When YiPpers Come to Call
To learn what you might encounter when YiPpers come to call based on the information students receive from us, read on!
YiPpers on a site visit
Info for YiPpers on Developing Questions for Site Visits
It’s best to develop your site visit questions as a full group and make sure that everyone is asking the same questions on each site visit. This will give you a basis on which to compare the organizations you’re visiting.
Your questions should be based on your granting areas of focus and criteria, and reflect the interests of your committee. It’s up to you to develop the questions that best suit your group, but a few ideas are:
- Tell us about your organization’s mandate and history.
- What services do you provide and to whom?
- How many people does your organization reach?
- How many people work here? How many volunteers does your organization have?
- If you were to receive a grant of up to $1,000, how could your organization use it best?
- What are your greatest needs as an organization?
- What other revenue do you receive?
- Who else funds your operations?
- Has your organization received a grant from a Youth in Philanthropy committee in the past? If yes, what was it for and how did you follow up with the committee?
- If possible, could we have a short tour of your organization to get a sense of the work you do here?
Info for YiPpers on Site Visit Basics
Once you have arranged a date and time for your visit, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- NEVER VISIT AN ORGANIZATION WITHOUT MAKING AN APPOINTMENT!
- Be punctual, courteous and professional. Remember — when on site visits, you are an ambassador for your school as well as The Winnipeg Foundation.
- If you are a returning YiPper, make sure you establish a balance between new visits and revisits; it is important to experience new agencies to gain a diverse understanding of community needs and assets.
- Before you leave for the site visit, know where you are going and how long it will take to get there. Contact the organization for directions, where parking is available or for the nearest bus route and stop. Using Navigo or Mapquest may be helpful, and remember to take that map with you.
- Make sure at least 2, and no more than 5, YiPpers attend the site visit. Let the organization know how many people they can expect.
- If your group absolutely cannot make the site visit, call the organization as soon as possible to reschedule.
- Let the contact at the organization know how much time you have to spend (most site visits take half an hour to an hour). Ask him or her to have some printed materials ready for you to take (annual reports, brochures, etc.) so you can show the rest of your committee.
- Come prepared with your list of questions and a notebook and pen for taking notes.
- Ask the person you’re meeting with for his or her business card. You must submit your contact’s full name, phone number and address on your final report, and this is a great way to get the info.
- Complete your site visit report form as soon as possible, while the information and your impressions are fresh in your mind. Every committee member who attended the visit should have input into the site visit report.
