Great Futures Start Here

Wow! What a year it has been! We would like to send an extra thanks to you as a supporter of Hearts of Gold and “Make Nonprofit History in Ecuador.” You are making an impressive impact on Ecuadorian nonprofits, and we would like to share all that you have made possible in 2017 (so far)!

The Community Assistance Program (CAP) is moving along very well in its pilot year. We were honored to be the feature story in Bejing’s Change Magazine, where we were able to tell our story and all the progress that is happening in our neck of the woods. All of the workshops and dialogues we provide are helping to boost the capacities of nonprofits so that their work may go even farther! In the last three months you have been able to give education and training to 12 nonprofits and 35 nonprofit professionals that are serving at-risk communities in Ecuador! By touching 35 leaders, you have made a direct impact on over 840 Ecuadorian lives.  

In June we offered a “Teambuilding for Motivation” workshop, where 4 nonprofits came together with their teams for a day of collaboration, sharing, and fun. In addition to interactive teambuilding activities, we also discussed what being part of a team means, what motivates us to do the work we do, and the importance of team roles and balance in each organization. This workshop was offered at the request of nonprofit leaders, who would like to see their staff more motivated and mobilized.

In July the CAP offered two different workshops: Financial Concepts for Nonprofits and Time Management. These workshops target two of our eight capacity areas in the CAP: Finances and Performance Management. Local consultant Gabriela Gonzalez presented a financial workshop directed at the leaders of each organization so that they may understand the basic financial concepts that help each nonprofit to operate, while also discussing the language differences between directors, accountants, and economists. The Time Management workshop presented by University Professor and Systems Engineer Eduardo Merchan taught our leaders about the Scrum methodology which will help them plan, organize, and execute tasks and missions with their staff.

Hearts of Gold has also swiftly followed the mentorship aspect of the CAP with our three pilot members: NOVA, El Arenal, and CETAP-Lucy. With NOVA we facilitated over 8 hours of private workshops for their staff on nonprofit leadership and self-care, as well as teambuilding. We also underwent strategic planning sessions to prepare for the center’s upcoming academic year. Nova Director Miriam Maldonado states, "We are so grateful to have the opportunity to learn everyday as a team." With CETAP-Lucy we are focusing on fundraising plans and campaign development, and recently launched the 2017-2018 year of the Child Sponsorship Program. CETAP-Lucy leaders are being introduced to the process of how to plan a fundraising agenda and campaigns so that they are trained for future years to come. With El Arenal we are developing fundraising plan options and strategic partnerships, for example with University of Notre Dame students, as well as working on program development so that the center may be able to continue serving the youth of the community, while integrating their families more in program participation.

We are excited to see the CAP program continue to grow as we make nonprofit history in Ecuador together! We look forward to reporting some exciting news in the fall as we launch our first annual seminar on communications, “Somos el Cambio,” or “We are the Change.” Stay tuned, and as always, we are open for questions and comments! Thank you for being part of our team and for being dedicated to making nonprofit history in Ecuador.

From our hearts to yours,

Kelly Mitchell  

Links:

• Hearts of Gold Featured in international Change Magazine
• Blog Post - All About the CAP: How Has it Changed El Arenal?
• Blog Post - Teambuilding for Motivation Workshop

Thanks to YOU local leaders of nonprofits know that they are not alone in the fight to build stronger communities. Thanks to YOU local nonprofits can dream beyond the stars, and know that there is a network there to support them along the way. Thanks to YOU all of this has been possible in a short two months.

You are making nonprofit history in Ecuador, and we would like to share the impact that your donation has had on local nonprofits through Hearts of Gold's work.

After the programs of the last couple of months participants echoed the sentiments: "We are not alone."

Last month Hearts of Gold hosted a 2-day workshop in Fundraising, which happens to be one of the greatest challenges that local nonprofits face in their operations. We focused on how to communicate with, retain, and show gratitude to donors, and how to design and implement a fundraising plan through campaigns and events.

Most recently, we just wrapped up a 5-day workshop in Leadership and Communication, where 15 leaders of Ecuadorian grassroots organizations came together to explore their style of leadership, communication, and conflict resolution. We laughed. We cried. We gave it our all. We became stronger leaders and learned more about ourselves. Together in this workshop we planted the seeds of something very special as a network of community changemakers in Ecuador.

Rocio, Director of CETAP-Lucy shares the message, "We are so happy and grateful for these opportunities to learn and develop our skills as leaders. Even more, we are able to take this information back and share it with our teams and our communities so that the impact spreads to many, many more."

We have also continued the mentoring component of the Community Assistance Program and worked hand-in-hand with Fundación El Arenal, NOVA, and CETAP-Lucy. With each organization we have analyzed their challenges and capacities, and collaborated on setting goals and made plans in how to reach them.

We are very grateful for your solidarity as the Community Assistance Program continues to grow and empower, support, and invest in local nonprofits.

From our hearts to yours,

Kelly Mitchell

Links:

• 5-day Workshop in Leadership and Communication