ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010 - ProLiteracy

ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010

move forward for a better future. 

PROLITERACY BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

David C. Harvey 

President and CEO 

Patricio Barriga 

Valle de Angeles, Honduras 

Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken 

Maxwell School, Syracuse 

University 

Syracuse, New York 

Ruth Colvin 

Founder 

Literacy Volunteers of America 


Shari Daw 

Freddie Mac 

Evanston, Illinois 

Anne DuPrey 

Secretary 

DeLancey, New York 

Thomas Fiscoe 

Treasurer 

Partner 

Dannible & McKee 


Brian Fox 

Director 

Accenture Learning 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Louis Johnson, Sr. 

Senior Program Director 

River Parishes YMCA 

Destrehan, Louisiana 

Donna Jones 

San Francisco, California 

Edward Kochian 


Dr. Robert Laubach 

Founder 

New Readers Press 


Rick Lawton 

Vice Chair 

Lawton Consulting 

Arvada, Colorado 

Kevin Morgan 

Chair 

President 

Full Suspension Marketing 

Park City, Utah 

Stephen Reder 

Portland State University 

Portland, Oregon 

Seetha Srinivasan 

Director Emerita 

University Press of Mississippi 

Jackson, Mississippi 

George Staples 

Former United States 

Ambassador 

Pineville, Kentucky 

John Ward 

Executive Committee 

Westport, Connecticut 

Emily West 

Executive Director 

The West Foundation 

Indianapolis, Indiana 

John Zickefoose 

Community Liaison 

Corona Public Library 

Corona, California 

Nikki Zollar 

Executive Committee 

President and CEO 

Triad Consulting Services 

Chicago, Illinois 

2 PROLITERACY ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT — 

MOVING FORWARD 

When you think about it, adult literacy is all about moving forward. Adult learners must overcome 

the fears and issues of their past and meet the present challenges of learning to read as 

an adult so that they can move forward for a better future. 

Many organizations, ProLiteracy included, have been in that same mode for the past few 

years. We’ve started to put the uncertainty of the recent recession behind us as we steadily 

move forward, toward a better future we’re creating for ourselves. 

With some funding sources in jeopardy, a number of our member programs had to cut back 

on the services they offered, even as record-high unemployment sent many more adults in 

need of services to their doors. With ProLiteracy’s help, many have found new sources of 

revenue and formed new partnerships that are making it possible for them to continue 

moving forward. 

We are proud that we were able to support our network and the adult literacy field as a 

whole through this difficult time and to make our own steps on the forward path. We also 

formed new partnerships and found new sources of revenue that enabled us to achieve the 

accomplishments that are highlighted in this report. 

A considerable amount of credit goes to our dedicated staff and to ProLiteracy’s volunteer 

board members. We also know that we couldn’t have done as much as we did without the 

support of donors like you. You had your own issues to deal with during the economic 

downturn, but you didn’t forget how important reading, writing, math, computer, and 

English skills are for adult learners around the globe. 

There’s a song that says “the road is long, with many a winding turn.” As we move forward 

along that road, we at ProLiteracy are happy to have so many generous supporters as 

traveling companions. 

Thank you for all you do for adult learners. 

David C. Harvey 

ProLiteracy President and CEO 

• According to the United Nations, 

774 million adults around the 

world are unable to read in their 

native languages. 

• Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate 

adults are women. 

• In the U.S., 30 million people over 

age 16 — 14 percent of the 

country’s adult population — 

don’t read well enough to 

understand a newspaper story 

written at the eighth grade level 

or fill out a job application. 

• The United States ranks fifth 

on adult literacy skills when 

compared to other industrialized 

nations. 

• Adult low literacy can be 

connected to almost every 

socio-economic issue in the 

United States: 

- More than 60 percent of all state 

and federal corrections inmates can 

barely read and write. 

- Low health literacy costs between 

$106 billion and $238 billion each 

year in the U.S. — 7 to 17 percent 

of all annual personal health care 

spending. 

- Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. 

$225 billion or more each year in 

non-productivity in the workforce, 

crime, and loss of tax revenue due to 

unemployment. 

• Globally, illiteracy can be linked to: 

- Gender abuse, including female 

infanticide and female circumcision 

- Extreme poverty (earning less than 

$1/day) 

- High infant mortality and the spread 

of HIV/Aids, malaria, and other 

preventable infectious diseases 

PROLITERACY ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010 3

EXPANDING SERVICES 

AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

A key mission for ProLiteracy is to help member programs, partner and peer organizations, 

and individuals who are dedicated to adult literacy offer more services to more people. 

