On a beige plaster column in David Domenici’s spartan office is a mural depicting a series of colorful balls, some floating freely, some colliding. The remnant of a barbershop that once occupied the row house in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood, the mural is an apt metaphor for the delicate balancing act Domenici does every day as co-founder and executive director of VPP investment partner See Forever Foundation.

See Forever runs the Maya Angelou Public Charter School (MAPCS)—a seven-year-old learning community that offers 15- to 17-year-olds who haven’t succeeded in traditional educational environments a shot at rebuilding their lives. Often described as “at risk,” many of these young people have been involved in the juvenile justice system or have dropped out of school, finding the streets a more enticing alternative. At its two campuses, one in Shaw, just north of the new Convention Center, and the other, which opened just last month in what was formerly Evans Jr. High in Northeast Washington, the Maya Angelou Public Charter School seeks to help its students develop the academic, social, and employment skills that they need to build rewarding lives and promote positive change in their communities.

“We want our school to be a place where if you choose to, you can make it, you can go to college,” says Domenici. “And if college isn’t for you, then you can develop the skills to find a job and lead a productive life.”

More than 70% of MAPCS’s 110 students at the Shaw campus do go onto college, a remarkable statistic considering that a large number of the teenagers arrive at the school reading at or below the fifth grade level.

What distinguishes See Forever’s approach from others is that it offers a comprehensive program that goes well beyond academics to provide mental health services, life skills training, and coping strategies, as well as vocational programs that give students opportunities to earn and save money. The school day is long—more than 10 hours—and summer study is mandatory. Students get three meals a day, go to classes until the afternoon, work, and then come back for dinner, homework, and other academic tutoring. Being so intensely involved in the students’ lives is critical to success. It is a lesson Domenici, a former lawyer, and his co-founder James Forman, Jr., now a professor at Georgetown Law Center who spent several years as a public defender, learned early.

In fact, See Forever began not as a school but as a pizza delivery business. Forman and Domenici were frustrated by the number of young people from low-income neighborhoods who ended up in the juvenile justice system with no real options to turn their lives around.

“The system that was supposed to provide hope and help for a certain group of teenagers was broken,” Domenici says. “These kids ended up in the wrong system and the city had no impetus to address this issue.”

He says that these young people, lacking support networks and disengaged from school, would drop out and head for the streets. When they got in trouble with law, the system sent them to alternative schools that Domenici describes as nothing more than holding cells, where they learned no skills and received no social service intervention.

So Domenici and Forman thought that if they could provide an alternative, an opportunity for young people to work, learn skills and encourage them to stay in school, these kids could build themselves a brighter future. They opened a pizza delivery business on the corner of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street. Students came to work after school, but before they could start earning they had to do some learning first. School attendance was mandatory as was an hour of after-school tutoring before work began. The program had about six students enrolled and was successful up to a point.

“We got a small group of kids to stay off the streets,” Domenici says, “but our efforts weren’t integrated with academics and we couldn’t force the kids to go to school. Without control over the day before 3 p.m. we couldn’t have the impact that was necessary to change lives.”

So in 1997, Domenici and Forman opened the first campus of the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in a townhouse on Sixth Street, later moving to their current building a few blocks away. Students come from all over the District, from some of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods.

“We originally targeted the Shaw neighborhood because we needed access to downtown resources. Part of our program includes a catering business so we needed to be close to customers,” Domenici says. “And we rely on 75 volunteers a night to help with the students with homework and we needed to be accessible.” A Metro stop is just a block from the school.

The opening of the Evans campus brings this program east of the Anacostia River, a part of the city that does not have enough such resources available to the young people who need them. The new campus also will be a test to see if this model of community support works in other neighborhoods. Evans today has 75 students enrolled and hopes to serve 150-175 eventually.

The Evans campus also represents the first partnership between a public charter school and the District of Columbia Public School System, a partnership that See Forever co-founders hoped to create when they started but for a variety of reasons weren’t able to make happen. DCPS is providing the facility and other infrastructure and See Forever is working with the school system to find ways to reach out to young people who could benefit from the program. School representatives work with staff at HD Woodson, Ballou, Eastern, and Anacostia high schools to find students who are not doing well or who are not in school much and encourage them to try out Maya Angelou Evans.

