09/03/2026
One of the hardest parts of being a young nonprofit…
The hard part of where we are right now as a nonprofit is, quite honestly, our age.
And I'm not talking about the age of the people involved. 😂 I'm talking about the age of B.A.T.S.
Fundraising is hard.
Trying to obtain grants is hard.
And some fundraising opportunities aren't immediately available to a new nonprofit. For example, there are waiting periods before we can obtain certain Pennsylvania licenses for games of chance and bingo fundraising.
Then there is the grant process.
And one of the hardest parts is that it isn't always simply about what you're trying to accomplish or what your community needs.
A lot of times, the question is:
“What have you done?”
And that's understandable.
But it's also difficult to answer when you're a young organization trying to build the very track record that funders want to see.
It's hard to do without funds.
And that brings me to another issue we've been questioned about:
Are we duplicating services?
Our answer is simple:
Our goal is not to duplicate services. Our goal is to fill the voids.
What physical, accessible services are actually available locally?
Not what services technically exist somewhere in the region.
Not what someone can be referred to 20 or 30 minutes away.
We're talking about services that are physically available to people right here in the Berwick area.
There is a difference.
And even when a service already exists, that doesn't necessarily mean the need has been met.
The number of people needing assistance is far beyond what one agency can handle — and, quite honestly, in some areas it is beyond what all of the existing agencies together can currently handle.
That's why I've used the example of adding spokes to the wheel.
We aren't trying to build another wheel.
We're trying to make the existing wheel stronger.
We're looking at where the gaps are and asking:
“What can we add?”
What can B.A.T.S. provide that isn't currently available?
What can we bring into the area through partnerships?
What can we help coordinate?
What can we create that makes it easier for other agencies to do what they already do?
And some of the programs we are working toward are going to be one-of-a-kind programs for our area.
And when we get them developed and operating, our intention isn't to keep them to ourselves.
We want to share what works.
If another agency can benefit from something we develop, we want to work with them.
If we can help another organization serve more people, that's a win.
If we can create a program that can eventually be replicated by other agencies, that's a win.
Because this isn't supposed to be about B.A.T.S. versus everybody else.
It's supposed to be about all of us versus the problems facing our community.
The void is large.
The need is real.
And our vision is bigger than simply creating another agency.
We're trying to add spokes to the wheel, fill the gaps, create new solutions, and build a stronger network of services for the people who need them.
We're still young.
We're still building.
We're still trying to raise the funds to make the vision a reality.
But we're working.
And we're not giving up.
Because sometimes the hardest part of building something new is proving what you're capable of before you've had the opportunity to fully build it.
We're asking our community to give us that opportunity.
💜💙
B.A.T.S. — Berwick Area Transitional Services
Filling voids. Building partnerships. Creating opportunities.
Send a message to learn more
