Presented by: Denise Harlow, CCAP, NCRT Community Action Partnership

1. North Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity Contractors ConferenceLearning Communities for Staff Presented by: Denise Harlow, CCAP, NCRT Community Action Partnership 1140 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 1210 Washington, DC 20036 dharlow@communityactionpartnership.com cyiu@communityactionpartnership.com ,

2. Agenda • What is the “Learning Community” • Components of Effective Learning Communities • CSBG Learning Community • Lessons Learned

3. What is the Learning Community? A peer learning model funded by OCS where CA peers, ranging from beginners to accomplished professionals, assist each other with strategies to improve organizational outcomes within Community Action Agencies. ________________________________ Purpose: To analyze Community Action outcomes and identify effective, promising and innovative practice models that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty.

4. An effective Learning Community is one where… • Peer commitment and accountability • Structured process • Shared purpose, passion, vision and learning • Goals relevant to each organization’s plan • Experimentation encouraged

5. How does the Learning Community operate? • Members attend bi-monthly meetings, virtually or in-person, and strategize on ways to improve outcomes within Community Action Agencies. • Bi-monthly meetings may include: • Discussing “what works” • Sharing data findings • Solving problems • Offering support for implementing new ideas • Sharing best practices

7. CSBG Learning Community Project • 160 agencies engaged • 5 poverty-related topics and 3 specialty topics • Working together over 15 months

8. Core Components • Comprised of “Cluster Groups” • Unique Work Activities • T/TA • Guidance of subject matter experts and ROMA trainers • Open environment; conducive to experimentation • Shared learning

9. Learning Community comprised of Cluster Groups • 5 Primary Groups • Decreasing Family Homelessness • Increasing Financial Empowerment for Families • Increasing Organizational Capacity (Board Governance) • Utilizing Place-Based Strategies • Bundling Services to Improve Outcomes • 3 Specialty Groups • Tracking the Use of CSBG Dollars (Barbara Mooney) • National Trends in Poverty (Jim Masters) • Implementing Organizational Standards for States (NASCSP)

10. All Cluster work activities should incorporate: • Data Tracking • ROMA Principles

11. Cluster groups study CAA’s experiencing success in their cluster topic, for example… • Bundled Services Cluster Group are studying Community Action Duluth (MN). • Community Action Duluth showing success in bundling 3 services: • Income Supports • Employment Services • Financial Coaching • Cluster Groups will examine adapting successful models to their local programs

12. Cluster Groups also examine promising practices • Annie Casey Model for Bundling : Casey developed the Centers for Working Families (CWF) concept as a response to challenges facing low-income working adults and their families using an integrated and “bundled” approach.* • For maximum impact towards self sufficiency, this model proposes bundling services in the following 3 program areas: • Employment Services • Income supports • Financial Coaching • Some CAA’s in this Cluster Group will test this strategy *Source-An Integrated Approach to Fostering Family Economic Success, 2010

13. Casey’s CWF Model • Approach revolves around delivering seamless key services and financial supports in 3 areas: • Employment-job readiness, job placement, occupation skills training, education and career advancement • Benefits and work supports-assistance with gaining access to public benefits, tax credits, financial aid, and other benefits to improve financial security • Financial services-workshops, classes, 1-on-1 counseling and access to well-priced financial products and services to help clients improve household finances and assets Source-An Integrated Approach to Fostering Family Economic Success, 2010

14. Cluster Group…Early Indications • Size of group vital—the smaller groups are more engaged (Larger groups are creating sub-groups.) • Work plans assist in peers keeping updated on each other’s work as well as keeping each other accountable • Technology serves as a double-edged sword: cost effective yet impersonal • Use of capacity building models in service delivery appears more impactful than traditional model; positively impacts the establishment of productive client relationships and achievement of goals

16. Early indications cont. • Groups uniquely different • Facilitation is key

17. Early indications cont. • Groups appear to have more vertical communication (with Partnership staff) rather than horizontal or peer communication (Facilitators are now selecting leaders from within group to lead activities and discussions.)

