Pathfinders Career Exploration

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Executive Summary

Pathfinders Career Exploration is a nonprofit in Indiana that helps middle school students discover the many kinds of work that exist, find out what fits them and start planning for high school and beyond. We work in three public middle schools where many students come from families with limited income and where few students have met anyone who works outside the handful of jobs they see every day.

Most adults can name a teacher, a nurse, a police officer and a cashier. Far fewer middle schoolers can name an electrician, a lab technician, a logistics planner, a dental hygienist, a welder or a software tester, and those are the jobs that are hiring. Students begin choosing high school courses at the end of eighth grade, often with little idea what those choices lead to. Our program gives them a real look at work, with real people, before those choices are made.

With this grant we will run four connected parts at three partner middle schools. Career Discovery is an 8-session series in eighth grade advisory periods, reaching about 300 students in Year 1, ending with a one-page Career Plan that connects each student's interests to high school courses. Career Fairs at each school, with about 25 local employers each, reach about 900 students in grades 6 to 8. Industry Tours take about 120 students to local workplaces, and Job Shadow Days give about 90 eighth graders a half-day watching a professional at work. A two-week Summer Career Camp serves about 40 students, and Family Career Nights help parents understand the choices ahead.

Our Year 1 budget is about $189,000, growing to about $246,000 by Year 5 as we add a fourth school. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 paid staff in Year 1 (two full-time and one part-time) and 4 by Year 3, supported by about 60 volunteers from local employers.

We are asking the Crossroads Workforce Foundation for $70,000 for our Career Navigator, industry tour transportation, career assessment and planning software, and the summer camp. Partner schools pay a yearly fee, and local employers and donors give as well, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Monica Reyes, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Pathfinders Career Exploration is a nonprofit organization in Indiana. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity (or a program of one, through a fiscal sponsor), governed by a volunteer board of directors. We will provide our IRS determination letter, board list and most recent financial statements with this proposal.

Our mission. To help every middle school student see the full range of careers open to them and take the first steps toward one that fits.

What we believe. A student cannot aim for a job they have never heard of. Career exploration in middle school is not about picking a job at age 13. It is about widening what a young person thinks is possible and helping them make better choices about courses, one step at a time. Students should hear from working adults, see real workplaces and be free to change their minds. Families and teachers are partners in every step.

How we started. Pathfinders began four years ago when a school counselor, a manufacturing plant manager and a hospital recruiter noticed that the students applying to their entry-level programs often said they had never known those jobs existed. They organized one career day at one middle school. Students and teachers asked for more, other schools asked to join, and local employers began calling to volunteer. This proposal asks for support to turn those events into a full-year program at three schools.

What we offer:
- Career Discovery. Eight 45-minute sessions in eighth grade advisory periods where students explore their interests and strengths, learn about job families called career clusters, research real jobs, and build a one-page Career Plan.
- Career Fairs. One each year at every partner school, with about 25 local employers and hands-on stations for students in grades 6 to 8.
- Industry Tours. Half-day visits to local workplaces, such as a manufacturer, a hospital, a distribution center, a community college trades lab and a construction site.
- Job Shadow Days. A half-day in which an eighth grader observes a working professional. Observation only: students do not work, handle tools or machines, or get paid.
- Summer Career Camp. Two weeks for about 40 students, with hands-on projects in four career areas, guest speakers and a final showcase for families.
- Family Career Nights. Evenings at each school for parents and guardians to learn about career paths, high school course choices, and the community college and technical training options in our area.

How we are run. A seven-member volunteer board of directors oversees the organization and approves the budget each year. The board includes a school counselor, a manufacturing manager, a hospital human resources director, a community college career services director, a small business owner, a parent of a former participant and a certified public accountant. The Executive Director leads fundraising, school and employer partnerships. The Career Navigator works with students daily, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Where things stand today. All three partner principals have signed letters of support, and 31 local employers have signed up to host a table, a tour or a job shadow. Before the school year begins, we will sign a short agreement with each school covering schedules, space, student safety, the partner fee and how we share results, and we will sign a short agreement with each employer host covering supervision, safety and insurance.

Problem & Opportunity

Why this program is needed.

