4/16

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina, Celia Waldock

Introductions

Waldock – letters of intent this week, grant writing starting next week

CASA/KARA confusion

Google Grants: WI CASAs cannot accept ‘gifts’

Free level is still free, 

KARA searches for resources to maximize grant, 

local group can search for resources to maximize grant

Colleges are struggling

Campus Conversations

FinLit: Metrics is #1

Book 2

Professors / Interns / Students

WI Incident Report / KARA Survey?

New chart – No data points

Grant focus on Google Ads Campaign

 

 

4/23

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley

Celia billing 

Google Grant metrics as references

Prep for WI presentation (5/16)

John Hendrickson – banner stand order

Kickstarter campaign for Book 2? 

Levels of support: get Book 2 when published, get Book 1 & 2, get signed book, etc???

Needs:

Social Media

Grant Writing

Kickstarter for book

Old contacts/donors

Solve the meeting room technology

Add minutes to website weekly 

Resources page

Meeting adjourned

 

 

4/30

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

Room technology NOT mastered

Weekly meeting minutes on website, link sent to board

Sage retooled presentation

Tactics to get WI participants to sign up for weekly newsletter

Sandy nervous about her job

Google campaign NOT FREE – funded by our sources

April

5/7

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina, Gerard

MN Casa set up Google Grant – set up pro-bono but no new content

Signed up with Lawrence in Jan 2024

WordPress site changes added to Lawrence’s purview

4 months in – slower progress

CASAs have Exec Dir / who will do the work?

On boarding process HAS to include all of the ancillary tech issues (admin credentials, social media, wordpress site upgrades)

5/28

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina, Celia Waldock

Damon to add language to agreement to describe our stand alone subsites that link to client’s pre-existing sites

Damon to create a site-map/proposal for sub sites, biannual maintenance, options to CASAs to add their own content.

Fundraising: Mike is making calls to 100+ people that have donated in the past

Grant writing: Cecilia is pinning down terminology and goals

6/4

Tikkanen, Earley, Kocina

Google Grant program changes

WIsconsin loss

Grant results infographic
Investigate G4 report widgets

Refine pitch (simplicity, funded)

Damon send Mitch JPG logos

6/11

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

WI options, Sandy conversation

Wednesday 8am Tikky, analytics widgets

Mitch :: videos

6/18

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina, Waldock

 

Vote for Greg on board: motion for Greg’s vote by Damon; second by Jim; discussion; voted in unanimously

Updated Google Grant calendar

Fundraising

Wisconsin CASAs – first response gets Platinum funded by KARA

Pitch National – we do Platinum and drive traffic to their site

6/25

Tikkanen, Earley, Kocina

 

Fundraising: QT / Celia: Grant writing

YouTube issues

Google Grant: No response from WI yet

Passionate conversation around Google Grants – managing expectation and describing value and results

7/2

Tikkanen, Earley, Christian, Kocina

 

Jim’s eternal battle against bunny rabbits

WI :: St Croix CASA

Travis – marketing efforts

Celia efforts :: grant levels, past funders

Email signature options

Wolf Creek Pass song

7/16

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley

 

WI update / 6 month check-in

National CASA non-responsive

FY25 slide deck

QuickBooks issues

Lawrence pay (GGrant, Tech Support)

Library of GGrant ads (Issues, Volunteerism, Donations)

7/23

TIkkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley

 

Updates

Rework the action post

Survey question: Do you know someone that might find this valuable?

Google campaigns and search terms – show keywords used on monthly report

Mike & Damon to connect and review keywords

Grant writing: Celia / Tina

7/30

TIkkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley, Waldock

 

Updates

Mike Tikkanen signature to Celia for use on grant documents

Celia – corporate giving: identify people we know in large corporations, ask them to add KARA to their giving list

Corporate sponsorships – MailChimp (how many places can we highlight a sponsor?)

Writing grants / CASA on waiting list :: chicken/egg

8/6

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

Tikk – Action Plan review

CA – firing mandated reporters

Tina doc – email to Damon, questions

Corporate Giving – Jim :: action steps

Jim to make a script for corporate giving approach

Damon to make a script of what the four of us actually DO (actionable, measurable)

8/20

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley

 

CASA national proposal by Damon

MN CASA referred us to Sally

Celia grants

Tina grants

Elmer J Anderson grant, Sep 1 deadline

Sponsor for MailChimp: $500/mo ask?

Book update

8/27

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

CASA – Missouri (Kansas City)

Website Plug-in JetPack on InvisibleChildren.org for social media posting

Damon to forward Wells Fargo Grant Process link received from Dave Dickey to Celia

Jim approaching McGuire

Greg pursuing leads

Jim making Google Sheet as in internal doc to collect leads

Tina update: told not to pursue Nat’l for money

Damon to make graphic for scalable GG sites / ads

9/3

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina, Earley, Waldock

 

Updates

Celia presented her actions/plan 2025, will add making calls to potential donor/grantors

Getting up to date Financial Statements

Change how we show Programming vs Administrative $$$ :: Earley for the win!!

Celia & Damon to talk offline re pitching programming in a fluid environment

9/17

TIkkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

Updates

Grant process: research, contact, submit

How to keep Mike organized

Damon to contact Andrew Miller

Mike to connect with Lawrence about grant phone calls

10/1

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

Updates

Damon work with Mike to pre-load MailChimp with CASA messages

Tina grant writing close to launch

IC website – Mike to connect Gupta and Auggie

10/8

TIkkanen, Earley, Christian, Kocina

 

Updates

Giving Tuesday, Damon connect with Celia

Tuesday 9am, Jim zoom with Damon, gin up CASA / Google Grant messages in MailChimp

Tina – grants to go out next week

Smart Sheets / Google Sheets

Reaching foundations – calls? Emails? Mailing?

Mike will connect Gupta to Auggie for website revision

Mike to send board Gupta’s vision of the homepage

10/22

TIkkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

Updates

Next week – 20 min MailChimp ideation

Tina – MN grants

Damon – connect with August about website (Policies, Programs, People)

Damon – reset Wednesday MailChimp :: create new re Directed Donors from Celia

10/29

Tikkanen, Kocina

 

MailChimp ideation:

”In your community, how many people could tell you what CASA-GAL stands for?”

We know that every CASA organization across the country faces a similar problem. Too many people are unaware of the nightmare some children are living.

There is a tool that increases awareness in your community. It is already funded so it costs you nothing, it is already managed so it doesn’t add to your list of to-do’s. Do you want to talk to us about it?

Contact Mike@InvisibleChildren.org

 

Concept: Spend week working IN my business, need a few minutes to work ON my business

Mike / Damon – meet to set up Online Giving

Updates

QT launch

Financials

Website – Damon connect with August

11/26

Tikkanen, Earley, Christian, Kocina

 

Updates

CASAMN letter to use in growing the GGProgram

QT grants to go out soon

New software

GGProgram waiting list is growing

InvisibleChildren.org home page redesign

Book update

Mike’s computer upgrade?

”Management Fit for Purpose”

12/3

Tikkanen, Earley, Kocina

 

Computer upgrade: Earley hand me down vs new off the shelf

Website – new home page go active after disabling the board members row – keep in Bakery

Financials – re-categorizing for grant use

Social Media – considering a paid position vs volunteer

Podcast – test run, college connections

Damon / Mike set time to edit/augment google reports 12/10 @ 10am

12/10

TIkkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina

 

Updates

Google Analytics report – Damon/Tikky at 10:15am today

In-Kind Services

QT fundraising – rewrite

Accounting categories have been reclassified

Managing Google Program waiting list

Funding for CASAMN due end of February

Book is a re-write: ai ???

12/17

Tikkanen, Christian, Earley, Kocina, Waldock

 

Annual Meeting

Review financials – approved

Damon nominated for Secretary/Treasurer by Jim, seconded by Greg, voted unanimously

Mike nominated for President/Exec Director by Damon, seconded by Jim, voted unanimously

Review grant proposals / letter of intention report

Review MailChimp performance

Review InvisibleChildren.org Google grant summary

Email Lite option

Manage expectations of 8 waiting CASAs – email by Damon

Fundraising email to MailChimp list – only link to Donate

Move to adjourn

12/31

Tikkanen, Christian, Kocina

(Earley via phone)

 

Updates

Monthly email: Initiative Update email (donation request)

Podcast project

Instrumental software update

Travis – directed donor search

New computer up and running!

Celia finding foundations – going well

Lawrence to follow up with Briana

Auggie – website update done