April 30, 2015
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An electronic publication of the Community Action Partnership's Risk Mitigation Center
 
Dear Community Action Colleagues-

May 1st is right around the corner and that means it's time for Community Action Month!  This edition of our TTA enews is filled with resources agencies can use to raise the profile of Community Action.  Please pay special attention to the Community Action Month Toolkit that has ideas for stories, social media content, and other strategies to connect with key stakeholders from the local to the national level.  And if you missed the announcement last week, take the time to read about the re-launch of Pathways to Excellence, the Partnership's premier organizational capacity building initiative.  May is an exciting time for our network, and the Partnership is looking forward to seeing many of you at conferences, workshops, and other events around the country.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jarle Crocker, PhD

Director, Training and Technical Assistance

Community Action Partnership

 

 

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May is Community Action Month

#BeCommunityAction

2015 Community Action Month Toolkit Release
2015 Community Action Month Toolkit Release
Community Action Month is a time to highlight the achievements of families and communities as well as the great work done by Community Action all year long. This year we ask you to #BeCommunityAction. Every day you are the embodiment of the Promise of Community Action. Every day you are helping people and changing lives. Every day you inspire hope and provide opportunity. Every day you are making a difference. This May, don't be shy about telling your story and that of the families you serve. Join us this May and be creative, embrace social media, celebrate volunteers and individual success stories, and honor the work of the board and staff at your CAA. Know you are part of a national voice of helping people and changing lives and #BeCommunityAction!

View the Partnership's Community Action Month Toolkit for more ideas on how to #BeCommunityAction this May. 

CAMT calendar 

CSBG Social Media How-To Guide

Created by NASCSP 

 

Social media has become a permanent part of our culture and is extremely effective in spreading awareness. NASCSP will be joining in online to showcase what it means to #BeCommunityAction! However, we know that some of you might not be online just yet, or you might be hesitant to dive in without some guidance. In order to support successful social media efforts both during Community Action Month and throughout the year, NASCSP is pleased to release our CSBG Social Media How-To Guide on using social media to harness the conversation. We'll take you through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Blogs, Pinterest, and Linkedin, and walk through the pros and cons, break down staffing requirements and how to actually get online, as well as explain some of the jargon around social media.

We hope this How-To Guide provides a launching point to join in the larger conversations going on around the great work of Community Action and the CSBG Network. Please share widely! 



Re-launch of Pathways to Excellence 

Open Enrollment Pathways Training in Dallas, TX 
June 23-24

Pathways is the Partnership's premier organizational capacity building initiative.  Pathways uses 35 Standards of Excellence that define the very best practices for Community Action Agencies.  Just as the new CSBG organizational standards developed by the Center of Excellence in collaboration with the Community Action Network define the basic minimum requirements an agency must meet, the Standards of Excellence represent the highest level of management and operational performance to which an agency can aspire.

 

The Pathway to Excellence Program begins with a two-day training session covering the Standards and how to apply the Organizational Self-Study as a rigorous diagnostic tool that identifies strengths to build on and critical areas to improve.  Agencies typically bring teams of four to five staff who in turn lead the Self-Study process back home, providing an excellent opportunity to build the "leadership bench" of your organization.  You then have nine months to complete the Self-Study, supported by monthly webinars and/or conference calls with the Partnership staff and consultants.  Finally, an expert team of peer-reviewer trained in the Pathways process provides your agency with a comprehensive feedback report within three months that lays out a detailed improvement process and clear next steps for moving down the Pathway to Excellence. 

 

For more information on the Pathways program view the recording of the re-launch webinar on the Partnership's website here.

How do I Apply?

More information about Pathways, enrollment costs, and the application form are accessible on the Partnership's website hereThe open enrollment training for any interested agency will be offered in Dallas, Texas on June 23rd and 24th. Enrollment space in this training is limited, so spaces will be determined on a first-come-first-serve basis. State-Based Pathways trainings, typically sponsored by the State Association or CSBG Office, can be scheduled year round at the convener's convenience.  Both Pathways options typically aim to enroll between four to seven agencies per training to ensure participants receive maximum support from the Partnership staff and consultants.  


For more information, contact Jarle Crocker, Director of Training and Technical Assistance, at 202-449-9774 or [email protected]

 

Community Action - Empowering Families, Transforming Communities

Early Bird Registration Ends May 22nd

Get your registration in now for the August 2015 Annual Convention. Early Bird registration ends May 22nd. Click here to register. 

