5 Best Practices for Testing to Ensure Your Classes Work

 


Nathan Mayo
Network Director
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Knowledge is usually a necessary first step to change actions — though it is often not sufficient by itself. While many nonprofits provide classes and training opportunities, we owe it to our clients to ensure that they are really learning. One of the most basic tools to allow you to gauge progress for a developmental class or program is a pre and post test. 

If you’re not using a curriculum with pre-made testing, you’ll have to design the test yourself. Here are five checks to ensure your test does what you need it to.

 

1) Ensure that your test focuses on your key learning objectives.

If you have an hour or two of instruction, you’ll probably only be asking 5-10 questions at the end. You need to ensure those questions are representative of the most important content covered. If you only test minor facts and technical terms from the content, you haven’t proven that clients have learned what matters. In general, you want to avoid testing vocabulary. Sometimes vocabulary is important, but usually, the concepts are more significant.

Start by asking yourself, “If learners remember how to do only a few things a year after the course, what do I want them to be?” Those elements should be your key learning objectives, you should emphasize them in the content, and test for them.

 

2) Determine the level of learning required—recognition vs. recall.

Recognition is a lower level of learning than recall. You may recognize a woman in the store, but not be able to recall her name. Multiple choice and true/false questions test recognition of the right answer. “Fill in the blank,” essays questions, and practical demonstrations test recall. Both levels of learning can be appropriate to test, but make sure you identify what level of learning you need for your learning objectives. 

For example, if you are trying to help a learner with vehicle maintenance basics, he doesn’t need to be able to draw a coolant temperature warning symbol from memory, he only needs to recognize it when he sees it.

On the other hand, it would be useful for him to recall from memory that when he sees the coolant temperature warning symbol, he should immediately pull over and turn off the engine.

Thus, a multiple-choice question is appropriate for the symbol identification and a short answer question is best for the action steps. There are higher levels of learning than recognition and recall which you can also explore—they are all mapped out in Bloom’s Taxonomy. This includes things like synthesizing multiple pieces of new information to navigate an unfamiliar scenario.

 

3) Ensure the test is difficult enough to gauge learning

When you are designing your test, give it to a few people who you think could benefit from the content of the course. If the average grade on a pretest is in the 70-100% range, then either your students already know your course material, or your test isn’t difficult enough to gauge it. Ideally, a pre-test will return results in the 0-70% range. If it’s too easy, consider changing some of the recognition questions to recall questions, or making the multiple-choice answers more difficult. You can also focus on any questions that nearly everyone gets right on the pre-test. Those questions should be replaced.

Once you establish that it is not possible to get a high score on your pre-test without knowing the material, then you can use the pre-test to gauge whether a prospective learner could benefit from the test. This ensures you don’t ask people to sit through a class they are unlikely to benefit from. Alternatively, you could ask that person to assist in teaching the class by leading discussion or practical exercises. Often, people can take their knowledge to the next level when they are asked to teach what they know.

 

4) Make the pre and post tests comparable

The easy way to make a pre and post test comparable is to make them identical. Some people object that this makes it easy to only focus on the answers to the pre-test and ignore the other material in the course. You can mitigate this by not letting learners keep their pre-test for reference and not going over the correct answers. Additionally, if the test focuses on the key learning objectives, then people’s hyper-focus on the pre-test topics is not necessarily a problem. 

However, if you don’t wish to have an identical pre and post test, they should be very similar. Perhaps you focus on different aspects of the same basic piece of information for each question. Additionally, in order to ensure that the difficulty level of the two tests is identical, you should rotate the order of the tests. Give half of the learners version A at the beginning and version B at the end. Give the other half of the learners version B at the beginning and version A at the end. If the tests are comparable and your sample is large enough, pre-test and post test average scores should be about the same regardless of the order of the versions. If version A or B is much easier than the other, it will become obvious in the averages over time.

 

5) Ask about attitude

Remember that knowledge is not the only thing that counts. Many times, less tangible attributes like confidence, values, and attitude have a larger influence on a person’s results. Someone could “learn” something, but disagree with it. Save a few questions to test for these critical attributes and see if your course moves the needle on something other than knowledge. 

For example: “on a scale of 1-10 (with ten being “Extremely Confident”) how confident are you that you can manage your money well?”

Ask questions about attitude in a way that tries not to lead people to your preferred answer. Use neutral language and ask learners for their opinion on issues.

For example: “Please provide your opinion on the statement, ‘Kids should make most of their own decisions without parental direction.’ Do you strongly agree, agree, neither agree or disagree, disagree, or strongly disagree?”

You can determine someone’s values by using a scenario-based question that forces prioritization among multiple good things.

For example: “Imagine that you discover your spouse has committed a non-violent crime. In your opinion, which of the following values is most important? Loyalty – help protect your spouse from retribution; Integrity – encourage your spouse to turn him or herself in; Mercy – overlook the incident and don’t bring it up.”

 

All of these five approaches are good ways to ensure your classes translate instruction into meaningful improvements in people’s lives.

 

Four Keys to Help Release People from Dependent Poverty

 


James Whitford
Executive Director
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“Dependency is merely slavery with a smiling mask.” Years ago, I read this line in The Tragedy of American Compassion by Marvin Olasky. I’ve never forgotten it. More than its shocking tenor, I have remembered it because I’ve experienced it. For more than twenty years, I’ve been fighting poverty and have come to realize that the fight in America is less about filling a gap in basic needs and more so to help people find freedom from a government that promises to perpetually meet them. It is a noble cause to help people find their freedom from dependency, even from a benefactor who wears a “smiling mask.” And now, more than ever, we should be those liberators. According to the Urban Institute, 1 in 5 Americans are dependent on some government welfare program. And, the risk for even greater government dependency is on the rise with the recent 25% increase in the Food Stamp program (SNAP) and an expanded school lunch program, free child care, and an extension to the already expanded child tax credit—all in the Build Back Better Act now threatening to become law by the end of the year.

What can we do? It is a daunting task to consider how to influence policy and policy makers. Although I think a focus on policy-driven welfare reform is vitally important, some easier wins may come through a lighter lift by turning our attention to our local community; more specifically, the people we help who are struggling in dependent poverty. Here are four keys we’ve found effective in helping them to get free.

1. Relate

“You don’t know what it’s like!” I’ve heard it, and it’s true. I’ve never been dependent on welfare. I can’t personally relate to the fear of leaving a government program—a fear that has been conveyed to me many times by others. However, I do know people who can relate and who have broken free from the fear that once tethered them to the state. Bring them in. Ask them to participate in case management meetings or to share their inspiring story with a group. Another option might be to share a video of someone’s success story, like this one of April.

