My Nonprofit Reviews
Tim Curtiss
Review for Summer On The Cuyahoga, Cleveland, OH, USA
Our program continues to grow and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. We have attracted over 70 college graduates to Cleveland now for graduate study and employment since we launched ths program. We continue to attract new employers which are the lifeblood of this program, as we typically receive 10 applications for every position that our employes post. Summer on the Cuyahoga is thriving!
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
Review for Summer On The Cuyahoga, Cleveland, OH, USA
This program addresses the challenge of "brain gain" in Northeast Ohio by bringing high-powered college students to Cleveland for a summer immersion expeience. Our program, acceptance into which is highly competitive, provides paying internships which often present college students with their initial exposure to the world of work. We deliver leadership development training through interaction with local alumni, business, political, cultural and civic leaders. Participants enjoy social and recreational opportunities which promote their appreciation of why Northeast Ohio is an attractive place to live and work. We have served hundreds of students from elite universities including Yale, CWRU, Cornell, Smith, Colgate, U of Chicago, Harvard and Princeton over the last eight summers. Over 60 of these young people subsequently returned to Cleveland after graduation for advanced study and/or jobs.
Every year, we survey the students at the beginning and end of the summer regarding their perceptions of Cleveland. Every year, the results identify a dramatic improvement in participants' regard for this region. We believe that the willingness of over 60 postgraduates to choose Cleveland for their next stop in life offers compelling proof of the value and impact of our program.
Our board consists of alumni representatives from the participating schools. We have worked hard to develop and refine our operating and financial models to ensure the sustainability of our program. We have drawn attention at the national and international levels; Yale alumni have implemented similar programs in eight other US cities. Yale University sponsors programs inspired by this model in London, China and other major international centers.
SOTC took this program model from a single-university concept to one involving multi-school partnerships. As this approach takes hold elsewhere, the significance of our innovation has been noted by our current and prospective partners, in Cleveland and around the world.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
In our first year, my then-new company sponsored an intern. We had a very favorable experience with him that summer. We taught him a great deal and his work was highly productive and useful. As a board member, I enjoy frequent interaction with the students during their summers here. Their enthusiasm and gratitude for the experience they have is profound.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
i would like to find more summer positions. As we source more jobs, we attract more students, and the degree of competition among them also increases. This effect drives the quality of the students' and employers' experience upward. We struggle with this issue perennially and would welcome suggestions as to how we could change the organization to attract more jobs. Perhaps this might involve bringing in other schools, which is an ongoing topic of board-level conversation.
