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March 2010
Mark your calendar and plan to join us for our 8th Annual Light the Fire for Education reception scheduled for May 6 at Salty’s on Alki in beautiful West Seattle.
This year we’re planning for 150 guests to join us to hear from students and volunteers about the difference Dollars for Scholars has made in their lives and their communities. The event will raise funds to support Northwest Dollars for Scholars.
The title for the Light the Fire was inspired by the William Yeats quote, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Through this event NWDS hopes to ignite interest in and raise awareness of Dollars for Scholars and the need for scholarship funds in the Northwest region. Your invitation will arrive soon. |
Thank you to our sponsors:
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Successes for 2009
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Expended $200,000 dollars within the State Matching Grant Program & received $46,000 to manage the State Matching Grant Program. |
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Retained 132 chapters and developed six new chapters. |
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Joined the Scholarship Coalition Committee. |
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Improved chapter performance through increased communications (email, website, one-on-one conferences, newsletters, Regional Trainings, and surveys). |
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Identified two 4 G’s projects (Get Ready, Get In, Get Through, Give Back), , established collaborations and implemented next steps for future implementation. |
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NWDS AND NELA Partners for Student Success formed and are currently moving forward. |
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Secured $25,000 in scholarships for the NELA Partnership Program. |
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Recruited 4 board members & maintained a minimum of 12 members. |
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Expanded the success of Light the Fire for Education both in monies raised ($38,320) and participation at the event (93 attendees). |
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Newsletter converted from paper to an all electronic newsletter & maintained excellent quality. |
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Improved & increased awareness and support for NWDS. |
2010 Board of Directors
Governing Board |
Mike Madden - Chair
Symetra Financial
Karen deVilla - Vice-Chair
Northwest Education Loan Association
Doug Breithaupt - Secretary
College Planning Network
The Hon. Ken Jacobsen - Chair Emeritus
Washington State Senate
David Aramaki
Ameriprise Financial Advisors, Inc.
Timothy Brandt
Sonosite
Sam Chughtai
Microsoft Corporation
Dan Cosgrove
Highline Community College
Martin Daniels
Community Volunteer
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Vallerie Fisher
Seattle Public Schools
Nick Hailey
University of Washington
Kimberle Jackson-Butler
The Bush School
Kathleen Koch
Seattle University
Ron Noborikawa
Pacific Lutheran University
Kathryn Perkins
OCLC
Scott Peyree, President
Quote Wizard
Dr. Eric Yocam
Microsoft Corporation
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Associate Board |
Dr. Loren Anderson, Dale Bailey, Ruth Bishop, Monte Bridges, Suzanne Hittman, Fred Hutchinson, Krist Novoselic, Ron Parker, James P. Pierre, Jay Reifel, Dr. Kathleen Ross, Kay Soltis, Russell Whidbee, Marion Woyvodich and Gary Wright
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Staff |
Rick Millerick
Executive Director
Selena Allen
Associate Director
Darval Bonelli
Director of Advancement, West Coast
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This publication is written, edited and designed by Northwest Dollars for Scholars staff.
For more information call
(800) 335-4512 or email
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Letter From the Chair
It’s 2010, and things are in full swing for the chapters and regional board at Northwest Dollars for Scholars. And it’s good that we’re hard at it - times are challenging, again. The economy is showing signs of recovery, but unemployment remains high and governments, nonprofits and colleges are struggling with reduced funding and increasing demands for services. We won’t be intimidated by the challenges, though. We know we have a terrific mission and the means to make a difference in the lives of students and their communities in the Northwest.
The continuing economic climate makes it all the more important and valuable for us to continue raising and dispersing the funds that will make the difference in students ’ ability to pursue their educational goals. What we do now will have even more impact than usual. Fortunately, we have a lot of strengths to draw on. We have 134 energetic chapters in the region, who managed to provide over $3.6 million in scholarship funding in 2008. We have the support of the national organization, Scholarship America, with a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, demonstrating our efficiency in getting funds into the hands of students. We have a strong, diverse regional board, whose members are eager to apply their skills. Most of all, we have a great name, Dollars for Scholars, and a terrific mission. So, let’s charge ahead in 2010, and raise those funds that will help our communities and change peoples’ lives.
BEst wishes,
Mike Madden, Symetra Financial
Chair, NWDS Governing Board of Directors
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Free Ways to Help NWDS Raise Much-Needed Funds.
Safe, Secure & Smart Ways to Give.
