What Your Investment Covers
We consider all contributions to Handshake America to be an investment in our students' future. Because all of our Coaches volunteer their time, our most significant cost is the $1,000 scholarship we award to the students who complete the year-long Handshake Program. There are also costs associated with programming, selecting students and our Handshake Student Alumni Program. Therefore, you may either allow us to determine how to use your donated funds by selecting Donate Now OR you may target your donation to one of four areas: scholarships, programming, operations, or events. (You can designate your donation after you select your method of payment.)
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Target Your Donation (Optional)
As stated above, you may donate directly to an impact area most suited to your interests. You can select from Scholarships, Operations, Programming, or Events. Make a donation by clicking the button that corresponds to your selected category. Listed below each category title is an explanation and/or breakdown of costs so you can see where and how your donation is used.
Scholarships
By donating to student’s scholarships, you can support Handshake student’s future aspirations in any city/region. Your contribution allows our students to put their acquired leadership principles into practice within their chosen field. Scholarships are typically disbursed upon completion of the Handshake program. Each student receives $1,000, therefore, the 2021 costs break down as follows:
$1,250 cost per student
$7,500 cost per Handshake Team (six students)
Regional Expenses
$6,000 for the 6 Western North Carolina students
$24,000 for the 24 students in Atlanta
$54,000 for the 54 students in Columbus, OH
Programming
Over half of our team's efforts go into delivering the programming to our students. Starting in the Fall we partner with local schools to identify gritty & coachable students and encourage these students to apply. Every January, we review hundreds of applications from dozens of schools. Upon selection to the program, we invite students and their families to the Orientation/Kick-off. The students are then broken down into diverse teams of six that meet eight times during the year and learn our five practices of success (93 sessions across all teams in all three cities!). The year culminates with the Annual Assembly for the students and families of those who completed the Program.
Avg. Programming Cost/Student is $417
Avg. Programming Cost/Team is $2,500
Operations
Each year we invest resources to recruit, evaluate, and train all our volunteers. Examples include hosting an Annual Coaches Clinic in each city, generating relevant support materials, and background checks. There are also costs for things such as website hosting and database management for our current and former students, coaches, and volunteers. Fortunately, because of The Roy Probst Operations Fund, all donations into this category will be matched up to $20,000
Events
In addition to the 144 coaching sessions we will arrange in 2021, each Handshake America location will host three important events for the students, their families, coaches and a variety of related people - a Kick-off/Orientation in the beginning of the year, an Annual Assembly to conclude the year, and an Alumni Event in the summer for former students. The large audiences provide a great venue to publicize you or your company's investment into the future leaders in our communities. For more information on Sponsorship contact Jared Weston at (614) 980-3128 or by email JaredWeston@HandshakeAmerica.org