Middle school is when students begin to form ideas about who they are and what they can do. It is also when they begin making choices that shape the next several years. Most Indiana students choose high school courses and, in many districts, a career pathway as eighth graders or early in ninth grade. A student who has never seen the jobs those pathways lead to is choosing blindly.

The gaps we see:
1. Little exposure to the range of jobs. Many students only know the jobs held by family members, teachers and people they see in stores. Skilled trades, health technology, logistics, advanced manufacturing, information technology and many other fields that are hiring in our region remain invisible to them.
2. No connection between school and work. Students often ask why they have to learn something, and few have a good answer. Seeing how math, writing and science are used on the job gives school a purpose.
3. Uneven access to adults who can help. Students whose parents work in professional fields often grow up hearing about careers at the dinner table and have family friends who can open doors. Students from families with limited income often lack those connections.
4. Counselors are stretched thin. School counselors have many duties and large caseloads. Even those who care deeply about career guidance rarely have time to organize tours, job shadows and employer events for hundreds of students.
5. Employers cannot find workers. Local employers in manufacturing, health care, construction and logistics tell us they have trouble finding young people who know their industries exist. They want to help, but do not know how to reach schools.

Why start in middle school. High school career and technical education programs are strongest when students arrive curious and informed. Middle school exploration is low pressure: no one is asked to commit to a job. It is a time to learn what is out there, notice what interests you and try things.

How we will show the need. Before we submit this proposal, we will add each partner school's share of students from families with limited income, from its free and reduced-price meal data, and the Indiana Department of Education's school report card results. We will also add a list of the fastest-growing occupations in our region from the state workforce agency and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the results of a short survey we will give to seventh and eighth graders about how many careers they can name and how confident they feel about choosing high school courses.

Who benefits first. Eighth graders at our three partner middle schools, with students in grades 6 and 7 reached through career fairs, and especially students from families with limited income and students who would be the first in their family to attend college or a technical program.

Products & Services

What the grant will pay for and what we will do.

1. Teach Career Discovery in eighth grade advisory. Our Career Navigator and trained volunteers lead eight 45-minute sessions, working with every eighth grader at each school during the regular advisory period so no student has to sign up or find a ride. About 300 students take part in Year 1, about 100 at each school.
- Session 1: Who am I? Interests, strengths and values, using a free, age-appropriate career interest survey.
- Session 2: The world of work. Career clusters, such as health science, manufacturing, construction, information technology, logistics, business, education and public safety.
- Session 3: Research a real job. Students use free tools such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET to look up what a job involves, what it pays and what training it needs.
- Session 4: A guest speaker panel. Three working professionals from different paths tell their stories, including how they got started and what they would do differently.
- Session 5: Training paths. Apprenticeships, certificates, community college, four-year colleges, military service and on-the-job training, and how each connects to high school courses.
- Session 6: Money and work. What jobs pay, what it costs to live, and why training matters.
- Session 7: High school course choices. Students match their interests with the career and technical education pathways and courses offered at their future high school.
- Session 8: My Career Plan. Each student completes a one-page Career Plan with two or three careers to explore, courses to consider and a next step, and takes it home to share with a family member.

2. Hold a Career Fair at every school. Each school hosts one fair a year in the gym or cafeteria, with about 25 employers, hands-on stations (such as wiring a simple circuit, taking a pulse, programming a small robot or measuring a board) and a short "ask me anything" talk. About 300 students attend at each school, about 900 in all in Year 1.

3. Take students on Industry Tours. Each school makes two half-day trips a year to local workplaces, about 120 students in all in Year 1. Before a tour, students prepare three questions. After, they write a short reflection.

4. Offer Job Shadow Days. About 90 eighth graders, selected by interest, spend a half-day with a professional host. Job shadowing is observation only. Students do not do the work, use tools or machines, or receive pay. Federal and state child labor rules limit what young people can do at a workplace, and we confirm each host's insurance and the current rules before any shadow day.

5. Run a Summer Career Camp. Two weeks, five days a week, for about 40 students going into seventh through ninth grade. Each week focuses on two career areas, with hands-on projects, a visit to a community college trades or health lab and a showcase for families on the last day. Breakfast, lunch and bus passes are included.

