Valentina Gutierrez

Service Learning Project: BACS Fundraising and Assistance

June 10, 2015

Learning
What information did you learn in preparing to do service?
Even though my project took place at my own school, I had to learn and develop a variety
of skills. Moreover, I had to learn the basics about nonprofit work and what a nonprofit is.
Furthermore, I had to learn about the schools mission, also known as the overall goal or purpose
of the school, and the requirements that must be fulfilled in order to actualize it.
What skills did you develop through the activities?
Before I even officially started my service learning project, Carolyn, the school director,
pulled me aside to write an annual fund letter from my perspective asking Blackstone community
members for donations. The annual fund letter is important because it goes out to individuals,
which on average make up 73% of a non profits contributions (Nonprofit Kit for Dummies). As
a result, I developed my letter writing skills. More importantly, I learned how to ask people for
money (for a good cause, obviously). Later on, I went on the help write a letter to Blackstone
families regarding their expected participation in the Born to Run road race and a thank you
letter to families and sponsors.
Throughout the year, I also learned how to use programs such as Little Green Light,
which is a tool used to manage constituents and keep track of funds raised. In Little Green Light,
I managed and created lists of individuals that should be targeted through Constant Contact,
which is a service that facilitates email, social media, and event marketing. On Little Green
Light, I created a Media List as well as a list of constituents who would most likely donate or
participate in the schools annual Born to Run 5K. More than marketing, I practiced
communicating with outside sources, such as the man who printed the Born to Run t-shirts,
Gayle Gifford, a member of the schools board, and an employee at FuelBelt. In other words, I
learned how to utilize tools that make fundraising and outreach more effective.
Furthermore, I developed my design skills, as I was in charge of designing the Born to
Run posters, sponsorship form, event page, and registration page. In order to make the posters as
appealing as possible, I referred to last years poster, decided what needed to be changed, and
created a draft on Piktochart. From there, I worked with Carolyn and Meghan, the art teacher
who worked in design, to help me create the final product. In addition to making the posters, I
even helped place them up around the community.
How did this project help you to better understand ideas or subjects you have been studying?

This project helped me better understand what it takes to keep a nonprofit financially
afloat, which is important to me because I have an interest in working in the nonprofit sector.
This project also helped me understand how to effectively fundraise.

Through this service learning project, what did you learn about:
yourself?
I learned that I have a great interest in bettering education,
especially for students of color and in low income communities because they are
often the most disadvantaged.
working with others, including people in your class?
I learned that my peers, such as Stefany, who also worked very
closely with Carolyn, notice the great impact that a school like Blackstone is
making. As a result of this, there are plenty of students who are willing to help the
school grow. Im hopeful that this will carry into student government next year as
well.
your community?
I learned that the difference between a for-profit and a nonprofit is
where the profit goes. At a for-profit, the money is distributed to the owners and
shareholders. While at a non profit, the money goes right back into the
organizations service programs as well as the infrastructure. Profits are not
distributed to individuals such as members of the Board of Directors. At
Blackstone Academy, students, parents and the overall community are like
Through my service learning project and other outside experiences,
I learned that my community does not really know much about Blackstone
Academy and the great students who work there. We are often confused with
Blackstone Valley Prep, the mayoral academy. In order to build Blackstone
Academys resources, the school must work on getting the school name and brand
out there through marketing and events.
How will you use what you learned in this experience?
I will use what I learned, such as how to use marketing to fundraise and keep track of
funds, in order to fundraise in the future. Moreover, I hope to continue working closely with
Carolyn my senior year, so that I can help get Blackstone Academys name out there,
especially now that the school is expanding.

Service
What was the need for your service effort?

After meeting with Carolyn Sheehan, the school director, I learned that it takes
approximately $2.5 million dollars every year to run Blackstone, and although the school is
doing "okay" financially, there is always room for extra money to help with improvement on
every level. The school was also short on staff who focus specifically on grant writing, etc.

What contributions did you make?

As aforementioned, I helped with fundraising through letter writing, email, social media,
and event marketing. In addition to this, I helped with smaller tasks such as poster and t-shirt
design. By helping with smaller responsibilities such as these, Carolyn hopefully had the
opportunity and time to take on important tasks such as grant writing.
What overall contributions were made by you?
Overall, I contributed to build the schools annual fund and planning and executing of the
annual Born to Run road race.
I hope to continue contributing to the schools growth by attending board meetings. Id
also like to work with Kyleen, the school principal.
How did your service affect the community?
With the my service we successfully planned and carried out the Born to Run 5K, where
upwards of 250 people attended. This level of participation helped bring in funds to the school.
Moreover, the online registration and event page that I created can be used for years to come,
therefore making the process easier for the future. Through the annual letter, I also brought in
funds and was recognized for this in a letter from the Pawtucket Credit Union. According to
Little Green Light, the annual fund brought in $9,306.60 during the 2014-2015 school year.

Process
How did you and other students help with project planning?
Stefany and I helped with the logistics behind the Born to Run road race as well as
carrying it out on the day of the event.
In what ways did you make decisions and solve problems?
I often made decisions regarding the design of everything that was sent out. As for
problem solving, I always asked Carolyn, Meghan, and John for direction if I had any questions.

Were there any differences between the initial project plans and what you actually did?
My initial project plans were to send out a monthly newsletter featuring student work and
a short biography of the student that would be sent to everyone on Blackstone's mailing list. The
newsletter would have served as a means of getting more community attention and would have
hopefully led to donations. In addition to this, I wanted to host one event and learn more about
grant writing. In some ways, I did achieve these goals. The monthly newsletter for example, was
taken over by the new Literary Magazine (that I am a part of), which will make it an annual or
biannual sending instead. As for events, I was able to help coordinate the fourth annual Born to
Run 5K. Although I did not write any specific grants, I worked on the annual fund letter, which is
another way of requesting financial assistance to support the schools mission. More than
anything, I worked on whatever Carolyn asked me to help her with over the course of the
semester.
What ideas do you have for improving any part of the project?
Next year, even if Im not working with Carolyn, Id once again like to help with the
planning and organizing of the Born to Run 5K. After seeing how it ran this year, I have ideas
about how to improve the event. For example, registration, since I now know how to do it,
should be opened earlier on in the school year. In addition to this, two newsletter regarding the
event should be sent out instead of one. Students in the Born to Run class should focus more on
putting up posters and inviting friends and community members than trying to run the event. I
also have some ideas regarding the actual day of the event, such as how to set up the sign-in line
so that its not so hectic.