The annual “Global Day of Giving” is upon us this holiday season and what better way to give back to your community then joining in on #GivingTuesday by donating to the organizations that make Santa Barbara a place we are proud to call home.
Noozhawk is teaming up with local nonprofits to encourage you to take part in the international day of giving on December 1st, 2020. It is no secret that this year has been full of challenges. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic local nonprofits need your support now more than ever. Our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section provides all the resources you need to donate this holiday season.
In this interview, Noozhawk talked with Kristen Weaver, Director of Communications at Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, to learn more about how the nonprofit inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold
Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara
Question: How has COVID-19 impacted your nonprofit?
Answer: COVID has impacted every aspect of our organization, from the size of our staff to only operating out of one center, to how we realistically keep girls physically distant from one another and keep their masks on! Most nonprofits are starting to realize – if they have not already – that it is time to throw out the old playbook. How we offer and deliver services, how we create fundraising events, how we communicate, and how we even budget for the coming year are all subject to reimagining, and with that our processes and our expectations must follow.
We must adapt to the constant uncertainty. Uncertainty and crisis present us with opportunities to learn new ways – more efficient and effective ways – of serving our core mission. It creates an environment that is ripe for innovation and more tolerant to calculated risk-taking and one that allows you to really focus on your mission.
What has not changed is our “Why” – showing up every day to serve girls and teens to help them grow up healthy, educated, and independent. They need Girls Inc. more than ever to support their social / emotional / academic well-being during this time. We are working to emerge a stronger organization on the other side – more responsive, more resilient – for the girls.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your greatest needs?
A: Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara is funded through program fees, contributions and grants, fundraising events, and rental revenue. We do not receive government funding. Girls Inc. charges less for its programs than they cost to deliver so that girls may take advantage of Girls Inc. programs regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
Approximately $500,000 per year of Girls Inc.’s operating budget goes toward bridging the gap between true program cost and revenue received. That is why individual, corporate, and foundation contributions and grants are essential to our operating budget.
We have two great needs currently. The first is for operational funds so we can maintain our modified program delivery and expand our virtual program offerings during the pandemic – this is the “keep the lights on” investment in the organization so we can continue to serve our mission.
The second need is for additional financial support for girls to participate – that is the investment in each girl. So many families are facing (even greater) financial hardship and are not able to afford Girls Inc. programs right now even at a reduced fee level and with our financial assistance and sibling discounts.
In many cases a family can only afford to send one child, and that would leave their other child or children home alone while parents go back to work.
We need funds to help cover the program fees that families simply can’t cover right now so their girl can still receive the programs and support and have social-emotional wellness check ins by our staff – now when each girl needs it the most.
Q: In what ways does your nonprofit utilize it’s funding?
A: Funding supports our programs, operations, and personnel, our two campuses in Santa Barbara and Goleta, our gymnastics center, as well as our critical needs list, which is an annual list of urgent capital projects that are outside of our operating budget.
Additionally, we have increased expenses for personal protection equipment, hand sanitizer, and the additional disinfection protocols we have in place.
(Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara photo)
We anticipate an increase in personnel costs as we look forward to what remote learning support may look like if/when schools return to hybrid or in-person learning and operate on different schedules.
There will be many holes to fill in the schedule for academic support and enrichment and basic care during the school day. That impacts how long our center may need to be open and how we build in breaks in the schedule for staff so we can help avoid fatigue and burnout.
Q: Describe the changes that have been made to staffing models and internal operations due to COVID-19. Are there changes that are expected to last beyond the short term?
A: The pandemic has impacted our operations and our staffing models in several ways.
When we closed our doors last spring with the first wave of the pandemic, that meant we were not able to serve girls and see them every day in our traditional in-person environment at our centers. The lack of program revenue and the expectation that we would not be operating “normally” for the foreseeable future meant we needed to pare down our operations and layoff nearly two-thirds of our staff.