6. Help families understand the choices ahead. Two Family Career Nights a year at each school, in English and Spanish, with a meal, so parents and guardians can learn about career paths, high school course choices and local training options.

How we will measure results. Students take a short survey at the start and end of Career Discovery about how many careers they can name, how much they know about the training for careers that interest them and how confident they feel about choosing high school courses. We count Career Plans completed, fair attendance, tours, job shadows, employer volunteers and family night attendance. With school permission, we look at how many of our students sign up for career and technical education courses in ninth grade, compared with students who did not take part, and we follow students through ninth grade.

Our Year 1 goals:
- About 300 eighth graders in Career Discovery, with at least 90% completing a Career Plan.
- About 900 students at career fairs, 120 on industry tours, 90 on job shadow days and 40 at camp.
- At least 70% of Career Discovery students can name more careers and more training paths at the end than at the start.
- At least 75% of students say they feel more confident choosing high school courses.
- At least 30 employer volunteers return for a second event.
- At least 70% of families attending a Family Career Night say they understand the high school choices better.
These are goals, and we will report our real results to the Foundation, including where we fall short.

Market Analysis

Who we serve and how many.

The students. Middle school students in grades 6 to 8 at three partner public middle schools in Indiana, where many students come from families with limited income. Career Discovery reaches every eighth grader. Career Fairs reach students in all three grades. Industry tours and job shadow days are open to eighth graders, with outreach to students who have shown interest and students who might not sign up on their own. Summer camp is open to students from any school in the district.

Where we work. Three partner middle schools in Year 1, all in the same school district. In Year 3 we add a fourth school and a second Career Navigator.

How many we will reach:
- Year 1: about 300 students in Career Discovery, 900 at career fairs, 120 on industry tours, 90 on job shadow days and 40 at camp.
- Year 2: the same three schools and about the same numbers, with returning employers hosting more shadow days.
- Year 3: four schools, with about 400 students in Career Discovery, 1,200 at career fairs, 160 on tours, 120 on job shadow days and 60 at camp.
- Years 4 and 5: about the same as Year 3 each year.
Over five years we expect about 1,700 eighth graders to complete Career Discovery. The same students may be counted at fairs and tours as well.

Who else benefits:
- Families. Parents and guardians learn about careers and training options so they can support their children's choices.
- Partner schools. Counselors and teachers gain a partner who runs the events and brings employers into the building, and high school pathway programs gain better-informed students.
- Local employers. Companies meet the students who could one day become their apprentices, technicians and staff, and their employees find meaning in volunteering.
- The community. Students who choose training that fits their talents are more likely to find good work in our region and stay.

How we will size the need before we submit. We will add the number of students at each partner school, the share from families with limited income, the career and technical education courses offered at the high schools they feed into, and the regional job openings in fields where those pathways lead. These come from the school district, the Indiana Department of Education and the state workforce agency.

Competitive Landscape

Other options students have, and how we fit.

- School counselors. They are our closest partners. Counselors have many duties and large caseloads, and rarely have time to organize employer events. We do the planning and bring in the employers, and counselors help us choose students and follow up.
- One-time career days. Many schools hold a career day. These are useful, but one day a year cannot help a student explore, reflect and plan. Our program connects fairs, tours, shadowing and a written Career Plan into one path, and repeats it every year.
- High school career and technical education programs. These programs are excellent, but they start in ninth grade or later, and students need to arrive informed. We refer our students to them and invite high school instructors to our fairs.
- Free online career tools. The Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET are excellent, but a student alone with a website rarely uses them well. We teach students how to use them and build them into class.
- Scouting, 4-H and other youth groups. Some offer career badges and events. We partner with them and invite their members.
- Paid career camps and private programs. Helpful for families who can afford them. Our program is free to students.

The gap we fill. In our partner schools, no other program gives every eighth grader a structured series of career lessons, a written plan, contact with working professionals, visits to real workplaces and a chance to watch a professional at work, and then connects families to the choices ahead.

