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Author: Fedcap Engagement

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Organizational Alignment: Flexible Talent is Key

Organizational Alignment: Flexible Talent is Key

My colleagues often hear me say that our growth is about looking forward—not looking in the rearview mirror.   What I mean is that we have to be continually looking down the road at what environmental, political, cultural, and evidence-based practical changes are taking place in our nonprofit landscape.  If we are not looking ahead, we are missing out on opportunities to meet the needs of our constituents.  We are also missing out on excavating the skill sets, the capabilities, the processes, and strategies that ought to be in place in order to keep up—and lead—the relevant solutions to community and societal problems. And, as we evolve and grow, we need to ensure that all of these systems and processes are growing along with us. Otherwise, we are doomed to play catch up, which will result in stunted growth.

Creating and capitalizing on opportunities requires that our organization works to be a nimble, agile institution.

As leaders of an organization, it is our charge to inspire a mindset and a culture that is steeped in flexibility, one where leaders are able to take in new information rapidly, assess its relevance and importance, and then make smart data driven decisions.

This type of flexibility requires a specific type of talent and the ability to build the “muscle” in the form of skills that will meet the future.  Hiring talent who are experts in their respective fields, and who have the ability to stretch themselves, to hone the skills to see around the corner, take calculated and well-thought out risks is critical to organizational long-term success.

This type of talent is not easy to find and not readily discernible in the traditional interview process.  Knowing what to look for, too, requires stretching of leadership muscles. Over and above content expertise is the need to work with staff who think critically, who are brave, and who are willing to challenge the status quo. We look for individuals who are unafraid to ask the hard questions, who will inspire innovation and risk-taking, and who are capable of managing that risk from a multifaceted lens—including financial, reputational, and existential forecasts. This approach to our talent is the foundation of Fedcap’s organizational DNA.

I attribute the success of Fedcap over these past 80 plus years and our recent growth surge to an overarching culture of courage, calculated risk management, and to a flexible mindset and capacity of our staff.

What is it like in your organization? Your department? Your lens? Do you cultivate a flexible mindset and culture? If so, how does that translate into your day-to-day operations?

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

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The Cornerstone of Success: Inspiring Confidence in Others

The Cornerstone of Success: Inspiring Confidence in Others

Everybody wants to be somebody. The thing you have to do is help them build  confidence in their ability to succeed.  – George Foreman

As a nonprofit agency, we are in the business of helping others recognize their strengths and find the most effective tools for every individual to overcome barriers to economic well-being.

Our family of agencies all have in common the commitment to help those we serve through hands-on, one-on-one connection and through advocacy and influence of policy and leadership. Our goal is to provide leadership—as a model nonprofit agency, as leaders of our organization, as service providers, and as mentors to help guide others to their greatest potential.

Common among our work—as providers, advocates, influencers, and mentors is the call to inspire confidence. So many people come to us with the belief that they are not capable of accomplishing their goals or dreams. We offer them the skills, tools, opportunities, resources, and connections to help propel them forward. But we can’t give them what they must find in themselves. We can’t give them confidence. But we can do the next best thing. We can inspire confidence.

There isn’t one among us who hasn’t feel unsure at some point in our lives. Throughout my life, I’ve discovered common elements that have given me confidence or that have helped me help others feel more sure of themselves and willing to take the next step.

The first element is quite simply: care.  And while most of us in the nonprofit world enter this field because we care deeply about the mission and the work and each individual we serve, sometimes it doesn’t always show. We can get bogged down with our day-to-day work and the sheer numbers of people we are seeing and the paperwork and the follow up that we can forget to show our care. But this is a critical piece of inspiring confidence. We show those with whom we interact that they are worthy of our care, that they are equals, and that we are partners in solving whatever issues are present for them.

Closely linked and clearly essential is connection. This means finding something in common, relating, and acknowledging that connection. Pursuing connection makes the work more meaningful for us and it inspires confidence in others. When one feels connected to another, when she or he feels that someone else will remember us and is rooting for us, we want to do our best and we are propelled to action. And, of course, action is a building block of confidence.

Caring and connection are both foundational elements to inspiring confidence. But of course, the tangibles, like skill-building and competence are also key. Clearly, when one has learned—and tested—a skill—whether it be a work-related or a social skill—there is more confidence. Competence is closely related to confidence.

