I met with the Foundation for Enhancing Communities last Friday and, well – that’s probably not the route I’ll be going with this.
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities requires that potential programs go through a little vetting process to ensure their cause is worthy, and that part I’m not particularly worried about. However, they also ask for around $700+ to start up and more than that per year to keep the program going.
This is starting out small, so to me, that’s a little ridiculous.
What’s the game plan now? I’ll probably just get Volunteers of Central PA going on my own without outside help (though I will likely fish around for an unofficial sponsor or two). Keep your eyes peeled in the next few weeks. Should be fun. :)
For a long while, I’ve been interested in forming an organization with a mission to both promote volunteerism in Central Pennsylvania as well as connect other organizations with willing volunteers. I decided on a name a few weeks ago: Volunteers of Central Pennsylvania. Sure, it isn’t the most creative name in the world, but it gets the message across.
The logo is a work in progress.
On the volunteer side of things, I’ve been working to build a volunteer database from the ground up. I’ve started by contacting local churches – I believe that to be a pretty receptive audience to this type of thing. As you can imagine, there are a LOT of churches in the area. I haven’t even made it out of Harrisburg yet. Those I’ve heard back from have expressed a lot of interest and have asked to be kept up to speed. I’ve also been in touch with a few nonprofit organizations in the area. They also see this as something that could be beneficial to them in terms of helping them connect with volunteers who are behind their causes. As I contact more groups and organizations, I can only see the support getting stronger.
On the back end, I’ve been debating with myself just how I want this thing to run. I’ve considered putting together a board, incorporating as a nonprofit – the whole shebang. I’ve also considered having Volunteers of Central PA run as a sponsored program under another nonprofit. I truly believe that this can fill a gaping need, but until I know that this bird has wings, that is the route I’m exploring. I’m meeting with The Foundation for Enhancing Communities on Friday, April 3 to explore that option with them.
That is where everything stands at the moment. I’ve had a lot of help so far, particularly from my mother (Loysville Youth Development Center) and my grandmother (Hospice of Central Pennsylvania) who have either pulled some strings to get me in contact with some people or have helped me out on the knowledge side of things. If you’re interested in helping in any way, shape or form, I definitely will not turn you down. You can get in touch with me via email (shawnfarner AT gmail DOT com) or by phone (717-503-9358).
Thanks for stopping by! More news on the way, for sure.
