Innovation: From Business to Education

Have you noticed how the word “innovation” has become one of the biggest buzz words right now?  Just google it, and see how many times it pops up.  It’s everywhere! From Forbes, to Business Week, “Social Innovation,” Innovation Magazines, even the Whitehouse has a page dedicated to innovation.

So what does "innovation" really mean?  I decided to find out exactly. 

According to Wickipedia, innovation means “the creation of a better or more efficient product, process, service, technology or idea that is accepted by people.”

Other definitions surrounding it include “bringing something new into an environment.”

I realized that I’ve mistakenly assumed innovation always had something to do with technology.  But let’s be real.  The invention of the screwdriver, the hard hat, and even the toothbrush changed the way we lived our lives and got things done. 

And today, what's really innovative might be how a business or nonprofit achieves it’s mission, or delivers its products and services in an exciting new way.  In thinking about this I reflected on alinea.  I realized that if you took apart our formula of Story + Direction + Relationships, which equals effective community engagement, all the pieces could be considered commodities that any number of people could say they do for clients.

But what makes alinea innovative and successful with clients however, has less to do with us, and more to do with our clients.   The two most important criteria for success has to do with clients' mindset (we can do this) and their behavior (willingness to learn how to connect with people) and less to do with actual resource strategies.  We promise them this:  If you do what we tell you to do, you will attract resources!

Innovation in Wisconsin Schools

You may have noticed me tweeting on the road as I’ve been visiting with almost 20 small public school districts around Wisconsin.  Speaking of innovation, I’ve been blown away by all the innovating thinking going on.  I wanted to share some examples.  If you live in Wisconsin, you might be surprised at all the great things going on right in your own backyard.  Check this out:

1.              Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School, right here in Milwaukee, loves working with the children that other teachers and schools think are too hard to teach.  Some of the parents come to Mt. Lebanon having been told by their last school not to expect much of their child.  I don’t know about you, but I think a teacher or principal should be arrested for saying that to a parent. 

So, what’s innovative about Mt. Lebanon?  If a child isn’t successful, Mt. Lebanon teachers find a way.  For example, one of their younger students has sensory integration issues.  The parents informed the school of a brushing strategy that helps at home.  Now, the teacher takes a couple minutes every two hours to brush the student, and it makes a world of difference.  This school doesn’t have enough resources to have all the expertise they need to meet some of these children’s needs.  Instead, they aggressively seek out knowledge, education and training on strategies that usually only special education teachers employ.  This is innovative

2.              Altoona School District in the Chippewa Valley in Wisconsin has an aging population.  As the school district seeks to become relevant to all community members, they have begun offering adult education programs to older adults, as well as cross-generational activities for youngsters and older adults.  Something else that they’re doing really blew me away.  Typically, school districts are very protective of their enrollment, because there is a time during the year when parents can try to enroll their children in “any school.”  Because government resources are tied to enrollment, there is tension between school districts and competition for families.  Altoona school district is in talks with two other school districts in the area to figure out how best to provide education in a way that meets student needs and the needs of their communities.  This is innovative, because I have never heard of separate school districts collaborating for what is truly best for kids.  They envision each school district possibly offering a unique program based on their strengths.

3.              Montello School District in Wisconsin is really on the cutting edge.  They have launched the “Montello Idea,” a long-term plan to become a truly community-based school.  They’re on the fast track having already launched several initiatives.  The first is reaching out to home-schoolers, not to talk them into coming back into the school, but to offer them resources to improve what they’re doing at home plus opportunities to fill gaps like group activities, extra curriculars, foreign language, etc.  That is truly innovative, because typically schools see home-schoolers as taking away resources from the school and have misperceptions and stereotypes of people who choose to home school their children.  The second is designing classroom environments that are actually conducive to learning and meet the needs of different types of learners.  I saw a classroom that looked more like a living room, with soft light, and a variety of seating and some high top and conference size tables.  The children sat more in a big circle where they could really engage with each other.  There wasn’t a traditional desk or row in the room.  The teacher has already noticed an improvement in attention and performance.

