A Little Bit of Everything

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

While I hope you all got to relax, I spent much of my holiday weekend working on my application for the Echoing Green fellowship. The application is almost complete, and I'm proud of the way I've been able to represent myself and Reach, Inc. While I work toward my own entrepreneurial goals, I will have the opportunity to talk with some people that have successfully gotten organizations off the ground. I look forward to conversations with Matthew Wheelock of Live It Learn It and Greg McCoy of The Sunflower County Freedom Project. 

Additionally, I've chosen to pursue a more formal mentorship arrangement to assist with some of the pressures of organizational leadership. While I have great friends that do their best to support my work, the reality is that it's tough to have some discussions with those that haven't done this kind of work. Entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership bring their own challenges, so I hope a mentor will help me to talk through some challenges. I have a lunch scheduled this week to discuss this possibility with one individual, and I hope to begin regular conversations - similar to the supervision relationship in social work - in the near future.

Also, two Reach supporters sent interesting links about strengths-based work being done elsewhere, so I thought I would pass the stories alone. One man chose to address gang violence and poor education in the Philippines by enlisting teens as teachers (Brilliant!). Closer to home, I'm encouraging all of you to buy your books at More Than Words Bookshop - available in Waltham, Mass or online.

Finally, don't forget to get your tickets for Reach's first DC event: Libations for Literacy. By purchasing your tickets prior to the event, you can save $5 and give Reach, Inc. a better turnout prediction. We hope to see you next Tuesday!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Quick Hits

• I had the wonderful opportunity to share lunch today with Bruce Stewart, the former Head of School at Sidwell Friends. Bruce has a wealth of experience, and I was please that I was able to spend some time with him. We spoke about the "tragedy" that is the DC Public School System, and I very much enjoyed the conversation.
  
• Bruce is also on the Board of an organization called Fight for Children that supports efforts to improve public education in the District of Columbia. I'm excited about learning more about this organization while exploring the possibility of future partnerships with Reach.
• Bruce, during our conversation, also mentioned that some of his comments were presented on Meet the Press on Sunday, November 15th. The show's panel including Rev. Al Sharpton, Newt Gingrich, and Secretary Arne Duncan. The discussion of education begins around minute 22, and Bruce's comments are heard around minute 37. 
• Don't forget about Reach's happy hour event on Tuesday, December 8th from 6 - 10pm at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. You can find more information, and make the suggested donation, here. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Gaining Credibility?

Gaining credibility in the nonprofit world is a fascinating process. While I am constantly learning, and the model is always getting better, there is little substantive difference between the Reach model now and the model as it stood last week. However, our fundraising success in the past week makes us suddenly more legitimate as an organization. When it rains, it pours. Building on our success from the last seven days, we look forward to moving forward to gather the resources necessary to make Reach a reality.

While money is a key ingredient, credibility carries just as much weight for a social entrepreneur. There are a number of ways to gain credibility. Some work hard to get big names involved through Board or Advisory Board membership. Others find that an intense marketing campaign is necessary. Our approach has been to pursue legitimacy through ongoing conversations with key stakeholders. By speaking to and learning from teachers, potential funders, and nonprofit professionals, we are discussing the model in a way that gets people excited about Reach's potential.

One increasingly common way to gain credibility for a new organization - or its leader - is through competitions or fellowships. Many may have noticed that Reach won Harvard's 2009 Educational Enterprise Innovation Competition. We make this evident on all our materials, because it says to the reader that someone who, in theory, knows something about entrepreneurship thought that Reach was a good idea. In the coming months, we will likely pursue two other opportunities to gain credibility.

• Currently, I'm working on the fellowship application for Echoing Green. This organization provides funding and support for promising social entrepreneurs. While I clearly would like to be selected, I am also enjoying the application process. It really forces a leader to think about the problem, the proposed solution, the connection between those two things, and your personal dedication to the work. I know myself, and Reach, better for having worked through this application.
• Additionally, I received an e-mail today encouraging me to explore a new business plan competition sponsored by the Milken Family Foundation and The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. This competition will force Reach to focus on realistic financial models and growth strategies, both key factors in organizational success. 

Through the processes involved in applying for fellowships and competitions, Reach is able to do the thought work necessary to create the best organization possible. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.  And don't forget our happy hour event on December 8th!

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Breaking Records

Yesterday was, perhaps, the best day in Reach's young life. A Reach supporter, Karin Johanson, graciously agreed to host a fundraising dinner. After a delicious meal, I was given the opportunity to talk about Reach with those assembled. Generally, I speak for a couple minutes and allow time for a couple questions. Last night, I fielded questions for almost 30 minutes. It was quite an inquisitive group, but I believe I answered their questions adequately. When I walked out the door, I had collected more than $6,000 from the guests. This is, by far, Reach's best fundraising event to date, and it allows us to begin focusing efforts on launching a more substantive fundraising campaign for 2010-2011.  A couple big firsts for Reach:

• This was our first fundraising event to raise more than $5,000.
• This is the first month during which we've raised more than $10,000 (and, in case you're wondering, it's only November 16th).
• We've crossed $35,000 in funds raised.