Our partners:
- Three partner middle schools, which provide class time, space and a yearly partner fee.
- Thirty-one local employers in manufacturing, health care, construction, logistics, information technology and public safety, which provide speakers, tours, job shadow hosts and sponsorship.
- A nearby community college, which hosts a camp day and tours of its trades and health labs.
- The local chamber of commerce and workforce board, which help us recruit employers and share regional job data.
- The public library, which shares space for summer events.
- High school career and technical education directors, who share course information and join our fairs.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How students, families and employers will find us and stay connected.

Reaching students:
- Career Discovery reaches every eighth grader through the regular advisory period, so no student has to sign up, find a ride or give up an after-school activity.
- Career Fairs reach every student in grades 6 to 8 during the school day.
- Industry Tours and Job Shadow Days are offered to students who show interest in a Career Discovery session, and teachers and counselors recommend students who might not apply on their own.
- Students who attend a Summer Career Camp share what they did with their classmates in the fall.
- Announcements through the school, a simple website and flyers sent home.

Reaching families:
- All family materials in English and Spanish, and a call home before every tour or job shadow day.
- Two Family Career Nights a year at each school with a meal and childcare.
- Each student takes home a one-page Career Plan to talk over with a family member.
- Partner churches, the public library and community centers share our flyers.

Keeping students engaged:
- Career Discovery sessions are hands-on, with guest speakers and real job research instead of worksheets.
- Students choose which tours and job shadows to join, based on their interests.
- Each student ends with something of their own: a Career Plan, a thank-you letter to a host and, for camp students, a project to show at the showcase.

Reaching employers and supporters:
- The chamber of commerce and the workforce board introduce us to employers.
- Each employer host receives a short guide, a safety checklist and a thank-you from students after every event. Employers may sponsor a fair, a tour or a camp week.
- We share results with schools, employers and our funders twice a year.

Outreach budget. Family Career Nights, outreach and evaluation together are about $7,000 a year in Year 1, growing about 4% a year. Banners, flyers and the website are paid for once from startup money ($1,200).

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign agreements with all three schools and each employer host, hire the Career Navigator, train volunteers, buy and test the laptops and hands-on kits, set up the planning software, and plan the Career Discovery calendar with counselors.
- Month 3 (start of school): Start-of-year student survey and first Career Discovery sessions. Recruit speakers.
- Months 3 to 5: Career Discovery sessions at all three schools. First Family Career Night at each school.
- Months 6 and 7: First Career Fair at each school and the first Industry Tours.
- Months 8 and 9: Job Shadow Days for selected eighth graders. Second Family Career Night, held before high school course selection.
- Month 10: Second round of Industry Tours. End-of-year survey and Career Plan review.
- Months 11 and 12 (summer): Two-week Summer Career Camp and showcase. Year-end report to funders, schools and employers, and planning for Year 2.

Space. Career Discovery sessions meet in each school's regular advisory classrooms. Career Fairs and Family Career Nights are held in the school gym or cafeteria. Summer camp is held at one partner school with a day at the community college. All at no cost under our agreements. Our small office is shared space at a partner church.

Equipment. We buy about $12,000 of equipment once at the start: twenty student laptops with a charging cart for the career surveys and planning ($7,000), portable hands-on career demonstration kits ($3,000), a projector, screen and speaker ($900), two tabletop display booths ($500) and a locking storage cabinet ($600). Equipment travels between schools. After Year 1, we set aside about $2,000 to $2,500 a year to replace and add equipment.

Tours and transportation. Industry tours need school buses or charter buses and are about $14,000 a year in Year 1. Job shadow supplies, host thank-yous and insurance checks are about $8,000. Career assessments and planning software for all students are about $7,000. Summer camp, including meals, materials and bus passes, is about $10,000.

Student safety. Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check before working with students, where the law allows. Volunteers and employer hosts are never alone with a student, and a staff member or school employee is present at every event. We collect signed parent permission forms for every tour, job shadow and camp, and for photos. Staff do not contact students through personal social media.

Employer host rules. Every host signs a short agreement and completes our safety checklist before a tour or a job shadow. Students shadow only in safe areas and do not touch tools, machines or chemicals. Job shadowing is observation only and is never work: students do not perform tasks, are not paid and are not counted as employees. We confirm each host's insurance and check the federal and state child labor rules before each season. Tours of construction sites, manufacturing floors and health care settings follow each host's visitor safety and privacy rules, and students do not enter patient areas.

