Please answer and send me your thoughts

We are looking to learn about how to develop effective nonprofit marketing tools for this 53-year old Denver NPO, which provides mentoring, gang rescue and prevention and educational training in a wide range of grant-funded and other projects. I am attaching a summary of those programs, a history of our organization, and our Feb. 2022 social media post. DYP is now trying to market its annual fundraising Gala and auction, to be held at Wynkoop Brewery on Friday, Oct. 14th. I will attach the latest marketing piece which is intended to recruit sponsors, auction donors, and attendees to the event. We need help in social media, improvements in our media products, and other marketing ideas suitable for nonprofits. As you read these attachments, make notes of your skills and interests that may help us, and send me your thoughts when you are done - obviously, the sooner we exchange ideas, the more effective our marketing efforts will be.

1 .ASPIRATION: To utilize the strengths of our rich history and dedicated people to launch the organization forward into the next five years

CHALLENGES: Appearance that there are three distinct entities (as perceived by staff, volunteers and the community) with confusion as to how they interrelate

Metro Denver Partners History The Vision

The Partners program began with a vision of adult volunteers helping delinquent youth. Our small group of founders envisioned that these youth could be helped through love and guidance from a caring adult in an ongoing relationship. They acted on that dream and made it come true. That dream continues to be realized today.

The Early Years

In 1967, Denver was experienced racial tension as public schools were caught in the throes of desegregation. In 1968, Young Life, a Christian organization, tried to respond to this situation and achieve reconciliation. A club for teens in the first high school (Manual) to be integrated was started by Bill Mitchell, a businessman. Bob Moffitt, a young seminarian just out of the Peace Corps, joined Mitchell. The problems facing these youth were serious crime, drugs and alcohol, and broken families. The youth had few stable adults for friendship and guidance.

The team began to establish friendships with some of the youth. These relationships were based on guidance and acceptance from a positive adult role model. Bill, Bob and others offered to become one-on-one volunteers with the Juvenile Probation Office. Young Life Probation Outreach, begun in 1968, was one of the first programs of its type in the country.

Bob was first matched with Johnny, a 10-year-old who had burglarized a store and had severe family and school problems. The relationship and Johnnys improved behavior surprised the court officials. Bobs and Johnnys experience was repeated by other volunteers and youth, earning the program the courts enthusiastic respect.

Bob became the programs first coordinator, continuing as the Executive Director for twelve years. The programs name came about when Johnny affectionately called Bob, Partner the name we continue to use today. Partner was used by youth at that time much as youth use homie today.

Including Bob, 10 volunteers were matched in the first group. The emphasis of the early program was on activities that were attractive to the youth and would build confidence and teach them new skills.

Transition

In 1971, a Law Enforcement Assistance Administration grant was available, but it required that staff and volunteers be selected regardless of religious orientation. As a result, Partners left Young Life and became an independent program. This transition represented a change for Partners from a Christian to a secular organization.

Program Development

Under the Federal grant, Partners became a national model. Staff traveled throughout the country training communities on the Partners model for serving juvenile-justice involved youth. Many communities became branch programs under the Partners, Inc. 501(c)3 registration.

Continued Change

In 1986, Partners again entered a period of dramatic change and reorganization. In October 1986, a decision was made to adopt an association model in April 1987. This association model denotes the mutual agreement of the separately incorporated local Partners programs to bond together for common interests and benefit. Existing branches became separately incorporated affiliates and standing bylaws and articles of incorporation were amended to an association model with local programs being included as the members of the association of the Board of Directors. Partners, Inc. was designated as the Partners Association office.

Denver Partners Evolution

At this point, the Denver program became incorporated as Denver Youth Program dba Denver Partners. Over the following years, the program expanded to serve additional youth. These youth were not involved with the juvenile justice system, but they were deemed at risk by the agencies referring them to the program. In 1987, we began serving youth in Adams County. These youth were referred to the program by an organization that was funded to prevent substance abuse. All the youth came from families with a history of substance abuse. This is a very high risk factor for the youth also becoming substance abusers and future engagement in negative activities. Within 3 years the original organization that sponsored the Partners model disbanded. At this point, we became funded directly through the State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD). In 1990, in conjunction with ADAD, we applied for a federal demonstration grant to provide services to adolescent females. Until 2010, we received ADAD, now called Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) funding for three different programs - Adolescent Females, Adams County and Northeast Denver Tutoring. As of 2011, the Adolescent Females program is the only funded by DBH.

GRASPs Beginnings

Also, in the late 1980s, Denver began experiencing a dramatic increase in gang activity, due in part to an influx of many gang leaders and members moving in from California. By 1991, youth gang involvement had increased dramatically. Several youth in West Denver, who belonged to the Inca Boys gang, had lost friends due to gang violence. In the summer of 1991, one of their members, Damon Murphy, was killed in a drive-by shooting. At his funeral, the Denver DA gang investigator, Rod Gomez, approached the young people in attendance and asked them if they had had enough of this violence and if they were ready to leave the gang lifestyle. They expressed the desire to leave, but also stated that they needed help. Within a month, Andy Dahl, Damons foster dad and a teacher at Rischel Middle School, along with Lucy Beers, another teacher, and Rod Gomez, began meeting weekly with the young people. Soon after, Dave Dawkins, Denver Police Sergeant with the newly formed gang unit, and Regina Huerter, Program Director at Denver Partners, joined the group of adults supporting the young people. In this first year, the group became known as GRASP, Gang Rescue and Support Project.

