2. Introduction
The position of Executive Director (ED) is new to the Amigos
de las Americas organization at the chapter level. It will serve
two distinct and mutually supportive functions:
1) to sustain and manage daily operations of the Chapter, to
include: outreach, fundraising and program development,
2) to identify and develop the leadership potential of the ED,
according to the Mission and Goals of the Amigos Organi-
zation.
The newly appointed ED researched and develop position ob-
jectives, responsibilities, and goals for the ED position. The fol-
lowing documents outline both the vision and plans for the
Sac-Davis chapter, as well as provide a template for future
ED’s within the Amigos organization.
3. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Fundraising
A. Grant writing
B. Event planning
i. Alumni Network
ii. Individual Contribution
2. Virtual and Social Media
A. Outreach
B. Website Management
C. Business and Community Partnerships
3. Program Management
A. Backyard Program (BYP)
B. IOV & Amigos Club at UC Davis (UCD)
C. Chapter Plan
SECTION 1
ED Responsibilities and
Outline of Position
2
4. 3
A Letter from the Sacramento-Davis Executive Director:
Our Chapter is on the forefront of a major transition. With the appointment
of a Chapter level Executive Director, we now have an amazing opportunity to de-
velop our local organization into an extensive, sustainable, community asset. As the
first appointed ED, my long term goal for this Chapter echoes the values of Amigos
de las Américas organization, incorporates our Board Member’s ideals, and mirrors
my own personal philosophy. Our vision is simple: to become the unifying hub of
youth empowerment and leadership within our larger community.
The Amigos organization seems to be in the midst of transition as well. The
nonprofit sector itself is changing dramatically, and financial recessions have im-
pacted operations and funding from several avenues, namely donations and volun-
teer participation. Further, as the global social climate demands discussions of
structural inequality, we begin to understand the implications of “voluntourism” on
all parties involved. There is a much greater awareness about the sensitive nature
of our work, and even more appreciation for the need to find a balance between
privilege and social responsibility across cultural lines.
Because of the nature of our Chapter, we have the opportunity to under-
stand this relationship in a real world, local setting. The Backyard Program is a
revolutionary concept for the Amigos organization: volunteers are no longer re-
stricted by their inability to finance their trip. Local youth eager and ready to tackle
issues within their communities, and/or were unable to travel to Latin America due
to familial obligations, are now supported by the Amigos family where opportuni-
ties for mastering leadership skills are endless. Those who found issue with donat-
ing to organizations that work internationally when “there is plenty of help needed
here at home” can feel excited to support Amigos efforts. There is incredible poten-
tial with this program, and I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to help it grow and
succeed.
Besides funding, it’s going to take a great deal of interest and involvement
from community members if we are to achieve our long term vision. I think our
greatest strength lies in the diverse student populations of Sacramento and of The
University of California, Davis. The culture of the campus, and the town that sup-
ports it, is incredibly community oriented. More importantly, it’s home to the Com-
munity and Regional Development (CRD) undergraduate program. CRD students
are expected to be active in their community, they are taught about privilege, insti-
tutional inequality, politics, sociology, environmental and human rights issues, and
the psychological impacts of growing up in our modern globalized society. They are
encouraged to question norms, to analyze externalities, to see past the surface ex-
planations and identify root causes of the societal issues Amigos empowers their
youth volunteers to change. This program is a perfect partnership with our Amigos
Chapter, and working closely with the University will be one of my main job compo-
nents. As I have learned throughout all of my life, we Millennials have the passion
and drive to change the world, we need only find the avenue by which to accom-
plish our goals and the skills to support us through the process.
And that is how I see my appointment to the ED position: as a chance to fa-
cilitate the personal and professional growth necessary to accomplish my goals. I
believe that there are many students like me throughout the Amigos family, and I
know that if other chapters were able to take a chance on a new organizational ap-
proach, then Amigos would be capable of facilitating youth empowerment in more
ways than international projects alone ever could. The ED position allows me to
learn first-hand the nature of non-profit work, the struggles of dealing with issues
of inequality professionally, and the skills and perseverance required to impact so-
cial change in a global context. Aspiring to enter the field of Global Health, this po-
sition will prepare me in ways I would never have the opportunity to otherwise.
The issues my generation faces are real and tangible, and becoming more
problematic with every passing day. We feel the sense of urgency, and find our-
selves hoping for an outlet into which we can funnel our energy as we collectively
work to make a difference. What we all agree upon, is that we have to make a differ-
ence, what other choice do we have at this point? Our Amigos Chapter, and the
Backyard Program, provide this opportunity to our local youth, and we owe it to
them and our cause to do this correctly by building an effective and well organized
foundation to support our efforts.
