City Year transforms the lives of two distinct sets of constituents — but it doesn’t stop there. Relying on powerful stories to engage them, it also transforms the lives of donors.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

City Year has a dual constituency, of sorts. It provides life-changing leadership and service experiences for corps members, but it also works miracles in the lives of the students it serves. In a time when nonprofits have to zero in on very specific mission goals in order to stand out, the seemingly two-pronged mission might be seen as a handicap. Not so, according to Gordon and Alison Franklin, the organization’s communications co-director.