Chapter 7: Making A Difference Inside And Out

Caleigh Hu came to PLUS ME from the field of clinical medical research. Introduced through a friend and former board member, she remembers being impressed “with how professionally run PLUS ME was–while also meeting important community needs.”  Unlike other volunteer opportunities, Caleigh was pleased to find that our team was organized and ready. “My pet peeve is when…I feel like resources or my time are being wasted. That was never PLUS ME.” On a practical level, PLUS ME was practiced and prepared especially for a small team. 

Eventually, Caleigh volunteered to help one of our workshop series in the classroom. After reviewing the activities and lessons, she was skeptical. “There’s no way middle school boys are going to want to do this,” she thought. Thankfully, Caleigh was pleasantly surprised at how engaging the program was for students. “They were all so supportive of each other and invested in the activities,” she remembers, “I thought, ‘Wow, PLUS ME is really making a difference here while using resources very wisely.” That powerful combination inspired Caleigh to join our board.

While she started as board secretary, by 2019 Caleigh was the president of the PLUS ME board. It was her first experience serving on a board and there was a lot to learn. Fundraising was especially tricky: “I was not sure how to support since I didn’t have rich contacts. All my friends were still paying off their student loans.” About halfway through her tenure, Richard invited fundraising consultants to share their techniques with the full team. Over and over again they emphasized the power of making an ask. If you do not ask, you’re automatically saying no on someone’s behalf. This was powerful info for Caleigh, who has then changed her approach to raising funds, pushing herself to be a little uncomfortable as board president knowing there was more to gain than lose. “I learned there’s no harm in asking!,” Caleigh reflected, “I shouldn’t make the choice for you, I should just ask.” 

That forward-facing, positive attitude was a steady source of inspiration for the full board team. When Richard shared the statistic that less than 10% of nonprofits in LA reach a $1 million budget, Caleigh was the encouraging voice in the room affirming, “We’re gonna get there!” According to Caleigh, even then a low budget was a limiting factor. It meant that PLUS ME wasn’t eligible for the certain grants, donations, and other considerations. When the time came to brainstorm a big step to mark our 10th anniversary, Richard and the board knew this was the big goal to strive for. 

While the journey has had more pit stops than we anticipated, our team is proud at the progress we have made towards that $1 million mark and is hoping the 10th anniversary celebration will help surpass that benchmark. Even if we do not meet the goal, the scale of our impact and the fact that we’ve inspired supporters like Caleigh is tremendous. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of that journey and cheers to another ten years of championing story!