Many of the actions we took during the 2009-10 fiscal year made it possible for ProLiteracy to 

remain a valuable resource and authority in the field: 

• Thanks to support from the Verizon Foundation, we increased the number of free online 

courses offered through the Thinkfinity Literacy Network (TLN) to 51. To help ProLiteracy 

continue to develop relevant training, the Arkansas Literacy Council drafted a report 

describing how several local literacy programs incorporate the free online courses into their 

pre- or in-service tutor training. During 2009, more than 7,000 unique users completed 

14,639 TLN courses. 

• We completed the planning for a new national 

campaign—Keys to Safety—promoting 

household fire prevention and safety education 

for adults with limited literacy. Funded by a Fire 

Prevention and Safety grant, the campaign will 

provide free planning and instructional 

materials for up to 400 local literacy programs. 

• ProLiteracy helped the Home Safety Council create the Expert Network, online courses to 

help fire and life safety educators work more effectively with all audiences, including adults 

with limited literacy skills. 

• The ProLiteracy/Dollar General Student Referral and Tracking Project, which promotes literacy 

services through brochures in all local Dollar General stores, saw a 62 percent increase in the 

number of requests for referrals to local programs. To date, the project has generated more 

than 65,000 student referrals and 5,000 volunteer referrals. 

• ProfessionalStudiesAE.org is a website where ProLiteracy and World 

Education deliver online courses. In the 2009-10 fiscal year, the site 

offered the first of what will be a six-course series of professional 

development courses on teaching numeracy: Foundations of Teaching 

Adult Numeracy, Teaching Reasoning and Problem Solving Strategies, and 

Number Sense: Teaching About Parts and Wholes. 


EXPANDING SERVICES 

AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

• New Readers Press, ProLiteracy’s publishing division, updated several core products, including 

the popular Challenger Adult Reading Series, and began offering placement tests, diplomas, 

and other resources as free web downloads. 

• New Readers Press also began the redesign of the Laubach Way to Reading 

series, one of the most popular and widely-used resources for ProLiteracy 

members. Sales of the new 8th edition of Tutor, a training guide for tutors, 

written by ProLiteracy co-founder, Ruth Colvin, also remained strong. 

• We launched the third module in the Dollar General Performance Accountability 

Initiative information. Participating programs examined how to use data to 

communicate success to stakeholders, and we added a course on this topic to 

our online professional development offerings. 

• Nearly 60 local literacy programs received ProLiteracy National Book Fund grants, which they 

used to purchase $105,089 worth of New Readers Press materials and online professional 

development courses. In addition, the Charles Evans Book Fund awarded 10 grants to local 

organizations that provide literacy services to homeless individuals. 

• ProLiteracy, in cooperation with the North Carolina Literacy Association, provided 71 program 

managers, instructors, trainers, and tutors with professional development training focusing 

on ESL, reading instruction, and strategic messaging. 


FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS 

Collaborating with other organizations helps ProLiteracy strengthen its collective work 

around adult literacy and basic education. In the past fiscal year, ProLiteracy worked with a 

number of literacy-related programs: 

• ProLiteracy staff participated for the first time in an online conference with the Student 

Coalition for Action in Literacy Education (SCALE), during which the Thinkfinity Literacy 

Network was showcased. 

• Nearly 300 program managers from 15 states participated in this year’s Leadership Excellence 

Academy, a partnership between ProLiteracy and the National Adult Education Professional 

Development Consortium, which helps managers explore new ways of improving adult 

literacy and basic education programming. More than 100 of the managers completed the 

requirements of the two-year program, making them eligible to receive the Certified Manager 

in Program Improvement (CMPI) credential. 

• ProLiteracy completed the third year in the partnership with the Banner Good Samaritan 

Poison and Drug Information Center. We are working together to raise awareness about the 

needs of adults with limited literacy skills and to equip representatives from the Poison 

Centers in the U.S. to better reach this audience with safety messages related to poison. 

• ProLiteracy and the National Center for Family Literacy continued the partnership on the 

Thinkfinity Literacy Network, supplying free online courses and resources that support adult 

and family literacy program managers, teachers, and volunteer tutors. 

• ProLiteracy was a partner in the National Gallery of Writing, sponsored by the National 

Council of Teachers of English. Part of the National Day of Writing celebration, the Gallery is a 

collection of everyday writing that emphasizes the importance of writing in the 21st century. 

• ProLiteracy held its annual conference in conjunction with the 

Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) in Chicago. At the 

conference, ProLiteracy and Literacy Powerline hosted an exciting 

rally to promote the Declaration of the Right to Literacy. This 

document, authored by adult learners and listing action items that 

would lead to a more literate U.S., was signed by thousands across the 

country. It was later presented to U.S. Education Department officials 

in Washington, D.C. 

• ProLiteracy and Literacy Powerline also drafted a framework for 

program quality and accountability to use as accreditation standards 

for coalitions and state organizations. 