We are currently finalizing the schedule,which will include sessions on Management, Advocacy, Leadership and Governance, Community Economic Development, Innovative Programs, and Marketing and Communications. View the preliminary brochure here.

Advertising and Exhibitor opportunities are also available. For more information click here.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/ConventionPage

RESOURCE OF THE MONTH: 

ONLINE RISK ASSESSMENT AND POLICY BUILDING TOOL


Have you checked out the Risk Assessment and Policy Building Tool that is free to Community Action Agencies through Community Action Partnership's affiliate membership with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC)?  With this tool you walk through a series of questions in 10 modules and then download and customize a report.  You can save the modules and come back later as well as create sub-users to contribute to your assessment and report. 

 

The risk assessment covers:

  • Introduction to Risk Assessment
  • Governance
  • Financial Management
  • Contracts and Procurement
  • Human Resources
  • Communication Risks
  • Service Delivery Risks
  • Protecting Vulnerable Populations
  • Transportation
  • Property

COE-developed CSBG Organizational Standard 4.6 states "An organization-wide, comprehensive risk assessment has been completed within the past 2 years and reported to the governing board."  While no particular tool is required to meet this Standard, the risk assessment tool from the Partnership and NRMC does fit the intention behind "organization-wide, comprehensive" and produces a report that can be customized for reporting to the board.

 

PLUS, our affiliate membership gets you discounts on other materials from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.  

Explore the Risk Assessment Tool and other resources today.

 

 

Connecting Kids to Coverage Campaign
May 5th Twitter Storm and May 7th Webinar

Join in the May 5th Twitter Storm to talk about the importance of Medicaid and CHIP. This social media conversation offers an opportunity to share resources and tips that can help get kids and teens covered.

View this toolkit from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for sample tweets and Facebook posts. And make sure to join using #Enroll365

May 7 Webinar 3-4pm ET

The Community Action Partnership will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, May 7th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST with the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign. This Campaign helps spread the word about the availability of free and low-cost health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Listen in for an overview of the Campaign and learn how you can integrate outreach and education on Medicaid and CHIP into the services you already provide. We'll also share resources and tools that can help get more kids - and parents - covered in your community. 

This webinar is free, but pre-registration is required.  

 Register today!


CMS Announces Opportunity to Apply for Navigator Grants in Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today the availability of funding to support Navigators in Federally-facilitated Marketplaces (FFM), including State Partnership Marketplaces.  The Affordable Care Act is working for millions of Americans who are able to access quality health coverage at a price they can afford, in part because of the efforts of in-person assisters in local communities across the nation.  People shopping for and enrolling in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces can get local help in a number of ways, including through Navigators. Navigators provide objective information about health coverage to consumers to help them make the best possible choice. 

 

The funding opportunity announcement is open to eligible individuals, as well as private and public entities, applying to serve as Navigators in states with a FFM.  It is open to new and returning HHS Navigator grant applicants, and applications are due by June 15, 2015.

 

To access the funding opportunity announcement, visit: http://www.grants.gov, and search for CFDA # 93.332. 

 

The 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcement expands the project period from 12 months to 36 months. The multi-year grant award will be funded in 12-month increments and continued funding will be contingent on the grantee continuing to meet all Navigator program requirements and on funding availability.

 

For more information about Navigators, click here

WIOA Title II Proposed Regulation: New Partnerships for Adult Basic Education

May 22 Webinar
 

CLASP is spreading the word about opportunities in WIOA to improve services that help low-wage, lower-skilled individuals earn credentials and succeed economically. The U.S. Department of Education recently proposed draft

regulations for WIOA Title II for the first time. During the public comment period on these proposed rules (ending June 15), advocates have a chance to make our voices heard.


 

Please join Jennifer Foster, Illinois Senior Director for Adult Education, Family Literacy, and GED Testing, and Alliance for Quality Career Pathways Director Judy Mortrude for a discussion of key elements in the proposed Title II regulations, including such topics as Integrated Education and Training, Unified Planning, Performance Metrics, and more.  

