Fundraising for Social Change, 8th Edition

chapter FORTY‐FOURWhen You Are Just Starting Out

Martina, Joshua, and Lupe are recently retired teachers in a rural community. They share a deep concern that at least a dozen students in the elementary school are homeless and may have little to eat outside of the school lunch. The teachers realize they cannot solve the whole problem, but they want to do something, so they start a Friday night dinner program at the local community center to which all students and their parents are invited. After dinner, those who want to stay can play cards or watch a movie. They charge $2 per person for dinner, and the community center donates the space. In the beginning, about a dozen children and their parents come to the dinner. Over time, the crowd grows to a regular group of 50–75 people, crossing race and class lines, and always including the homeless children and the adults they live with, as well as many seniors who have heard about these dinners. The dinners are considered a great success in the community.

Although most people donate more than $2 for the dinner, and the local grocery store and bakery sometimes donate food, the three teachers are personally subsidizing the program. They have a few volunteers and an increasing number of donors, but soon the work of this very successful program becomes more than they can manage. They have to figure out a way to move forward by systematically recruiting volunteers and soliciting donations.

This chapter is designed for any effort that has ...