18. What the CA Network can expect !! • Promising, proven and/or best practices • Innovative methods of addressing poverty • Experimentation • Implementation of new ideas • White papers • Monographs • Lessons learned from the field • Increased accumulated knowledge • Improved data collection • Shared learning and mentoring • Rapid solution development • Local/regional implementation of learning cluster models

19. Lessons Learned fromWorking in High Poverty Areas:Community Action peers in Alabama and Georgia Reflect

20. Successes from the Field • Housing development • Gardening program for a food dessert • Year-round Head Start • Summer youth training and employment • Fatherhood Programs • Parenting and family reunification programs • Wrap-around services for domestic violence survivors

21. Agency goals are often hindered by: • Unfunded new regulations such as Organizational Standards, and federal mandates, i.e. teachers must have degrees • Data systems with prohibitive language; yet agencies must sign an agreement to use • Negative relations with funding sources • Low levels of support from city and county govt • Refusing to “brown nose” with the powers that be

22. Agency goals are also often hindered by many H.R. challenges: • Agencies often take on the characteristics of the Executive Director; if Executive Director is partner oriented, the agency will usually secure key collaborations, which often result in outside funding for staff training and other unfunded initiatives. However, if the Executive Director is not partner oriented, many needed collaborations will simply not happen. • Staff turnover, particularly those who leave for better opportunities • Small staff numbers, which often result in strained multi-tasking or being responsible for more than one job description • Inundated with paperwork • Low staff morale due to inability to offer raises; raises decrease each year while expectations continue to grow • Quality HR is often unaffordable

23. Local hardships beyond the control of the local CAA: • State funding is continuing to dwindle; Local county governments now approaching CAA’s for help in providing resources to those in need; in some counties, local county resources are now at $0 • Funding from several federal departments have also drastically decreased, including DOE, HUD, CSBG • Employment opportunities are often scarce to none; One AL county lost 2,4000 jobs in the last 6 months due to a major employer, Hillshire Farms, closing their plant • Both agency and family resources are extremely hard to locate

24. Lessons LearnedCase management and retention • Case Managers improve retention by doing unexpected things that prove that you are committed to building trust and having a supportive relationship with them; they include sending cards, going to client events; build trust and they will respond. • “A lot of clients don’t know how to set goals and work toward achieving those goals; I pull groups together to do empowerment workshops where we do vision boards so they can see it for themselves. Find a way to keep their goals in front of them; keep in contact with them and help them break it down into steps. Keep them focused on changing for the sake of their children and family.” Case Manager in Georgia • TIP: “When doing monthly follow ups, make notes of something special and keep track of it. Refer back to it – active listening and learning more about their families motivates them. It is very important to do the follow ups; just have a conversation and ask about how they are doing, their children, and show interest in their lives.”

25. Lessons LearnedStaffing • Mission and Objectives-more time should definitely be spent there to improve buy-in (from all audiences, including staff, partners, BOD, legislators, etc) • Agencies have to have qualified staff – people who are smart with leadership potential • Combat the prevalent CA culture that allowed staff to exist without real value to the organization or quality performance

26. Lessons LearnedBoard Members Speak! • Understanding governing role is vital; As a board member, you should not cross the line between board member and staff management/administration. • Getting between ED and staff will always lead to disaster.   • Board “re-education” needs to take place on agency mission; • Boards are often complacent due to long periods of time serving • Board efficiency is key and often occurs where strong leadership is apparent.

27. Useful tools & resourcesA look on the bright side • Peer to peer support; being able to call another director is valuable. • The role of the State Association, its leadership, website, trainings, speakers and other communications to CA professionals is vital and keeps state folks well-informed. • State Association Conferences are a great tool executed with minimal resources. • Technology is 50/50 (May work well depending on agency); Factsprosystem is good for multi-county agencies. • Good political representation; good government liaison to State Association. • Automatic scheduling system (IT Front Desk) is very beneficial for LI-HEAP program. • IS data very useful to boards of directors and state legislators.