Raise money for NWDS every time you search the web! iSearchiGive.com is a search engine powered by iGive.com, the internet’s first online shopping mall where a portion of each purchase is donated to your favorite cause.
When you use iSearchiGive to search the web, NWDS receives exactly $0.01 per qualified search. The money comes from advertisers, so it costs you nothing, and it’s completely free for you and NWDS.
Create your free iGive account. After that, all you need do is shop through the iGive.com website, newsletters, or install the optional iGive Toolbar* to make sure you never miss an opportunity to raise money when you shop or search online. It’s all automatic, and it’s all free of charge. iGive values your privacy and will never release shopper information without consent. And there are no hidden fees or extra costs when you shop through iGive.
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Letter from the Executive Director
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It is with a heavy heart that I have made the decision to retire as the Executive Director for Northwest Dollars for Scholars effective March 31, 2010. During my 13 years at Northwest Dollars for Scholars we have had many up’s and down’s, but certainly many more up’s than downs. The activities I enjoy the best are observing chapters when they are evaluating scholarship applications, attending graduation ceremonies and facilitating regional and individual workshops for chapters. These activities always reinvigorate me and remind me of the value Dollars for Scholars provides to students and chapter volunteers. |
I joined Dollars for Scholars in 1997 and started as an Area Director for the Pacific Northwest. I was responsible for starting chapters and providing trainings for chapters in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. In 1999 Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation of America (CSFA - now Scholarship America) asked me to form a Regional Office in Washington. I was responsible for recruiting a Governing Board of Directors, raising funds to support ourselves, grant writing, starting new chapters, providing regional conferences, and marketing the region. We were successful & received our official charter in 1999 from CSFA. In 2006 we expanded into Oregon and became Northwest Dollars for Scholars.
Some of the accomplishments I am most proud of are:
• Securing $180,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and $140,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Chapter Growth: From 43 chapters in 1997 in WA & OR to 134 chapters in 2008 serving 165 communities.
• Increased the Scholarship Funds Raised and Distributed by chapters: In 1997 $894,095 was raised and $395,677 was distributed to 756 students. In 2009 over $10,000,000 was raised and scholarships were distributed to 3,018 students. Most funds raised and not distributed are placed in endowments for future scholarship awards.
• Increasing the Community Matching Grant Program with Senator Jacobsen from $50,000 per year to $246,000 per year beginning in 1999.
• Matching grants received from Washington State to date is $2,540,000 with over $53,000,000 raised by chapters since inception serving over 26,000 students.
• In 2006 Washington Dollars for Scholars became Northwest Dollars for Scholars providing services for Washington and Oregon students.
• Hosted the 2000 National Conference in Tacoma, WA with Scholarship America. The conference had participants from over 30 states attending.
• In 2003 implemented the 1st Annual Light the Fire for Education program in the Seahawks Stadium raising thousands of dollars for the region over the years.
• Recruiting and maintaining 34 Collegiate Partners.
I am very proud of the number of students that we have provided scholarships and academic support programs to over the years. The scholarship awards, chapter growth and matching grant outcomes have been phenomenal. These successes are the result of caring and passionate chapter volunteers all over Washington and Oregon. Without your outstanding creative efforts; the Scholarships and Academic Support Programs would not be where they are today! I would also like to thank the wonderful staff (past & present), NWDS Board Members, and Scholarship America for contributing to the successes of thousands of students in the Northwest. You are outstanding individuals and it has been an honor and pleasure knowing you and working with you.
I have considerable time, energy and love invested in Dollars for Scholars and I want the region to continue to be successful and flourish in the future. I leave by saying “Thank You” for making my life a better life.
For the Students,
Rick
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theWashBoard.org | Smarter Scholarship Matches
TheWashBoard.org is a new, free, web-based scholarship clearinghouse that matches scholarship seekers with scholarship providers. Think eHarmony, but for scholarships!
TheWashBoard.org makes connecting scholarships to the right student simple. In one stop, students can search and apply for multiple scholarships specific to their academic interests, college or university, where they live or by other criteria. Unlike search engines, theWashBoard.org is advertising and spam-free and will never sell a scholarship seeker’s personal information.
TheWashBoard.org offers many benefits to scholarship providers in addition to its no cost. Since it is web-based, theWashBoard.org reduces the need for paper applications and forms, while still allowing providers to request specific information. It also allows scholarship providers to easily determine which candidates meet the criteria of each scholarship. Providers can screen for both required and preferred criterion. It also allows scholarship committees to review applications online. And once scholarships decisions are made, donors will have access to statewide scholarship trend data which will lead to more informed scholarship philanthropy.
