Budget

How we pay for what we do

2007 – In Retrospect:

Last year, RCS began building its capacity. In a proactive move to better facilitate our relationship with residential neighbors, RCS hired a Community Police Officer to be present at our Tuesday evening events. To focus on expanding the donor base and the not-for-profit infrastructure of RCS, we hired an Associate Director. This hire was made later than anticipated (September 2007) accounting for the shortfall in anticipated grant and donor revenue. Nevertheless, RCS had a very successful year with its fundraising events: the RCS Gala and the Ravenswood Run both generated considerably more revenue than projected.

Expectations in 2008:

This year, RCS is anticipating transition and preparing for program growth. The staff we put in place last year will allow this to be an expansion year for RCS – both in terms of advancing our programs and in touching the lives of our neighbors. We will devote more of our resources to staffing because we anticipate more needs in the community. As we move into a recession, programs and services for our neighbors will be more essential. We expect to serve more neighbors in need in 2008, and simultaneously face the economic reality of higher program costs (i.e., milk, food, bus passes).

Additionally, we will focus considerable time and attention on board development over the coming months to equip and prepare RCS for its future. We will expand our relationship with Ravenswood School, particularly the focus:future program which provides mentors and motivation to local junior high school students. RCS also plans to develop two new creative endeavors in 2008. The first is a possible not-for-profit coffee shop which will serve as a community gathering spot, an employer for some of our neighbors, and a fundraising arm of RCS. Our other new initiative is the Ravenswood Hunger Coalition which will draw support from local businesses in their commitment to address hunger in our neighborhood.

In all that we do, RCS will continue to be on the front lines of feeding hungry people in the changing, gentrifying Ravenswood and Uptown neighborhoods. If not us, who?

Our 2008 budget can be downloaded by linking here.

We are an agency of Episcopal Charities and Community Services.