See Forever has come a long way since its pizza delivery roots. Being a VPP investment partner has been helpful to Domenici in his efforts to grow the program. He notes that it has been extremely helpful to have access to the advice and counsel of people who have built and grown large enterprises. When he and Forman started the school, they ran all aspects, from raising money to overseeing the academic programming and catering business that provided job training as well as the student meals. Last spring, See Forever decided to outsource the management of the catering business, realizing that they needed to focus on their core business, educating young people. By outsourcing the business, they were freed to develop partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits to provide a variety of work opportunities for their students as well as to focus on beefing up their fundraising efforts and opening the Evans campus.

“VPP forced us to go back and look at things and ask ourselves harder questions. They encouraged us to invest in staff people like a managing director and development person,” Domenici says.

He notes that last year was the worst year for student performance in the school’s history. He says that with other funders, he might have been afraid to acknowledge this setback. With VPP, he is able to talk about it and have a thoughtful conversation about what they are doing and how to improve. “You can only do that with a committed funder.”

And commitment is what is needed to make positive change.

“You could argue that it is makes more sense to invest in younger children where change is easier,” says Domenici, “but we shouldn’t decide to write off a certain group of kids. Despite the obstacles and risks these kids face, we can’t give up on them. They can finish high school and they can go on to college and they can contribute to our social fabric.”

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I’ve come across a number of CEOs, business executives, and budding entrepreneurs who tell me that they’d like to get more involved with nonprofits but don’t have the time or really know how best to engage in what represents a new and different terrain for them. These folks are often deluged with requests for their time and money—from sponsoring galas to supporting causes their close friends support. What adds to this frustration is the sense that the ask is sometimes a shallow one; they are approached to go on boards, their advice is sought, their name is wanted for a host committee, and a score of other reasons, with the real purpose being to get at their wallets. I urge them to look past what is an essential dance most nonprofit leaders are forced to do to get critical funding and instead find something they can really relate to, that will align to the time they can make available, and that will be effective and meaningful. After all, balancing the priorities of their own family and professional responsibilities, particularly executive roles requiring significant travel, makes engagement in local efforts even more daunting. But, the right selection can add a lot to the person’s life, family, and career.

Over the past three to five years, I find myself meeting with more executives facing this challenge who simply want to discuss their options, hopefully to benefit from the path I’ve traveled in the nonprofit world and from the lessons I and others like me have learned. Here are some points I generally share.

Get involved with something you really care about.
The first thing to think about is what kinds of issues and causes really matter to you and your own family. It is so important that you really care about and are engaged in the mission of a particular organization. If not, your involvement won’t endure. A good friend, Gregg Petersmeyer, who led the Points of Light effort in the first Bush administration, took the time to study 250 Points of Light awardees. He reached what appears to be an obvious but important conclusion: in almost all programs, the real benefit lay in the volunteer relationship that was developed and those who were most successful were so because they were tied to something they loved or cared dearly about—ideally, the true passion of their life. Recently I met with a prominent media person who wanted advice on what she could do and where to focus her time. The more she spoke, it became obvious that her passion was tied to an issue one of her children had faced. I finally said, “I think you’re very clear about what you want to be involved in. Just think about how many times you mentioned your child and how your passion jumps out as you talk about doing something about what your child faced for others.”

Find efforts that don’t involve large amounts of time.
There are lots of ways to help a nonprofit without having to make major time commitments. It may, however, require a little time upfront to learn about the leader, the organization, and its board—which I can assure you will be a worthwhile use of your time. Perhaps you can be an informal advisor, being available to the leader or board via phone or email, not only for advice, but to use your network to open up doors, make introductions, and other simple ways to broker value. Never underestimate how much one or two hours a month can help a nonprofit as you offer expertise and advice, make an introduction, write a letter of support, or send some emails to help them raise some funding.

Think carefully about what you can best offer an organization.
It is vital that when get involved, you use what you do best—capitalize on your strengths. What kinds of skills do you have? If you’re a CFO, help the CFO; if it’s marketing, see how you can leverage their communications efforts; and so forth. Your efforts will be more effective when you draw on your strengths and experience. Be sure your talents and time are used where your expertise aligns—the nonprofit will gain more, you’ll be happier and gain a greater sense of gratification, and the relationship will have a better chance to be a lasting one.

Make sure the nonprofit WANTS and CAN USE what you can offer.
You may be an expert in government affairs, but if the organization you are contemplating working with is having trouble keeping its lights on, they probably aren’t ready for what you have to bring to the table. You’ll have to assess the ability of the organization to benefit from your skills as well as the readiness of its team to absorb what you have to offer. Even more to the point, be sure that the organization’s leader really wants to use what you can do and is not just accepting your help for the sake of your funding. I guarantee this will be obvious within a few interactions.

It’s important to understand where an organization is in its “life cycle”—start-up, emerging, established, growth-driven, etc. This is particularly important to understanding where you can best add value, as there are clear inflexion points, and your role either as a board member, advisor, or simply a “sounding board” to the leader can be transformative to the organization. However, an organization has to be ready for that kind of engagement and open to the often difficult change such growth or transformation entails. One thing is critical: you will have to be patient in helping the organization implement and absorb such change. The fact is, change has never come easy to any of us.

Do your homework about the organization.
Take a hard look at organizations you are considering—as I said earlier, some upfront time to look “under the hood” and learn about the organization will serve you well. What is compelling about the organization beyond the fact that it is doing good? What do their stakeholders say about them? Is there strong leadership? Is there demonstrated performance? Do they have a model that is achieving outcomes? Are they working in a community that few are working in? And, are they financially healthy?

How do you do this without taking a two-week leave of absence and not costing an arm and a leg? Find folks you can talk with who know the organization, just as if you were trying to learn about a firm or person in your own industry. Talk to lead funders, “clients,” competitors, government officials, and, of course, talk with them directly. And, once you connect with the right people, their candid insights will be more effective than all of the so-called “ formal” research about such nonprofits.

Think about what kind of involvement you’d like to have.
Do you want to have direct contact with the clients a particular nonprofit serves? If so, then you might want to find opportunities to tutor adults in reading or mentor a young person—like being a “reading buddy” via In2Books, a mentor via Big Brothers/Big Sisters, volunteering through Greater DC Cares, or you might want to look at your church, mosque, or synagogue to see if it has established any mentoring programs.

If direct involvement is not what you are looking for, then providing some pro bono management or financial help might be a better avenue. Organizations like CompassPoint bring professionals together for six to nine months to work on a specific project on behalf of a nonprofit. But one thing I’ve learned that will also help you be more effective is to take the time to understand and learn the venue and avoid being the type who is ready to provide the answer before the questions are even posed.

And remember that leveraging your own network of contacts can be invaluable to an organization. Perhaps you can introduce the executive director to others who might be interested in helping to fund projects or strike up partnerships. Don’t underestimate the value of your network and contacts.

Take a hard look at yourself and where you want to be.
Depending on where you are in your own career, you might want to consider a bigger involvement. Bob Buford, a cable industry executive, noted philanthropist, and author, observes that many people in the 45- to 60-year-old brackets reach a point where they are seeking greater satisfaction in their lives. Bob refers to this as “the transition from financial success to life significance.” A huge issue facing the nonprofit sector is the flow of management and board talent into the sector to help the great individuals who are leading highly worthwhile nonprofits, as there is a great need for senior management for growing nonprofits. In addition, the sector is facing a challenge in succession because a high percentage of nonprofit leaders are expected to retire over the next five to ten years. When considering your own future, look at the nonprofit sector as a possibility. It might not pay as much financially, but the “life compensation” may be worth it.

Getting involved in something you care greatly about and that can help others pays big dividends both personally and civically. Thinking carefully about what you have to give and how to give it will ensure that you and the nonprofit you serve reap the benefits.

-Mario Morino

p.s. At Venture Philanthropy Partners, we are always looking for board and management talent to support our investment partners in a variety of ways. If you are interested, please contact VPP Partner and CFO, Eleanor Rutland, who oversees talent sourcing.

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News from AALEAD, CFNC, CMHS, CentroNía, LAYC, and Mary's Center

Asian American LEAD Named Point of Light

AALEAD Executive Director Sandy Dang shares news of two recent awards.

As a tribute to the efforts of its mentors, tutors, and other volunteers in the community, Asian American LEAD received the Daily Point of Light Award on September 7. Nominated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, AALEAD was recognized for its programs supporting immigrant families and helping them gain access to services.

AALEAD also recently received a $1,000 award in a contest sponsored by software vendor Social Solutions. The organization uses ETO Software™, an outcomes-tracking software tool, to monitor progress and activities and Social Solutions asked customers to share their stories. Asian American LEAD always believed that its 50 volunteer mentors were doing a great job, but how did they know? The organization now has more than anecdotes to show. It has found, for example, that the vast majority of volunteers (79%) stay with the organization long beyond their 12-month commitment, a great increase from previous years. Of equal importance, surveys confirmed the impression that most youth feel that they have quality relationships with their mentors, and that the adults have a youth-centered outlook. In other words, the volunteers are doing an excellent job of providing the consistent adult support so important to positive youth development.

CFNC Selected for 2004 Catalogue for Philanthropy

Thanks to Development Director Carolyn Beckett for these Child and Family Network Centers updates.