TheWashBoard.org is funded by the Washington Scholarship Coalition, a public private partnership that includes the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), College Spark Washington, Independent Colleges of Washington (ICW), Northwest Dollars for Scholars and others.
In less than two months, word about theWashBoard.org is spreading across the state. Nearly 10,000 scholarship seekers and ninety scholarship providers have registered. While new scholarships are added each week, at last count, there was over $8 million in scholarship funds with the number of awards ranging from 1,700 to 4,400.
| Interested in learning more about theWashBoard.org? Please contact Mary Beth Lambert, Marketing & Communications Consultant, for the Washington Scholarship Coalition at mblcommunications@comcast.net, to learn more or to schedule an on-line demo. |
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Help Tell Our Story.
Thank you to all the chapters who have participated in our efforts to update our student success stories. So far students from LaCrosse DFS, Seattle-Nantes DFS, Quilcene - Brinnon DFS, and the Peninsula Hawks Scholarship Fund have submitted their story.
Congratulations to the Quilcene - Brinnon Dollars for Scholars they are the lucky winners. NWDS will pay their 2010 re-affiliation fee.
Its not too late, NWDS is still looking for updated student success stories to share in our promotional materials. These stories are crucial to sharing the impact we have on our community. Below is the link to a survey that will provide the information needed to create these stories. Please forward this link to your former scholarship recipients.
Our goal is to have a database of stories that can be used by the local chapters, NWDS and Scholarship America as needed.
You can also request a hard copy of the survey by contacting the NWDS office.
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News from Chapters Across Washington and Oregon
There Is Still Time: Renewal Forms Due!
If you haven’t received the YearEnd checklist and forms for your chapter, please contact our office at (800) 335-4512 to make sure that your chapter remains in active standing with Scholarship America.
Please complete all forms in the paper form
Scholarship America is still working on adding a feature to the Chapter Portal allowing chapters to submit forms online. If you do not wish to mail hard copies, forms can be sent to nwdfs@scholarshipamerica.org.
Financial Report—Emailed to all chapter treasurers and contacts. If you haven’t already completed your form, please be sure to mail in the financial report which was sent to you in late January. If you have questions or need assistance completing the form please contact Selena at (800) 335-4512.
Form 990—990-N: Small tax-exempt organizations whose gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less are not required to file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ. Beginning in 2008, small tax-exempt organizations that previously were not required to file returns are required to submit an annual electronic notice, Form 990-N. This requirement applies to tax periods beginning after December 31, 2006.
NOTE: Grassroots Dollars for Scholars chapters (those who receive their 501(c)(3) status through Scholarship America®) will be included in a group return and will not need to complete the 990-N on their own, as long as their 2009 Financial Report is completed and filed with Scholarship America by the March 1, 2010 deadline.
If you are a grassroots chapter that has raised at least $25,000 or more in the year and you want to have Scholarship America compile your Form 990 on your behalf, please be sure to return your Financial Report and include a check for $150.
If you do not wish to have Scholarship America file this form on behalf of your chapter, you are still required to submit this form to the IRS.
Annual Dues—All chapter treasurers or designated contacts received information about the new re-affiliation fee. If you have questions or would like to discuss the increase, please contact Selena. Checks should be made payable to Northwest Dollars for Scholars and sent to Scholarship America with the rest of your reports.
Chapter Academic Support Activity Report — Emailed to all chapter presidents and contacts. This form helps us show donors how active we are in the community and areas where we need additional support. There is currently great interest in providing academic support. The information collected on this report is an important way to demonstrate the impact Dollars for Scholars has in the Northwest.
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Community Scholarship
Matching Grants Still Available
Despite a struggling economy and rising college tuitions, students across the state can still experience the dream of a college education through the efforts of community groups that raise money for scholarships.
One of the programs that encourages such community efforts is the Community Scholarship Matching Grant, administered by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The program provides matching grants of $2,000 to community-based 501(c)(3) organizations that raise at least the same amount for college scholarships through local fund-raising initiatives. Organizations affiliated with Northwest Dollars for Scholars receive priority for awards within each priority level.
The matching grant generates community support for local residents pursuing higher education and is an expression of the state’s interest in supporting local fundraising.
Leveraging local support for college costs is intended in part to fill the growing gap between college costs that families must pay and the financial help from colleges and other means of support.
