SILVERBACKKS: LEAD. HELP. BUILD. PROTECT.

Silverbackks is looking for qualified board members to join our troop! We are recruiting 7 to 10 new board members to lead our organization beginning January 2019. Read on for more about Silverbackks!

Who We Are

Silverbackks is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves the Topeka community and we are looking for passionate, decisive, innovative leaders to serve on our board of directors. Silverbackks is a grassroots volunteer organization formed in July 2011 and is run by volunteers. The organization does not own any property and does not currently have any employees.We are a troop of volunteers standing with those who need help standing on their own. The leadership of a strong board of directors is needed to make the policy decisions that will take Silverbackks into the future.

What We Do

Silverbackks is as much about building community as it is about feeding and caring for those in need in Topeka. Encouraging community among those we serve is an important outcome of Silverbackks—many of those we serve often feel isolated and without hope. Building community among our volunteers and providing volunteers with opportunities to learn, serve, and grow enhances the effectiveness of our efforts.

Since its founding, an unpaid operations manager has overseen and handled all of the administrative responsibilities of the organization. This individual has a high-level full time career and has transitioned out of the role of operations manager. The current board is creating a plan to hire a part-time staff position to take on these responsibilities.

Current Programs:

• SilverSundays – Every Sunday at 11:30 am a meal is served to anyone who comes to 408 SW Jackson. Anyone who is hungry is fed—there is no screening for financial need, church affiliation or previous use of services. A hot meal is served the first Sunday of each month and sack lunches are provided the rest of the month. In 2017 we served 10,849 meals—an average of 208 per week.
• SilverSuppers – Evening meals are provided at Central Park, Garfield, and Hillcrest Community Centers Monday to Thursday to children up to age 18. This program, in partnership with Shawnee County Parks & Rec, provided 7,750 meals during 2017.
• SilverBras – One of the most challenging unmet needs for women in poverty is bras (and feminine hygiene products). In partnership with USD 501, local emergency rooms, DCF and others, 1,842 bras and undergarments were provided during 2017.
• SilverBags – SilverBags offers hygiene items for guests at our SilverSunday lunch service on the third Sunday of every month.
• SilverSuccess – In partnership with USD 501, SilverSuccess is a personal hygiene distribution program, providing full-sized hygiene products to school-aged children who are homeless or at a high risk of homelessness. We stock a supply of hygiene items at the USD 501 administration building and school social workers can access these supplies as they identify need among children in the school district. The retail cost of products provided during 2017 was $7000.
• SilverSparkle – SilverSparkle is a seasonal program established to ensure all girls who want to attend prom are able to do so by offering dresses to girls in need at no cost. We will be looking to share this program with another organization prior to the 2019 prom season.
• SilverThumbs – This program focuses on community cleanup and beautification

More information on Silverbackks programs can be found at www. silverbackks.org.

How Silverbackks is Funded

Silverbackks receives goods and tangible items donated by the community. including hygiene products, bras and other female undergarments, food and food service items for our feeding programs, and warmth items such as hats and gloves. A full list of tangible items we accept on donation can be found at www.silverbackks.org/wish-lists/. In the event these items are not donated to the extent needed to serve our clients, monetary donations are used.

People are generally quite pleased to donate money to a 100% volunteer run organization. It feels good to have your money used for direct services, rather than paying for staff and buildings. Silverbackks has been fortunate to receive generous financial support from the community and all programs are currently well-funded. In the future the organization will need to engage in fundraising to support a part-time staff position to fulfill the administrative responsibilities necessary to operate Silverbackks programs.

Organizations that have supported Silverbackks through either monetary or in-kind donations include the Amazon Smiles reward program, the Kroger Foods reward program, FHLBank Topeka, UPS, Topeka Community Foundation (through the Topeka Gives matching program), Davita, Stormont Vail, Advisors Excel, and various other churches and organizations.

What We’re Looking For in Board Members:

Effective board members need to be involved in our programs as volunteers themselves. Choosing to occasionally prepare meals, hand out hygiene products, and serve meals in the evening and Sundays keeps the board in tune with how our programs function and familiarizes board members with the people we serve. In addition to participating in board meetings, board members are expected to volunteer from two to five hours each quarter of the year.

Champions for Silverbackks – We’re looking for cheerleaders, speakers, and connectors who will enthusiastically represent the organization to attract volunteers, donations of goods, and funding. Our board members are “chief volunteer recruiters” –we want you to invite your friends and associates to volunteer!

Strategic Thinkers and Planners – Silverbackks needs thoughtful and experienced leadership to continue serving our community’s needs. We’re looking for people with non-profit board strengths including financial management skills, strategic thinking/planning, the ability to work as a team to advance the mission of Silverbackks, effective communicators, and a passion for serving those in need in our community.

Fundraising – The part-time administrative position will need to be funded and the board will be responsible for fundraising to cover these expenses on an annual basis.

We are looking for 7 to 10 board members to begin in January 2019. Board terms are three years and board meetings are held quarterly. Interested in joining us to LEAD. HELP. BUILD. PROTECT? Please contact Jeanie Schuler by November 9, 2018 with your interest and qualifications at jeanie.schuler@gmail.org or 785.845.7964.