May 22, 2015

12 pm ET

National Alliance  to End Homelessness Webinar: Ramping Up Rapid Re-housing
Houston/Harris County and San Francisco

May 19, 2015  

This webinar is the third of a series examining how communities are ramping up their rapid re-housing capacity to help more people experiencing homelessness. Featured speakers will describe citywide efforts in Houston/Harris County, TX to expand and redesign the rapid re-housing system and the efforts of Hamilton Family Center in San Francisco, CA to improve the functioning of the city's homeless service system (and eradicate waiting lists) by increasing rapid re-housing capacity for families.

Adult Executive Functions: 

What They Are and Why They Matter

May 20 Webinar 

On May 20th, we will launch a monthly webinar series that will provide human service professionals an opportunity to hear from experts in the field and program administrators that are using executive function principles in their work.  In the first webinar, Silvia Bunge, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Director of the Building Blocks of Cognition Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, will provide an overview of the science behind executive functions with an explicit focus on adults.  Silvia is a leading neuroscientist who excels at making technical information accessible and relevant to practitioners.

May 20, 2015
1:30pm to 2:30 pm ET

The impetus for this work comes from Frontiers of Innovation, a project of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University that posits that building adult capabilities is an important strategy for achieving "breakthrough outcomes" for children (but is also relevant for adults without children).   This 5-minute video describes their theory of change.   As its name implies, a key feature of the work of Frontiers of Innovation is to encourage human service programs to think outside the box and come up with new ideas that will produce better short and long-term outcomes.  Our hope is that by providing a forum for sharing new information and innovative ideas, we can contribute to that endeavor.  

4-Part Webinar Series from 
BoardSource, NPQ, & Raffa P.C. 

This series of webinars involves some of NPQ's most expert authors on the issue and addresses the components of good succession planning and transitions, from deepening the leadership "bench" to creating exit agreements.
  • Webinar #2  CEO Confidential: Making, Communicating, and Implementing Your Organizational Exit  
    • April 28, 2:30-3:30 pm EDT
  • Webinar #3  The Common (and Sometimes Pernicious) Traps in Executive Transitions 
    • May 19, 1:30-2:30 pm EDT
  • Webinar #4  Preparing for the Inevitable: The Board's Role in Succession Planning 
    • June 16, 1:30-2:30 pm EDT
2015 State of the Nonprofit Sector Released

Nonprofit Finance Fund's annual survey asks nonprofits in the US about their programs, financial health, and management strategies. Our hope is that this data will be used to spark dialogue in service of change.

View the interactive report to see data on:
  • the demand for programs/services
  • the financial story
  • challenges and responses
  • government funding
  • and much more!


Nonprofit Finance Fund
Visit survey.nff.org for more information.

Becoming Evidence-Based: A Step by Step Approach

Perform Well Webinar on May 12, 3-4:30 ET

A panel led by CFO of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Dominique Bernardo, as well as a trio of speakers from ChildTrends: Kristin A. Moore, Vanessa H. Sacks, and Martha Beltz will explain the process to make your program more effective, illustrating this with real-life examples from Congreso de Latinos Unidos. 

The panel will walk through:
  • assessing needs as well as the appropriate intervention,
  • program implementation,
  • ongoing outcomes management,
  • and external evaluations. 

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to hear from several high-performing leaders who will explore a cost-effective path to becoming evidenced-based in the nonprofit sector. 


Register today for the May 12 webinar.

 
HHS Partnership Center and CMS Webinars on the Health Care Law

 

Special Enrollment Periods and Resources for the Uninsured

May 6 at 2:00 pm EDT

(1:00 pm CT, Noon MT, 11:00 am PT)

To Join By Phone Only, Dial +1 (415) 655-0059, Access Code: 419-734-181 For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key.

 June 17 at 2:00 pm EDT

(1:00 pm CT, Noon MT, 11:00 am PT)

To Join By Phone Only, Dial 1 (415) 655-0051, Access Code: 564-443-351 For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key.


Got Coverage? Next Steps in Using Your Health Insurance

May 19 at 3:00 pm EDT

(2:00 pm CT, 1:00 pm MT, Noon PT)

To Join By Phone Only, Dial +1 (646) 307-1706, Access Code: 763-833-558 For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key.

June 23 at 4:00 pm EDT

(3:00 pm CT, 2:00 pm MT, 1:00 pm PT)

To Join By Phone Only, Dial +1 (415) 655-0051, Access Code: 379-833-859 For those joining by phone only, the Pin Number is the # key.


