Social Networking Advice From Other Nonprofits

We attended a workshop at Discovery Communications a couple weeks ago on social networking.  Of course, Discovery is a huge corporation, and they have an entire department dedicated to spreading the word via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.  We wondered if other nonprofits had a budget to support social networking staff and if they had general tips for social networking on a dime.  Here's the advice we received:

@akmcquade: @SupportGenHope In my experience, it's ok to start small and part time until you can really work it into your everyday happenings.

@fdncenter Why, thnk u! :p Keep it casual, be conversational & gracious - and content might be king, but context is prime minister!

@peninsulasymph "The Networked Nonprofit" is on my to-read list. Perhaps you could host a discussion on your blog? 

We're not ready to hire a social networking guru, but like many organizations, we're spreading the responsibilities among existing staff.  Bottom line - if you're not tweeting or on Facebook, you probably should be.  It's a vital tool in spreading the word about the wonderful work you do.

If you have other tips, please let us know.  And, if you're not following our Twitter and Facebook pages, please do!

@SupportGenHope
FB:  Support Generation Hope

- GH

A Holiday Message from Our Founder and CEO

Dear Friends,

As 2010 comes to a close, I want to thank you for your support over the past nine months.  During a keynote speech I recently delivered at a summit on preventing high school drop-out, I told the students in attendance that the ideas generated during the summit could have major impacts on people's lives.  The proof I gave them was Generation Hope.

What was once an idea has now grown into an innovative organization that is about to begin its critical work of decreasing the number of families living in poverty by providing direct sponsorships and support to teen parents who are attending college.  I am so proud of where we are today and proud of the wonderful people who have helped us get here.  We are certainly ending 2010 with a bang.

Last week, we met with our law firm, Shearman and Sterling, to discuss their pro-bono legal services for our 501(c)3 status and tax exemption.  This is a huge step for Generation Hope as it will allow us to apply for much-needed funding and to move forward with our FY2011 Strategic Plan.  The most exciting part of this plan is enrolling our first class of Generation Hope Scholars in the Fall. 

There's truly no limit to what you can do with passionate and dedicated people.  This is why I have high expectations for 2011.  There is a tremendous amount of work ahead, and current economic conditions indicate that fundraising will not be easy.  Therefore, as we work to fully launch Generation Hope, we will need your support, efforts, and dedication more than ever.  

As a group unified by our commitment to strengthening families, investing in education, and decreasing poverty, I have no doubts about our ability to rise to the occasion in 2011.  Thank you again for your support.  Enjoy your holidays.  Enjoy your families.  I look forward to experiencing Generation Hope's successes together in 2011.

Ways to Give to Generation Hope This Season!

While you won't be able to write-off your donation to Generation Hope just yet, you can still donate!  Your support this holiday season will help launch our organization and will give us an awesome start for 2011!

Here are some great ways to support our work:

*Gift cards to office supply and equipment stores such as Staples, Best Buy, and Office Depot.  These gift cards will help us stock our office with much-needed supplies and equipment. 

*Gift cards to general department stores such as Target and Walmart.  These gift cards will allow us to purchase miscellaneous items for our Scholar program, meetings, etc.

*General donations.  These gifts will go toward the implementation of our Generation Hope Scholar program.  

If you're not able to give, please help us spread the word about our program by retweeting our Tweets and joining our Facebook page.

We are so thankful for your support.  Our critical work to decrease the number of families living in poverty by providing direct sponsorship and support to teen parents who are attending college would not be possible without you. 

Happy holidays from everyone here at Generation Hope!

- GH

Our Board Member Lisette Orellana's Recent Interview

Lisette Orellana really cares about teen parents and their families.  She is one of our most dedicated supporters, and she is the Secretary of our Board of Directors.  Becoming a teen mother at age 15 posed some real challenges for Lisette, but she graduated from high school, earned her college degree, and has done extremely well for herself.  It's no wonder that The Young Mommy Life chose her for a recent interview. 

Click here to read the post!

We wanted to share this with you to show you the wonderful people that are working to get Generation Hope up and running.  Lisette is phenomenal - her enthusiasm and passion are so valuable to us here at GH!

Congratulations Lisette!

- GH

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

The number of children and teens living on the street is alarming.  The National Center on Family Homelessness released a study last year stating that one in 50 children in the United States is homeless.  Another alarming fact is that many teen mothers and their children are among this number.

Often shut-out from their families, fleeing difficult situations, or already living on the streets when they become pregnant, teen parents can be found in shelters or curled up on park benches with their children. 

