Help Us Build a Grassroots Fundraising Strategy to Support Mentorship for Boys in Atlanta

We are seeking a volunteer to help us craft a fundraising/business development strategy for our organization.

NorthStar is a startup nonprofit that provides mentorship, literacy, and life skills to boys aged 5–17 in Atlanta's underserved neighborhoods. We’re working on raising funds for our first major campaign: a van to transport scholars safely to and from our after-school program. Additionally, program materials, school supplies, workshop resources, and family food support for scholars who need more than just mentorship.

We’re seeking a skilled fundraising strategist to help us develop a grassroots fundraising plan that aligns with our current capacity, leverages community relationships, and fosters donor engagement.
What We Need:
• Advice on best grassroots fundraising practices
•Support in mapping out low-cost or free strategies (social media, text-to-give, events, peer-to-peer giving, etc.)
•Help prioritize what to do first, given that we have no current funding

Why This Matters:
Many of the boys we serve come from fatherless homes and lack consistent adult support. In neighborhoods like Bankhead, this absence of guidance often leads to poor decisions made in search of structure and a sense of belonging.
In Fulton County, Black youth make up over 93% of youth court referrals and over 96% of those detained daily for criminal offenses. Statewide, they are more than twice as likely to be charged as white youth, and three times as likely to be charged as adults. Educationally, they are suspended more, supported less, and often left behind.

NorthStar was created to interrupt that cycle. Through literacy development, mentorship, social-emotional learning, and exposure to new experiences, we provide boys aged 5–17 with the tools, structure, and confidence to rewrite their futures. But without a fundraising strategy, we can’t reach the donors who would help us grow. Your support in developing a grassroots fundraising plan will help us secure our first van, expand our reach, and give these boys the opportunity they deserve, not by chance, but by design.

This fundraising strategy will serve as the launchpad that enables us to sustain the program, expand our impact, and reach donors who believe in changing lives, not by chance, but by design.

This project will play a vital role in helping us bring NorthStar’s mission to life. Our goal is to provide consistent mentorship, literacy support, and life-enriching experiences to boys aged 5–17 in Atlanta’s most underserved communities, many of whom come from fatherless homes, face food insecurity, and lack the support systems needed to thrive.

As educators working in high-poverty schools, we see firsthand the impact of this void and the urgent need for programs like NorthStar. However, to expand our reach and sustain our programming, we need a grassroots fundraising strategy that is effective.

This project will help us:
• Launch our first major fundraising campaign
• Raise funds for safe transportation, supplies, and literacy resources
• Continue providing meals every Sunday and food to families in need
• Reach donors and supporters who believe in changing the lives of Black boys in Atlanta

Your time and talent will directly support our scholars — not only by helping us sustain this work, but by making it possible to expand our reach and deepen our impact. You won’t just be contributing to a campaign, you’ll be helping us build something powerful and lasting from the ground up.

At NorthStar, we are deeply committed to ensuring this project is successful and impactful, not just in theory, but in practice. We’ve taken the time to define our mission, understand our community’s needs, and prepare the foundational pieces of our work. We’ve also already completed several internal steps, including:
• Clearly outlining our short- and long-term goals
• Building out our story, mission, and community impact narrative
• Launching a text-to-give campaign and beginning social media outreach
• Gathering real data and lived experiences from our scholars and their families

Our founder and small leadership team are fully aligned and invested in this work. We are all educators working in under-resourced, high-poverty schools —a testament to our commitment and a clear reason why we see the urgent need for this program every day. We don’t just believe in NorthStar’s mission, we live it. Our boys need this. We are ready to collaborate with a Taproot volunteer by providing prompt responses, shared documents, and any necessary materials to facilitate efficient progress.

Most importantly, we are not just seeking advice — we are prepared to implement the strategies developed in this project immediately to launch our first major campaign and begin reaching supporters. We’re incredibly grateful for any support and excited to work side by side with someone who believes in building from the ground up to create lasting change for Black boys in Atlanta.