Super Tuesday!

The start-up process involves significant anxiety about finances.  Every. Single. Day.  Occasionally, something good happens that provides us with some confidence moving forward.  Tuesday was, without doubt, the best day we have had in terms of our long-term financial strength.  As a small organization, it's always important to notice the small victories.  Tuesday brought four significant wins.

1) As mentioned previously, Gibbons P.C. held a "Jeans Day" on Friday, August 21st.  Employees at any of Gibbons' offices could pay $5 for the right to wear jeans.  Despite the fact that it's August, and we likely had many on vacation, Gibbons informed us that $670 was earned for Reach, Inc.  We greatly appreciate their efforts and look forward to collecting those funds.  

2) Also, Whole Foods has a strong community giving program.  We recently applied for one of their 5% days.  During these days, 5% of the store's profits are donated to a chosen charity.  When the store saw our application, they thought we might also be interested in a different form of giving (though this will not influence the decision about the 5% application).  From September through November, Reach, Inc. will be the beneficiary of "Nickels for Nonprofits."  For each reusable bag used, Whole Foods allows the customer to donate 5 cents to one of two charities.  Customers will have two choices, so if you shop at the P St. NW Whole Foods, then please give your nickels to Reach!

3) Additionally, foundation funding is shrinking as we speak.  Many foundations have announced that they will only give to organizations with which they already have a relationship.  Many foundations have also stopped accepting unsolicited proposals.  For a start-up organization, this is a significant issue.  Often, the only way to connect with a foundation is through a shared friend.  Through the help of Arash Jahanian, a friend of Reach, we have received our first invitation.  This fall, when Crowell & Moring send out their invitations to apply for grants, Reach, Inc. will be on the list.

4) Finally, the last post included an explanation of giving circles.  While young people often feel they can not create a significant impact with their dollars, combining forces in a giving circle provides an avenue for achieving a more significant impact.  On Tuesday, we started our first conversations with a representative interested in taking on this challenge.  Through Kate Sommers, a Reach friend, we are working to create a giving circle of alumni from Camp Geneva Glen.  Working with Kate, we hope to recruit many small donors.  In doing so, the group will be recognized collectively.  Reach, Inc. has recently created The Founder's Circle for those making donations of $1,000 or more.  We hope that, working with Kate, this group of Geneva Glen Alumni can enter the circle.

There are so many ways you can help Reach become a reality.  Please let us know if you're interested in being part of this exciting launch process!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Raising Funds and Raising Friends

As I continue discussing Reach around The District of Columbia, I have been given the opportunity to learn about all the exciting work going on in this city.  In the coming weeks, I hope to have the opportunity to meet with the Founder and Executive Director of A Wider Circle.  He started this organization, and I imagine he will have much to teach me regarding the start-up process.  Additionally, through a friend of Reach, Inc., we may have the opportunity to learn about Community Wealth Ventures and The Points of Light Foundation from individuals that either are or were involved in these organizations.  It will be exciting to look at ways to create partnerships that may lead to a stronger base of financial support.

Additionally, this week, Reach, Inc. benefitted from our first corporate partnership.  Friday, August 21st, was "Jeans Day" at all of Gibbons Law's offices all over the east coast.  Employees are given the opportunity to wear jeans if they donate $5 to the chosen charity.  This month, that charity was Reach, Inc.  Last month, the beneficiary received $725, so we eagerly await word about the results of this month's fundraiser.

Finally, at a wedding this weekend, I learned of a fundraising technique that we might be able to utilize during these tough economic times.  Many are struggling right now, and they often feel that they can not afford to support charities as much as they might have previously.  One way to make an impact with funds is to create a giving circle.  You can create a larger impact by recruiting other donors for an important cause.  While you, individually, may only be able to give $25, imagine if you recruited 39 others to do the same.  Then your entire giving circle, recognized as a collective, will be recognized for providing a gift of $1,000.  If interested in receiving support to create a giving circle, please contact me at mark@reachincorporated.org.

