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Open Letter to
the Community About the Greater Toledo Urban League
A new year, a new decade, a new century! Yes the Greater
Toledo Urban League is celebrating with the National Urban
League 100 years of serving the communities across this
nation. So over the course of the last week or so members of
our Board of Directors, supporters and I have reached out
and asked this community to support the Greater Toledo Urban
League. Some of you within the Toledo community may have
even read of our request for support.
What became clear to me as I thought about several things
was that this approach would create many and various
questions within the community. Well, it appears my thought
may have been correct as many folks have asked me some very
pointed, relevant and important questions. Those questions,
in my opinion, deserve answers and it is my purpose for
writing this “Letter to the Community”. Not only will I
(hopefully) answer some of the questions you may have, but I
also intend to share with you the vision and direction of
the Greater Toledo Urban League, where we plan to be and how
we will get there.
As with any fundraising effort, the question of “where
will the money go?” and “why should I give?” are
fairly normal. When in a campaign to raise funds quickly and
for an “emergency” however, not only are these questions
asked, but more serious questions like “will you be
around in 60 days?” and other capacity and
sustainability type questions rise to the forefront. So here
goes….
#1 – What does the Greater Toledo Urban League do?
This has been the most frequent question that I have fielded
over the course of the past 21 months of my tenure as the
president and CEO. We are a civil rights, social service
organization with a mission “to improve the social and
economic conditions of each person in the community,
particularly African-Americans, other minorities and those
that are disadvantaged”. We provide direct service
in three primary areas: education, employment and care for
the elderly (Senior Services). You can find more information
and detail on our programs at
www.gtul.org.
Historically, over the course of the last 13 years our
primary focus has been on job training and placement however
there is a shift occurring that will move our focus toward
education and literacy. This area is one of the main
barriers to employment and we firmly believe that it must be
tackled early on in order to mitigate problems we see as
youth mature into young adult and adulthood. We are one of
97 affiliates within the National Urban League Movement,
which was founded in 1910. So as we celebrate our Centennial
year of service we as an organization have made a decision
to not just celebrate, but recommit and redefine how we
serve those that are most marginalized in this community.
#2 – Where will the money go?
Many non-profit organizations have operated (and continue to
operate) under the idea that they should not have a
“surplus” and their bottom line of income over expenses
should be zero. That is not the idea that I ascribe to for
one very simple reason –.if there is no margin, there
can be no mission! This does not mean that there are
surplus dollars and money is being spent frivolously on
bonuses for executives or junkets in tropical locations, but
what it does mean is that there must be in place a “working
capital fund” to ensure the programs have the undergirding
and support necessary for them to operate at a very high and
efficient level. Most grant dollars today offer a limited
amount of administrative dollars within their funding
stream, which is usually not enough to maintain all of the
things necessary to operate (i.e. – rent, utilities, etc.).
Also to be a highly effective organization, there should be
adequate staff from an administrative perspective that are
dedicated to the organization and not solely tied to a grant
funded program that may end after 12, 18 or 24 months. The
dollars we are proposing to raise will support and build a
“working capital fund” that will ensure our sustainability
for years to come.
#3 – You have programs, but will they be around in 60 days
or six months?
Our programs are well funded! From Project Reconnect funded
through Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to our
work with the Financial Stability Collaborative funded
through the United Way to our Senior Program operated out of
the J. Frank Troy Senior Center funded in large part by the
Area Office on Aging, we have funded programs. The funding
for those programs are tied directly to the direct services
we provide.
What affords us the opportunity to do advocacy work and
develop or expand programs is the utilization of resources
that are not restricted to a particular program. We have
been fortunate to acquire additional grant support, but it
takes an enormous amount of research and writing to do so,
which is another area that these additional funds will help
to undergird. We also recognize that by offering a “menu of
services” to the community and to potential funders we open
the door to obtain additional support for the programs we
offer. So from a program perspective we will be here, but we
need the additional support to ensure the future stability
of our entire organization.
#4 – Why isn’t the Annual Dinner enough?
Many folks have believed that through the Annual Dinner (which
is scheduled for Friday, March 12, 2010) we generate all
of the support needed to operate this organization.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. While the dinner is the
largest fundraiser we have, it does not generate enough for
us to build the type of sustainability that we seek. If you
look at high-performing organizations on a national level
and then on a local level, they are able to generate revenue
from multiple donor sources and they do not rely solely on
one “event” to survive. Again, it becomes necessary to
change with the times and ensure we are reaching a broad
base of people because we serve the entire Toledo community.
#5 – Why should I give?
There are many reasons to give. For one person it could be
the focus on education and youth, seeing how we have
afforded more than 140 students this past year the
opportunity to take and pass their Ohio Graduation Tests.
For another it could be our focus on employment, where we
have been able to place nearly 30 percent of our clients in
jobs (where “there are no jobs”) and help many (nearly 70
percent) that were previously incarcerated or have a prior
record to gain skills necessary for employment.
For yet another it could be our senior program, where we see
nearly 35 senior citizens on average each day at the J.
Frank Troy Senior Center. For countless others it could be
our utilization of resources, because approximately 80 cents
of every dollar currently goes directly to support our
programs. We are young (only 14-years old) yet we have
accomplished much, but without a significant support from
this community our impact will be marginalized and that
clearly is not the direction that neither I, nor our Board
of Directors choose to go.
At the end of the day, Good People, we not only ask for your
support in a monetary way, we need you to engage in service
with us. We need your information so we can build a solid
volunteer core of people that can be deployed in a moment’s
notice to address the ills that plague this community. I am
convinced that this work we are engaged in is not to be
taken lightly, but rather it is (for me) a divine calling.
I often get in trouble at least once when I speak, so here I
go again….it would be a travesty for a community the size of
Toledo to not have an Urban League affiliate. The
unfortunate part is that many people regardless of color
treat some minority organizations like “charitable cases” as
opposed to institutions in which to invest. I realize that
part of that onus lies on what we do internally. We must
define who we are, what we do, and why to invest more
clearly and succinctly. I do hope that I have begun to do
that and I am confident that over the course of the coming
weeks and months we will share with you a vision and a focus
that will move us forward to address the needs of our youth
specifically and our community as a whole.
Here are the levels in which you can give: “Champion of an
Equal Society” - $5,000; “Whitney M. Young Legacy of
Influence Society” - $1,000; “Patron” - $750; “Benefactor” -
$500; “Sustainer” - $250; “Supporter” - $100; “Family” -
$50; “Individual” - $25; “Senior Citizen/Student” - $15.
There are also auxiliary groups that can be joined for a
small membership fee and business memberships. I am excited
about our future and about the success of this community and
I ask that you join me in the Movement. NOW is the
time!!!!
Rev. John C. Jones
President and CEO
Office: 419-243-3343
Fax: 419-243-5445
Email:
john.jones@gtul.org
Web:
www.gtul.org
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