In addition, calling out individuals’ strengths is another building block to confidence. When we ask people whom we serve about their greatest strengths, often it is the first time they are considering the question. And, often people don’t consider the things that come easily to them as strengths. It is our job to help bring those strengths to light.

While caring and connection and competence and calling out strengths seem like very basic blocks, they need to be intentional actions that we take every day—with our teams, with those we serve, and even with our families. These intangible pieces, while immeasurable, are the “secret sauce” to helping propel others in reaching their potential.

As always, I welcome your thoughts

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Shining Light on Women in Prison

Shining Light on Women in Prison

The U.S. leads the world in numbers of incarcerated individuals—both in numbers and in percentages. China is second to the U.S. (China’s population, as of August, 2017, is 1.389 billion compared to the U.S. at 326 million.)

Since 1980, the number of incarcerated women in the U.S. has risen over 700%. In 1980, there were 26,378 women in custody. By 2014, that number reached 215,332. In the same time frame between 1980 and 2014, incarceration of women grew 50% higher than the growth of incarceration of men. Since 2014, the numbers for both men and women have remained fairly consistent.

Why have the statistics risen so dramatically—and more important, what is the impact to our society?

Many of women in the U.S. prison system are there because of drug-related crimes. Twenty-four percent of women in prison are there due to drug-related offenses compared to their male counterparts at 15%. Next in line for reasons women are incarcerated is for “property offenses,” such as shoplifting or theft.

Research suggests—and proves—that the rise of numbers of women in prison is directly related to the use of incarceration as a way to solve drug-related crimes. Research also suggests that once the majority of women with drug-related issues are released, they revert to substance abuse.

Statistics also bear out that 60% of women in our prisons have a child under 18—many ending up in the foster care system due to their mother’s incarceration.

Unfortunately, the issues that affect women are largely overlooked in the prison system. Their issues are eclipsed by the dominant issues related to incarcerated men. Risk factors that contribute to what is considered criminal behavior for women, besides substance abuse, include mental illness, and spousal (or partner) abuse. Often, women’s criminal issues are related to their connection with criminal men.

In this country, we spend more money on corrections than on higher education.

We can do better.

If we were to focus attention on providing services to the women who are currently incarcerated, we could reduce the money flowing through the prison system dramatically. If we were to treat rather than punish the majority of the women in the system, we could intervene not only in their lives, but in the lives of their children and, potentially, subsequent generations.

At Fedcap, we are working on ways to address prevention or quick and precise intervention to help avert prison stays for women. By establishing programs  that start at the point of arrest, work behind the walls and provide smart and structured support upon release we expect to see a steady decline in incarceration among women.

What are your ideas for a solution to help women stay out of prison and get the healing that they need? What interventions would you recommend? I believe that we can contribute significantly to solving this problem for women behind bars. I believe that there are systemic solutions that we can work on together to solve this problem for women and their families. The Power of Possible is not just an idea, but a force that can change lives and that make a permanent and powerful impact on society as a whole. Working for and with women in prison is an essential step in manifesting that Power.

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The Event: Not Simply a Good Time

The Event: Not Simply a Good Time

Events are a staple for most non-profits, and they are invariably a time to celebrate the people who have contributed time, energy, resources, and funding to an organization over the course of the year as well as to raise awareness of the organization’s good work. Fedcap is no exception: we host a number of events and we are always glad to bring people together and to have them learn more about our family of agencies, our programs and services, and the impact we make in our communities.

Here at Fedcap, behind every nametag, every packet, every menu decision, every poster, and every hour of preparation, there is a story of individuals whose lives have been changed. Our hope is that when people attend our events, their understanding of a societal issue is deepened, they learn something new, they connect with people who care about the same things that they care about, they are moved, or they simply have fun. But on top of that, we hope that they know that by coming together in the spirit of learning or fun, behind the scenes, they are contributing a lot more than a good time.

