Question 1

How did Yolo County Caregivers Collective start?

Accepted Answer

Yolo County Caregivers Collective is a 100% volunteer-based caregiver support organization that connects and supports Yolo County caregivers of young children (newborn to ~5 years of age).

The  idea of YoloC3 was created in May 2023 by our co-founder, Zia Sloan.  Being a new mom in a post-pandemic world, she soon came to realize the  difficulties that arose, psychologically, physically, emotionally,  work-related, and more. After researching for moms groups, walking  groups, yoga parent and baby groups, lactation groups, exercise groups,  educational parent groups, new-family events, she soon came to realize  either they were all over the place and required a lot of research to  find, or, they were next-to-non-existent due to post-pandemic ripples.  She knew she wasn’t the only one who may be finding it difficult to  create an accessible caregivers’ community of support for the many new  areas of her and her family’s life. Recognizing the demand, Yolo County  Caregivers Collective was brought to life!
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After  creating a Facebook (after not having one for 15 years) she joined and  recruited moms, parents, and caregivers in the community with common  needs. In Spring 2024, YoloC3 officially had its first Board of  Directors!

Question 2

How is YoloC3 different than other organizations in the area with a similar focus?

Accepted Answer

Yolo County Caregivers Collective takes pride in knowing we reach ALL caregivers across our diverse county. Most organizations focus on one specialty (such as yoga classes, exercise groups, or support for specific socio-economically disadvantaged groups). We embrace all of these organizations, and centralize them all into one easily navigational space- our free website for all to see.

Yet we at YoloC3 also bring all of our community together through our YoloC3 Friendship. We want to reduce the stress and anxiety in this already confusing transition from individual(s) to parenthood by making sure all resources a caregiver may need are in one location that they can depend on. As our co-founder Zia Sloan quickly found out during her transition, "There is a lot out there, but it is so hard to find, because it's either by word-of-mouth, or you have to do all the research yourself, in which honestly, many do not have the time to do."

Question 3

I'm an expert in a topic of interest to parents and caregivers. How can I help or become a guest speaker?

Accepted Answer

We are always so excited to meet new subject matter experts! Our Cohorts are interested in a variety of topics, including:

Lactation / pumping
Post-partum health, recovery & exercise
Newborn care & development
Infant development (motor skills, speech, physiology, weaning etc)
Second (or third, or fourth)-time parenting
Introducing a new baby
Returning to work / childcare options
And more!

Plus, our members with older babies/children are keen to learn about other topics, like:

Potty Training
Toddler gross / fine motor development & milestones
Gentle Parenting 
Early literacy
Toddler sleep / transitioning from the crib
College savings plans
Writing a will 
Single parenting
Work-life balance
Sibling rivalry
Learning through Play
etc!

If you or your business would like to propose a topic for a discussion session, we'd love to hear from you! Our Cohort Speakers gain direct connections with hundreds of new parents and are featured on our website and resource bank; we have over 1,000 members who receive direct marketing regarding our Cohort Speakers and recommended businesses and services. Email us at yoloc3info@gmail.com to get started.

Question 4

Can I make a donation and/or sponsor an event?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We are 100% volunteer-run and operating on a *very* slim budget - so we are extremely grateful for contributions of any kind! To get more information about our current donation/sponsorship opportunities, please check out our Friendship & Donation page. We are happy to provide donation receipts for all contributions.

Our donors and sponsors are absolutely integral to the success (and existence!) of our events and initiatives, so we are also proud to feature them in our marketing materials, social media, and on our Sponsor page. Contact us and we are happy to make sure that our mutually beneficial partnership offers significant return on investment!

Question 5

Do you have volunteer opportunities?

Accepted Answer

Ohhh yes, we do! We are always looking for volunteers to support YoloC3 events and initiatives. At the moment, we are recruiting active members for the following committees:

Cohort Leader: the super fun job of supporting your newborn cohort by organizing in-person meet ups and introducing weekly speakers (note: speakers are fully organized/scheduled by the YoloC3 Membership Development board member - so this is not required of Cohort Leaders!)

Major Events Committee: plans the large-scale community events!

Community Service Committee: Identifies and organizes community service and relations opportunities, including the holiday toy drive, volunteer opportunities, and service components of larger events

Internal Events Committee: Plans our awesome YoloC3 Friends-only events, like "Mama's Meet Up" happy hours, private family portraits, excursions to local pumpkin patches, etc.

Join our Board and/or join a Committee!

Want to support a specific event/initiative? Got a special skill? We'd love to work with you! If you're a graphic designer, artist, non-profit attorney, photographer, children's entertainer (ie singer, balloon artist, face painter), etc. - or if you're just keen to be a "floater" volunteer at one of our events, email yoloc3info@gmail.com for more information about how to get involved.

Question 6

Why did Yolo County Caregivers Collective become a 501(c)3?

Accepted Answer

YoloC3 officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in _________! There are several reasons we pursued this designation, but mainly:

It gives us the ability to accept contributions and donations that are tax-deductible to the donor (a big plus for our amazing sponsors);
It makes YoloC3 a legitimate legal entity in its own right that is separate from its founders/leaders, meaning the organization will have significantly greater structure and shared control but also more limited liability for/dependence upon its members/officers;
 It will exempt us from federal and/or state corporate income taxes, which means our revenue will go directly to our members and our programming instead; and
It makes us eligible for grants and other public or private allocations available only to IRS-recognized, 501(c)(3) organizations.

In short, becoming a 501c3 allows Yolo County Caregivers Collective to continue its extraordinary growth in a more sustainable way!