fundraising

Program and Poster for Dessert Tasting Fundraiser

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Poster and Program Pamphlet for a Dessert Tasting Fundraiser by corps member Molly Higgins.

Nikon Camera Donation Request Letter

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A letter of request to Nikon for 10 cameras for digital and media literacy classes written by corps member Tiffany Otoya.

Telethon Donation Form

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Organization: 
Quote-Unquote

A telethon donation form created by corps member Erica Jones.

Fundraising Drive Schedule and Flowchart

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A schedule and flowchart for the Fundraising & Friendraising Drive at UCIMC created and maintained by corps member Austin McCann.

2010 Year-End Appeal

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A year end appeal for funding for UCIMC written by corps member Austin McCann.

Honest Practice: How the Public Sector Can Look at Itself (New article in Resources)

Best Practice Stinks

We provide here a detailed summary of the article “Honest Practice: How the Public Sector Can Look at Itself” by Howie Fisher with illustrations and design by Billy Brown. Download the full pdf from attachments.

Fundraising and Outreach

VISTA Name: 
Loveta Wynn
Program Start: 
7/2008
Program End: 
4/2009
Project Description: 

Vista description is to manage the volunteer committee, coordinate community technology events such as graduations, parties, and meetings. Also do a quarterly press release, a monthly community technology newsletter, create flyers and brochures and a community resource guide.

Project Outcome: 

Loveta coordinated the summer CTC graduation and the winter CTC graduation. Gathered volunteers to get the place and stage ready. Loveta organized and managed the fall Thanksgiving raffle to get internet reconnected at YETEC. Vista has recreated the infrastructure by teaching us how to use resources our organization already has. By making the average printer into a two sided copy machine. Creating brochures and making flyer and necessary forms for on-goin tech support. Loveta also created a community needs assesment check list from scratch and has done 5 site visits with hopes of finding grant related solutions. Loveta started a grassroots community technology newsletter thats is issued monthly with updated resources and digtal media news, manage volunteers, and bring a since of hope and committment to the Little Haiti community. January 2009 the internet was restored and students from the tech school helped with the fundraiser.

Loveta is dedicated determined to help those in need. Loveta organizes our center and takes the initiative to get project started and completed. Loveta also has brought many volunteers to our center who participate in our discounted tech support program.

Community Organizing and Disability Awareness

VISTA Name: 
Rayna Ramirez
Program Start: 
6/2007
Program End: 
1/2008
Project Description: 

The focus of Rayna’s work was to help organize a committee of people with disabilities, staff from public and non-profit agencies that serve them, and community volunteers to carry out the North Quabbin TechACCESS project (funded via CTCNet’s C4All program). Her goal was to build the capacity of the committee to make YES’ facilities, materials, programs and services more accessible and, next, to assist other community organizations and institutions to do the same. Specifically, her job was to:

1) assist with committee recruitment and operations;
2) conduct a community accessibility needs assessment;
3) organize committee training sessions and skill-development activities;
4) assist with research, purchase and installation of equipment, fixtures and technologies;
5) assist with research, preparation and production of accessible program materials;
6) promote the use of the newly-accessible facility, services and programs; and
7) document these activities and evaluate their outcomes.

Project Outcome: 

