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Executive Summary
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Senior Network is a nonprofit that helps older adults in the south side of our city and two nearby towns stay independent, connected and safe in their own homes. We provide rides to medical appointments, friendly volunteer visits and help with Medicare paperwork, with the help of staff and volunteers who treat every person with respect.
Most older adults want to stay in their own homes for as long as they can. But a missed ride to a doctor, a lonely week with no one to talk to, or a confusing Medicare form can turn into a crisis. Our program focuses on the small, steady things that keep people independent: rides, regular visits, help with paperwork, and connections to services.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 90 older adults over the year, with about 1,800 rides. Our Year 1 budget is about $115,000, growing to about $189,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one program staff member to three. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Union Grove Fund for $30,000, as part of the $101,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $14,000 in Year 1 comes from program fees and donations, which we plan to grow to about $45,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for program staff, volunteer driver costs and supplies, and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many older adults we serve, how many rides and visits we provide, how many get connected to benefits or services, and whether participants say they feel less alone and more able to stay in their own homes. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Senior Network is a nonprofit organization in Nevada. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help older adults live independently, safely and with connection in their own homes.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when a church started giving rides to medical appointments. Since then we have served about 90 older adults, with 25 volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Provide rides to medical appointments, grocery stores and other essential places for older adults who do not drive.
- Match older adults with volunteers for regular friendly visits and check-in calls.
- Help with benefits and paperwork, such as Medicare, Medicaid and food assistance, in partnership with trained counselors.
- Connect older adults to meals, home repair, health and caregiver services through partner agencies.
- Share the national Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) and our local Area Agency on Aging with families.
Where we work. Rides Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a phone line staffed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., out of a donated office at a church.
Our partners. The Area Agency on Aging, two senior centers, a hospital discharge office and three churches.
Our approach. We treat older adults as partners, not as people to be managed. Every person sets their own goals.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
The number of older adults in the south side of our city and two nearby towns is growing, and many live alone, on fixed incomes, with health problems and little family nearby. Isolation and a lack of transportation are risks to health as real as many illnesses.
Facts about our community. According to the U.S. Census, about 5,800 adults over 65 in our county live alone.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Transportation. Many older adults no longer drive, and public transit may not reach where they need to go.
2. Isolation. Many go days without a conversation, which affects physical and mental health.
3. Paperwork. Medicare, Medicaid and benefits applications are confusing, and mistakes can cost money.
4. Information. Families and older adults often do not know what help exists until a crisis.
5. Home safety. Small problems, like a broken step or a missing grab bar, lead to falls and hospital stays.
What we have seen ourselves. Several people have told us they skipped medical appointments because they had no ride and no one to ask.
Who we serve first. Older adults who live alone, have limited income, have no car, or are caring for a partner, in older adults living alone on the south side with no car, and caregivers who cannot leave their spouse.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. Rides that fit real life. Volunteer drivers, using their own cars with mileage paid by us, take older adults to medical appointments, the pharmacy, the grocery store and community events. Transportation and program costs, mostly driver mileage, are about $14,000 in Year 1.
2. Friendly visits and calls. Each participant can be matched with a volunteer who calls or visits regularly. We also check in during hot or cold weather.
3. Help with paperwork. We help older adults get free counseling on Medicare and benefits through trained counselors (in many states through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP).
4. Connection to services. We connect people to meals, home repair, caregiver support and health programs through our partners and the local Area Agency on Aging.
5. Safe and respectful. Volunteers are screened and trained, and staff follow clear rules for reporting concerns.
How we will measure results. We count older adults served, rides given and visits made. Twice a year a short survey asks participants whether they feel less lonely, can get where they need to go, and feel more able to stay at home. Our goals for Year 1: serve 90 older adults; give 1,800 rides; make 1,200 friendly visits or calls; and have 80% of participants say they feel less alone and can get where they need to go.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve older adults in the south side of our city and two nearby towns, especially older adults living alone on the south side with no car, and caregivers who cannot leave their spouse.
How we know people need this. We gave 600 rides last year with only two volunteers, and have a waiting list of 25 people.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 90 older adults over the year, with about 1,800 rides. The number of adults over 65 who live alone in our county is a common way to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find it. As we add program staff over five years, we expect to serve more people each year.
How people reach us. The Area Agency on Aging, two clinics, the hospital discharge office and local churches.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- The local Area Agency on Aging coordinates services for older adults and often funds programs. We are a funded partner of the Area Agency on Aging.
- Senior centers offer meals and activities. We work with them, and our rides can get people there.
- Public transit and paratransit offer some rides, but usually need advance booking and do not cover every trip. We help people use them and fill the gaps.
