As we consider our five finalist
organizations, continue site visits, and approach our final decision deadline, it
becomes very important that we be able to compare the different organizations
and be able to differentiate their strengths and weaknesses from the other
organizations. After our second site visit to the YMCA last week, I started to
reflect on what we have gained from these site visits and how we can use the
information gained from each visit to compare the organizations eventually as
we move towards making our final decision as to where our money will be given.
For
our first site visit to Catholic Charities, I think most of us went in with
many questions about their Community Connections program, specifically how it
operated and how our money would be used to help fund it. At the site visit,
most of our questions were answered. We learned that the program has been
evolving from the old Gateway program to become more easily accessible to kids
in schools, that the social workers must be licensed but are paid well below
the usual rate for similar work, and that Catholic Charities needs money from
grants like ours in order to continue and hopefully expand the program to other
schools and serve the 80 kids currently on the waitlist for the program. From
the information we have so far, strengths of this organization include: history
of involvement in the region, large network of other related services in the
organization, recognized need, and great potential for meaningful impact from
our grant. Catholic Charities and the Gateway program have been addressing mental
health needs for children and families in the community since the 1980s and are
therefore trusted/known in the community and have been able to evolve to meet
the needs of the community. Also, they are a large organization with a variety
of youth and family services, so they can refer youth to different services
depending on their individual needs, which is valuable to impacting youth in
multiple facets of their lives. Another strength of Catholic Charities is the
demonstrated demand for their program, evidenced by the wait list for the
program. This demand and Catholic Charities’ plans to expand their program to
other schools is a positive thing for us, because our money would make a huge
difference in allowing this program to continue and to expand. However, some
weaknesses of this organization or things we still have questions about include
specific budget information, how the program site runs, and how results are
measured. At the site visit, the representative was unable to answer financial
questions. In addition, we didn’t get to visit the actual site of the program
and see how it looks and runs on a daily basis. Finally, we could use more
information about how the satisfaction surveys were given and how their
statistics about 70% meeting objectives were obtained.
For
our second visit at the YMCA, I think that we were more prepared for how the
site visits go and what questions we should ask. We learned that the YMCA,
similar to Catholic Charities, has been involved in the community for a long
time and has evolved their programs and services as well as expanded and
updated to continue to address community needs. We also learned that the
program we would be funding would be integrated into local schools in order to address
nutritional and physical education needs for children and that the program
would be provided free of charge. From the information we’ve gathered,
strengths of this organization include: history of involvement in the region, a
wide array of programs for children and families, and great potential for
meaningful impact from our grant. YMCA is a well known organization that has
been around for many years and is well accepted and utilized in the community. Also,
with a membership to the YMCA, families can access a variety of services
including sports programs, childcare, and specialty classes that help in child
development in many aspects of children's lives. This organization also has a
great opportunity for us to make a meaningful difference, because our money
would go a long way to fund the program and expand it to include schools in
need who have already expressed their interest in implementing it. However,
some weaknesses of this organization or things we still have questions about include
how the program runs at the schools and how effective it actually is in creating
lasting impacts on the children’s health knowledge and overall health in the
long run. The program was only piloted in one school and although post test
scores increased about 100% for the children, it would be good to get more
information on how the program impacts their home life and overall health. In
addition, we weren’t able to see the program in action at a school, which could
have been more informative than touring the YMCA.
