Doing Good Together 2020-21 Annual Report
Letter from the Executive Director of Doing Good Together…
News & Updates in 2020-21
American History Book List
We researched some of the best books that kids likely have not encountered in school, and DGT’s Big-Hearted Family programs created a new list of American History books with great biographies, histories, and historical fiction. This list continues to evolve as we learn of new excellent titles.
DGT’s Kitchen Table Kindness Kits were so popular last year that we created a follow-up Winter Edition Digital Download that lets families share acts of generosity from their kitchen table. The materials enable families to advocate for issues that matter and spark fun, meaningful conversations about empathy, compassion, and the common good.
Our DGT™ Membership benefits continue to grow as we add to our Membership Library of exclusive downloads. We’ve also been working on ways to increase member engagement by offering opportunities for members to connect and learn with one another.
DGT’s fall Festival of Giving went virtual for the second year. Families enjoyed four author-read books, completed hands-on projects, enjoyed live music and movement, and downloaded an exclusive activity guide – all for free, thanks to our generous sponsors. All four videos are now included in our Membership library.
DGT’s Partnerships in 2019-20
News from our Miami-Dade Partnership
The Miami Kindness Project from Doing Good Together offers simple, free, Miami-based resources for incorporating generosity and empathy into your family life, class, or youth group.
Ideal for anyone spending time with youth, our downloadable Miami Kitchen Table Kindness Kit includes unique templates to inspire creativity, nurture compassion, and make a difference.
When signing up for our Family-Friendly Volunteer Projects, families can choose from fun, meaningful ways to give back. Many of these can be done right from their own homes.
Weekly Kindness Tips help everyone keep kindness on their calendar – families, and teachers included!
Letter from DGT’s New Executive Director, MiaLisa Millares
Dear Friends, Champions, and Supporters,
This past year, 2021, was a year of transition and change for Doing Good Together™ (DGT™). Our beloved founder and Executive Director, Jenny Friedman, retired, but our Board and staff took great care to usher in a smooth transition.
Thanks to our incredibly generous supporters, we continue to provide innovations, respond to family needs, create new projects, curate family volunteer opportunities, and reach out to the community through new platforms.
We continued to excel at what we do best: creating high-quality content for our families. For the second year in a row, we focused on our digital work. We have increased our digital offerings, expanded our DGT membership to Classrooms and Youth Groups, created our second annual all-virtual Festival of Giving, and offered virtual zoom webinars and podcasts. We continue to reach families across the United States and abroad with our messages of hope, kindness, love, sharing, and the common good.
We also took some time to focus on operational change. We recruited and trained new Board Members, hired new leadership and staff in California, and built intentional relationships with our new community. We took your feedback to start the process of overhauling our website to make our existing content much easier to navigate for busy, engaged families. And these organizational changes and transitions infused us with new energy and hope amidst a challenging year.
Our talented and supportive Board of Directors provided unwavering support and guidance as we navigated our transitions. Our incredible volunteers and fabulous community partners continued to blossom. And, our generous and loyal donors continued their steadfast support.
In the third year of our strategic plan, we made substantial progress and achieved many ambitious goals, including creating new resources, growing our membership, and deepening collaborations.
As you read about our new resources and creative partnerships, we hope you continue to feel inspired by our enduring vision: to build a world in which sharing kindness and helping others is a routine part of every family’s daily life.
Thank you for believing in the common good, spreading kindness, championing your support, and making the world a better place.
In gratitude,
MiaLisa Millares
2020-21 Volunteers
Rocky Chrastil
Michael Henley
Diane Hopkins
Sarah Johnson
Ann Knutilla
Marla J. Kinney
Maryann Reynolds
Natalie Silverstein
Amanda Ungs
2020-21 Board Members
Becky Nahvi - Chair
Linsa Jabeen - Vice Chair
Susan Humiston - Secretar
Michael Birdman - Treasurer
Jennifer Bartels
Julie Rogers Bascom
Ashley Brizzo
Roy Ginsburg
Lisa Glaus
Tara Flynn
Jennifer Hampton
Tracy Harris
Cara Johnson-Bader
Isa Loundon Flaherty
Sara Theophilos