Ravyn Kingsberry

Contact Information:
Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro, Inc.
122 North Elm Street, Suite 301
Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone: (336) 691-1268
Fax: (336) 691-1270
Email: cisgg@bbellsouth.net
Website: www.cisgg.org
Days and hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
*School hours vary
Description of Services:
The goal of this non-profit organization is to aid students by using the skills of
assessment, mentoring, tutoring, case management, after school enrichment, school to
college and career transition, resource referral, advocacy, counseling and advising in
order to best fit the needs of the student population being served. This organization
serves elementary through high school aged students who identify as low income.
Mission statement:
To surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school
and achieve in life. We believe all students need and deserve five basic resources:

A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult

A safe place to learn and grow
A healthy start and a healthy future
A chance to give back to peers and community
A marketable skill to use upon graduation

Administrative Staff:
Jimmi Williams
cisgg@bellsouth.net
(336) 691-1268
Executive Director
DeAngela Carter, 21st Century Scholars
Rashard Jones, African American Male Initiative

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Denise Stevenson, Success at School After-school Enrichment
Vandy Chum, Social Worker
Ron Murphy, Site Coordinator
Jeremy Spidell, Site Coordinator
Cedric Parker, Site Coordinator

Short-Term Goals

To expand to Smith High School to serve 300 nine to eleventh graders

To increase number of high school case managed to 610
To complete the feeder-school pattern for the African American Male Initiative to

include Smith High School

To add Hairston Middle School and Wiley Elementary to the Success at School

Afterschool Program
To continue the third year of the AT&T Aspire career exploration program
To return the Student Awards Luncheon to a fundraising event
To prepare for and successfully complete the near future, national accreditation visit

Long-Term Goals

To begin a new feeder school pattern for Page or Grimsley High School
To develop and implement a strategic fundraising plan that include giving circles,
crowd funding, etc to generate $35 to $100 thousand in additional unrestricted

funding and represents 100 new, non-traditional donors of color

To develop an appropriate succession plan for the Agency to include on-going staff

development
To assess and make the necessary changes to ensure that the agency has the
necessary capacity to compete successfully and meet the continuously changing
needs of our clients

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To partner with Say Yes to ensure that our clients meet the benchmarks to qualify for
the Say Yes scholarship; provide wraparound services to Say Yes clients at the

schools we serve
To position the agency to provide services to homeless and transitional youth and to
students in kinship care homes.

Strengths of Organization
Communities in Schools serves as a turnkey operation for services to students and
families at the school, rather than as a direct service deliverer. Their job is to know who
provides what services in the community and to connect students and families to the
appropriate resources. Whereas many agencies talk about partnerships and
collaborations, they thrive on them. Partnerships and collaborations are part of our core.
We could not exist without them, accounting for 26% of our support and revenue
annually.
Communities in Schools has a sterling reputation as a highly competent United Way
member agency and as a community based organization that loves children to life and
to success.
Challenges of Organization
Some of the challenges this organization faces include the lack of adequate and
sustainable funding to respond to new opportunities, leadership transitions and changes
in the environment. There are also increased community needs. The students are
getting poorer and the factors affecting poor student performance in schools are getting
stronger. For example, the lack of adequate food is becoming more of a theme in the
lives of their students and families. There is also an issue of finding new sources of
individual time, talent and treasure, especially young black mentors. They also
struggle with continuing good-will with their supporters, partners/collaborators/service
providers especially the Board of County Commissioners, the Board of Education,
Guilford County Schools, the Department of Human and Health Services as well as the
ability to continue to attract champions for their participants in the way of mentors,

Ravyn Kingsberry
tutors, adult advocates, staff and volunteer leaders. Lastly they lack the ability to brand
themselves successfully and to continue to produce the desired results

Existing Competitors
Say Yes to Education c/o Community Foundation
330 S. Greene St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 379-9100
Black Child Development
1200 E. Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 230-2138
Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs
1306 E. Gate City Blvd.
Greensboro, NC 27406
(336) 272-9742
Government and Regulatory Agencies
Communities in Schools, Inc.
2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 700
Arlington, VA 22202
(800) 247-4543
Communities in Schools of NC
222 North Person, Suite 203
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 832-2700
United Way of Greater Greensboro
1500 Yanceyville Street
Greensboro, NC 27405
(336) 378-6600

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Internal Revenue Services
4905 Koger Blvd.
Greensboro, NC 27407
(336) 574-6024
Reference Publications:
N/A
Channels of Communication:

Cisgg.org
Facebook
LinkedIn

Opportunity Client Statement:

The goal of Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro is to improve the retention
and graduation rates of students within Title I schools in the Greater Greensboro area.
They do this by implementing various programs within elementary, middle, and high
schools. One of the major challenges of this organization is adequate funding to
continue the success of these programs. As part of the long-term goals of Communities
in Schools, the plan is to reach out to numerous outlets to recruit more donors for this
organization.
Target Public Description and Defense:
Communities in Schools target public will be four local minority owned businesses and
six pastoral administration members from three churches in the Greater Greensboro
area. These are individuals who are able to contribute to the funding of the programs
that continue to enrich Communities in Schools and continue to aid in the growth of the
program.