Don’t forget that the ability to relate doesn’t just occur through experience; it can occur by building real relationships, too. Through long-term relationship, we were able to help April and many others find their freedom from government dependency. In that relationship, we both encouraged and educated. I recall one man who received a government-paid cell phone in the mail at our mission. I shared with him a copy of a cell phone bill that had a typical “universal service fee.” After learning that this is the fee passed on to consumers from a government tax on cell phone companies to pay for his “free” phone, he lost interest in the state’s program. On other occasions, I’ve shared with groups at our mission the truth that the government doesn’t have any money of its own. It all comes from other people. Many have turned away from government programs when they realize this truth. Why did they listen? Because we build relationships with people, and they know we really care.

2. Replace

In part, the benefit of building relationships is that it expands the person’s social capital. The greater one’s social capital, the less the demand to remain dependent on some far-removed support. Building confidence that the state’s support can be replaced is important. By no means should we think to compete by handing out goods and services like the government. However, when it comes to meeting basic needs of people, it’s important to build trust that those can be replaced by a compassionate supportive community.

There are two things that we’ve done that have been helpful here. First, we have intentionally built greater capacity to meet those basic needs. For example, we expanded our food pantry to become a client-shopping market with the basic food groups and evening hours. It was a lot of work, but if we want to help people break free from food stamps, we must provide some alternative. Consider how you might do the same. Second, develop a resource listing of private charities in your area, be supportive of them, develop relationships with them and refer people to them. We host a fundraiser event every year that raises thousands of dollars for other private charities in our city. These like-minded missions are much less likely to sign people up for welfare, and by linking arms, you increase your capacity and your clients’ confidence to break free!

3. Resist

Hopefully, as you work to build both a culture of relationship as well as capacity to replace some of what welfare offers, you’ll couple those changes with resistance to do what is so common in organizations like ours: sign people up for welfare programs. It may be what you’ve always done, but unless you feel that being dependent on government help is better than being free from it, you should resist pointing your clients toward it as a solution for them. At our mission, every staff member and volunteer signs an agreement to always refer people in need to the closest source of private help before referring them to any state-funded program. Sure, there are times when we’ll have to point people toward government help, but we certainly resist doing so. You can, too. This could be built into some of your program policies. For example, one of the admission criteria for our long-term residential recovery program is “no welfare.” Food stamp cards are turned in, government subsidized phones are turned over, disability pursuits are abandoned. Implicit in your resistance to sign people up for government help is your belief in your clients’ ability to succeed without it. What a great thing to communicate— “You can do it!” 

4. Recognize

In a day when dependency on a government program is not only rarely discouraged, but often promoted, breaking free is a brave and noteworthy act deserving of recognition. One person suggested the “Finer Diners Club,” an exclusive group of those who’ve voluntarily given up their food stamp (EBT) cards to then enjoy a nice dinner with other club members where they’re recognized for their achievement. At our mission, we do something even simpler. We have a “Wall of Heroes” made of EBT cards that were voluntarily given up. The names of each person are there for everyone to see.

Like me, you may also believe that government dependency in America today is a national epidemic. Although it’s policy driven from the top, I hope you’re encouraged to consider how relating with your clients through testimony and relationship, replacing what the government is doing with more compassionate and wiser means, and recognizing people who make the bold step to break free are some practical ways you can begin helping people find freedom from that master with a smiling mask.

Want to influence government policy? True Charity Network members have regular opportunities to share their perspectives and stories with policymakers.

 

Reports You Should Be Running on CharityTracker (But You’re Not!)

 


Savannah Aleckson
Events Director/Adjunct Instructor
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Imagine that a game-changing grant opportunity is on the line for your nonprofit, dependent on your ability to reliably answer this question: how many elderly, disabled veterans did you help in the last three years with a night of shelter? If you’re able to prove that you’ve helped a significant number of this specific group with this particular form of assistance, you could receive a large sum of money that could be groundbreaking for your programs. Now the question is: can you prove it?

While an opportunity like this might send the average nonprofit leader into a frenzy rummaging through old file cabinets, searching through long-archived records, and painstakingly trying to piece together the right information, you don’t have to be the average nonprofit leader. Instead, you can be the nonprofit leader who uses CharityTracker’s web-based software. While known for its primary feature of tracking client assistance records between nonprofits to avoid duplication of services, CharityTracker also has a robust reporting feature that allows you to mesh data to give you what you need to know.

For Watered Gardens Ministries, the aforementioned scenario wasn’t hypothetical at all—a $75,000 grant was awarded to Watered Gardens because its staff was able to demonstrate how many elderly, disabled veterans had been helped with a shelter night over the previous three years. It was a relatively quick, painless process with a big pay-off thanks to the data aggregation that CharityTracker provides for a community.

While neither the True Charity Initiative nor Watered Gardens Ministries own CharityTracker (it’s owned and operated by software company Simon Solutions), we’ve found the software so useful that we love to share it with everyone we know. Here are three reports that can be run using your CharityTracker software:

1. Assistance Report

An assistance report is a great way to consolidate data about who you’ve helped recently with a specific assistance. For example, if you wanted to see how many food baskets were received by clients in the last month, you could do that in a cinch via an assistance report. 

Best uses: 

We love the assistance report for getting a quick glance at services rendered. This information can be used for a variety of purposes, but one great application is as a roll call sheet for an educational class or for a shelter night. If you display the data in table format, you can see who received the specified assistance in a reader-friendly way.

Things to consider: 

Because assistance reports are set up to give detailed information, including info on every case who received the assistance, it’s best suited for short timeframes and for situations in which it’s important to know who received the assistance.

Example:

Below is an example of an assistance report.* Note that it is in table format, a format conducive for rosters.

2. Categories Report

Perhaps you don’t need as much detail in your report about who received each assistance; maybe you just need the raw numbers about how much assistance you gave in a particular time frame. That’s a simple task with a categories report. A categories report is a no-frills roll-up of how much assistance you gave by category, whether that be your food pantry, shelter, clothing store, educational class, etc. 

Best uses:

If you want a simple breakdown of the services your organization provides, this is the report for you. This report is optimal for rolling up total services over a longer period of time, such as six months or one year.

Things to consider:

This report lacks specificity, so if you need more info on who received the assistance, opt for an assistance report instead. It’s important to remember that outputs (the services you provide) are not equal to outcomes (the impact of your services). While it’s certainly good to know what resources you’ve provided both for your own purposes and to inform your donors, make sure you’re also tracking how those services are helping your clients achieve self-sufficiency and a better life.

Example:

Below is an example of a categories report,* showing how much assistance was given in a specific category over a period of time.

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3. Outcomes Report

For the nonprofit ready to take the first step into developmental, hand-up charity, the outcomes feature on CharityTracker is a handy place to start!

Best uses:

An outcomes report is great for getting a high-level overview of the goals your clients are working toward. You can see a breakdown of goals that have been set with your clients over a certain time period: for example, you could look back and see how many goals were set in the categories of education, finances, and spiritual health in the last year.