By next year, we will be sustainable financially, we will be sustainable so-
cially. We will show our funders that youth empowerment is not a buzz word, but a
realistic approach to fighting social issues that seem irreparable. We will prove our
commitment to our local community, and improve the lives of those we partner
with. We will become an asset to the CRD program at UC Davis, and will facilitate
the development of dozens of students who wills serve as supervisors and volun-
teers. We will serve as an example of an alternative Amigos model which other
chapters can potentially adopt. And, we will inspire youth to be catalysts for social
change, starting with yours truly.
Forever empowered,
Katie Stone
Executive Director, Sac-Davis Chapter
5. CHAPTER 1
Fundraising
1. Grant Writing
2. Event Planning
a. Alumni Network
b. Individual Contributions
Of all the responsibilities assigned to the ED position, fundraising is the
most crucial. Due to the nature of transitions experienced within this chapter, and
considering the goals of the programs under development, we are in dire need of a
sustainable funding program. Creating and operating such a program shall be the
chief role of the ED within the first year.
Grant Writing is an effective and beneficial means of funding the projects
we wish to undertake as a Chapter. The Backyard Program has already been sup-
ported by the Strauss Foundation, and it is the goal of this Chapter to reapply for
this scholarship in the future. In the meantime, seeking out and researching grants
will be a daily task of the ED. The ED will build a database of grants which are both
obtainable and of interest. Grant writing it not a task to be taken lightly; prepara-
tion and thorough research are critical as the ED moves forward. To meet this obli-
gation, the ED participated in a grant-writing workshop through the Nonprofit Re-
source Center of Sacramento, with additional workshops planned in the coming
weeks.
6. Grant Writing is an effective and beneficial means of funding the projects
we wish to undertake as a Chapter. The Backyard Program has already been sup-
ported by the Strauss Foundation, and it is the goal of this Chapter to reapply for
this scholarship in the future. In the meantime, seeking out and researching grants
will be a daily task of the ED. The ED will build a database of grants which are both
obtainable and of interest. Grant writing it not a task to be taken lightly; prepara-
tion and thorough research are critical as the ED moves forward. To meet this obli-
gation, the ED participated in a grant-writing workshop through the Nonprofit Re-
source Center of Sacramento and a second course led by Liza Grandia titled”Fund-
ing Social Activism: The Revolution Will Be Funded” at The University of Califor-
nia, Davis.
The writing workshop facilitator, Miriam Houghton, was knowledgeable
and experienced in her field. She provided some key take-home points which I will
apply to my work in the coming months:
1) Building a “Boiler Plate:”
1) A Boilerplate is a collection of journalistic material available in plate or
“ready” form. Preparing such materials will make the process of grant
writing more efficient and fluid; rather than having to re-write basic pro-
gram and organization information repeatedly, I will have an easily up-
dated template from which to work.
2)The Boilerplate will answer the “Six Big Questions” typical to grant pro-
posals, and will be organized and indexed to include everything from re-
cent demographics, program descriptions, by-laws, related media articles,
needs assessments and Board Member bios.
3)By building and routinely updating this Boilerplate with current, relevant
information, applying for grants becomes a comprehensive ongoing task
for the ED. Further, this allows for easy transition of duties in the event
that Board Members, Staff or Volunteers wish to seek out grants. A Boiler-
plate creates a collaborative and systematic grant application process for
the Chapter, allowing more time to be allocated to seeking out additional
grants.
The ED will create the Boilerplate using an outline provided by the work-
shop facilitator, beginning with creating a shared document which will be submit-
ted to Board Members and the Advisory Board for comment and discussion. Boiler-
plate organization can be broken down into many categories relevant to the organi-
zations,such as:
1) Achievements in the past year
2)Mission Statement
3)Organizational History
4)Evidence of community support
5)collaborative efforts
6)Unique aspects of the organization
7)Demographics and statistics
8)Program Descriptions
9)Needs Analysis
10)Evaluation Plan
11)Cultural competence
12)Barriers to success
13)Risks and Challenge we face, and plans to overcome them
Throughout the first weeks of my duties as ED, I will be working on writing
and organizing the Boiler Plate which shall be submitted for review to the Advisory
Board prior to sharing with the Board of Directors. This will be the first step in
seeking out grants. As I work on creating this material, I will simultaneously work
on creating a Grant Plan.