Youth in GRASP met weekly with the adult advisors and also conducted presentations to the community about gang violence. Through these presentations, additional youth joined. Until this point in time, the youth were from West side gangs. In 1993, Francisco Gallardo attended his first meeting, and soon he lead the way for other rival gang members to come together peacefully to help each other leave the gangs.

In early 1993, GRASP approached Denver Partners about becoming affiliated with us. By this time, they had a defined model for the program and had been receiving donations to assist them in their efforts. Rather than create a new nonprofit, they believed becoming part of Denver Partners would be more effective and efficient. The Board of Directors explored this request with due diligence. The overall conclusion was that GRASP fit well with the overall mission and history of Denver Partners as that Partners was founded to address increased juvenile delinquency. In 1993, an increasingly large number of delinquent youth were also gang-involved and engaging in violent acts. The Board saw the merger as a much-needed program to address these changing dynamics. Rather than utilizing the typical Partners mentor, GRASP uses former gang-involved individuals (and street-wise staff) to assist the youth in leaving the gang. These leaders have been there and can relate directly to the youths experiences. As part of the merger, GRASP has three seats on the Board of Directors.

The summer of 1993 also became known as the Summer of Violence. Gang murders began affecting innocent by standers and the community became mobilized. The Governor called a special session of the Legislature to address the issue. At this session, the Youth Offender System (YOS) was created. It is a five-year correctional program for youth gang offenders. In the legislature, one individual, Tony Grampsas, a Republican Representative from Evergreen, took the lead to provide funding for prevention and intervention services, rather than only suppression tactics. He had visited the streets with Dave Stalls, Director of Urban Peak, and witnessed first-hand the lack of positive alternatives for Denvers youth and the proliferation of violence. In 1994 the Youth Crime Prevention and Intervention Program (YCPI) began funding programs. GRASP was on e of the first programs to be funded. In 1994 Cisco Gallardo became the first paid employee (part-time) with GRASP.

Douglas County Partners Origins

In 2000, MDP Director Emeritus, Kit Cowperthwaite, was attending a small gathering of friends and colleagues in Castle Pines. The group began discussing the tragic incident at Columbine High School in the spring of 1999. Members wondered if a similar crisis could occur in Douglas County. The consensus of the group was that they needed more information about the youth in their county and, if there was a need for youth services, how could they become involved. Kit mentioned the Partners program as a possible service that may be needed in Douglas County. These citizens interests were brought to the Board for discussion. After several meetings with one of the key Douglas County individuals, Eddie Johnson, a plan was developed. MDP hired an outside consultant to conduct a needs assessment/feasibility plan.

The consultant developed a survey and personally interviewed 50 key Douglas County leaders including the school district superintendant and all middle school principals, the District Attorney and juvenile diversion personnel, judges, social services, churches, service clubs, elected officials, library staff and concerned citizens. In July 2000, Eddie and Jane Johnson hosted a gathering at their home to share the results of the study. All key leaders were invited. The findings of the study indicated a large consensus regarding the number of at risk youth in the county who could benefit from a structured mentoring program. Some statistics from that survey follow:

• 41% of students have been binge drinking
• 11% of students have used marijuana by age 11
• 19% of students have tried cocaine (14% have used it in the

past month)

• 28% of students have used LSD, PCP, Mushrooms, Speed, Ice,

or other illegal drugs

• 25% of students have carried a knife, club, gun or other weapon

(7% carried it to school)

• 24% of students seriously thought about suicide last year
• 26% of the crimes in our County are committed by juveniles
• 1,134 juveniles were arrested in 1999
• 1998-99 school year there were 1,413 suspensions and 30 expulsions

Possible sources for funding and volunteer recruitment were also described in the study. In discussions with most of the leaders, there was an expressed concern that the Partners program should specifically address the needs of Douglas County youth sensing that those needs may be different from the needs of inner city Denver youth. Also, the leaders wanted assurances that the money raised in Douglas County should be used to support their countys youth. For these reasons, it was determined that Douglas County should have its own Advisory Board which would have three seats on the Denver Board. At the gathering, Eddie requested volunteers to serve on the initial Advisory Board. Fourteen people signed up for service that evening. There were representatives from judicial, juvenile diversion, the school district, the sheriffs office, Douglas County Commissioners staff as well as several concerned citizens from Castle Pines. Current Board member Judge Susanna Meissner-Cutler, was an initial member and Larry Martin joined the following year. Eddie Johnson agreed to Chair the Advisory Board and continued in that position for three years. The first Board meeting was in September 2000. Denver Partners agreed to invest $20,000 for program implementation. At this time, the organization changed its name to Metro Denver Partners.

By April 2001, enough money had been raised to hire a Douglas County Program Director, Amy Thayer. (She was replaced by Jessica Summers in November, 2003.) To raise additional funding, Douglas County planned a concert for September 2011. Close to the time of the event, $30,000 in sponsorship money had been raised. Unfortunately, the concert was planned for the Saturday immediately following the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. After a lengthy discussion, the Board cancelled the event. All sponsors except one allowed the program to keep the money.

Douglas County continued to raise enough funding and did not require the initial $20,000 investment from Denver. In 2004, a Memorandum of Understanding was developed between the two entities to further clarify costs of the Douglas County program and potential use of the $20,000 if the program was not self-sufficient. In December 2008, it became necessary for Metro Denver Partners to invest the $20,000. Douglas County continued to owe money to Metro Denver until September 2011. Rather than becoming discouraged and letting the program die, Metro Denver was willing to support Douglas County while it began rebuilding its Advisory Board to assist in raising money and recruiting volunteer mentors, the other life blood of the organization. This joint effort should serve as a model for future endeavors.