Seeking funding for a consultant
UNESCO BMW is also seeking funding for a consultant to assist us in short-term and long-term planning and best practices for nonprofits.
We wish to complete a SWOT analysis and set goals for the next year to five years. Understanding the importance of business planning and the planning process
• To determine business insurance needs and risk management practices
• To create our program and service descriptions
• To set strategies for earned revenues and fundraising. The plan will help us to structure our programs, recruit volunteers, and set up policies and procedures for good governance.
• To create marketing materials: messaging, targeted audiences, benefits/features, materials, SEO marketing/Google rankings
• To unify our social media platforms and website based on our branding.
• To increase web and email security, the plan should include one-year, two-year, five-year goals and near-term goals, intermediate and long-term action steps to achieve them.
Funding now will allow us to move beyond an all-volunteer, mostly in-kind model and into a more sustainable model with reliable funding streams, such as earned revenues. Given our target demographic of youth and young adults, messaging and media are very important to ensure we are reaching out in a culturally appropriate manner that will entice and engage young people to participate.
Frederick County youth/young adults currently do not pay for programs, and we would like to continue to offer free programs supported by memberships, contributions, and sponsorships. Youth and young adults have myriad choices when it comes to how they spend their time.
Personal Development Workshops
Following the UN Sustainable Development Goals, UNESCO BMW also provides young people with opportunities to reach their personal potential and contribute to a sustainable ecosystem. As part of a larger complement of programs that include arts and culture, ecological service projects, and inner peace workshops, UNESCO BMW offers job training and professional development for high school students, college students, and young adults under 30 to grow their skills to improve their employability and enhance their career potential, as well as their quality of life.
In partnership with Hood College, we hosted a quarterly Youth Life Improvement series that helps young people build technical skills (such as social media, graphic design, 3D printing), start businesses (such as for-profit or nonprofit, green and eco-friendly, public advocacy) and soft skills for personal success (such as anti-bullying, mental health care, problem-solving). Programs operate from a “think globally, act locally” mindset, providing participants with a diverse set of viewpoints from around the globe and concrete actions they can take to improve the world, starting here in Frederick County.
Our Program Schedule
Our main, but only program schedule aligns with four special themes established by the United Nations and UNESCO:
Spring – March, Women‘s Empowerment Day
Summer – May, Dialogue and Cultural Diversity with Exhibitions and Workshops
Autumn – September, Global Peace, Social Justice and Personal Health
Winter – November, Children/Youth for the Ecosystem with Enhancement through Smart, Sustainable Jobs
We are unique in several ways
1) Few organizations exist to serve young adults in Frederick County, and none have our particular focus on physical and mental wellness, ecology, and community activism.
2) While Frederick County is home to many excellent cultural resources, Indian and Iranian cultural offerings are underrepresented and often misunderstood.
3) UNESCO BMW is uniquely tied to a global organization (UNESCO), bringing world-class connections and information to Frederick County.
4) UNESCO BMW readily partners with other entities, such as Hood College, FCC and local high schools
Our impact on the community
Younger generations in the 21st century are facing almost unthinkable challenges related to climate change, economic hardships, and global socio-political threats that can and often do adversely impact their state of mental wellness and personal resiliency. UNESCO BMW seeks to empower our young people to make the global community healthier, stronger, and stable through marketable job skills and self-esteem building. We help people help themselves.