Get Involved

“No enterprise can exist for itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some great service, not for itself but for others, or failing herein, it ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.”

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

Known for being a man of few words, Silent Cal hit the nail on the head. In his view, either make a difference in the world or prepare to be replaced by someone who will. Actually, we’re okay with this sentiment.

First, we’ve never had a sense of entitlement about our right to exist. We don’t walk around with a martyr’s complex about how important we are to the world.

Second, we’re not some foundation’s favorite pet project. And, we’re deliberately apolitical so we’re not in the hip pocket of an elected official. In other words, no one in a position of influence blindly steers money to us because we’re the big guy on the nonprofit block.

No, we’re the scrappy team that pulls the big upset in the final minutes of the game. We’re the dreamy inventor who builds the product that no one thought possible.

We’re increasingly showing with each passing month that private capital and independent thinkers are the real answer to America’s poverty crisis. We’re at the forefront of this movement, sharpening our focus and building new partnerships every day.

We think we’ve earned a seat at the table. We’ve paid some dues and we’ve pushed some envelopes. We think the time has come for our next big growth spurt.

Here’s how YOU can GET INVOLVED –

  • Become a donor, big or small. Donate just one time or once a month. If you believe in private solutions to public problems, vote with your debit card. Vote with your checkbook. To borrow from a famous sportswear company, “Just Donate!”
  • Become an employer. Hire just one of our young adults or make room in your company for 5 or 10 or 20 or 100. You will NEVER feel better about yourself or your company than the day our clients become your next great success story. Show your business friends that you care about this great country of ours in a deeply profound way. Show your children that with great success comes even greater responsibility. Show your neighbors that waving a flag isn’t enough for engaged citizens. Give someone the gift of America.
  • Become a board member. Help our board of directors recruit new donors and new employers. If you can’t serve on a board right now, contact our CEO about donors or employers you think might be interested. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
  • Become an advocate. Invite our CEO to speak to your business, your civic group, your congregation. Raise the issue of poverty in your book club, your small group, your carpool. Some of our very best friends and supporters found us this way.
  • Become a mentor. Feeling a little bored on the sofa or unsatisfied in the office? Re-energize your life by giving back. Help your community by helping others. Mentor a young man or woman who may not have had the upbringing or schooling or job training they need to climb the ladder of success. Understand the law of the “multiplier effect,” that when you mentor a young parent, you’re actually helping scores of lives.
  • Become a reader. Sign up for our email updates. Read our tweets. Bookmark our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Read our Blogs and send them to your friends. Reading is fun and reading is free!

Finally, if you’ve read this entire dropdown section, let us know so we can congratulate you!

GET INVOLVED,

Open Door America

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