Of special note today is our new website.  Thanks to the hard work of Brian Hecker, Reach's website has been redesigned.  This new professional look will allow Reach, Inc. to effectively represent our plans and goals to those that become interested moving forward.  You can now read the blog on the organization's main site, and please check the website often to learn about the latest news about Reach's progress.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Online Presence and Online Gifts

In an exciting step for Reach, Inc., we have officially been placed on Razoo, an online donation website.  Unlike other online donation platforms, Razoo does not take a cut from the donations made, so Reach gets every cent!  Now is the time to provide support to Reach, Inc.  It's never been easier.  Every dollar - even a single one - helps.  Additionally, at a recent happy hour event, I learned about Global Giving, another platform for marketing and fund raising.  We continue to explore ways to get the name out there in any way possible.

Also, I was interviewed this morning by the Communications Department at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.  In the coming weeks, they plan to do a short feature about the work that I have done since graduation.  This story will be placed on the website and in the monthly newsletter, which I was told has a circulation of over 5,000.  You never know who might read the feature, so hopefully this could lead to funding and/or connections.

Finally, I had a very productive meeting with Lynsey Jeffries of Higher Achievement.  Lynsey helped us with an important connection while also providing some great ideas.  More than anything, she explained the value of relationships.  During a time when endless meetings sometimes seem fruitless, it was great to get reassurance that these relationships are important for the future of the organization.  

Donate!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

On a Learning Mission

First of all, the technical issues with the website should be fixed at this point.  I had to restart my computer, but it appears to be working correctly now.  We apologize to anyone who had any issues accessing information. We also thank Brian Hecker for his work updating the site's content.

Over the weekend, I was able to make some connections to fascinating nonprofits.  I have no doubt I have a lot to learn from each of these groups.  I look forward to learning from Sheeba Jacob, Assistant Program Director at Facing the Future.  They use globally relevant issues to make education more engaging.  As we design curricula, their experience will be hugely valuable.  Additionally, friends of Reach, Inc. have made connections to two other non-profits.  We look forward to connecting with Hands On DC and Free Minds Book Club.  These two organizations do good work in DC, and we look forward to learning.

Today, I will be meeting with Lynsey Jeffries of The Higher Achievement Program.  Ms. Jeffries has experience in nonprofit fund raising, and she understands well the DC education scene.  Additionally, I will be heading to a happy hour tomorrow night for the Young NonProfit Professionals Network.  I recently joined this organization as an effort to meet other non-profit executives in the area.  Finally, I recently learned about The NonProfit Times.  I look forward to using this new resource to learn more about nonprofit administration.

Also, I have just started reading Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men.  Beyond my general interest in the book, I hope to meet with its author in the coming weeks.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Problems and Progress

First of all, some of you have mentioned some issues related to our website.  We are aware of them.  As far as I can tell, the site is working in Safari, but is experiencing some problems in Firefox.  I don't know, at this point, about Internet Explorer.  We are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

I spent some time this week at The Foundation Center researching which Foundations seem to align with our mission.  At this point, we have identified three foundations with which we will aim to develop a relationship in the coming months.  We have sent an introductory letter, and we hope to hear back soon about starting the discussion.  Education and literacy are priorities for all three of the following foundations: The Junior League of Washington, The Hattie M. Strong Foundation, and The Herb Block Foundation.

During this week, we also finished some important programmatic materials.  While they will continue to evolve, we have rough drafts completed of our Tutor Training Guide, a Business Plan, and a One-Page Concept Summary.  These materials have been sent out to some experts in the field, and we hope to get some good feedback about how to make them even stronger.

Finally, we continue to explore opportunities to have discussions with high net worth individuals.  If you know of any individuals, with an interest in education,  that have the capacity to give major gifts, please don't hesitate to make a connection so we can explore the possibility of a funding relationship.  These introductions can play a major role in the launch process.  Please contact me at mark@reachincorporated.org if you have ideas for funding opportunities.

Thank you, as always, for reading,

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Press, Payments, and Porter!

This week is off to a great start as we received word today that our Guidestar listing has been approved.  We should be listed on the site in the next couple days.  For those of you that don't know, Guidestar is a clearing house where you can find information on nonprofit organizations.  You can check out their financials so you know whether or not you are donating money to strong organizations.  In the coming years (after we file tax returns), you will be able to find our annual reports, income statements, and even my salary information.  This is especially exciting, because it should give us access to Razoo, a free online donation platform, in the coming weeks.  I know you have been waiting to make secure, online donations.  We should be able to make that happen very soon.  This online donation system is very timely as we could really use a new wave of donations.