2)Developing a Grant Plan
Grant writing requires strategic planning; many foundations will inquire
about previous grants we have received as well as those to which we are currently
applying. The grants we are awarded are not only a source of funding, they serve to
“brand” our Chapter by communicating our goals and ideology to others.
During Grandia’s course, she discussed the importance of understanding
our strengths and weaknesses as an organization, and an individual chapter. Most
important, she noted, is for me to know my audience of donors, and to determine
our desired presence within their frame of view. With this in mind, she discussed
how to best form our Grant Plan:
1) The Facilitator described the importance of targeting grants by perform-
ing extensive research on the foundations and sponsors which support
them. By working through the details of items such as NGO and for-profit
tax records, it is possible to identify which organizations may benefit from
5
Fundraising- Grant Writing
7. the publicity associated with our Chapter. Competing interests may be
played to ones advantage, encouraging businesses or foundations to par-
ticipate more extensively in social justice and community development.
2)Further research will reveal the true goals and strategies of these entities.
This is critical to make note of, especially considering the nature of our
organization. For example: because Amigos operates in countries such as
Ecuador and Peru, it might not be advisable to try and obtain grants from
the Chevron Foundation, a corporation responsible for incalculable dam-
age resulting from oil spills that have yet to be cleaned up in the very com-
munities we aim to help. This is but one example of a conflict of interest
that I will likely come across as I seek out funding.
3)Grandia made it clear that most grants will come with strings attached,
and that sometimes, we as a Chapter will not agree with some of these
strings or the practices of the foundation we are requesting donations
from. What must be determined, then, is where that line is, and what is
acceptable for our mission.
4)Grant writing can lead non-profits towards Mission Drift, a tendency for
original intentions and goals to become sidelined in order to make our-
selves eligible for a potential grant. In this respect, we have a serious ad-
vantage. Amigos is about youth empowerment and social change, and the
Backyard Program is about completing this in a local context. This allows
for a wide range of potential grants because there are countless means by
which we can accomplish these things. Specific projects proposed by vol-
unteers can obtain funding from numerous sources, all dependent upon
how I frame the proposal.
3)Organization of grants:
1) Database:There are many factors to consider when seeking grants. As the
ED I will be responsible for researching the grants and foundations the
Chapter aims to partner with. To make this more organized and accessi-
ble, I will create a database for easy access and management using
Adobe’s Open Office platform (available for free to download). This data-
base will be formatted within the first week of this project in order to pre-
pare the ED for the foundation research which will follow. It will contain
everything which is necessary to describe the grant/foundation, detail
deadlines and application requirements, and will be available to all Board
members, that they may share insight or add input to the process.
2) Creating a Calendar of Deadlines:The ED will create and share a calen-
dar of ideal grants, routinely checking in with Board Members on
the status and process of grant writing. As both Houghton and Grandia
noted, timing is everything in grant writing. In some cases, proposals re-
ceived near the end of a submission cycle may never be reviewed, and
any efforts placed into writing that grant would be wasted. If properly cre-
ated, a well organized and updated calendar could mean the difference
between obtaining funding or not.
4)Research to support Grant writing
1) In order to promote a level of professionalism, the ED will begin to gather
and collect data with the intent to measure program efficacy and impact.
Because foundations often require that programs show statistical evi-
dence it is imperative that we begin immediately while our BYP is still rela-
tively new. This research will be useful for project evaluation. Initial re-
search will consider the impacts of our programs on participants and the
local community we work within. An understanding of service-learning
programs and the best measures to use is critical. I will continue to de-
velop a research proposal over the course of the summer, stemming from
my foundation and organizational research and the creation of a grant
plan and Boiler Plate.
6
8. • Alumni Network
• Individual Contributions
•
1) ED Responsibility
The ED shall be responsible for proposing ideas for specific fundraising
events. I will work together with others to plan and create social gatherings that
will serve to solidify our presence as a community asset and local Amigos chapter.
Much like with grant writing, it’s imperative to adhere to our mission and goals as
we coordinate these events for one simple reason: this about more than funding.
After consulting with other professionals in the non-profit sector and reviewing sev-
eral works on nonprofit fundraising, I recommend that our chapter create an Event
Plan which will organize the goals we aim to achieve through these events . Consid-
ering the different climates of Sacramento and of Davis, these events will develop
differently dependent upon their location and our goal (funding, outreach, social,
etc.), as well as upon the age-group we are targeting.
