The KCHIP Initiative - 3 years later

This month marks the three year anniversary of Governor Steve Beshear's Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) Enrollment Initiative.  Earlier in the month, Governor Beshear joined First Lady Jane Beshear to mark the anniversary with a special message through his weekly video address, "About Kentucky". 

KCHIP is a free or low-cost health insurance program for uninsured children younger than 19 and whose family income is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.  In his video message, Beshear notes that, over the last three years, 58,500 additional eligible children have been enrolled in the program.  This success places Kentucky as one of the most successful states in the country for enrollment and outreach. 

Kentucky accomplished this achievement by removing barriers to enrollment, simplifying the application process and performing outreach through various organizations across the Commonwealth.  United Way of Kentucky is proud to have been a part of the Governor's initiative, joining many local Kentucky United Ways who have helped to ensure, through their outreach, that every child in Kentucky has access to health services.  For more information on KCHIP or to find out if a child you know is eligible for coverage, visit kidshealth.ky.gov.  To view Governor Beshear's video message, click here.

Evaluating the Executive, Part 2

 

Most nonprofit executives must manage their own performance review like any other task.  It can require identification of a chair, recruiting a committee, selecting an evaluation tool, scheduling time for some honest conversation, and gathering feedback.  The current Form 990 requires an organization to define the steps. 

 

Last month, we posted an article from Blue Avocado discussing the importance of conducting an annual performance evaluation of the non-profit executive director.  This month, Blue Avocado has compiled responses to that article to offer a sample process and editable evaluation form.  Whether your organization is a one person shop or a multi-million dollar operation with fifty or more staff, evaluating the executive is an important piece of a 360-degree organizational assessment.  Read the full article here. 

For an even more in-depth look at the executive evaluation process, check out this white paper from RSM McGladrey Accounting.  As always, UWKY is here to provide consultation if your United Way needs additional executive director evaluation samples, executive salary studies, or other information related to executive evaluation and compensation.  Please e-mail Kevin Middleton at kevin.middleton@uwky.org for more information about these resources.

Five lies that are hurting non-profits    

 

In a recent article, the website SocialVelocity.net explains how the following five statements that non-profits sometimes make are actually undermining their success.

• "X% of your donation goes to the program."  
• "We can provide the same program with less money."   
• "We can start a new program that doesn't fit with our mission or strategy."
• "We can grow without additional staff or other resources."
• "100% of our board is committed to our organization."

The article addresses the reasons why these ideas lead to failure and also offers links to various resources on topics such as aligning money and mission, why "overhead" is not a dirty word, and asking donors to go beyond giving.  Check it out.