View the HHS Partnership newsletter online here, for more information on tools, resources, and webinars on the Affordable Care Act for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. 

"It's Not Like I'm Poor: How Working Families Make Ends Meet in A Post-Welfare World"

Presentation by the Center for Financial Security

The world of welfare has changed radically. As the poor trade welfare checks for low-wage jobs, their low earnings qualify them for a hefty check come tax time-a combination of the earned income tax credit and other refunds. For many working parents this one check is like hitting the lottery, offering several months' wages as well as the hope of investing in a better future. Drawing on interviews with 115 families, the authors look at how parents plan to us e this annual cash windfall to build up savings, go back to school, and send their kids to college. However, these dreams of upward mobility are often dashed by the difficulty of trying to get by on meager wages. In accessible and engaging prose, It's Not Like I'm Poor examines the costs and benefits of the new work-based safety net, suggesting ways to augment its strengths so that more of the working poor can realize the promise of a middle-class life.

Author Sarah Halpern-Meekin will present research from her new book followed by discussants, Robin McKinney and Julian Huerta, from the policy and practice perspective of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Register for May 19th, 1pm ET webinar. For more information click here.
REGISTER FOR 2015 
CAPLAW NATIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE
June 10-12, 2015
The Community Action network is facing a deluge of new rules - from the Uniform Guidance to the CSBG Organizational Standards to new Head Start regulations!  Stay ahead of the curve by attending this year's conference.  Our expert panel of presenters will not only help you understand the impact of the various requirements on the Community Action network but will also offer practical tips and tools for compliance.

Register today and visit www.caplaw.org for more information!
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UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FROM WIPFLI 
Webinars
May 14, 2015 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. 
And Before the Annual Convention*

August 24-25, 2015

OMB's New Uniform Guidance
San Francisco Marriott Marquis
San Francisco, CA 

*  $625 per participant registering on or before July 27, 2015.

(Partnership Members must use the promo code CAPSF* when registering or they will be charged the regular early bird rate of $645) 

 

For more information on Wipfli trainings click here.
VISIT THE CSBG T/TA RESOURCE CENTER
   
Check the Shared Calendar for Community Action events taking place in May. And don't forget to visit the Resource Bank to view toolkits and webinar recordings - over 30 new resources on Place-Based Initiatives were just added to the bank.
 
NASCSP CONFERENCE
NASCSP_Short

NASCSP 2015 Annual Training Conference 
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
September 15-18  
STATE AND REGIONAL CONFERENCES

North Carolina Community Action Association
May 5 - 8, 2015

Texas Association of Community Action Agencies
May 5-8, 2015

Region 8 and Region 10
May 11-14, 2015

Florida Association for Community Action
FACA 35th Annual Training Conference
May 12-14, 2015

Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies
May 13-15, 2015

Northern New England Community Action 
May 20-22, 2015

Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association
May 27 - 29, 2015


If there are upcoming conferences in your state or region, please log in and use the "Add Event" button on the CSBG TTA Resource Center Shared Calendar or send the details to [email protected] 
In This Issue...
Learning Communities Corner

New Project Director

The Learning Community Resource Center is proud to announce a new Project Director, Tiffney Marley from the North Carolina Community Action Association, who will be joining the team in May. Please join us in welcoming Tiffney to the Partnership.

Community Action and Financial Empowerment

Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) and Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency were chosen to participate in Corporation for Enterprise Development's (CFED)18-month Community Financial Empowerment Learning Partnership. Congratulations to MASSCAP and Wayne Metro for being two of eight partners selected!

Spring Cluster Meetings

Decreasing Family Homelessness
- May 19th at 11am ET

Increasing Financial Empowerment
- May 19th at 2pm ET

Utilizing Place-Based Approached
- May 20th at 2 pm ET

Bundling Services to Improve Outcomes
- June 2nd at 2pm ET 

Thank you for reading.  We hope you found the content helpful. 

 

Do you have questions for the Risk Mitigation Center?  Contact our team:



Please contact Jarle Crocker, Director of Training and Technical Assistance , at  [email protected]  with comments and Natalie Kramer, Program Support Specialist at [email protected] with content suggestions.  
 
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This publication was created by National Association of Community Action Agencies - Community Action Partnership in the performance of the U.S. Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services Grant Number 90ET0437 and90ET0436. 
 
Any opinion, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.