This post constitutes the third and final article in a series of our responses to the Echoing Green Fellowship for the project YouImpact.us.   Part II can be viewed here.

Q:   How much money have you fundraised to date? Who is your largest funder and what is the size of their grant? Provide an estimate of your total budget for each of the next two fiscal years

A:   As we are very much in our nascent phase as an organization we have yet to receive funding. That being said we have done about as much planning for funding as we possibly can do at this point. We have schedules with business plan competitions and fellowship applications marked, and we are driven to pursue every possible funding opportunity in keeping with our goals. That being said, it is important to note that we do not ultimately intend to rely on outside donations to remain afloat. We intend to be self-sufficient. We will charge a 5% processing fee for all donations sourced through us. We will charge corporations for the right to participate in dollar-for-dollar fundraising. We will sell anonymous demographic data on donor actions to interested not-for-profits. And additional revenue models will be considered as new issues and opportunities arise. Estimates for our budget include planning for the hire of web and application developers, marketing and PR outlets (including online and social media advertising), and administrative costs. We anticipate a budget in the broad range of $250,000 to $500,000 for each of the next two years.

Q:   Why is co-leadership a superior model for your organization, compared to a single leader model?

A:   Co-leadership functions as a superior model as we each bring skills and perspectives to the table that complement our strengths and talents. Auren brings a history of community organizing as well as practical work-based experience to the fellowship, while Fernando got a head-start in entrepreneurship with the initiative of working to create a government position specifically for facilitating new business endeavors in the depleted economy of Fresno, CA. Given these different backgrounds the two leaders bring unique perspective to the company. Additionally, we are receptive to one another’s ideas and as a result collaboration is a natural and free-flowing process. And all of this occurs in addition to the fact that two of us are, in the aggregate, much more productive than just one.

Q:   How do you know each other? Describe the history of your relationship, including any shared work experiences and how you decided to create this organization together

A:   We first met at the Los Angeles Startup Weekend conference, an event occurring world-wide that brings aspiring entrepreneurs together for a 54-hour unconference that involves creating a working enterprise by weekend’s end. YouImpact.us came about as a result of Auren and Fernando’s collaboration during the weekend, with particular help from our project team-mates. We worked together on developing numerous concepts for the organization before settling on our current form, a customer acquisition model, a road-map for achieving revenue self-sustainability, and of course pitching our idea to an audience that included multiple angel investors. We have also met with developers both in San Francisco and Los Angeles regarding the development of our web applications. When we first met, Fernando was inspired by Auren’s passion in delivering his idea and
this appeal led to his wanting to help create a lasting and sustainable solution.

Q:   In a co-leadership model, titles help people understand what each partner does. What will your titles be? What will each of you do within your organization?

A:   We will divide our leadership of the organization into the roles of President (Auren) and CEO (Fernando). As President, Auren will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the non-profit, including marketing campaigns and reaching out to create parterships with fellow non-profits, for-profit sponsors, and business and thought leaders in the tech and philanthropy communities. He will also oversee application development. In the meantime, Fernando will serve as CEO by executing a workable and profitable long-term plan of action and applying cost-efficient
policies and techniques. He will keep an eye to the bottom line and will seek to maximize resources to ensure long-term viability.

Q:   What is the decision-making process for your organization? When the co-leaders have opposing views, how do you resolve the issue?

A:   The decision-making process for our organization involves us openly discuss both of our views and being clear and direct with our intentions. We operate with a commitment to finding common ground. When we are faced with opposing views, we resolve the issue by seeking an outside perspective to provide objective feedback and commentary. For instances such as these we imagine turning to our board of directors and other thought leaders with whom we have partnered.

We look forward to your feedback and will get back to you all with updates on Echoing Green’s response!  For more information on the Echoing Green Fellowship, visit http://www.EchoingGreen.org