This year the Legislature has funded the program at $246,000 providing awards for 100 community organizations. Chapters can increase the likelihood of receiving a grant by applying the funds toward a new or existing endowment fund.
Priority One
Eligible organizations that have not previously received the matching grant.
Priority Two
Previous recipients of the matching grant who have raised additional dollars for a scholarship endowment fund.
Priority Three
Previous recipients of the matching grant who have raised additional dollars for student scholarships.
NWDS staff is available to provide assistance or answer any questions chapters may have.
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A Guide to Successful Board Recruitment
Once a non-profit or voluntary organization is past its founding stage, finding new board members can be a challenge. Here are some ideas to assist your board in being more successful with board recruitment.
It is important to recognize that there are some obstacles to people joining your board, most of which you can easily, if not quickly, address with the suggestions here. The main obstacles to successful recruitment often are:
- People know little about your particular organization or the people involved.
- Many will not be sure what contribution they are able to make, what you believe they add to the board team, and what they can reasonably expect from others involved (board members and staff). Those without board experience may feel intimidated by the mere idea of becoming a board member
- People may have experience on other boards but it may not be not good experience. Perhaps they have attended too many unfocused board meetings or have joined a board only to discover the organization had some internal conflicts.
- Some candidates will not have the time; perhaps they are already heavily committed to another community organization or are at a stage in their life when career and/or family commitments are heavy. Some people may say they do not have the time when one of the other factors is really standing in the way of them saying yes.
A successful board recruitment effort depends on there being a reasonable organizational foundation in place. Your organization’s work in the community must be valued and generally understood beyond the present board and staff group. The existing board must also be willing to devote some time, inside and outside of meetings, leading the board recruitment process; it really should not be a staff job. Your board meetings need to be relatively well run and well attended. In other words, it is important that there already is at least a small core of committed board members.
Ten ideas for successful recruitment
1. Invest in making your organization more visible in the community
- Treat your recruitment effort as an opportunity to promote the importance of what your organization does or the difference it makes in people’s lives. The benefits of being on your board will include the opportunity it provides for someone to contribute to his/her community.
- Look at invitations to make presentations about your organization as board prospecting opportunities.
- Ensure that you have some marketing materials, a brochure and a web site that informs and promotes your organization in the community.
- Pay attention to the work of building and maintaining relationships. For example, schedule conversations with your funders and other stakeholders when they do not expect it, not just when you are looking for money or have something specific to report.
2. Make your board and its job more visible
- When you talk about your organization include your board in the picture.
Use your newsletter to communicate externally what your board is currently working on.
- Put board recruitment advertisements in your newsletter or in other community publications.
- List your board members on your web site, perhaps including your board member job description.
- Involve the chairperson or other board members in meetings that the executive director would otherwise attend alone.
- Produce and distribute to your stakeholders a modest annual report, one that includes a report from the board.
- Pay attention to helping your board be more like a team than a committee. There needs to be more to what the board is about than hearing and approving reports or making decisions.
3. Be clear about the role of the board, what you expect of board members and what they should expect of the organization
- Develop a board member’s job description which includes a realistic estimate of the time commitment expected of volunteer board members.
- Have clear job descriptions for the board chair and other officers.
- Create a code of conduct for board members to guide behavior inside and outside of meetings
- Establish a policy outlining the normal term for board members.
- Indicate an expectation that board members should, with increasing experience, assume more responsibility (e.g., chair, vice chair, secretary) but with time limits attached to these positions. No one is likely to aspire to these important roles if they are likely to be stuck with them indefinitely.
- Communicate what new board members can expect in terms of orientation, mentoring, meeting notices and reports.
4. Know what you are looking for in new board members
- Discuss what kinds of additions would make for a stronger and more dynamic board from an external (membership or stakeholder) and internal (board and staff) perspective.
- Pay attention to moving towards greater diversity in age, gender, race, constituencies, backgrounds and experience. You will certainly want people who share the core values of the organization, but not necessarily people who will have the same take on things as the majority. Avoid the tendency to recruit board members just like yourselves.
- Be very careful about recruiting people for their administrative or management skills (an accountant as treasurer, an HR person for the personnel committee) rather than their community knowledge and commitment to your mission.
5. Do not hide your current challenges
- Tell prospective board members, and those helping you identify candidates, about the challenges the organization faces, financial and otherwise, not just its past accomplishments and strengths.
- Give them some sense of your history, what the organization has been through and what it is going through.