The House and Senate declared November National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in 2007.  This month, we'd like to help raise awareness about homeless youth while underscoring the importance of our work.  Education is the key to higher wages and a better quality of life for young people.  Our critical work helps teen parents earn their college degrees so they can establish their own warm, safe homes for themselves and for their children.






To learn more about youth homelessness:

Stand Up for Kids

Virgin Mobile's Re-Generation USA

National Alliance to End Homelessness

To find out how you can  help us as we launch Generation Hope, click here.

- GH

Our First "Big" Check!

Our newly elected Board President, Kimberly Korbel, presented Generation Hope with a check for $1,000 during our September board meeting.  This will go toward the fees we will incur in registering as a 501c3 and becoming incorporated.  The monetary support means the world to us, but Kimberly's belief in the mission of our work is what truly inspires us.

We'd like to sincerely thank Kimberly for her generosity and leadership, which will help to launch this organization!



Nicole Lynn Lewis, CEO, and Kimberly Korbel, Generation Hope Board President




















- GH

Generation Hope Supports the Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act (HR 5894)

Generation Hope is pleased to announce its support of a new piece of legislation, the Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act (HR 5894), aimed at improving high school graduation rates and post-secondary and career opportunities for pregnant and parenting teens.  We have signed on to endorse this important and comprehensive legislation introduced by Jared Polis (D-CO) and 16 other Members of Congress.

Healthy Teen Network and the National Women’s Law Center assisted with the Act, and their websites contain Action Alerts that you can send to your Senator and members of Congress to enlist their support.  Click here for more information. 

What does this Act do?
Provides the necessary resources to states and school districts to ensure that pregnant and parenting students have equal access to educational opportunity. Specifically, the legislation:

• Enables states to create a state plan for pregnant and parenting students, provide professional development and technical assistance to school districts, coordinate services with other state agencies, and disseminate information, among other activities.
• Establishes a state coordinator and school district liaisons for the education of pregnant and parenting students.
• Requires school district grantees to provide academic support services for pregnant and parenting students; assist students in gaining access to affordable child care, early childhood education, and transportation services; engage in student outreach, recruitment and retention; provide professional development for school personnel; and revise school policies and practices to remove barriers and encourage pregnant and parenting students to continue their education.
• Allows districts to provide parenting and life skills classes; case management services; pregnancy prevention interventions; referrals to primary health care, family planning, mental health, substance abuse, housing assistance, legal aid, mentoring, or other supportive services needed by the student; as well as to address school climate issues, including illegal discrimination against and stigmatization of pregnant and parenting students.
• Collects and reports data on pregnant and parenting students annually, including educational outcomes, and requires a rigorous evaluation of the program.

(Derived from the Fact Sheet)


If HR 5894 is passed, programs like ours will be strengthened and our capacity to help pregnant and parenting teens earn their college degrees will grow. 


Imagine what a better would this would be, if we supported the college pursuits of all young people.


-  Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO

A Logo That Tells It All

We unveiled our logo when we launched this temporary blog for Generation Hope, and we received tons of positive feedback, but we wanted a version that articulated our mission.  We've got one! 

Thankfully, we know an amazing person by the name of Kelly Connelly who is also a photographer, and she's pretty nifty with graphics as well.  When we asked her to design our logo, she donated her time and came up with something truly great.  Now, we're unveiling our tag line logo, which really sums up exactly what we're doing at Generation Hope.

As you can see, our tag line reads, "Investing in a generation of successful families." 

This means that Generation Hope is not merely a program that encourages the college pursuits of teen parents.  It also supports their children, and it creates strong mentoring relationships that will impact future generations.

We're so thankful for Kelly's hard work, and her generous spirit.  It's great to see that people believe in what we're doing, and it's great to know that so many young parents from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia will benefit!

If you'd like to check out Kelly's work, please visit http://ohbaltimore.wordpress.com/.

If you want to find out how you can lend a helping hand, please visit out "Current Needs" page.

- GH

Teen Voices 2010: What Makes Teens Successful?

How can we ensure that teens are successful?  A recent study, Teen Voices 2010:  Relationships That Matter to America's Teens, confirmed something that we already know here at Generation Hope - positive adult-teen relationships play a huge role in teens doing well academically, psychologically, behaviorally, and emotionally.

The study was conducted by the Ready by 21 National Partnership and was sponsored by Best Buy. 

"As caring adults, we must all do a better job to give teens the support they need to thrive," said Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, Inc.

