Most recent activities are listed first. To read my biographical statement, follow the link below.
2022
I began supporting the work of Atlanta Grade School Friends in Atlanta, Texas in late fall 2021. We hit a home run with a year-end USPS mailing which I designed and handled myself, and in 2022 we turned our attention to strengthening the organizational infrastructure of this beloved nonprofit in preparation for major gift fundraising and preservation of the WPA-era Atlanta-Miller Grade School.
We have a “gold seal” from Candid GuideStar, the Top Rated Nonprofit seal from GreatNonprofits, a new website to replace one from 20 years ago (thanks to Chris Wood and HandsomeWeb), a new MailChimp account to establish regular e-communications, and gift processing online courtesy of Qgiv. I am conducting prospect research and laying the groundwork for a major gift campaign to restore Atlanta-Miller Grade School and helping them envision future community uses for the facility. We have begun developing a relationship with Google Maps, we have developed a long-range plan, and we have hired highly regarded architect Stanley O. Graves of Architexas to guide the physical restoration of Atlanta-Miller Grade School. Stay tuned!
In 2022, I created a YouTube channel for Atlanta Grade School Friends. We are building our collection, so check back often. If you have questions, send us a secure message via our new website.
I enjoyed helping financial literacy nonprofit Rock The Street, Wall Street (based in Nashville, Tennessee and expanding in Texas), with its SXSWEdu Expo display in March. I did some work with the organization in 2020, but COVID kept us from moving forward very far in Texas. Things are looking up, though. If you have an interest in this financial literacy program for young women in high school, I am happy to connect you. To read a former blog post about the organization, follow this link.
2021
I was busy writing and teaching during 2021. See my Media Room for updates and links.
I also helped Bee Cave Arts Foundation lay the groundwork for an outdoor tech art festival, BuzzFest. Follow the link to the new WordPress website I created for them. Other projects have included the installation of Qgiv online gift processing (and silent auction platform), cleaning-up MailChimp and preparing e-blasts (see the newsletter page), and cleaning-up a former GoDaddy platform. I also did some photo documentation and provided social media support via my own channels. This work was done part-time and as a volunteer, a combination of both.
During 2021, I wrapped-up my longtime volunteer work for Nonprofit Tech Club Austin. To read more, see my community and volunteer overview on Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog. I was the lead volunteer organizer from 2015 through the end of 2021. Based on the strong club infrastructure I helped develop, the chapter will become the Texas Chapter of TechSoup Connect (fall, 2021).
2020
During 2020, I worked part of part-time for two nonprofit organizations, focusing generally on grant research and writing, infrastructure improvements, and online communications. One of these is based in Nashville, Rock The Street, Wall Street. To read more from my perspective about this successful and innovative financial literacy program, follow the link to my post. To learn more about my work during 2020, see my Media Room.
Following-up on my work last year with TechSoup on a nonprofit disaster preparation and recovery course for Hurricane Harvey-impacted regions of Texas, the curriculum team and TechSoup staff hosted a one-day workshop in Houston on February 13. The online course has been refined and is now available to the public. To see more Instagram photos from the event, follow this link to Carolyn’s Tumblr.
Thank you for your help in the workshop last Thursday in Houston! The participants, to my observation, were able to get useful information and network with each other as we hoped. They benefited a lot from the insights that you shared about disaster planning and recovery.
It was a great pleasure to work with you all on the CDP Disaster Preparedness project. Thanks to all your input and contribution, we were able to create the online course track and host the live workshop to help the Gulf Coast nonprofit organizations get better prepared for future emergencies, and as a result, become able to serve more people in need on those special occasions. That was a big achievement together during the past year! Your expertise and dedication are genuinely appreciated.
We wish you all the best moving forward, and hope our paths cross again in the future!
Thanks, Shuya Xu and the TS Courses team
Carolyn's Nonprofit Blog 