ADVOCATING 

FOR OUR SHARED CAUSE 

The largest impact on the adult literacy issue that ProLiteracy can 

make is through advocacy and public policy efforts. Our efforts in 

Washington during the 2009-10 fiscal year brought increased 

visibility for us, our member organizations, and our cause: 

• We submitted compelling testimony on the need to adequately 

fund adult literacy and basic education programs to the Senate 

subcommittee that oversees funding for the Departments of 

Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor for FY 2011 

appropriations. 

• We continued to encourage Congress to reauthorize the Workforce 

Investment Act (WIA) and enact changes to the Adult Education and 

Family Literacy Act (Title II under WIA). WIA is the largest source of 

federal funding for adult literacy and basic education programs. 

• We assisted former Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY) in forming the first-ever House Adult Literacy 

Caucus. Maffei and co-sponsor Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN) used the caucus to raise awareness in 

Congress about the need for legislation to advance the cause of adult literacy. More than a 

dozen members of the House of Representatives from both political parties signed on in the 

first few weeks after the caucus was formed. 


REACHING AROUND THE GLOBE 

We refined the focus of ProLiteracy’s International Programs division 

during the fiscal year, using feedback from an evaluation and impact 

assessment we conducted in 2008. We now work in 31 counties with 

52 partner organizations on programs linked by the themes of 

partnership, professional development, and advocacy. Highlights of 

the last fiscal year include: 

• We launched the program “Giving Hope for Global Literacy,” in advance 

of International Literacy Day. On our Global Literacy Matters blog, we 

featured one story per day from our partner countries to raise awareness 

for our ongoing Women in Literacy initiative. 

“Perhaps the biggest outcome 

of this important meeting was 

a commitment to produce 

well-targeted plans for adult 

literacy and basic education 

programs that would be 

backed by legislation,” reflects 

Harvey. “ProLiteracy pushed 

for $10 billion in new funding 

by 2015 for adult literacy 

programs worldwide.” 

• ProLiteracy President and CEO David Harvey and Lynn Curtis, international programs consultant, 

joined representatives from more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations and delegations 

from 42 countries worldwide in Belem, Brazil, for the International Civil Society Forum (ICSF) and 

UNESCO’s Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA). 

• Supported by Citi Foundation, ProLiteracy and its El Salvadoran partner FINCA launched a 

literacy and microfinance pilot project. The project will enable participants within FINCA’s 

network of more than 700 village banks to expand small businesses and work together to 

solve local community problems. 

• In Mumbai, International Programs staff, in partnership with Bhujan Hitay Trust Pune (BHTP), 

trained 40 parents on how to interact with their children in an educational context. BHTP’s Potali 

Project teaches parents to read first so they can then teach their children, thereby strengthening 

the parent-child relationship and improving education. 

• Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, ProLiteracy established the Haiti Earthquake 

Emergency Fund to collect donations and items of necessity for partner organizations 

Gwoupman Tet Ansanm Peyizan Fayet (GTAPF), Fonkoze, AKV, and Hospital Albert Sweitzer 

(HAS). 

• In May 2010, David Harvey was invited by the European Policy Centre and the United States 

Mission to the EU to give remarks at the joint conference in Brussels on “Faces of Afghanistan: 

Beyond the Headlines.” 

• As a result of David Harvey’s remarks in Brussels, ProLiteracy was invited to take part in the “Role 

of Women in Global Security” conference held in Copenhagen in October 2010. The conference 

was co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Haoua Diatta, founder and president of Micro-Credit in Africa (MICA), represented ProLiteracy. 


PROLITERACY HELPS 

LEARNERS WRITE LOVE LETTERS IN COLOMBIA 

Pueblorico means “plentiful town.” This small town about three hours from Medellín, Colombia, 

derives its name from its lucrative mines and the coffee crop that flourishes in the high mountain 

location. Many residents of Pueblorico work on the coffee farms but because employment is 

dictated by the harvest, work is usually only steady from October to January. 

ProLiteracy has been supporting literacy and microenterprise projects in Pueblorico for more 

than 10 years. International Programs Coordinator Alesha Anderson conducted a site visit to 

Pueblorico in January, attending a literacy class with 18 participants of all ages—middle-aged 

and elderly men and women, young boys and girls and teenagers. 

“Many of the learners expressed their gratitude for the literacy classes and shared how their 

improved literacy skills are benefiting their families,” Anderson said. “Two couples even attend 

class together every night for three hours. This is particularly significant because, in some rural 

communities in Colombia, the traditional belief is that women don’t need to receive an education.” 

“My wife and I are learning together,” said one adult learner, Leonelio. “We are both in fifth 

grade and hope to finish our primary education. My favorite topic to learn about is math. I love 

numbers!” 

Another adult learner, Paolo, laughed and said, “Now that my wife and I are learning to read and 

write, we can write each other love notes.” Paolo continued, “I work all day in the coffee fields and 

sometimes I come home and I’m so tired. But I always push myself to attend class at night. It’s very 

important for my wife and me to learn together. We help each other.” 

