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Category Archives: Local

In The News: America Gives

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Do check out “How America Gives: Exploring philanthropy in your state, city, and neighborhood,” a new and interactive study from the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

A few interesting statistics from the Greater Washington region:

– Resident of the District give, on average, 7.7% percent of their income compared to 4.7% across the US
– Maryland ranks 11th in total contributions, with $3.9 billion donated in the past year
– Virginia was ranked just ahead in 10th, with $4.2 billion donated (and a median contribution of $2,790)

According to the Chronicle, the data in the study came “from a comprehensive study The Chronicle conducted to examine giving data by ZIP code and by income level in every city and town in the United States. The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service showing the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers.”

Which numbers jump out to you?

Around Town: August 17-19

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Planning your weekend? Consider a non-profit destination, such as …

Dance Place (3500 12th Street NE)

A 12-week public art celebration offering free cultural events and promoting creative expression, Artland Temporium features exhibits, dance, concerts, poetry readings, and games and free to the public. Check out the full schedule for this weekend right here.

District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th Street NW)

The DCAC Gallery is open from 2:00 to 7:00 PM on Wednesday through Sunday; so you can check the final week of “Wallmountables.” Any artist can purchase up to four 2′ x 2′ spaces and work is accepted from a wide range of media.

Accokeek Foundation (3400 Bryan Point Rd, Accokeek, MD)

Join a kitchen table conversation and introduction to the epicurean delights of colonial Marylanders; explore “receipts” (recipes) and meal preparation on Saturday at noon. Learn more right here!

Potomac Conservancy (River Center at Lock 8, 7906 Riverside Drive, Cabin John, MD)

Extra busy Sunday with Potomac Conservancy! A Canal Stewards river cleanup begins at 10:00 AM, followed by a Tree ID Walk at noon (can you tell a sycamore from a maple tree?) and Wilderness 101 at 1:30 PM. More info right here.

From the Field: Bright Beginnings

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By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator
& Sherika Brooks, Executive Assistant

Yesterday, Sherika and I visited the facilities of Bright Beginnings, a long-time Catalogue nonprofit, for a tour and site visit. Bright Beginnings is a “nationally recognized developmental childcare center for homeless infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that prepares vulnerable children for kindergarten while also helping stabilize their families.” As much as we read about the services provided by nonprofits like Bright Beginnings, the impression made by experiencing their impact first-hand is exponentially greater.

After discussing the needs addressed and services provided by the organization, Director of Development and Communications Joan Woods took our small group on a tour through the campus. One of Bright Beginnings’ unique qualities is the way it reclaims the face of homelessness in the District. The children and families it serves experience homelessness — but after walking into one of their well-equipped classrooms and seeing a group of toddlers playing and laughing together, one would never guess it. Despite the smiles on their faces, children from families experiencing homelessness are much more likely to suffer from hunger, behavioral problems, depression, and other emotional problems than their peers. They also typically enter kindergarten at a lower ‘academic’ level than their classmates. Bright Beginnings works to provide an early intervention to these challenges and allow low-income children to begin school equipped with the same tools for success as other children.

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The Park Space

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Today on Greater Greater Washington, Dan Reed (Just Up The Pike) asserts that “South Silver Spring needs better parks, not just more:”

Citing a lack of open space, some South Silver Spring residents oppose a planned condominium apartment building. But the problem isn’t that there aren’t enough parks, but that existing parks aren’t being used.

Reston-based Comstock Homes seeks to build a 7-story, 200-unit building with ground-floor shops on a 1-acre property at the corner of Newell Street and Eastern Avenue currently home to a self-storage facility. wants Montgomery County to buy the $2.8 million property and turn it into a park.

As Reed points out, newer apartment complexes and buildings are required to have “Public Use Space” (usually in the form of an outdoor park) and the area surrounding the intersection in questions already has five such spaces and the small Acorn Park; but that said, “many of the neighborhood’s pocket parks are poorly designed and seldom used.”

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After the Olympics

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“I always loved running … it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.”
— Jesse Owens, four-time Olympic gold medalist, 1936

Time and time again, the sprints and endurance tests of the 2012 London Olympics reminded us of the power and excitement inherent in such a wide variety of sports. (Just check out these racing moments on Runner’s World for some fun examples.) But as numerous athletes mentioned in their post-race interviews, success often begins with one great coach or class or neighborhood game. So today, we’ve highlighted a few Catalogue nonprofits who are working (and running) to ensure that local kids have the chance to jump into sports and stay active:

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In The News …

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DC police measure up-and-coming neighborhoods (Washington Post): “As residential and retail development pushes more people and businesses into new areas, economic development data can be as important in shaping police staffing decisions as armed-robbery statistics. Discussing “up and coming” hubs, such as the Waterfront and H Street NE, Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier says that “my primary goal, as these areas roll out, is that not only are they safe, but that they feel safe.” As neighborhoods change, “there is also friction between law enforcement and community leaders who say police are not moving quickly enough or deploying officers smartly enough in some areas.” What is your experience?

