A Proposal Requesting Funds from (Insert Company Name)

A Proposal Requesting Funds from (insert company name)

To Support the (Boys & Girls Club of)’s

Junior Staff Program

Helping Club members develop leadership skills, explore the world of Boys & Girls Club work and understand the value of a career in helping others

Contents

(insert page numbers
when proposal is complete)

Executive Summary

For (insert number) years, Boys & Girls Club of ______ has been in the forefront of youth development, working with young people who need us most. The Boys & Girls Club of ______ has actively sought to enrich the lives of girls and boys whom other youth agencies have had difficulty reaching. We are dedicated to ensuring that our community’s children and teens have greater access to quality programs and services that will enhance their lives and shape their futures.

In order to have an even deeper impact on our community’s youth, Boys & Girls Club of ______is requesting funding from (insert company’s name here) to implement a program called Junior Staff, provides resources and activities that help Club members develop leadership and employability skills and a sense of community responsibility; explore the world of Boys & Girls Club work and understand the value of a career in helping others.The Junior Staff programwill provide youth, ages 13 to 18,with age-appropriate skill-building opportunities and hands-on experiences.

As a community-based organization, the Boys & Girls Club of ______ is uniquely positioned to positively affect the lives of the youth we serve. To implement the Junior Staff, we would like to request the amount of $___. A detailed breakdown of how these dollars will be allocated can be found in this proposal’s Budget and Plan for Sustainability.

Just as (insert company’s name here) seeks to help our community’s youth become responsible, caring, productive citizens, the Boys & Girls Club of ______ has the staff and tools necessary to see this vision come to life. We thank you for considering this request. Together, we can assure that our community’s youth go on to have great futures.

Organizational Background

The Boys & Girls Club of ______ is part of a nationwide Movement of community-based, autonomous organizations and Boys & Girls Clubs of America working to help youth of all backgrounds develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders. It offers daily access to a broad range of programs in five core program areas (Character and Leadership Development; Education and Career Development; Health and Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation) and several specialized initiatives. All programs are designed to drive positive outcomes for youth and reinforce necessary life skills.

Today, more than (insert number)young people at risk and in need are taking advantage of the programs, activities and services provided by the Boys & Girls Club of ______. Our vision is to provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who comes through our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

(Insert additional information and accolades here about your local Club)

To ensure that all of our members have great futures, the Boys & Girls Club Movement has adopted theFormula for Impact, a research-based theory of change that describes how individual Clubs and the Movement as a whole can increase our impact – exponentially – on the young people of America.

Our Formula begins with the young people in Clubs – especially those who need us most. It calls for us to consistently provide the most powerful Club Experience possible by implementing the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development, offering high-yield activities and providing targeted programs – all of which help youth achieve priority outcomes.[i] Then, because we also know that attending the Club more frequently and over a greater length of time makes young people more likely to achieve positive outcomes, Clubs must pursue strategies to increase attendance, program participation and member retention.[ii]

Statement of Need

Now more than ever, community partners play a critical role in shaping the lives of America’s young people. This is where Boys & Girls Clubs are uniquely positioned to make a significant difference. We have access to the youth who need us most, and a program that will help youth develop positive outcomes and achieve great futures.

In an effort to ensure that members achieve great futures, the Boys & Girls Club of ______ has chosen to implement Junior Staff, which has also been identified as one of BGCA’s targeted national programs that create impact. Participation in this program will help drive academic success for youth. This will ensure that Club members develop job readiness and leadership skills needed to enter the work-force successfully. This program also provides Club professionals with coaching strategies to assist members in setting and attaining academic and career goals.

There is a growing lack of connection between education, the changing workplace and the human capital needs that are required in the 21st century U.S. workforce. Consider the following:

• Nearly one-third of all public high school students fail to graduate from high school with their class. In the case of certain minority populations,that number rises to as much as one in two.[iii]

• A 2002 study by the Hudson Institute found that 60 percent of all the jobs being created will require skills that only 20 percent of the current U.S. workforce actually possesses.[iv]

• A 2010 study from the Center of Labor Market Studies shows that the nation's teen (16-19) and young adult (20-24 year old) job markets have continued to collapse during the past year, dropping these age groups' employment rates to new post- World War II lows.[v]

• According to a report by Public/Private Ventures, inadequate education and lack of job training is a major reason more than 15 million people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not prepared for high-wage employment.[vi]
  
• According to the 2002 Child Trends study on Employment Programs and Youth Development, there is clear evidence that programs that expose young people to career development and job training raise expectations and greatly promote self-sufficiency as adults.[vii]

• A 2009 survey of Clubs that participated in BGCA’s career preparation program found that 96.57 percent of participant youth successfully transitioned to the next grade on time.

(Insert relevant local statistics that explain the need for a program like this in your community)

Responding to the Need

The Junior Staff program was developed to train a qualified, competent and committed workforce needed to fulfill the mission of the Boys & Girls Club Movement.

Boys & Girls Clubs continue to promote leadership development and career preparation as a major goal of their programs. As reflected in Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Formula for Impact, we are dedicated to providing more services and programs for teens that help them not only get ready for career success, but also develop a strong sense of civic responsibility and a lifelong commitment to serving others.

The Junior Staff programis a practical small-group program that assists Club teens in exploring a career in youth development or other human services, with a particular focus on Boys & Girls Club work.

