Philanthropic Organizations Need YOUR Contributions!
Submitted by: Stephanie Goldstein, V.P. of Development, ACHIEVEability
As we recognized National Philanthropy Day® on November 15th, Paulette Maehara, CFRE, CAE, President and CEO of Association of Fundraising Professionals stated in The Earth Times, Nov. 12, 2008 posting, "the need for charitable programs rises dramatically when profits fall, costs skyrocket, and families struggle to make ends meet. But people don’t realize that the large majority of charitable programs in this country are made possible through contributions by everyday citizens, not big corporations or foundation grants. Corporations and foundations tend to cut back on their grant making in a recession, making giving by individuals even more critical."
That said corporations still serve an important aspect to non-profit organizations. Partnering together can enable a company along with its employees to garner more positive public relation attention when they align themselves with a non-profit whose core values mirror their own. A great example is a recent presentation given by John J. Brennan, Chair and Former CEO, Vanguard Group on behalf of, ACHIEVEability a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working to permanently break the cycle of poverty for single parent, low income, formerly homeless families through education, supportive services, community and economic development, housing and accountability. He spoke about the current economic conditions, market volatility, investing and the importance of philanthropic giving as part of one’s portfolio. Vanguard is a partner of ACHIEVEability at every level: long-term volunteering commitments, employee and executive individual giving, along with a seat on the Board of Directors.
What makes ACHIEVEability stand out is the essence of what they do for the community to break the cycle of poverty. The value of measurements and accountability are clearly understood. To this end ACHIEVEability has developed the ACHIEVEability Family Self- Sufficiency Continuum. ACHIEVEability evaluates the success of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program by the movement of families along the Self-Sufficiency Continuum. It is an objective, measurable tool that both informs and reflects a family's progress from dependency to self-sufficiency.
The continuum contains objective, measurable criteria for education, parenting, finances and personal development. Movement upward along the continuum, from level one through level five, represents success and accomplishments that will bring the family from depending on temporary assistance to independence. Making better choices for a better tomorrow, that’s what each client in the program espouses. In June 2008 ACHIEVEability recognized 19 graduates, 11 with Associate’s, 8 with Bachelor degrees and ne client who moved onto law school with a full scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. In October, 3 graduating clients purchased their first home that ACHIEVEability developed via our Dewey Housing Project.
Author Hannah Brown wrote in her book, “When the Compass of My Life Got Stuck on Stupid” that only when she made better choices for herself and her children did positive changes occur. Speak to any of the clients in the ACHIEVEability program and this is what you will find — individuals making better choices and becoming true community role models, contributing to society, paying taxes, supporting the economy and making a difference.
This article was submitted by Stephanie Goldstein, V.P. of Development for ACHIEVEability. For additional information contact Stephanie at Stephanie.goldstein@achieveability.org.
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