Webinars About a Community Impact Network that Works

Learn how helping agencies, from across the State of Indiana, are becoming innovative and effective in overcoming complex challenges, like poverty, hunger, health disparities, and more. They are learning how to maximize their community impact.

Learn how helping agencies, from across the country, are becoming more innovative and effective in overcoming complex challenges, including COVID-19. See how charities, churches, healthcare providers, funders, and more are working together to advance a more resourceful, coordinated, and comprehensive approach to transforming people’s lives.

For everyone seeking best practices for fighting hunger in our communities. Coming together, from across the country, are passionate and courageous caregivers who are on the “front lines” of fighting hunger in America. They are coming to learn from each other, share best practices, and explore innovative approaches that make a difference in the lives of children, adults, and families.

Public policy attempts to break the stranglehold of multigenerational poverty have largely failed. Partisan efforts to build personal, family, and community resources and a strong middle class haven’t worked either. One successful approach, based on the Bridges Out of Poverty methodology, focuses on bringing people from all classes, races, and sectors together to reduce poverty and build a sense of community. Authors Philip DeVol and Eugene Krebs will join us to discuss their new book, Bridges Across Every Divide, which offers up both a common language and an accurate understanding of poverty, and the process for policy solutions in a harsh political environment. They will also give insights on why politics is so divisive. Philip DeVol, author of Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin-By' World and Bridges to Sustainable Communities, has been addressing poverty issues since 1997. Programs derived from his published works are in use in the U.S. and around the world. Eugene Krebs served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives. Since leaving public office, he has focused on practical, nonpartisan solutions to major issues confronting our nation.

Let's talk about Collective Impact, Poverty Education for the Community & Service Directories! In this webinar, learn about the East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN) from director, Christina Fulsom. ETHNN brings human service agencies and organizations together for solutions where client voices are heard and the community at-large is educated through poverty simulations and workshops. ETHNN also administrates a comprehensive online community service directory, called 903Help, placing assistance information at people's fingertips. 903Help, developed in partnership with CharityTracker, includes a self-help form used by individuals in need of services, helping them make a comprehensive assessment and connect to services. Christina Fulsom is the Founder and CEO of the East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN). Christina has over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She is devoted to creating community solutions to poverty by building cross-sector networks that listen to those in need, apply best practices, and build capacity through relationships. Under her leadership, ETHNN brought together a network of over 80 non-profit and government organizations under a collective impact model to reduce poverty. She implemented a curriculum for Understanding Poverty and published the online social services directory www.903help.org. Christina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Nonprofit Leadership Certificate from Southern Methodist University.

In this webinar, meet Pat Schoenemann and the Brazos Health Resources Center, a hub for meeting needs of patients of CHI St. Joseph Health and the community in Bryan, Texas. Hear about the major demographic factors of health uncovered in the Brazos Valley community health assessment (2016) and how this community is prioritizing their collaborative work. Also learn how they are working toward improving community health using CharityTracker and improving the resource networking capability of their community. Pat Schoenemann is the Director of the Brazos Health Resources Center, a program of CHI St. Joseph Health. She has served on staff at Texas A & M University with the Ocean Drilling Program as well as served several years with Society of St. Vincent De Paul, holding a number of positions including: Vice President, President, Treasurer, District President. She presently serves as Council Secretary, Austin Diocesan Council.

Hospitals and healthcare systems are moving into the community to collaborate with other organizations and churches for the benefit of their patients and overall community health, as well as their bottom line. CHI St. Joseph Health in Bryan, Texas is one such health system doing that and they are utilizing CharityTracker technology to meet their goals. Learn from Mary Clare Carden, Hospital Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Care, how to better serve people living in poverty; improve communication and move beyond just helping people cope with poverty but to move toward genuine opportunities for them to achieve and be valued. Learn how this Charity Tracker network shares resources and information in order to reduce re-admissions and expand the allocation of resources to those who need it the most in a timely manner. Mary Clare Carden has worked in healthcare for almost 30 years, starting as a Decision Analyst in 1990 with a Masters in Public Health/Hospital Administration and an MBA. She found her true calling in ministry as a hospital chaplain in 1998, and received Masters in Theology and Biblical Studies, completing her Residency at UCLA Medical Center and Neuropsychiatric Hospital. She is currently Director of Spiritual Care for CHI St. Joseph Health in Bryan, Texas. In Part 2 of the webinar on September 25, learn about the Brazos Health Resource Center, the hub for this CharityTracker network.

What would it look like to launch 2,000 people on the path to self-sufficiency in 2,000 days in your community? United Way of the Piedmont realized that through the Community Investment Process nearly 75% of the resources earmarked for Financial Stability were allocated to the Safety Net services, leaving only 25% to invest in programs that help families acquire and manage resources at the self-sufficient level. Understanding the importance of equally investing in programs on both ends of the spectrum, the Board of the United Way decided to launch the Financial Stability Initiative.

Are you partnering with employers in your community to help employees gain stability? Instability is another form of diversity in the workplace. Low-wage workers can experience personal instability that leads to absenteeism, health problems and violations of work expectations, all of which decrease morale, attention to work, job performance and employee retention. Join this webinar to recognize the range of factors that create instability for employees that impact business success. Phil DeVol and Ruth Weirich, our partner presenters from aha! Process, will also discuss effective techniques and tactics for increasing stability in the workplace. We will explore how employers and the community can partner together for success and sustainability. Learn how to engage low-wage employees, their families, and volunteers as problem solvers working shoulder to shoulder to create communities where everyone can live well.