Network Member-Exclusive Content: Learn more about practical methods of effective charity, including the importance of goals in poverty-fighting and the SWOT Box tool, in our True Charity Takeaways video series.

Things to consider: 

The outcomes tab is a great feature, but one that is only available to CharityTracker Plus and Pro users. If you’re currently using the basic package, we recommend upgrading to the Plus version. The outcomes feature, along with several other fantastic additions, makes it well worth the money! You can see a feature and price breakdown of each CharityTracker package here.

Example: 

Below is an example of an Outcomes Goal report, showing a broad overview of the number of and progress toward financial goals.*

Not using CharityTracker, but convinced you should be?

You can check here to see if there’s a network in your community. Even if there’s not, it still could be a worthwhile tool for internal tracking.

If you need help with CharityTracker, whether to get your own organization up to speed or get a network started in your community, True Charity is happy to help! True Charity Network members are eligible for a half-day CharityTracker training for $200 plus travel. If you want to get your whole community on board, consider hosting a CharityTracker training as part of our 1 day Foundations Workshop. It’s an educational event designed to get the key players in your community talking about the principles and practice of effective charity.

For more info on training options, members can click here; nonmembers can contact info@truecharity.us.

 

*These reports were gathered from a demo website and do not reflect real data of actual clients. If you would like to experience the reporting tool yourself, the demo website is a great place to learn! Navigate to the following website: plusdemo.charitytracker.net. The login info is demo@charitytracker.net in both the name and email information fields. Once you’re in, you can find the “Reports” tab under the “My Agency” tab.

 

3 Best Practices of a Volunteer-Driven Ministry

 


Travis Hurley
Director of Advancement
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The value a good volunteer brings to a non-profit can be hard to measure. But a recent study by the Independent Sector tried. They concluded the value of a volunteer’s time would equate to $28.54 an hour. Wow! Based on that figure, the time, talent, and effort given over the course of one year by volunteers across all non-profit efforts in the United States becomes an equivalent monetary contribution that reaches into the billions. That’s a value that doesn’t show up in a ministry’s profit and loss reports, but it should convey just how important a strong volunteer program can be for a non-profit’s bottom line.

So, how strong is your volunteer program? 

As the advancement director not only for True Charity but for Watered Gardens Ministries as a whole, I oversee ours. I work with a team that values the contributions of our volunteers, and we have one guiding principle that informs three key areas of recruitment, training and retention:

Our Guiding Principle: We Serve the Volunteers. They Don’t Serve Us (They Serve the Clients). 

Watered Gardens is in year twenty two of ministry and, for the first ten years, it was completely volunteer-driven. Even as paid staff members have come on board, the bulk of the shifts filled are from volunteer seats. This is not by accident. In fact, the mission and vision statements of our organization explicitly state that we serve those who volunteer. The mission: Watered Gardens exists to serve the local church in its mission to help the poor. The vision: We want to see the local church boldly engaged with the poor relationally, responsibly, and compassionately.

It can throw people for a loop to hear that a ministry offering services to the poor like a thrift store, a grocery store, beds for overnight shelter, and long-term programs for men, women, and moms with children does not exist to serve the poor. But the DNA of Watered Gardens is intentionally structured this way. Everything we offer is part of an overall program designed to help volunteers from the local church serve the most vulnerable among us in a way that builds new relationships and resolves issues of poverty. Without volunteers serving, our mission can’t be fulfilled and our vision will never be realized. Assuming there is no mission drift, here are three implications for a volunteer program that result from having the guiding principle stated above:

 

Key Area #1: For Volunteer Recruitment, Is Your Ministry Structured to be Reliant on Them?

When your guiding principle is to serve the volunteers, your success should be measured in part by how many you have. Examine all of the services you offer and see how many are led and filled by volunteers. If you say volunteers are essential but your program can go on with or without them, that’s a problem. And the volunteers will know it. So if there’s a vacancy in one of the volunteer seats but there’s no change in services provided, are you really reliant on that volunteer? For example, if you can’t secure a volunteer to serve as the overnight resident assistant, are you willing to not offer shelter that night? If you can’t secure a volunteer meal crew to serve dinner that evening, are you willing to close the kitchen for that meal?

Tying your outputs and outcomes to the strength of your volunteer program will ensure that volunteer recruitment remains a top priority. In addition to volunteer-oriented mission and vision statements, this prioritization should be reflected in the prominence and ease by which people can explore volunteering on your website. At Watered Gardens, the “volunteer” button is as prominent as the “give” button on the home page. This priority should also be reflected anytime your ministry is given a platform from which to present. At Watered Gardens, we ask for volunteers from any church stage, at any table in the lobby, before any social organizations that invite us, and from every social media platform we utilize.

 

Key Area #2: For Volunteer Training, Does Your Ministry Empower Them to Own and Excel at their Jobs?

When your guiding principle is to serve the volunteers, your success should be measured in part by how reliable they are. Examine your on-boarding process for volunteers and see if you are setting the right expectations and equipping them with the tools essential for success. Is there a volunteer orientation that helps new volunteers get acclimated to your ministry’s mission, vision, and processes as well as afford them opportunities to meet key staff members? Is there an up-to-date volunteer handbook they can reference as they get started and run into unanticipated hiccups in the day-to-day outworking of ministry? When a volunteer can’t make it in, do they know whom to contact? If they don’t make contact and simply don’t show up for their scheduled time, do you have a process in place to follow up with them?

Viewing volunteers as empowered co-laborers of the ministry and essential, albeit unpaid, workers will require a comprehensive volunteer training program. In addition to an initial orientation and a volunteer handbook, this empowerment could also be achieved with clear job descriptions for every volunteer seat, clear expectations for timeliness and conduct, as well as a way for the volunteers to confidently offer feedback. At Watered Gardens, we encourage new volunteers to shadow those with more experience, to ask questions and offer ideas for improvement, and we provide intentional means for securing such feedback through regular surveys of current volunteers.

 

Key Area #3: For Volunteer Retention, Do You Show Appreciation for Them?

When your guiding principle is to serve the volunteers, your success should be measured in part by how long they stay. Though not mentioned in the previous section, an effective training program is vital to retention. A deliberate on-boarding process communicates the value your organization places on its volunteers. Conversely, the easier it is for them to hop on board, the easier it will be for them to hop back off. And when those volunteers do show up, faithfully and repeatedly, are you letting them know how thankful you are? And are you able to thank them by name?

Showing appreciation to your volunteers can be as simple as knowing their names. At Watered Gardens, we gather pictures of our volunteers and send an email to staff every morning with names, faces and the work areas for that day’s volunteers, so staff can build friendships along the way. Watered Gardens also puts a spotlight on a key volunteer every year, featuring them on our social media and in our letters to donors. In addition, we hold quarterly volunteer appreciation events which are designed to provide food, fun and fellowship away from the ministry campus, purely as a way to say “Thank You” for all the work our volunteers do. Finally, we also conduct exit interviews with those we haven’t retained, asking the kinds of questions that will help us do a better job in the future.