2) Approach
The Amigos organization is unique in many ways, as is our Chapter. First
and foremost, we are in the business of empowering youth to become catalysts for
social change. Further, our Chapter is launching the first locally implemented Ami-
gos program. While funding is critical to our Chapter, building a sustainable com-
munity presence is equally important. With positive community relationships, we
will be more prepared to maintain long term funding. Event planning will be most
effective if we combine our Mission/Goals as an organization and as a Chapter.
It is necessary to note that there exists a generational gap which can prove
either problematic or advantageous in our funding efforts. Further, there is an of-
ten overlooked income gap between past volunteers and families which have not
yet had the opportunity to send their children on Amigos related trips. As the ED, I
feel obligated to address these issues in order create a more cohesive and sustain-
able relationship with our community and alumni network. It is not merely enough
to create events for fundraising without considering the externalities and impacts
these events can and will have in future programs.
Everything we do within our community will serve to brand us, for good or
bad. We must operate, then, on an agreed upon approach. Something as seemingly
simple as refraining to purchase products from questionable retailers will resonate
with the very youth we aim to empower. Further, the option of sourcing food and
catering services from local, organic, farmers and perhaps local youth programs
could serve as a positive reflection of our Chapter’s commitment to supporting our
local community. As I begin to propose and plan fundraising events, the Board of
Directors and Advisory Board shall serve as resources. Further assistance will
come from other NGO professionals and ED development programs sponsored by
Grassroots Fundraising online courses and the Nonprofit Resource Center in Sac-
ramento.
Throughout my research, I consistently came across one important point:
fundraising events are most effective when they are creatively designed, communi-
cate our organization’s goals and purpose, and those in attendance feel the value of
their individual contribution. It is not enough to be gracious or to honor the largest
donation, we must tap into the passions that drive every donor and volunteer. This
is not an easy task, and will require trial and error.
7
Fundraising-Event Planning
Alumni Network
Maintaining a solid network of Amigos alumni is necessary for the long term
sustainability of our Chapter, not just financially, but socially. Providing network-
ing opportunities and support to returning volunteers is mutually beneficial for all
parties involved. Creating a cohesive alumni network, with social and charity
events occurring regularly, will strengthen our relationships, making it more com-
fortable and possible to seek out donations from within the network.
As mentioned, it will be necessary to juggle many aspects of our organization
as we plan these events. The ED will be expected to propose at minimum 2 Alumni
events within the first 4 weeks of this quarter. The Board will discuss and provide
feedback, at which point we will decide how to best move forward. This will require
research and outreach into the community to identify possible partnerships and
relationships with local businesses and organizations.
Individual Contributions
Community events can serve as a funding resource as well. By partnering
with already existing fairs and neighborhood groups, our Chapter can easily pro-
mote our work while seeking out small funding opportunities. Raffles, silent auc-
tions, block parties and youth events will serve to increase awareness of Amigos,
and small donations may result from something as simple as a bake sale. As I rou-
tinely discovered, no donation is ever too small; even if we only see a few dollars
cast into a bucket at a community event, we are still effectively building our social
capital within the community, eventually leading to more donations and interest in
the future. We are in the business of building a foundation of individual contribu-
tions, and the ED will be responsible for securing strong support in the form of indi-
vidual contributions through community events.
9. CHAPTER 2
Virtual &
Social Media
1) Outreach
2)Website Management
3)Business and Community Partnerships
To put it simply, the internet has completely revolutionized the way non-
profit’s operate. In response to the enormous shift to an internet based world, out-
reach, engagement and fundraising occur more and more frequently through multi-
media social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Kickstarter, and per-
sonal web-blogs . In order to reach out to potential volunteers and program partici-
pants, it is critical that the ED helps to build and maintain a strong online presence
through social media and an independent Chapter website.
Virtual outreach is not effective in and of itself, at least for the purposes of
our programs and goals. Reaching out to local businesses for support and partner-
ship will be critical for the success and sustainability of our Chapter. Partnerships
within the community will be promoted and supported through social media, as
will volunteer and project supervisor positions. It’s not a matter of doing one either
media outreach or community engagement; rather, it is now necessary to combine
the two avenues into a cohesive and effective strategy aimed at accomplishing
Amigo’s goals and mission.
10. 1) Outreach
9
2) Website Management
• Recruitment
• Blog
• Contributions
The Sacramento-Davis Chapter site hosted through Amigos Intranet is best
used as a relay point for a more comprehensive and goal-oriented website. I have
decided to use Squarespace, an easily managed website hosting and designing plat-
form, because it easily facilitates donations, a blog, media galleries, product pur-
chasing, and mobile applications, all of which are perfectly joined with Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr (our 4 major Social Media platforms).
Squarespace is designed for people who have little time to learn how to
code for professional looking sites, nor a budget to afford hiring someone to man-
age it. In the future, we may be able to have a more experienced individual, or per-
haps can offer this as an internship position for students interested in nonprofit
work. The ED’s time would be more ideally suited for outreach. It is necessary for
the ED to develop the website as we begin to build our online presence, but this
must be done with the intention of transferring this responsibility to another indi-
vidual in the future.
As a component of our Chapter’s website, I will write an Executive Direc-
tor’s Blog, focusing on the issues we experience as an individual chapter and
within the Sacramento-Davis community. This will serve as a means to both en-
gage and inspire potential volunteers and community partners to take notice of
what we are attempting to accomplish through our programs, specifically the Back-
yard Program. I can research and discuss local issues which may help to inspire
youths to think about how they might try and solve problems they see in their com-
munity. Writing this blog from a personal perspective of my own empowering ex-
perience as an ED, I can recruit volunteers and project supervisors by invoking a
sense of purpose and activism within the local community. The goal is to make it
clear that we as a Chapter are active, efficient, and driven with purpose. If I am
able to communicate our Chapter’s goals and mission effectively, through personal
accounts and news articles or social memes, I can engage our Millennial genera-
tion to participate in Amigos.
It is necessary to note that the Backyard Program will most likely attract a
very different sort of volunteer than International Volunteering programs have in
the past. For one, we are no longer limiting our volunteer cohort due to financial
• Social Media
• Marketing
Maintaining a positive presence within the world of social media is impera-
tive to our success as a Chapter. The ED will be responsible for building and main-
taining this presence by developing a schedule for our primary methods of social
media. It is recommended that nonprofit organizations utilize a wide array of me-
dia outlets, but not until a strong initial presence is built within a select few plat-
forms. For our Chapter, I will begin with Facebook and Twitter, setting up sched-
uled and often pre-selected content to be distributed routinely. This will be com-
pleted within the first 4 weeks of this academic quarter.
There are web based platforms available to help with this task, and I have
decided to try out Hootsuite for the time being. This program will help me to ana-
lyze what types of posts, media and content our audience is most responsive to,
making our social media outreach more impactful and meaningful, and hopefully
more lucrative. As I continue to analyze the various impacts of social media, I will
routinely check in with Board and Staff members for feedback and insight. Goals
and benchmarks will be set and re-evaluated as necessary throughout the coming
months.
It is further suggested that we participate in online forums and discussions
centered around our goals and programs. The nature of social media is very differ-
ent than anything that came before it. The “blogosphere” operates entirely on so-
cial capital; one reference from an influential voice promoting Amigos or the Back-
yard Program could light a wildfire of donors and volunteers within months. And
while it is not smart to rely on this, it is important to note that our organization
and our goals are ideal for it. This is a novel form of marketing in the nonprofit sec-
tor, one with incredible potential.
There are many examples of how effective social media is at marketing an
idea or program. It will take time, perseverance, and trial and error, but careful
analysis and openness to new ideas will allow me to create a successful social me-
dia campaign that serves to increase outreach, impact and funding.
11. 10
3) Business & Community Partnerships
• Local
• Online
Building partnerships with local businesses and community members is not
only necessary for the financial sustainability of our Chapter, it’s part of our pur-
pose as an Amigos chapter. Davis has an incredibly unique community culture, one
that if tapped into correctly, will sustain our presence long term. I have already pre-
sented a letter which will be sent to local businesses and community agencies, but
as a newcomer to this community, I have limited knowledge of which organiza-
tions would be ideal to reach out to. To address this, I will begin to attend our local
Chamber of Commerces, City Council and Nonprofit Leadership meetings for the
reasons beyond their control. Secondly, we are targeting youth who are more
drawn to working within their communities, rather than those drawn more to the
idea of “voluntourism.” It is critical that the ED blog reflects this, focusing more on
civic duty and, community identity than experiencing another culture.
With this in mind, I will recruit new volunteers and donors by writing about
the projects our students are undertaking, and discuss the merits and lessons
we’ve learned through them. As we are in our inaugural year, of BYP, I will look to
similar models of youth based community development worth mentioning. As with
Social Media communications, I will pre-write and strategically plan out blog posts
that will coordinate with other forms of outreach.