 Oh, this next one is really amazing!  Montello is actually allowing teachers who have expertise in certain areas like science and math to focus on teaching in their area of expertise.  This is so common sense, but today it is truly innovative to have teachers who are experts teach the topics that are critical.  The results are already there.  In addition to students gaining a deeper understanding of the subject, teachers are so happy and students are more excited.  When you’re being taught by a teacher who’s really excited about a topic, the impact is going to be greater.

4.              Oconto School District in Wisconsin is seeing the true talent of their young adults in high school.  A group of students actually prepared a business plan for a small business in town.  Community members were blown away by the professionalism of the plan.  Other students are involved in designing logos for local businesses. 

5.              Cedar Grove-Belgium School District already has so much support from local and surrounding communities.  People are just waiting to invest in their next big initiative.  They have a partnership with a local two-year college to create a skilled trades program that will be offered to adults as well as students.  They envision separate programs and spaces for trades related to wood, metal, robotics and more.  They’ve received significant donations already for the latest equipment. 

6.              Wisconsin Dells School District is in a very unique position.  The Dells, known for its huge tourism economy has very few actual residents compared to vacation homeowners and visitors.  Many of the huge resort and water park owners grew up in the area and went to the public schools.  They realize how important their businesses are to the local and international young people who get valuable work experience during the summer.  Students who graduate from Wisconsin Dells Public Schools are used to working with people from all over the world speaking different languages and from different cultures, have a strong work ethic and have an entrepreneurial spirit.  Right now, led in no small part by the business community, the Dells is for the first time building their amazing story and embarking on connecting with all of the tourists and non-resident property owners.

I haven’t even talked about all the ways these schools are using technology.  But I wanted to give you a taste of all the amazing innovative things going on in the State of Wisconsin.  I’d love to hear what’s happening in your community around innovatively delivering quality education.  Please share your story!

How to Attract and Keep AWESOME Volunteers!

Are You Treating Your Volunteers Like MAJOR DONORS?

You should be!  A little inspiration and genuine relationship building goes a long way!

Does any of the following sound familiar to you?

 “After I learned about a XYZ organization, I called right away to find out how I could volunteer.  I left a voicemail for someone, but I never got a call back.”

“While I was at an event, I met someone who worked for XYZ organization.  I was really impressed, but when I asked how I could help, the person wasn’t sure.” 

“I was really excited about volunteering for XYZ organization, but I thought I would get to do more than stuff envelopes.”

How about these comments?

“We don’t have enough volunteers.”

“We have lots of volunteers, but they don’t want to do what we need them to do.”

“I can’t believe that when volunteers sign up to do something that they show up late or not at all.”

If this is what’s happening in your organization, you are not seeing people as the potential gold mine they could be for your organization. 

If you’ve read my other blog postings, you will be familiar with my philosophy of long-term sustainability for nonprofits and schools being dependent on effective community engagement.  Sustainability is not just about dollars, but also about people, partnerships, materials, internships and other kinds of resources. 

That means the process of attracting and keeping volunteers is just like the process of attracting and building financial donations.  The formula for effective community engagement = Story + Direction + Relationships. 

Let’s apply this same formula to volunteers and see what it looks like.

Step #1 – Story – You need to be able to tell your story in a way that inspires people to want to help.

Step #2 – Direction – You need to be able to answer the question, “What are your top three priorities, what do you need to achieve them, and how can people help?”

Step #3 – Relationships – You need to build a genuine and mutually beneficial relationship with each individual volunteer.    

8 Steps to attracting and keeping awesome volunteers (Part I)

1. Get out of the office.  If you’re hoping to recruit the best volunteers from the comfort of your office, you’ve got it all wrong.  Begin to see that every moment of every day is an opportunity to share your organization’s story, make a connection and identify an opportunity to bring volunteer talent to your organization.  

For example, one day our client was paging through M Magazine when he came upon an article about a local TV reporter and her quote, “I love Jesus and laughing children.” 

Our client immediately felt a connection and wrote her a personal letter suggesting that they both had this in common.  This principal of a school asked the TV reporter in his letter if she would be willing to tour his school.  After coming on a tour and becoming inspired about what this school was doing for children, the TV reporter did a two-part TV story on its students and has been volunteering ever since. 

2. Imagine that every possible volunteer could make a donation of $10,000.  You just never know. 

One of my favorite people is Pat Molter!  She’s helped start two nonprofit organizations and is one of the best outreach people I’ve ever met because she treats volunteers like they are the most critical part of the organization.

