Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

For a large portion of my childhood, Hermione Granger was one of my heroes, or should I say, heroines. Through out all of her adventures with Harry and Ron, she was always smart, sassy and a force to be reckoned with. As I grew older, however, I became even more inspired by the woman behind her character – Emma Watson. She has been able to push feminism to the forefront of public discussion, and as a young woman, I am extremely appreciative.

While we may not be standing before the United Nations, I like to think that SON Ministries is also having an impact on the feminist conversation. Our small staff (four full time employees, two part time employees, and three interns) is exclusively female. Every day that I come to work I am inspired – these women are loving wives and compassionate mothers, but they are also savvy entrepreneurs and caring philanthropists who are creating a tangible change in their community. They are Super Women, and, from my perspective, they can do it all.

The women that we serve are just as inspiring. In the Full Family ESL (English as a Second Language) Program, the overwhelming majority of students enrolled are females, are mothers. For some, this is the first opportunity for education, and the passion is tangible.  They too are committed to doing it all; education is seen as the first step to breaking the cycle of poverty and finding their piece of the American Dream and so they work hard, both for their futures and for their children’s.

Around the world, women are drastically undervalued. Educating over half of the potential workforce is a key piece to economic success and breaking that cycle of poverty. Studies have shown that a woman invests nearly 90% of her income back into her family, leading to lower infant mortality rates, healthier and better educated children, and ultimately, more prosperous communities.  So many problems could be alleviated from the simple act of providing women with education.

I am proud to be a part of an organization that sees each of these women as a “person created in God’s own image” with “a purpose and a voice” and that is committed to building up communities through one “empowering relationship at a time,” and equally proud that the organization happens to be an exemplary case of girl power.

Hello, all! I apologize for this late post. Things have been non-stop at the Charitable Pharmacy lately!

On February 22nd, we launched our first crowdfunding campaign! It’s been exciting putting all the materials together in order for this to be a success. If you’re interested in checking out what we’re doing, I have attached the link here!

This project has sparked a lot of interest from the Board members, which has made me feel amazing. From this project, we have decided to a peer-to-peer campaign for one of the Board member’s annual bike ride. I’ve been doing research on why peer-to-peer campaigns are successful and what exactly about the relationship aspect between the person asking and the donor makes the campaigns more successful. The research has been interesting so far and I’m excited to help build and guide this campaign with a Board member!

Recently, the Charitable Pharmacy has been hosting different events in order to build relationships with different groups of people. A couple weeks ago we had a wonderful open house for local pharmacists. This event gave them the opportunity to come learn about the mission of the pharmacy and how we carry out that mission. This experience has given me tools to plan better events on my own campus, as well as provide me with experience I will need when I graduate.

The Director of Development always tells me, “it’s all in the details” when it comes to planning and executing events. As we continue to have events, this statement comes to the forefront. Today we are hosting members of the United Methodist Church and Bishop Palmer in order to continue to grow our relationship with church members. This event is the biggest we have ever put on and I am looking forward to not only building a relationship with the church members, but the relationship they are building through their organization to ours.

People love to harp on us Millennials. We’re products of the “Participation Trophy” phenomenon, anything short of instant gratification is unacceptable, our obsession with social media is out of control and prohibitive, the list goes on…those things might be true, but I would also argue that, collectively, we are far more socially conscious and attune to the connections of humankind and our global responsibility than generations past. I would also argue that this characteristic of my generation is most important and one that consistently intersects with each of the others.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing intersections is that between social media and social consciousness. As I spend more and more time in the nonprofit sector, I see that intersection more and more, and suspect that as young professionals like my peers in this Fellowship program graduate into this sector, it will only become more prevalent.

Since October, I have seen two campaigns here at SON Ministries that relied either exclusively or heavily on social media. The first was titled “Faces of SON Ministries” and was modeled after the popular series, “Humans of New York.” Each day in December, a new staff member, volunteer, or participant in our programming was featured on our Facebook page with their SON Ministries story. The goal was to spread awareness of our mission at an incredibly low cost in a fun and engaging way that members of the “Digital Age” would recognize. Each post received, on average, twenty interactions, and most importantly, at least one share. The shares were critical because it meant that we were reaching outside of our sphere of influence of those who have “liked” our page into the spheres of our fans’ personal accounts…our message is spreading! (Shameless plug: Go like us on Facebook!: https://www.facebook.com/sonministries/)

The second campaign was Coatless For A Cause (featured in my last post). From beginning to end, this also relied heavily on social media for its success. Our primary method of advertising the campaign came from daily blog-style reflections from staff members as they braced the frigid weather. We utilized the hashtag #Coatless4ACause, and took to Twitter to make sure our campaign was always fresh in our followers’ minds. When it came to actually collecting, we utilized a crowd rising site, so that the entirety of the campaign was conducted online. The Internet has proven to be a powerful ally.

