Helping Nonprofits Help Arkansas
July 2013
Evaluating Your Impact
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence: Helping Nonprofits Help Arkansas We are proud to work with you to achieve ACE’s mission and vision together: Mission: Strengthen Arkansas Nonprofits Vision: A strong, vibrant, united and effective nonprofit sector that is well positioned to meet the diverse needs of all Arkansans. Our Core Values: Best Practices |Inclusive | Unity in Diversity | Connecting & Equipping | Statewide Vision | Regional Approach
Happy Anniversary ACE!
IN THIS EDITION 3
Greetings from ACE
4
Upcoming Trainings and Events
5
Member Corner
6
Advocacy Updates
7
A Funder’s Perspective
8-9
Click above to watch video
10
Resources & Other Links Contact Us
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
2
GREETINGS FROM ACE ACE Members & Supporters, In this space each month, you’ve read about capacity building, creating high impact nonprofits and all manner of nonprofit management. I hope it has been helpful. Your feedback and event evaluations tell us that it is. However, ACE has been giving a great deal of thought this year to quality programs for our nonprofit members. Ultimately, we keep coming around to the same question – How do we measure the impact we are having? Let’s face it, strengthening nonprofits is NOT in and of itself, a compelling mission. What IS compelling are the changes taking place in communities because of the work of strong nonprofits. Much of our strategic plan over the next five years is focused on expanding and improving program services such as training and technical assistance, member benefits, research, and advocacy as well as member leadership in our state on behalf of a strong, engaged nonprofit sector. As we have walked this path, our challenges in serving members have become evident – nonprofit leaders are busy, there often isn’t a budget for training and professional development. Significant staff turnover makes it hard to get traction in implementing new ideas and skills. Therefore, how do we provide services in new ways, how do we provide the most value for the time and dollars invested, how do we know that we are having an impact, both in nonprofit management and in enabling change in communities that meet the needs of Arkansans. Good questions! We will answer some of them at our annual meeting in Little Rock on September 18 th. Others, we’re still working on. One thing is clear, if ACE and its members are truly going to be accountable to the public trust, then that accountability must include what has changed in our communities as a result of our work. For this one, we’re going to need your help. ACE must have input from you so that we can show the true picture of our contribution to our communities. It is the beginning of describing our collective work and value. Look at it this way, ACE can represent the future effectiveness of our services in two ways: 1) by WHAT we did and/or 2) what impact did we have? The first way could play out like this: Over the last two years, ACE trained nearly 1,000 leaders in nonprofit management. The second like this: ACE and its statewide membership have invested in training and professional development for 1000 leaders in nonprofit management. As a result, 75% of member organizations in the state’s nonprofit network reported they were able to increase services delivered in their communities by 20% resulting in more children with access to early learning programs, more people in homeless shelters found permanent housing, etc. We are currently developing a member database and interactive website to capture this kind of key information. But, it starts with you at the community level. What kind of data are you keeping? How are you using it to tell your story and make it compelling? We want to be a part of telling your story, because your story added to many stories presents a very different picture about the work we do.
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
3
UPCOMING TRAININGS, EVENTS & PROGRAMS MARK YOUR CALENDAR A Celebration of Excellence Join us as we celebrate ACE’s 10th Anniversary here to view a video from speaker, HonoringClick James E. Harris, ACE Founder & our Creator of the Arkansas Diamond Standards Robert Egger
Tuesday, September 17 6:00 p.m. Reception | 7:00 p.m. Dinner & Program Clinton Presidential Center Cost: $100 Individual | $1,500 Table Sponsorship For questions, call 501.375.1223 or reserve your seat at acenonprofit.org/acelebrationofexcellence. Sponsored by:
Moving Forward ACE Annual Meeting & 10th Anniversary Celebration
Wednesday, September 18 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Clinton Presidential Center Featured Speaker: Robert Egger, President, L.A. Kitchen, Founder of CForward Cost: ACE Members: $55 All Day Nonmembers: $75 All Day Lunch Only: $35 Click here to view full agenda and register today. Sponsored by: Arkansas Community Foundation Circle Communications Network
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
44
4
New and Renewing Members
MEMBERSHIP MEMBER OF THE MONTH The Arkansas State CASA Association is comprised of twenty-five local programs that recruit, train and supervise volunteer advocates for children in foster care across the state. With a CASA volunteer advocating for them, children that have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect are half as likely to languish in foster care and more likely to find a safe, permanent home quickly. In 2012, 1,113 volunteers advocated for 3,398 children in Arkansas. This represents less than half of all the children placed in foster care during that year. To learn more about how to help ensure that abused and neglected children’s rights are protected and their futures are bright, please contact us at 1-866-284-8111 or volunteercasa@arkansas.gov and visit www.casaforchildren.org.