For example, when you attend one of several Easterseals golf tournaments, you are bound to have a good time. You are out in the fresh air, presumably with old (or new) friends. You are doing something that you like to do. In the meantime, you are also changing the life of a family like Alex’s, whose parents were unable to manage his aggressive, combative physical behavior. They had not been able to step out for a visit with extended family or to go out for a meal for the nine years since Alex had been born. That is, until they found Easterseals, whose program not only helped Alex to socialize and verbalize, but also gave Alex’s parents the tools they needed to better manage their life at home. Now all three family members are able to attend ball games, shop at the grocery store, and even go out for dinner. This shift is due to the professional work of the Easterseals staff, and it is due to your support and attendance at a fun golfing event.

Behind every event, there are hundreds of children like Alex, veterans who need retraining and social support post-deployment, those recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder who will thrive because they are fully employed and counted on for a good job. Workers over 55 are doing the work they love while contributing to their communities. Foster children are entering—and staying—in college. Those who have left the justice system are staying out of the system.

These days, it’s easy to stay home and select something great on a big (or little) screen. But the next time you see an announcement for an event, think about this: just by showing up, just by spending a few hours away from home, you will be connecting with others who think and feel as you do, you will undoubtedly have a good time, and you may well learn something new. Most importantly, though, your attendance will be changing the life of a family, a neighbor, a friend, or even a family member.

I look forward to seeing you on the links, at a party, or at one of our Solution Series or our Gala.  Together, we can have fun and we can change lives while we’re doing it.

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Social Entrepreneurship: The Marriage of Creativity and Innovation

Social Entrepreneurship: The Marriage of Creativity and Innovation

“Creativity has two parts: thinking, then producing. Innovation is embedded in the creative process. It is the implementation of creative inspiration.” —Linda Naiman

The term “social entrepreneurship” was first coined in 1953 and then popularized in the 1980s and 1990s as a way to describe the work of organizations whose aim is to improve the well-being of society. Social entrepreneurship differs from entrepreneurship in that its successes are not measured necessarily by profits or revenue, but instead by the ways that society improves as a result of the work.

We know that there over 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. with 10,000 nonprofits in NYC alone. Each aims at addressing a societal problem and righting it. Yet there are still thousands of people living in poverty, homeless, suffering from substance abuse, recidivism, or stigma. We are not all pulling together to keep the environment healthy. There are still many hungry people in this country. What will it take to make a substantial improvement in society’s most pressing issues?

Social entrepreneurship is really about changing a system—a social system. The work of social entrepreneurship is to change the way society views—and mitigates—a problem. But changing a system means changing attitudes, prejudices, and fear.

Last week I wrote about stigma and offered a challenge to consider the ways we allow our fears to overtake reason and statistics. But change cannot subsist on emotional appeal alone. Behind the scenes, there must be strategy and structure that facilitates space for creating and innovating non-traditional solutions to address societal issues that touch us all—directly or indirectly.

The work of social entrepreneurship is to marry a creative solution or idea with very precise infrastructure and strategy to support that work. It means having a plan and being nimble enough to pivot and adjust as new information, technology, policy, or practice offers increased clarity. The key is being able to see what’s coming and not to hold too tightly to the how we’ve always done it—even if a solution worked in the past.

These solutions mean having people working in social enterprises who are brave, who know themselves and who enjoy a good challenge—even conflict—because they know it will make their own thinking better. It means gathering people who not only have brilliant ideas but also those who can innovate and implement those brilliant ideas and precise solutions. We can all be inspired by our work in social entrepreneurship—even in the day-to-day implementation of a great idea.

Every day I think about ways I can improve my own thinking and my own creative approach to solving problems. Gathering people around me who challenge me and who make me better is what inspires me as a leader. What inspires you?

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Challenging Our Beliefs

Challenging Our Beliefs

My working life has been devoted to creating opportunities for people with barriers to move toward economic well-being.  Every day, we are inventing precise solutions to the issues of economic inequity. The strategy and infrastructure of our agency was created to facilitate ways for our staff, board, our funders, and our consumers to have easy access to a variety of solutions to economic insecurity.

Our work is complex. It means staying ahead of ever-evolving research, policies, and laws. It means analyzing the data and the trends and reaching ahead of ourselves to shape the future.

In my 25-plus years in this business, I am always brought back to one major factor that can contribute greatly to reducing barriers to economic well-being.  That one factor is stigma.

Where does stigma come from?