In other news, the term "tax-exempt" is a crock.  For those in the nonprofit world, you already know that tax exempt doesn't impact payroll taxes.  The government still takes that big chunk of your paycheck.  However, there's a significant psychological difference when you actually are the one that has to write that monthly check to the government.  In my previous jobs, it just disappeared.  Now I actually have to make those payments!  AND, my exempt status doesn't protect Reach, Inc. from social security or unemployment insurance taxes either.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure what I'm actually exempt from at this point.

Finally, two nice pieces of news for the program.  First, although small, Reach, Inc. got another mention in the press.  I have been trying to place Reach, Inc. wherever I can, so there is currently a blurb about the organization in this month's newsletter for the UNC School of Social Work.  You can find it in the "Alumni Update" section.  Additionally, we received word this week that Porter Mason, a talented cartoonist, is going to provide some drawings for our Tutor Training Manual, and he has agreed to do it free of charge.  We really appreciate Porter's willingness to work with us on this project.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President

Reach, Inc.

Creating Partnerships

One of the interesting transitions we're currently experiencing is the move from focusing on direct support to a focus on partnerships with corporations and foundations.  This week, I started reaching out to some business partners that might be interested in working with Reach, Inc.  First, I gave a proposal to Frank Hughes, owner of Ireland's Four Fields, an Irish Pub in Cleveland Park.  Frank is excited about the idea of helping us host a fundraiser, so we're working to figure out the terms and the time.  Hopefully this will be our first event in the DC area.  It's an exciting time, and I hope we'll be able to make some money while spreading the word about Reach.  We also hope to capitalize on some Board connections to hold an event at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill at some point this fall.  This is one way we hope to use DC's youthful energy to make some money for Reach, Inc.

By the end of this week, we should also have completed the Business Plan while also having a rough draft of the Tutor Training Manual.  This is important as we begin approaching foundations for support.  Additionally, we hope to have our first meeting with Hyde DC during the next week to discuss the possibility of a pilot program.

Finally, during the last week, we gained a new donor in Seth Weitberg, one of the members of Second City's hit show, Barack Stars.  As Seth continues making progress in his comedy career, we imagine that he will be able to give huge sums of money once his career takes off.  Additionally, I was able to make some good connections at the camp I volunteered at last weekend.  You can read more about the camp in this week's Washington Times.  We continue to explore all avenues for networking, and we look forward to exploring these avenues for encouraging Reach's growth.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

The Next Level

To do the actual work, the money is necessary.  Many nonprofit leaders complain about the amount of time they spend fundraising.  While I don't mind the hours, it is legitimately shocking to realize how much of your time is spent chasing money.  Given our size, one way to address this is to begin seeking larger gifts that could allow for more time spent on programming by providing some financial security.  I have been exploring these possibilities in two distinct ways.  First, I have been trying to identify organizations with matching programs so that I can target those that work there, thereby doubling the impact of each donation.  Additionally, we have started creating a list of corporations, where we have connections, that might be willing to provide funding to Reach, Inc.  While corporate giving seems to take longer due to necessary relationship building, we hope that it will pay big dividends.  In the coming weeks, we have identified two organizations where we hope to build relationships, Federal Realty Investment Trust and CB Richard Ellis.  Building on connections we have to both organizations, we hope to be considered as a possible beneficiary for the companies' corporate giving programs.

Last week, we also began seeing, firsthand, why fundraising is so important.  We made payroll, without problem, but also got our first report indicating the taxes we owe to DC and the Federal Government.  On a monthly basis, we will have to pay the taxes withheld from paychecks, while adding the additional taxes for which employers are responsible.  Yikes!  The money certainly leaves us more easily than it comes.  

In closing, there are two other happenings of note.  First, Reach, Inc.'s facebook group is quickly approaching 300.  Who will be the 300th facebook fan?  Will it be you?  Additionally, it looks like we will be starting the conversation with Hyde-DC next week about the possibility of partnering to launch Reach, Inc.'s pilot program.  It will be exciting to find out whether it could be a good fit for our launch efforts.  We look forward to the beginning of the conversation.

My apologies for missing the usual Monday post.  I spent the weekend working at Camp Forget-Me-Not through Washington DC's Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, and I spent yesterday recovering.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark 

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.