As “child welfare” organizations have increasingly considered diversifying to include services to older adults, this presentation will describe the opportunities, strategies, challenges, and successes of two organizations that used a New Age of Aging Mentoring Initiative grant to form a partnership to examine how to move into this service area.
In order to address the growing disparities for black children (especially boys) in the areas of education, health, exposure to violence, and lifetime likelihood of going to prison, human service organizations are increasingly being called upon to create culturally specific programs for black fathers. This workshop will show segments of the film “The Black Fatherhood Project” to draw attention to the historical backdrop of black fatherhood that contextualizes the services that black families are in need of today. The workshop will conclude with a discussion on effective approaches to working with black fathers and opportunities for service providers collaborate with each other to provide culturally specific services that meet the needs of black fathers.
This session will help to demystify the Council on Accreditation (COA) accreditation process. Participants will learn the answers to important questions, including:
How much time and what staff resources does it require?
How much does it cost?
Is an organization too small to pursue COA Accreditation?
This dialogue will present two distinct models for plotting a course for the future. The first will focus on transforming individual organizations for the 21st century, and the second will describe collaborative efforts aimed at community-wide transformation.
Collaboration with other area organizations is one of the most effective means for consistently meeting the financial, social, and safety needs of older adults. When utilized to its fullest potential, collaboration positively impacts clients and the organizations involved. It also creates a lasting impact on the surrounding community.
Most human service organization staff recognize the essential need to communicate the effectiveness and impact of their work to clients, community members, and potential funders. Yet, each organization is unique in its threshold for evaluation capacity. This workshop will focus on how evaluation practices have changed within the industry, as well as present techniques that can be used to improve their evaluation capacity and communicate the difference they are making in the communities they serve based on their own unique approach to evaluation.
How do nonprofit agencies use innovation effectively? How can agencies use innovative programming to their advantage in community-based work? As the sector increasingly embraces the power of innovation to address common challenges, agencies are experimenting and succeeding with new approaches to addressing longstanding social issues. In this session, winners of the ARAMARK Building Community 2011 Innovation Awards will share their strategies for success in innovation at the programmatic and organizational level.
Joint Alliance for Children and Families and United Neighborhood Centers of America member Neighborhood Centers Inc.’s recent work in community building is focused on helping community members identify and leverage existing strengths and resources to make neighborhoods a place of renewed hope and opportunity. This is an asset-based community development approach. The organization is using appreciative Inquiry to uncover neighborhood assets and put them to work on building the future envisioned by neighborhood residents. Staff from Neighborhood Centers will discuss this approach and share best practices.
Community issues necessitate community solutions. A growing number of social service institutions are taking lead roles in assisting clients and community members in solving the broader social and economic issues they face. From advocacy training to client advisory groups, agencies and communities are working hand-in-hand to tackle tough problems. Learn how civic engagement is leading to improved conditions and quality of life for vulnerable children and families. This panel will be facilitated by the Alliance for Children and Families’ director of civic engagement, who will share how our national network has made significant progress in helping change systems. Panelists include senior leaders from Alliance member organizations in Louisiana, Illinois, and Nebraska, who will share specific ideas to strengthen practice in civic engagement.
Stories offer incomparable insight into to the human experience to elicit an emotional response, such as empathy, pride, belonging, or happiness. Additionally, stories can be used achieve your strategic intent.