In fact, my team member Shemagne met Pat while working out at a local Curves.  She immediately became genuinely interested in Shemagne’s life and what she did for a living.

Then she went on to inspire Shemagne with the stories of about three oganizations doing amazing things in Milwaukee.

Pat recently shared this story with me.  House of Love, her organization serving teen girls in foster care who need a group home environment, had just purchased a four apartment building that has now become a transition program for teen girls who become 18 and age out of the foster care system. 

After they purchased it, they found out that they needed to replace the roof in addition to making many, many repairs.  The apartment building had previously been inhabited by drug users as well as a hoarder.  “It was just disgusting,” Pat remarked. 

On this particular day, Pat was cleaning inside while an older group of  men volunteers were busy building shelves in the garage.  Pat is very adamant about always taking the time to meet with the volunteers to share the House of Love story and ensure they understand how important they are to the success of the organization.  Well, Pat was feeling pretty disgusted after cleaning the inside of the apartment building and just wanted to go home and shower.  But one of the organization’s staff people reminded her that she needed to go talk to the volunteers first. Pat went out to greet the group of volunteers, share the House of Love story and shared her appreciation for their contribution before returning home to shower.

Two weeks later, Pat got a call from one of the gentlemen.  He told her, “I haven’t been able to sleep for two weeks, until finally I received a message from God that I was to help House of Love.”  Pat got excited thinking, “Maybe this means a $1,000 donation,” which would be a major gift.  But to her surprise, her jaw dropped when he told her, “Pat, God has even given me an amount - $50,000.” 

As you can see, the House of Love story really resonated with this man and his wife, who had been abandoned themselves as children. 

  

3. Be genuinely interested in people (without an agenda).  People volunteer and make donations to organizations because it fills a need for them.  While some people feel they have been blessed and compelled to give back to the community, for others, a specific issues they have personally been impacted by are what resonate.  In addition, others are looking for an organization that currently needs their talents.  In order to attract the volunteer that is a match for your organization, you need to know a lot about the other person. 

When I was asked to run for president of The Park People, I immediately knew that they were a match for my talents, and that I would really blossom professionally through this experience.  However, I wasn't sure if they were ready for me.  Before I allowed them to vote me into this position, I laid out my philosophy, plans and my expectations of them in the process I was about to take them through.  Only after their agreement did I accept the challenge. 

In my position as President of the organization, I actively sought out new people to sit on the board.  I wasn’t as interested in their resume as I was in their desire to use specific skills and talents, and how they saw themselves contributing.  The first thing I did was ask them to talk about themselves.  Then I shared The Park People story, our plans for the future and how their specific talents, skills and desires fit into achieving our goals. 

If I thought they would have a meaningful experience AND would contribute toward achieving the organization’s goals, then I would recommend to the board that we consider voting them on as a board member. 

4. It’s not about asking . . . for anything.  It’s about being clear about your priorities, what is needed to achieve them and how people can help.  The purpose of sharing your story is to inspire people to want to help.  But if you stop there, the person doesn’t know how to help, so they may walk away and you lost an opportunity.  Your story needs to also lay out your organization’s top priorities, what needs to happen to achieve them and how they can help. 

Did you know that there are more people volunteering than ever right now?  Some people are looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.  Others are looking for ways to keep their skills fresh or learn new skills that could lead to a change in career.  And many college age students and young professionals are looking for a chance to develop their leadership skills.  If volunteers can clearly match their skills to your opportunities, the relationship will prove mutually beneficial.

Let me know how your organization recruits and retains volunteers, what you have found successful and if you have you tried any of the above steps. I always love hearing about different ways organizations work with volunteers to creatively engage their communities.

    

Upcoming Seminars: Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

Almost everyone now in the non-profit and education fields focus on raising money.  It makes sense.   For years, most of us depended on government grants or funds.  But now we have come to a point where this mindset is just not sustainable anymore.  Government funds to organizations and education are being cut, despite the fact that money is needed to fund all the great work our schools and non-profits are doing.  We are at a crossroads where we can either continue to depend on funds that are dwindling or take a new direction towards long-term sustainability that begins with inspiring people to help.  At first this might seem scary or risky, but rest assured this does NOT mean asking for money or anything else for that matter.   You only need to inspire people to want to help by showing them all the great work that you do.  This is where the case statement comes in, and it is the first part of the formula for effective community engagement.   