Student information and privacy. We share only total results with funders, never students' names. Surveys and Career Plans are kept in a secure, password-protected system, and a student's Career Plan is shared only with the student, the family and, with permission, the school counselor. We look at course sign-ups only as totals provided by the school, under the district's policy and federal student privacy law (FERPA).

Records and reporting. Grant money is tracked separately so we can show each funder how their money was spent, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year. We report results to each school and our funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

Who leads the organization.

Monica Reyes, Executive Director. Monica leads the organization, raises money, manages grants and the school and employer partnerships, supervises staff and reports to the board. She worked 9 years as a middle school counselor and 4 years as a workforce development coordinator before founding Pathfinders. Planned salary: $56,000 a year.

Career Navigator. Teaches Career Discovery, plans and runs fairs, tours and job shadow days, recruits and trains volunteers, and helps students complete their Career Plans. This role requires experience in school counseling, teaching, workforce development or youth programs, and a background check. One in Years 1 and 2 and two from Year 3, at a planned salary of $44,000 each. The Crossroads Workforce Foundation grant would support the first Career Navigator.

Program Coordinator (part-time). Handles permission forms, tour and shadow scheduling, buses, employer communications, event setup and attendance, about 25 hours a week. Planned pay: $22,000 a year.

Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance.

Staff in each year: 3 paid staff in Years 1 and 2 (two full-time and one part-time), and 4 from Year 3 on.

Volunteers. About 60 volunteers from local employers in Year 1, who staff career fair tables, speak to classes, host tours and job shadows and help at Family Career Nights.

The board. A seven-member volunteer board approves the budget, reviews results twice a year and helps raise money. Board members serve three-year terms. The board's certified public accountant chairs the finance committee.

People who help us. An outside accountant who reviews our books every year, an attorney who reviews our school and employer agreements once, an insurance agent who understands youth programs and workplace visits, and an advisory group of two school counselors, an employer, a parent and a former student, who meet each semester to tell us what is working.

Training. The Career Navigator completes career development facilitator training or an equivalent course, and all volunteers complete a short orientation on working with middle school students and workplace safety.

Money management. Grant money is tracked separately for each funder. The Executive Director and a board member must both approve any payment over $2,500.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals for each year and how we will measure them.

- Year 1: Run Career Discovery, career fairs, industry tours and job shadow days at three schools, reaching about 300 eighth graders in Career Discovery, 900 at fairs, 120 on tours, 90 on job shadow days and 40 at camp. A balanced budget of about $189,000, with a small surplus of about $5,600. 3 paid staff.
- Year 2: Continue at three schools, with more employer hosts and the first round of follow-up with Year 1 students now in ninth grade. A balanced budget of about $192,500, with a small surplus of about $6,000. 3 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a fourth school and a second Career Navigator, reaching about 400 students in Career Discovery, 1,200 at fairs, 160 on tours, 120 on job shadow days and 60 at camp. A balanced budget of about $240,000, with a small surplus of about $6,200. 4 paid staff.
- Year 4: Continue at four schools. Invite high school students who took part to return as speakers. A balanced budget of about $243,000, with a small surplus of about $5,900. 4 paid staff.
- Year 5: Run a steady four-school program, report how students in our program chose high school courses, and share what we have learned with other districts. A balanced budget of about $246,000, with a small surplus of about $5,300. 4 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Students in Career Discovery, and Career Plans completed.
- Career awareness and confidence surveys at the start and end.
- Attendance at fairs, tours, job shadows, camp and Family Career Nights.
- Employer volunteers and how many return.
- With school permission, total ninth grade sign-ups for career and technical education courses.
- Family feedback.

