A Collaboration for all Generations

How Funding, Expansion & Recruitment can lead the CLC to becoming a better Nonprofit
Nigeria Gould
March 23rd, 2018
Columbus Literacy Council
Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………..2
A Collaboration for all Generations

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3
Columbus Literacy Council

Background………………………………………………………………………………………4
EOSL & Columbus Literacy Council

Proposed Solution………………………………………………………………………………..6
Funding, Expansion & Recruitment

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..8

Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………9

References………………………………………………………………………………………10

Index…………………………………………………………………………………………….11
A Collaboration for all Generations
The Columbus Literacy Council is a Non-Profit organization that focuses on giving non-
Native English speakers access to EOSL lessons for low a cost. In 1970 the CLC was developed
by Church Women United so that they can assist Asian and Greek immigrants in learning
English to prepare for citizenship (https://www.jeffersonavenuecenter.org/new-page-29/). The
CLC started as a small organization and has kept to its roots with its size to provide 1:1 work
with their students. While CLC has been operating in Columbus for nearly 50 years and has
built a strong community with the people they serve, they are still limited in funding for
materials, locations for expansion and volunteers.
Columbus Literacy Council
As previously mentioned the CLC has been in existence since the 70s to assist Asian and
Greek immigrants in their learning of English to prepare for their citizenship exam. As of 2013,
the CLC has served over 2,000 students and have remained in the Central Ohio/Columbus
Community. They have served many people and have provided EOSL help to many immigrant
communities. They’re accessible and quick to provide their services to those who need them.
They’ve been recognized in the community by receiving the Mayor’s Community Service
Award, are rated Gold on Guidestar and are recognized by the Ohio Association of Nonprofit
Organizations. CLC has done amazing work for the community and continuously does amazing
work, but as I was interning for the CLC, I did recognize CLC can use some improvements.
CLC has three things within the organization that can use improvements:
• Funding to gain access to EOSL Materials and Create their textbook/work
materials
• Location Expansion
• Volunteers
CLC doesn’t need drastic changes to its structure, the improvements needed are for the
betterment of the community, so they can further extend their resources to people in different
areas of Columbus. The more people that gain access, the more lives CLC impacts.
CLC is currently working on creating their own EOSL textbook for their students so that
the CLC staff can have a sustainable and physical way of keeping track of the students’ progress
and hold them accountable for their work. Which was one the biggest problems they were facing;
they were not able to have a physical way to monitor if students are also progressing in the
language outside of the classroom.
CLC, currently runs in the Jefferson Avenue Center as the main location to register for
classes and get tutoring. In the past their services were offered in some locations of the
Columbus Metropolitan Library systems and the United Way used to provide the services to the
community. As of recently neither of the nonprofits provide those services to the community; so,
the council now only provides services through their main location at the Jefferson Avenue
Center.
The CLC has a well-trained and equip staff, but as their numbers grow the staff
availability and attention to students shrinks. They could take on more students, but they first
must see that one of their great problems is that they must conduct a way to expand their
locations and let others from the community contribute to the success of the organization.
EOSL and Columbus Literacy Council:
Starting with the EOSL Learning Materials. As I was interning with CLC, our main task
was to convert materials from other EOSL materials to a CLC version, finding none copyrighted
pictures and rewording some exercises for students. Brianna is the lead of this project and she
alongside with Cory-a CLC volunteer- both have been working on ways to create this work
while adhering to EOSL techniques and Ohio EOSL learning requirements. Working on these
materials was very challenging and at times vague. The Ohio Department of Education, itself
doesn’t have regulations or a structure on how to go about creating or teaching the material.
They have “Second Language Acquisition,” which are the levels students are ranked at to
determine their level of EOSL learning (http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-
Resources/English-Learners/Teaching-English-Language-Learners). But, throughout the process
of working on this project, myself, Brianna, Danny-the other student intern-, and Cory spoke on
our frustrations of the project. If CLC had the money they can buy the materials from a company
for every student, they have so they can keep track of their progress. It then can take the strain
off Brianna and Cory, so they can lend their hands to aiding other students in their learning. But,
with them developing their own textbook, they make things relatable to the community of the
students that’ll be using these materials; so, the re-phrasing of sentences alongside locations is
not an easy task to accomplish and they need more hands on deck for this task.
Funding, Expansion & Recruitment
The solutions to this problem can seem as if they’re easy, but when it comes to funding,
expansion and recruitment of volunteers, any nonprofit board can tell you it’s not easy to
improve structures; even when they’re for the betterment of the organization.
Beginning with CLC and their creation of their textbook and workshop materials. While,
giving the organization more money can seem as if it’s the obvious answer, it’s not. The
solutions to the work on the textbook and other workshop materials is multilayered:
• Brianna, who is the lead on the project, petitions for more funding to buy
more examples of EOSL materials from other nonprofits whose work is
similar to CLC’s.
• Brianna then recruits more CLC staff/volunteers to aide in the work for the
textbook. Each person dedicating five hours a week to materials.
• Once people have been recruited, Brianna and Cody have at least a four-
