Our Impact

2022: A Year of Bridging Psychology and Art

Year Two was a year of change and growth for My Good Brain. This past year proved that we were ready to keep going and grow with what we learned in the first year. Despite challenges along the way, our team pushed forward and met the demands of the moment. We’ve grown far from the time we were just a vision to something more definitive and constant. Our team grew and eased into its own distinct groove, and our goals got bigger and a little more daring. I am happy to say that we’re on the right track.

Our Growth

Our team grew to our largest number of volunteers (thus far!) in 2022. We found many like-minded people from all over the Bay Area and beyond who answered our call for more help. We’ve said this before, but we’ll say it again. Our volunteers make our organization better. Their unique perspectives, skills, and creative minds power My Good Brain, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. It takes a certain individual to give up some of their free time to do volunteer work on a regular basis. We’re proud to say that our volunteers are some of the best people out there!

We have also grown in our reach and the number of people who have learned about our organization’s mission. Through participation in more in-person events in 2022, we were able to meet more of our community members and share about our work. Our network of other mental health organizations, small local businesses, and business professionals that we connected with expanded our network of support.

Our Creativity

While COVID lockdowns were lifted over time, our events continued to be primarily online due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic. We continued to deliver our programs through Zoom, and create a regular number of attendees for some events. A big challenge we had was navigating time zone differences for our attendees. Over time, we revisited our program setup and listened to attendees’ feedback on what would work best. As a result, we have since decided to bring our beloved Sunday Art Club event to YouTube! This January marked our first ever on-demand Sunday Art Club on YouTube, and so far, the results have been promising.

Financials

Fundraising and continuing down the road towards sustainability remains our top priority. Our programs, specifically the Tool Kit program, rely heavily on the donations and support provided by our sponsors and donors. Our organization is still fairly new to fundraising and we have learned so much along the way. This year, we branched out our efforts and sought funding from various sources. We continue to have individual donors as our main source of income, and we are proud to know that we have our community members’ support in fulfilling our mission. Corporate matching through Benevity was a big win for us, as it helped boost our fundraisers multiple times during the past year.

Lastly, receiving Community Donations from organizations such as the LymeLight Foundation and Star One Credit Union were notable instances in kickstarting our Tool Kit Program fundraising efforts during the year. We are grateful for their support!