1 826 CHAPTERS ANN ARBOR/ DETROIT BOSTON CHICAGO NEW YORK WASHINGTON D.C. SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES 826 Boston 826boston.org 826michigan 826michigan.org The Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Shop Serves Boston Public & Greater Boston Area School Districts Serves Detroit & Ann Arbor Public Schools, Neighborhood Egleston Square, Roxbury Ypsilanti Community School District Satellite Boston Public Library Neighborhoods Ann Arbor, Detroit, & Ypsilanti Satellite Beezy’s Cafe, Ypsilanti 826CHI 826chi.org Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co. 826NYC 826nyc.org Serves Chicago Public School District Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. Neighborhood Wicker Park Serves New York City Public Schools Neighborhoods Park Slope & Williamsburg 826DC 826dc.org Satellite Brooklyn Public Library The Museum of Unnatural History Serves D.C. Public Schools 826 Valencia 826valencia.org Neighborhood Columbia Heights The Pirate Supply Store Serves San Francisco Unified School District 826LA 826la.org Neighborhood The Mission District The Echo Park Time Travel Mart Satellites Everett Middle School, Mission High School, & The Mar Vista Time Travel Mart & Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Serves Los Angeles Unified School District Neighborhoods Mar Vista & Echo Park Satellite Manual Arts Senior High School 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS STAFF & BOARD ................................................................4 OUR MISSION ...................................................................5 A LETTER FROM OUR CEO.......................................................6 2013-14 AT A GLANCE ..........................................................7 826 NATIONAL’S GROWTH INITIATIVE..........................................9 OUR PROGRAMS................................................................11 OUR VOLUNTEERS..............................................................12 EVALUATING 826 ..............................................................15 GROWTH IN OUR CHAPTERS...................................................18 2013-14 MILESTONES .........................................................20 STUDENT PUBLICATIONS ......................................................22 STUDENT WRITING GALLERY ..................................................25 DEVELOPMENT & FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES . .28 THANK YOU! ...................................................................30 3 GERALD RICHARDS LINDSEY BOURNE Chief Executive Officer Finance & Communications Manager 826 MAGGIE ANDREWS COOPER DINNING Director of Development Salesforce Administrator & Development Assistant NATIONAL LAUREN BRODER Director of Research & Evaluation ANNA GROSS Field Operations Associate KAIT STEELE STAFF Director of Field Operations 826 NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS The 826 National Board is made up of independent directors and an ex officio chapter representative from each of the seven chapters in the 826 National network. Each chapter representative is a voting member of their chapter Board and the 826 National Board. TERRY WIT DAVE EGGERS MARY SCHAEFER Board President 826 National Co-Founder Vice President, BlackRock iShares Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Founder of McSweeney’s Publishing PAUL SCHUTT & Sullivan, LLP & Award-Winning Author Co-Founder, Issue Media Group TYNNETTA MCINTOSH GERALD RICHARDS REECE HIRSCH Board Vice President CEO, 826 National Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Director of Corporate Internal JENNIFER BUNSHOFT Communications, JPMorgan Chase & Co. TARA GRECO Deputy Attorney General, Ex Officio - 826DC JOE MALCOUN California Attorney General’s Office Director of Communications for Global Board Secretary JODIE EVANS Responsibility, Walmart Ex Officio - 826michigan Ex Officio - 826LA CEO, Nutshell TESSIE TOPOL Author, Documentary Film Producer, Vice President of Corporate Social AMIR MOKARI & Co-Founder of CODEPINK Responsibility & Community Affairs, Board Treasurer JORDAN KURLAND Time Warner Cable Director, Conatus Capital Founder & Owner, Zeitgeist THOM UNTERBURGER ANDREW STRICKMAN Artist Management Ex Officio - 826NYC Ex Officio - 826 Valencia DONNA COWAN Director of Technology, CBX Vice President of Brand, Editorial Ex Officio - 826 Boston & Creative Services, Move Inc. Active Community Volunteer Emeritus Board Member DANIEL KURUNA LEAH WILLIAMS NÍNIVE CALEGARI Ex Officio - 826CHI General Counsel, WestEd 826 National Co-Founder Proprietor, EyeQuilt President & Founder, Teacher Marketing Consultancy Salary Project 4 826 National is a nonprofit organization that OUR provides strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of MISSION its network of seven writing and tutoring centers. 826 National’s chapters are dedicated to providing under-resourced students, ages 6-18, with oppor- tunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. We also aim to help teachers inspire their students to write. Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized atten- tion, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. 5 Dear Friends, Twelve years ago, 826 Valencia and the Pirate Supply Store opened their doors DEAR with peg legs, glass eyeballs, and eager volunteers waiting to help students with their homework and writing. Our co-founders never imagined they would start a movement that would soon span four continents! People from all over the FRIENDS world see the 826 model as a way to engage students by connecting them with caring adults in the community. Our vision for future growth is driven by our desire to serve more students and to serve students who do not have opportunities like 826 in their commu- A LETTER nities. There are three organizations participating in our chapter development process—the Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philly Spells in Philadelphia, and Big Class in New Orleans. Each are in different stages of development, and we are supporting their work as they aspire to join FROM the network. In the cities where we already serve thousands of students, the demand for our programming continues to increase. Our chapters are providing additional OUR CEO services to reach more students and dive deeper in their communities. Similar to 826LA, 826 Valencia will soon have two sites; 826michigan has grown its services from Ann Arbor to the surrounding suburbs and is now expanding its footprint in Detroit; and 826 Boston is one of many chapters that has opened a satellite site. But what about those students who may not have an 826 chapter in their city? We are working on licensing several of our signature programs for use by schools and organizations. Our new STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and creative writing workbook, STEM to Story: Enthralling Lesson Plans for Students Grades 5 - 8, will be published in early 2015. As the 826 National network matures, our internal infrastructure continues to develop and strengthen. Most notably, our Salesforce database will soon include our evaluation efforts which will enable us to longitudinally track the students in our after-school programs and evaluate the long-term effects of our programming. When people ask me what is next for 826, I sometimes joke and reply “world domination.” With our sights set firmly on the future, I don’t think we are that far off. With thanks, Gerald Richards Chief Executive Officer “We don’t have to tell students to think outside the box, because there is no box. They’re going to come up with amazing, fantastic, incredible ideas, and our goal is to help them with that. Not to discourage them, but to celebrate that creativity.” 6 2013-14 AT A GLANCE Students served across the country: Number of teachers served: Active volunteers: 32,041 917 6,042 Number of publications: Stories about Internet cats: After-school tutoring sessions: 990 1 1,924 Field trips: In-school projects: Writing workshops: 730 218 378 2013-14 data includes information reported by 826 Seattle. As of November 2014, 826 Seattle is no longer a part of the 826 National network. 7 8 THE NEXT FRONTIER 826 NATIONAL’S GROWTH INITIATIVE WHAT DRIVES US Fundraising: 826 National will launch an Expansion In 2013, the National Assessment of Educational Fund in 2015 to secure essential funds needed to develop, Progress released new data revealing that despite implement, and sustain our growth efforts. targeted efforts to create change, children from low- Access to 826 Programs, Anywhere: 826 National income communities continue to lag behind their will pursue new channels—digital applications, licensed more affluent peers. curricula, and more—to deliver our signature creative writing and literacy programs to urban and rural The report also noted that all students, regardless communities across the nation. of age or race, who reported regularly reading for fun outside of school scored higher on standard- International Reach: 826 National will continue to ized assessments than those who reported reading work with organizations inspired by our model, including for fun only a few times a year or less. the Ministry of Stories in East London and the Sydney Story Factory in Australia. We look forward to sharing 826 National has the largest reach of any national, resources with these international locations to develop community-based arts education organization and inspire new writers worldwide. that is focused on writing and literacy and serves Many of our chapters are quickly under-resourced youth. Our free programs have been Brick & Mortar: outgrowing