The website will also host a donation page, which will be directly linked to
the various social media outlets I will use to steer traffic to our page. Individual
contributions will be targeted to Alumni through email and web communication,
to the online community at large through various social media, and to local commu-
nity partners through both means of outreach. Another option worth considering,
but which may be limiting, is to utilize crowdfunding platforms such as
indiegogo.com where we can fund specific projects that resonate with individual
donors. Our 501c(3) status may prevent us from utilizing this service, but we may
be able to fundraise for other purposes. This is an avenue worth exploring in the
future.
purpose of Networking and becoming professionally comfortable with discussing
Amigos and our various program objectives. Further involvement with groups such
as Women’s Leadership Councils, Urban Development councils, or even Young Pro-
fessionals groups would also provide potential sources of partnerships and fund-
raising. The ED of any organization must increase brand awareness and commu-
nity presence; participating in these community groups will accomplish that.
As I build relationships with community members, I will find which busi-
nesses and organizations are, or potentially could be, drawn to our type of work.
The ED will need to research local businesses, talk with local citizens, speak di-
rectly to business owners, and ultimately build a profile for each, making it easy to
identify ideal partnerships. In time, these relationships will help solidify our iden-
tity and image, making it much easier to recruit youth volunteers. Further, by
showing that we have serious community support for our programs, we are better
able to seek out grants and financial support from larger organizations.
One important point which should not be overlooked is the need to partner
with other local NGO’s. Foundations and grant applications often insist that we
work with other like-minded groups to accomplish our goals. This shows our versa-
tility as a Chapter, our commitment to our cause, and further serves to brand our
Chapter identity, both within our community and to potential funders. Further-
more, this can serve as a means of networking, allowing us to identify sources of
support other than monetary. For example, a local NGO may have a member with
access to free bus transportation, something which would be incredibly useful in
coordinating events for youth volunteers. Also, grants can be applied for together,
with a small coalition of NGO’s working towards the same end. Partnerships of this
nature will prove essential to our longterm sustainability.
The online community is certainly new and underdeveloped, but it is a
source of potential partnerships which we ought not overlook. Local businesses
and community members host their own blogs, webpages, and various media, of-
ten promoting friends and other businesses through mention and advertisement.
There are relationships we can build through local community-based webpages
that will help to redirect traffic to our page, and serve to advertise what we are
working on as a Chapter. If our content is well written and moving, it will be
shared, likewise, if we obtain content from other community members, we can
build mutually beneficial relationships that serve the dual purpose of recruiting,
outreach and fundraising.
12. CHAPTER 3
Program
Management
1) Backyard Program
2)International Volunteers/UCD Club
3)Chapter Plan
The ED is responsible for outlining the path of the various programs we op-
erate as a Chapter. While they are not solely responsible for creating and managing
these programs, they must be attuned to the community needs, and the overall
status of Amigos as a whole, working to maintain the identity of our Chapter while
adhering to our roots. Further, it is left to the ED to maintain a long term plan for
the Chapter and our programs. Simply, we must know where we want to go so that
we can plan how to get there. My vision for the future will likely change and fluctu-
ate following lessons learned, and successes and failures we experience in the com-
ing years.
I will seek input and guidance will come from our Advisory Board and
Board of Directors, as well as other NGO professionals active in similar fields. Ulti-
mately, the ED is expected to chart the course for the future of the Chapter, and
must have a strong sense of direction in order to effectively manage our programs.
13. 1) Backyard Program
12
2) IOV & UCD Club
• Overview
• Outlook
In the past year, our Chapter has not focused on International Office Volun-
teer (IOV) outreach and recruitment. Even though we are launching the BYP, we
still aim to send volunteers and project supervisors across borders to continue Ami-
gos’ work in Latin America. The primary responsibility for IO outreach will stay
with the Recruiting Coordinator, who will work alongside the UCD Club to help
facilitate outreach and on campus recruitment at UCD, which may be easier if we
are able to coordinate academic credit for participants. Further IO outreach will
continue within local school districts, and can occur in conjunction with BYP out-
reach if and when this seems advisable. Because the target audiences for these pro-
grams are different, the ED will need to take into consideration the culture and en-
vironment of such events and the demographics of community members.