Learn about the Getting Ahead experience from a team facilitators, participants and the author. This webinar features an up-close look at facilitating the program and what individual and community change looks like!

How do churches come together to serve with their community? Hear the story of how Stillwater, OK churches came together initially for prayer and created a dynamic collaboration which builds the capacity of all the helping organizations in their community. Through Stillwater CARES, Quinn developed an association of 58 organizations working together to address the prevention and alleviation of poverty - half of those organizations being local churches. In 2014, under Quinn’s leadership, Stillwater CARES launched a CharityTracker network with 28 churches and 14 organizations sharing case management and referrals using this collaborative, cloud-based solution.

In this webinar hear principles and practices for effective collaboration from Dr. Tom Wolff. Tom is a nationally recognized consultant on coalition building and community impact, with over 30 years’ experience training and consulting with individuals, organizations and communities across North America. He has published numerous resources to help communities solve their own problems. His most recent book is "The Power of Collaborative Solutions – Six Principles and Effective Tools for Building Health Communities" published by Jossey Bass-John Wiley in early 2010.

The Commodity Food Supplemental Program (CSFP) exists to improve the health of low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank (JCSDFB) has a robust CSFP program, serving thousands of seniors monthly. One year ago, JCSDFB and Oasis Insight pioneered improved technology for CSFP customer intake and food distribution, certification and recertification. Learn about the development, implementation and initial outcomes and how it has greatly improved the process and experience for seniors, staff and volunteers. If you work with seniors and/or food distribution in any way, this webinar is for you!

Bring more partners into your network to collaborate! In this webinar, we explore how United Way Director from Ada United Way and United Way of Central Arkansas developed and grew their powerful networks. We talk with Maret and James about their on-boarding and training process with agencies and churches, as well as what their role as a network administrator entails. We also look at how leaders develop in their roles as community conveners for the benefit of their city.

In this webinar, we explore the Getting Ahead model, moving people from crisis to sustainability and becoming problem-solvers. Author and consultant, Phil DeVol will go over how class participants, called “investigators,” examine their own experience of poverty as well as explore issues in the community that impact poverty. You will also learn how facilitators guide “investigators” through an assessment of their own resources and how to build those resources as part of their move to self-sufficiency. Through Getting Ahead, lives are challenged and changed and graduates are provided support from Bridges Out of Poverty collaboratives as they work toward their goals. We also look at the CharityTracker and Getting Ahead partnership to assess and measure “investigator” success.

In today’s community benefit landscape, collaborating with other organizations is not optional, it’s essential. It’s essential for having a maximum impact AND to securing your future funding. Simon Solutions President, Mike Simon, along with Trident United Way's Cathy Easley, look at the changing funding landscape and how tracking and measuring success and sustainability are key factors for the future of funding in the community benefit organizational future.

In San Diego, people began lining up as early as 2:00 a.m. to receive a box of food and the line stretched around the block. Today, people are waiting 30 minutes or less and being served with more dignity than ever before. Hear how two San Diego food banks collaborated and built the capacity of their food distribution partners and volunteers. Learn about communicating with partners for maximum network participation as well as developing a systematic implementation plan for shared case management. You will also learn how these groups collect demographics that inform program and fund development and how using ID cards, scanning and mobile technology gives these groups efficiency and dignity.

Volunteers! Our community benefit organizations and churches often depend on them to help us meet our missions and expand our impact. In this webinar, Krista will discuss best practices in working with volunteers, including: inviting people to serve & writing position descriptions; training & offering feedback; affirming & recognizing volunteers; evaluating & reflecting on experiences; and lots of downloadable resources.

One of the most essential tools in the human services sector is a valid, reliable, and consistent tool that allows for a definitive assessment of the needs of clients. Without a proper assessment of clients, chances are very good that resources will be allocated inefficiently – perhaps through a first come, first served system or serving the squeakiest wheel first. OrgCode has developed the SPDAT (Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool). Now in its fourth year, the SPDAT is available in multiple versions and is even integrated with many HMIS programs including CharityTracker.

Could you create assessments that help you evaluate program effectiveness or gaps? What about assessments to help people see their personal progress over time? Or, what about assessments that can help you determine someone’s vulnerability? In this webinar, Krista reviews the different types of assessments CharityTracker and Oasis Insight users are utilizing, from Getting Ahead participant resources to Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) vulnerability indexes.

Taking a Community-Wide Approach to Ending Poverty. Most poverty programs lack a system-wide scope of effort. But when ALL stakeholders — people in poverty, communities, businesses, and organization — come to the table with a coherent plan of action, amazing things happen!

True charity is most effective when local organizations are working together, as seamlessly as possible, to ensure that we are not unknowingly fostering a dependency model of care. Learn about the True Charity Initiative and the model of empowerment used by Watered Gardens Rescue Mission, a CharityTracker network. James shares the processes and tools they use to help people experience freedom from welfare through connection, education and policy change. Connect to True Charity certification & tools here: www.truecharity.us