My Adventure in Non Profit Studies

Last evening, Kristen and I facilitated our playbox activity on saying goodbye (sadface). :( The idea for our playbox came up when I was looking for a community "see you later" activity. Both of us immediately thought it would be a good idea. I enjoyed preparing for the activity by cutting out all of the stars and using cardstock glitter paper that I had at home as a border. I enjoyed facilitating the activity. I thought it was a good moment of reflection for our YDEV community.  It was an enjoyable experience.  If I would change anything, I would have changed the activity by having everyone take a star and putting their names on them. The star could then be passed around and have people write a wish for them on it in addition to the wish they have for our community. 

The central argument of this article is about how nonprofits struggle to function as organizations. Funders have unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs. To take charge, non profit funders need to take the lead.  A key problem is misleading reports in the nonprofit organization. " scrutiny found that 75 percent to 85 percent of these organizations were incorrectly reporting the costs associated with grants." Nonprofit organizations are giving the wrong data. They reported that their "overhead rates ranging from 13 percent to 22 percent," while their "actual overhead rates ranged from 17 percent to 35 percent." I have not had the chance to look into organization data for the YMCA.

Hi all! I hope you had a great weekend. For our assignment this week, we were asked to look at four fundraising requests and compare and contrast them. Here is what I found. What Do These Letters Have in Common?: These letters all have one very simple thing in common, they are all asking for donations. What are the Big Differences?: The big differences between these four letters is the way they are presented. For example, the non profit organization Down City Design uses photos of their projects their donors have made possible. In IRC's letter, they use text cues such as bold font to get their point across. United We Dream talks about numbers and what their donors made possible in the past year. Youth in Action uses the art of story telling to talk about their experiences. What Tools Do They Use?: Although this is touched upon before, the tools that these organizations use include numbers, font, and stories to help persuade donors. What Non-Profit Would I Choose?:  ...

What is the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative?: The Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative was created to provide youth with ample learning opportunities outside of the classroom during summer vacation.  What problems does HSLI address?: HSLI or the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative provides youth for a place to go during six weeks of their summer vacation. This addresses the problem of where youth may go and spend their time during the summer. This helps lower the amount of worry and anxiety of parents who may not be able to afford summer camps and child care for youth.  Another problem HSLI addresses is the problem with youth and the lack of learning and critical thinking that occurs over the summer. HSLI provides youth with several learning initiatives including reading, math, and other disciplines such as science, art, music. They meet this need by doing what youth need and by making it fun and approachable.  YDEV Anchors: I believe the YDEV anchors o...

The foundation I wish to talk about is the Rhode Island Foundation. Mission : The Rhode Island Foundation is a proactive community and philanthropic leader dedicated to meeting the needs of the people of Rhode Island.  History: The Rhode Island Foundation started in 1916 under the name Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company. This foundation was modeled after the first community foundation which had just begun in Cleveland two years prior. Jesse Metcalf, a US Senator gave the foundation their first gift of $10,000. Over 100 years later, the Rhode Island Foundation is still going strong.  Where Does Their Money Come From?: According to the Rhode Island Foundation's annual report, the majority of their money comes through unrestricted funds. Unrestricted funds are personal gifts given to the foundation.  Funding Guidelines: The Rhode Island Foundation focuses on giving money to non profits including education, youth development, community development and hea...

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you're off to a great start this week! 😊 Today I am here to talk about a position I'd like at PASA (the Providence After School Alliance. When looking on the "Our Team" Page, one job really stuck out to me. I really liked the idea of the After Zone Site Coordinator. Why I like this Positon?  I would love to be an After Zone site coordinator. I think I would enjoy working with the youth in the different middle schools across Providence. I would love to be able to support and provide assistance to front line counselors as well as youth in any way I can. I also would love to help plan site wide special activities, help students be the best person they can be, and help all thrive in a positive and supportive environment. What are the strengths and challenges?  A strength of being a Site Coordinator is being able to put your listening, planning, and guiding skills to the test. Site Coordinators overview what is going on with...