Rayna assembled a volunteer committee of 12 residents, caregivers and professionals following two information sessions. With the the TechACCESS committee, Rayna conducted a needs assessment, entitled ‘Disability and Opportunity in the North Quabbin’, to identify the demographics of the disabled in our community and their needs. She organized two full days of accessibility trainings with Russ Holland of ATA for committee members and the public (‘Accessible Materials, Websites, Communication’; ‘Reaching Out & Including People with Disabilities’; ‘Accessible Facilities & Programs’; and ‘Accessible Computer Hardware & Software’). With knowledge gained from the workshops, the committee and staff worked with contractors and volunteers to remove physical barriers to YES facilities (bathroom grab bars, motion-activated light switches, lowered soap and towel dispensers, accessible sink faucets and doors handles); entryways (automatic door opener and entryway at sidewalk level); signage (neon signs, lit exit signs); classroom and cyber cafe (foldable, moveable tables and chairs); and computers (assistive hardware and software). Rayna worked with a disabled YES member to create an on-line resource directory for people with disabilities living and working in our region (including a list of businesses indicating which ones are wheelchair accessible, compiled after a telephone poll). Prior to Rayna’s early exit in January due to a medical condition, she attended an information session on the Town of Orange’s annual Community Development Block Grant program. She crafted a concept paper for the next phase of TechACCESS, which is to provide direct services beginning in mid-2008, building on the organizational capacity developed in 2007. Services include providing individualized career, educational and technological assessment, training, and support combined with and group classes to prepare up to 50 teens and young adults for economic self-sufficiency, with assistive technology playing a central role. On the strength of the concept paper, YES was invited to submit a proposal due in October and a full proposal due in November. TechACCESS-Orange was selected by the Town as its only social service project included in a $1M grant application to the MA Department of Housing and Community Development. If successful, the project will receive a $30,000 grant in early fall to support the program through December 2009. The TechACCESS committee members all wrote letters of support specifying the value of and need for the program, and continue to meet monthly.

Fundraising and Event Planning

Organization: 
Active Media Foundation
VISTA Name: 
Cecille Isidro
Program Start: 
6/2007
Program End: 
6/2008
Project Outcome: 

Cecille and Josh have been helping with the Cooperative Measurement and Modeling of Open Networked Systems (COMMONS) project and have done fantastic work aiding with logistics on this initiative. We are currently moving forward with piloting our first COMMONS networks and integrating local community networks into the larger project.

Cecille has also aided me with report writing, drafting several grant applications, and logistics on events.

Cecille, Josh, and I are in discussions with ARIN to provide the first-ever major allocation of IPv6 numbers for community networks. This would transform many networking initiatives throughout the country and represents the culmination of two+ years of work.

Consituent Coordinator

Organization: 
Grassroots.org
VISTA Name: 
Laura Benack
Program Start: 
7/2008
Program End: 
7/2009
Project Description: 

The Constituent Coordinator Position is a one-year full time paid Americorps*VISTA position (see compensation details below).

• Draft content for marketing and communications materials, including website, electronic newsletter and printed collateral

• Provide outstanding customer service to both internal and external constituent groups members

• Update and maintain member and donor databases

• Build and maintain partnerships with for- and nonprofit partners and community groups

• Assist executive staff in design and implementation of strategic outreach initiatives

• Participate in special projects as needed

Project Outcome: 

Laura developed a grant narrative for Monster.com for Grassroots.org’s volunteer program. This comprehensive document will be very useful in the development of future proposals. She also developed a needs statement (a crucial development document the organization was lacking) that was submitted along with five proposals this year and will be submitted along with all future grant proposals.

She helped to create and then managed Grassroots.org’s volunteer graphic design program. In five months, there were more than 20 graphic design projects completed: http://volunteer.grassroots.org/image/tid/2.

Laura built upon upon Grassroots.org’s community of web design volunteers from 90 to over 400 through social networking and volunteer requests on Craigslist, SmartVolunteer and Volunteer Match. Laura documented the process, which could be replicated by another staff member.

She developed web content and mailings for Holiday Giving Campaign, which can be publicized annually: http://www.grassroots.org/holidaygiving Helped grow the individual giving program, including handling administrative tasks associated.

Laura assisted in acquiring and managing a grant from google.com for $10,000/ month in ad words. She helped to develop and implement four significant new program service offerings. Helped reestablish our facebook presence and create a new twitter presence. We grew from 0 to 2,160 twitter followers in four months. We have grown our membership from 680 members to over 2,000. We have increased the rate of usage for our tools. In previous years, we averaged about $200,000 in free services being given away. In the past year we have given away over $2 million. We have grown our membership from 680 members to over 2,000. We have increased the rate of usage for our tools. In previous years, we averaged about $200,000 in free services being given away. In the past year we have given away over $2 million.

Impact Quote: 

Laura did an amazing job! In fact, we hired her as a full time staff person after her term of service ended.”
- Shane Hankins, supervisor

Transmission Project