 

Conclusion

Your non-profit organization may not always know the motivation that brings a volunteer to your doors. But the more clearly you convey the essential nature of their involvement, the more thoroughly you equip them to succeed, and the more demonstratively you appreciate their efforts, the more likely you are to have a strong, thriving volunteer team that takes ownership of the mission and their role in it, becoming the backbone for an increasingly effective and cost-efficient ministry.

 

What’s the Difference Between an Earn-it Project and a Social Enterprise?

 


Avery West
Director of Community Initiatives
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Here at True Charity, we are big believers in challenge. You’ll hear different words for it—exchange, employment, reciprocity—but the basic idea is that, in order to do charity well, we must affirm the unique capacity of every human being. Many people living in chronic poverty wrestle with feelings of inadequacy or low self-worth. In order to attain healthy relationships and fulfilling jobs, most people need some intermediate stepping stones. Check out our curriculum database for classes that focus on strengthening relationships and social capital. 

Earn-it projects and social enterprises are two stepping stones on the path toward fulfilling work. Continuously handing out goods and services to people in need is unlikely to inspire them to exercise their own gifts and capacity.

There are many ways to create reciprocity and rid charity of the perpetual giver-receiver dynamic it so often embodies. Social enterprises, or businesses that meet social needs, provide innovative and sustainable solutions to individuals and communities. The earn-it model, employing individuals to meet their basic needs, also serves a crucial role in many people’s path out of poverty. So what is the difference, and why does it matter?

The most essential difference between these two forms of challenge is the needs of the individuals being employed. Many types of social enterprises exist but, in this article, we’ll focus on what Randy White, social enterprise consultant, referred to at the 2019 True Charity Summit as “integrated” enterprises—where “the activity of the business overlaps with its mission.” These businesses often focus on formal employment of people who struggle to get and keep jobs, such as individuals recovering from addiction, incarceration, prostitution, or poverty. Individuals employed by such enterprises have often just completed or are simultaneously working in some kind of rehabilitation program. Employees benefit from life skills training, mentorship, and help finding next steps for employment. 

Individuals who can commit to formal employment in a social enterprise have some kind of stability. Whether the individual has achieved independent housing and basic life skills, such as budgeting and grocery shopping on their own, or those components are externally supported by some kind of rehabilitation program, that employee is in a position to take a long-term job. 

Individuals who become “partners” in an earn-it project, though, are not formally employed, often due to an amount of instability in their lives. Partners work for short periods of time (often 30 minutes to a few hours) to earn basic needs, such as food, shelter, or a shower. These individuals are not in a temporary crisis, and therefore one-way giving, or relief would be unlikely to improve their situation. Rather, they are experiencing chronic poverty and need basic needs met on a short-term basis, but they also need encouragement to begin a path out of poverty. Individuals in need of earn-it style employment often live on the margins of society and may suffer from trauma, addiction, mental illness, or homelessness. 

Employing someone in bracelet-making or recycling for an hour allows the individual to retain his dignity and creates a context for a volunteer or staff member to engage him in meaningful conversation. Remember, though, the path of relief, rehabilitation, and development (which you can read more about here) is an upward trajectory. Individuals should always be moving toward a greater level of self-sufficiency. Partners who can become employed should be encouraged to use the earn-it project as a stepping stone to formal employment—perhaps a social enterprise might be a good fit. For some individuals who suffer from severe mental or physical disability, though, working hard to create beautiful items and forming relationships with other partners and volunteers is a fulfilling life. 

Social enterprises and earn-it models also vary in the way they operate economically. While it’s not true of every social enterprise, most of them act as businesses. They pay their workers with the revenue created by the product they sell. In order for a business to run effectively, an employee making $15 an hour must actually produce at least $15 worth of net revenue every hour on average. 

Earn-it projects, though, are not self-sustaining. Various factors such as addiction, trauma, or disability makes sustainable revenue production difficult for partners, yet they are still paid a market rate (or better) in the goods or services they receive. Because the main goal of the earn-it model is to retain dignity, not to create revenue, those projects may actually lose money.  

The best way to get a sense of the differences between social enterprises and earn-it models, and to see if either might fit your ministry well, is to research what other groups are already doing. Social enterprises like Klamath Works, Unshattered, and For Victory provide an essential step for people escaping cycles of brokenness. Earn-it models are less common, but Watered Gardens’ Worth Shop and Degage Ministries’ Degage Dollars program show that even those who might think they have nothing can still bring their unique gifts to the table.

If you think an earn-it model might serve your community well, check out our Earn-it Project Model Action Plan (MAP), which includes detailed guidance, practical tools, and informative videos to help you start your own project. If you haven’t joined the True Charity Network yet, you can see an overview of all of our MAPs here.

 

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People in Poverty Need Financial Knowledge—Here’s Why Most Financial Classes Are Failing Them

 

Nathan Mayo
Network Director
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An in-depth survey on who uses expensive payday loans and why showed that lack of financial knowledge was a significant factor. According to the surveyors, “On several occasions, borrowers in focus groups equated the simple interest rate (e.g., 15 percent for a loan with a $15 per $100 fee for two weeks) with the Annual Percentage Rate disclosed for a credit card (which might be 15 percent on an annual basis).” This lack of knowledge can and often does lead to terrible financial decisions. 

While critics often assert that the poor are the best money managers by necessity, the evidence does not support the claim. In the Federal Reserve’s tri-annual financial survey, the top quartile of households scored about 38% better on very simple financial literacy questions than the poorest quartile. Upon closer examination, this lack of financial literacy is not a special characteristic of poverty but rather is a secondary connection to lower formal education among low-income households. 

Certainly, knowledge is not the only barrier to financial prosperity. If the poor had more income, they would also have an easier time maintaining cash savings, investing, and not needing payday loans. But, insofar as they sometimes do have other options, more knowledge would certainly benefit them. The poor are more likely to fall for “rent-to-own” schemes to pay for household appliances. Of the 12 million Americans who use payday loans each year, most do not use them for emergencies but rather take an average of eight loans a year and pay $520 in interest. Seventy-seven percent report using payday loans for recurring expenses, including cable subscriptions or optional purchases such as weekend getaways. 

In fact, this missing financial knowledge may be even more important to the poor than to the middle class, because the middle class often have default access to asset building tools like 401(k) plans and home ownership. Wealth building tools are more democratized than ever—with as little as $1 and internet access, anyone can invest in funds with quality stocks and bonds, but you must be informed in order to take advantage of them.

