Capital Campaign
A NEW HOME FOR GIRLS INC. OF LONG ISLAND
Girls Inc. of Long Island has been fortunate to share space within the headquarters of the United Way of Long
Island. The office, located in Deer Park, in Suffolk County, NY has been a clean, comfortable place from which the staff
could work. However, there is no room for programs to be held in the space, for program and administrative storage, for the staff to grow, or for events of any kind to be held.
In order to meet the ever-growing needs of the girls of Long Island whom we serve, Girls Inc. of Long Island must move into new quarters – located in a community representative of the girls we serve – where the ability to expand over time exists. Providing a safe, inviting space for program participants, volunteers, and supporters is important in conveying the vibrancy of the organization and its commitment to the Long Island community. The new building will have ample space to offer a state-of-the-art technology center, educational programs for which Girls Inc. is known, along with meeting space, administrative offices, and storage.
- Anthony Acampora, Partner-In-Charge, SilvermanAcampora, LLP
- Katherine Dean, Managing Director of Operations, Opal Wealth Advisors
- Joe Giametta, Facilitator, American Business Associates
- Micheal Halprin, Senior Vice President, Business & Acquisitions, Solarus Technologies Inc.
- Devin Kulka, Chief Executive Officer, The Kulka Group
- Samantha Persaud, Privacy Specialist, Compliance and Ethics Division, Fannie Mae
- Leigh Schuckman, Chief Growth Officer, Zuma Payroll & Processing
- Peter Stein, Sales Executive, Didit
- Matt Thompson, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley
OUR HISTORY
Girls Inc. of Long Island was founded in 2005 as an affiliate of the nationally recognized Girls Incorporated®, a non-profit organization serving only girls with roots dating back to 1864. The founders included a diverse group of women who saw the need to bring gender-specific programs to the girls on Long Island in order to foster equity and hope for the future. The mission of Girls Inc. of Long Island is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. We provide school and community-based programming that serves the unique needs of girls, ages 5-18, living in Suffolk and Nassau Counties.
Through community partnerships, we help girls to achieve their full potential, make their future brighter. Girls Inc. of Long Island is dedicated to the advocacy of gender equity for all girls in all areas of their lives. Through participation in our programs, girls learn the skills to become leaders in their communities, leading to exponential change. Girls can benefit greatly from the Girls Inc. Experience, which contains six defining elements: girls-only environment, mentoring relationships, intentional programming, research-based curricula, interactive activities, and sustained exposure.
Navigating the Virtual Landscape
Our Future
Girls Inc. National chose to use our Girls
Inc. of Long Island virtual programming
design [developed as a response to the
COVID-19 pandemic] as a model for other
affiliates to follow. We utilized the
technology available to us in order to
conduct effective programming and
continue connecting with our girls while
also allowing them to connect with each
other. During a time of isolation, this
method proved effective and our numbers
were the highest numbers we’ve seen
during summer programming.
We view virtual programming as an
opportunity to reach more girls and offer
additional opportunities at a reduced cost.
As we move through the school year
virtually we will continue to evaluate how
we can engage our girls from a distance
until we can be together again.
“I love the program and I hope it can continue to
reach more girls like me and inspire them to be
all they can be” – Girls Inc. Girl
GOALS:
As Girls Inc. of Long Island continues to grow, our focus is on sustained exposure with our girls; we recognize the
significance of maintaining consistent, long-term
relationships with the girls we serve, in order to have the
most powerful impact and outcomes in their lives. The following are goals we strive toward and come closer to reaching each program cycle:
- Expand our programming to reach additional girls in school districts we currently serve and those we have not offered programming to previously.
- Enhance our program offerings and opportunities to engage more girls and increase retention.
- Offer additional mentorship and leadership opportunities to girls.
- Develop relationships with new and existing partners to create innovative programs and events.
- Increase revenue generating opportunities.
- Sustain our growth and continue to evolve to meet the needs of our communities during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn more about how you can get involved, contact:
Renee Flagler, Executive Director
[email protected]
What Girls Are Facing
1 in 7 U.S girls will not graduate high school.
1 in 5 girls in the U.S. lives in poverty.
Only 31% of all post-secondary STEM degrees are awarded to women.
Only 48% of girls in the United States ages 10-17 have high body esteem.
1 in 4 young women experiences sexual assault before the age of 18.
What Your Gift Will Do
Provide a space dedicated to academic support outside of school.
Decrease gender disparities in financial literacy and close the gender pay gap.
Encourage healthy living through
physical activity and media literacy.
Allow girls to explore opportunities in STEAM with hands-on activities.
Create a safe, pro-girl environment
where girls learn their personal power.
Commitments
Best Buy, The Clubhouse Network, and Canon have committed to building a Best Buy Teen Tech Center in our new home.
We have 100% commitment from our Board of Directors, Capital Campaign Committee, and Executive Leadership.
Proven Results
We conferred with Girls Inc. affiliates about the impact of their space on revenue generation and programming opportunities. Their responses were consistent across geographic location and the size of the communities they serve, highlighted in the following points.
Stronger Connection to girls and the community through additional programming opportunities such as homework lab, teaching classrooms outside of school, availability of technology, and increased interaction between girls in the programs and the staff.
Decreased Costs with the elimination of expenses associated with not having an independent center.
Increased Revenue Generation through the ability to rent out space, host community events, build partnerships through tours of the space and focus groups, and create a sense of permanency in the community.
Our Impact
We conferred with Girls Inc. affiliates about the impact of their space on revenue generation and programming opportunities. Their responses were consistent across geographic location and the size of the communities they serve, highlighted in the following points.
Mission Driven
- Creates a “home” for girls in our programs: Over 70% of the girls we serve receive free or reduced lunch. With our own space, we could offer a safe place for our girls to come to and call their own.
- Breaking down barriers: With school-based programs, girls from different locations (and often cultures, races, and religions due to the segregationist history of Long Island), don’t have the opportunity to interact. With our own space, we would be able to introduce more interaction between our girls. Another barrier is access to technology. Thanks to the partnership with Best Buy, our girls would have this access and the opportunity to develop their STEAM skills, leading to a potential increase in women entering STEAM fields.
- Additional mentorship & leadership opportunities: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we were forced to eliminate all in-person interactions with our girls. With our own space, we could open it up to girls with safe social distant protocols for homework help and technology support. There would also be leadership opportunities for older girls to assist younger girls during programming and other support offerings.
Sustainability
- Appeal to current and prospective partners: Our own space provides additional opportunities for partners to work with girls and see the impact their funding provides.
- Additional volunteer opportunities: Incentivizes potential funders as there are increased opportunities for their employees to volunteer.
- Proposal budgets could be increased: We would be reaching more girls and serving more of the community, providing us with additional leverage to increase our proposal requests.
- Branding opportunity: This branding and visibility can attract new clients, members or patrons, as well as new financial support. As a result, we will be able to reach more girls in the community.
“Girls Inc. helped me feel more
confident about my future, and now I
see there are options for me that can
make college possible.”- Daisy, 17
Milestones
Growth
In the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had our most successful programming cycle yet. Not only did we increase the number of girls who attended our programs, we increased the number of school districts represented. This increase opens opportunities for us to expand our programming and have a presence in schools we previously had no relationship with. We’ve already begun discussions with these schools, such as Syosset school district. Our successful virtual summer is only one example of our continued growth.
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