Walk-In is acutely aware that so many people find us with little advertising. We want to make sure that everyone who really needs us knows about us.
In our early years we primarily served teens and young adults. As they matured, so did our client population. In recent years we’ve served relatively few young people.
Likewise with women. Though we’re proud to serve 50:50 men and women, that proportion is a little unusual for a mental health organization. In 2012, we’ll be doing targeted outreach to make sure women and youth/young adults know we’re here.
We’ll continue our partnerships with Family Tree Clinic and First Lutheran Church - Love Grows Here Wellness Center and hope to gradually expand. To support our volunteers in serving the diverse clients we see at Walk-In, we launched a new free quarterly training series for volunteers, and a new monthly eNewsletter, the Volunteer Voice, which informs volunteers about training, resources and important information specific to volunteering at Walk-In. Also, we implemented a new volunteer database, which allows for more effective scheduling, skill identification and tracking.
2012 marks our second year without any government funding, so we’re revving up our outreach activities in order to make more friends and raise more funds so we will survive and thrive for many more years.
We recently launched Facebook and Twitter pages – we invite you to “like us” and “follow us” to stay more connected. Also, the newsletter you are reading will come to you three times a year. Many of you are loyal donors, and we want to keep you informed of what you are supporting. If you’re a friend and non-donor, maybe we can change your mind. Likewise, your network of family, friends, etc. might appreciate what Walk-In does. We hope you’ll share this with them – perhaps they need our services or want to support us. Just as real estate is all about location, fundraising is all about networking.
