My husband, Mark, and I have begun working with a charity in Brooklyn, NY called Bailey's Cafe. www.baileyscafe.org
Bailey's Cafe uses art, music, drama, cooking and other community based activities to build relationships and transform lives in a very tough inner city area of Brooklyn. The people who benefit from Bailey's work range in age from early teens to the elderly and one unique aspect of their programs is that they cultivate mutual respect and understanding across generations.
We came to be involved with Bailey's through some work we did with Jay Leno -- when he auctioned off a custom motorcycle. We were able to raise enough money with that event to fund their programs for this year, but in order to thrive, they need to purchase a building that they will call their home. That's the next big funding goal.
Mark and I are keen to help Bailey's reach that goal. We are willing and have full intention to help them develop a communications strategy and non-profit brand that will help them to secure funding, and make it much easier to sustain their future. The financial value of the work we are contributing -- based on previous private sector projects -- exceeds $15,000.
Having a strong brand and a communications strategy is a key component to any venture's success. Bailey's Cafe is in competition, just as much as any for-profit company. It competes with other non-profits for the attention of potential benefactors, for volunteers, even participants. It competes at every level for mindshare. A coherent, consistent brand is the first step in winning those competitions and in setting up a structure for long term growth. Although Mark is now best-known as a motorcycle journalist (and that is how we came to be aware of Bailey's Cafe) he spent 15 years as a marketing and communications strategist; he's extremely skilled at leading organizations of all kinds through this process.
We are looking for funding for our out-of-pocket expenses so that we may travel to New York and spend time with the people who make Bailey's tick -- the founders, organizers, teaching artists and the participants. Any contributions made to this fund will be fully tax deductible as they will be made out to Bailey's which is a 501c3. Every cent of every donation to Bailey's Cafe goes to the charity. As Jay said, "They lick their own stamps." There are no professional 'fundraisers' and we, for example, are volunteering our time.
Building a brand is an investment -- if you help us create a strong brand for Bailey's Cafe by donating to our travel fund, your donation will be leveraged many times over in coming years. You'll play a key role in helping to secure a future for Bailey's Cafe in Brooklyn and set the stage for an expansion of this concept to other cities. You'll help to create new generations of people who grow up with a sense of community -- local, national, and global.
If you or someone you know would like the benefit of a tax deduction this year, please contact me as soon as possible.
Please feel free to pass this on.
Our hope is to make a trip in early December and we would like to book our airfares now to minimize expenses.
Below you will find an estimated budget for the initial phase of our project.
Airfare from San Diego to NYC $500 x2 ......$1000.00
3-4 nights hotel in NYC .............................$900.00
Meals and incidental expenses.................. $300.00
Total out of pocket expenses....................$2200.00
Any amount that you can contribute will help. Thank you so much.
Related causes: Arts, Community, Leaders, Youth
