Common Cents Mission: Common Cents, creator of the Penny Harvest, nurtures a new generation of caring and capable young people between the ages of four and 24 by enabling them to strengthen their communities through philanthropy and service-learning.

Penny Harvest location: 

Join the Common Cents email list!
Donate to Common Cents and the Penny Harvest!
Tell A Friend about Common Cents and the Penny Harvest!

NYC / Metro NY
Penny Harvest Field

Search the Common Cents and Penny Harvest web site  

What's New at Common Cents and the Penny Harvest

COACH APPRECIATION & KICK-OFF PARTY: Check out the photos from our October 16th party at Cole Haan.

FAMILIES: Download your Penny Harvest Family Kit now and then be sure to mail your Family Bonus card to Common Cents.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO ENROLL: You can still sign up and join 858 other NYC schools!

Penny Harvest recognizes 26 New York City  schools as 07/08 Schools of Excellence!

 


Instant Poll
Who do you think should be responsible for teaching our children to be good citizens?
Families
Schools
Religious institutions
Educational programs (like the Penny Harvest!)
All of the above

Penny Harvest NYC / Metro NY


Home > Penny Harvest > Location > NYC / Metro NY > Grantees > Get Involved > Educate
email this page | print this page

EDUCATE

“I had to laugh because on the day that I had to give my proposal to the students, I had to follow a dog.  Of course the cutest dog in the world who the kids were absolutely in love with...I knew this would be a tough act to follow.  It ended up being a great experience and meeting the students was an honor.  They were so kind and so curious to know more about us.”
– Eileen Nelson, National Program Director, No Limits Theatre

present your organization in person

Face-to-face contact with children is the best way to assure a grant and educate about your cause. Present directly to Penny Harvest student leaders or at a school assembly. Presentations should be short and make your work come to life. Visual materials, like short videos or appropriate photographs, as well as the power of storytelling, can make a huge difference.

To appeal to your young audience, we suggest you structure your talking points in the following order:

1. Talk about yourself: Students will be equally curious to know about you as they are to know about your organization. Adult visitors have a mystical quality for young children. Use your own story to engage the students. Why do you care about the issues your organization addresses? What do you do every day?

2. Talk about your issue: Before students are able to understand what your organization does, they need to know more about the cause you address. They need to fully understand the problem before they can appreciate your approach to solving it.

3. Talk about your organization: When talking about your organization, use stories to illustrate how you do what you do. Share a success story to make it real.

4. Talk about how to help: Finish with specific ways that students can help you. How would their grant money help solve the problems you face? Consider the needs you have that you might be hesitant to ask adult funders for, but that would be tangible and exciting to kids.

Download a Talking Points Guide Sheet with these four points so you can outline your presentation.

Work with other departments to determine the best person to present

Consider the special qualities that everyone in your organization can offer schools.

Constituents: Of course, the most powerful stories about your organization come from the people who benefit from your services. For children, these first-hand accounts make your work much more tangible. For example:

The Doe Fund sends the formerly homeless men in their “Ready, Willing, Able” program to schools. Third grader Ronit Morris described the impact of the presentation:

“They were able to not only tell us what they thought it was like, but what it was actually like.” 

Also, consider the effect of this experience on your constituents. One Doe Fund presenter reflected:

“I did so much harm. I took. I stole. Now this gives me an opportunity to teach. To help. To keep someone else from making my mistakes.”

"On-the-Ground" Staff: While Development and Marketing Departments are used to conveying the organization’s mission to the larger public, hands on staff members can convey what a typical day actually looks like and provide knowledge on an issue. For example, a doctor can educate students about health, a social worker can educate about elder needs, and a gardener can educate about the environment. 

Volunteers: Penny Harvest presentations are an excellent way to engage volunteers more deeply in your organization and capitalize on their unique time and talents. Also, serving as a role model for a group of elementary school students will be a powerful experience for your volunteers. For example: 

Make-A-Wish of Greater New York sends Sami, a retired New Yorker who loves children, into schools. Sami uses this as more than an opportunity to educate about Make-A-Wish:

“I am sure to tell students that I am a volunteer, what it means to volunteer, and why they should volunteer.”

consult the Penny Harvest Coach before your presentation

Because every Penny Harvest school is different, you should gather information about your audience before the presentation. Ask the following questions:

• How old are the students?
• How many students will there be?
• What do students already know about my issue and organization?
• Is it okay to talk about the sensitive issue that may be associated with my organization?
• Do they have questions I may want to prepare beforehand so I can answer as best I can?

 
Back to top
 

Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Web Credits