Before

2

Friends of the Children (Friends) is an intervention program for the most vulnerable children living in seriously high-risk environments

• Avoid involvement in criminal justice system • Avoid early parenting• Graduate from high school with a plan for the future

Outcomes for children

• Most vulnerable children are selected based on research-based risk factors• Children receive early intervention starting in kindergarten or first grade and long-term

mentoring and support continuing through high school graduation• Children spend one-on-one quality time with a “Friend” who is a full-time, carefully

selected, and trained professional• Children are offered comprehensive services to meet their academic, social, emotional,

and physical needs

Service model

• Teachers, Firefighters, and Friends*—Friends will become part of the “social fabric” of our communities; helping our nation’s most vulnerable children develop the relationships, goals, and skills necessary to break the cycles of poverty, abuse, and violence and become contributing members of their community

Vision

3

Friends’ unique program is specifically designed to identify and support our nation’s most vulnerable children

Identify the most vulnerable children early…

• Proactive child selection process

–Research shows that early risk factors can identify young children most likely to fall victim to later serious negative outcomes–Friends works with schools in high-poverty areas to select children based on risk factors and then conducts extensive outreach to families to enroll children

• Early intervention–Children enter by the end of first grade

…and provide them with a supportive, qualified adult

• Supportive, qualified adult–Professional Friends

• Full time, paid employees• College educated• Are experience and

talented working with high-risk youth

–Selected through rigorous hiring process –Receive extensive initial and ongoing training–Are highly supported and supervised by program staff

… and holistic services over a sustained period of time

• Holistic approach–Friends develop quality one-on-one relationship with child

• Meet with each child 8 times for 16 hours/month

• Develop and update individualized goal plan for child

• Engage in community service and other activities

–Friends and program staff work to support each child’s academic, physical, emotional, social, and mental health needs

4

92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02

1 1 12 2 2

3

5

9

11

0.0

2.5

5.0

7.5

10.0

12.5

Number of sites

Numberof childrenserved 24 124 137 153 168 232 253 304 523 644

Source: Friends of the Children

Portland opened

Washington DC opened

Chester opened

National office, Klamath Falls and Seattle opened

Cincinnati, New York City, San Francisco, Wilmington opened

Demonstrated potential of the unique service model sparked interest across the country and led to the creation of the national network

Oregon Initiative (Salem & Eugene) opened

5

To start the business planning process, Friends developed a comprehensive Theory of Change for the network

Helping our most vulnerable children living in seriously high-risk environments develop the relationships, goals, skills, and resources necessary to thrive.

4.…needed to successfully implement these strategies

5.…to produce these outcomes among children and youth

 Qualified and Effective Personnelwith Expertise in: Management Business/strategy planning Program Development and QualityAssurance Management of quality, including

database and reporting system Curriculum development for child

and adolescent programming Training of supervisors and child

serving staff Evaluation management Developing and maintaining

collaborative partnerships  Infrastructure/Operations Financial and HR systems, including

hiring practices IT Financial Sustainability/Development Fundraising with national and local

major donors Developing/testing fundraising

strategies including new products Marketing and Public Relations Grant writing (government and

foundations) Government Relations (lobbying) Developing and maintaining

corporate Partnerships  Board Members with Commitment to Friends of the

Children National connections (corporate,

foundations, individuals) Expertise in a substantive area

(finance, law, public relations, national organizations)

Willingness to help with fundraising  Budget to support personnel

Program Development Lead efforts to refine the program Provide assistance in addressing ad

hoc program questions Quality Assurance Establish standards and best

practices for chapters; Review outcome data for children

and assist chapters in using data to improve program

Assist chapters in selecting and retaining both children and Friends

Provide curriculum and training for Friends, supervisors, Executive Directors

Conduct site visits, provide coaching Assist chapters in identifying gaps;

suggest strategies for addressing gaps

 Infrastructure/Operations Provide support for hiring qualified

and effective Executive Directors Establish standards for accounting,

HR, and insurance; provide templates and free/fee-based support for implementation

Assist in Board development (clarify roles, orientation, training, support)

Implement regular processes to share information/lessons learned through intranet, conference calls, meetings

Establish database system including forms, software, hardware;

 Financial

Sustainability/Development Coordinate donor prospects Provide marketing/PR strategy and

selected products, materials (like sponsorship); train chapters

Provide case statement, framework and assist chapters in developing strategic plans including growth and development plans; Board, ED training

National Evaluation Provide leadership in seeking funds

for and in managing program research, longitudinal evaluation study

Dissemination of evaluation results

 

 

High Quality Friends    High quality Friends who remain in relationship for a

minimum of four years with a monthly minimum of 6-8 contacts of 16 hours with each child

    Friends with an associates degree or more (preferred); a minimum of two years direct experience with children living in seriously high-risk environments; safe driving record

    Friends who work with no more than 8 children Selection of Vulnerable Children Living in High RiskEnvironments     Children served by each chapter meet specified

screening criteria (see risk and protective factors chart)

    Children identified by the end of the first grade

    Children selected in collaboration with credible and supportive community organizations

    A working relationship with child’s parents or guardians

 High Quality Program Resources and Support,

Directly or through Partnerships    A safe space for Friends and children

    Educational support services

    Physical, emotional and social services

    Caregiver support for basic needs and appropriate interventions when necessary for child’s progress

    A strong working partnership with schools

    A commitment to program children through high school and as they move within the service area

 Financial Sustainability/Development    Personnel with development expertise

    Engaged and effective board

    Sound and active development plan, including local major donors

    Sound and active marketing and PR plan

    Adherence to national branding standards

    Diversified funding base

    In-kind and volunteer resources 

An enduring high-quality relationship

for each child with a professional paid) mentor (the Friend)• One-on-one long-term positive

relationship• Individualized plans for success

for each child• Review progress semi- annually Friends who have the knowledge, experience, and ability to provide

skill building and/or resources for:• Social development• Emotional development, including

anger management• Academic development• Problem solving/making positive

choices• Appreciation of own culture and

cultures of others• Skills that build towards independent

living (i.e. hygiene, nutrition, time management, social courtesies, budgeting)

• Development of individual talents and interests

• Participation in meaningful and quality extracurricular activities and community service.

