Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech Review

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech: www.clarkeschools.org

• Founded in 1867 by Gardiner Green Hubbard with the help of philanthropist John Clarke
• Annually over 800 children benefit from services
• Campuses are located in Boston, Jacksonville, NYC, Northampton, and Philadelphia
• Auditory and oral program to teach children to listen and speak

Here’s a little story from me to you:  About a month or so ago I was playing trivia at my local brewery when my friend’s lovely parents stopped by and joined my team. (They couldn’t have come at a better time- “Broadway Musicals” were killing my chances at winning.) But anyway.

I mentioned that I was writing about Clarke Schools and asked if, as dedicated auditory-verbal therapists, they knew anything about the nonprofit.  What I got from that simple question was a fascinating history lesson-- both about my friend’s family and New England in general:  They are ancestors of the school’s founder, Gardiner Green Hubbard, and his daughter Mabel, for whom Clarke was envisioned. (Very cool, no?)

As I spent time poking around the site and learning more about the school, I found it inspiring to think about how one man’s devotion to his daughter’s future has perpetuated a lasting and important change in the lives of thousands of children for well over a century.  Clarke Schools, like so many nonprofits I research everyday, are a testament to the potential we each have as individuals to truly affect change that is greater than ourselves.

Cheers to that.

When I searched for “Clarke Schools” at engines like Google, the school appeared at the top of the list.  Impressively, when I  conducted more general searches (such as “schools for the deaf” or “school for hearing and speech”) Clarke once again popped up in the queue (although admittedly a bit further down the list).  The header the school uses is “Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech provides children who are deaf and hard of hearing with the listening, learning and spoken language skills they need.”

I was unable to find any lists or pages that highlight corporate, individual or organizational partners the school may keep, but Clarke seems to have a lasting relationship with Smith College.   Under the “For Professionals” tab, there is a page of information regarding the Smith College/Clarke Graduate Program in Teacher Education, which highlights a “historic partnership” (the program was started in 1962), from which nearly 1,500 teachers have graduated. 

There are no social network links at the Clarke site itself (i.e. banners or buttons linking Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages to the website), but when I searched these sites manually I found a few Clarke-related pages.  There is a Facebook group titled “Clarke School for the Deaf Alumni” with over 300 members that are incredibly active at the page.  Members have uploaded over 600 photos (lots of really interesting older photographs of past Clarke classes), engage in active, vibrant discussions and use the wall as a space to connect with each other-- the page seems to be entirely set up and maintained by supporters, and is a great example of the power of social networks to bring together already established communities online.

I was unable to find a Clarke presence at Twitter, but did find a YouTube channel called “ClarkeSchool” which featured 6 uploads, and currently has 6 subscribers.  It is rather quiet, but it is there!

A green banner around the site encourages visitors to “subscribe to Clarke news and events”.  Add your email and click “Go” to navigate your way to a sign up page that asks for a bit more information, both personal and company-related.

This seems to be the only way an individual can make themselves known to the organization online as a joiner (a recurring visitor).  Otherwise, alumni can join the Facebook page, or you can subscribe to the YouTube channel, but as mentioned earlier, these networks are not highlighted at the website itself. 

When I searched for options to share knowledge with Clarke staff or other Clarke supporters (i.e. read or comment on blogs or add to discussions) I was unable to find much.  I did, however, uncover a number of news articles and publications under the “Resources” tab-- PDFs of annual reports as well as the “Clarke Speaks” newsletter. 

For those who are inspired to give to Clarke, head to the “Support Us” tab-- the nonprofit accepts online, monthly, stock, in-kind, memorial and planned donations.  The page titled “Invest in Clarke’s Future” is notable in that it answers the very basic questions of “why” and “how”-- why donate to Clarke and how is my donation used.  This type of data is always a positive step towards providing accountability and transparent information to encourage those thinking about opening their check books in support of an organization. 

From the “About” tab, I found an “Events” page that featured upcoming events with short descriptions, RSVP information and PDFs to download.  This section was informative, but not interactive for site visitors; there are no Web 2.0 tools that would enable visitors to comment, share or add to the events section.

Other nonprofit strategy areas I normally explore at websites-- including information about volunteering, advocating and recruiting-- did not seem to be a focus at the Clarke website.

Boosters, or supporters who have a multiplying effect on an organization, certainly exist for Clarke (the Facebook Alumni page is a great example), but there are no clear avenues laid out, or corresponding tools on the website to encourage and empower those interested in devoting their time and energy to Clarke at a booster-level.  The one example that eluded to the establishment of a directed booster-community was a page describing the alumni council (a group that meets 2 to 3 times a year). 

Otherwise, for those interested in working for Clarke, you can click on the “About” tab to find an Employment page that highlights new job postings at different campuses. 

There is very little at the Clarke site that speaks to the type of active-boosterism that we encourage at CoreWeb--no web tools to encourage supporters to blog, start volunteer groups, or hold fundraisers for the school, for example. 

There are, however, interesting profiles of alumni and students-- a nice personal touch at the site that provides a direct human connection online to the amazing work the school does. 

You can learn about Clarke School’s leadership by mousing over the “About” tab and clicking on either Meet Our President, Board of Trustees, or Directors.  The President, Bill Corwin, wrote a great introductory letter for his page, which also features pictures with his family, as well as a biography. 

The Board of Trustees and Directors are listed by name only.