To non-profit and policy leaders the solution seems simple: educate the poor. Unfortunately, such education often has far less impact than intended. According to an oft-cited analysis of 90 studies, the average effect of financial education interventions on behavior is a depressing 0.1%. There is a relationship between pre-existing financial knowledge and better decision making, but most financial training interventions did not improve behavior, even if it did temporarily increase knowledge. 

There are numerous explanations of why this might be. According to the study, financial knowledge decays over time such that it has no effect on behavior at about 18 months. This may be in part due to conflicting information from non-experts and biased financial advice from people selling products. Other studies suggest that giving people financial information that is too technical may intimidate them and reduce their confidence, which actually causes worse financial decisions.

On the positive side, there is good evidence that we can improve people’s financial decisions, but the approach must be strategic. If a program is only teaching clients about the power of compound interest, it is unlikely to accomplish anything.

First, focus on cultivating financial soft skills. Some of the best predictors of good financial decisions are basic numeracy, propensity to plan, confidence in ability to research, and willingness to take prudent risk. A course can focus on instilling confidence, making prudent risk seem acceptable, and teaching people how to find reliable financial information rather than merely giving them the information. Keep all the information as simple as possible and action-oriented to ensure you do not intimidate learners with jargon.

Second, create opportunities for immediate application. Financial education is far more effective when delivered just prior to a financial decision. A nonprofit could use a mentoring program to help a client build and enact a budget and save for financial goals. They could use part of the instructional time to help people compare accessible investment opportunities or insurance options and sign up on the spot. Nonprofits can also offer a boost to people moving in the right direction via a program like a matched savings account, food co-op, some additional work opportunities for the under-employed, or access to an interest-free loan to pay off high interest debt. 

Third, build a supportive community. When people are in doubt, they tend to do what they perceive others like themselves are doing. You can leverage this principle, called “social proof,” by using a class structure that allows people to share their achievements and aspirations with others. While studies show this effect is powerful, it can also backfire. If the class is mandated and a significant fraction of the attendees aren’t happy to be there and aren’t planning to apply the knowledge, this effect can be contagious. Additional evidence shows, if the class is mixed-income and the middle-class attendees are sharing goals that would be unattainable by poorer participants, this can also demotivate poorer participants and cause them to save less. 

It is possible to do all three things well, as programs like the Faith and Finances Curriculum demonstrate. One independent assessment showed dramatic improvements in financial behaviors, including emergency funds, budgeting, and conversations about money with loved ones at the end of the course. 

This topic is an important reminder to nonprofit leaders that increasing knowledge is often not enough to inspire change. We must care about the effect of our programs on people’s actions, and we must not cease until we see our activity is generating results. 

 

True Charity Network members have access to detailed reviews of several popular financial curricula available for churches and nonprofits. Network members can click here to view the Curriculum Review Database. Non-members can click here to learn how to get access.

 

This article is just the tip of the iceberg for the practical resources available through the True Charity Network. Check out all of the ways the network can help you learn, connect, and influence here.

Already a member? Access your resources in the member portal.

 

Take the Fear Out of the Ministry of Fundraising

 


Travis Hurley
Director of Advancement
Read more from Travis

 

TRUE CHARITY NETWORK MEMBERS: Watch Travis’ full presentation on this topic, titled Sharing the Story: An Effective Framework for The Ministry of Fundraising, here in the video learning portal.

 

Introduction

Fears and False Perceptions

If your experience has been anything like mine, you’ve had a negative view of fundraising at some point in your life (and maybe you still do now). When I was approached ten years ago to consider coming on staff in the development department with a private college, I first had to ask what “development” even was. When I was told it was primarily fundraising, I said, “No, thank you!” I didn’t want to be part of a field I had always seen as a necessary evil that burdened donors, and I was fearful of the responsibility that came with finding an organization’s necessary funding.

Thankfully, the man who approached me had been in fundraising long enough to know that an initial “no” isn’t always a lasting “no.” He sent me a book to read, we kept in contact, and 8 months later, I was on his staff. Having now been in “development” (or “advancement,” or simply, “fundraising”) for over nine years, I want to share three basic precepts that helped me establish a framework within which I have been able to abandon my fears and my false perceptions.

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Fundraising is a Ministry of Provision

In Ephesians 4:11-12, the Apostle Paul offers five areas of ministry that are designed “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” CDF’s David Duncan (the man who first approached me years ago) helped me see how fundraising can be viewed as a teaching ministry to the church. Sometimes I get to be the one who helps a donor understand WHY they have been given so much to manage. Sometimes I get to be the one who teaches that donor how their resources can bless the organization I serve. Either way, my role is a ministry.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” It’s hard to get around the word “everything.” That covers… everything—including all the time, money and in-kind gifts that can potentially be given. So when I sit down with a donor, I remember what one of my mentors, Clark Dickerson, said, “God is the owner of all, we are stewards, and we have what we have in order to bless others.” Donors are stewards, or managers, of whatever God has entrusted to them. And when He entrusts to us more than what we need ourselves, it’s not so that we can indulge our own whims and extravagances. We have what we have in order to bless others (Note: It may be that a donor doesn’t have this perspective or has forgotten it. There, again, is a ministry opportunity to teach).

When we see our role as a ministry of provision, knowing that people are meant to bless others with what they have, it can put our minds at ease when talking to donors, because DONORS ARE MEANT TO GIVE.

 

– 2 –

Fundraising is a Pathway for Donors

But it’s more than being meant to give. Duncan passed along to me a key refrain from one of his mentors, Ray Lyne of Lifestyle Giving, who taught that donors don’t simply “give money.” Donors DO GOOD DEEDS. They want to make a difference, and they want to know how their funding will make that difference, for good, in others’ lives. When we sit down with donors, we have the opportunity to show them a pathway by which they can do good deeds, assuming the organization we represent is doing them! Fundraising is a pathway for donors.

The thing is, not every donor is going to resonate with the good work your organization is doing. As the organization’s fundraiser, you are (hopefully) 100% convinced that the work being done is vitally important in bringing about good for others. You’re likely very passionate about that conviction. The donor may not be. And that’s okay. There are thousands of organizations providing any number of good services, and it’s possible that the passions of a donor you engage simply lie elsewhere. When that’s the case, don’t sweat it and don’t force it. If they’ve already found another pathway by which to do good deeds, wish them well; then, keep looking for the donors whose passions align with yours.

When we remember that fundraising is a pathway for donors, and that those donors want to do good deeds that align with their passions, it can put our minds at ease when talking to donors, because DONORS ARE MEANT TO GIVE.