We shifted employees into new positions that this extraordinary moment demands, including a health and safety coordinator that oversees our pandemic protocols and response, and a remote and virtual program coordinator to expand our infrastructure to serve girls and teens effectively online.
When we began our remote learning support program this fall in place of our traditional after-school program, we needed our staff-to-youth ratio to be smaller, so adding a second staff member to each class was new for us. We may explore how to keep our classes smaller moving forward once the capacity restrictions are lifted. And virtual programming is here to stay and will become a part of our service delivery moving forward.
Today, we are a leaner staff tasked with constantly managing the challenges to serving girls brought about by COVID. We will continue to be a lean and nimble staff, with more flexibility to move our personnel and operations resources as priorities shift in this uncertain environment.
Q: What types of fundraisers and/or programs does your nonprofit run?
A: Historically Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara has offered two large fundraising events – the Scholarship Event in the spring and the Celebration Luncheon in the fall.
We have also sent appeal letters in the summer and end of year. We are fortunate to have corporate assistance helping us to raise funds, for example a Girls Inc. shopping day at the Deckers Brand Showcase Store and being chosen as the benefitting charity for the She.Is.Beautiful race for the past several years.
The pandemic is forcing nonprofits to expand beyond their comfort zones of the traditional event and fundraising models. We held our first virtual event in September in place of our Annual Celebration Luncheon.
We learned a lot from that initial effort and will work to grow on that success, exploring with new platforms and opportunities to meet our donors where they are in 2021.
We are un-learning the old ways and learning new ways to make fundraising engaging, fun, and realistic in a time when in-person events are not possible or safe.
Q: How do people get involved/volunteer for your nonprofit? What protocols have been implemented for volunteers due to COVID?
A: People interested in volunteering can visit our website and complete a volunteer application.
Since we are currently operating programming at our Goleta Valley Center only, our need for volunteers is not as great today as it typically is.
Volunteers follow the same COVID protocols as our staff, girls, and their families. Masks are required to enter the center and must stay on while onsite. Temperature checks and an online health intake form must be completed each day before entering the center.
Our Health and Safety Coordinator oversees our protocols including the enhanced disinfecting procedures.
Q: What is one best kept secret or fun fact about your nonprofit that not everyone knows?
A: Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara has been in the Santa Barbara community since 1958.
Many people in the community still do not realize that we are part of the Girls Inc. National Organization, a network of 82 affiliates serving girls in the U.S. and in Canada.
There is amazing work on behalf of advancing rights and opportunities happening all over.
We are proud to bring that critical work to the Santa Barbara community.
Q: How does the work of your nonprofit get communicated to the public?
A: • Regular updates on our programs, advocacy, and events on social media (@girlsincsb)
• Our monthly e-Newsletter called In Her Corner (sign up on our website)
• Fuel Her Fire Blog featuring different voices perspectives on issues impacting girls and women.
• News page on our website
• Media and feature stories
• Emails to our parents, volunteers, and supporters
Q: Why should donors trust your organization and what can your organization offer donors in exchange for a donation?
A: Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara has earned the 2020 Platinum Seal from GuideStar, in recognition of its sound financial practices and transparency of information with donors.
Donors who give at $1,000 or more in a calendar year are included in our Champions for Girls with recognition on our website and in our annual report.
For event sponsors, we offer recognition on our website, during the event, and on our social media platforms. All donations receive a recognition and thank you letter from the organization.
Donations to Girls Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.
Q: Can you tell us one short-term goal and one long-term goal that your nonprofit has for 2021?
A: Like many in our community, Girls Inc. is looking forward to 2021.
One of our short-term priorities is to implement online program registration. That is a key component to one of our longer-term priorities, which is to continue to evolve and expand our program delivery options to best serve girls and teens during the changing conditions of the pandemic and beyond – whatever that may look like. That involves building a new infrastructure across staffing, operations, and technology.
We are becoming a more nimble and forward-thinking organization that will allow us to better meet girls where they are.
Click here to support Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara.