Greetings!
Do you know how much it costs to keep ENGin running? Our budget for 2023 is just over $400,000, primarily comprising the direct costs of onboarding new students and volunteers and supporting current ones. While we strive to be as frugal as possible, serving thousands of participants around the world requires a team of hardworking employees as well as essential technology.
If you'd like to learn more about our costs, fundraising strategies, and overall financial situation, we've put together a detailed explanation here. Transparency is extremely important to us, so we've tried to share everything we can!
If you're just looking for the Cliff's Notes, here it is: While we are trying every possible strategy for fundraising, institutional funding for a program like ours is very limited and nearly impossible to access without personal contacts. At this point, we simply cannot keep going without our community's support. The good news is that we have a generous donor who has committed to matching everything we raise, which cuts our fundraising goal for next year to $200,000.
At this time, we've raised about $95,000 (over half of it thanks to our amazing volunteers), leaving a gap of $105,000.
This Giving Tuesday, we are kicking off our annual holiday fundraising drive to make a dent in this remaining need. Here are three ways you can help:
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Make a tax-deductible donation here if you are able. (New for the holiday season: you can donate in honor of someone you care about, and they'll get a card from us!)
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Host an online or in-person fundraiser for ENGin (if you're on Facebook, you can create an online fundraiser here)
- Share ENGin with any organizations where you have contacts - companies, clubs, faith-based organizations, etc. Ask them about possibilities for grants or donations.
There are thousands of ENGin volunteers, and our strength lies in our numbers. If we all pitch in, ENGin will be able to stay open through 2023. So, if you have not supported ENGin yet this year, please consider doing so now.
In the day to day of planning sessions, troubleshooting technical issues, and navigating the impacts of war, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. What is ENGin for? What are we all working toward together? We hope this video, generously donated to ENGin by Bandit & Scout Productions, reminds you of our mission and the incredible impact we are making every day.
Thank you so much for your support!
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Resilience in Stressful Times: Tips for ENGin Volunteers |
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Over the past few months, the war has directly affected more and more ENGin students and team members. Earlier, Ukrainians located far from the front line could feel some level of safety and normalcy. Today, following ongoing terrorist attacks on vital infrastructure, few are spared from the war’s effects.
As an ENGin volunteer, you may not be physically in harm’s way, but you are vicariously experiencing your students’ trauma. In consultation with Ukrainian-American psychologist Dr. Marina Bayeva MD, PhD, we’ve put together some tips for handling difficult feelings stemming from your role as an ENGin volunteer.
Please don’t hesitate to email us at info@enginprogram.org if you have any questions after reviewing this document.
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Click on image to access the tips for volunteers. |
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Given the disruptions to electricity in Ukraine, how often are you meeting with your student?
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We are having our regular weekly sessions.
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We are meeting sporadically based on when my student has electricity.
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We have not been able to meet in several weeks.
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Volunteer Moderator for Online Dance Club Community |
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ENGin offers many online communities for our students. At this time, we are in need of a Volunteer Moderator for our Dance Club Community. So, if you love dance, are ready to get more involved with ENGin, and are able to commit to a long-term volunteer position, this is the perfect opportunity for you!
Responsibilities as a moderator fall into four main areas:
- Keeping the conversation going with thoughtful prompts, comments, and replies
- Organizing Zoom events for the community
- Monitoring participant activity and removing inactive participants
- Ensuring a safe atmosphere and appropriate content in the group
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Your time as an ENGin volunteer has never been more meaningful. The skills you are helping your student develop will have a lifelong impact. At the same time, you are fighting Russia's attempts to isolate Ukrainians by providing a connection to the outside world.
Your work is important.
Thank you!
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Our Volunteer Manager, Rose Tatum, has virtual office hours! |
Rose will not be holding office hours on December 1st but will be resuming the weekly opportunity to virtually meet with her on December 8th.
Rose will be available each Thursday for 40 minutes to answer your questions, chat about your volunteer experience, and just get to know our volunteers. You can stop by Rose’s virtual office on Zoom Thursdays 1PM-1:40PM Eastern Time. Be sure to use the code: 6haPvK.
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