In 2007, BGCA revised the program to be more user-friendly, easier to implement, effective and fun. The content has been revised to provideteen participants, ages 13 to 18, with age-appropriate skill-building opportunities and hands-on experiences in four areas:

• Career Development
• Apprenticeship
• Customer Service
• Community Service

Program Components:

• The Facilitator’s Guide provides step-by-step activities and information on how to create a setting that is fun and replicates real-life work experiences. The guide gives tips on recognizing participants and using peer leaders to conduct some of the program activities.

• Be the Difference: Tips and Tools for Boys & Girls Clubs Junior Staffers supplements the program. Designed especially for teens with lots of graphic appeal, it provides them with on-the-job helpful hints and encourages them to further explore their career interests and personal talents and strengths. Teens can keep and use this resource long after their Junior Staff experience ends

This program helps drive positive outcomes for youth in the area of Academic Success by exposing them to various activities designed to hone their decision-making and critical thinking skills,and preparingthem for the future.Junior Staff outcomes are measured by a participant’s ability to seek and maintain employment in the human services field.

(Explain how this program will be implemented in your Club – how often, who will facilitate, what resources or tools are used to enhance the program, whether additional staff or content experts will be needed, etc. If a new position is being proposed, explain this person’s role and create a sample job description to be placed in this proposal’s Appendix.)

(Explain how the program will be evaluated, and what will be reported to the funder. Will there be pre-/post-tests? Mid-term reports? Final reports?)

(Give anecdotal evidence for why implementing this program with the resources of the company’s support is a good fit.)

Budget and Plan for Sustainability

The Boys & Girls Club of ______requests $______from (insert company’s name here) to support the Junior Staff program. Funding will provide for the (staffing, equipment, etc.) necessary to operate the program. The program will operate at(number of Club sites) throughout (town/ city/area).The following budget outlines the specific cost breakdowns.(Remove this line if not needed: In the Appendix of this proposal, please find a sample job description for the position(s) to be filled in order to execute this program.)

(As needed, elaborate on the paragraph below. Explain who your Club is working with to secure additional funding and resources to sustain the program, if applicable. Are you also requesting the funder provide volunteers for the program through employee engagement? Are there other local funders you wish to approach for funding and/or resources?)

In addition to the aforementioned monetary request, Boys & Girls Club of ______ is working with other local organizations to provide for the long-term sustainability of the Junior Staff program.

Marketing and Publicity Plan

Boys & Girls Club of ______ will be happy to acknowledge the contributions of (insert company’s name here) for their support of the Junior Staff program in appropriate communications. This includes, but is not limited to, (insert the places the funder will receive acknowledgement of program support – newsletters, e-newsletters, Club website, program flyers, etc.).

Closing

As the world becomes even more interconnected, it is more critical than ever for our young people to develop the skills needed to compete in a global economy. By implementing the Junior Staff program, we have the ability to reach (insert number of youth and their ages) to provide them with the skills to:

• Explore a variety of careers with an emphasis on human services

• Cultivate job readiness and employability skills

• Develop a sense of business awareness

• Develop competent leaders, committed to making a difference for Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Thank you for considering this request and for your support of our community’s young people. With the support of (insert company’s name here), we can ensure that our community’s youth go on to become productive, caring, responsible citizens. Here at Boys & Girls Club of ______, we firmly believe that GREAT FUTURES START HERE.

Appendix

(Annual Report)

(Board of Directors)

(Sample Job Description)

(Other Important Club Information)

Endnotes

Junior StaffSample ProposalPage 1 of 11
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (August 2011)

[i]Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development: BGCA worked with the nationally recognized Search Institute to review relevant research and study highly effective Clubs. Through Club visits and interviews with managers, program staff, teens and community leaders, the five key elements that determine the level of impact a Club makes on the development of young people were identified. High-yield activities: The research of Dr. Reginald Clark has demonstrated that high-achieving students spend more time engaged in activities that reinforce the skills and knowledge they learn in school.“Enhancing the Educational Achievement of At-Risk Youth,” an evaluation of BGCA’s national education strategy, Project Learn, confirms the effectiveness of using such high-yield activities in Boys & Girls Clubs. Targeted programs: BGCA offers many national programs that are designed to help young people achieve our priority outcomes of academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. Many of BGCA’s targeted programs have been evaluated for their effectiveness. Some of BGCA’s targeted programs have also been deemed “evidence based” by the federal government.

[ii] “Making Every Day Count: Boys & Girls Clubs’ Role in Promoting Positive Outcomes for Teens.” Public/Private Ventures, 2009. This national, longitudinal study links participation in the Club to young people’s positive and healthy development in BGCA’s three priority outcome areas.

[iii] Editorial Projects in Education, “Diplomas Count 2010: Graduation by the Numbers: Putting Data to Work for Student Success,” Education Week, 29, No. 34 (2010).

[iv] Gordan, Edward E., The 2010 Meltdown: Solving the Impending Jobs Crisis (Praeger, 2005).

[v] McLaughlin, J., Sum, A. (January 2010). Dire Straits for Many American Workers: The Economic Case for New Job Creation Strategies in 2010 for the Nation’s Teens and

Young Adults (20-24). Retrieved August 30, 2011 from:

[vi] Clymer, C., Edwards, K., Ponce, J., Wyckoff, L. (November 2002). Supporting Youth

Employment: A Guide for Community Groups. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from:

[vii]Cochran, S., Jekielek, S., Hair, E. (May 2002). Employment programs and youth development: a synthesis. Retrieved August 4, 2011 from: