I GOT one!!!!!

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Was your grandpa standing beside you the day that you caught your first fish?

 fishing

 

Did you celebrate holidays by getting more frosting on yourself and your mom than on the actual sugar cookie?

Childhood experiences make us the adults we become in SO many ways!

It’s no surprise then, that research shows philanthropy and community service are learned skills.  If you helped your mom make soup for a sick neighbor, it’s likely you do the same thing today (OK, maybe you get the soup from the Panera drive-thru…but still.).  If your church youth group raked leaves for elderly members, today you probably look around your community today for ways to help.

At the Dekko Foundation, we want to help children learn about philanthropy by DOING!   Doing what? Doing important things that will make their community better…and cement that all-important philanthropy gene for later.

One group of teens we know is remodeling the amphitheater in their town park…they’re hoping to be done in time for summer concerts.  Another sure winner is the Senior Prom…a social event for senior citizens that builds relationships and dance partners across generations!

Follow this link to learn more about our youth philanthropy grants!  Feel free to pass the word on to both kids and adults.

 

Know anyone with 80’s hair?

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You know you do.  “Big” doesn’t begin to describe it.

1980-s-hairstyles-2012-2

When it comes to hair there’s not much downside to being behind the times.  But when it comes to growing and developing kids, if you’re still doing what you did in the 80’s, then your kids will definitely benefit from a refresh!

We believe there are a few timeless and simple principles that sum up what children need to grow and develop.  But sometimes, as adults, we get fancy and start to interact with children in complicated ways.  Other times we go all flavor-of-the-month on them.  Sometimes we arrange children’s learning for short-term financial reasons.  Or, maybe worst of all, we teach and develop kids in ways that are simply for adult convenience.

At the Dekko Foundation we want to invest in the work of people and organizations that are willing to step back and consider what children need to grow and develop.  These humble and caring adults match up their organizational priorities with what the children need most.

Maybe you’ve heard us say this before, but we think that Great things happen when adults step back and consider what children need to grow and develop.  Stepping back to re-learn what children and teens need to thrive is the organizational equivalent of a brand new haircut.  Does your organization need one?

 

Go ahead…provoke me!

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“I provoke learning in my classroom!”  So says Amber Opper, preschool lead teacher from the JAM Center in Garrett, Indiana.

At the Dekko Foundation we were used to provoke being used in a more common way…meaning to annoy or irritate…but Amber and her co-workers use it differently.  They use the word provoke to mean “stir up” or “awaken!”

How intriguing…teachers as the awakeners of learning!

Here’s an example of how Amber provokes learning in her classroom:

“When we finally got a decent day and could go outside we went on a walk and brought back two tree branches that the children found.  We let them dry off and now the children are creating with them.  They have been working on it all week.  They are so quiet, so focused.  We brought in some tissue paper as one of the things for them to create with.  Two of the boys have been working there all week…they are so engaged.”

The JAM Center’s work is a great example of what we mean at the Dekko Foundation when we say, “Great things happen when adults consider what children need to grow and develop!”  In this case, what the children needed was a little provoking!

We want to help more adults think deeply about young children’s needs.  If you’re interested, learn more about our early childhood initiative called bloom!

 

Smart, smart people

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Every once in a while someone says or does something and we just have to say, “WOW!”

Here are three examples we encountered just this week:

We chatted with early childhood educators at the JAM Center in Garret, Indiana and they said, “Most people are surprised by this, but children of this age need real life work to do!  They need to wash things, sweep the floor and do simple jobs like slicing eggs.”  Think of all of money that’s spent on toys…and the early childhood experts believe it’s really work that kids need. (And we agree!)

We heard a presentation by Bryan Nugen, an attorney who’s based in Auburn, Indiana and Miami, Florida.  He explained, “Here’s a big difference that I’ve noticed.   When people come to do estate planning in Miami, they know exactly what charity they want to support.  When people come to do estate planning in Indiana…they don’t have a charity or cause in mind.”  Wow–what an opportunity for organizations to learn from a pro!  Donors need to be educated and inspired… and when they are, that’s when charitable contributions happen!

We just received a grant report from The Center for Whitley County Youth.  A quick and unofficial count reveals that this small, grassroots nonprofit organization has nearly 340 donors.  That’s 340 diverse sources of revenue!  Wow!  When people hear about great, impactful charitable work–they’re not afraid to get out their checkbooks!

Smart people!  Great ideas to think about!

 

 

 

3 deceptively simple questions

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What will change?

How much will it change?

How will you know?

Each time one of our program officers meets with a grantseeker, the questions above WILL be asked.

Each time, the answer to these questions WILL be an import contributing factor to whether or not our board’s response to the grant proposal is a “YES” or a “NO.”

Let’s look at some sample answers to the questions above:

What will change?  30 middle and high school students will improve their reading scores.

How much will it change?   Each student will improve their score to at least their grade level

How will you know?  Each student will take a reading skills test before they start our program and every two months after that.

In the example above, the answer to the three questions was clear and measurable…they either helped 30 kids improve their reading skills or not…they got to grade level or they didn’t.

Let’s try another example:

What will change?  We will serve somewhere between 72 and 190 students and help them build their writing skills.

How much will it change?  We hope that they will go from being afraid of writing to loving it.

How will you know?  We will look at samples of their work.

Ok, this was an extreme example…but you get the point.

To be effective as a grantseeker, it’s important to consider the very specific change your project will bring about.  It’s hard stuff…it’s new to most people.  At the Dekko Foundation we’ve learned that a lot of things people don’t think can be measured really CAN! Our program officers can help you think it all through. You can talk with one of them before you apply (260-347-1278) or during the review of your proposal.

We once worked with a smart consultant who used the phrase, “If you can measure it…it’ll get done!” IT’S TRUE!  Each of us gets up in the morning and comes into work in the nonprofit sector because we want to make things better for the people we serve.  Measuring things is the number one (and probably only) way that this will happen.

That’s why we work so hard on it!