Story + Direction + Relationship = Effective Community Engagement

The purpose of the case statement is to articulate the essence of your organization in a compelling, concise and consistent manner.  It’s the gathering place for your official story, and it’s a helpful tool for staff, board members, donors and volunteers in raising awareness of your organization.  Finally, our format is strategically designed to answer all the questions a prospective supporter would have before deciding he/she would want to learn more.  

I was wondering if any of you have taken a stab at developing your own professional case statement.  I’d love to see what you came up with.  If you’re stuck, don’t feel bad, because it took me six months to develop the alinea case statement, and it takes us a full 10 hours to develop one for our clients.  And that’s after doing about 100 of them over the past seven years.

I have also received some questions about how you go about developing “ambassadors” for your organization.  Guess what?  The answer is the same one.  It all starts with being able to inspire people to want to help.  

In this blog, I thought I’d highlight two seminars that cover both these topics.

Upcoming Seminars – Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

First, I will be facilitating a FREE workshop sponsored by PNC Bank and Reilly, Penner & Benton accounting firm on Wednesday, November 2^nd, 7:30-9am in Milwaukee (details at www.alineaconnect.com).  During this workshop, we will walk through how to develop a professional case statement.  If you’ve already started your case statement, but you need to take it to the next level, or if you haven’t started one yet, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  If you’re not in town, join us via skype or other technology.  

Second, I will be facilitating a workshop for the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee titled “Engaging Volunteers in What You Do,” where you will learn about giving the inspiration and direction necessary to fully engage volunteers in your organization?  We’ll focus on using your story to recruit and retain more volunteers, inspire ambassadors for your organization and develop support for volunteers within your organization.   This seminar costs $40-60 and will be held on Thursday, November 10, 9-11:30am at the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee.  (details at www.alineaconnect.com).

Part III: #1 Fundraising Tool, Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Success Stories, Goals, How You Can Help, and Credibility Text Box

Your case statement is almost ready!  In my previous two posts, you learned how to write your Did You Know, Mission, Vision and Unique Approach Sections. Now I will show you have to complete your case statement through writing a compelling success story, articulating specific and measurable goals, how people can help your organization and what you need to include in your credibility text box located on the left hand side of your page.

Section #5 – Success Stories 

The purpose of your professional case statement is to inspire people to want to help.  Nothing inspires people more than bringing your mission to life through stories.  Your case statement should include at least one success story that illustrates the magic of your unique approach.  The formula for an effective success story is:  What was the situation or challenges before this person came to your school or organization + What happened at your school or organization + What does the future look like now and what are the person’s goals after benefiting by your organization’s mission. 

Example – SOS Center  www.soscenterinc.org

“I dropped out of school when I was in the 10^th grade.  By 16, I was pregnant and married.  I raised two children who finished school and some college.  I took care of my grandchildren so that my children could work. I’ve been a housekeeper for over 20 years.

Now I find myself at 52, divorced and no more children to care for.  One day I passed the SOS Center and saw a sign on the lawn, Free GED Classes.  I went in and signed up.  I’ve been going to the classes three days a week, for a year.  The classes are not easy; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just give up, but I keep coming back because I’m doing this for me, and I want a victory!

I’m so grateful for this lab; I have this opportunity to achieve something that I passed up a long time ago.  I’m sure everyone here feels the same way.  Thank you for your continued support of the lab.”

Darlene has since earned her GED in June 2011.  But the big news is that she scored a perfect 800 on her Reading Test where a score of 410 is all that is required to pass!

Example – Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School 

Twins, Miguel and Tito, came to Mt. Lebanon for 4^th grade barely reading at a 2^nd grade level, way behind in math and not engaged in school.  Being premature babies, tragically, their family was told not to expect high academic success.  Immersed in a culture of high expectations and nurturing support they needed from teachers, today in 8^th grade, Miquel and Tito are internally motivated to succeed, and Tito will make the honor role this quarter.  Miguel and Tito plan to attend WI Lutheran H.S.

