AmeriCorps and a Nod from Obama Give College-Access Group a Lift
Admission Possible, in St. Paul, started in 2000 to support low-income high-school juniors and seniors pursuing college. It opened a Milwaukee pilot program last fall, its first expansion. The group’s founder, Jim McCorkell, says Milwaukee’s affiliate has already met student recruiting and…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
Timely Research Spurs Expansion Strategy for New York Organization
Per Scholas, a charity in the Bronx, N.Y., that focuses on job training, is moving ahead aggressively on its plans to expand during the recession. The organization hopes to open a new branch in the first quarter of 2010 and add a new city every eight to 12 months, says Plinio Ayala, the group’s…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
A Consultant’s Endorsement Paves Path for a Job-Readiness Charity’s Growth
David Phillips, once a partner at the now-defunct accounting firm Arthur Andersen, founded the nonprofit group Cincinnati Works with his wife, Liane, in 1997, to help the region’s chronically jobless people and those in low-wage positions. Now he looks ahead to the opening of three new affiliate…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
Corporate America’s Fortunes Hold Key to a Job-Training Charity’s Plans
One organization finds its expansion hopes tied tightly to the fortunes of the business world. Genesys Works, in Houston, provides high-school juniors from needy families with computer-technology training, then places them in high-tech professional jobs their senior year. The intent, says the…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
Minnesota Charity for Single Mothers Eyes Growth in Texas and Elsewhere
Communities that duplicate the Jeremiah Program, a charity in Minneapolis (with a St. Paul affiliate) that aids single mothers, will have to spend a lot: They will need $6-million to $8-million in start-up capital and will have to plan on a $1-million to $2-million annual operating budget,…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
Beating the Recession by Seizing Opportunities to Expand
For the past decade, Jeremiah Program, a charity in Minneapolis, has provided services such as transitional housing and job-readiness training to help single mothers with young children break the cycle of generational poverty. It is the kind of organization one would expect to shrink in a down…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
Tracking System Finds Open Slots at Shelters
Cornerstone, a Bloomington, Minn., charity that works to prevent domestic violence, is trying to make it easier for shelters across the country to share real-time information about open emergency beds and support services. The nonprofit group runs Day One, a secure online service that allows…
By Scott Russell
Contributor
La. Nonprofit Association’s New Chief Focuses on Growth
In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, nonprofit organizations in the Gulf Coast played a vital role in recovery efforts. Yet the organizations themselves have needed support and rebuilding. In some cities, they lost facilities and staff members. In other cities, massive population…
By Scott Russell
Contributor