How we review results. The Career Navigator reviews each event after it ends, with the school counselor and employer hosts, and changes what is not working. Each semester, staff, the schools and our advisory group review results together. Twice a year, the board reviews results and we share them with our funders. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $70,000 from the Crossroads Workforce Foundation for our Career Navigator, industry tour transportation, career assessment and planning software, and the Summer Career Camp, for August 2027 through July 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Career Navigator salary, $44,000.
- Travel: Buses for industry tours, $10,000 (other funds add $4,000).
- Other: Career assessments and planning software for students, $6,000 (other funds add $1,000).
- Other: Summer Career Camp meals, materials and buses, $10,000.

Other money in the program. School partner fees, other grants and employer sponsors and donations pay the other $4,000 of tour buses and $1,000 of software, plus the Executive Director's salary ($56,000), the part-time Program Coordinator ($22,000), job shadow days and employer host support ($8,000), family career nights, outreach and evaluation ($7,000) and administration and insurance ($13,000).

Year 1 budget: about $189,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $5,600 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $142,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), school partner fees $21,000 (three schools at $7,000 each) and employer sponsors and donations $26,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $56,000; Career Navigator $44,000; Program Coordinator $22,000; industry tours and student transportation about $14,000; job shadow days and employer host support about $8,000; career assessments and planning software about $7,000; Summer Career Camp about $10,000; family career nights, outreach and evaluation about $7,000; administration and insurance about $13,000; and about $4,200 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $17,900 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $12,000 of equipment (student laptops and a charging cart, hands-on career kits, a projector, two display booths and a storage cabinet), $2,000 for the first career fair and station supplies, $1,500 for accounting setup and a review of school and employer agreements, $1,200 for banners, flyers and a website, and $1,200 for the first background checks and insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($17,900) and a cash cushion of about $45,300, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. That comes to $63,500. We start with $15,000 of our own savings and $55,000 in startup support from two local employers and our board, $70,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $189,000 in Year 1 to about $246,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $142,000, $139,500, $172,000, $167,000 and $162,000 in Years 1 to 5. School partner fees grow from $21,000 to $28,000 when we add a fourth school, and employer sponsors and donations grow from $26,000 to $56,000. We add a second Career Navigator in Year 3. Grants fall from about 75% of our income in Year 1 to about 66% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $60,300, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and school fees arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $5,670 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Local employers have told us they will pay to help shape their future workforce, so we will grow employer sponsorships each year, such as a sponsored career fair, tour or camp week. We will ask partner schools to keep paying a yearly fee as they see results, and we will invite parents and graduates to give. Career Plans and the lesson materials stay with the schools, and trained school staff can keep running parts of the program on their own.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A school changes its schedule. We plan the advisory calendar with counselors before the year begins and have a backup plan for each session.
- Employers drop out. We recruit more hosts than we need, spread events across many employers and keep a waiting list.
- A student is hurt or uncomfortable at a host site. Every host signs a safety agreement, a staff member or school employee is always present and parents are called right away if anything goes wrong.
- Students lose interest. Sessions are hands-on, with student choice, and students pick their own tours and job shadows.
- A grant or a sponsor ends. We keep savings and grow employers and donors each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one Career Fair at one middle school with ten volunteer employers, and one eighth grade Career Discovery series taught by a volunteer counselor, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support or partnership agreements from each partner school.
- Letters of support and commitment from employer hosts, the community college, chamber of commerce and workforce board.
- Your Career Discovery session outlines and a sample Career Plan.
- Your student survey, and results from past events shown as totals.
- Your student safety policy, background check policy, employer host agreement and safety checklist, and parent permission forms.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and the job description for the Career Navigator.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $142,000 in Year 1, then $139,500, $172,000, $167,000 and $162,000.
- School Partner Fees: $7,000 per school each year; $21,000 in Year 1 (three schools), growing to $28,000 (four schools).
- Employer Sponsors and Donations: $26,000 in Year 1, growing to $56,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $56,000, Career Navigator $44,000 (one in Years 1 and 2, two from Year 3), Program Coordinator (part-time) $22,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Industry Tours and Student Transportation $14,000, Job Shadow Days and Employer Host Support $8,000, Career Assessments and Planning Software $7,000, Summer Career Camp $10,000, Family Career Nights, Outreach and Evaluation $7,000, Administration and Insurance $13,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $12,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $17,900, paid once from $70,000 in startup money.
- About 3% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs