#79 – 2022 Reflection

2022 marked the eighth year SchermCo has been in business, and the 8th year we’ve been focused on offering implementation services to social-good organizations across the country. 

In many ways, it was our best year yet.

• 4 diverse and dynamic humans joined our team full-time.
• Our work expanded to Hawaii, Delaware, and Missouri.
• We solidified our core service offerings:
  • Family Empowerment
  • Strategic Implementation
  • Workforce Development
  • Data-Driven Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• We engaged with 27+ partners to support their innovative work in education, philanthropy, and workforce development.
• Speaking of partners – they were able to capture incredible outcomes. Here are a few:
  • A non-profit education partner raised $125,000 within 6-months of our team completing their first strategic growth plan.
  • We helped build and facilitate a process with the 17th largest municipality in the country to distribute $1.5M to six nonprofits to create more equitable workforce development opportunities.
  • One partner secured $13 million through local and state funds to support their innovative work in STEM education and workforce development. For clarity, we didn’t have much to do with raising the money, but we love to see active clients doing well. 
  • We helped build and implement a transition plan for a client in Knoxville, TN, that will now include 19 community schools, serving 7,500+ students throughout their community.  
  • We sponsored 5 Charlotte parents to attend a national Parent Leadership Institute conference to sharpen their advocacy and organizing skills.

As a result, we grew revenue by 35+% from 2021. Even more, we were able to help our partners deepen their impact with the students, families, and communities they serve.    

But it hasn’t been all rainbows and lollipops. Be cautious of what you read on the internet and business owners that advise otherwise. Growing a business can be challenging. The world of client services is fickle. The economy is shifting. Public education is at a crossroads. People transition roles. But we are grateful for every opportunity to join forces with people that believe in our work and more equitable outcomes.  

Yet, our organization is not for everyone – both potential teammates and potential clients.

We work hard.

We make decisions based on data that are best for kids and families, not adult egos. 

We are fiercely focused on data, impact, and outcomes. Our client’s data points and results are our data points and results. 

Plans and reports are not results. These are merely materials and resources en route to results.

We believe in words like accountability, trust, expectations, and results.

We believe in anti-racism, equity, opportunity, and results.

There’s a scoreboard in our work. We plan to win at every opportunity in partnership with our clients.

These are words and phrases that we often use – not for social media, but to guide our work in a way that allows us to be at our best for our partners and their stakeholders. For students and families across the country that deserve access and opportunity.

BUT – we also had FUN this year. 

• We hosted our first-ever SchermCo team bowling tournament.
• We held our first official team retreat.
• We helped introduce Jia to new music.
• I got to interview NBA legend Muggsy Bogues on the Square Pizza podcast.
• We learned that Alex is excited about Twister 2, the movie, not the game. 
• Jia got to attend her first-ever softball game. Big year for Jia. 
• I interviewed three incredible high school students from a Charlotte charter school on the podcast. That episode got more downloads than Muggsy’s. 
• We learned that Taylor likes dive bars with patios.
• We grew to love Mathu’s weekly reflections. 
• Lori continued to keep us all in line. 
• We threw a pretty fun party to celebrate 8 years.

With 2023 approaching, our team is excited to expand our Family Empowerment work to 20+ schools across North Carolina and beyond, including our new friends in Hawaii. We’ll continue to offer tailored Strategic Implementation services for social good organizations. We’ll also go deeper with our Workforce Development support services to ensure robust connectivity between education, corporate partners, and equitable opportunities.   

We’ll also be expanding our data-driven corporate social responsibility services in 2023. This line of service will allow our team to come alongside CSR and Community Engagement teams to help them:

1. Better align their strategies with the direct needs of the communities they serve
2. Collect key impact metrics to determine the true success of these initiatives and related story-telling purposes

Thank you for your trust and belief in our work. 

More to do. More to come. ™

Action Steps

1. Leave a comment below and tell us one thing you learned about our work in 2022.