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Needed Transformative Support

Donors frequently want to know if there are specific items to be funded that would most help the nonprofit Wayword, Inc., and the radio show it produces, A Way with Words.

While we manage to cover the day-to-day operating costs as we grow larger, there is a need for transformative support that would allow the organization to better attend to its growing constituencies and to fulfill its educational mission.

Below are items that donors may choose to fund to help the nonprofit Wayword, Inc. Email or call today to find out how to make your transformative gift: (619) 567-9673. Of course, we gratefully welcome donations of any size.

School Visits. As part of our educational mission, we go into schools with lively presentations about language. For example, Grant often gives talks about slang, its history, how it differs from regular English, and he listens to the students as they explain their own slang. Later, he completes the learning loop by delivering a summary of the students’ slang to the teacher. These visits are made at no cost to the schools, teachers, or students. A donor commitment of at least $13,000 a year would make it possible to visit more than a dozen more classrooms each year. An additional commitment of $4800 would allow the creation of a “student learning” segment of the website where slide shows, collected data, reading recommendations, photos, and more could be shared.

Transcriptions. We frequently have requests from listeners for word-for-word text transcriptions of our episodes. These would allow learners, especially those who are studying English as non-native speakers, to follow along in text as they listen to the show. We have made tests of several transcription services and find that high-quality transcriptions that properly reflect the conversational style of the show cost about $220 an episode. To fund the transcriptions of all past episodes would require a commitment of $52,000. To fund the transcriptions of all episodes going forward would require an annual commitment of at least $6600.

Development Personnel. It’s a truism in the nonprofit world that nobody will fund a fundraiser. However, we know the transformative effect that a skilled development person can have on an organization. A good one is a force multiplier, taking a supporter’s initial gift and using it to create fundraising inertia. But that initial support is crucial. It’s the tinder and matches needed to begin a celebratory bonfire. A commitment of $28,000 would allow the nonprofit Wayword, Inc., to hire a professional fundraising/development person for six months, one who would ramp up the pursuit of grants, sponsors, and donors fulltime in order to fund their own position and the larger organization.

Online Producer. As the radio show’s website traffic grows, and as more listening and conversation happens online throughout the broadcast world, we have a strong need for a fulltime online producer. We’ve been managing to meet the needs of our online audiences in a minimal way but a sponsor commitment of $65,000 a year would allow us to hire a fulltime web producer who would oversee the digital/online content, website, community, branding, marketing, promotions, and outreach of A Way with Words and its nonprofit, Wayword, Inc.

Email or call today to find out how to make your transformative gift: (619) 567-9673.