CFNC has been selected for inclusion in the 2004 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington Area, to be released in November. After an intensive review process, CFNC was one of only 79 organizations chosen from a competitive group of 250 applicants. The Catalogue reviewers believe “CFNC is one of the finest small charities Greater Washington has to offer."

The aim of the catalogue is to "illuminate why the philanthropic sector of our economy exists, how its works, what it accomplishes, and most of all how productive, intelligent, innovative, creative, inspiring, rewarding, and richly varied it is—appealing to anyone's interests.” The Harman Foundation, based in Massachusetts, founded the Catalogue for Philanthropy in 1997 and launched the DC edition in 2003.

The Episcopal Church of Women - Diocese of Virginia has selected CFNC as a Vive Voce - "By Word of Mouth" recipient for its outstanding ministry to women and children. Viva Voce money is pledged at the annual meeting and each year a different project is designated as the recipient.

The Freddie Mac Foundation Board of Directors has awarded CFNC a two-year grant of $350,000. This grant is a powerful endorsement of the quality of CFNC's programs and the positive outcomes achieved by CFNC families. Less than 1% of all Freddie Mac Foundation grant proposals are awarded at this level.

CMHS Receives Grant for Gang Violence Prevention Effort

The opening community event for Project Salva-Niños, an initiative of the Center for Multicultural Human Services, was held on September 27, in Arlandria. Keynote speaker, John Marshall, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, addressed the audience of community providers, parents, and children. “As Secretary of Public Safety, I am particularly concerned about how your lives are affected by the presence of gangs in your community. Gangs can make us feel unsafe in our community and they recruit our children. My office has asked the Center for Multicultural Human Services to give you the support you need to help your children avoid gang involvement and grow into healthy, happy, productive adults.”

CMHS was awarded a $300,000 grant for this project in June 2004 from the Governor's Office of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Targeting schools in Culmore, Arlandria, and Herndon, CMHS will incorporate specific modules that address gang involvement through its existing school-based LEAD (Leadership, Education, Achievement, and Diversity) program, which offers on-site mental health and support services. Project Salva-Niños will coordinate its efforts with task forces convened to address gang violence prevention in Northern Virginia and work closely with police in their gang prevention efforts.

CentroNía: New Name in New Era for Calvary

Surrounded by more than 40 children wearing matching t-shirts in sizes from 2T to XL, Founder and Executive Director BB Otero unveiled a new name and logo, CentroNía, to an audience of board members, families, and other stakeholders at a community celebration on Wednesday, September 29.

After 18 years of educating children and serving families in the District of Columbia, Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning Center becomes CentroNía to reflect the multicultural community it serves: Centro means "center" in Spanish, and Nia means "our" in Esperanto and "purpose" in Swahili.

BB explained further, “The bilingual tagline ‘growing, learning, leading, crecimiento, aprendizaje, liderazgo’ reinforces our commitment to providing a continuum of educational programs for the families and the children we serve.”

The organization currently serves over 600 Latino, African American, and multiethnic children, youth, and families. Board Chair Chuck Bean said, “My center, your center, our center—CentroNía. It’s a place to find community with others…to come together, grow together, learn together.”

Elizabeth, 12, agreed. “I’ve been coming here since I was a baby. It’s a place where you can do work and have fun at the same time. I’d tell anyone, ‘Put your kids at CentroNía. They care about us.’ ”

The organization identified the need for a new name/brand through a comprehensive strategic planning process, the initial phase of VPP's investment partnership. In 2003 they began the process, which led to the reorganization of the institution and the realization that it needed to create a name that better represented who it is and where it is headed. VPP Partner Steve Seleznow commented, “The plan is much, much more than the new name and new brand. It is a picture of the future to bring CentroNía to more children and families.”

BB said, “We have overcome many obstacles, learned much, and grown stronger and more capable through the hard work and talents of many children, youth, and adults. Now, as we witness an entire generation grow to maturity and join us as responsible adults working to better the lives of others, we felt it was finally time to take on a new name, a new look, a new vitality that stands up and applauds this growth: CentroNía.”

Candice, an 11-year-old who has participated in programs for the past four years, concurred. “Calvary was a good name, but it’s time for a change. I’m going to write it on my notebook so I’ll remember.”

To learn more about CentroNía or its new name, visit the website.

Latin American Youth Center Rocks the Vote

Gabriel Albornoz, director of advocacy and public policy, and Lori Kaplan, executive director, report on LAYC activities.