• Overview
• Outlook
The BYP is our Chapter’s flagship; not only does it provide an opportunity
for the Amigos Organization to broaden it’s horizons, more importantly, it gives
our volunteers the chance to have an astounding impact on the members of our
community. Amigos is at a crossroads, as has been previously discussed. The non-
profit sector is changing, responding to global economic shifts and societal evolu-
tion. The BYP is perfectly situated to navigate these transitions while accomplish-
ing our goal of inspiring youth to become catalysts for social change.
Now that we have secured initial funding through the Strauss Foundation,
we can begin focusing our attention on outreach and recruitment. Our initial goal
is to focus on reaching out to local schools, both public and private. Steps have al-
ready been taken to establish connections with various school administrators, but
no firm relationships have been built as of yet. This will be the responsibility of the
ED throughout the course of the summer. Because we are reaching out via email at
the end of the academic year, it may be difficult to reach our targeted audiences
through schools. As officials return to their roles at the end of the summer, we will
continue to contact them, and if possible, do so in person. In the meantime, I will
focus on other alternatives.
There are numerous youth related summer programs, involving sports, hob-
bies, and academics, that we can reach out to as well. These are going to be more
active during the coming months, and communicating with them will provide us
an opportunity to reach potential volunteers and project supervisors accustomed
to youth leadership positions. Further, building relationships with local youth
clubs would be ideal for future events and funding opportunities.
Another excellent recruitment source is UCD. We are building relationships
with the Graduate School of Education, the University Honors Program, and the
Department of Human Ecology. By offering students an option to obtain academic
credit for partnering with BYP, we will attract more volunteers and supervisors.
Participants coming from the university will be funneled into the UCD Amigos
Club, a separate but related program geared towards socializing and team building
among Alumni. The BYP Director and the ED will be jointly responsible for secur-
ing these relationships, working with various campus administrators to insure aca-
demic credit is awarded to our participating students. September and October will
be critical periods for recruitment as we will see an influx of new students. We will
continue to work through the ListServs of various organizations and majors, high-
lighting the academic credit option and internship possibilities.
Another avenue for recruiting BYP participants will be through the ED blog
and social media campaigns. By highlighting the opportunities available for partici-
pants, and the impacts one can have through their own efforts, we will recruit ideal
candidates that portray the true ideals of BYP. As we continue to work on BYP pro-
jects, I will blog about the experiences of our volunteers working on them.
BYP events will also be a necessary recruitment vehicle. Participating in
community hosted events such as Farmer’s Markets may be an ideal start,but as
BYP expands, larger events targeting youth would be advisable. Contests which al-
low students to create solutions to real world problems will garner interest from
parents and local schools, and can simultaneously serve as a means of creating
BYP projects.
School and community fairs will be an ideal place to set up information
booths. The ED shall be responsible for identifying and organizing the schedule of
such events. As recruitment efforts proceed over the summer, the ED and BYP Di-
rector will remain in contact and will be responsible for outlining a distinct plan
for the coming year.
14. 13
3) Chapter
The long term vision for the Sacramento-Davis Chapter of Amigos de las
Americas is simple: we will become a unifying hub of youth empowerment within
our larger community. The needs of our region are apparent; California’s Capital
district is impacted by serious social inequalities that affect more youth than
adults. There are solid examples of youth activism and leadership sporadically pop-
ping up throughout many neighborhoods often those hit hardest by poverty and
structural inequality.
Prior to BYP, these communities were unable to participate in Community
Development Projects through Amigos. Now, they have an opportunity to, and we
have an opportunity to transform the way Amigos operates. For obvious reasons,
“Americas” has long implied regions to the south. But social inequality exists to
extremes within our own borders, and impacts the very youth we aim to empower
to change it. We cannot be exclusionary in our outreach, and our Chapter will high-
light the value of re-evaluating Amigos’ methods of operations.
Our Chapter also hired the inaugural ED in hopes of opening up further op-
portunities to youth like myself who are eager and passionate about playing an ac-
tive role in transforming their community. As a Chapter, we have taken an incredi-
ble step forward in demonstrating youth development in practice. Our ED compo-
nent can be transferred to additional Amigos Chapters, and we will do well to pro-
mote our successes, sharing them with our larger Amigos family.
Planning a Chapter budget is an additional responsibility for the ED. Over
the next several weeks, I will participate in an online course detailing budget plan-
ning basics, and will work collectively with our Board Members for feedback as we
vote upon the proposed budget. As I finalize a grant inventory and host our first
Chapter events, we can begin to project various funding goals.
