Tag Archive for: Foundation

How 100 Years Sparked a Giving Platform that Connected Donor’s Passions with Changed Lives

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By Becky Jascoviak, MBA – GPF Board Member and Grant Writer at Kids Alive International

 

Kids Alive International, the organization I am blessed to serve, is celebrating 100 years of ministry this year. It’s an incredible milestone that very few companies reach, let alone non-profit organizations. What do 100 years look like? In 1916…

  • The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world.
  • Crossword puzzles hadn’t been invented yet.
  • Only 23% of the world could read and write.
  • Average life expectancy was only 48.

 

At Kids Alive, 100 years look like this: what started as two little orphans taken in by a missionary couple in China in 1916, has now become nearly 7,000 children in 15 countries worldwide. We provide loving homes and promising futures to children who have no hope, a family for one who has been abandoned, an education for one whose father only made it through 2nd grade, a supplemental reading program for a refugee child who has been out of school for three years, and above all, love.

 

It’s why I do what I do: connecting people of passion to the people and projects that will light their fire for a change in the world; connecting donors and dollars to desperate, displaced people. And for 100 years, Kids Alive has faithfully provided people the opportunity to connect with abandoned and abused children through a variety of giving programs including individual child sponsors, service team building labor, and project and program proposals for major donors.

 

As the 100th Anniversary approached, we sought to create a donor program devised to spur the ministry on to the next century – a future-focused appeal, rather than simply a celebration of the past. A three-year plan called the Next Century Initiative was established along with a new fund called the Independence Fund. These two programs, in tandem, provide a way for donors to help build the facilities and infrastructure needed to care for more kids, as well as provide a pool of funds to provide for ongoing needs of our students as they grow into adulthood.

 

Within the Next Century Initiative, there are tangible building projects such as schools, care centers, and residential homes, within each of our countries. Also, there are programmatic funding opportunities such as education, training, and discipleship. This balance allows us to speak directly to the passions and desires of each donor. A vast majority of our donors give to site-specific programs and projects. Perhaps they sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic; they are also inclined to want to make sure that the student has a classroom conducive to learning.

 

We started in 2013 gearing up for 2016 with a quiet phase of donor cultivation and specific major donor proposals. Designed as a three-year giving plan, this program garnered a substantial foundation on which to build the public phase, including extra or special one-time grant giving, matching campaigns, and some fully funded projects. We then expanded to our mid-level donors and a broader reach of grant funding positioned in support of sustaining the ministry long-term. These two phases together have yielded over half of the $6 million we hoped to secure through the Next Century Initiative.

 

It is 2016, and we are off to the races with our celebration events around the country – the truly public phase of bringing the field here to the donors. We’re hosting large presentations and small intimate donor circles, we’re presenting at conferences, and donors are going out of their way to connect with their passions through special gifts.

 

How will you celebrate your next milestone?

 

Opportunities to Network and Learn!

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Hayley Johnson, Grants Coordinator/Government Information Librarian
Nicholls State University, Louisiana
hayley.johnson@nicholls.edu

February, 2015
Through the generosity of the Grant Professionals Foundation Scholarship, I was able to attend the 2014 Annual National Conference of the Grant Professionals Association in Portland. As a newcomer to the grants arena, I was extremely excited to attend and learn as much as possible. Opportunities to network and learn were endless and every session I attended provided valuable information. Often, my most difficult decision was choosing one session to attend out of the many interesting and applicable options during each time period. Being able to attend the conference was especially important as it gave me access to experienced professionals teaching informative grant techniques that would be immediately applicable to my work.
Over the course of the conference, I attended numerous sessions that were all extremely informative. For example, the Special Interest Group (SIG) Session that I attended was fantastic as I was able to connect with fellow professionals who face the same challenges and hurdles as I do. Discussing issues and learning from experienced fellow professionals who had already conquered challenges similar to mine gave me a boost of confidence that was greatly needed. Having been thrust into the grant world with no local colleagues to confer with, it was especially reassuring to have met other individuals who shared similar experiences and know that I can contact them for advice or guidance.
Because the sessions indicated whether they were beginner, intermediate or advanced, I was able to target those sessions that were most suited to my skill level. Another session that I attended was geared towards beginners and focused on how to manage a team and collaborate in order to complete a grant. As a new grants coordinator at my institution, I was looking for ways to work effectively with those who weren’t as focused on pursuing grant opportunities. I left that session feeling like I had tools that would assist me in engaging and inspiring those around me to actively participate in grant initiatives. The session also gave me ideas on how to best articulate my role and my expectations for team members through the entire grants process.
Because I attended the conference, I was able to learn much more than I ever could through my use of webinars and other self-education tools.  Without the assistance of the scholarship, I would not have been able to afford to attend the conference and would have missed an amazing opportunity to further my skills, network with fellow professionals, and bring that knowledge and skill set back to my institution. With the skills I acquired at the conference, I believe that my grant writing has improved and I know that I will better assist my institution in acquiring grants that will make a difference within my community.
Being a scholarship recipient made my goal of conference attendance a reality. Without the aid of the Foundation, I would have been unable to afford to attend the conference and would have missed out on all the opportunities the conference afforded me. I am truly grateful to the Foundation for giving me the opportunity to attend the conference and make myself a more well-rounded and better educated grant professional.