need them. In Atlanta, one such program, the WCP, has been in place for years and could prove to be a model for the nation. Through grants and other funding the project has proven sustainable. Through community involvement it has proven useful and effective.
Look a little closer at the project and you’ll see the evolution of a community support system that weaves together family, health and education. What stated with a one-square mile area and a single health clinic in Whitefoord Elementary School on the east side of Atlanta more than 15 years ago has evolved into a system that reaches into a number of communities in that area of the city.
All of these services work in tandem from just about the time the child leaves the womb until he or she graduates high school with one goal in mind: providing the children of this inner-city community with the tools they need to complete their education.
Clarence Jones, director of the WCP's Beyond School Hours program, has been with the organization since shortly after it's founding.
At nine weeks, infants can enroll, space provided, in the WCP’s Child Development program and start gearing up for their formal education. Unlike traditional daycare, this nationally accredited child development program employs HighScope Curriculum, a style of early childhood teaching and learning focused on active participation and educational development.