BEST BUDDIES

IMPACT STORY

Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and emotional isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Best Buddies sought support from DCivitas to enhance their Best Buddies Living (BBL) program, which facilitates inclusive residential living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their peers. Throughout our partnership, DCivitas focused on grant research and execution, partnerships with Georgetown clubs, and expanding BBL to new locations.

ABOUT THEM

CHALLENGES

Best Buddies was facing a few challenges as a non-profit organization in the DC area. DCivitas focused on 3:

  1. Best Buddies’ Living Pillar was facing a $100,000 deficit

  2. They needed help establishing and maintaining partnerships with Georgetown Student Organizations

  3. They needed to establish contenders for new Best Buddies Living locations to fulfill their long-term goal of further U.S. expansion

SOLUTIONS

DCivitas was able to create a membership opportunity for the members of the Best Buddies Living Pillar that meant paying less and creating another source of revenue for the company. Dcivitas also built a scholarship fund model that organized a system that calculated their financial aid based on the cost of living to be able to afford the program. DCivitas also helped Best Buddies fill out grant applications, some of the easiest ways to earn money. Filling them out takes a lot of effort and more work than a lot of the nonprofits can handle so they outsourced this work to DCivitas.

DCivitas implemented a successful membership model in the first semester, yielding tangible results by early Spring. Beyond grants, DCivitas aided Best Buddies in managing and expanding connections with student organizations, addressing partnership challenges, and enabling organizational growth. Recognizing time and manpower constraints, DCivitas actively alleviated funding challenges. These strategic interventions position Best Buddies for sustained growth.

RESULTS