1,000 Strong For BLUE Campaign

It all started when we were deciding what would make BLUE1647 powerful, not just from a monetary standpoint, but from stakeholders who were focused on making BLUE a place that we always dreamed of. With all of the bells and whistles an innovation center should have, with the people that are laser-focused on creating products and services to create jobs and opportunities for our communities. Collaboration and forming a coalition is the only way we change Chicago for a better Chicago, one where investment is tightly linked to outcomes, and on true metrics that impact lives, not vanity metrics. Below is some more information linking investment to outcomes, but we feel that the days of qualitative metrics are over, and by us showing everything that’s built out of our facility, we’ll differentiate ourselves from other organizations.

By joining our movement, these are the benefits:

• Private newsletter with opportunities to vote and provide input on future programming and events
• Adopt-an-entrepreneur program where we’ll provide a complimentary membership for an entrepreneur, and they’ll send you updates on their progress
• Special social network to have access to content and programming within BLUE and our member companies.
• First dibbs on any special products and services built from BLUE
• Access to the space as a BLUE1647 member
• And many, many more as we progress and hit our milestones.

Here’s more information, but join our campaign!

CHANGE CHICAGO ONE LIFE AT A TIME.

The Race to One Thousand Campaign is BLUE1647′s funding initiative. BLUE1647 is a next generation innovation center located in the heart of Chicago’s Pilsen community.

BLUE1647 is already making meaningful differences in the lives of Chicago area people from grade school youth to seasoned business people embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. BLUE1647 needs your support to execute on the next phase of our strategic plan. With one thousand supporters, BLUE1647 will be able to provide educational and functional programming to under-served stakeholders. As a beacon of resource through physical space and curated programming, BLUE1647 is a place where diverse people working for a better world can quickly access relationships and support to bring their ideas to life.

WHY CONTRIBUTE TO BLUE1647?

Simply put, our staff and programming generates results, and promises to deliver higher and better returns with your support. Our unique educational background led to the development of a one-of-a-kind business model that promises to build lasting opportunities that you can see.

Here’s what we’ve done on a shoestring budget:

3,500+ hours of business and tech classes

6,000+ visitors to BLUE

Here’s our goals for 2014:

15,000 hours of instruction

1,000 digital or physical products created

100 internship and jobs created

For $25/month donation, we can provide a Chicago Public School’s student with the education and mentoring of a technological expert on a weekly basis. The student will learn the details of the application programming interface for the Apple and Google platforms, how to plan and design an application on various platforms, and how to move from concept to customers. For your contribution of $50.00 per month, we can provide a veteran with job training and relevant skills to jumpstart their career and avoid the common pitfalls of the reintegration process. For your contribution of $100.00 per month, you provide a budding entrepreneur with the resources to develop their idea and into a functioning business, and create job opportunities for the veterans and students who participate in the training and programming that you support. That includes coursework in business planning, marketing, accounting, and tax as well as the back office support staff to provide daily feedback and assistance to budding entrepreneurs at any stage of their business cycle.