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826 NATIONAL Strategic Plan 2014 – 2016

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826 NATIONAL Strategic Plan 2014 – 2016 826 NATIONAL Strategic Plan 2014 – 2016 826 NATIONAL TEAM MARIAMA LOCKINGTON, Operations Manager 826 NATIONAL GERALD RICHARDS, Chief Executive Officer KAIT STEELE, Director of Field Operations Strategic Plan Fiscal Years RYAN LEWIS, Director of Research and Evaluation ERIC STENSVAAG, Director of Development and Marketing 2014 – 2016 NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS The 826 National Board is made up of independent directors and an ex-officio chapter representative from each of the chapters in the 826 network. Each of the chapter representatives is a voting member of their chapter board and the national board. TERRY WIT Board President REECE HIRSCH Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Sullivan, LLP San Francisco Office TYNNETTA MCINTOSH Board Vice President JORDAN KURLAND Director of Corporate Internal Founder and Owner, Zeitgeist Artist Communications, JP Morgan Chase & Co. Management JODIE EVANS Board Secretary Ex Officio - 826LA DANIEL KURUNA Ex Officio - 826 Chicago Author, Documentary Film Producer, and Proprietor, Eyequilt Marketing Consultancy Co-Founder of CODEPINK THOMAS MIKE AMIR MOKARI Board Treasurer Co-Founder, Tri-Span Partners Investor, Conatus Capital CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR Ex Officio - 826 Michigan DAVE EGGERS Co-Founder of 826 National Partner at Hooper Hathaway, P.C.,and Member of Founder of Mcsweeney’s Publishing, LLC, the City Council, Ann Arbor, Michigan and Award-Winning Author TESSIE TOPOL JENNIFER BUNSHOFT Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Deputy Attorney General, California Attorney and Community Affairs, Time Warner Cable General’s Office KEVIN WHALEN Ex Officio - 826 Boston HOWARD CUTLER Ex Officio - 826 Seattle Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager Executive Producer, WGBH Educational at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Boston Foundation (Retired) LEAH WILLIAMS TARA GRECO Ex Officio - 826DC General Counsel, WestEd SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility, GERALD RICHARDS Apco Worldwide CEO, 826 National BILL HEINZEN Ex Officio - 826NYC Deputy Counsel to the Mayor, New York City EmeritUS Board Members 826 NATIONAL NÍNIVE CALEGARI Co-Founder of 826 National 44 Gough Street, Suite 206, San Francisco, California 94103 President, Teacher Salary Project P: 415-864-2098 F: 415-864-2388 www.826national.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Leadership . 1 Introduction and Executive Summary . 6 How Can Bigfoot, Robots and Time Travelers Help National Education Reform?: The Need for the 826 National Network . 8 Step Through the Secret Door: The 826 Model and 826 National Office . 10 Onward!: 826 National Moving Forward 2014 – 2016 . 14 Priority 1 . 15 Priority 2 . 16 Priority 3 . 18 Priority 4 . 20 How Much Is a Spaceship? Financial Overview . 24 826 National Theory of Change 28 826 Chapters back cover INTRODUCTION AND BacKGroUnd Since its founding in San Francisco in 2002 by award-winning author Dave Eggers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and award-winning educator Nínive Calegari, the 826 model has sparked students’ imaginations with inventive writing and publishing projects. Our programs are steeped in the simple idea that celebrating creativity is key to engaging and assisting youth. Ultimately, as public schools continue to cut back or eliminate arts programs, our model offers a sustainable way to augment arts education programming for low-income and under-resourced young people in urban areas. Over the past decade, 826 chapters have successfully opened in seven other cities across the U.S. (New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor/Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, D.C.). In 2012, chapters together served more than 30,000 students, ages 6-18, with innovative programs aimed at improving their writing skills. 826 Valencia: Celebrating 826 National 8/26 Day (August 26th) with an 826 Write-A-Thon. In 2008, a national office was established to serve the growing network of chapters by maintaining the brand, developing evaluation systems, coordi- MISSION nating national press and marketing initiatives, building a base of national supporters, ensuring programmatic quality and consistency, and overseeing The mission of 826 National is to provide strategic replication of the 826 model. leadership for the 826 network by conducting 826 National is the hub of the 826 network. It is an independent nonprofit research and evaluation to nurture ongoing learning organization that provides strategic leadership, administration, and other and support quality standards; to promote the 826 resources to ensure the success of its network of writing and tutoring centers. Since its founding, the National office has been on a path of steady growth brand on a national level by communicating and in its financial standing and awareness-building. advocating for the importance of writing and creativity; THE StrateGic Plan in A NUtsHell to raise funds to support the development and This strategic plan addresses and defines the case for why 826 is needed— sustainability of the network; and to nurture the its model, programs, and target audience; the role of 826 National and its goals growth of new and existing 826 chapters. and activities; how 826 National will measure progress and success towards those goals; its expansion plans; and the marketing and funding efforts required Vision to make it all happen. 