Our Chapter has the opportunity to make an incredible impact on our com-
munity; we have programs in place that can empower youth to join together and
create the world we want to live in. We can then serve as a model to Amigos, poten-
tially enhancing the nature of our organization by providing sustainable, long term
solutions to some of our issues involving recruitment, outreach, and community
impact.
15. ADDENDUM
Projected
Timeline of
Goals &
Objectives
At this stage in the development of the ED roles and responsibili-
ties, proper planning is critical. Building a solid organizational founda-
tion and strong online presence is critical to future success, and essen-
tial if the ED role is to be established as a national Amigos Chapter com-
ponent moving forward.
With this in mind, I will create a timeline which organizes the pre-
viously outlined responsibilities into manageable steps. Managing so-
cial media, coordinating virtual recruitment campaigns, developing a
series of budgets, researching and writing grant proposals, and develop-
ing marketable platforms of community outreach are tasks often man-
aged by many different individuals within a large nonprofit. The oppor-
tunity to experience all of these facets of NGO management at a more
localized and personal level is one of the greatest strengths of the ED
position, even though there is a learning curve attached. Ultimately, as-
signing the ED these responsibilities allows them to experience a wide
range of empowering opportunities that will prepare them for profes-
sional nonprofit work.
16. 15
August 2014 Objectives
• Continue ED Education (budget planning/fundraising)
• Focus on Webinars
• Launch Social Media Campaign
• Run Weekly Analytics with Hootsuite
• Plan “Welcome Home “Event”for Returning Volunteers
• Dual Purpose: Alumni Outreach
• Potential Site: Village Homes Community Center
• Begin Seeking Out Support for Annual Gala
• Local Businesses
• Build Relationships with Amigos Chapter Leaders
• Ohio: Mount Union University
• Continue Boilerplate Writing
• Select Grants for Fall Cycle
• Begin Tabling at Davis Farmers Market ($20 Annual)
• “Picnic in the Park” on Wednesdays: BYP focus
• Saturday Morning at Central Park
• Begin One-on-One’s with Community Businesses
• Coordinate with Community Organizations
• Focus: 1) Youth Activities 2) Community Engagement
• Attend Networking Events
• Neighborhood
• Professional
• Promote Vehicle Donation Program
• Community Boards
• KDVS Outreach and Interview
• Finalize UHP Service Learning Partnership
• BYP:
• Recruitment/Outreach to Schools
• Program/Curriculum Development
• Finalize Budget
• Fundraising Benchmarks
July 2014 Objectives:
• Continue ED education (grants/budget/marketing, etc.)
• Finalize ED Position Overview
• Familiarize with Social Media Platforms
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• HootSuite Media Management
• Connect with Davis Community
• Business Outreach
• Community Organization Outreach
• UCD Club
• Develop Social Media and Marketing Plan
• Create comprehensive content
• Finalize Media Voice and Brand
• Establish and Maintain Communication
• IO
• UHP Service Learning
• CRD Internship Coordinator
• Chapter Advisory Board
• BYP Program Director
• Build New Chapter Website
• Squarespace
• Grant Research
• Build Database
• Start Boilerplate Work
• Manage Administrative Reports
• Time Sheets
• Present to Board, 7/31
• Social Media Content/Website
• Identified Partnerships
• Challenges
17. September 2014 Objectives
• Begin to Phase out ED Education
• Focus on Free Video Tutorials if Necessary
• Re-evaluate August Social Media Campaign
• Adjust Planning Accordingly
• Review “Welcome Home” Event
• Finalize Annual Gala Planning
• Enlist Assistance from Advisory Board
• Formulate Research Study for BYP
• Build Research Team
• Work with UCD Advisors for Academic Credit
• Continue One-on-One’s With Community Businesses
• Shift Attention to Sacramento
• Continue Boilerplate Writing
• Begin Drafting Proposals for Selected Grants
• Continue Tabling at Davis Farmers Markets
• “Picnic in the Park” on Wednesdays: AMIGOS focus
• Saturday Morning at Central Park
• Continue Attending Networking Events
• BYP:
• Recruitment/Outreach to Schools
• Program/Curriculum Development
• Review Fundraising Goals
• Assess Goals for Gala
• Prepare for UCD 2014 School Year
• BYP Recruitment
• UCD Club
• Finalize AMIGOS/CRD Internship Program
• Contact: Rachel Crotty
• AMIGOS Annual Meeting in Houston
• Capital Campaign Potential Contributions
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