At the Local Level- CASA of Crawford County CASA volunteers must go through extensive training before they can take on a child's court case which includes 30 hours of class time and 5 hours of court observation. Additionally volunteers must maintain 12 hours of in service training during a 12 month period. Responsibilities of CASA volunteers include: review records and interviews appropriate parties involved in the case, including the child, to determine if a permanent plan has been created for the child, whether appropriate services are being provided, facilitates prompt thorough reviews of the case, attends court hearings, foster care reviews, maintains complete documentation and records about the case, submits a written report which includes recommendations to the court. CASA volunteers remain with the case for as long as the case is involved in the court. A CASA advocates for the best interest of the child at all times. Funds received enable us to recruit, train and support these invaluable volunteers that give of their time and efforts to be the voice of neglected and abused children in foster care in our community. The cost for a child to have an advocate is $747.00 . Learn More‌.
BENEFIT OF THE MONTH Good 360 gives you access to purchase countless valuable products donated from Fortune 500 manufacturing, technology and retail companies, including The Home Depot, HP, and Mattel, at deeply discounted prices. ACE Members can click here to create a Good360 account.
Cherry Valley Food Pantry, Cherry Valley - NEW| Junior League of Little Rock, Little Rock Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville| Wolfe Street Foundation, Little Rock | Arkansas Zoological Foundation, Little Rock |CASA of the 2nd Judicial District, Jonesboro |CASA of the 20th Judicial District, Conway |Fort Smith Public Library Endowment Trust, Fort Smith | The Foundation of Arts, Jonesboro| United Way of Northwest Arkansas, Lowell| William Lane, LLC, Little Rock | Drew DeFir, Conway - NEW | Families are Special. North Little Rock - NEW | Patrice Brown, Conway Butlers Adult Daycare Center - Pine Bluff | Northwest Arkansas Workers Justice Center, Springdale| Carter's Kids, Fayetteville NEW |Arkansas Guardians, Rogers - NEW
Want to join our coalition of over 300 members dedicated to strengthening the nonprofit sector ? Contact Rebecca at 501.375.1223 or email rzimmmann@ acenonprofit.org.
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
5
New and Renewing Members Heart to Heart Pregnancy Support Center, Fort Smith | Arkansas Health Care Access Foundation, Little Rock |CASA of Northwest Arkansas, Springdale | Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado, El Dorado | Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association, Little Rock |SouthWest Artists, Mena | Hope Landing, El Dorado | Hamilton House Child and Family Safety Center, Fort Smith |Arkansas Community Bankers Association, Hot Springs | Main Street West Memphis, West Memphis | Seven Harvest, Forrest City | Angel Fund Foundation, Texarkana | Crossroads Coalition, Wynne | Literacy Council of North Central Arkansas, Leslie NEW | Good Earth Association, Pocahontas NEW | Future&Hope, Walcott - NEW | The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, Hot Springs Hannah Pregnancy Resource Center, El Dorado | Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock | Malvern Brickfest, Malvern | CASA of the 10th Judicial District, Monticello
ADVOCACY UPDATES Federal Tax Reform Invitation Draws Mixed Responses from Senators The first deadline for influencing comprehensive tax reform is looming and Senators are reportedly mixed in their views of how to respond. On June 27, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) sent a letter informing Senators that the Committee will start consideration of a tax reform package with a "blank slate," meaning that it contains no deductions or credits. As a result, Senators will have to fight to get their favored tax provisions re-inserted into the bill that is being drafted. The Committee leaders stressed that the legislation they are drafting on a bi-partisan basis will restore only those deductions, exclusions, credits, and other tax expenditures that (1) help grow the economy, (2) make tax laws fairer, and (3) effectively promote other policy objectives. Some Senators may be submitting a list of priority tax provisions; others have indicated they are likely to provide a set of guiding principles for the Committee to follow; and still others apparently are refusing to send in anything out of concern that their submission will be made public. Predictably, lobbyists and interest groups are submitting multipoint proposals to lawmakers seeking to make the case for their own special tax breaks. Unless nonprofits speak up, their concerns for those they serve will get ignored. Individual charitable nonprofits have the opportunity to weigh in as constituents to inform their Senators about their work and the importance of the charitable giving incentive to their ability to solve problems in their communities. Help protect charitable giving incentives by sharing your story.
Impact of Sequestration: Myth or Reality? The answer to whether the severe negative consequences of the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration have been overblown or are real depends on who is answering. A recent Washington Post article suggested that the cuts have not been as dire as predicted, asserting that Congress and federal agencies have taken mitigating actions to prevent “widespread breakdowns in crucial government services.� The focus of that article and some federal policymakers, however, has been primarily on federal staffing and direct government services, and many have failed to recognize the severity of the arbitrary cuts on individuals and communities outside the Beltway. For instance, in the last week alone, Head Start program operators in Napa and Solano, California have begun partially or completely closing six classrooms, the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District acknowledged that it must cut 12,400 meals for homebound seniors, and TOUCH, a nonprofit in Congers, New York dedicated to helping people with chronic illnesses, is owed $120,000 from the federal government and may have to begin cutting programs. Share stories of cuts to your nonprofit and the effects on people in your community and read others, from every state, at GiveVoice.org. These stories will help policymakers understand the costs of sequestration as major decisions approach about appropriations, the continuing resolution, and whether to continue these arbitrary cuts.
