RAP Foundation

RAP Foundation The RAP Foundation addresses unmet needs in health, mental health and juvenile intervention.

Eighty thousand free books a year, and a volunteer beside every child who needs one.Erin Hyland is the Community Develop...
09/03/2026

Eighty thousand free books a year, and a volunteer beside every child who needs one.

Erin Hyland is the Community Development and Recruitment Coordinator at Read With Me Volunteer Programs, which helps children from low-income, limited-English-speaking homes learn to read, comprehend and speak English.

Each year the organization mobilizes roughly 750 volunteers to deliver more than 15,500 hours of tutoring to over 4,200 English learners in the Coachella Valley’s highest-poverty elementary schools and gives away more than 80,000 books so every child can build a library at home.

Root for Erin as she turns her story into a pitch, competing for a place at the NPO Desert Fast Pitch Grand Finale!

RAP Foundation was proud to join community and education leaders for the ribbon-cutting of the new Riverside County Offi...
09/03/2026

RAP Foundation was proud to join community and education leaders for the ribbon-cutting of the new Riverside County Office of Education Indio Administration Building and Conference Center.

We were honored to help celebrate this important investment in the Coachella Valley.

The new 33,000-square-foot facility will bring trainings, conferences, student events, educator programs, and other resources closer to the students, families, and education professionals who live and work in our region.

Investments like this strengthen our community by creating greater access to opportunities, resources, and connections right here in the desert.

Congratulations to the Riverside County Office of Education and everyone who helped make this new center a reality!

She reported from Beijing. Now she's making sure the stories that shape our community are heard.Julie Makinen co-founded...
09/01/2026

She reported from Beijing. Now she's making sure the stories that shape our community are heard.

Julie Makinen co-founded the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation in 2020, after decades in journalism leadership — including roles as editor of The Desert Sun and Beijing Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times. CVJF funds newsroom jobs, internships, and investigative reporting, plus the valley’s only nonprofit coverage section in The Desert Sun.

A storyteller by trade, Julie now crafts a pitch of her own — cheer her on as she competes for a spot on the Desert Fast Pitch Grand Finale stage!

Week Four of NPO Desert Fast Pitch training is complete!This week, our contestants worked through their full pitches, pr...
08/30/2026

Week Four of NPO Desert Fast Pitch training is complete!

This week, our contestants worked through their full pitches, practiced their delivery, and continued strengthening the stories and messages they will bring to the Semifinal Event.

They also learned about building a strong fundraising plan and how the pitch fits into the bigger picture of raising money, engaging donors, and moving their organizations forward.

Four weeks in, the progress is showing. The pitches are getting stronger, the confidence is growing, and our contestants are putting in the work.

A big thank you, as always, to our coaches for the thoughtful feedback, encouragement, and support they bring every week.

On to Week Five!

Behind every NPO Desert Fast Pitch contestant is a group of people helping them sharpen their message, strengthen their ...
08/30/2026

Behind every NPO Desert Fast Pitch contestant is a group of people helping them sharpen their message, strengthen their delivery, and keep pushing until the pitch really lands.

A huge shout-out to our incredible NPO Desert Fast Pitch coaches, Cindy Melton Burreson, Mary Guinane, and Karrie Friends CV, who continue to give their time, experience, honest feedback, and encouragement to this year’s contestants.

And a very special shout-out to Greg Charleston, one of the true engines behind NPO Desert Fast Pitch. From helping lead workshops with Stephanie Minor and coaching contestants to managing schedules and keeping the entire training process moving, his leadership, commitment, and support are absolutely essential to the program.

This week, we were also so lucky to welcome back Ramon Ramos of The Exception, last year’s winner of both Best Pitch and Audience Choice. Ramon talked with this year's contestants about his experience and shared advice from someone who has been exactly where they are now.

There is a lot that happens before a contestant ever steps onto that stage. Practice. Rewriting. Coaching. Tough feedback. Encouragement. And then more practice.

We truly could not do NPO Desert Fast Pitch without the people who show up week after week and help our contestants become stronger, more confident pitchers.

We are so grateful for every one of you!

Put an instrument in a child’s hands, and you can change their whole song.J'ai Michel-Lundy — “Sweet Baby J'ai” — founde...
08/29/2026

Put an instrument in a child’s hands, and you can change their whole song.

J'ai Michel-Lundy — “Sweet Baby J'ai” — founded the Sunset Music and Education Foundation to transform lives through music. Its SMARTS Initiative puts instruments, mentorship and real opportunities into the hands of students who might not otherwise learn the gift of music.

Watch J’ai find her rhythm and perfect her pitch as she competes for a spot as one of eleven contestants marching toward the Semifinal Event.

Eighteen years ago, she walked in as a volunteer. She never left.Kara Robinson is the Resource Development Manager at th...
08/27/2026

Eighteen years ago, she walked in as a volunteer. She never left.

Kara Robinson is the Resource Development Manager at the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City, where she started volunteering 18 years ago. The Club gives local kids a safe, structured place after school — homework help, enrichment and trauma-informed support that helps every young person who walks through their doors, reach their full potential.

Follow along as Kara hones her abilities and brings her story to the Semifinal Event!

⏰ Deadline: August 30th (YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS!)The 2026 Nonprofit Workplace Survey from Envision Consulting and Center ...
08/27/2026

⏰ Deadline: August 30th (YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS!)

The 2026 Nonprofit Workplace Survey from Envision Consulting and Center for Nonprofit Management closes soon, and your input matters. It covers compensation, retention, inclusion, and tech in the nonprofit sector. Please take this important, fully confidential survey. In return, you'll get real data back: a free Workplace Report, pay comparisons, and planning tools you can use right away.

Don't miss your chance to be counted.

👉 Take the survey now: https://s.alchemer.com/s3/8171a6433dfb

For a family fleeing violence, safety often starts with one person who listens.Selena Rodriguez is the Bilingual Supervi...
08/25/2026

For a family fleeing violence, safety often starts with one person who listens.

Selena Rodriguez is the Bilingual Supervising Family Specialist at SAFE Family Justice Centers, where she works directly with survivors of domestic violence, trauma and crisis. SAFE provides comprehensive services — support, mentorship and healing programs like Camp HOPE — that help children, youth and families affected by violence find justice, stability and a safer future.

Selena is one of eleven nonprofit leaders preparing to take the stage at the Semifinal Event — please support her journey!

💰 Week Three of NPO Desert Fast Pitch training is in the books! Our contestants learned how to build a strong donation c...
08/24/2026

💰 Week Three of NPO Desert Fast Pitch training is in the books!

Our contestants learned how to build a strong donation campaign and how one compelling message can be adapted across direct mail, email, newsletters, blogs, and social media.

And, of course, we kept working on those pitches! 🎤 The contestants practiced making the ask, sharpening their message, and getting more comfortable sharing exactly why their organizations and their missions matter.

There was plenty of learning, feedback, laughter, and yes, good food too. We have our priorities. 😋

A special shout-out to our amazing Desert Fast Pitch coaches for continuing to challenge, encourage, and support our contestants as their pitches get stronger every week.

Three weeks in, and things are getting GOOD. We can already see the growth, and there is a lot more to come! 🌟

Address

41550 Eclectic Street
Palm Desert, CA
92260

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

(760) 674-9992

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