hour training on the materials, teaching volunteers how to convert the
materials to relate to matters that the student’s environment and Ohio
Learning regulations. They then give a demonstration of format and a
holistic understanding of each learning level and how the work parallels to
that level.
The materials being developed should have a more all hands-on deck method, not
because there’s a rush to get it done, since the staff and volunteers will be teaching the materials
to their students, they all should understand what the materials are and how they were developed.
If more people were dedicated to this project, it can be completed in less than a year and it can
aide the students in their learning because they’re tutors have a strong comprehension on
materials that they created themselves.
Leading into the need for expansion. CLC has impacted many lives in its near 50 years of
existing in the Columbus community. They’ve been housed in the Jefferson Avenue Center
which houses other nonprofits organizations. While central to the Columbus, Ohio community it
can be difficult for some to go there. The main population CLC serves is immigrant based and
Columbus itself has a high Somali population. The Jefferson Ave Center is close enough for
some, but not close enough for all. There are many people located in and around the Ohio State
campus area, who may need these services. During my internship I was catching two buses to the
CLC and two buses back. For me that was no financial hardship being an OSU student, but
others aren’t allotted that same privilege which is why location expansion should be another
improvement for the CLC. They can have their tutoring services located:
• Columbus Public Library on High St.
• Ohio Union/Rooms on OSU Main Campus
• Local Elementary Schools
• St. Stephen’s Community Center
Locations such as Columbus Public Libraries and St. Stephens are accessible to the
communities they are reaching. Adding these other locations aides those who need this access to
EOSL learning. CLC is already targeting large numbers but being centrally located at the
Jefferson Ave Center they have to have a filtering system for their students. Its organized, but to
reach more people to expand into other locations they have the opportunity to extend their reach
and impact.
 The expansion would then lead to a need for more tutors to teach the EOSL curriculum. I
became aware of the CLC existed through the course, but I would not have known who they
were or what they did. The students and volunteers know of the center, but if they were to
expand, they could no longer just rely on the people they have within the Jefferson Ave Center;
they would have to reach out to a space with a large number of people, OSU happens to be that
space. With that being said, this doesn’t mean I think they should recruit anyone and everyone, I
am a firm believer that having someone who looks like you or has shared experiences in a space
unfamiliar to you can add a level of comfort. If CLC were to reach out into the student resources
at OSU and collaborate with student organizations such as the Somali Student Association and
REFUGE, they would have access to a population of students who:
1.) Look like majority of the population they’re serving.
2.) If some students still speak the language of the CLC students, the translation
of the language can be easier since they can relate it to something they’re
familiar with in their native language.
3.) Have access to materials to further aide them if they choose to pursue college.
4.) Can recruit more people from their network to be of aid to the students.
There is nothing wrong with the tutors at CLC already, but the motto, “You can be what
you see,” resonates through communities of color because of the lack of visibility in
environments of education.
Conclusion:
Funding, expansion and recruitment. The 3 Keys to the Columbus Literacy Council
becoming a better 501(c)3. Already doing amazing work at the Jefferson Ave Center, there is
always room for growth. They’re impacting people in the Columbus community and from their
impact they are in the works of developing a textbook. But, because of the lack of work around
EOSL educational content at an affordable cost, they need more money to access EOSL
materials to create their own materials. They also have no hard way of assessing the
improvement of their student’s week to week, month to month, etc. Access to more funding fixes
this issue simply because they have the money to develop the materials. With this being a hefty
project only two people are working on, tutors have become slightly shorthanded.
Their services are located in one location that for some people is too far to get to,
especially without reliable transportation. Their services being in one location limits their reach.
If they expand to accessible locations in different communities of Columbus, they reach greater
numbers.
But, numbers aren’t the only important thing; tangible impact, students learning the
information- not retaining- is more important. Using OSU students who look like the people
CLC are serving can:
• Help with the need for tutors if they were to expand.
• Add a resource to CLC students and interact with the space of a college
campus.
CLC for over 50 years has been an ally to the community by giving immigrants a chance
to access education and from there be able to have access to jobs and go about their day to day
lives easier. The work of the CLC should no longer go unnoticed, with this proposed solution,
the CLC becomes a better organization for the community they serve.
Appendix:
The Ohio State University Student Activities website
References:

“Columbus Literacy Council.” The Jefferson Avenue Center,

www.jeffersonavenuecenter.org/new-page-29/.

“Teaching English Language Learners.” Ohio Department of Education,

education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/English-Learners/Teaching-English-Language-
Learners.

“WHO WE ARE.” COLUMBUS LITERACY COUNCIL, 14 Mar. 2017,

www.columbusliteracy.org/about/.

“Working with ESOL Learners with Basic Literacy Needs | ESOL Nexus.” Romans and Anglo-
Saxons | ESOL Nexus, esol.britishcouncil.org/content/teachers/staff-room/teaching-
articles/working-esol-learners-basic-literacy-needs.
Index:
501(c)3……………………………………………………………………………………....pg. 7
EOSL………………………………………………………………………………………..pg. 2
Somali Student Association…………………………………………………………………pg. 5
REFUGE…………………………………………………………………………………….pg. 5
Second Language Acquisition………………………………………………………………pg. 3