Building on this exciting momentum, we also sent out information today, via a facebook invitation, for our first bar benefit. On December 8th, we'll have a happy hour event at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. To gain entrance, we ask for a minimum donation of $10 through our event page on Razoo. This rate will be good until December 7th. On the day of the event, a $15 cash donation will be requested. We hope to have more information about drink specials and raffles in the near future! We hope you'll join us. If you have connections to bars, restaurants, or performance venues, and you think you might be able to help secure raffle items, please let us know.

All in all, it's been a very exciting week!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Big Money, Small Money

Sometimes lunch changes the way you think about the world; today was one of those days. This afternoon, I was given the opportunity to attend the annual luncheon for The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. The event was an exciting networking opportunity. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet nonprofit leaders like Deb Gottesman of The Theater Lab School of the Dramatic Arts. Additionally, I was able to introduce myself to some of DC's most active philanthropists, including Richard England of the England Family Foundation. Beyond these networking opportunities, it was wonderful to hear the provoking address given by Dan Pallotta. Dan discussed the constraints placed on the nonprofit world by a simple question: what percentage of my donation goes to the cause? He made a very compelling argument that by discussing "overhead" - and the associated negative connotations - we actually inhibit the nonprofit sector by preventing competitive salaries and investment in infrastructure. He makes a very strong case that we should be considering impact or results, not "efficiency." The fact that we encourage people to ask about organizational efficiency distracts donors from considering the factors that are truly important.

After sitting in a room with DC's philanthropy community, I turned my attention to a smaller income source. Reach is excited to announce that our first DC event will take place on Tuesday, December 8th, on the deck of Cleveland Park Bar & Grill.  While the space holds about 60-70 people, we look forward to cycling through more than a hundred between 6pm and 10pm. We will have a great event up on the heated and enclosed deck, and we look forward to sharing details with you as they become available. 

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

How are we different?

When speaking about Reach's launch efforts, it is imperative that I be able to set Reach apart from the other program's currently working Washington DC. I regularly hear about the work being done by The Higher Achievement Program, Heads Up, Horton's Kids, and For Love of Children.  All four of these programs do good work, but Reach is different, and it's important that we be able to explain why we will provide a unique service in DC's education space.

Reach is unique in four specific ways. First, we will provide high-quality literacy remediation at both the elementary and high school level, whereas most programs focus solely on younger students. Second, our intervention specifically targets those students whose reading abilities fall in the bottom quartile when compared to their peers. Third, our program simultaneously addresses the academic needs of two populations through a single, comprehensive program thereby efficiently using scarce resources. Finally, Reach addresses motivation and capacity through an incentive laden compensation system that will encourage effort and engagement.

While I generally look at these unique aspects of our program as a strength, the current focus in the education world is on replication of proven models. This begets the implied question: why don't you do what is already being done? If we, as a society truly believe that all students deserve a quality education, then we need to provide supports for all our students - even those that have previously failed. Reach's focus on those students that have experienced previous academic failure is a necessary component of a comprehensive approach to producing a literate student body. We owe it to our kids to provide a new kind of program. We look forward to providing a more just academic experience for those students who have previously been failed.

Thanks, as always for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Mixed Signals.

Who to believe? I often find myself going from meeting to meeting. In these encounters with educators, administrators, and funders, I often hear contradictory statements about DC's education scene. A school can be both the best and the worst, depending on who is speaking. Some people love the scrappy upstarts, while others truly believe in the larger, well-branded non-profits. While there is clearly learning to be done from all organizations, it's fascinating to try to develop a filter for all the information I take in on a daily basis. Who should I believe? Can they all be right?

In good news, it's November 5th, and we've really started this month strong. In only five days, we have received our largest individual donation and our largest corporate pledge. We continue to build momentum towards our goals. Can you, or someone you know, help? Join our efforts to help DC's students.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.

Endings and Beginnings.

While we're still so new, it seems odd that Reach is starting to experience some of our first endings. As we have finally completed all the steps necessary to register Reach with all the necessary authorities, we will no longer need the services of Aryan Moniri and Vijay Singh, our attorneys through Skadden Arps. They assisted us in successfully getting registered and gaining tax exempt status both federally and within DC. The firm agreed to work with Reach for the start up process, so our relationship has now come to an end. I am hugely appreciative of all the work they did. The IRS and DC government are complicated beasts, and they made my life much easier by doing all the necessary fighting.

We also had an exciting beginning today - the start of something good. Those that know me well know that I don't think we've done anything yet. I work hard now, so we will be prepared to make an impact when we begin our work with children. I do this work because of the potential it has to create an impact in the lives of others. I recognize that I won't be totally satisfied with my job until it begins impacting the lives of children. However, a recent article posted on the Harvard Graduate School of Education website apparently allowed me to make a different kind of impact. Below is an excerpt from an energizing e-mail I received today (the name has been removed):

I read about about your organization on the HGSE website. I just wanted to tell you that I am very inspired by you and the organization that you are building. I was a Special Education student and high school dropout, and I eventually ended up in jail by the time I was 17. I truly believe that if I had a program like Reach, Inc. during my adolescent years, things would have turned out differently. I was eventually able to turn my life around and became a Special Education Teacher and a Youth Minister...After reading about your story and the work that you are doing, I have been inspired to do something that I always wanted to do, apply the HGSE. I will be visiting the campus for Diversity Day next Monday and applying to the Risk and Prevention Program. I know getting in will be a long shot, but [I tell youth to follow their dreams] so I have to continue to follow mine...

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.