 

– 3 –

Fundraising is a Story for You and Your Staff

Donors are meant to give. Donors want to give. But you can’t control whether they WILL give or if that giving will come to YOUR organization. The ONLY thing you CAN control is the STORY you’re telling. First, yours should be a true story. You’d think that’s a given, but let’s not assume. Second, yours should be a story that clearly communicates the good God is doing in the organization you represent. Third, yours should be a story that clearly connects the dots for the donor, so they see how part of the way God is doing that good is via donors like them. Fourth, yours should be a story that clearly calls donors to action when their passions align with your organization’s. And fifth, yours should be a story that is constantly being reviewed and refined. Your job is to TELL A GREAT STORY.

Telling the story is not just a matter of content, though. You can have the best story of the greatest good, but without an audience to hear about it, who cares? This is why the delivery is also crucial. You and your fundraising team must couple the development of a great story with a cohesive strategy for where, when, and to whom that story is being told.

When we understand that the only thing we can control is how well we are telling the story, both in content and delivery, it can put our minds at ease by bringing clarity to our role. Your job is clear: TELL THAT STORY WHEREVER YOU CAN, WHENEVER YOU CAN, TO WHOMEVER YOU CAN… and TELL IT AS WELL AS YOU CAN.

 

Conclusion

Knowing Your Lane and Staying in It

There’s much more that can be said about all three of these precepts, especially the art that is telling your story, but my experience has been that when I stay within this basic framework, my fundraising ministry is joy. When I forget God’s role, the donor’s role, or mine, I notice the stress and the fear creeping back in. I start “holding on too tight” and have to loosen my grip by remembering that fundraisers don’t provide. God does. And He does it through donors who are looking to do good deeds that align with their passions. You just keep working at telling the story.

May your grip stay loose as you work without fear, better knowing your lane and staying in it.

 

Owning Your Nonprofit’s Digital Footprint: Charity Rating Sites

 


Jeff Lofting
Director of Education
Read more from Jeff

 

Jump to:

Overview  |  GuideStar  |  Great Nonprofits  |  Google My Business  |  Charity Navigator

 

Imagine this scenario: You launched a new nonprofit a couple years ago, have spent countless hours developing programs and measuring outcomes, and you are now having a get-together with potential donors to share the progress.  You’re blindsided, though, when one approaches you and asks why you have a 1-star rating on one of the various charity rating sites.  You had heard of these sites but hadn’t taken the time to explore them and their potential impact – both negative and positive.

The good news is that this scenario has likely not happened to you yet, and you can be proactive in controlling the digital footprint that these sites provide.

So, what is a digital footprint? Footprints, whether around the swimming pool or in the fresh snow, can help to lead you to the source of the tracks. Similarly, your organization’s digital footprints provide a presence in the digital realm that help to lead individuals to your organization and allow them to discover and possibly join in the incredible work you are doing. Most nonprofits have at least two digital footprints: a website and social media profiles. But, the more footprints that are out there, the more likely you will be noticed and tracked down.

Charity rating sites can be helpful tools in bringing exposure to your organization. If your organization is a 501(c)(3), it is listed on the various charity rating sites. 

How, you might ask? Through public information obtained through mandatory tax filings. Whether an individual is looking to donate their time or finances to your organization, they want to ensure there will be a good return on investment. And, if a potential donor searches for your organization on the internet, there’s a high likelihood that your organization’s listing on one or more of these websites will appear in the search results.

According to studies cited by Bloomerang.co:

  • 52% of donors said that seeing a charity watchdog seal would “greatly or moderately increase their likelihood of giving”
  • 84% said the absence of a seal “would decrease their giving”
  • And, lastly, “a favorable rating by at least one charity rating agency positively impacts giving”

When someone visits these sites, they will see basic tax filing information by default.  However, you have the option to add more specific information about your organization, including impact and outcome information on most sites, and the information can be added free of charge.  You simply have to claim your organization to update your organization’s profile!

Doing so not only adds credibility to your organization, but it also provides the opportunity to more fully control how your organization appears and deliver a more accurate perspective on its mission and outcomes.  You can generally use the same information that you develop for one rating site on the other sites, so it can be relatively quick to build up your organization’s presence on multiple sites in a relatively short amount of time. 

In this article, we are focusing on how to update your organization’s information on three major charity rating sites: GuideStar.org, GreatNonprofits.org, and CharityNavigator.org.  Additionally, we’ve provided information on how to add or update your information within Google. 

 

GUIDESTAR

Description: “GuideStar is the world’s largest source of nonprofit information, connecting people and organizations with data on 2.5 million current and formerly IRS-recognized nonprofits.  GuideStarNonprofit Profiles are populated with information from the IRS, directly from nonprofits, and via other partners in the nonprofit sector” (source).

 

What It Offers:  In addition to basic demographic information from IRS filings as well as information potentially pulled from your organization’s website (e.g. the organization’s mission), GuideStar allows nonprofits to feature program descriptions, results and outcomes, goals and strategies, financial data, and organizational demographics.  Additionally, Guidestar partners with another charity rating site, GreatNonprofits.org (featured next), to feature stakeholder reviews of your nonprofit.  You can earn seals of transparency by updating your organization’s information biennally; adding even the most basic information can earn your nonprofit the Bronze Seal of Transparency.  (More information on GuideStar seals can be found here.)

 

Exemplar Profile: Global Vision Citadel Ministries

Creating Your GuideStar Account

  1. Create your account by visiting guidestar.org and clicking Create account
  2. Enter your personal information (NOTE: You will need to use your organization e-mail address for sign up in order to more quickly claim your organization’s profile), choose and confirm your account password, and click Sign up for free.
  3. When prompted, connect your profile with your organization by entering its name or EIN and clicking Search.
  4. Select your nonprofit and press Next to complete the sign-up process.  (You may have to confirm your account through an e-mail sent to your new account e-mail address.)

(A full tutorial with screenshots can be found here.) Claim and Update Your Nonprofit’s Profile Once your profile is created, you can then apply to update your nonprofit’s profile.

  1. Visit learn.guidestar.org/update-nonprofit-report
  2. Click Get started now
  3. If you are already signed into your GuideStar account, you’ll be prompted to enter your organization’s name or EIN, click Search, then select your organization to continue.  (Otherwise, sign in to continue with this step.)
  4. Enter the information requested in the fields, check the required boxes, and press Submit request.
  5. You may be required to upload your IRS EIN Issuance Letter or an IRS Issued Letter of Affirmation.  If so, you might have to wait 2-3 for your request to be reviewed by GuideStar.  Once it is confirmed, you will have access to update your organization’s profile.  (You may have to provide documentation from the IRS to confirm your account, particularly if your organization does not have a website.)
  6. General instructions for updating your organization’s profile can be found at: https://help.guidestar.org/en/articles/2191456-how-to-update-your-nonprofit-profile

(A full tutorial with screenshots can be found here.)

GREAT NONPROFITS

Description: “GreatNonprofits is the leading platform for community-sourced stories about nonprofits.  These stories are submitted by people who know you best — all those who have experienced the impact of nonprofit work up close” (source).