- Home care agencies provide paid help. We provide free or low-cost help and refer people who need more than we offer.
- Faith communities often care for their older members. We partner with them and share resources.
What makes us different: rides to every kind of appointment, a volunteer who shows up regularly, and no cost to the older adult
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from doctors, hospitals, home health agencies, churches, housing complexes and the Area Agency on Aging.
- Flyers and talks at senior centers, libraries, grocery stores, pharmacies and apartment buildings, in large print.
- Word of mouth from participants and families.
- A friendly phone number answered by a real person.
Volunteers are the heart of this program. We recruit, screen, train and thank them, because a good volunteer can serve one older adult for years.
Volunteers. Retired people, church groups, high school service clubs and nearby employers.
Raising money beyond grants. Program fees and donations are planned at about $14,000 in Year 1, growing to about $45,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How a participant moves through the program:
1. A call or referral, then a friendly first visit or call to talk about needs and goals.
2. A short plan for rides, visits and other connections.
3. Rides and visits scheduled with a volunteer or staff member.
4. Regular check-ins by a staff member.
5. Adjusting the plan as needs change.
A first visit. A staff member visits, learns what the person needs, explains our services and agrees on a first step, such as a ride the following week.
Safety. Drivers have a clean driving record and background check. We check that our insurance covers volunteer drivers and riders, and that each driver's own car insurance meets our requirements. In many states, people who work with older adults must report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation, and we follow those rules.
Privacy. Participant information is kept private. We share it only with permission or when the law requires it, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $5,000 in equipment (phones, a laptop, a printer and office furniture), then about $1,500 to $2,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One program staff member in Year 1, then one in Year 2, two in Year 3, three in Year 4 and three in Year 5. Staff supervise volunteers and handle scheduling, so no one is left without a ride.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $10,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Aisha Rodriguez, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $54,000 a year.
Volunteer coordinator and program staff. Recruit and train volunteers, schedule rides and visits, check in with participants and keep records. One position in Year 1, growing to three by Year 5, at a planned salary of $34,000 each. Qualifications we look for: experience in social services or volunteer management, strong organizational skills and a warm, patient manner.
Volunteers. Volunteers drive, visit, call, help with paperwork and help with events. They are screened and trained before they work with older adults.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Rachel Thompson, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Recruit and train a starting group of volunteers.
- Set up vehicle insurance, driver screening and our ride scheduling system.
- Serve about 90 older adults over the year, with about 1,800 rides.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for rides, visits and connections to benefits.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $115,000.
Year 2: one program staff member; budget of about $116,000.
Year 3: two program staff members; budget of about $152,000.
Year 4: three program staff members; budget of about $188,000.
Year 5: three program staff members; budget of about $189,000.
Over the five years: grow to three program staff, add an accessible vehicle through a donation or a partnership with a local transit or ride-share provider, add a caregiver support group and expand to more neighborhoods. Transportation and program costs grow about 5% a year.
How we will check our results. We track older adults served, rides given, visits made and connections to services. Twice a year a short survey asks participants what is working. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $30,000 from the Union Grove Fund for our program coordinator's salary, volunteer driver mileage, and program supplies, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $115,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $101,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Program fees and donations: $14,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $54,000. - Volunteer coordinator and program staff: $34,000. - Transportation and program costs (vehicle costs, volunteer driver mileage, supplies, activities): $14,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $10,000. - That is about $112,000 in costs. The remaining $3,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $5,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $115,000 in Year 1 to about $189,000 in Year 5 as we grow to three program staff members. Grants and contracts are planned at $101,000 in Year 1, $96,000 in Year 2, $124,000 in Year 3, $152,000 in Year 4 and $144,000 in Year 5. Program fees and donations grow from $14,000 to $45,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $14,000 of our own plus $45,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for government funds. Funding for older adult programs often flows through the local Area Agency on Aging. It may pay you back after you spend, and it may have rules on who can be served and how services are counted. Help we receive that is not cash. Volunteer hours, donated space, volunteer mileage and donated services are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Donated church space (about $3,600 a year in rent value), about 2,500 volunteer hours a year, and volunteer mileage If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a church or senior center, start with a small group of volunteer drivers and visitors, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from the Area Agency on Aging, a senior center, a health provider or a church.
- Your volunteer screening and training policies, driver rules and insurance documents.
- Your participant numbers from the past year, if you have them (people served, rides, visits).
- Your privacy and abuse-reporting policies.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff. 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):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $54,000; each program staff member $34,000, growing from 1 to 3.
- Transportation and program costs about $14,000 in Year 1, rising about 5% a year
- Office costs about $10,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.