I truly suspect that online fundraising will eventually overtake the typical styles of fundraising letter campaigns or donation dinners in supporting nonprofits, especially as the Millennial generation takes over and brings with it its “obsession with social media” and “instant gratification.” But just as people have begun to speculate on the negative effects social media has on my generation’s communication skills, interpersonal relationships or even eyesight, it is too soon to tell if this is a positive or negative transition.

They say you don’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. In an effort to empathize with the growing number of suburban poor, I walked a mile in their shoes…without a coat.

Poverty is such a complex issue. There are so many hidden side effects that are not often considered as part of the typical picture of poverty, like a lack of adequate winter clothing. SON Ministries’ newest campaign, Coatless For A Cause, encouraged members of the community to forego the comfort of their winter coat in an effort to bring attention to a silently suffering population.

There are 597,856 children living in poverty in Ohio, and for many of their families, there are tough choices to be made between food, shelter, and items often taken for granted, like winter coats. Since 2005, the proportion of that number who are classified as “suburban poor” has been larger than the number who are classified as “urban poor,” and that population faces specific and unique problems. But the ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic diversity of their community represents the possibility for unique solutions, and awareness is the first step. This is what I would tell people when they pointed to my button and said, “It’s cold outside, why aren’t you wearing a coat?”

I can tell you that after a fifteen-minute walk across campus in only a sweater, I learned an incredibly humbling lesson. I am incredibly fortunate to never have to choose between buying dinner and buying warm clothing for the winter months. In recognizing this place of privilege, it renewed a sense of significance for the work that SON Ministries is undertaking and that I am fortunate enough to be a part of. I am never going to have to spend time or energy making these sorts of deliberations, and therefore I can direct that energy to making sure others won’t either. That is a responsibility that I am happy to take on.

I love nonprofits.

There is something about nonprofits that inspires me to continue learning more about development. I always feel both encouraged and challenged when I walk through the doors of Columbus Collegiate Academy- Main Street.

This past week I submitted a $5,000 grant application sponsored by Lowe’s with the help of the amazing staff at CCA. This grant process allowed me to learn how CCA can best use this money and how we can best carry out this project. Through collaboration with our Alumni Services Coordinator and COO, we decided that CCA can use an Alumni Services Center where 8th graders and their families can learn more about how to best prepare for high school. Additionally, it can be used as a permanent space for alumni to come back and inspire the students at CCA. I learned about budgeting and using correct language throughout the grant application. After submitting this grant I became inspired to see how CCA at Dana Avenue could use an Alumni Services Center as well. I’m excited to see where this project leads me!

Another task of mine includes budgeting five different sponsorship levels (ranging from $1,500 to $30,000) for our second fundraising event called Launch Bash, which takes place on Friday, May 13^th. I learned more about hard costs, marketing costs, brand affiliation, and activation and fulfillment costs. Next, I will follow up each sponsor’s email with their newly calculated sponsorship level so they can know exactly where their money is going.

As Launch Bash approaches, I have been finding ways to improve our social media so we can increase our presence. With the help of my friend, Caitlin, who works in communications at The James, I have been able to develop a social media strategy for all of our platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Hopefully we will gain more followers this Spring!

Here is a video trailer for our Launch Bash. I had the fortunate opportunity to participate in this video as a police officer and an astronaut!

As a student, the entire goal is to be able to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to your professional life. I am so grateful for my work at SON Ministries, because it has allowed me to see the theories taught at work. In a class titled Public Service and Civic Engagement, we studied the history of civic engagement by looking at organizations such as the Chicago Hull House; it was nearly impossible not to see the similarities between Jane Adamm’s legendary work and that of Kim Emch’s mission with SON Ministries. The two share in the same altruistic aim, and prove that civic engagement is alive and constantly adapting to fit the needs of our ever-growing nation.

The United States of America has historically taken pride in its identity as “the melting pot,” therefore it is innately logical that refugees have long sought asylum and safety on its shores. However, their struggles did not end simply by seeing Lady Liberty; Hull House and SON Ministries both work to alleviate the struggles that plague them in their new home. In 1889, approximately 78 percent of Chicago residents were either foreign-born or the children of foreign parents. This large influx was often the result of the attraction of jobs available in the metropolitan area, but once they arrived, they were greeted with horrendous living and working conditions and became members of the urban poor (Salmon, 2008). Thus, Hull House began. Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr were committed to adapting to the needs in their community, and so they “taught English, provided childcare for working mothers, and counseled poor immigrants who were struggling to adapt to city life in a new country.” (NBC News, 2007) However, the most important service they provided to their community was intangible: “they thought of the people surrounding them as their neighbors, not as their beneficiaries.” (NBC News, 2007) This was a noticeable change in civic engagement from prior generations where “middle class white women” viewed those they served as charity instead of peers. It was a humanistic approach that has been mirrored, albeit unintentionally, in modern time.

SON Ministries’ vision is “to build our Hilliard community while offering a hand up (not a hand out) to families facing the unique challenges of poverty.” (SON Ministries, 2007) In promoting that vision, they provide a Full-Family English as a Second Language program, where adults are able to learn the language with the overarching aim of finding employment, not welfare. Family ESL is a modern version of the programs Addams provided where childcare, English classes, and other services such as a free legal clinic intersect to improve the quality of life of immigrants from twenty-four different nations. Unfortunately, the population that SON Ministries is able to serve is miniscule compared to the need. As of 2014, there were 13 million refugees “of concern” to the United Nation Refugee Agency. This translates to one in every 122 humans being classified as displaced, which is an all time high. This is critical: the world cannot afford for a decrease in engagement; there needs to be an increase in organizations like SON Ministries and Hull House in order to address a truly overwhelming problem.

I’ve always known Local Matters does great work in the community, even prior to this fellowship I had seen the name around and heard through friends and peers who engaged with them how important their programming was. From the beginning, it was always on my ‘to-do’ list to go see a class Local Matters provides in action, but scheduling never worked out. My schedule this semester allowed for much more free mornings, so I finally got to go see a class! And it was absolutely wonderful.

I observed and helped a little bit with a Food Matters class at a head start program near Linden Park last week. The Food Educators, David and Monique, engaged these preschoolers in talking about food and where it comes from and how it grows. The kids were so captivated and well-behaved and interested in knowing more about different types of vegetables! We made little salads for them to try, and pointed out which part of the plant each vegetable came from. I also learned a secret from David to get kids to try salad, they mixed a little syrup in the dressing so it was sweet! I never would have guessed.

Without knowing what these kids eat at home or how these classes every week will change their lives, it’s hard to judge the true impact it will have. But I know it means something to them when they get so excited to see Monique and David walk in, or when at the end one little girl told me she was going to ask her mom to make salad for dinner. Having this experience, I feel more confident writing correspondence to donors and supporters knowing first-hand that the programs they are supporting do provide life-changing experiences. Moving forward, I am working early corporate donor and sponsorships for the 2016 Harvest Ball, which is Local Matters’ largest annual fundraiser. I’m absolutely enjoying my time learning and working with the Local Matters’ team, as well as taking pride in knowing I’m contributing in a small way towards these larger community goals.

Since the start of the new year, things have been very busy at Catholic Social Services. The date of our Spirit of Hope Gala is approaching very quickly and there is still a lot of work to be done. Over the past few weeks, I have been responsible for securing auction items that we can put into our silent auction. In doing this, I have been calling businesses that we had not heard back from to see whether or not they would be willing/able to donate. Although it has been a tedious process, it has proven to be beneficial. We have more than doubled the number of committed items for our silent auction since I began making phone calls. Through this process, I have learned that there are times that businesses are willing to donate but the information either got lost in the mail or they became busy and forgot to respond. In these instances, a simple phone call was all that was needed to remind them of our silent auction and the causes that will benefit from the funds raised through the silent auction. It is rewarding to see how my work in making these calls is able to help the organization secure items that will allow them to increase the amount of money they are able to raise from the silent auction at the Spirit of Hope Gala.

In the coming weeks, things will continue to be busy as March 5th approaches and we are able to showcase our efforts at the Spirit of Hope Gala. I am looking forward to this event not only because I have put hard work into helping pull it together but also because I have never attended an event like this before. It will be a rewarding experience being able to see the attendees enjoy the event and knowing that all of the proceeds of the evening will go toward serving the clients of Catholic Social Services.

Over the past month, I have been able to wrap up two projects, present the work to my supervisors and begin to identify the next steps for my engagement with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The first project, focused on evaluation and recommendations for social media donor stewardship, has led to a number of follow-up projects that I hope will help the Zoo keep their donors interested and engaged. The second project, which involved researching and comparing the Zoo’s donor recognition practices with that of peer institutions, will enable me to be a helpful collaborator with our philanthropy team during the preparation for an upcoming campaign.

In order to create an effective social media donor stewardship program, it is critical to take the time to develop a thorough understanding of the Zoo’s current stewardship model on both an annual giving and major gift level. With this background informing my project, I was able to target key areas in which the Zoo can create social media content that is appropriate, timely and aligned with overall stewardship strategy. I found this project to be especially interesting because there wasn’t a clear “best practice” for social media donor stewardship at Zoos—I look forward to the Columbus Zoo becoming a thought-leader in this area.

The second project presented an excellent opportunity to engage with fundraising professionals at Zoos in Houston, Omaha, Denver and Saint Louis. From “Adopt-An-Animal” programs to plaque, bricks and benches, there are so many different ways Zoos recognize their donors on grounds. The goal of this project is to ultimately identify which methods of donor recognition best balance the need to properly acknowledge donors while remaining cost-efficient. We will be looking to incorporate my work on this subject matter into the planning for an upcoming capital campaign.

As always, I am continually impressed by and grateful for the intelligent and thoughtful Zoo philanthropy team. Learning from them is truly a privilege.