"Since day one of the Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Program, I have been immersed into the nonprofit world. From asking local newspapers for free advertising to learning about the different nonprofit organizations in Cleveland, this internship has given me an opportunity to learn new skills, to network with other professionals, and to experience Cleveland’s philanthropic community.
My internship site, Adult Guardianship Services (AGS), has been more enriching than I could have imagined. AGS provides guardianship services to indigent and vulnerable adults who may not have anyone in their life to care for them. My main role at this agency has been to assist with the planning of its fundraiser, Mystery in the City. My tasks have included attending board meetings and asking local businesses for donations. The experience of planning an event for a nonprofit agency has been invaluable. However, I found another aspect at AGS to be even more important.
During my first week, my supervisor wanted me to shadow some of the staff guardians so I could meet some of AGS’s clients as well as understand the agency’s program. As a student at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, my focus is children so I had yet to be exposed to vulnerable adults. Not only did the shadowing help me learn more about this often overlooked population, but it also emphasized to me the importance of my work for this agency. Planning the fundraiser is not just about registration and sending information to local newspapers. It is about raising awareness in the community about this population and raising funds so AGS can continue its mission in helping this group."
Michael Cooke, graduate student, Cleveland State University
Placement: Slavic Village Development
As a Cleveland Foundation intern, I am in a unique position to experience Cleveland, as well as to broaden my knowledge and skills through the implementation of my academic experiences in a real-world setting. I was placed at Slavic Village Development, a well-respected community development corporation in Cleveland. My immediate supervisor is Keith Johnson, a marketing and fundraising dynamo. In the few weeks I have worked here, Keith and I have done quite a bit in preparation for the largest community event in Slavic Village: the Slavic Village Festival, formerly the Harvest Festival.
Along with the name change, this year’s festival also has a renewed vision, refocusing on the cultural and ethnic heritage of Slavic Village. In order to most effectively do this, Slavic Village Development decided to relocate the festival, from its traditional location between E. 55th and E. 65th on Fleet Avenue, to its new location: an L-shaped route from E. 63rd and Fleet to E. 65th and Heisley Avenue. This move was done in order to increase the “Old-World” feel of the festival. The festival will also have a focus on ethnic foods and entertainment, including traditional dancers, polka music, traditional food like pierogi and kielbasa, and will once again present the always fun (and somewhat disturbing) pierogi-eating contest.
This new focus led to an increase in community involvement on many levels. First, there has been an increase in community outreach to those residents off of E. 65th who will be more directly impacted by the festival. This included the canvassing and delivery of information packets about the festival, including our contact information in order to be able to answer any questions and assist with any concerns. Secondly, the community has been more directly involved through the focus on local vendors, many of which reside in Slavic Village. At this point, only two vendors are from outside the Cleveland region. We have, for the first time, also involved the vendors in the planning of the festival, specifically in site selection for their booths. We hope that by increasing the number of local vendors and their participation in the festival, it can meet the goal of reconnecting with the cultural and ethnic heritage of the neighborhood. It also has the added benefit of keeping money within the local economy, while simultaneously helping out our local business owners. This can most clearly be seen by the handing over of the festival’s Beer Gardens from Slavic Village Development to two anchor neighborhood businesses, De Nobile’s Pizza and MJ’s.
While we are not yet finished the planning and preparation for the new and improved Slavic Village Festival, we are well underway. So spread the word, bring your friends, your wife, your kids, your in-laws, your neighbors, anyone and everyone to the Slavic Village Festival!
Jafeen Ilmudeen, graduate student, Case Western Reserve University
Placement: Shaker Family Center
At the June 25th intern professional development seminar, Will Cole, the executive director of Opera Cleveland, mentioned that while passion is vital to working in the nonprofit sector, it alone is not enough. Financial stability is just as important to not only ensure the continuation of program offerings in the non
profit, but also the sustainability of that nonprofit as a whole.
I am well aware of the value of financial stability to nonprofits. Like the nonprofits I have worked with in the past, and numerous others I have heard about, my organization operates on a shoestring budget. We have to make efforts to stretch the dollar and find creative ways to live on little.
Financial worries nearly prevented the continuation of one of our programs. Designed for families that speak other languages, this program functions to increase literacy as well as a sense of community among families that are new to the area. The program provides a site of global diversity. Among its many benefits, this program is a powerful reminder of the kind of unity that exists when different cultures come together, a unity that can promote world peace.
While we managed to obtain a grant that ensured the continuation of this program for a few more years, I worry about what may have happened in the event that we did not. Our families and staff would have been saddened and we would have lost many of the benefits this program provides to the society.
This incident crystallized the importance sustainable funding. While the newly procured grant eased our burden, I still think it’s difficult to live with a sense of uncertainty. Contrary to my expectations, this uncertainty seems to be the norm in the nonprofit world. However, I wonder if there are any “rich” nonprofits out there, or if all of them go on barely making it on a shoestring budget. Do you think that nonprofits have to be this way, or is this a sign that they must carry out major re-evaluations of their programs and their organizations?
And why are nonprofits pressed for funds? Is it that there are too many nonprofits, or that nonprofits must merge? Are nonprofits not seeking donors more effectively, or is it that there are fewer donations, given the present state of the economy?