Transmission Project

Mark was able to implement an open computer lab at the school that provides basic to advanced technology to help students. With regular lab hours he is able to make himself available on a consistent basis for the entire student body. Mark also helps teachers with class projects that include working with students on particular software programs or internet research, etc. Responding to staff IT needs, Mark is able to work on a one-on-one basis providing training and helping staff identify ways in which technology can make their work more efficient.

Mark has also been working with the Family Literacy program, an off-site program where we provide literacy classes to parents in partnering elementary schools.

Mark has also been instrumental in integrating the community wide technology workshops offered during our Community Days. Community Days take place on periodic Saturdays and are open to the community at large, especially the immediate neighborhood. They offer a variety of educational workshops and social services. During Community Day, Mark was able to hold an open computer lab with activities designed for children, as many of the Community Day activities were family oriented.

Nathan has done an excellent job in his role as a VISTA here at UTEC! He took on a leading role in coordinating UTEC’s most comprehensive and successfull fundraiser to date. He has contributed immensely by helping us organize and develop a new online grants database (which I strongly believe will be a model for other nonprofits on how to best integrate technology into their development work). He has written and won grants. He has created a well organized foundation/donor recognition system that has substantially improved our capacity for relationship building with funders. And he has provided much excitement around the development of a new individual donor organization process. I have been very pleased with Nathan’s work (this being his first time in a development position as this) and would rehire him in a minute.

John is a big part of our growth from 25 to 35 organizations.

Three program directors have told me almost exactly: “Without John, I wouldn’t have learned how to update my websie.”

Diliana’s background in communications has only strengthened her contribution to UTEC by focusing on increasing the capacity and sustainability of our multimedia programs through various development-based responsibilities. She also works with and trains teen leaders of the Fundraising Team in all aspects of their development work. In addition, she assists with the program development in the areas of video production, sound recording, and web design. It is obvious what a tremendous asset Diliana is for our organization, but it is also apparent that Diliana herself has grown professionally from the hands-on development work of our multimedia programs. She plans to continue this type of work well into the future.

Diliana has played a major role in being an active participant in the organization’s overall development. She has consistently supported her co-workers, emphasizing the team environment at UTEC. Diliana has the skills to bring an idea to life. For instance, UTEC’s first major fundraiser will be taking place early next month. Diliana worked with teens in the Fundraising Team to gather ideas/themes for the event. Since then, she has developed and followed a timeline to make the event a future success!

Diliana has accomplished the following major tasks as based upon her workplan:
• Completion of first-ever UTEC newsletter (second issue now in progress)
• Just recently completed first-ever Annual Report.
• Completed three monthly Open House Nights (and built a system for carrying out this work).
• Developed new mailing list for all fundraising activities.
• Secured donations from various businesses as part of program ads for newsletter.
• Completed and submitted various grant applications (as well as grantwriting training course).
• Developed new bios for all staff.
• Currently documenting all work as part of a new Fundraising Resource Guide.
• Currently planning a special event fundraiser to support a new capital campaign.
• Interviewed and hired teen fundraising staff.

1. Regional Web portal: our Vista, Pat, and I worked with our teen web programmer, David Wiles, to complete the site’s functionality and design. The site went live in mid-September. Pat issued a press release which resulted in at least three stories and recruited two youth to staff a table at our region’s largest fall festival, which was attended by over 10,000 people. Since then, Meanwhile, Pat and several youth work continue to research, gather and enter content. We have a bevy of volunteers, including a disabled YES alumni, Alan, who works at our wheelchair desk two afternoons every week, gathering web addresses for the 975 business and organization listings in the site’s directory. In November, Pat forged a partnership with two town-specific websites (OrangeTownGreen.com and PetershamCommon.com) to collaborate on soliciting site sponsors from among the region’s business community. Our site now has 22 sponsors, who pay $225/year, which is split between YES and our partners. The funds are helping recoup some of our development costs and in future will create a revenue stream to sustain the site. The site has over 75 registered users and is growing.