Example – Victory Christian Academy  www.vcaschool.org

Naomi arrived at VCA in 4^th grade illiterate and with severe discipline and emotional issues.  A well mannered and respected student of her peers and teachers, as well as scoring proficient in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies (WKCE 2009), she will graduate in just a few days and attend WI Lutheran High School.  Naomi plans to study criminal justice. 

Section #6 – Achievements

I’m always surprised at how difficult it is for nonprofits and schools to identify their successes and accomplishments.  They are always focused on doing a better job, which is a good thing, but people want to support an organization that has shown it can be successful.  It doesn’t matter if you’re not as far along as you would like.  Share your successes to get people excited about what your organization is capable of.   Here are some examples of client successes.

Example – Day Care Services for Children, Inc. – www.daycareservicesforchildren.com

• Ninety percent of our children are determined to be  “ready for school” according to the Chicago Early Assessment and child developmental assessment administered five times during the school year.

• Collaborate with more than 60 partners, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists and the Milwaukee Health Department to provide immunizations, physical and dental exams and support services to 100% of our children at our sites. 

• Staff people are among the most qualified in the field. One Hundred percent of center managers and administrative staff have bachelor’s degrees; more than 70% have associate degrees, and of that 40% are working toward bachelor’s degrees; one-third have worked at DCSC for more than 15 years.

Example – Connecting Youth, Inc. 

§  Served more than 150 young men since founding in 2002.

§  99% of these men successfully achieved their program goals and were reunited with their families.

§  Tens of young men continue their relationship with our staff, reporting education and employment success and seeking guidance in overcoming challenges

§  100% of staff people have at least three years experience working with at-risk youth, are enrolled in the Youth Professional Development Program (School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee) and complete 50 continuing education hours yearly.

Example – A2 Charter and Jackson Elementary Schools 

• Jackson’s Magic Tree House Reading Center Project featured on the August of 2008 cover of “Teaching Today” magazine.
• 2008 Recipient of Sheboygan County Green Scene Grant Award.
• Known for strong education programming and extensive free-of-charge after-school enrichment activities.  Only elementary school in the Sheboygan Area School District with a student-run newspaper and Yearbook Club.
• 98% parent and student satisfaction for 2007-2008 school year.

Section #7 – Goals

Remember the formula for sustainability through effective community engagement?  Story + Direction + Strategic Relationship Cultivation.  Direction means being clear about what your organization needs and how people can help.  Everyone inside your building plus your ambassadors must be able to articulate your top three priorities when it comes to recourses.  If not, you will surely miss some opportunities when someone at the next cocktail party says, “How can I help?”  Some client examples.

Example – TBEY (Tessas’ Black Entertainment & Youth Center)  www.tbey.org

 

• Provide a $3,000 annual stipend to every instructor, totaling $60,000.
• Increase our scholarship fund by $14,400 to allow 40 additional students to attend TBEY.
• Grow annual revenue to $200,000 in 2012/2013.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

• Educate the public about trades as a true profession and trades unions as community partners
• Increase enrollment by 60% by eventually adding freshman and sophomore classes
• Increase trades instructor  teaching days by 20 – $15,000
• Recruit Co-op Placement Partners to provide more opportunities to work while in school
• Transportation for students to trades training centers - $5,000
• Library renovation including trades books and journals and full library- $10,000
• Consumable materials and technology upgrades annually - $15,000
• CAD program and the training certification for teachers to teach it - $7,000

Section #8 – How You Can Help

When people finish skimming your case statement and they become inspired, they should know exactly what they can do to help.  This section should contain specific items that people can help with immediately.  Here are some client examples.

Example – Divine Savior Academy – www.divinesavioracademy.com 

• Visit!  Tour our school and witness excellent education and student success in person.
• Donate!  Help expand our science and music programs. 
• Serve!  Contribute your talents by joining our Marketing or Fund Development Committees.
• Sponsor!  Connect with our students, families, faculty and supporters by sponsoring one of our events, like Winter Festival or one of our Parent Sharing Nights.

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy

§  Visit!  See hands-on learning and global awareness in action.

§  Give!  Your time, money and talent can make a huge difference.

