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ANNUAL GIVING FUND | 2024
GROWTH ROOTED IN COMMUNITY
The Annual Giving Fund is a critical fundraising campaign for Opportunity Knocks. This year’s campaign theme is about roots and growth. We are planting new seeds while we also nurture our roots and admire the individual and collective growth among the trees in our mission. Please read on and consider sowing some new seeds in the Warrior Mission.
Campaign Objectives
- Campaign Donation Total | $150,000 13%
- New Individual Donors | 50 6%
- Returning Donors | 150 18%
- Total # of Donors | 200 10.5%
Important Dates
GIVING TUESDAY
Tuesday, December 3rd
CAMPAIGN DEADLINE DATE
Tuesday, December 31st
CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
ANNUAL GIVING FUND
On November 15th, we kick off the 2024 Annual Giving Fund. This year’s campaign is about roots, growth and community. We’re sharing stories in the mission through the metaphors of the farm, not just because we have to relocate the Knockout Farm this year, but because the actions of plowing fields, cultivating, sowing seeds, nurturing crops, and harvesting represent the works in progress throughout the Warrior Mission.
This year the Annual Giving Fund has become more important than ever.
Increase Your Impact
Did you know that many employers match their employees’ donations? A matching contribution could double or even triple the impact of your gift. Past donations made during the year may also still be eligible. Don’t wait-use the search box NOW to see if your employer has a matching program.
Questions?
Contact Josh Easter
josh.easter@opportunityknocksnow.org
SEEDS TO SOW
GROWING IN PROGRESS
This year’s Annual Giving Fund theme is well-suited to summarize active and ongoing endeavors in many areas of the organization. It’s all about roots and growth. We are revisiting well-established partnerships to develop new space-sharing agreements, we are developing new partnerships to relocate spaces where we have been operating. We are also planting new seeds by investing resources in initiatives. Scroll around below to learn more about work done and work in progress.
RELOCATING THE FARM
After 8 years at our current site in Maywood, the property has sold and the farm must move. Conversations are underway to secure a new site that is nearby and offering all that the first farm lacked. This will be a HUGE project for OK, requiring funds, friends and heavy lifting. We expect to be farming new land in the Sprint of 2025.
LICENSE TO PROGRAM
We are proud to say that we have been granted a provisional license as a provider of community day services. We still have some steps to take before we can accept state funding for service, but we’re getting close and excited to implement this option so that programming can be more financially accessible for Warriors and families.
INVESTMENT IN GROWTH
We have recognized that our development team needs some professional grade support in a very specific area of growth. We believe that grants and grant writing are the packet of seeds that will help us plant the next field at Opportunity Knocks. We’ve contracted with a pro for the duration of this fiscal year and we’re working hard to bring new connections and support to the mission so that we can yield a strong harvest.
PRODUCT TO MARKET
The Knockout Pickle product line is well-established and ready to take to market. In October of 2024, we re-launched a new and improved catering menu. We’ve recognized the importance of a human resource to help drive our sales and marketing efforts so that we can keep Warriors at Work in the enterprise. This year we are looking to add personnel to account for this sales and marketing energy.
WHY YOUR DONATION MATTERS
SEWING SEEDS OF GROWTH
We understand that this mission is powered by the funds that support it. We appreciate your support. We appreciate the trust and responsibility that come with your support. The value of your donation is tremendous. Here are some important details to express the importance of our work and your support.
01. FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
We have committed ourselves to the endeavor of overcoming any barrier that keeps Warriors from coming to our program. As an organization, we work together with families to create agreements that overcome financial constraints in order to get Warriors to programs.
%
of families with a child having I/DD scale back work hours & lose earnings on avg of $18K/yr
02. PROGRAM ENGAGEMENT
Our approach to programming centers on engagement. Every participant is supported and engaged. This approach requires us to invest in planning and personnel. On average, we have 20 Warriors in a program block. Of those 20, at least 4 require a 1:1 staffing designation to reach the level of engagement we aim to deliver.
%
of our budget is dedicated to direct support staff
03. SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT
Our approach to vocational initiatives centers on engagement. Every Warrior at Work is supported and engaged in a productive, growth-oriented workplace. That support varies based on the preparation, but always requires significant staffing investments to maximize the mission.
%
Individuals w/ I/DD in supported employment successfully advance into competitive employment opps
04. FOOD IS UP!
A typical day in OK Programs includes a communal meal. Warriors will plan, prepare, serve and eat together. The meal is infused with wellness and social growth opps. Nutrition and social connections are absolute essentials in OK Programming
Warriors Cook & Eat in Programs Each Day
05. WARRIOR WELLNESS
We keep it moving. Programs are embedded with wellness activities in the community and hosted at home in the fitness room at the River Forest Community Center. This year’s facility improvement plan includes upgrades to equipment. New rowers, treadmills, weights, flooring.
