Arts & Scraps

Arts & Scraps' goals are:

-Be a community hub for our store customers and neighbors. We do this in many unofficial ways- we are working to make this more and more clear, efficient and communicated.
- Increase the amount of students in Detroit and Metro-Detroit who feel engaged, informed and empowered in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (as well as creativity, entrepreneurship and design).
- Increase the amount of students who feel informed and passionate about environmental issues and impacts.
- Recycle and reuse as much material as is possible. Consistently increase the amount that comes in and out our doors.
- Increase income streams to make us a more sustainable nonprofit overall, allowing us to build a future with even greater impact.

Store:
Increase the amount of customers per day through social media marketing, tracking of customers and their needs. Building a network of people who utilize our stuff and our space.

Programs:
Increase the amount of grant and corporate funded programs we are able to do while still serving our fee-for-service clients. Increase scholarship funds for schools who don't have access to resources to bring us. Build relationships with clients, schools and communities to increase our reach and impact.

Warehouse:
Increase the amount of volunteers we work with, as well as our relationships to the companies with which they work. Utilize those connections to increase productivity functionally, but also as a connection point for inspiring them to support our work in other ways.

Overall:
Stay true to the values and Educational Philosophy we were built upon.

- Willingness to evaluate and change processes, programs and thinking
- Diverse staff that works well together; long term employees and new hires, many backgrounds and ages
- Engaged Board willing to give time, expertise, connections and funds
- Long-standing reputation of high-quality educational programs
- Broad support from the community: over 1,500 individuals give donations and over 5,000 individuals donate time; documented 3,000 volunteer hours in 2019
- Able to span education, art, child development, environmental fields
- Can produce programs and projects affordable for all levels
- Partnering with other local nonprofits of all sizes to help boost the work of others

2020 Accomplishments:
- Strategic planning Phase 1 complete; working on Phases 2 and 3
- Increasing engagement through social media, moving to Reels and videos
- Community Store served through curbside, pick-ups, appointments and other adjustments to keep our community safe through COVID-19 and still serve
- Launched Wholesale Kits
- Departmental goals re-set through current circumstances and still met, departmental budget system created
- Strengthened our volunteer systems to work with smaller groups for COVID safety, added remote volunteering
- Able to continue partnerships with corporations that brought programs to the community vie virtual education
- 2 new board members added
In progress:
- Exploring moving to a new location
- Launching our new strategic plan, including new Mission, Vision, Values and Goals.