Dedication in Action at The Bookkeeping Center

Dear Friends,

For April, we focus on the value of Dedication. Dedication is a principle that we, at The Bookkeeping Center (TBKC), hold dearly. We require that our participants dedicate themselves to our program and we expect the people in our organization to be dedicated to its mission.

Dedication is one’s commitment to achieving one’s goals. People come to us looking for a new or better job. They endeavor to learn a new skill set and capitalize on that skill in the job market. By enrolling in DISCOVERBOOKKEEPING (DB), an eleven-month program, our participants demonstrate a level of commitment to their long-term goals that is admirable.

Dedication pays off when participants receive their Certificate of Completion

Once accepted, participants demonstrate their dedication by:

• Attending all classes dressed in professional attire
• Meeting with the instructor or a mentor to ensure that they understand the classroom lessons
• Utilizing group study sessions and lab hours to improve comprehension
• Taking good notes and being accountable for each session’s coursework
• Attending all job readiness workshops to learn how to be a well-rounded job applicant
• Asking questions

Our intensive program demands commitment from the participants. Without it, they would have trouble passing the challenging ‘Terminology’ and ‘Chart of Accounts’ exams given within the first month of DB’s Manual Bookkeeping semester! From the skills learned on the first day of DISCOVERBOOKKEEPING to the last, our dedicated participants move closer and closer to career sustainability.

Organizationally, we are committed to the mission: to empower talented individuals to find meaningful employment by providing affordable, specialized financial administration, job-readiness assistance and work experience. Additionally, we’ve completed our first strategic plan, which will keep our dedicated staff on a path towards fulfilling our vision.

Our plan covers the next three years and keeps us focused on becoming a key member in the New York City workforce development community that has:

• An organizational orientation towards accountability and results
• A strong, engaged, forward-thinking board of directors
• Enriching support services complimenting a solid curriculum to lead to successful, long-term placements
• A mobilized corps of volunteers to support all aspects of the organization
• Continued to fully embrace and utilize social media
• Ensured a clear and consistent communications strategy for all audiences
• The ability to attract new and diverse funding sources
• On-going, two-way partnerships to access opportunities

We have put our Strategic Plan into action and we are on our way to achieving these goals. We are already tracking programmatic results and increasing the quality and quantity of job readiness workshops. We are building a stronger board (please see last month’s newsletter) and we have hired a volunteer coordinator to increase our human capacity. Finally, we are exploring ways to improve our communications and fundraising strategies. Our dedication to TBKC should lead to a more effective program, which helps us to better accomplish our mission and have a positive impact on the people of New York City.

If you have any questions about our Strategic Plan, please feel free to contact us. Your input reflects a dedication to the people participating in DISCOVERBOOKKEEPING, and we are always excited to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Thomas P. Graham IV
Executive Director
The Bookkeeping Center