Come join our community of people who dream, but also people who act. This campaign will take EcoWorks, a dynamic nonprofit in Detroit dedicated to community development through sustainable solutions, to the next level. It's a time of transformation in this organization, in Detroit and in the world. Let's make sure we build a world that is green and just. 

Hi everyone!

I'm Jacob, the Interim Executive Director of EcoWorks, and (as many of you know) a passionate and dedicated supporter of the idea that we can and must realize a green future for our communities.

I've been so lucky over these past 11 years to pursue that mission through EcoWorks. If you're here, I'll assume you know about some of our great work already - but most people don't realize the full range of great things we do, so I'll give you some good detail down below. 

And now we are undergoing some changes as well. We need to raise our profile and let more folks know about the good work that can be done. That is being done. We also need to expand that work. AND we're expanding our leadership team. We have a new Executive Director coming on board at the end of June. We also have a Business Innovation Director coming on in August. 

And we have you. 

Changing the world isn't easy work, and none of us can do it alone. We invite you to join us in this work.

Together we can make sure that Detroit's rebirth is a sustainable one. We can help cities collaborate to make regional change. We can help low-income communities survive a crisis while improving the local economy and helping the planet as well. 

You can help. 

We're launching this campaign to build this wider community, and to raise funds to make more good things happen. Here what you can do:

• Join the campaign - Any amount you can donate will be matched (through the first $10,000 of the campaign) by a donor who wants to help build this effort. Double your dollars. 
• Tell your friends - on facebook, twitter, linkedin, through email, phone or string-can and let's build the crowd. People love to hear good news about Detroit, and we've got lots. 

The funds we raise will support the following efforts: 

• Build up our public awareness and inspire more people with real improvements in the community
• Raise dollars for our direct services, such as green jobs for youth and for returning citizens, green neighborhood development, Reclaim Detroit, the Youth Energy Squad, and more.
• Help us get a van to get youth to work for green jobs.
• And give our new leadership team something to work with as they take EcoWorks to the next level.

When we say "raise dollars for our direct services", here's some examples:

• $30 - provides energy and water saving supplies to a low-income family and helps them save $300 a year in utility costs
• $50 - provides green lesson materials for a classroom of students
• $100 - provides student leaders with the funds to invent and invest in a green project for their school
• $200 - provides a home energy visit to a low-income family to show them how to lower their bills and improve comfort in their home along with the supplies to take action now - and helps them save $900 in utilities over 3 years.
• $300 - provides safety equipment and supplies for our Reclaim Detroit crews, deconstructing homes to reclaim materials.
• $800 - provides a workshop for 10 low-income families, with supplies for each, to lower their utility bills and save approximately $3,000 a year (in total). 
• $1,500 - covers the cost for us to reclaim the most usable materials out of a home, and keep it out of the landfills.
• $8,000 - brings the Youth Energy Squad program to a school for an entire year, providing weekly lessons and support to students and teachers, while leveraging other dollars to deliver the program for this low rate. 

Milestones for the campaign:

• If we reach $5,000, we will host a party at the Reclaim Detroit showroom for all backers (and a farewell to Jacob and welcome to the new team)
• If we reach $10,000, we get a local artist to design a beautiful mural on our building to beautify Michigan Avenue and draw attention to our good work – and all supporters get a high quality JPG of mural.
• If we reach $15,000, we will buy a Van with fun EcoWorks branding for the Youth Energy Squad to get student employees to their green jobs.
• If we reach $20,000, EcoWorks donates a service: Either a neighborhood clean-up, or energy savings services to a local school (you get to vote for which) – and Jacob will get rid of his car and takes his family car-free! 
• If it looks like we'll blow past $20,000, we'll come up with some fun stretch goals. 

Thank you. Thank you for all the partnerships and sharing of support in the past. Thank you for joining our community now. We've made real change. We need to make more. Let's make it happen. 

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EcoWorks and our history of innovation: 

EcoWorks is a Detroit based nonprofit with a 34 year old track record of providing services at the intersection of community development and sustainability. Our mission is to create opportunities to learn and practice the sustainable use of energy and natural resources through innovative education, job training, consulting, social business and advocacy. While EcoWorks’ roots are firmly planted in energy conservation we have grown to emphasize all aspects of sustainable development as it relates to building energy efficient, sustainable, and affordable residential housing and commercial buildings.

Our clients range from low-moderate income households and community organizations to businesses and local governments.  We have generated savings of more than $30 million for clients in our service area, and have helped secure over $5 million for local governments to invest in sustainability projects.  We are a co-founder of the City of Detroit's Green Task Force. EcoWorks was one of the inaugural Green Leaders named by the Detroit Free Press in 2010, was a finalist for Crain’s Business Best Managed Nonprofit for 2011, and was selected as a Bank of America Neighborhood Builder in 2013. 

History of Innovative Solutions

EcoWorks has a strong history of innovation and successfully supporting the launch of new green industries in Michigan.

• In 1996 we began our Energy Smart program, which creates long-term solutions for the thousands of people who need fuel assistance each year by helping them reduce their bills in future years.
• In 2001, we launched the MichiganBuild program which combined energy efficiency and healthy ventilation standards for Michigan housing. This program paved the way for state-wide adoption of green home practices in the affordable housing industry.
• In 2008, we co-founded the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office, which helps local governments improve energy use while modeling regional cooperation. That effort now represents more than 10% of the state's population.
• In 2009, EcoWorks was one of the founding partners in the Detroit Greenworks Solutions, a highly successful collaborative program to conduct green job training in a variety of fields in Detroit.
• Also in 2009, the Detroit Youth Energy Squad was begun. This program is now in over 50 schools providing green education to students in ongoing weekly engagements, while savings schools over $700,000 in utility costs and creating youth leadership development and summer jobs.
• In 2010, we were founding partners of the BetterBuildings for Michigan program, which brought together a variety of stakeholders and service programs to create a comprehensive energy efficiency and healthy home initiative for middle-income and well as low-income homeowners, and operated with a $180,000,000 budget.
• Also in 2010, we launched Reclaim Detroit, which puts Detroiters to work in green jobs by taking apart, piece by piece, blighted abandoned homes, as an alternative to traditional demolition, so that the high quality lumber, architectural details, and other materials can be reused for economic development.
• In 2014, we led the creation of Eco-D, a collaborative effort with a nationally recognized approach to helping Detroit neighborhoods become green.