§  Volunteer!  Offer your home to a foreign exchange student. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board  www.bhkfirst.org

• AmeriCorps: Make a difference by serving in a school, child care center or community agency in the western Upper Peninsula and receive a $12,700 living allowance and a $4,725 education award for one year of service. For more information contact Chrissy Karry at (906) 482-3663.

• Volunteer: Assist in the classroom, extend school activities at home, participate in home visits, be a bus monitor, attend parent meetings or share your talents and gifts in other ways.  For more information contact Lisa Schmierer at (906) 482-3663.

• Donate: The BHK Foundation was founded in 2006 by community leaders and parents to meet the need for excellent early childhood programs and educational support in our community.  Your gift will directly support local children's services and scholarships for area students. Please send your tax deductible contribution to: BHK Foundation, 700 Park Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931.

Section #9 – Credibility Text Box 

Your case statement should include a text box on the left side of the front page, which lists the leadership, board members, major donors and supporters and contact information.  People like to see what other people they respect are supporting.  For example, if you have received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, that fact adds credibility to your case for a lot of potential supporters.  

You are now finished!  Make sure you present this document to your organization’s board for feedback, input and agreement.  Once approved it is time to put this document in the hands of as many people as possible so that they in turn learn how to speak of your organization, just as I described in the first posting of this series. 

If you would like to see examples of some case statements, please email me at Deborah@alineaconnect.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Part II: #1 Fundraising Tool: Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach

In my previous post, How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Case Statement, I discussed with you why it is so important for your story to be clearly articulated by as many people as possible in order to cultivate the relationships you need in order to attract resources.  With a compelling and concise case statement to put in the hands of as many people as possible, you will be on the path of attracting resources in places you might never even expect.  So many of my clients have been surprised by the resources they have attracted once they learned to tell their story.  If you haven’t already, check out my blog, Making Relationship Fundraising Work for your Non-Profit or School, for more inspiration!

I also discussed the keys to grabbing your reader’s attention in the beginning of your document with a “Did you know?” section that also emphasizes the need for the work your school or organization does.  Now it is time to discuss the next 3 sections of your case statement:

1. Your mission and how you achieve your mission  
2. Your vision for the future 
3. Your unique approach

Let’s get started!

Section #2 – Mission and how you achieve your mission

Your mission should be short and sweet and clearly describe why your nonprofit exists.  It is extremely important though that your mission statement never says you do more than three things. As much as we would like, people will never be able to remember more.  You should also use language that everyone can understand.  The language we use within our field could sound completely foreign to someone outside of it. 

Next, following your mission statement should be no more than three bullets that describe how you achieve your mission.  Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements to give you a better idea.

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association www.wccaa.org     

The Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association (WCCAA) collaborates with government, individuals, agencies and companies to increase access to quality early care and education for all families.  We achieve our mission in three ways:

• WCCAA influences public policy to increase standards, quality and access to early care and education for all families.
• WCCAA provides professional development on early care and education to strengthen best practices and increase quality.
• WCCAA supports its members via access to a network of center administrators.

Example – Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship  www.ceoofme.biz

The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE) empowers young people ages 9-24 to see themselves as the CEO of Me as they experience personal and professional growth through programs and coaching related to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

We accomplish our mission through:

•  Personal and professional enrichment experiences that allow young people to see themselves in a variety of roles and build personal character traits like self-discipline, business etiquette and perseverance.
• Entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs that teach young people how to launch small businesses, manage and invest money and develop critical thinking skills.
• Individualized coaching to prepare young people for success as entrepreneurs and professionals in contemporary business settings. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board – www.bhkfirst.org

BHK Child Development Board serves children and families through innovation, collaboration and comprehensive services that set high standards of excellence.

We accomplish our mission through:

• Bay

  Child Development and Education Programs for Children that are research-based best practices taking place in a caring and nurturing environment in order to build a solid foundation for each child's success. 

• Programs for Families that transform ordinary interactions with their child into extraordinary learning experiences!

• Health and Wellness Programs that  help families, staff and health professionals overcome barriers that prevent families and children from receiving needed health services.

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute 

Through a hands-on learning community focused on understanding the Earth’s systems, Red Cedar Environmental Institute provides middle school students with an academic experience tailored to inspire and challenge every single student.