2. IC3 & MOS: Pat contacted CertiPort and registered with them to become a training and certification site. She helped our TechVenture! teaching team incorporate IC3 into this 16-hour youth computer training program, which was offered last June. Pat raised over $500 in cash and in- kind contributions from local businesses towards the cost of the program. We also investigated funding through the Verizon foundation and through the state employment and training consortium. Pat also solicited in-kind contributions of computer hardware (two computers, miscellaneous parts, a network switch) and eight task chairs for our classroom. She also helped streamline the operation of our weekday Teen Cyber Cafe by having youth and adults create user accounts (sign an agreement of terms and conditions, etc.), with account settings that protect the computers from viruses, etc. There are now 125 registered users.

Erica made a good start on fundraising with the development and distribution of our annual appeal letter sent in Dec. This was fairly successful for our first try and raised over $1,500. During that time she was able to pull the current databases together, add new donors and businesses. All of that was in preparation for merging into the donor management/fundraising software HandyCapable had purchased. The next large piece was the planning of the first “event” for our organization which was well on it’s way by Dec. 2006 and planned for April 2007. Erica also send out a business letter to help raise awareness of our program, the need for donated computers, volunteers and funding.

Tony successfully created a project plan, lesson plans, program write-ups and evaluations for programs in the past year. These programs provide valuable skills to students in the following areas. Photoshop- design and tools, , Movie making, Robotics, Music Making, Diversity training, Literacy enrichment, Web Design, Graphic Design/Arts and the Techathalon (a state wide event). The Americorp Vista participated in outreach and recruitment with several community groups. He secured several donations for fundraising efforts through community relations he developed. During the past year, he visited the Young Champions program and urged them to participate in after school programs at the club site, greatly increasing the size and reach of our programs.

Aaron has done a significant amount of work with these projects, securing donations of large scale pieces of equipment for UTEC as well as really streamlining the research, cataloging, and time line of our donor campaigns using online research tools and creating a database. He has also done some PR work designing materials for our corporate giving campaign. Additional projects include writing two grants and securing funding for our sports and recreation program. And updating and refining our donor mailing list which we use to send out newsletters, annual appeals, and other updates. He also worked to coordinate and publicize one fundraising event: an organ concert which drew over 60 people to the center, raised $500 and generated an enormous amount of local publicity for UTEC. We’ve had some challenges in focusing these projects in a way that priorities are clear so that deadlines will be met, as there is such a large number of projects to be covered in terms of the fund raising needs of the youth center. Aaron has done a great job of learning more organizational methods, and is putting them into practice in new ways that are really helping his work.

Denise worked closely with the STAR Center staff, clients, stakeholders, and volunteers to update our volunteer handbook, develop a list of volunteer opportunities, and revise our procedures and processes for volunteers. She helped plan and host a volunteer appreciation luncheon for over 300 guests in October 2006. During the holidays Denise assisted as we thanked our supporters with fruit baskets and homemade fudge that our volunteers made. In addition to her coordination of the volunteer program, Mrs. Meise also took an active role in the Development/Fundraising department. She assisted with three summer fundraisers which will gave her the opportunity to be involved with all aspects of planning and executing an event for up to 8,000 participants. Ms. Meise was involved with the filming of the new STAR Center video and was able to see the process from conception to finished product. At the end of her first year of service Mrs. Meise became a VISTA leader as part of the STAR Center’s new Building Together VISTA project.

For our annual KidsFest Event Mrs. Meise recruited over 300 special event volunteers who provided an additional 920 hours of volunteer service. They assisted with the set-up, execution, and break down of the event. Through the volunteers efforts the STAR Center was able to raise over $65,000 and hold a fun family event for our community.

Elizabeth’s contribution to the Carlos Rosario School in coordinating the Microsoft data software is a prime example of a VISTA volunteer getting things done in the community. The software will make a great impact on the efficiency of the school and will help it to better serve thousands of students. The finished product will also be utilized by countless organizations which serve communities all over the United States.

Another example is opening the student bookstore. In her role managing the bookstore, Elizabeth interacts daily with many of the hundreds of students who attend the school. She has been the driving force behind a resource which allows students to quickly and easily access supplies essential to their learning. Prior to the opening of the in-house bookstore, students were only able to purchase textbooks during limited on-site visits from the supplier, or had to make a special trip to an off-site store. Many students have limited transportation options, and the availability of on-site resources makes a huge impact in the school community. The bookstore, which held its grand opening last week, has already generated approximately $1500 in net proceeds for the school.