 

What It Offers: Great Nonprofits is unique in that it allows you to collect reviews and stories from stakeholders of your organization and/or community, which can be powerful in inspiring further support from others.  They consider themselves “the Yelp! of nonprofits.”  You’re able to invite reviews via e-mail, social media, or SMS text to your current stakeholders.  Once you receive reviews, they can be featured on your social media platforms to further share the impact of your nonprofit.  Additionally, reviews submitted in GreatNonProfits.org will also appear in your Guidestar.org profile.

Video: Overview of GreatNonprofits

 

Exemplar Profile: Global Vision Citadel Ministries

 

Creating Your GreatNonprofits Account

  1. Visit greatnonprofits.org and click Sign Up in the upper right corner.
  2. Above the e-mail, username, and password fields, choose I’m a nonprofit.  Then, enter your organization’s e-mail address and a username and password of your choice, and click Sign up.

Claim and Update Your Nonprofit’s Profile

  1. Next, in order to claim your organization, enter your org’s name or EIN and click the search icon to find it in the database.
  2. Click on your nonprofit in the list.
  3. Click the Claim Nonprofit Profile button at the top of the informational section on the right.
  4. You’ll be taken to a page that provides methods to share your nonprofit’s profile via e-mail, social media, and SMS text.  Simply click Skip this Step to continue to your org’s profile.
  5. Enter your organization’s e-mail address, which could be the executive director’s address or a general “info@yourorg.org” type of address.  You’ll also have the opportunity to upload your logo, photos featuring your nonprofit, and the URL of an informational Youtube video. Click Save Changes or Skip this Step, if you did not enter any changes.
  6. In the next section, you can update your org’s physical and website address, as well as add Twitter and Facebook URLs and information about volunteering. Click Save Changes or Skip this Step, if you did not enter any changes.
  7. Once your arrive at the organization’s dashboard (with the Profile Completion percentage graphic), you can click either Edit Profile in the top gray menu bar or the orange Improve Your Profile button to update information about your impact, mission, and results/outcomes.  Click Save Changes, if you make any changes.
  8. The greatest benefit of GreatNonProfits.org is the ability for stakeholders to leave reviews.  But, you have to advertise this ability.
  • Click on Show Off Your Reviews in the grey menu bar at top share code that can be used to place badges on your org’s website.
  • Click on Invite Reviews to see the sample e-mail and social media text.
  • Once you get reviews, you can quickly share specific reviews on your org’s social media page.
  • Additionally, reviews submitted in GreatNonProfits.org will also appear in your Guidestar.org profile.

Video Tutorial: Updating Your Nonprofit Profile 

 

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Description: With Google My Business, you can:

  • Add your nonprofit information to Google Maps, Search, and other Google services
  • Manage how your nonprofit information shows up across Google (source)
  • Collect and respond to reviews about your nonprofit.

 

 

What It Offers: This is not considered a traditional charity rating site, but it is important to consider because of Google’s ubiquity.  Whatever you think of the company itself, Google continues to dominate the market share (92%) for search engines – most likely, if someone is looking for information on your organization or wanting to provide a review, they’ll search for you on Google.  This is why you should seriously consider adding or updating your organizations information on Google My Business.  It is relatively easy, though the verification process can take a couple of weeks.

Google provides some excellent tutorials on how to go through the process of verifying your nonprofit as well as maintaining your profile through Google My Business.

 

CHARITY NAVIGATOR

Description: “Charity Navigator is the largest expert charity evaluator in America. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency of charities and by providing data about 1.6 million nonprofits. Charity Navigator does not charge the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data” (source).

 

 

What It Offers: Charity Navigator provides a rating of charities based on: 1) their financial health and 2) their accountability and transparency.  Based on their algorithms in those areas, they claim to demonstrate how efficiently a charity will use a donor’s support.  Of all three charity rating sites featured in this article, Charity Navigator provides the least amount of input by a nonprofit organization.  In fact, many charities are not yet rated by Charity Navigator and only their basic data from IRS filings are displayed. 

Charity Navigator does not rate nonprofits until the organization has filed Form 990s for seven consecutive years and annual revenue is greater than $1 million for two consecutive years, among other criteria.  If that includes your organization, it is especially important to check on your Charity Navigator profile!  

Charity Navigator bases their ratings entirely on an organization’s Form 990. If your organization reports more than $1 million in annual revenue, it is vital that your 990 is “up to snuff.” Charity Navigator’s rating criteria is very objective and generally sensible, so you owe it to your donors to ensure that you follow industry best practices and report those practices on your tax form.

 

You can check whether your organization is rated by visiting charitynavigator.org and searching for your organization by name or EIN.  If your organization has been rated, a designated charity representative is able to update your organization’s contact information, mission statement, and tag line.  (Unfortunately, at this time, if your organization has not been rated, you will be unable to designate a representative.  To update information in this situation, you can attempt to contact Charity Navigator at info@charitynavigator.org.)

Charity Navigator is working on providing an impact and results score for organizations.  If it’s not rated, yet, you can be added to the waiting list for CN to create an impact and results score by clicking here.

To get started on revising your Charity Navigator profile, do the following:

  1. Visit this page for instructions on designating a representative for your organization.  Once this process is complete, each charity’s official representative is able to suggest edits to the basic information, such as address and mission, shown on their rating page on our site. 
  2. If you are the official representative, log into the site and visit your charity’s rating page. 
  3. Click on the Edit Profile link to submit your changes. 
  4. The analyst responsible for evaluating your charity will review your submission and either update your charity’s profile or contact you for additional information.

 

How to Turn Your Food Pantry Into a Community Co-op

 

Avery West
Membership Engagement Director
Read more from Avery

 

 

 

“Our food pantry has been feeding the same families for years. Is there anything we can do to bring about long term transformation in people’s lives?”

This is one of the most common questions we help nonprofits and churches work through. The leaders who ask this question know that their clients don’t merely lack food, but they also often suffer from a lack of community and self-worth. Traditional food pantries, while they meet immediate needs, often fail to address deeper losses of relationship and work that perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

In his book Toxic Charity, Bob Lupton describes Urban Recipe, an Atlanta-based food co-op where members take part in unloading, sorting, and distributing food before they join together in a business meeting. A real sense of community has formed over time, and members appreciate the chance to contribute in providing not only for their own families, but for others’ as well.

While some co-ops hold collective meetings for all members, others operate more on a “drop-in” basis.

Joshua’s Place, a True Charity Network member in Lebanon, OH, is one such group. When co-op members arrive for their appointments, they contribute $4 and meet with an ally (or mentor) for 15 minutes before leaving with a box of food. Members also take part in a developmental class that equips them with parenting skills, financial planning, or other skills needed to rise out of poverty.