Teen parents are among the most vulnerable in terms of lacking positive adult relationships and feeling as if their voices are not heard.  Our investment in their futures through programs like Generation Hope, will have a great impact on their lives and the lives of their children.

Won't you join us?  Find out how you can get involved today.

Read the full study here.

- GH

Board of Directors Are Confirmed!

We've reached an awesome milestone for Generation Hope.   After months of searching and various meetings, we've pulled together an amazing, passionate, accomplished group of people to help us launch this organization and lead it! 

Click here to check out our Board of Directors.  

It's awesome to see a dream taking its form.  Now we are one step closer to truly making a difference in the lives of families that need it most. 

The work is just beginning.  Now it's time to prepare for the first board meeting!  Stay tuned...

- GH 

Board of Directors Update

Pulling together a passionate, committed Board of Directors is no easy task, but so far it's been an exhilarating experience.  We have met with some AMAZING people who have given us valuable advice and tremendous inspiration.  They've told us stories of how teen pregnancy has touched their lives and how education makes all the difference.

We are hoping to have our board members confirmed by the end of this month, and we are well on our way.  Soon, we will be posting the list of our fabulous leaders with expertise in higher ed, legal issues, teen parents, fundraising, media, and nonprofit management.

Stay tuned, and thank you for your support!

- GH

What "Three in Ten" Means

Last month we conducted a poll asking people to guess out of every 10 girls how many become pregnant at least once by age 20 in the United States.  The answer: "three in ten."  This was more than just a trivia question.  We wanted people to think about just how many teen pregnancies we're talking about here.  "Three in ten" reflects the importance of Generation Hope's work and the work of so many organizations across the country that are trying to help pregnant and parenting teens to create successful lives.

"Three in ten" means there are a lot of young women in this country who find themselves pregnant before they've even graduated from high school.  Many of them will not earn a high school diploma and most of them won't come close to earning a college degree.  We're not talking about a small group of unruly teens here.  This large number means that you may know someone who has been in this situation or who will be in this situation.  We're talking about your neighbor, your student, your niece, or even your daughter.  If we want to better our communities, we need to care about helping teen parents succeed.

Want more statistics on teen pregnancy and teen births?  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has a wealth of information at the national and state level.  Check it out.

Inspired to become a Generation Hope sponsor?  Please email us.

- GH

PS:  We've posted a new poll to the right.  Take a guess!

A Great Week for Generation Hope

When you're trying to get an organization off the ground, there will inevitably be ups and downs.  But this week, the "downs" were outnumbered by some great "ups."  

On Friday, we secured our second board member, Kimberly Korbel of Amber Association Partners, LLC, who will undoubtedly bring a wealth of nonprofit and business knowledge and a passion for helping teen parents to Generation Hope.  We're are so excited to have her!

And on Saturday, during the celebration of our founder's new book, we distributed information about Generation Hope.  During the event, people signed up for our mailing list and asked about how they could get involved.  We even received our first donations!

We knew when we started out that this wouldn't be easy, but I don't think we knew just how rewarding and amazing it would be - and we're just getting started!

One awesome week down.  Many more to go.  

Thanks for all of your support, guys!

 

Why Start Generation Hope?

We're all busy.  We all have a million things to do.  So why start a nonprofit????   Our founder, Nicole Lynn Lewis, tells all...

Check it out here. 

The Big Announcement!

For those of you who know me, I keep myself very busy, but to say that I'm excited about Generation Hope would be an understatement! You get an amazing feeling from doing the things you feel you were put on this earth to do, and Generation Hope is one of those things for me.

If you're reading this, you're looking for more information about this new organization. I can tell you that there is no other like it in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas and probably very few across the country. Supports for teen parents to attend college are slim-to-none. Lacking the financial and emotional support, many don't even try to pursue post-secondary education.

"Less than two percent of mothers who give birth before the age of eighteen complete a college degree by age 30." -- The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

Sadly, earning a college degree is the key to a young parent's success and the key to their children's success. Realizing that earning my college degree made all of the difference in my situation, I wanted to create an organization that would do the same for other young mothers and fathers.

For information about how Generation Hope got started, visit our About Us page.

Please visit this site for updates about Generation Hope. Over the next year, we'll be getting ourselves organized and preparing for our first year of operation. We'll be using this blog to update you about all of our progress until we get the Generation Hope website up and running.

We hope to see you at my book release party on Saturday, June 5th from 5-7 PM where you can meet Kendria and I and find out more about Generation Hope.

Thank you for your support!

Nicole