Reprinted with permission from Nonprofit Advocacy Matters, a publication of the National Council of Nonprofits
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
5
6
FUNDER PERSPECTIVE Measurable Impact is a Matter of “Responsibility” By: Chris Love, Arkansas Community Foundation In my few short years in philanthropy I’ve already seen many emerging trends – some appear to be legitimately new efforts while others are just trends from days gone by being rehashed, reformed and given another go. But among all these, by far the most prevalent seems to be the renewed effort on behalf of foundations to decisively answer the question “are we really having an impact with our grantmaking?” This age-old question is timeless, yet in these volatile days of shrinking state and federal budgets, sequesters and austerity measures, it seems to have more relevance than ever. This is namely because with such precious few resources remaining, if they aren’t being spent wisely or going to programs and efforts that are demonstrating results, the answers to several important questions hang in the balance. Questions such as: are our communities changing? Are people’s lives improving? Is education for our kids improving? Is health for our citizens improving? Are our neighborhoods and streets safer?
If the answers to these questions cannot be answered in the affirmative, one must ask, has philanthropy failed in doing its part to address these? Have we failed to do our jobs of stewarding resources to projects and programs that are moving us in the right direction? If money is invested month after month, year after year, decade after decade with no demonstrated change, then I would argue yes. And now, with even more pressure on philanthropy as a result of the cuts I mentioned earlier, it’s all the more important that we don’t fail. Refreshingly, it seems my colleagues in the field of philanthropy are taking this reality to heart. So when asked by your program officer about your organization’s impact, please know it is not to just have a nice report to give to our board or something to boost our ego. Take it as us doing our part. For just as we value and respect the responsibility given to our not-for-profit community for addressing our communities social issues, be reminded that foundations, too, have a responsibility. As a colleague of mine once said, “it’s not our money, but it’s our responsibility.” It’s our responsibility to be good stewards and to make thoughtful, prudent and often difficult decisions on where and how to allocate the precious few resources we have. One of the gauges we will use in that process is demonstrated and measurable impact. That is the case for now, and I suspect will be the case for years to come.
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
7
RESOURCES AND OTHER LINKS PROGRAM EVALUTION Requirements from funders aside, measuring your impact serves an even more critical role: determining if you are serving your clients well. Working in nonprofits, we are all familiar with success stories of our work, as well as some failures. But in the big picture is your organization really fulfilling your mission? How would you know for certain without a careful evaluation process? The evaluation process can be daunting, and can sometimes feel as if it is taking time away from serving. However, at the end of the day it is an important tool in helping fulfill the goals of your organization. Below are resources that can start you on the path of consistent, careful program evaluation. Arkansas Diamond Standards ™ Mission Evaluation and Workbook
Key Steps to Outcome Management – The Urban Institute
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity - Mario Morino
Tools and Resources for Assessing Social Impact – Foundation Center
Seven Deadly Sins of Impact Evaluation - Stanford Social Innovation Review
Evaluation Toolkit – Colorado Association of Nonprofits
A Hierarchy of Program Evaluation Metrics – Idealware.org
Charting Impact - BBB Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar USA, and Independent Sector
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
8
LEADERSHIP TIP OF THE MONTH What are Metrics and Why Do They Matter? By: Mike Harbour, Harbour Resources What are the metrics of your organization, and why do they matter? A business has several systems – legal, financial, sales and marketing, communications, production / operations, human resources, administration, and technology. As these systems are established (or re-established), metrics come into play. Read more...
IN THE KNOW The Compensation Report– An Analysis of Nonprofits in Arkansas 2013 The 2013 compensation report will be available in just a few weeks! Keep an eye out for updates on the report. The information provided will help your organization hire and keep top employees.
Arkansas Community Foundation Giving Tree Grants ARCF is currently accepting applications for its signature Giving Tree Grant Program, ARCF supports a broad range of projects with the potential for statewide impact and programs serving immediate local needs. Click here to learn more...
Arkansas Charitable Gift Planning Council NWA MEETING SPEAKER: Chris R. Reed from Moore, Reed & Young, PLLC | THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013| The Jones Center Room 256-Joplin Room 922 E. Emma Avenue, Springdale, Arkansas 72764 | 11:30 a.m. – Noon Lunch and Networking Noon - 1:00 p.m. Program| $20 PPP Members, $30 Non-members | RSVP by 11:00 am on July 24th to Laurie Boyd at lboyd@artaxlaw.com or by phone 501-492-7090
JOBS CENTER Chief Curator/Director of Curatorial– Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art EAST Core Coordinator– The EAST Initiative Director of Advancement– Benton County Sunshine School ACE Members can post jobs to the ACE Job Board for free. Click here to create your employer account.
Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org
9
Thank you for reading this month’s edition of our newsletter. Questions or Comments? Contact us.
Stephanie F. Meincke, MSW President and CEO smeincke@acenonprofit.org Emily C. Ingram, Vice President eingram@acenonprofit.org Rebecca Zimmermann, Program Assistant rzimmermann@acenonprofit.org Ivan Martinez, Membership Services, AmeriCorps*VISTA imartinez@acenonprofit.org
Helping Nonprofits Help Arkansas
Located within the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation Offices 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 375-1223 www.acenonprofit.org