This week’s Blackbaud Nonprofit of the Match is Reading Partners. Reading Partners mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.
Reading Partners work with under-resourced schools and engage with volunteer reading partners to work one-on-one with students who struggle to read. Research shows that students who read at grade level by fourth grade have a greater opportunity to succeed in school and in life.
An evidence-based and community-driven organization, Reading Partners recruits and trains volunteers to work with students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, curriculum. Their program model works and is backed by evidence-based research which proves that their students make significant gains in reading. On average, Reading Partners’ students more than double their rate of learning while in the program.
Reading Partners builds a partnership with teachers, parents, and community volunteers to provide students the support they need to succeed. By providing volunteer tutors and research-based, structured lesson plans designed to focus on the individual needs of their students, Reading Partners is helping students become strong, confident readers with a passion for learning.
Reading Partners is looking for community to support to help them continue to achieve their goals. There are many ways to help unlock the reading potential of their students. Opportunities include volunteering in a reading center, holding book drives, writing letters to the editor, and becoming a community partner.
Community partners include businesses, faith-based institutions, colleges, community groups, civic organizations, and other networks that want to make a collective difference. Involvement takes many forms and can be customized to meet the needs of any organization. Partnership opportunities include, but are not limited to recruiting new volunteer tutors, promoting Reading Partners through social media, newsletters, websites, invited presentations, etc., organizing book drives, donating products and supplies, raising funds and making financial contributions, supporting special events, connecting us with other leaders and groups in your network, sharing meeting rooms for staff and volunteer events
For more information, visit readingpartners.org or stop by Reading Partners’ table on the concourse on game day.
