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

“Building awareness of City Year in Miami, or Los Angeles where it’s 2 years old, or even in a city where it’s been around 15 years … that’s the challenge,” Gordon says.

“But I think that once people hear the story more, they understand it. City Year, like so many other organizations … if your name doesn’t shout exactly what you do, you have the challenge of, one, getting people to even know you exist and, two, getting them to understand what it is you do,” he adds. “I think that’s the position we’re in right now.”