 Program resources and support, directly or through partnerships, in the following areas of need:• Services for children, including

physical, emotional and educational support, community service activities, special talent opportunities

• Services for caregivers, including referral to social services

• A safe space for Friends and children to gather

 IntermediateSocial and EmotionalDevelopment• Strong relationships with adults,

peers, and community• Improved mental and emotional health

Making Good Choices• Reduced aggression and problem

behaviors• Avoidance of substance abuse

School Success• Academic performance and progress

(attendance, appropriate classroom behavior, progression in reading/math/ computer literacy and promotion)

Other• Improved health care (both physical

and mental including reproductive when appropriate)

• Plan and skills for the future (post high school)

Long-term• Avoid Involvement in the

Criminal Justice System • Avoid Early Parenting• Succeed in School with a

minimum of a high school diploma (1st choice) or GED

 

 

 

2…..to provide these activities and services

1. National Friends needs these resources

3….so that chapters have these elements

February 8, 2008

How to Tell a Good Story

1. Stay in format

- hero, villain, plot

2. Show, don’t tell

3. No jargon

4. Keep it simple

5. Connect to emotions

6. Focus on structure

7. Omit unnecessary elements

8. Rehearse

GOAL

RESOLUTION

What makes a good story?

INCITING INCIDENT

PROTAGONIST

BARRIER

BARRIER

BARRIER

STRUCTURESTRUCTURE

ACT I ACT II ACT III

What makes a good story?

After

Meet A.J.

In elementary school, he was suspended 22 times.

In one year.

He lived with his mother in a rundown neighborhood, surrounded by gangs and drugs.

He was just the kind of child we look for.

We matched A.J. with a Friend who would be a positive force in his life -- four hours each week, 52 weeks each year, until A.J. graduated from high school.

Today, AJ (#2 in the photo) is a star player for Jefferson High School.

He’s being recruited by Division I colleges and will probably receive a full scholarship.

His life has turned around.

And that’s just the kind of result we work for.

Friends of the Children was founded in 1993 by Duncan Campbell.

Duncan was an “at-risk youth” before the term even existed.

After succeeding in business, he decided to use his wealth to help kids just like he used to be.

New York

Washington

Seattle

EugeneSalem

Klamath Falls

San Francisco

Cincinnati

ChesterWilmington

Portland

We started in Portland with 24 children, and today we have 11 chapters serving nearly 700 children across the United States.

Our work is based on a bedrock principle:

The single most important protective factor that fosters resiliency in high-risk children is a caring and sustained relationship with a supportive adult.

These adults, whom we call “Friends,” are full-time, paid professionals who bring both experience and heartfelt commitment to working with at-risk children.

Our Friends are diverse: 60% are people of color, 50% are women, ages range from the twenties to the fifties, and they come from all walks of life.

Each Friend receives extensive training, supervision, and support from our program staff.

Each Friend works with no more than 8 children. Each child has a Friend from 1st through 12th grade.

Friends also maintain regular contact with each child’s family to keep us connected to the most important influences in the child’s life.

• Graduate from high school with a positive plan for the future.

• Avoid involvement in the criminal justice system.

• Avoid early parenting.

We set 3 clear, measurable goals for each child in our program:

Based on results from our Portland chapter alone, we can already see that Friends of the Children is making a difference…

98% of children in our program are still in school, and 97% have passing grades.

97% are not using drugs or alcohol on a regular basis.

More than 90% are not involved in gang activity.

98% have not been incarcerated.

26

Dropping out of high school

Becoming a teen mother

Becoming a career criminal

0.0 0.5 1.0 $1.5M

Total lifetime cost to society and taxpayers per individual (net present value.)

$1.3 million

$800 thousand

$500 thousand

Friends of the Children also benefits the larger community by removing costs that can be incurred when at-risk children do not receive early and sustained care…

27

$50,000

Residential care program

$50,000

Juvenile incarceration

Adult incarceration

Friends of the Children

$10,000

$30,000

$20,000

$40,000

$47,000

$27,000

$8,100

And when compared on a per-child basis, the annual cost of supporting an individual in our program is considerably less than the alternatives taxpayers often must bear.

Annual Cost

“In my professional life, I’ve seen only a few programs that I think have a shot at really making a difference. What [Duncan Campbell] created in Portland could change the way this country tries to help its children.”

Gary Walker, President Public/Private Ventures

And that’s only part of our story. To find out more, please call Vanessa Wilkins at 503.281.6633, or visit us on the Internet at www.friendsofthechildren.com.

Thank you.

1 2 3

The Ins and Outs of

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Contracting with an outside mailing service

4

Insuring against your mail looking like spam

Databases for dummies

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Succeeding in business today

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