Target Public Demographics:

Tu Much Styles Beauty Parlor
Crawford Creations

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Joy Clark P.R.
Twisted Roots Natural Hair Salon
Evangel Christian Church
Shiloh Baptist Church
Mount Zion Baptist Church

Target Public Psychographics:

Innovators
Members of this group typically: Are always taking in information (antennas up), are
confident enough to experiment, make the highest number of financial transactions, are
skeptical about advertising, have international exposure, are future oriented, are selfdirected consumers, believe science and R&D are credible, are most receptive to new
ideas and technologies, enjoy the challenge of problem solving, have the widest variety
of interests and activities.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/innovators.shtml
Defense of Psychographics:
The label innovators is the best label for this psychographic, because we are referring to
individuals who are interested in investing into the futures of their businesses and
organizations whether that be financially or in any other capacity.
Strategic Research Design:
For the purposes of this plan I will use informal research. My approach will be direct
contact with approximately four minority run organizations and three local churches,
where I will target the Pastoral leadership which totals two individuals of each church.
The target public includes ten individuals who are founders of their organizations and
pastoral administration of each church.
Some quantitative questions will include: Do you have an organization that you regularly
donate to? Is at-risk youth a cause that you closely identify with? This information will
provide a better idea of the appropriateness of these organizations for this plan.

Ravyn Kingsberry

Budget Information:
The budget for this plan is $1,800.

Communication Objective:
To create an avenue for more funding for the Communities In Schools program, in
hopes of upholding the mission of this organization. The overall objective of this is
funding through the support of donations of ten sponsors, but more importantly to create
a conversation about Communities in Schools in the minority community with hopes of
making this an organization that various people will want to donate to through interest in
its values. The current goal is to gain at least 50% of the donors for support, and
eventually attracting more business owners with the final event to be held in the future
with hopes of raising even more funds for this organization.
Right now there is an immediate need for funding within this organization, because
Communities in Schools is a leading organization of the movement for improving the
conditions and outcomes for the students of this community. The money that this
organization receives will be beneficial to contributing to the long-term goals such as the
implementation of various programs, and also will allow for outreach to many more
students in hopes of improving the retention rates of students across the school system
that this organization works with.

Ravyn Kingsberry
To work towards the goal of gaining more funding for this organization, each innovator
will be asked a series of quantitative questions to assess their interest and ability to fund
for this program.

Message:
Be catalysts of change through
financial support of
the next generation of innovators.
This message is for the ten potential donors to inspire the movement of fundraising. As
innovators, these individuals are very familiar with the amount of success that comes
from education and resources. Persuading these individuals to donate money to the
program with the notion of creating more innovators is motivation for the future of
growth and restoration of community. The goal of this message coincides with the
overall mission of this organization to surround students with a community of support,
empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
Spokesperson:
The elected spokesperson for Communities in Schools will be DeAngela Carter. She is
the 21st Centruy Scholars Project Director for this organization. She is a graduate of
Guilford College, and has been with this organization for a number of years. Her
connections to this organization are deep because she works closely with the students
in this program, and can easily identify the need for more resources based on the rates
of retention that are a result of this organizations role in the lives of so many students.
She connects to the target demographics of this organization because she is a minority,
as well as a consumer of minority-owned businesses and a member of a local church
here in Greensboro. DeAngela connects to the infographic for her role in this
organization which is always coming up with new ideas to figuring out how the

Ravyn Kingsberry
implementation will help the students in this organization grow. She is also invested in
taking risks to try out new methods of reaching out to students and distributing
resources.
Spokes Entity:

Being catalysts of change through

the funding and support of
OUR children, with hopes of producing
the next generation of innovators.
This choice is the best for the Communities in Schools spokes entity because it
connects to the idea of innovators and their focus on expansion and financial growth.
The target public of this plan is dedicated to expanding their business in some way,
whether that be through outreach or donations. As part of the financial contributions of
minority business owners and churches, hence the multicolored money signs, they are
directly influencing the success of their own community. A part of the innovators is the
notion of new ideas and technology, which can be attained with the help of an
education. Finally the goal of this program is to help students and provide them with the
resources needed to support them to graduation.

Ravyn Kingsberry

Event Description:
Communities in Schools will sponsor an event called the Spotlight Social on April 22,
2017 at the Self-Help building in Downtown Greensboro. This event will take place in
one of the facilitys conference rooms from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Food and drinks will
be provided for this event with the catering support of Smokey Bones of Greensboro,
NC.
The goal of this event is to create a rapport between the staff and select students of the
program and the potential donors. We will do this through social exposure to one
another as well as well as explanation of the program by our spokesperson, Ms. Carter.
She will discuss the mission and values of the program and go into detail about the
various programs and intiatives that Communities in Schools has implemented into the
Guilford County Schools system. As the project director for 21 st Century Scholars she
will also bring along three of her standout students from the program to be Spotlight
Students and give their testimonials of the benefits of this program and the overall
organization.
The Spotlight Social is an event that will give the target public a firsthand chance to be a
part of the program. They will be able to communicate one on one with some of the
students from this program, with hopes of these students having an impact on the way
that they view this cause. There will also be staff, which includes mentors of the
program, to clarify the direction of this organization and answer any questions they may
concerning the allocation of funds from donors.

Event Rationale:

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The main goal of this event is to acquaint the target public directly with the members of
the organization in an effort to build a relationship with them. We want to give them an
opportunity to have a feel for the type of organization this is and to see their mission in
action with the students being in attendance for this event. Communities in Schools is a
dynamic organization that must always adapt with the needs of the students they are
serving. As a result they are always launching new ideas and methods which is
something that appeals to our innovators.
The target public for this plan is innovators, and they are known for their desire to
experiment with new ideas, take in information, and prepare for the future. This event is
a compilation of all of the things that appeal to innovators. The spokesperson will be
able to provide the information that the target public needs to make an informed
decision about funding. She will also touch basis on the new ideas and outreach
methods of the organization to engage them in the concept of trying out new ideas for
the success of the organization. The student testimonials are personal experiences, all
of which will be different, and will appeal to the need of the innovators to prepare for the
future. These students know the direct needs they have and will be able to attest to the
benefits of having the necessary resources to meet those needs.
The Self-Help building is the best place for this event because it is a venue that the
Communities in Schools organization uses repeatedly for events, and it is convenient to
all parties involved.

Event Timeline:
January 25, 2017: Secure Self-Help conference room
February 17, 2017: Send invitations to target public with RSVP request
March 1, 2017: Place catering order to Smokey Bones restaurant
March 15, 2017: Memorandum of mandatory event sent to key employees, letter sent
home to parents

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March 20, 2017: Select Spotlight Students to speak

April 20, 2017: Brief run through with key employees, students, spokesperson
April 21, 2017: Media alert
April 22, 2017: Event takes place at Self-Help in Greensboro, NC
April 23, 2017: Press release sent out
April 30, 2017: Final feedback returned and evaluated

Event Partners:
Greensboro Self-Help building will provide the event space as well as all furniture within
the space for seating and dining.
Smokey Bones of Greensboro, NC will provide the food and drink for this event.
Partner Rationale:
The Self-Help building in Downtown Greensboro is already an event partner with
Communities in Schools, as they host annual events there yearly. The space
accommodates up to 40 people which allows for the target public, and all others
involved to fit in a comfortable, yet intimate environment that encourages socialization.
Smokey Bones is a local restaurant here in Greensboro and provides an array of
options for dining. The price includes three main course options and two sides which is
more than enough for this casual social event.

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Communities In Schools of Greater Greensboro

122 N Elm St. #301
Greensboro, NC 27401
NEWS RELEASE
April 23, 2017

Contact Information
Ravyn Kingsberry, PR Director
Office: (336) 555-5555
Email: rakingsb@uncg.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF GREATER GREENSBORO HOSTS SPOTLIGHT

SOCIAL
GREENSBORO, NC- The staff and students of Communities in Schools of Greater
Greensboro had tremendous success in showcasing the strengths and favorable
outcomes of the organization for ten potential donors of the Greensboro area on April
23, 2017.
The goal of this event was to inform new individuals about the organization, as
well as build new relationships between students and innovators in our community for
inspiration. Through casual socialization and testimonials students were able to build
rapport with local business owners in the community for the purpose of networking. In
addition to the successes of the students, the key staff of CIS was able to better explain
the mission and values of the program.

Ravyn Kingsberry

For more information about this event and Communities in Schools you may
contact the Executive Director, Mr. Jimmi Williams or schedule a Lunch and Learn
through the organization to become more informed about CIS. This organization thrives
on the support of the community, and would appreciate any further knowledge you
would like to acquire.
###

MEDIA ADVISORY
Ravyn Kingsberry, PR Director
Phone: (336) 555-5555
Email: rakingsb@uncg.edu
Communities in Schools Hosts Spotlight Social
WHAT: Spotlight Social event for students and staff of CIS to meet and greet with local
business owners with hopes of building lasting relationships for the organization and all
involved.
WHEN: April 22, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Self-Help Center, Downtown Greensboro NC
WHO: Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro staff, students, and ten local
business professionals.
Interview Opportunities:

Dana Battle, 11th grade honors/ap student at Dudley High School currently
pursuing admission to an institution of higher learning
Jimmi Williams, Executive Director of CIS Greater Greensboro

For further information regarding this event please feel free to contact Ravyn
Kingsberry, PR Director of CIS Great Greensboro at (336) 555-5555.

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Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro is a drop-out prevention program that

focuses on increasing the retention rates of students. Their mission is to pair students
with mentors and resources to meet their immediate needs. They also implement
various outreach programs for students beginning in elementary school and going all
the way until high school.
###
Media Contacts:
Susan Lad
Columnist and News Reporter
200 E. Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone: (336) 373-7006
Publicity:
Controlled:

Emailed memorandum to employees

Letter to parents of students involved
Mailed invitation to target public

Uncontrolled:
Press Release
Media Alert
Word of Mouth