826 National fosters a robust network of writing and tutoring centers to In sum, this plan is designed to lay out what we do, why we do it, where we’re equip students, especially those from under-resourced communities, with going, and how we plan to get there together with our supporters and—most the writing skills and confidence to achieve their goals and become engaged importantly—the students, parents, and teachers that drive and inspire us. members of their communities. Fellow pirates, time travelers, mad scientists, and superheroes: All aboard! 6 826NATIONAL • Strategic Plan 2014–2016 Introduction & Executive Summary 7 HoW Can BIGfoot, Robots AND We see a future in which generations of students Time Travelers Help National who participate in 826 National’s programs develop EDUcation Reform? the character strengths and twenty-first-century The Need for the 826 National Network skills necessary to achieve their dreams and make lasting contributions in their communities. The effectiveness of our model was affirmed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who said during an NPR interview, “I think 826 is a great program. We need more and more adults coming in [to help students] before school, after school, weekends, whatever it might be. I would love to have more students engage in programs like 826DC across the country.” A report released by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in May 2011, affirmed: “…we need to prepare the next generation of inventors, designers and creators. Business leaders are already asking for this. They recog- nize that this is essential for our schools to be teaching children how to think outside the box and to address challenges with creative solutions. And policy makers and parents are concerned because they see how the current education system is failing to give our children the tools they need reach their full potential. Arts education is a solution to many of these problems that has been hiding in plain sight.” 826 National and its chapters deliver these critical tools to the students, families, and teachers who need them most, and do it in a way that breathes life and whimsy into writing (and other) education. As an organization with a national presence, innovative methods, and a proven track record, we know we have a growing role to play in the national discussion over education reform. We’re up 826CHI: Student authors at work. for the challenge and eager to take it on. Our nation’s urban public school students confront a myriad of challenges ranging from overcrowded classrooms and a lack of individualized attention to inadequate facilities, overburdened teachers, and struggles at home. Possessing a high school and college education is vital to securing a job that pays a living wage, but many of our nation’s youth, especially low-income and youth of color, are struggling to read and write at the most basic level. 826 National strives to increase students’ academic confidence and performance, improve habits of mind surrounding homework and language arts, and develop communication skills, personal identity, and voice. We focus on those at greatest risk, empowering them for success. 8 826NATIONAL • Strategic Plan 2014–2016 The Need for the 826 National Network 9 THE 826 MODEL Step Through the Secret Door: Overview of the 826 Model and 826 National Office In 2012, 826 chapters served more than 30,000 students thanks in large part to the efforts of more than 4,500 volunteers nationwide. THE 826 MODEL In short, the vision for 826 National and its chapters across the country is to be the premier arts education and literacy organization that helps students become successful global citizens; supports teachers; acts as a thought leader In 2012, 826 chapters served more than 30,000 on arts education, creative writing, and their impact on youth; publishes student students, thanks in large part to the efforts of more work prodigiously; and cultivates staff members’ growth into nonprofit leaders. than 4,500 volunteers nationwide. Our chapters 826 chapters are each committed to assisting underserved youth. They offer in-school programs only to schools where 51% or more of its students qualify offer a variety of inventive programs that provide for free or reduced lunch, and approximately 90% of all of the students who participate in 826 programs live in under-resourced communities, with a under-resourced students in urban areas, ages vast majority consisting of students of color. Roughly 50% of our After-School 6-18, with opportunities to explore their creativity, students are in middle school (grades 5-8), and many are English Language Learners. Our After-School Tutoring program offers these students individualized participate in cultural projects, work on their support toward the acquisition of expanded vocabulary, helping ELL students utilize new language tools and expand their literacy, as well as tutoring all homework, and improve their writing skills.
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