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Help Streetsblog Chicago Win a $25K Grant From The Chicago Community Trust

In these unprecedented times, we here at Streetsblog Chicago know that there are many worthwhile nonprofits asking for your assistance. But, for the third year in a row, The Chicago Community Trust is stepping up to the plate by offering us a generous $25K challenge grant if we can raise $50K in sponsorships and reader donations by June 30, which will allow us to fund our next year of coverage. Once again, we’re going to need your help to win the grant, so we can continue to bring you the hard-hitting livable streets reporting you value.

Spotlight

The Wildlife Trusts

We manage thousands of nature reserves and run marine conservation projects around our coasts. There are 46 Wildlife Trusts covering the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. Each of the 46 Wildlife Trusts is an independent, autonomous charity with its own trustees, whose primary concern is the conservation of nature within its own geographical area.

OTHER ARTICLES
Nonprofit Management

5 Videos That Show Creative Ways to Market Your Nonprofit

Article | July 12, 2022

Video marketing increases brand engagement, reflects your nonprofit brand personality, and informs the public about your impact. The key is to approach your video marketing strategy in a creative way so you can stand out from the crowd. The following five videos are creative examples from which you can draw inspiration, from capturing your audience’s attention to building strong storylines that deliver information in innovative ways. In each example, we’ll dissect some best practices and learnings you can take away in order to level up your own videos.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Make Every Fundraising Day Count in December

Article | July 15, 2022

I do not know about you, but I am now in a full-blown fundraising sprint to the end of the year! I am multi-tasking. Yesterday, I arrived in the office at 7 a.m. and the day did not end until I arrived home at 7:30 p.m. There is not a minute to lose. Beyond many job-related tasks, I spent time identifying, cultivating, stewarding, and especially soliciting individuals, corporations, foundations, associations, and organizations. I also volunteered last week to help three organizations in their end of year fundraising activities. When you work in the world of social services, all you think about, especially in December, are the needs of others. Why should nonprofits sprint to the end of the year at this time on the calendar? According to Neon One, there are major year-end giving statistics that show how powerful December is each year. One-third of annual giving occurs in December; 12% of all giving occurs in the last three days of the year; more than 53% of nonprofits plan their year-end appeal in October; November and December collectively represent 77% of the most popular months for making year-end asks; and 28% of nonprofits raise up to 50% of their annual fund from their year-end ask. In addition, two-thirds of people who make donations do not research before giving; 80% of volunteers also donate to their organization; 60% of nonprofits make up to three touches for their year-end campaign; and direct mail is the most popular medium for year-end asks, followed by email, website, and in-person asks. The Allegiance Group noted that there are essential things your nonprofit should do at the end of the year. These include holding an annual meeting, electing officers and directors, preparing financial reports, approving next year’s budget, filing IRS Form 990, filing your Secretary of State Annual Report, maintaining a registered agent, obtaining or renewing charitable solicitation licenses, reviewing solicitations and donor receipts, and updating your files and records. Strive to assess and make plans for the new year. Critique your operational results and strive to improve your operational model. The Tapp Network published five fundraising benchmarks every nonprofit should know to double December donations. These benchmarks include 30% of fundraising occurs in December, 10% of all online fundraising occurs in the last three days of the year, 30% of donation page traffic occurs around Giving Tuesday and early December, and 200% more donations are raised by mobile-responsive as opposed to non-mobile websites. Also, 52% higher donation values are attributed to December than any other time of the year. Be prepared for the December rush by building email lists and social media support now. Upgrade your sites to be mobile responsive and donation collective during December. Send reminder emails during the last week of December and continue to ask for financial support via social media. For a Good Cause noted that for December fundraising efforts, which heighten a spirit of generosity, create a year-end customized donation page on your website. Double check that your website is optimized for mobile, so your page is user friendly. Brand your campaign, tweet about the campaign, and link the donation page to your Instagram bio. Because New Year’s Eve is the biggest day of the year for nonprofits, send out multiple appeals that day using all social media channels. Create a fundraising thermometer on your website and keep it up to date. Do not forget to thank your donors by telling them what they accomplished by giving your organization money. Use December as a time to utilize creative Christmas fundraising ideas. An article by Donor Box provides you with wonderful possibilities in this regard. An estimated 43% of higher income donors (households earning more than $200,000 annually), donate more during the holidays. Key December Ideas shared by Donor Box include the following: Create a matching gift program. Establish a gift-wrapping party to engage volunteers. Create a soup party for volunteers, wrapped around a donor thank-you call event. Hold an ugly sweater party where participants pay to enter. Hold a polar plunge for your nonprofit. Host a holiday gala dinner. Establish a Christmas-themed fundraising day. Invite donors to have a Christmas cookie bake-off. Have a story telling campaign on social media. Have volunteers create homemade Christmas cards. Host a letter to Santa event. Create a donate page on your website. An article by National Giving Month noted that if 10,000 signatures from people who believe in charity are sent to U.S. Senators, Congressman, and the White House, a legislative resolution will be offered proclaiming December as National Giving Month. Last year, Americans gave $410.2B to charity, breaking all previous records. Our generosity demonstrates that even in divisive times, our commitment to charity is secure. So far, 10,194 supporters have signed the proclamation and counting. There are three weeks left in 2021. It is never too late to try something new. See where you are in your fundraising goals. Engage your staff, administration, volunteers, friends and organizational family to help your organization sprint to the fundraising end of year. Everyone needs to own their responsibility for fundraising success, and it starts with your CEO. The sands of the hourglass are continuing to fall. Use whatever motivates your prospects to give, including tax incentives, recognition, personal satisfaction, feelings of joy through giving, and sharing of organizational stories. You will have time for a brief breather next year. December is not the time to pull back your energy and efforts. Most people are in the spirit of giving now and you need to tap their brief feeling for total success to occur. Do not waste one second of your time on activities that do not produce solid ROI (return on investment). Make every fundraising day count in December. It will be gone before you know it.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Prioritizing Money Builds Fake Donor Relationships

Article | July 29, 2022

The relationship costs too much money, so I will save money and not pursue it. And the result of that decision is disastrous. Relationships take time. You know that. Your boss knows it. But we ignore time because that is how we have set up things. There is a budget to manage. A forecast to make. So, we go for the fake relationship. One where we pretend to care, but only if we get the money. We do that — not because we believe it’s the right thing to do but — because we can’t see any other way to deliver on expectations. And that is the dilemma in major gifts. The push is for instant gratification. We are dealing with a situation right now where the authority figure does not value relationships. She says she does. She even claims to have a value set that cherishes relationships. But the money is the real value. And the need to grab it is the central drive. So, she is pushing on her major gift officers (MGOs) to get the money and is even threatening to do away with the major gifts program because it is not delivering. But when we uncover what “not delivering” means in her view, it is not that each MGO is not producing revenue from the same donors over and above last year. Nope. It is that each isn’t producing enough revenue quickly enough. The real story in this organization is that some of the other fundraising programs are not performing, and major gifts needs to be the scapegoat. It’s all about the money. This is so sad because these are good people — all of them, including the authority figure. It is sad because the plan to move major gifts into real relationships is facing failure. And that bothers Jeff and me — not because it’s our plan for the organization. No, it bothers us because there are good MGOs and good donors who must revert back to a fake relationship. And that is not good. One of our major objectives is to influence fundraisers and nonprofit leaders to highly value and respect donors. When we succeed at that, and we do, more often than not, it brings donors, MGOs and leaders a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction. And, it brings the money. You should see the celebration! But when money is valued over relationship, it is a dark and depressing time for us. That is why the situation I described earlier is so disturbing. It’s not that we are going to lose something. No, that is not it. It’s that some very good MGOs and some very good donors will be forced to live in superficiality and shallowness. And that is not good for anyone. And it certainly is not good for the economic well-being of the nonprofit. Make a commitment today to real relationships with your donors. And if your organization does not support that, try to influence it to change. If the organization will not change, move on. You have a choice.