- Speak to them about the strategic issues for the organization and the organization’s long and short term objectives.
6. Look far and wide for board candidates
- Assume that there are lots of people interested in the work of your organization that are not known to you.
- Look to those parts or elements of the community that are not presently “represented” on the board.
- Prospect for new board members by asking your stakeholders for leads.
- Do not exclude anyone you are interested in from being on the list.
- Recruit with a three year perspective. Approach people you want even if you suspect they are not interested now - they could be interested next year or perhaps the year after that.
7. Recruit with style
- Develop a recruitment package containing the mission of organization, a short history and description of what you do, a board member’s job description, the list of current board members and the executive summary of your strategic plan.
- Know before you approach them what it is about the person the board wants and your organization needs.
- Try a three-step approach: ask if they would consider serving, if you can give them a recruitment package and then follow-up in a week. If they say no, ask if they would mind if you asked them again next year.
- Contact prospects initially by paying them a visit, making a telephone call, or sending an e-mail
- Invite prospective board members to a board meeting.
- Consider a formal application and interview process to underscore the importance of the decision for both the board and the candidate.
8. Make recruitment a team building effort
- Make recruitment part of every board member’s job even if you give the detailed work to a committee.
- Set recruitment goals and time lines.
- Celebrate successes.
- Evaluate your approach.
9. Prepare new board members to participate
- Give new members a board manual (by-laws, policies, minutes and other resources).
- Have an orientation session to review your governance practices.
- Have an existing board member meet with each new member as a mentor.
- Tour the facilities or offices and meet the staff.
10. Focus on recruitment regularly
- Put board recruitment on the agenda throughout the year – at least quarterly.
- Set up a standing board recruitment committee.
- Maintain a board prospects list.
- Keep several copies of your board recruitment package on hand.
Reprinted with permission. This article was originally published by the Dalhousie University, Continuing Education department.
http://collegeofcontinuinged.dal.ca/
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New National Recognition Awards
Scholarship America has updated its national recognition awards.
Applications are due March 19th and can be completed online at scholarshipamerica.org/awards.
Best NEW Chapter of the Year
(2004 or later) {Replaces the Golden Tassel Award}
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Best Chapter of the Year
(2003 or earlier) {Replaces the Golden Tassel Award}
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National Volunteer of the Year
{Replaces the National Honor Roll}
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Student Volunteer of the Year
{Replaces the CVSA award} |
Best Chapter & Best New Chapter of the Year Award
(Previous winners of the Golden Tassel are encouraged to apply!
Criteria for this award are:
- Reports submitted by deadline dates
- Excellence in board membership
- Minimum of 6 active board members who are representative of the community
- Exemplary board participation in programs/ activities
- Achievement in fundraising efforts
- Excellence in community public relations efforts
- Exceptional scholarship awards program
Prizes:
- The Regional winner in each category will receive a $250 chapter scholarship, an embosser, and automatic entry into our National competition
- The National competition winner in each category will receive a $1,000 chapter scholarship and national recognition
Volunteer of the Year
(Outstanding Volunteer Service Award)
Criteria for this award are:
Exemplary involvement with Northwest Dollars for Scholars chapter and programs
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Dedication to the promotion and strengthening of Northwest Dollars for Scholars
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Advocacy of Dollars for Scholars, education, students and scholarships in the community.
Prizes:
All regional volunteer of the year winners will be named to the National Honor Roll and will receive a plaque in recognition. The number of winners selected will be based on funds available. Regional winners will receive a scholarship for his/her chapter ranging from $250-$500.
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All regional winners will receive automatic entry into the National Volunteer of the Year Competition
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The National Volunteer of the Year will receive a $1,000 scholarship for his/her chapter and national recognition
Student Volunteer of the Year
The Student Volunteer of the Year award will be an added tier to the current Community Volunteer Service Award (CVSA). The CVSA award application process will remain the same as previous years, but from the pool of CVSA award winners, one student will be chosen for Student Volunteer of the Year
Applicants Are Evaluated on their level of volunteer community service over the past four years. Recipients are selected by the level of volunteer service as well as the student’s academic achievement, work experience, school activities and a statement of goals.
Prizes:
All CVSA award winners will receive a $500 scholarship, and the top 10 CVSA applicants will be automatically submitted into the National Student Volunteer of the Year competition
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The Student Volunteer of the Year winner will receive an additional larger scholarship and national recognition
Applications must be downloaded from scholarshipamerica.org/awards, signed by a chapter representative and mailed with required documentation.
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