Overall,
from the site visits we have gained a more in-depth perspective on the
organizations, the people running the programs and their motivations, how the
programs are run, and how the organizations would use our money to make a
difference and amplify the change they are already accomplishing. At this
point, it is already difficult to determine which organization would be better
to donate to, but after the site visits, I personally left the YMCA with a
better feeling about their program and organization in general than Catholic
Charities. I think that the YMCA was able to describe their program with more
clarity, and was also able to tell us how many kids would be helped and that
our money would be going to pay the educators and provide snacks and sports
equipment for the program as it expands to multiple schools. At Catholic
Charities, there seemed to be less passion for the program, and the specifics
of what our money would be going towards (How many schools could CCC be
expanded to? Is short term counseling for minimal hours truly effective for
most kids? Would additional qualified social workers be hired?) were less
certain. As we move forward in this process, let’s continue to get valuable
information from site visits, keep asking questions, finding comparison points,
and analyzing the organizations skeptically. Also, here’s a link to an article
that discusses tips for conducting site visits http://www.bridgespan.org/Philanthropy-Advice/Researching-Nonprofits/Due-Diligence-Tool/Quick-Guide-to-Conducting-a-Nonprofit-Site-Visit.aspx#.Vwra5RMrL-Y
Questions:
Do you think site visits are important in our
decision-making process?
What information do you think is most valuable to gain at
site visits?
So far, which organization do you think could be the best
fit for us to give our money to and why?
How do you think can we begin to compare organizations and
their site visits?
I think the site visits are extremely important in our decision-making process. The site visits give us a perspective of the organization that couldn't have been described in the initial proposal. By participating in site visits, we were able to have tours of the locations, see the enthusiasm our guides have for the program, and have our questions answered in person. I also found that the site questions were helpful in forming and asking additional questions. We wouldn't have thought to ask about the cook book at the YMCA or further delve into the process of how the social workers were hired at Catholic Charities had we not visited. This aspect of the site visit is what I believe is most important. Reading about the sites on paper is definitely different from seeing the site in person. When you visit a location you take in the sights, people, atmosphere, and overall experience of being present. In my case, the site visits made me more curious not only about the programs that were seeking funding but about other programs the organization had to offer. To me its important that an organization be multi-faceted by offering a variety of programs. It shows that they will be able to continue and have opportunities to expand even if they don't receive our grant. This may also be a double-edged sword because if an organization is able to run efficiently and successfully without our grant, then perhaps the grant would better serve an organization that is in essential need of it. It is difficult to say now which organization would be the best-fit for our grant. Once we visit more locations it may become more clear.
ReplyDeleteI think that site visits are not only an important part in our decision making but it's a necessary part of this process. Walking around a site and seeing what happens at these sites, how they are kept, and how they are used by the people they help, are crucial. This is the kind of information you do not learn from reading about an organization on a website like Charity Navigator or on a charity's website.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a lot of valuable information gathered at site visits. First, it's very important to me to be able to meet the people that run these sites, and listen to them speak from their perspective of every day life at their organization. Of course, it's important to see that the sites are well kept, and that they're physically capable of carrying out their mission.
So far, I feel that the YMCA is the best organization to receive our money. I feel this way because after the tour of the facility and hearing staff's personal experience, I can tell that it is making a huge impact on Broome County, and it's important that it continues to do so.
When comparing our finalist organizations and site visits, I think it's very important to think about which organization we feel truly needs our money the most, and how they are going to use this money to make a big difference. This won't be easy, as we've narrowed our selection down to a few amazing groups, but after careful analysis and conversation we will be able to make a smart decision and have a great impact on the youth of Broome County.
Thanks for the great post! I think site visits are a crucial part of our decision making process in this class. Up until this point, we have been basing our assumptions about the finalist organizations on data and information that we find online. While data is important for measuring results and understanding the impact that an organization is making, statistics can often be misleading. To fully understand an organization we should speak to the people who participate in it. Additionally, the information that we are given by the representatives at the site visits can't be acquired online or from the RFP. This is vital if we wish to understand the program that our grant will be funding because the RFP only gives a short overview. At the site we can learn the finer details of the program such as how many people are using it, how many staff members work on it, and what impact it is making. We can also get a glimpse at the passion that the members of the organizations hold for their work. This makes our choice difficult because so far, everyone that we've spoken to has seemed passionate and dedicated to helping people through their work. Currently, I think Children's Home is a good fit for our grant. Their program helps young people become independent so they can get educated. I feel like their program has the most need in the community out of the sites we've visited so far, but I look forward to seeing the remaining organizations.
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