Storytelling
Mi Escuelita Preschool
“At some point, it becomes an experience that’s transformational. There’s a mystical moment when your mind shifts away from the rational to ‘this is something cool.’ The heartfelt experience of being able to help those organizations become more secure and meaningful.” - George Ellis, Lead Partner
Gayle Nave, Executive Director of Mi Escuelita, says she grew up in a family that was “not blessed with material possessions.” Looking back now, Gayle says she realizes that her family was poor, but then she didn’t have a clue. Part of her contentment stemmed from the fact that Gayle’s mother invested so much time in her children—reading and encouraging them to learn. “My parents were always so adamant about education,” she says. “I strongly believe that teaching our children while they’re young is most important…I’m not sure if my mother wasn’t so dedicated to instill the love of learning in us I’d be doing this.” Because of her mother’s influence, Gayle says she wants to help others do the same, even if they can’t afford to do it for themselves. “I want to help families who don’t have the resources,” she says.
Like many others, Gayle started out in the business world, working as an accountant. When she worked briefly with Mi Escuelita, she says she “fell in love” with the program, and decided to move to the nonprofit arena. “You cannot help but fall in love with the program,” she says. Gayle says she was asked come to work for Mi Escuelita. “[The ED said] ‘I know we probably can’t afford you, but would you come to work for us?’ You know, it isn’t always about money.” She went to work as the Director of Administration for seven years before becoming the ED.
Mi Escuelita is a nonprofit preschool that prepares young, economically disadvantaged children from all cultures for a “successful school experience.” Their goal is to teach non-English speaking children English prior to entering school in an effort to lessen the need for ESL classes. They also teach the children life skills which will better prepare them for their educational experiences.
Gayle’s support for the mission of Mi Escuelita is obvious, especially to her lead partner Susan Hoff. “[Gayle] is a fabulous director,” says Susan. “She is the second director following the founder…she’s done [the job] with grace. She runs the organization as herself, but is true to the mission. I know [the founder] wanted someone who would not change it up but would remain true to the mission. [Gayle’s] done that.”
Having a clear-cut mission and purpose is important, says Susan, because donors are becoming increasingly aware of operations and funding issues. “I’ve always worked in the nonprofit sector,” she says. “I have a clear idea of how money should be invested. I like how DSVP gives support. Everybody needs general operational support as donors become more sophisticated and want to know what [the organization] did with their money.”
Susan says that Mi Escuelita’s mission was particularly attractive because the organization will be able to sustain itself as it grows and matures. “They started out as a grassroots organization to invest into the community,” she says. “Now they are going from an entrepreneurial organization to operationalize themselves. They are getting to the stage where [they are] kind of grown up—operationalize [themselves], become more systemic, but sustain [themselves] and [their] entrepreneurial spirit. Not to just keep changing…but keep as much excitement as [they] can.”
DSVP’s biggest impact with Mi Escuelita is the collaboration that the partners bring to bear on the organization, says Gayle. “We are fortunate to have Susan and George,” she says. “I’ve learned that there is power in teams. The resource teams are incredible—just listening to what these people have done…how open they are to say, ‘I can help you with that,’ or ‘I can put you in touch with this person.’ I think it’s incredible the dedication [that] these people have.”
Because of the dedication and collaboration of the partners, Gayle says her organization has been able to raise funds and grants. She’s even been able to hire a new Director of Development. “DSVP challenges us to think creatively to see how we can collaborate and cut costs,” she says. “I wish more funders (sic) would approach [philanthropy] this way. We need the check, but more importantly we need the partnerships.” She likened DSVP’s approach to the fish adage: “You know, you can catch a fish and feed a man for a day, but you can teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime—teach us to do it on our own.”
George Ellis, another lead partner for Mi Escuelita, echoes Gayle’s sentiments regarding collaborative efforts. His most memorable moments, he says, are when he “sees it work.” “When the board and ED move…one or two or three pithy things that can be done, and watching the collective light bulb go on.” George says he’d really like to see “DSVP make [investees] take a risk, to spur the ED to think of a wild hair idea” to make the organization more relevant, effective, and innovative.
Susan says the DSVP model just makes sense. “The investors are learning as much about nonprofits [as the nonprofits are learning about investors],” she says. “It’s a great educational experience on both sides. It builds good nonprofits and good donors.” As for education, Susan says she’d like the community to know more about DSVP and what engaged philanthropy is all about. “I want people to know what we mean by ‘engaged philanthropy,’” she says. “It’d be great if we could explain it to people. It’s a commonsense model: Invest time and resources in a targeted way and you will get social return.”
For George, the [philanthropic] experience grants more than simple social returns or financial growth. “At some point, it becomes an experience that’s transformational,” he says. “There’s a mystical moment when your mind shifts away from the rational to ‘this is something cool.’ The heartfelt experience of being able to help those organizations become more secure and meaningful…there’s a transcendental nature to this sucker.”
