Three pathways
Donate. Volunteer. Partner.
Each pathway connects to a person at Keystone. None of them begins with a form alone. Choose the one that fits.
Donate
A donation funds the buildings, the program staff, the dinners, and the program partnerships. Eighty cents of every dollar reaches programs. The remaining twenty covers the operations team, the audit, and the annual report.
Recurring gifts at any tier are the most useful kind of donation, because they let us plan past the next quarter.
A full quarter of paid college-readiness support for one eleventh-grader, including campus visits.
Donate $1,000Major gifts begin a conversation, not a transaction. Email director@keystone-philadelphia.org or call 215.555.0100. Renee Thompson will reply within two working days.
Volunteer as a mentor
Read the brief before applying. Most who read it do not apply. That is the right outcome for most readers, and the structure exists for the few who fit.
What a Keystone mentor commits to
- Two years minimum, after the four-month onboarding.
- One scheduled afternoon per week, every week, in school term.
- One additional one-to-one conversation per month, off the homework table.
- A four-month onboarding before pairing: background check, two interviews, half-day program-shadow, child-protection course, written agreement.
- Honest communication with program staff when life intervenes.
Who fits
Adults who can commit to two years and a four-month onboarding. Philadelphia residents. People who have done quiet, reliable work in their own life and want to be of use.
Who does not fit
Anyone whose schedule cannot hold a fixed Wednesday or Thursday afternoon for two years. Anyone wanting single-session enrichment work. Anyone wanting the volunteer credit without the time commitment. We say no kindly and often.
Partner
Foundations, corporate funders, Philadelphia institutions, internship-host employers. Site visits welcomed by appointment.
We will tell you what we cannot do as quickly as what we can. We will not run a corporate volunteer day. We will not produce a campaign-ready video about the work. We do not raise our cohort cap to accommodate increased funding.
What we will do: walk you through the work as it actually runs, write a clear three-year proposal, share the audit, share the 990, take a phone call from your programme officer, host a board-level visit.
For corporate partnership conversations, email partnerships@keystone-philadelphia.org. For foundation programme officer conversations, email Renee Thompson directly.