0
items
$0
2017-18 DGT™ Annual Report
Doing Good Together’s vision is simple, but also transformative: To help create a world in which sharing kindness and helping others is a routine part of family life. We believe that this work is at the core of creating a just and compassionate world. This report recounts how our unique resources and innovative programs continued to inspire families—both in the Twin Cities and around the country—to pass on the critical values of empathy, engagement, and generosity to their children, while also contributing to the common good. This result is stronger families and stronger communities, both for now and into the future.
Thank you, Donors, Volunteers, and DGT™ Board Members
The unique mission of DGT continued to attract the steady commitment of donors, volunteers, and our exceptional board members. Thanks to their support, more and more families received the inspiration and tools they needed to make kindness and giving a significant part of their children’s early life lessons. Empowering families to live generously requires a broad, sustained effort, and DGT could not have maintained its trajectory or its pace of innovation without the dedication of these individuals.
Debut of the “Just Be Kind” Program
In the fall of 2018, DGT unveiled a new curriculum—aimed at schools, faith groups, youth groups, and community groups—to train people to conduct lessons in kindness. Our Just Be Kind program has already proved to be a welcome resource. The program offers youth leaders across the nation (and the world!) a toolbox of ready-to-use activities and discussion guides to lead elementary-school-age children in big-hearted lessons in kindness and service. Our unique curriculum, which ranges from bullying prevention exercises to service projects to help older adults, also includes a year of coaching service.
Learn more about the Just Be Kind Club…
Miami Project
DGT continued to expand its presence in the Miami-Dade public schools. We concluded a pilot project that brought our Family Service Fair to eight elementary schools. Evaluations from students, teachers, parents, and administrators in this diverse district were outstanding, affirming how effective this DGT-developed event can be in imparting lessons in compassion and community engagement. The next goal is to make the program sustainable so that every school in Miami can offer a Family Service Fair to its families. Because attendees gather to make service projects for local nonprofits, this would also result in badly needed items going to many more people in need. This project, funded by the Al & Jane Nahmad Foundation, will serve as a model for how to bring this meaningful event to other school districts around the country.
Festival of Giving
In September 2018, hundreds of families joined DGT at our inaugural Festival of Giving™ – a one-of-a-kind event presented on Nicollet Island in Minneapolis. Visitors to our big white tent were greeted with kindness activities, fun service projects, multicultural performances, snacks, kindness swag bags, and lots of unique collaborations with local organizations. Check out this infographic to see the results of the big-hearted service projects.
We are grateful to the generous sponsors and volunteers who made this unique event a success, and we quickly started planning for an even bigger and better Festival of Giving in 2019.
Learn more about our Festival of Giving…
Special thanks to these 2018 sponsors…
Partnerships and Sponsorships
As in years past, DGT was honored to collaborate with some awesome partners in fiscal year 2017-18. For example, we participated in the “Season of Love and Kindness” event at the Minnesota Children’s Museum; began work on a curriculum for Harvard University’s “Making Caring Common” program; developed parent engagement materials for a new after-school program called “Stronger to Serve”; and created fresh new “Take Your Child to Work Day” events for several businesses around the country. In addition, we worked with the Minneapolis Foundation to share our family philanthropy expertise with its donors. We were also called on to assist a number of local and national schools, businesses, faith groups, and early childhood programs as they sought to incorporate family service initiatives into their operating strategies.
Trending Topics and New Products
DGT continued to explore timely topics that deserved new “kindness and compassion” resources. Our new materials included ideas for animal fans, and materials to encourage animal advocacy. We also greatly strengthened our booklists. We updated our books on Global Poverty, added a new book category called Peace Makers, and developed new opportunities for learning advocacy on the subjects of Helping the Hungry, Healing the Earth, and Welcoming New Immigrants. In addition, we stocked the DGT™ Store with a series of eBooks, created by our experts, that offer in-depth lessons about big topics like bullying, neighborliness, and environmentalism. Each eBook contains theme-related service projects, conversation cards, and reflection opportunities. Each could be downloaded for free by any member of our DGT Membership Circle.
New City Listing - Oakland/East Bay, California
With the help of our wonderful new Volunteer Coordinator, we began compiling monthly listings of family-friendly opportunities in Oakland/East Bay, California, which we make available for free to anyone who subscribes. This marked the seventh location for DGT’s family volunteering resources—with more to come!
