We know how much of a difference one person can make in another’s life. But what if your goals are loftier than reaching just one person? What if you want to make a difference in the lives of a hundred, a thousand, or more? There are millions of young people across this country that need access to opportunity so that they can have successful futures after high school. What if you could play a pivotal role in providing that access?
That’s the challenge NAF is working to solve. With over 100,000 students enrolled in NAF academies in underserved high schools across the country, reaching these students wouldn’t be possible without our business partners. NAF advisory board members in particular – those who volunteer their time on a regular basis to give back to their communities – are investing in their future in so many ways, but many still struggle to meet the need for all students to have opportunities. NAF seeks to impact over one million students across the country by providing access to opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. To get there, we need to scale the solutions we know work.
This past June, we brought together some of our most successful advisory board members to develop strategies that could be replicated anywhere in the country, no matter how different the needs or circumstances of a location. The end goal is the same: to support student success.
Many of the challenges that they uncovered were not unique. Funding for opportunities is a common problem. Many companies are either unwilling or unable to provide paid internships for students under the age of 18. To supplement this, advisory board members turn to the community for donations to fill the void. Other programs also suffer from the funding issue and work through their local government’s summer youth employment programs to cover the cost.
A major issue, of course, is capacity. Expanding opportunity means expanding networks and finding those who will champion the cause. Identifying those volunteers who will be a catalyst for scaling and will lead the way with enthusiasm and dedication can encourage others to get involved. Every person who comes on board has the capacity to contribute in large and small ways and may even bring in some unique strategies to bring in even more volunteers.
NAF is also exploring ways companies can scale their capacity to provide more internships. Through NAF Future Ready Labs, companies that traditionally support one to one internships have the opportunity to support 20-25 students who work together on a project of value that the company can use right away. For the past two summers, NAF has been working with major companies to get this idea off the ground and are now exploring ways to bring it to local companies.
There are many more unique solutions to expanding opportunity coming down the pike. We know technology will continue to play a key role in the movement, but dedicated volunteers will continue to remain at the heart of the mission and will drive the possibilities forward.
To read more about successful advisory board strategies, read our latest case study here.