Read More

How Nonprofits Can Secure Corporate Sponsorships

Article | May 2, 2020

As a nonprofit organization, you’re doing your part to make the world a better place. Your cause matters to your staff, volunteers, donors, and those you serve. What you do likely also appeals to businesses. Many businesses have corporate sponsorship programs with funds set aside to support nonprofits. According to a study published on Statista, an online statistics company, corporations paid 65.8 billion dollars in corporate sponsorships worldwide in 2018. If your nonprofit hasn’t pursued corporate sponsorship for your programs, capital campaigns, or fundraising events, you’re leaving a lot of potential money on the table.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

What Are the Top Five Lessons for Your Non-Profit This Year?

Article | July 12, 2022

Video marketing increases brand engagement, reflects your nonprofit brand personality, and informs the public about your impact. The key is to approach your video marketing strategy in a creative way so you can stand out from the crowd. The following five videos are creative examples from which you can draw inspiration, from capturing your audience’s attention to building strong storylines that deliver information in innovative ways. In each example, we’ll dissect some best practices and learnings you can take away in order to level up your own videos.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

The Advocacy versus the Activist Functions of Non-profits

Article | July 15, 2022

I do not know about you, but I am now in a full-blown fundraising sprint to the end of the year! I am multi-tasking. Yesterday, I arrived in the office at 7 a.m. and the day did not end until I arrived home at 7:30 p.m. There is not a minute to lose. Beyond many job-related tasks, I spent time identifying, cultivating, stewarding, and especially soliciting individuals, corporations, foundations, associations, and organizations. I also volunteered last week to help three organizations in their end of year fundraising activities. When you work in the world of social services, all you think about, especially in December, are the needs of others. Why should nonprofits sprint to the end of the year at this time on the calendar? According to Neon One, there are major year-end giving statistics that show how powerful December is each year. One-third of annual giving occurs in December; 12% of all giving occurs in the last three days of the year; more than 53% of nonprofits plan their year-end appeal in October; November and December collectively represent 77% of the most popular months for making year-end asks; and 28% of nonprofits raise up to 50% of their annual fund from their year-end ask. In addition, two-thirds of people who make donations do not research before giving; 80% of volunteers also donate to their organization; 60% of nonprofits make up to three touches for their year-end campaign; and direct mail is the most popular medium for year-end asks, followed by email, website, and in-person asks. The Allegiance Group noted that there are essential things your nonprofit should do at the end of the year. These include holding an annual meeting, electing officers and directors, preparing financial reports, approving next year’s budget, filing IRS Form 990, filing your Secretary of State Annual Report, maintaining a registered agent, obtaining or renewing charitable solicitation licenses, reviewing solicitations and donor receipts, and updating your files and records. Strive to assess and make plans for the new year. Critique your operational results and strive to improve your operational model. The Tapp Network published five fundraising benchmarks every nonprofit should know to double December donations. These benchmarks include 30% of fundraising occurs in December, 10% of all online fundraising occurs in the last three days of the year, 30% of donation page traffic occurs around Giving Tuesday and early December, and 200% more donations are raised by mobile-responsive as opposed to non-mobile websites. Also, 52% higher donation values are attributed to December than any other time of the year. Be prepared for the December rush by building email lists and social media support now. Upgrade your sites to be mobile responsive and donation collective during December. Send reminder emails during the last week of December and continue to ask for financial support via social media. For a Good Cause noted that for December fundraising efforts, which heighten a spirit of generosity, create a year-end customized donation page on your website. Double check that your website is optimized for mobile, so your page is user friendly. Brand your campaign, tweet about the campaign, and link the donation page to your Instagram bio. Because New Year’s Eve is the biggest day of the year for nonprofits, send out multiple appeals that day using all social media channels. Create a fundraising thermometer on your website and keep it up to date. Do not forget to thank your donors by telling them what they accomplished by giving your organization money. Use December as a time to utilize creative Christmas fundraising ideas. An article by Donor Box provides you with wonderful possibilities in this regard. An estimated 43% of higher income donors (households earning more than $200,000 annually), donate more during the holidays. Key December Ideas shared by Donor Box include the following: Create a matching gift program. Establish a gift-wrapping party to engage volunteers. Create a soup party for volunteers, wrapped around a donor thank-you call event. Hold an ugly sweater party where participants pay to enter. Hold a polar plunge for your nonprofit. Host a holiday gala dinner. Establish a Christmas-themed fundraising day. Invite donors to have a Christmas cookie bake-off. Have a story telling campaign on social media. Have volunteers create homemade Christmas cards. Host a letter to Santa event. Create a donate page on your website. An article by National Giving Month noted that if 10,000 signatures from people who believe in charity are sent to U.S. Senators, Congressman, and the White House, a legislative resolution will be offered proclaiming December as National Giving Month. Last year, Americans gave $410.2B to charity, breaking all previous records. Our generosity demonstrates that even in divisive times, our commitment to charity is secure. So far, 10,194 supporters have signed the proclamation and counting. There are three weeks left in 2021. It is never too late to try something new. See where you are in your fundraising goals. Engage your staff, administration, volunteers, friends and organizational family to help your organization sprint to the fundraising end of year. Everyone needs to own their responsibility for fundraising success, and it starts with your CEO. The sands of the hourglass are continuing to fall. Use whatever motivates your prospects to give, including tax incentives, recognition, personal satisfaction, feelings of joy through giving, and sharing of organizational stories. You will have time for a brief breather next year. December is not the time to pull back your energy and efforts. Most people are in the spirit of giving now and you need to tap their brief feeling for total success to occur. Do not waste one second of your time on activities that do not produce solid ROI (return on investment). Make every fundraising day count in December. It will be gone before you know it.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Marketing Your Nonprofit Organization in 4 Simple Steps