Home Sweet Home Ministries in Bloomington, IN, operates by yet another model. Members earn shopping trip vouchers by volunteering for two hours at the Bread for Life Co-op. Volunteer tasks might include stocking shelves, janitorial work, or checking in other members.

Both approaches have distinct benefits. The collective meeting style lends itself to a strong sense of community and easier scheduling, while a drop-in style can accommodate various volunteer and member schedules and lead to a more guided, developmental path out of poverty. It is important to keep in mind, though, that these approaches are not two distinct paths, but rather two ends on a continuum. Your co-op can incorporate elements from each as you meet the particular needs of your community.

Each food co-op looks different, but they all uphold the importance of exchange and community. The principle of exchange simply means that all individuals involved have the opportunity to give, not merely receive. Exchange might look like giving a few dollars, volunteering at the co-op or another area nonprofit, or attending a developmental class. Whether community is formed through eating a meal together, working side by side, or meeting with a mentor, food co-ops can help facilitate the relationships that are essential to a flourishing life.

If you are considering turning your traditional food pantry into a more developmental food co-op, the True Charity Network has all the resources you need to build a detailed plan that works for your situation. In general, we will advise that you begin with a listening tour.

A listening tour is simply a series of conversations that inform your program design. You can ask questions about what the potential member likes and dislikes about the current pantry model, whether they would prefer a regular meeting time or more flexible appointments, and what a realistic contribution of finances or time would be.

These conversations also give you the chance to explain the switch you’d like to make, and build buy-in from the very beginning. Make sure to ask what skills and gifts the individual has that may be helpful to the community (e.g. planting a community garden, teaching a cooking class, cleaning the facility). These questions will not only remind the individual of his assets, but they’ll lead to a more creative, vibrant, and committed community co-op in the long term.

Invite those potential members who seemed especially interested in the co-op to join your advisory board. This board, made up of co-op members, will aid in decision-making, advertisement, and larger tasks like food pick up. Including members in the management of the co-op breaks down the giver/receiver dynamic of traditional food distribution, and helps foster leadership skills.

From there, your staff and advisory board can meet to discuss the specifics of membership requirements, hours, and food distribution. We also recommend that you research the exchange rates of established co-ops as a starting point—this is something the True Charity Network can help you with as well.

Making a developmental change is never easy or smooth. Every co-op learns to adjust to the needs and assets of its community, and that will take time. However, with each developmental change, more families will experience the dignity of exchange and the blessings of relationship. Over time, you may join other food co-ops in finding that you have fewer repeat customers!


The True Charity team is here to come alongside you as you develop your programs. Whether you are ready to make a change, or just interested in learning more, you can begin by reaching out to info@truecharity.us. True Charity Network members have access to more food co-op resources, including a detailed model action plan, operational documents, and personalized training.

 

 

 

 

This article is just the tip of the iceberg for the practical resources available through the True Charity Network. Check out all of the ways the network can help you learn, connect, and influence here.

Already a member? Access your resources in the member portal.

 

What Is Community Development, and How Do I Start?

 


Avery West
Director of Community Initiatives
Read more from Avery

 

The phrase “community development” can bring up images of everything from trash pickups to bike lanes to block parties. What really is community development, and how can your church or organization incorporate it into your work?

Community development can be so nebulous because it is, very simply, members of the community coming together to make their community better. So, what do beautification projects and festivals and mixed-income housing have to do with poverty? While other techniques tackle the problems of poverty—addiction, hunger, homelessness—after they arise, community development attempts to prevent poverty by creating a place where people can flourish. Employment, healthy lifestyles, strong families, and good schools are radically interdependent. Therefore, an effective approach to poverty prevention must keep a holistic mindset.

Community development creates the conditions for a flourishing life so that families don’t fall into material poverty or social isolation. Often, this process begins at the neighborhood level. 

Community Renewal International (CRI), for instance, works with neighborhoods in Shreveport, Louisiana, to establish “friendship houses.” This regular house in a high-crime area transforms into a neighborhood community center with after school programs, GED classes, and family nights. The community coordinator and his or her family, who live in the house, build relationships with their neighbors, welcoming them to take part in improving their own lives and their neighborhood. CRI has seen a 44% drop in crime in their friendship house areas.

Lucas Rouggley had a similar idea when he moved into an at-risk neighborhood in St. Louis, MO. He and his wife got to know their new community, mentored the neighborhood kids, and hired them over the summer to transform vacant lots into community gardens. Now, the organization Rouggley founded, Love the LOU, tackles bigger problems. They connect students with mentorship, coordinate apprenticeship programs for high school graduates, and renovate vacant houses for community members to rent and eventually own. 

While these organizations have different models, they both began on the neighborhood level. They focused on building relationships first. After this trust was built, neighbors felt more comfortable sharing their fears and needs, but also their strengths and gifts that could combat community problems.

In their book When Helping Hurts, Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert emphasize the importance of this shift in focus from needs to assets. Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) begins not with asking what is going wrong, but what is going right.  “Indeed, the very nature of the question—What gifts do you have?—affirms people’s dignity and contributes to the process of overcoming their poverty of being,” they write. A focus on assets is essential to building an internally strong community, not just one that has resources streaming in from outside. 

Whether your organization’s focus is community development or not, there are some ways you can incorporate this ethos into your work:

 

– 1 –

Consider your location

The purest form of community development happens when an organization is dedicated to a specific geographic place. Staff move to the neighborhood, the office operates from that area, and the group intentionally raises up individuals from the neighborhood who take leadership positions at the organization. Having a sense of ownership, as well as seeing the individuals served not as “clients” but “neighbors,” creates a healthy dynamic that makes transformation sustainable in the long term. If your program is committed to improving life in a particular place, check out this article for some ideas of where to begin.

 

– 2 –

Focus on assets by using the SWOT analysis

In our attempt to help an individual, we run the risk of forming his identity based solely on needs and weaknesses. Whether we work with communities, families, or individuals, we should work to see people holistically—with a past, future, strengths, and weaknesses. The SWOT analysis provides a structure for asking questions with the whole person in mind. This tool, which can be an easy first step in care coordination, leads organically to goals based on the individual’s desires and gifts.

 

– 3 –

Start a “neighboring” movement

Inner city neighborhoods aren’t the only ones that experience poverty. Suburban poverty is on the rise, and every social sphere suffers from the spiritual poverty of isolation. The Art of Neighboring features several resources to encourage good “neighboring,” from inspirational videos to a block party kit to a small group study guide. While the resources are made for churches, any organization could champion a neighboring movement among their staff, clients, or broader community. Individuals, too, can help their communities flourish simply by creating a culture of friendship within their neighborhoods. 

 

The most essential part of community development is not following a particular model or way of speaking. It is simply the recognition that communities have, within themselves, gifts, resources, and institutions that are vital for their flourishing. The job of the community developer, then, is simply to help individuals tap into those gifts and support them in authentic friendship for the long haul.