Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | September 17, 2018 | wbjournal.com Newer nonprofits without the resources for large fundraisers have to get creative Starting small BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to the Worcester Business Journal The students who benefit from African Community Education perform at its Annual Gala. F O C U S B A N K I N G & F I N A N C E n African Community Education Location: Worcester Founded: 2006 Annual revenue: $465,000 Founders: Kaska Yawo, executive director; Olga Valdman Group mission: To serve children from all African countries, who are refugees, immigrants and children of immigrants, who are behind in school and want help with their studies Fundraiser: Annual Gala, to be held on Oct. 11 Amount raised: $22,000 in 2017; goal of $50,000 in 2018 n Love Your Labels Location: Worcester Founded: 2018 Annual revenue: Not determined yet Executives: Joshua Croke, president, Philippe Berry; vice president Group mission: To use fashion design as a vehicle for celebrating diversity and supporting self-expression among young people Fundraiser: Queer AF Art and Fashion Show, held in August Amount raised: $2,000 n Creative Hub Worcester Location: Worcester Founded: 2015 Annual revenue: $43,000 Founders: Laura Marotta, executive director; Stacy Lord, vice chair Group mission: To provide affordable and accessible opportunities in the arts for all Worcester area community members, with a focus on at-risk and underserved youth Fundraiser: $5K in 5 Days, held in December Amount raised: $5,800 Sources: Creative Hub Worcester, African Community Education, Love Your Labels F or large, established nonprof- its, fundraising is a matter for dedicated full-time staff to build relationships with deep-pocketed donors and at- tend conferences on best practices. But if you're a small or fledgling organization, it's a whole different matter. While an annual gala like UMass Me- morial Health Care's Winter Ball raises more than $1 million in one night, the six founders behind the seven-month-old nonprofit Love Your Labels were thrilled when their fashion show raised $2,000 above its costs, which will go toward its fashion design program for teenagers between 13 and 18 to also serve as a safe space to discuss gender and the intersec- tions of diverse identities. "When the average person thinks of a fundraiser, they think of a gala style sit-down event," said Joshua Croke, the group's president. But Croke said the group didn't want to plan an event targeted at wealthy attendees. Instead, it was trying to reach all sorts of people who might respond to its vision of diversity within the fashion world. Worcester venue Electric Haze agreed to host the event for free, and a DJ donated his time, which helped keep the event's expenses under control. Croke said people in Worcester are oen unused to paying a cover charge at a bar, but attendees were willing to pay because they wanted to support the group and the cool factor of a show challenging norms. Changing the approach to events African Community Education is a bit more established than Love Your Labels, with 12 years of history supporting chil- dren from Worcester's African immi- grant and refugee communities. But Tim O'Neil, the organization's marketing and fundraising coordinator, said the non- profit is experimenting with a fundraiser more relevant to its stakeholders. ACE has held a traditional gala in previous years. For this year's event where the nonprofit wants to raise $50,000, O'Neil said, it's still planning food, speakers, and a silent auction, but it's using the opportunity to introduce funders to the students it supports. "We have students preparing projects with the history and culture of their own countries," he said. "Guests can learn about students, where they come from – get to know them on an individual level." e student projects harmonize well with ACE's work, O'Neil said. e group helps middle and high school kids work on creative projects, as well as providing academic support, so the gala projects Philippe Berry struts down the runway at the Love Your Labels' Queer AF Art & Fashion Show. PHOTO/KEV COOL PHOTOGRAPHY

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