Double Your Impact: Matching Gift Program Begins

Double your impact! Now through the end of the year, gifts to Donka will be matched! Thanks to support from The Coleman Foundation’s 2023 Coleman Grant Challenge program. They will match all gifts up to $25,000 that are made to Donka by 12/31.

This match is important since we rely on gifts and grants to provide our life-changing services and programs. Each year we must fundraise at least $500,000. This amount continues to expand as the demand for our services grows. We see the need throughout our communities.

For instance, in part of Donka’s service area, DuPage and Kane counties, between 67%-69% of working age people with disabilities are unemployed.  And 38% of people with disabilities report not having a computer at home – meaning they are not honing digital skills necessary to work and function in our society.

We work to change that through our assistive technology computer training and job placement services. When someone comes to Donka, we get to know them and learn about their goals and challenges. This allows our instructors to meet them where they are and tailor a path to support their success. In many cases, the relationships and support started at Donka last a lifetime. We feel fortunate to be a long-term resource.

Because of you, we can be that lifeline. Thanks to your generous donations, Donka’s training and services are provided at low or no cost to students. Without this financial burden, students are able to focus on mastering the skills they need to further their education, find a job, and achieve life goals that we all take for granted. This is part of the mission established by our founder, Don Van Haveren, in 1987.

Here are just a few examples of how your donation would benefit our students:

• $50 – Will purchase a literacy app to improve reading and writing skills for students  
• $100 – Will purchase a Microsoft Office textbook for training 
• $250 – Will provide a Donka student an Assistive Technology Assessment 
• $500 – Will allow Donka’s job placement specialist to work with a job seeker for 5 hours
• $1,000 – Will purchase a laptop for our loaner program, allowing our students to borrow a computer until they can afford their own

We hope you join us in taking advantage of our gift match program to double your donation, please visit our donations page. Donations can also be mailed to us at the following address: Donka, Inc., 400 N. County Farm Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187.

Our students and dedicated staff are extremely appreciative of all the support that we receive from everyone who steps up to help make our services possible. This includes our donors, volunteers, family, and friends.