28. “I have gotten a lot of support from the network, board members, and staff. I know the importance of being able to think outside of the box; understanding we can not continue business as usual; and I better understand financial assistance vs. achieving self-sufficiency.” Alabama Executive Director

29. What keeps you awake at night? • Monitoring. Ineffective and inconsistent reviews from the Feds. • Client Recidivism. Often the same people are returning for services. When they get help with a light bill or something, it seems like they are right back needing help again. Gaining trust of the clients; have to build rapport and the more they come in, the more they will open up and start to trust you, then case management can start. • Accepting personal choice of clients. Knowing and accepting who you can help or who has a desire to succeed; they seem excited and motivated, but many times fail to follow through and stay motivated.

30. What keeps you awake at night? • Self Sufficiency. Trying to equip families to achieve self-sufficiency in spite of our policies and laws; • benefits are decreased too fast when families’ incomes start to increase • too much income disparity between the decrease in benefits/increase in income – these policies and laws do not nurture and encourage self-sufficiency • Clients get scared about losing the ability to feed their families and have healthcare.

31. What keeps you awake at night? • Doubt. Wondering if I am smart enough of a leader to achieve what the agency needs. • Staff. Considering that my staff’s livelihood is also at stake.

32. Taking a stab at solutions and ideas… • Elected Officials—Local programs must engage politicians on both sides of the aisle • Ambassador Roles—Important for Executive Directors and board members to serve on other community boards; if an agency gets faces a challenge, you have developed friends to call on. E.D.’s and Board Members should be am ambassadors in that way • Collaboration—CA professionals have to recognize the skills of peers, must pick up the phone and ask for help • CAA’s should collaborate with each other across the state to increase their own capacity, i.e. identifying internal and external expertise, sharing info on expanding services

33. Also keep in mind… • Peers—Leaders have to get out of the office and intentionally seek peer relationships • “The Promise” Mindset—Always serve clients with passion and humility. TIP: “If you are a staff person that has ever lived in poverty, don’t forget what it felt like to have your lights cut off; to not have food on your table.”  Program Director in Georgia

34. What’s needed to operate at high standards? • Qualified/adequately trained staff and interested/committed board (especially board chair), or lack thereof, can make or break an organization. • Specialized national marketing and branding. • Decrease of unfunded mandates • Diverse relationships with partners and boards • Working better with local legislators • Effective change management; staff is often slow to accept change • Resources and information to ensure services are delivered in the highest quality possible

35. What is needed to continue to operate at high standards • A strong, supportive board that truly understands and assists when a problem arises; one that realizes need to understand the programs and services of the agency so they can help when challenges arise; • Fundraising by the Board; they’re not limited like staff when it comes to raising money, talking to politicians • Executive Directors who incorporate feedback from staff and solicit new ideas and show follow-up on those ideas • Staff who’s willing and able to understand change; ED can have a vision, but staff has to be open to following that vision and embracing change; • Staff who understands that change doesn’t mean poor performance, but in order to move forward, we have to embrace change and commitment to doing different and better.

36. Closingthoughts: • Community Action is the right place for the battle against poverty; there is a magic when you get the right group of passionate people together • It takes a commitment to excellence and the realization that any of us can at any time fall to the bottom and have to recompete

37. Closing thoughts • Community Action gives people opportunities: • Staff to serve in roles they might never get a chance to otherwise; • Clients get the chance to fulfill their life goals by overcoming barriers;

38. Closing thoughts: • It is a continuous fight; the war on poverty takes daily dedication and willingness to fight.

39. What to Expect…LC Publications: White Papers & Monographs

41. For more info: Contact Barbara Ledyard, Project Director Phone - 202-449-9775 Email: bledyard@communityactionpartnership.com  • This publication was created by the National Association of Community Action Agencies – Community Action Partnership, in the performance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services Grant Number 90ET0436. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.