How You Can Support Youth

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Contributions to YouthFriends are an efficient and cost-effective way to support school-based mentoring efforts in 30 Greater Kansas City school districts.

YouthFriends costs associated with recruiting, screening, training, managing and retaining each new volunteer are approximately $300, compared to some other national programs that estimate per volunteer costs as high as $1,400 per year.

Because YouthFriends is consistently able to retain greater than 60 percent of mentors for a second year, costs for the program, overall, are reduced. Retained volunteer support is approximately $165 per person
per year.

Your Contributions Matter
Contributions ensure that every volunteer matched with a young person receives the following:

• Quadruple background screening; face-to-face interview; 2-hour introductory training
• Supplementary training for specialized activities

• Volunteer recruitment; comprehensive assistance to participating school districts
• Ongoing communication and support; documentation and evaluation
• Research and development of new volunteer options and trainings

YouthFriends funding comes from a diverse array of funders. Expenditures are detailed in YouthFriends annual report.

Contributions to YouthFriends are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows for donations to 501(c)(3)
non-profit organizations.

For further information, contact Karma Vowell, director of resource development.