Children for Children

1. Children for Children

2. Outline • Enterprise background • Rebuilding Children for Children’s mission statement *** • Threats to the business model • Nonprofit partnerships • Big lessons for social enterprises

3. Origins • Started in 1996 by Silda Wall and Eliot Spitzer • Concern: Children are disengaged from the needs in their communities • Objective: Teach kids giving and volunteering values

4. Enterprise Basics • Connects privileged or middle-class kids to those with economic or special needs • Example: Children’s Action Board allows kids to find volunteer opportunities in other schools • More than $1m raised in first 10 years from donors, to support programs • Nearly 8,000 youth volunteer hours per year • 8 full-time staff, 3 Vista volunteers, 33 board members

5. Business model Kids with a need to serve Kids in need Needs met Community development Better citizens Volunteer programs • Staff and volunteers: • oversight, administration, expertise • Donors • funding for programs

6. Mission To promote hands-on youth volunteering and giving programs which teach and instill the value of community involvement and civic engagement in children from all backgrounds beginning at a young age, with an emphasis on providing resources to underserved schools

7. 4 Mission Questions • What will the enterprise do, and what will it not do? • What does “value” mean for this enterprise, and how is it measured? • What is this enterprise’s unique innovation or adaptation? • What constitutes “success” for this enterprise?

8. What will the enterprise do, and what will it not do? “… promote hands-on youth volunteering and giving programs … providing resources to underserved schools” • Need to create instead of just promoting programs? • Need more limits on target youth population: perhaps “in schools”

9. What does “value” mean for this enterprise, and how is it measured? “… community involvement and civic engagement in children from all backgrounds” • Good definition of value, but vague on how/whether we might measure it • Better: “We aim to achieve a higher level of civic engagement…”

10. What is this enterprise’s unique innovation or adaptation? “… hands-on youth volunteering and giving programs … with an emphasis on … underserved schools” • No idea if anybody else does this—is this unique? • Need to add: “the first program” or “an innovative program”

11. What constitutes “success” for this enterprise? “… to promote hands-on youth volunteering and giving programs” • Focuses on outputs—not outcomes or impacts “…teach and instill the value of community involvement and civic engagement” • Focuses on activities • Need to tie programs to planned achievements

12. New mission statement Children for Children creates innovative hands-on youth volunteering and giving programs in public schools, with an emphasis on providing resources to underserved schools. We aim to achieve a higher level of civic engagement in children from all backgrounds beginning at a young age by teaching and instilling the value of community involvement.

13. Outline • Enterprise background • Rebuilding Children for Children’s mission statement *** • Threats to the business model • Nonprofit partnerships • Big lessons for social enterprises

14. Business model threats:Demand side Is it an opportunity? • Services not wanted by underprivileged schools • No volunteers • Insufficient donor support

15. Business model threats:Supply side Is it economically feasible? • Costs of administering programs • Costs of needed fundraising

16. Potential partnerships • Other NYC donor-cultivation nonprofits (e.g. Common Cents) • Venture philanthropy organizations (e.g. Social Venture Partners) • NYC school system?

17. Big lessons • The process of giving is as important as the time and money given • A successful enterprise strategy is connecting two groups with needs • Need for services • Need to give • Idea of social benefit should not be limited to beneficiaries or services