Winning the prize for top small non-profit as well as placing in the top 10 is huge for our organization. We are so very grateful for the generosity shown during the Great Minnesota Give Together. We hoped a few big gifts would help us hold the number one spot … and people really came through.

Jabbok Family Services is a nonprofit serving low-income families and youth in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis through high-quality, low-cost childcare, family support, and youth programming. It operates a one-of-a-kind childcare center providing part-time childcare that is focused on early childhood education and school readiness. For parents it provides family support advocacy and parent group learning sessions. Jabbok also operates a family oriented, year round youth center that provides academic enrichment, social and emotional development, and life skills training for youth ages six through 18. Both of Jabbok’s programs help to build healthy families and self-sufficiency. 

Jabbok operates on a very small and tight annual budget. Each year, we hope to increase our impact by offering more services … providing early education-focused childcare and afterschool programs to more children. That has been difficult in the last few years with the adjustment in our economy. So, our strategy for improving our impact has been to improve efficiencies in our services. We have enhanced our program’s outcomes and scheduled events strategically, using our professional staff dollars most efficiently. We rely heavily on volunteers to help deliver the quality programs that the children, youth and families deserve and have come to expect, as Jabbok has “fine-tuned” our work in the Whittier neighborhood. For Jabbok, the additional money from Give to the Max Day simply means additional professional staff.  

My plan is to re-project this year’s revenues and the next few years’ cash flow and add hours to some of our existing staff. We will likely hire a new teacher for the INSTEP program. We can now say that the Great Minnesota Give Together created a job as well!