How we achieve our mission:

• Engaged students – We tailor our curriculum to students who learn better through hands-on projects and scientific inquiry.  No matter a student’s starting point, they will be challenged accordingly and be free to maximize their progress according to their ability.

• Project-based learning – Projects related to natural resources in the Chetek area will act as the vehicle to learn core subjects like math, reading and language arts as well as 21^st Century skills of collaboration, problem solving and communication.

• Earth’s systems – Focusing on the natural resources of the Chetek area inspires projects that will benefit our local community and allowing students to deeply research projects empowers them to make their own conclusion. 

Section #3 – Vision for the Future

People are much more inspired by your vision for what the world looks like because of your nonprofit that what you actually do.  Your work is important, but often nonprofits lose sight of what their ultimate goal is.  Your vision for the future should paint a colorful picture of the impact you hope your organization will have.  Ideally, your stakeholders (people and organizations that are impacted by your organization) should contribute to this vision.  If they do, they will feel like they have ownership of helping make it happen. 

Here are some examples of compelling vision statements:

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association  www.wccaa.org

All children are prepared for personal and educational success

• WCCAA is a global model for collaboration to influence public policy and professional development to impact best practices for early care and education.

• WCCAA inspires a family-friendly philosophy empowering early care and education centers to care for children and assist businesses to achieve goals through secure and productive employees.

Example – St. Marcus Lutheran School & Church www.stmarcus.org

St. Marcus is a nationally recognized leader in urban educational reform and a welcoming and inviting force of transformation for the Milwaukee Community.

Example – CAPITA Productions, Inc.  www.capitalproductions.org

Through world-wide support of its endowment and scholarship fund, CAPITA offers unlimited opportunities for people seeking to grow as performers and as members of diverse communities.  

CAPITA’s unique inclusive approach to uniting communities through meaningful theatre experiences is a model adopted by communities around the world.

Through its quality productions, mentoring and touring opportunities, CAPITA is a pipeline of talented performers for professional performing arts companies around the world.  

Section #4 – Unique Approach

Funders don’t like duplication.  If your nonprofit is addressing a similar issue as others, it will be very important to distinguish your organization from others.  What is special about your approach to the same issue?  For example, St. Marcus Lutheran School emphasizes a “no-excuses” philosophy, and if a child is not succeeding it means that St. Marcus is not succeeding.  They don’t care what the background of the child is, and once that student enters the building their focus is on educating that child.  Bottom line, they focus on the students inside the building.  Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School requires that its teachers and staff appreciate how poverty impacts the students they service, and offers programs to families in order to increase the likelihood that students receive support at home.  They focus on students inside the school but also try to impact the support they receive at home for their education. 

Here are some other examples of how our clients describe their unique approach.

Example – Shiocton International Learning Academy www.silacharter.com

Our learning model takes personalized learning to a whole new level.  There are three key components of our model that ensure students are maximizing their learning: 

• Project-based learning allows students to explore areas of personal interest deeply and use a variety of learning styles to master core subjects key abilities.  Community partnerships provide mentors and opportunities to take learning out of the classroom to engages students and offer opportunities to apply knowledge to real-life scenarios.
• Additional support is offered immediately when it becomes apparent that students lack a particular skill.  For example, a short-term seminar may be used to teach a specific skill.  Or a web-based computer program, partnered with standardized testing, will identify remaining knowledge gaps to be used to further tailor learning for that student.
•  Accountability:  Five-year student achievement goals are included on our website.  Progress toward achievement goals will be published on the website and updated annually. 

Example – House of Love  www.house-of-love.org

Loving Family Environment + Personal Development Plans = Successful Independent Living:

• A safe and loving family environment full of positive encouragement, clear expectations and immediate feedback allow our youth to gain confidence and preparation for adulthood.
• Self sufficiency is achieved through individual personal development plans and rigorous support services in the areas of

o   life skills

o   education

o   holistic health

Take some time to review your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach to make sure they fit within these guidelines and are agreed upon with your board.   Once again, all sections should be compelling, concise and communicate the essence of your organization.  Please feel free to contact me for advice or even share your work here!  I’d love to learn more about your organization!

In my next post I will be discussing the final sections of your case statement.  You are well on your way to begin relationship fundraising!