Article | July 29, 2022

The relationship costs too much money, so I will save money and not pursue it. And the result of that decision is disastrous. Relationships take time. You know that. Your boss knows it. But we ignore time because that is how we have set up things. There is a budget to manage. A forecast to make. So, we go for the fake relationship. One where we pretend to care, but only if we get the money. We do that — not because we believe it’s the right thing to do but — because we can’t see any other way to deliver on expectations. And that is the dilemma in major gifts. The push is for instant gratification. We are dealing with a situation right now where the authority figure does not value relationships. She says she does. She even claims to have a value set that cherishes relationships. But the money is the real value. And the need to grab it is the central drive. So, she is pushing on her major gift officers (MGOs) to get the money and is even threatening to do away with the major gifts program because it is not delivering. But when we uncover what “not delivering” means in her view, it is not that each MGO is not producing revenue from the same donors over and above last year. Nope. It is that each isn’t producing enough revenue quickly enough. The real story in this organization is that some of the other fundraising programs are not performing, and major gifts needs to be the scapegoat. It’s all about the money. This is so sad because these are good people — all of them, including the authority figure. It is sad because the plan to move major gifts into real relationships is facing failure. And that bothers Jeff and me — not because it’s our plan for the organization. No, it bothers us because there are good MGOs and good donors who must revert back to a fake relationship. And that is not good. One of our major objectives is to influence fundraisers and nonprofit leaders to highly value and respect donors. When we succeed at that, and we do, more often than not, it brings donors, MGOs and leaders a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction. And, it brings the money. You should see the celebration! But when money is valued over relationship, it is a dark and depressing time for us. That is why the situation I described earlier is so disturbing. It’s not that we are going to lose something. No, that is not it. It’s that some very good MGOs and some very good donors will be forced to live in superficiality and shallowness. And that is not good for anyone. And it certainly is not good for the economic well-being of the nonprofit. Make a commitment today to real relationships with your donors. And if your organization does not support that, try to influence it to change. If the organization will not change, move on. You have a choice.