Financials
DGT continued to inspire families to put kindness, compassion, and caring for others front and center—and to provide the resources needed to weave these values into their everyday lives. As a direct result of our work this past year, more community needs were met: more meals served to the hungry, more visits paid to lonely seniors, more trees planted, more foster homes found for rescued animals. And more children were empowered to grow up making a difference. To fulfill this important work, we dedicated ourselves to practicing sound financial, administrative, and organizational stewardship, with money and mission working together to bring our vision to life.
2017-18 Volunteers
Maya Aadland
Chris Aerts
Ryan Allen
Jennifer Alviar
Julie Amundson
Marisa Berglund
Libby Buckley
Nick Chrastil
Rachel Chrastil
Rocky Chrastil
Megan Flasch
Amy Glaus
Gary Glaus
Mimi Goh
Anne Hable
Michael Henley
Kira Hower
Adam Johnson
Sarah Johnson
Michelle Jones
Junior League of Minneapolis
Marla J. Kinney
Tara Kumar
Natalie Lee-Heidt
Cathy McClane
Brian McDermott
Pat McFarlane
Mike McFarlane
Belinda O’Connell
Kelsey Ohme
Sherri Olson
Jill Prevatt
Maryann Reynolds
Kate Rome
Gerry Sexton
Natalie Silverstein
Natasha Speake
Amanda Ungs
2017-18 Board Members
Cara Johnson-Bader
Julie Bascom
Michael Birdman
Jana Bruder
Jenny Friedman
Roy Ginsburg
Elizabeth Glaus
Susan Humiston
Kevin Larabee
Becky Nahvi
Marty Owens
Jennifer Scholl
2017-18 Donors
Nita and Lonnie Aadland
Peggy Aadland
Sarah and Joe Aadland
Mark Abner
Heidi Adelsman and Mike Everetts
Chris Aerts
Albert H & Jane D Nahmad Foundation Inc.
Alex Benjamin Norris Memorial Fund
Vicki Alexander
Diana and Tad Allard
Liz Alonzo
Jennifer Alviar
Lisa Amic
Barb and John Anderson
Kendra Anderson
Kristi and Steve Anderson-Hermann
Christine and Don Anthony
Sarah Anthony
Ashley Raggio
Cathy Aten
Julie and Paul Banker
Courtney Baron
Julie and Duke Bascom
Mia Bauer
Joan Bechtold and Brian Balleria
Jane Bellis
Benovate, Inc.
Marisa Berglund
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities
Michael Birdman and Marissa Gautsch
Andrea Bolstad
Joan and Bob Bonello
Jane Booth-Tobin
Jana Bruder
Libby Buckley
B.C. and W.M. Byrd
Andrea and Edward Byrne
David and Carla Carlson
Judith Carpenter
Casa de Corazon
Patrick Cassidy
Candace Cervenka
Paul and Alisia Chesen
Anna Childers
Jay Chrastil
Joe Chrastil and Jean Ingebritsen
Rachel Chrastil
Rocky Chrastil
Andrea Cohen
Katie Crandall
Nathan Cuellar
Gregg and Elizabeth Cummings
Amy Dale
Arielle Dameshghi
Jeff and Susan Dee
Louise and Dave Delagran
Connie and Carl Dellmuth
Jennifer Dellmuth
Nancy Dellmuth
Gwen and Chuck Denninger
Jess Desanto
Beth DiPasquale
Meghan Dunbar
Amanda Eggenberger
Cara Feldberg and Phil Bennatyne
Sorelle Feldberg
Lisa Feller
Nicole Fetsch
Stephanie Fettig-Scholl
Nicole Fiftal
Devon Filimon
Scott Fischmann
Emma Flotterud
Katherine Ford
Laura Friedman and Dan Picus
Leah Friedman
Katherine Fritz
Ari Fuad
Alison Gardy
Clifford Genzler
Roy Ginsburg and Anne Damon
Lisa Glaus
Barbara Golden
Karen and David Grandstand
Brooke and Aaron Halfpap
Urbae Hall
Andrea Halverson
Bonnie and Clayton Halverson
Dawnn & Elijah Hannover
Jean Hanson
Julia Hanson
Patrick Hanson
Cynthia Harper
Michael Henley and Randi Yoder
Andrea Herges Berg
Jamie Hermes
Mark Hiemenz and Charlie Rounds
Emily Hierlmaier
Bonnie Higley
Anne Hinrichs
Miriam Hobart
Jenny Holloway
Michela Hugo
Susan Humiston
Michael Hugo
Lisa Hunt
Jenny Jendro
Sarah Johnson
Cara Johnson-Bader
Bill Jokela and Mary Jane Lipinski
Jones Day
Rishi Kapoor
Mareese Keane
Andrea Killory
Kinderberry Hill
Ronald and Eva Kinney Family Foundation
Anne Klein
John and Linda Klein
Tom Klein and Kip Palmer
Knight Foundation
Michaela Kronlage
Russell J Krueger
Tara Kumar
Lorna Landvik
Kevin Larabee
Allison Larson
Anne Laux
Mary Lawless
Nalie Lee Heidt
Yvonne Lerew
Laurie and David Levi
Nancy Levi
Ryan Levi
Lifetouch Preschool Portraits
Helen Lin
Diane Lindquist and Jeff Huggett
Pat Loftus
Daniel Lovhaug
Gary Lynn
April Lunde
Katherine Lusch
Gary Lynn
Julie Maanum
Blaine Mably
Jen Malutta
Jessica Marlin
Larissa Marocco
Holly Martin
James and Makenzie McCormick
Carol McCloud
Brian McDermott and Sue Schwartz
Joyce and Richard McFarland
Michael and Pat McFarlane
Cathy McLane
Elizabeth McLean
Keith McNeill
Susan Middleton
Midtown Global Market
Minneapolis Foundation
Chris Mongeon
Katie and Mark Mortenson
Stephanie Munyon
Kathryn Murphy
Christina Murray
Becky and Alex Nahvi
Diane Nelson
Jim Nelson
Chi Nguyen
Dave and Pat Noren
Julie Noren
Melinda North
Gloria Olson and Peter Racer
Marty and Brodie Owens
Naimisha and Kamlesh Patel
Lisa Percy
Pat Perlstein
Allison and Brian Peterson
Rick Peterson
Julie Phillips
Michelle Phipps
Greg Poduska
Megan Pollock
Seema Pothini
Jon Poupaard
Private Wealth Mgmt. U.S. Bank
Barbara Raggio
Jason Bowles, RBC Wealth Mgmt.
Erin Reichelt
Sue Reid
Jamie Lyn Reinschmidt
Erik Resurreccion
Maryann Reynolds
Jennifer Rhodes
Shelly Roberts
Jessica Rosati
Kari Rosbeck
Gail Rosenblum
Nassim and Federico Rossi
Kateri Routh
Matthew Samet
Katie Sanders
Colleen Scheck
Jacqueline Schmilel
Valerie Schimel
Sarah Schimmel
Tia and Matthew Schmit
Kathrin Schoenberg
Jen Scholl
Jill Schulte
Michelle Seets
Jackie Seidel
Gerry Sexton
Jim and Yvonne Sexton Family Foundation
Amy Shaw
Mark Shepard and Chris Soutter
Susan Shields
Barbara Shimshock and Mark Miller
Kathleen Shipp
Natalie Silverstein
Sylvia Sichol
Diane Siegel
Natalie Silverstein
David Small
Michael Sokol
Jennifer and Daniel Spiller
Sarah Steefel and Jim Moore
Jon Steinberg and Kathleen Watson
Kari Stern
Micah Stevenson
Ashley Stoker
Leslie Street
Deborah Sugerman
Harry and Sue Summitt
John and Alice Sylvestre
TC Indoor Lacrosse League
TCF Foundation
The Goddard School
The Purple Tree, Inc.
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundation
Lisle Thielbar
Sean Thomas
Gretchen Thompson
Thrivent Federal Credit Union
Thrivent Financial - Coolonnade Group
Ann Tobin and David Booth
Tamara Torres
Tradition Capital Bank
Audrey Trewin
Anne Tucker
Nicole Tuma
Jennifer Turner
Anne and Tom Ulseth
United Health Group
Caralee Valdez
Frank Voigt
Mary Walker
Mae Wall
Lina Wallace
Westwood Professional Services
Rachel Williams
Wings Financial Credit Union - Highgrove Office
Workers' Compensation Reinsurance Association (WCRA)
Mike and Missy Young
Messiah Youssef
Korin Ziesmer
