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

While the alums aren’t traditionally aged givers, their parents and grandparents are — which just sweetens the pot. Plus, this demographic, because it’s younger, is more likely to respond to social networking, and Web and e-mail communications — which are much less expensive than direct mail.

“City Year has realized the richness — not necessarily just in terms of dollars, but richness in terms of commitment to the organization — from alumni and from parents,” Gordon says. “Some of the corps members who graduated during those early years today are very successful but might have not been asked to participate in the past. So some recent e-correspondence and e-outreach has really worked nicely to engage a whole group of alums who just haven’t been asked in recent years.