Read More

How Nonprofits Can Secure Corporate Sponsorships

Article | May 2, 2020

As a nonprofit organization, you’re doing your part to make the world a better place. Your cause matters to your staff, volunteers, donors, and those you serve. What you do likely also appeals to businesses. Many businesses have corporate sponsorship programs with funds set aside to support nonprofits. According to a study published on Statista, an online statistics company, corporations paid 65.8 billion dollars in corporate sponsorships worldwide in 2018. If your nonprofit hasn’t pursued corporate sponsorship for your programs, capital campaigns, or fundraising events, you’re leaving a lot of potential money on the table.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

The Wildlife Trusts

We manage thousands of nature reserves and run marine conservation projects around our coasts. There are 46 Wildlife Trusts covering the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. Each of the 46 Wildlife Trusts is an independent, autonomous charity with its own trustees, whose primary concern is the conservation of nature within its own geographical area.

Related News

Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy

National After-School Nonprofit Awarded $2.45 Million Federal Grant to Build VR-Powered Career Exploration Programs

Prnewswire | April 10, 2023

After-School All-Stars, one of the largest providers of free, comprehensive after-school programs in the United States, today announced that it has received $2.45 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Pathways for Youth program that will bring virtual and augmented reality career simulations to youth at after-school programs in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Newark, and Miami. In collaboration with immersive learning pioneer Transfr, the "Stars at Work'' program will connect young people with hands-on career exploration simulations that offer real-world experience in a variety of fast-growing jobs and industries. "We need to find creative ways to make career exploration more engaging and interactive in order to help young people prepare for a fast-changing economy," said Ben Paul, CEO of After-School All-Stars. "This collaboration has provided thousands of students firsthand experience with what it's like to work in the fields of robotics, hospitality, and emergency services. It's about helping students build the skills to transform a job into a long-term, rewarding career." The announcement comes at a time of rising uncertainty around the future of the labor market for students and working adults alike—as well as a growing share of students and young adults who are disconnected from school and employment. Nationally, there are approximately 4.6 million "opportunity youth" ages 16-24, who are neither in school or employed. Against that backdrop, K-12 schools and after-school programs have increased their focus on helping middle and high school students foster connections between their classroom experiences and their future ambitions. "Stars at Work" will offer an interactive and engaging new way for students to explore careers using a virtual reality curriculum covering 23 dynamic industries introducing disadvantaged youth to careers they might not have otherwise considered. Through the simulations, students receive a hands-on, real-world view of a variety of workplace settings in industries ranging from automotive trades, manufacturing and construction careers, hospitality services, and healthcare training. Founded in 1992 by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is one of five national organizations selected to participate in the $12 million second round of Workforce Pathways for Youth program, first launched by the U.S. Department of Labor's Education and Training Administration in 2020 to support recovery efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant program is designed to help bridge the gap between existing out-of-school time programs—including after-schools, youth enrichment, and summer camps—and the need for career exploration and enrichment opportunities that can prepare students to enter the workforce. At After-School All-Stars programs in the four major metro areas covered by this grant, students will be able to access immersive VR training experiences that enable students to experience skilled trades without requiring specialized equipment and extensive travel. After completing the career exploration program, students will have the option to participate in early career placement opportunities that will help them build new skills and set them on a path to long-term success in their chosen industry. After-School All-Stars and Transfr have assembled a team of regional employer partners that includes Manufacturing Works, Diamond Metals Distribution - Cleveland, MY Workforce Solutions - Los Angeles, InterContinental Hotels, and Chick-fil-A - National. "Enabling young people to acquire the skills needed to access and succeed in growing industries must be an essential part of our long-term strategy for building a more inclusive and equitable economy." said Bharani Rajakumar, CEO and founder of Transfr. "This is about giving students the tools to envision themselves in careers that they might never have considered while building a highly skilled workforce that meets the needs of today's employers." About After-School All-Stars Founded in 1992 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is a leading national provider of school-based, free, comprehensive after-school programs. The organization's mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in under-resourced communities have access to free programs that allow them to increase academic readiness, explore career opportunities, develop regular health and wellness habits, practice visual and performing arts, and build STEM skills. 90,000+ children from 19 U.S. locations benefit: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia & Camden, San Antonio, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toledo, Washington D.C., Bay Area and Puget Sound. About Transfr Transfr's mission is to train the future of every industry by opening up new opportunities for people across the globe. Transfr helps create unique pathways to well-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields, enabling learners to find job security and economic prosperity, facilitated by immersive, hands-on training.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

