Storytelling
The Wilkinson Center
"DSVP started asking questions, surrounded us with support, guided us, gave us resources, built a foundation, and created a roadmap to help us get to a bold goal. They brought the brains and bucks to do consultation, brand our programs, retool them, think strategically, and seize opportunities. They've encouraged us and befriended us in every way." - Brian Burton, Executive Director, The Wilkinson Center
You know you’ve done something right when people begin to imitate you, says Brian Smith, lead partner for The Wilkinson Center. The Wilkinson Center offers educational assistance to adults and children and provides a food pantry for those in need. At least one after-school program that they provide, CLIMB, has been branded and is now being used by eight other organizations in assisting children. “This is a great [organization] to look at in terms of how things get done right,” says Smith. “It’s well-run and organized, they treat those who come into the pantry like customers…there’s a group that wants to sponsor them in Pleasant Grove. It’s run so well that people want to emulate them.”
Brian Burton, the executive director of The Wilkinson Center, says that while caring is important, feelings cannot sustain an organization by itself. “It doesn’t matter how much you care if you don’t have the money and expertise to make a lasting difference,” he says. “You also have to be proficient at telling your story.” According to Burton, that’s where DSVP comes in. “DSVP started asking questions, surrounded us with support, guided us, gave us resources, built a foundation, and created a roadmap to help us get to a bold goal. They brought the brains and bucks to do consultation, brand our programs, retool them, think strategically, and seize opportunities. They’ve encouraged us and befriended us in every way.”
Smith agrees with Burton. “[DSVP] came in [and helped them think] bigger about activities; sort of holding up the mirror and saying, ‘is this going to work, do you like what you see? Is this all you want to be?’” Smith says that DSVP’s role is similar to a personal trainer in the sense that they aim to get the investee “in shape.” Burton says that his experience with DSVP has given him a new perspective on his organization. “They’ve also given me a much more sophisticated understanding of philanthropy. People’s giving is motivated by values… [DSVP says] ‘This is what people see from our perspective.’”
Mark Frederiksen, another lead partner for The Wilkinson Center, says it’s all about collaboration with the investee, and looks forward to taking opportunities to work with Burton on the important issues. “We go back to basics,” he says. “It helps build on what we said previously. We want to sit down with [Burton and Mike Redmond] and say, ‘what do you think your needs are?’” He says DSVP’s involvement has allowed The Wilkinson Center to take their programs further. “Ordinarily they wouldn’t know where to get the professional guidance that they need more than having just a check,” he says. “Relying on the talents of the DSVP members helps them facilitate their programs and helps them do it better.”
Burton agrees that the model of DSVP is so much more valuable than a simple check. “There’s a lot more joy in this type of partnership,” he says. “Donors bring their whole life to the table…I see the value of the model: we get the benefit of high-level expertise that we couldn’t afford.” He gives an example of a partner who made a huge impact on his own abilities. “I was going through a tough time…some people on the board of directors wanted to micromanage,” he says. “I knew that would squelch the program. I didn’t know what to do…Pete [Meldrum] was awesome. I was able to get more tools in my toolbox for communication and get us to that next level [because of Pete’s input].”
The whole mission of The Wilkinson Center has been more fully developed because of DSVP’s assistance and funding, says Burton. “We leveraged resources to add a layer called adult educational services, where we provide parents with [training for] their GED, ESL, and career development,” he says. It is a whole family learning environment, he says, where “they have a shot at getting out of poverty.”
Frederiksen echoes Burton’s sentiment. “A food pantry is a food pantry,” he says. “It isn’t a solution, it is addressing a need…more focus should be given to the kid and adult programs. It may actually be a cure instead of just addressing a problem. How [The Wilkinson Center] tries to intertwine the kids and adult education [programs] together is trying to address the family as a whole.”
Smith says he is excited about how The Wilkinson Center effectively addresses the need to improve the families’ skill sets. “I think it is very exciting because they have demonstrated that whether it is the food pantry, or their content in adult or child education, there’s continued validation that there is value in this….”
As for DSVP’s model of engaged philanthropy, the men couldn’t say enough. “It isn’t just writing a check,” says Frederiksen. “It isn’t just a one-shot at hammering nails. It is an opportunity for an ongoing involvement for as much as you have time…we can all do the soup kitchen, but is that maximizing…expertise and time? It’s a good opportunity to be involved as much as you want to be and still feel fulfilled and make a difference.”
For Smith, the model just made sense. “I didn’t want to get involved in a charity where you have busy-bodies, but there isn’t an endgame. I wanted to give money and expertise…DSVP has strategic planning [and] thinks through some governance issues. We have this tremendous resource base. It is kind of—the sum of all parts ends up being a lot bigger.”
Burton has hopes that DSVP will continue to do what they are doing. “I [hope they] just continue scanning the horizon for innovations in education and what is happening in the world—best practices.”
For those who would like to get involved more than just writing a check, Frederiksen suggests DSVP. “Some people like doing fundamental things,” he says. “DSVP provides the opportunity to provide something more. There’s a lot of knowledge with DSVP people. They do a good job of getting you involved.”