Poverty and Schools: Finally, Some Lights Go On (Huffington Post): Peter Meyer of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute discusses the “seemingly interminable battle between those who believe that you have to cure the poor before you can educate them and those who believe that educating the poor will help cure poverty.” His opinion? “The pendulum might be swinging, ever-so-slightly, toward the believers (in school).” He cites several projects that he hopes “will motivate more school leaders to believe that they can and must face poverty squarely, in the classroom.” Do you agree with the findings, and are they replicable?

Language instruction for immigrants in the DC region (WMAU: Community Minute): Profiled at the beginning of this month, Catalogue nonprofit “Language ETC (LETC) offers English and literacy training to low-income adult immigrants in the greater Washington area using volunteer teachers and tutors educates more immigrants annually than any other non-governmental organization in the area — and no willing student is turned away.” Most recently listed in the 2009/2010 Catalogue, LETC also provides a Multimedia Language Lab, conversation classes, book clubs, and individual job counseling to Washington area students.

What the Coffee Means

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By Matt Bright, Earth Sangha’s Tree Bank Coordinator

Earth Sangha Tree Bank / Hispaniola is a partnership with a group of small-holder farmers who live along a section of the Dominican Republic-Haiti border. Our goal is to create a system in which tropical small-holder farming is more compatible with native forest. Such a system, we hope, could one day benefit small-holders in the many parts of the rural tropics. This guest post is an excerpt from First Hand, a series of essays and videos intended to show you what it’s like to do small-scale “green development” in a rural, developing-country context.

Our Rising Forests Coffee is, to our friends in the DC area, the most visible and tangible achievement from our work in the Dominican Republic. Drinking our coffee is not just a delicious way to start your morning (now available in dark roast: order here!); it’s also an important way to support our conservation efforts. Our coffee supports our Tree Bank, provides much-needed income to our farmers, and encourages conservation.

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Around Town: August 2-5

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Some great nonprofit destinations for the coming days:

Dance Place (3500 12th Street NE)

A 12-week public art celebration offering free cultural events and promoting creative expression, Artland Temporium features exhibits, dance, concerts, poetry readings, and games and free to the public. Check out the full schedule for this weekend right here.

District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th Street NW, Washington, DC)

Topher and Joe, purveyors of fine improv comedy, join with special guests Sistine Robot and Season Six this coming Friday at 10:00 PM. Tickets available right here.

Accokeek Foundation (15769 Livingston Road, Accokeek, MD)

On Saturday at 10:00 AM, Eileen Watts of Hard Bargain Farm offers a hands-on exploration of basic cheese-making; participants will assemble two recipes: a semi-soft farmer’s cheese and a 30-minute mozzarella. Sign up here!

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D Street NW, Washington, DC)

Following the Saturday 8:00 PM performance of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Woolly presents a one-time-only conversation with Mike Daisey and Apple, Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak. More information right here.

Development Planning Speaker Session

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By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator

Creating a comprehensive development plan is perhaps not the first item of business for a new Executive Director or Development Director when starting out in the nonprofit world. But this month’s BAH Nonprofit Conference on Fundraising Development stressed the importance of having a thought-out, written-down development plan as a priority for successful, supportive and effective development programming. Keynote speaker Barbara Ciconte outlined many of the key steps to creating an “effective” (and perhaps more importantly, realistic) development plan, as well as the bigger picture items to consider from an organizational standpoint. Ultimately, “development” is about more than just raising money — it involves creating authentic connections with others who believe in and commit to your organization’s mission.

Ciconte discussed many important features of a development plan, including these key elements:
– Detailed goals for each development activity
– Specific strategies for achieving those goals
– An action plan, with a timetable for each strategy and benchmarks along the way
– Clear assignments for staff and other involved individuals
– Marketing and communications needs for development strategies
– Budget for fundraising (it’s true; you usually have to spend money to make money!)

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In The News …

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Boom in autistic students prompts new Montgomery school centers (Washington Examiner): “Montgomery County Public Schools is planning to open autism centers at three high schools in the new school year, as the district grapples with a fivefold increase in the number of students diagnosed with autism over the last decade.” Since the 2000/2001 school year, the number of MCPS students on the autism spectrum has jumped from 266 to 1,642 — which, assumedly, is in part due to improvements in diagnostic procedures. In particular, “special education staff acknowledged they also need to ramp up efforts to reach the diversifying swath of students who have special needs, such as immigrant families who may not speak English.”

Some States Looking to (and Funding) Arts as Economic Driver (Nonprofit Quarterly): “The news service for the Pew Center on the States reports that “there has been a 37 percent drop in funding for state arts agencies since 2001.” However, a creative repackaging of the arts as an economic engine has, in some states, reversed this trend over the last year.” And according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), this year’s state arts funding budgets have increased by approximately nine percent. You can check out all of Catalogue’s local arts organizations right here.

Everything I Need To Know About Life I Learned On My Nonprofit Board (Fast Company): “This is a life lesson for people in workplaces, families, classrooms, and any relationship. That peace, happiness, and fulfillment come from creating a mutual understanding of what you?re trying to accomplish and each person?s role in achieving success,” writes Alice Korngold, CSR consultant to global corporations. She also points to the value of clearly-articulated values, discussed with the Board and shared with the public. “It is usually a […] source of energy and even exhilaration when people finally see how and what they can contribute to achieve success for a cause in which they believe.