Obesity rate for adults with disabilities (compared to 30% for those w/o)
06. WARRIORS AT WORK
Pickling, Catering and farming are in full swing! We aim to employ and support Warriors at Work in all areas of the business with a growth-oriented approach focused on abilities, building skills and growing the business together. We added 12 Warriors to the Knockout work team last year!
%
People with I/DD who are employed (compared to 62% for those w/o)
Data Sources
Relias, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention & National Institute of Health, Disability Scoop
PLANTING SEEDS, GROWING TREES
YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK
We understand that this mission is powered by the funds that support it. We appreciate your support. We appreciate the trust and responsibility that come with your support. The value of your donation is tremendous. Here’s a quick glimpse into the impact your dollars create in the mission.
$5,000
Deep Roots Donor
NEED 10
The Fitness Center needs new equipment! $5K provides new treadmills, a recumbent bike and a rower! OR… The Farm needs new raised beds. $5K provides 10 new 8’x2’ – galvanized & accessible growing containers + soil.
Total to Raise: $50,000
$2,500
Farm to Table Donor
NEED 10
Support culinary programming, which includes shopping, preparing, serving and socializing through the lunch hour for 20 Warriors for one full day of programming for one full session.
Total To Raise: $25,000
$1,000
Community Grower Donor
Need 25
Provides lift-assist and transfer equipment to help staff assist Warriors with varying mobility to manage their day to day activities and hygiene. Or… cover the costs of a group outing in OK Programs for 20 Warriors.
Total to Raise: $25,000
$500
Farm Hand Donor
NEED 10
A special sauce ingredient of OK Programs is engagement. Many Warriors need 1:1 support from staff. A donation of $500 provides 1 Warrior with 1:1 support for a full session of programming. Or… the engagement provided by one supported employment assignment in a week of enterprise work shifts.
Total to Raise: $10,000
$250
THE GOAT Donor
NEED 20
A donation of $250 sponsors an epic session of Goat Yoga for 10 Warriors. Or…
Account for all supplies and materials required to offer a therapeutic art program for 10 Warriors in each day of programs for a week.
Total: $5,000
$100
Seed Starter
NEED 100
A donation of $100 will provide a set of new Uniforms for one Warrior at Work in the Knockout Kitchen. OR… A set of supplies and materials to stage a seed starting activity that will produce trays of plants to go to the Knockout Farm.
Total to Raise: $10,000
GET INVOLVED
Other Ways to Support
RECURRING DONATIONS
Monthly or recurring gifts let you spread your giving throughout the year, easily budget for charitable contributions and make an ongoing commitment to Opportunity Knocks. To set up a recurring donation, click on the Recurring Donation link below. Then select your donation amount, check the box ‘Create Recurring Donation’ and set your donation frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc). It’s that easy!
Donate Tax-Free from Your IRA
You can donate some or all of the amount of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from an IRA directly to a charity, tax-free. If you’re eligible to do so, you can use a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).
DONATE STOCK, BONDS, MUTUAL FUNDS
Donation of appreciated shares of marketable securities like stocks, bonds and mutual funds is an attractive, tax-wise alternative to a cash contribution.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
You can support our effort by spreading the word to your network. Click the button below to take a look at our Annual Giving Fund Outreach Toolkit. This toolkit features instructions for social media fundraisers, a customizable email/letter template, and downloadable campaign photos to enhance those posts and emails.
Donate through Donor-Advised Fund
A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a centralized charitable account. It allows charitably-inclined individuals, families and businesses to make tax-deductible charitable donations of cash, publicly-traded stock and in some case, certain illiquid assets, to a public charity that sponsors a DAF program.
DONATE GENTLY USED SPORTING GOODS
Did you know that you can support OK by donating your gently used sports or fitness equipment to Play It Again Sports in Forest Park?
Whether gently used, too small, or just no longer needed, bring it in to Play it Again Sports! Anything they can re-sell, they will purchase and give you the option of donating your proceeds to OK.
For more information on the types of gear they purchase, visit their website via the button below!
OUR COMMUNITY
A Collective Effort
As a grassroots organization, thriving in spite of an underfunded system of support from the State of Illinois, we have built OK on a foundation of community support. We rely heavily on a vast network of donors, volunteers, and partners to help support, sustain and grow our mission. We are blessed with a great network, but it is paramount that the network continues to grow. Come get involved.
DONATE
We are 96% privately funded. Without your support, we would not exist. Please consider supporting the Warriors today.
Volunteer
From program support members to event staff volunteers, corporate groups and internships, opportunities to connect abound.
Partner
Corporate sponsorships, program partnerships and all sorts of ways in between to connect your group with our group in mission.