The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) recently completed a significant analysis of its services and worked to define the strategic direction of the organization. An important component of this initiative included the development of LAYC’s social change model. The model consists of three components: first, defining the theory of the problem; second, developing a theory of action; and third, taking action to create true social change. LAYC’s social change model provides the engine to carry out its mission of supporting youth and families in their determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy.

As part of the theory of action component, LAYC recognizes that it must instill the importance of civic engagement to youth and families. To illustrate this, LAYC has launched a voter-registration campaign. The campaign consists of a series of events at the Center and in the community throughout the months of August, September, and October. On August 5, LAYC’s Youth Advocacy Initiative (YAI) team coordinated a fun voter registration day at the Center. The event featured great music, food, and strong community support. Volunteers from the LAYC and representatives from the Central American Resource Center registered 48 community members and educated many more youth on the electoral process. In addition, the YAI team has set up tables at high schools, community-based events, and volunteered to staff voter registration initiatives in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland.

The campaign has been a success with over 200 registrations and hundreds more youth educated on the electoral process. “We are thrilled to have reached so many people, because we want to insure that our youth and families understand that voting is the easiest and most important way to have their voices heard,” Gabriel Albornoz, director of advocacy and public policy, said.

LAYC will continue to stress the importance of civic engagement to youth through its YAI project and voter registration events leading up to the November 2 election.

Mary’s Center’s Noche Tropical…Dancing Healthier Than Ever

Thanks to Lyda Vanegas, development and communications officer, for the information on Mary’s Center’s upcoming gala.

Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care annual gala, Noche Tropical, will be held on Saturday, November 13, from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., at the Homer Building, 601 13th Street, NW, in Washington, DC.

Noche Tropical raises more than $100,000 each year, allowing Mary’s Center to provide a year of medical visits for more than 300 newborn babies, free prenatal care to almost 200 patients, more than 700 physical exams, or nearly 2,500 immunizations for children.

Hosted by Ray Suarez of the PBS program NewsHour, Noche Tropical is a night of glamour, good friends, and high spirits with a Latino touch. The event brings more than 350 friends and supporters together for delicious food, a beautiful dance show, a silent auction of more than 150 different items, and much more. La Orquesta La Romana, a popular salsa band in the metropolitan area, will provide music, and Azucar the DJ will play during band breaks to ensure non-stop fun and dancing.

Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting David Bender at 202-483-8319, ext. 341. For more information or to make reservations, call Lisa Bauman at ext. 226.

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Governor Mark Warner (a Founding Investor of VPP) graciously hosted VPP’s investors and other friends at a get-together at his Northern Virginia home on September 28. This reception was a follow-up to a June event that VPP Investor James Kimsey hosted for our investors, and is the second in a series of events we are planning as our work to engage VPP’s investor community. Governor Warner spoke to the group about the synergies of the work of our investment partners with his own work as Governor as well as in his role as Chairman of the National Governors Association, including his efforts to strengthen K-16 education and provide scholarships. Mario Morino gave an update on VPP’s portfolio and our plans for the future. VPP Investor Jack Davies introduced VPP’s partner team, highlighting the premium VPP places on strong leadership and competent executive management—not only for the organizations in which we invest, but also for VPP itself. And, VPP Investor Josh Freeman wrapped up the evening by updating the group on our plans to coalesce and leverage the collective impact of our community of investors. Overall, despite stormy weather from the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne, we had a great turnout and we look forward to future opportunities to bring our investors together.

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New Enterprise Associates (NEA) was inducted into the Private Equity Hall of Fame last week during a Private Equity Analyst Conference in New York City. Peter Barris, Managing General Partner at NEA and VPP board member and investor, accepted the award. NEA was the only venture capital firm named to the Hall of Fame this year.

Fernando Murias, Managing Partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers and auditor for VPP, will be honored as the Outstanding Volunteer fundraiser at National Capital Philanthropy Day 2004 on November 12, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals/DC chapter with a number of co-conveners, this luncheon recognizes awardees in five categories who have made a real difference in the community.

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This year's regional N-TEN Conference, "Communications for a Cause: How New Media Is Changing Messaging," will be held October 14 at the Marriott Metro Center. N-TEN works to support and serve the diverse people and organizations that help nonprofits understand and employ technology effectively. AALEAD staff will be featured on a panel regarding outcomes and other topics include integrating online and offline advocacy, and engaging your community. Conference sponsors include NPower Greater DC Region.

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“Zeroing in on Impact,” an article from the Fall 2004 Stanford Social Innovation Review, features The Harlem Children’s Zone and its approach to developing pragmatic ways to achieving an audacious mission with limited resources.

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