The Dallas Foundation Selects Foundant Technologies Solutions to Seamlessly Manage Operations, Maximize Impact

Prnewswire | March 29, 2023

The Dallas Foundation, the first community foundation in Texas, has implemented CommunitySuite, Grant Lifecycle Manager and Scholarship Lifecycle Manager from Foundant Technologies (Foundant), a leader in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences. The Dallas Foundation replaced its previous "big name" CRM, financial management and grant management systems with Foundant's integrated solutions, which has significantly increased the Foundation's impact on and contributions to its community. "We can punch above our weight because our technology infrastructure is comprehensive, reliable and easy to use," said Matthew Randazzo, president and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. "CommunitySuite has freed up our staff substantially so they can focus more on high-value, strategic activities and engage more deeply in servicing the community. This is only possible because we are spending less time managing and questioning our data and more time leveraging that data within one integrated ecosystem." Prior to implementing Foundant's solutions, The Dallas Foundation was manually managing disparate software solutions that didn't play well with each other. This approach meant the staff was spending significant time on low-value, transactional tasks that were not contributing to the Foundation's mission or positively impacting the community. CommunitySuite allows the Foundation to leverage one comprehensive solution to manage every aspect of its operations in a cohesive and unified way. "Not only can we do more in less time, but our time is more impactful now. Our team is more engaged and energized because they are doing high-leverage, satisfying work, which is what drew them to work with the foundation in the first place. It feeds their purpose and allows them to do their best work in a way that rote admin tasks cannot," added Randazzo. The Dallas Foundation manages over 700 funds and has awarded more than $1 billion over the course of its long history. Since the Foundation's inception, the mission has consistently improved lives and made progress throughout North Texas. Grant investments currently focus on programs that benefit children ages birth to three as well as those that advance equity and inclusion, ensure community and economic resilience, and enhance the community's nonprofit ecosystem. "Foundant has revolutionized how our finance team spends their time," added Randazzo. "It used to take multiple members of the team one-third of the working month to produce monthly fund statements. Now, with CommunitySuite, one team member completes all that work in less than one day." In addition to streamlining the Foundation's operations, Foundant's CommunitySuite solution enables a more robust, easy-to-use donor portal, allowing donors to: Recommend grants Access fund balances, statements, shared documents and tax receipts See a real-time view of account activities "CommunitySuite is the only market-based solution that understands the complexity of community foundations, and they truly are a trusted partner," added Randazzo. "From selection to go-live, Foundant has walked alongside us, and they remain committed to our success." About Foundant Technologies Foundant Technologies has specialized in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences since 2007. Passionate about philanthropy, Foundants' team is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of grantmakers, scholarship providers, community foundations and nonprofits to enable change-makers to make the world a better place for all. More than 3,000 funders and nonprofits use Foundant's software to transform their organizations and maximize their impact in the communities they serve.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy

Unity Care Receives $100,000 California State Coastal Conservancy Grant

GlobeNewswire | March 24, 2023

Unity Care, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support services to youth in and exiting from foster care throughout California, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The grant will work to fund a program known as The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition, which will connect youth in foster care to coastal activities that allow them to explore our state’s coasts while introducing key concepts of career exploration and nature conservation. Funding from the Conservancy will allow Unity Care to connect 80 of the youth served by the agency across three of the regions in which Unity Care operates (San Francisco/East Bay Area, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and Northern California) with monthly excursions that allow youth to learn about and explore California coasts. On March 2, 2023, Unity Care held its first youth engagement trip of The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition program and brought 20 program participants to The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Participants learned about California's coastal environments, nature conservation, and possible career paths within conservation and preservation. After the visit to the Academy, one youth participant said, “if I could give this a million stars, I would!” About Unity Care Unity Care, established in 1993, is a youth and family agency that offers safe and stable housing for youth and young adults aging out of the foster care system. The nationally accredited organization provides supportive services, through housing and other programs, to transitional foster-care youth aged 16-25 in El Dorado, Placer, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, Nevada, and Monterey counties.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy

National After-School Nonprofit Awarded $2.45 Million Federal Grant to Build VR-Powered Career Exploration Programs

Prnewswire | April 10, 2023

After-School All-Stars, one of the largest providers of free, comprehensive after-school programs in the United States, today announced that it has received $2.45 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Pathways for Youth program that will bring virtual and augmented reality career simulations to youth at after-school programs in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Newark, and Miami. In collaboration with immersive learning pioneer Transfr, the "Stars at Work'' program will connect young people with hands-on career exploration simulations that offer real-world experience in a variety of fast-growing jobs and industries. "We need to find creative ways to make career exploration more engaging and interactive in order to help young people prepare for a fast-changing economy," said Ben Paul, CEO of After-School All-Stars. "This collaboration has provided thousands of students firsthand experience with what it's like to work in the fields of robotics, hospitality, and emergency services. It's about helping students build the skills to transform a job into a long-term, rewarding career." The announcement comes at a time of rising uncertainty around the future of the labor market for students and working adults alike—as well as a growing share of students and young adults who are disconnected from school and employment. Nationally, there are approximately 4.6 million "opportunity youth" ages 16-24, who are neither in school or employed. Against that backdrop, K-12 schools and after-school programs have increased their focus on helping middle and high school students foster connections between their classroom experiences and their future ambitions. "Stars at Work" will offer an interactive and engaging new way for students to explore careers using a virtual reality curriculum covering 23 dynamic industries introducing disadvantaged youth to careers they might not have otherwise considered. Through the simulations, students receive a hands-on, real-world view of a variety of workplace settings in industries ranging from automotive trades, manufacturing and construction careers, hospitality services, and healthcare training. Founded in 1992 by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is one of five national organizations selected to participate in the $12 million second round of Workforce Pathways for Youth program, first launched by the U.S. Department of Labor's Education and Training Administration in 2020 to support recovery efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant program is designed to help bridge the gap between existing out-of-school time programs—including after-schools, youth enrichment, and summer camps—and the need for career exploration and enrichment opportunities that can prepare students to enter the workforce. At After-School All-Stars programs in the four major metro areas covered by this grant, students will be able to access immersive VR training experiences that enable students to experience skilled trades without requiring specialized equipment and extensive travel. After completing the career exploration program, students will have the option to participate in early career placement opportunities that will help them build new skills and set them on a path to long-term success in their chosen industry. After-School All-Stars and Transfr have assembled a team of regional employer partners that includes Manufacturing Works, Diamond Metals Distribution - Cleveland, MY Workforce Solutions - Los Angeles, InterContinental Hotels, and Chick-fil-A - National. "Enabling young people to acquire the skills needed to access and succeed in growing industries must be an essential part of our long-term strategy for building a more inclusive and equitable economy." said Bharani Rajakumar, CEO and founder of Transfr. "This is about giving students the tools to envision themselves in careers that they might never have considered while building a highly skilled workforce that meets the needs of today's employers." About After-School All-Stars Founded in 1992 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is a leading national provider of school-based, free, comprehensive after-school programs. The organization's mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in under-resourced communities have access to free programs that allow them to increase academic readiness, explore career opportunities, develop regular health and wellness habits, practice visual and performing arts, and build STEM skills. 90,000+ children from 19 U.S. locations benefit: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia & Camden, San Antonio, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toledo, Washington D.C., Bay Area and Puget Sound. About Transfr Transfr's mission is to train the future of every industry by opening up new opportunities for people across the globe. Transfr helps create unique pathways to well-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields, enabling learners to find job security and economic prosperity, facilitated by immersive, hands-on training.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

The Dallas Foundation Selects Foundant Technologies Solutions to Seamlessly Manage Operations, Maximize Impact

Prnewswire | March 29, 2023

The Dallas Foundation, the first community foundation in Texas, has implemented CommunitySuite, Grant Lifecycle Manager and Scholarship Lifecycle Manager from Foundant Technologies (Foundant), a leader in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences. The Dallas Foundation replaced its previous "big name" CRM, financial management and grant management systems with Foundant's integrated solutions, which has significantly increased the Foundation's impact on and contributions to its community. "We can punch above our weight because our technology infrastructure is comprehensive, reliable and easy to use," said Matthew Randazzo, president and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. "CommunitySuite has freed up our staff substantially so they can focus more on high-value, strategic activities and engage more deeply in servicing the community. This is only possible because we are spending less time managing and questioning our data and more time leveraging that data within one integrated ecosystem." Prior to implementing Foundant's solutions, The Dallas Foundation was manually managing disparate software solutions that didn't play well with each other. This approach meant the staff was spending significant time on low-value, transactional tasks that were not contributing to the Foundation's mission or positively impacting the community. CommunitySuite allows the Foundation to leverage one comprehensive solution to manage every aspect of its operations in a cohesive and unified way. "Not only can we do more in less time, but our time is more impactful now. Our team is more engaged and energized because they are doing high-leverage, satisfying work, which is what drew them to work with the foundation in the first place. It feeds their purpose and allows them to do their best work in a way that rote admin tasks cannot," added Randazzo. The Dallas Foundation manages over 700 funds and has awarded more than $1 billion over the course of its long history. Since the Foundation's inception, the mission has consistently improved lives and made progress throughout North Texas. Grant investments currently focus on programs that benefit children ages birth to three as well as those that advance equity and inclusion, ensure community and economic resilience, and enhance the community's nonprofit ecosystem. "Foundant has revolutionized how our finance team spends their time," added Randazzo. "It used to take multiple members of the team one-third of the working month to produce monthly fund statements. Now, with CommunitySuite, one team member completes all that work in less than one day." In addition to streamlining the Foundation's operations, Foundant's CommunitySuite solution enables a more robust, easy-to-use donor portal, allowing donors to: Recommend grants Access fund balances, statements, shared documents and tax receipts See a real-time view of account activities "CommunitySuite is the only market-based solution that understands the complexity of community foundations, and they truly are a trusted partner," added Randazzo. "From selection to go-live, Foundant has walked alongside us, and they remain committed to our success." About Foundant Technologies Foundant Technologies has specialized in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences since 2007. Passionate about philanthropy, Foundants' team is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of grantmakers, scholarship providers, community foundations and nonprofits to enable change-makers to make the world a better place for all. More than 3,000 funders and nonprofits use Foundant's software to transform their organizations and maximize their impact in the communities they serve.

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Nonprofit Technology, Philanthropy

Unity Care Receives $100,000 California State Coastal Conservancy Grant

GlobeNewswire | March 24, 2023

Unity Care, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support services to youth in and exiting from foster care throughout California, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The grant will work to fund a program known as The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition, which will connect youth in foster care to coastal activities that allow them to explore our state’s coasts while introducing key concepts of career exploration and nature conservation. Funding from the Conservancy will allow Unity Care to connect 80 of the youth served by the agency across three of the regions in which Unity Care operates (San Francisco/East Bay Area, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and Northern California) with monthly excursions that allow youth to learn about and explore California coasts. On March 2, 2023, Unity Care held its first youth engagement trip of The Seasons of Learning: Coastal Edition program and brought 20 program participants to The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Participants learned about California's coastal environments, nature conservation, and possible career paths within conservation and preservation. After the visit to the Academy, one youth participant said, “if I could give this a million stars, I would!” About Unity Care Unity Care, established in 1993, is a youth and family agency that offers safe and stable housing for youth and young adults aging out of the foster care system. The nationally accredited organization provides supportive services, through housing and other programs, to transitional foster-care youth aged 16-25 in El Dorado, Placer, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, Nevada, and Monterey counties.

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