Non-profits Find Ownership

Non-profits Find Ownership
By Tabitha Brown
May 1, 2008

Bridges, a United Way sponsored organization, is located in Norman, Oklahoma where roughly 100,000 people reside. Because it is such a localized not for profit organization, much of the research High 5 Public Relations conducted was primary. Although there was some secondary research conducted as well. Bridges is a very unique organization with no other association like it. Of the organizations found that were somewhat similar, many of them were in Canada or the UK. Bridges is definitely one of a kind.

Norman is a town full of young people with an ever changing young population. With over 25,000 college students coming in and out of Norman every four years because of OU, the number of solicited volunteers is constantly changing for many non-profit organizations.

Bridges, however, seeks out the assistance of young professionals, people who are already in a career in the Norman area. Prior to the organization being named Bridges, it was called Independent Living Services for Youth (ILSY). It was found that those individuals who lived in Norman and knew of the organization were very enthusiastic about it. I believe a woman at the Norman Next meeting I attended put it best when she said, “Those of us who have made Norman our home really hold ILSY very dear to our hearts.”

In all of the primary research conducted it was discovered the name was not conducive to the organization and its purposes. Therefore, a name change would be necessary. It was also discovered that, although the organization’s name would help, the awareness of the group needed to increase as well if more volunteers were going to donate their time and money. The research validated the many of the thoughts the organization already had.