Grantee Profile: Girls Club of Los AngelesMarch 2, 2009 |
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 Like many nonprofit executive directors, Gloria Davis of the Girls Club of Los Angeles worries about revenue. She often wonders what will happen when the grant ends. Now, thanks to First 5 LA's Sustainability Project, she has an answer. Davis began her participation in the project in November 2007, after receiving a rejection notice for a grant request. The club's pregnancy prevention program was slated to end in December 2008, and she had gone to a local funding organization (not First 5 LA) to request a grant to keep it going. After the rejection and several unreturned phone calls, she conceded that she may have to close the program. But then there was an opportunity. As a former First 5 LA grantee, Davis, members of her staff and the Girls Club Board President-elect Karen Hamilton signed up to participate in The Sustainability Project, First 5 LA's pilot effort to encourage grantee programs to continue beyond the life of their grant. The group met over a six-month period, working with each other along with First 5 LA staff and consultants Sally Lew and José Montaño. And this was when the magic happened. Davis and her team took stock of the Girls Club programs. They identified key initiatives that worked, what outcomes they were aiming for and assessed how much it would cost to continue or expand those programs. After identifying the financial gap between what they had and what they needed, Davis was able to go back to the funder who had turned her down originally. She discussed the plan and received $300,000 in grant monies. Aside from the obvious financial benefits, Davis reported that her entire staff of 26 developed a new cohesiveness, common purpose and an entrepreneurial spirit. For the first time in her 12 years as executive director, Davis thought of the grant process as something in which she could actively participate. "Rather than thinking funders should just give, give, give, I began to see that we can create the opportunities for ourselves by bridging the gap between mission and finances," Davis said. "This whole process has helped to reshape and develop a strategic financing plan with accountability involving board and staff." The Girls Club continues to refine its plan, and recently received another grant for $5,000. Click here to see a copy of the Girls Club Sustainability Plan. To learn more about how this organization is putting its plan into action contact Gloria Davis at (323) 754 2122 x19. |
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