Literacy classes in Pueblorico are reaching marginalized people who have had very little 

opportunity for education due to lack of resources or life circumstances. Getting an education 

is bringing pride back to individuals and their families. Literacy is giving people a place to come 

together and enjoy learning new things. 


NEW AND CONTINUED FUNDING SOURCES 

ProLiteracy has been fortunate to retain many traditional supporters. Thinking beyond 

traditional funding sources and fundraising strategies has helped us to engage new 

supporters, in particular some federal departments. The recent recession pointed out the 

need for us to establish new relationships. Supporters in the 2009-10 fiscal year included: 

• The Office of Citizenship within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which 

began a new relationship with ProLiteracy through a National Capacity Building Grant to 

support the design and implementation of citizenship preparation education programs in 

two of ProLiteracy’s member organizations, Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta and Nashville Adult 

Literacy Council. 

• The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 

which awarded ProLiteracy an Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Fire Safety and 

Prevention Grant to fund two complementary fire prevention and safety projects. 

• The Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which selected ProLiteracy and the 

National Center for Family Literacy to develop a new online directory of adult 

literacy and adult education programs. The National Literacy Directory contains 

more than 8,000 service providers across the United States and was designed 

to help individuals find local literacy programs and GED testing centers in 

their areas. An important component of this directory is a 24/7 toll-free phone 

referral system in English and Spanish. The National Literacy Directory’s phone 

referral system is a strong complement to the Ad Council’s three-year ad 

campaign designed to encourage adults to take the important steps toward 

obtaining a GED certificate. 

• The Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County, which worked with ProLiteracy to initiate a 

collaboration among all local literacy providers in Central New York and to begin creating 

training around cultural responsiveness for local community groups. Support was provided 

by the U.S. Department of Education. 


INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY 

ProLiteracy continually encourages members to use technology to reach more 

learners. During the fiscal year, we also incorporated advances in technology to 

offer relevant, timely services to our members: 

• We offered free professional development webinars, including one on 

advocacy and another focused on English-as-a-second-language instruction. 

All webinars filled up quickly, evidence that ProLiteracy members and the adult 

literacy field have a solid interest in these offerings. 

• New Readers Press launched an online-only subscription option for News for 

You, in addition to the print option. For the first time, all of the stories that 

appear in News for You became available online with audio, accessible 

anywhere in the world. Within the first few weeks of its launch, subscriptions 

came in from countries such as Turkey and Italy. 

• New Readers Press offered product demos and hosted product-related 

webinars in an effort to reach and engage new audiences and ensure that 

customers could conveniently learn about and experience new and relevant 

materials. 

THROUGH ADULT LITERACY, CONNECTICUT VOLUNTEER EXTENDS FAMILY 

Margaret (Peggy) Salsbury 

of Connecticut, busy juggling 

the needs and wants of three 

children under the age of five, 

found it a challenge to find 

time to volunteer—but then 

she saw a want ad in the local 

newspaper for tutors at the 

public library. 

Salsbury would strap her 

four-month-old son, Steven, 

in a carrier and include him in 

the Saturday tutoring sessions 

with Literacy Volunteers of 

Waterbury. 

“I was matched with 

an English-as-a-secondlanguage 

student, Brunilda 

Espinal, who is from the 

Peggy Salsbury (right) with her daughter Katherine, son Steven, 

and adult literacy student Brunilda Espinal at the Literacy Volunteers 

of Waterbury’s holiday party. 

Dominican Republic,” says 

Salsbury. “Brunilda’s daughter 

started college and became 

a citizen, so Brunilda decided 

it was time for her to learn 

English and become a citizen 

as well. We’ve been working 

together for a year and 

now are really part of each 

other’s families. We 

exchange Christmas gifts; 

we’ve been to BBQs at each 

other’s houses.” 

Salsbury has high hopes 

for her student and for her 

own continued involvement 

in adult literacy tutoring. 

“Brunilda’s goal is citizenship, 

and I want to do all I can to 

get her there. She is a high 

beginner so it may take 

some time. But I’m not going 

anywhere. I love tutoring and 

I want to see where it goes,” 

Salsbury says. 


FINANCIAL REPORT 

Thank you to all our individual donors as well as our foundation, corporate, and institutional 

partners. Your invaluable support makes our work possible! 

REVENUE 2009-10 

$357,253 Other $2,565,902 Foundations 

and Corporations 

$150,915 Membership 

$5,992,213 

Publications 

$814,086 

Contributions 

EXPENSES 2009-10 

$859,112 Development 

and Communications 

$3,092,477 Program Services 

and Strategic Initiatives 

$976,667 

Administrative Services 

$163,902 

Public Education/ 

Advocacy 

$4,958,623 Publishing

ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010 - ProLiteracy

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