SPOTLIGHT: Midlands Fatherhood Coalition

Name of organization: Midlands Fatherhood Coalition

Year established locally: 2002

Top local executive: Angela McDuffie, CEO

Contact information:  
1420 Colonial Life Blvd., Suite 80
Columbia, SC 29210
Phone: 803-933-0052
Website: www.midlandsfathers.com

Corporate giving contacts:
Eleanor D. Boyd, Regional Director of Development
1420 Colonial Life Blvd., Suite 80 

Columbia, SC 29210
Phone: 919-599-4101
E-mail: Eleanor D. Boyd

Average number of volunteers in 2020: 60

Total operating budget 2020-21: $1.5 million

Percent of revenue dedicated to program services: 92%

Geographic area or specific population served: Midlands Fatherhood Coalition serves fathers in the Midlands with office sites in Richland, Lexington and Sumter counties.

Greatest need  
Financial resources to serve the fathers and families in our program. It costs MFC about $2,500 to serve a father, but our services are free. We will serve about 600 fathers and impact nearly 1,800 children in the Midlands this year. We also need volunteers to expand our capacity to serve. We need funding especially for meals, for direct services for fathers, graduations and father-child activities. We also need help in spreading the word that fathers make a huge impact in the lives of their children, and where fathers are positively engaged and present, children are more likely to finish school, make good choices and be economically stable adults. Corporate sponsors are needed to support our Daddy and Me 5K. 

2021 Top achievements:

• Pivoted quickly with COVID to move to virtual group sessions and started small group sessions in July 2021
• Identified resources to help fathers who became unemployed during the pandemic and expanded funding for housing and human service needs.
• MFC was the beneficiary of the class project for Leadership Columbia 2021. The “Dads Den” legacy project provides space for father-child activities, recreation, training and a computer lab.
• Launched the “Reality Check” program for at-risk teens to help them make positive choices and delay parenthood. Held camps at Ben Lippen School.

2022 Goals:

• Fully launch volunteer program 
• Complete and implement Strategic Plan
• Implement new curriculum elements
• Expand Reality Check Program to foster homes and schools
• Raise $250K from individual donors, corporations, individuals, local foundations, local governments and civic groups
• Raise $20,000 in the Daddy and Me 5K.

2022 Fundraising events:

• Daddy and Me 5K June 18
• An Evening with the Fireflies. Date TBA
• Online giving includes Midlands Gives and Giving Tuesday 

2022 Corporate giving opportunities:

• Daddy and Me 5K: Sponsorships Range from $250 to $5,000
• An Evening with the Fireflies : Sponsorship Range from $500-$1,500
• Sponsor Meals, Graduations, Father-Child Activities, Direct Fatherhood Services (health, license reinstatements, emergency needs): Sponsorships Range from $500 to $5,000

2022 Donation/Volunteer Opportunities:

• clothing; father-child activities (tickets for sporting events, movies, etc) Volunteer opportunities: Receptionist Program opportunities: Group Session Coordinator, Mentor, Meal Provider/Server, Community Outreach Volunteer, Subject Matter Experts for Group Sessions, Completion Ceremony Volunteer, Father-Child Activities Development opportunities: “A Time for Fatherhood” Volunteer, Event Volunteer, Corporate/In Kind Donor Research/Outreach, Third Party Events