Stigma comes from fear. It comes from unfounded beliefs that are formed from one encounter, one media portrayal, one story heard once. The fear that creates stigma is the same type of fear that tells you that you shouldn’t fly because there was a plane crash two years ago, even though 100,000 planes fly safely worldwide every day, and at any given moment, there are between one and two million people in the air. The fear of a plane crash is not based on statistics. Nor is the fear that drives stigma about people with barriers.

If many of us were to honestly search own beliefs about certain population groups, I suspect we would uncover a stereotype that may have been created based in fear, not fact.

What are your beliefs about:

…people who suffer from substance abuse?

…individuals who were previously incarcerated?

…workers over 60 years old?

…children in foster care?

…people with developmental or physical disabilities?

…people with mental illness?

We can choose not to define people by their disability or their struggle, but remember that their “problem” is just one aspect of who they are. Each of us, no matter what our “category” deserves to be seen as more than our disability or our “problem.”

I believe that we can change the way the world sees those who face barriers. What will you do differently to help eliminate the thinking that perpetuates the fears that create stigma? What can you do to further the understanding that people are much more than their issue, and that eliminating stigma means creating new possibilities for individuals and for all of society.

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Catalyst for Change

Catalyst for Change

I often ask the people who come to us for services what is the moment—the catalyst—that brings them through our doors seeking help. What is it that propels them to action and to make a change? Often people have been referred by another agency. Or, they have a friend who has experienced success and urges them to come in. Some see a post on social media shared by a friend. Others may see a brochure and decide to pick it up and read it. There is no wrong door to ask for help.

Many times, the people who come to us are at a low point—for some, the lowest point ever—in their lives. But they have something in common. That something is hope.

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There is much research out there that suggests that when confronted with a chronic and life-threatening medical condition such as diabetes or heart disease, many patients do not take the action they need to improve their condition. They might take a pill and start out exercising or eating well, but soon slide back into old habits. They can’t sustain their better habits even out of fear of death. Alan Deutschman, in his book Change or Die, discusses the phenomenon that keeps patients on track. The undergirding factor that motivates patients to stay the course is not fear, but hope and a champion who walks alongside them in the change process.

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And, when leaders want to reorganize, reset, innovate, or improve aspects of their organization, imposing a quick change on staff can breed fear. Will I be able to thrive in the “new” way? What if I don’t have the tools to move forward? What if the skillset I have now is not what’s needed for the future? The greatest motivator is not fear, but instead is an attitude that looks forward to change and to learning whatever’s needed to help make the change a success. Hope for success is the catalyst for comfort with change.

For those whom we serve, for patients wishing for a lasting change, and for individuals who work in any organization, creating a vision of what’s possible and then offering the precise tools and roadmap for change is the catalyst for success. It seems quite simple, yet we often forget to state the vision—the “why” of our work.  As leaders–individually and in the world of social services–articulating the vision, walking the path with those who are experiencing change, and creating the tools to concretize that vision is the surest road to a successful future.

What has been the catalyst for a big change in your life? What led you to that moment of acceptance of that change?

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Independence, Interdependence, and Self-sufficiency

Independence, Interdependence, and Self-sufficiency

This week we celebrate Independence Day, a day hard-won in our nation’s history. Independence never comes easy. It means turning away from what one knows, facing the unknown, often treacherous future, and having a great deal of faith that one will survive a new life. Our American ancestors were brave souls who fought hard for freedom. Independence takes courage, the willingness to stand for oneself, and hard work to sustain a new life.

Our business is helping people become independent. It is a complicated business. Independence means self-sufficiency in the form of job stability, safe and affordable housing, educational attainment, literacy, and connection within a close community—whether it be family or a chosen kinship. Helping others become independent means having resources for a whole spectrum of care—from crisis intervention to job retention. It means creating a pathway from surviving to thriving.

Just as those who fought for freedom in this country over two hundred years ago, individuals fighting for self-sufficiency must first determine that they want to change the status quo. They must have a vision of what their lives could be like if certain things were to change. And then they must have quick and ready access to resources to help them attain that change. No one can attain independence without the help of others. Rather independence is really about interdependence.

As providers of services to those who seek help, it is our task to ensure that we have the right resources at the right time in the right place to help. And, the continuum of care doesn’t end with someone simply landing a job. Rather, it means supporting individuals so that they are able to enjoy permanent, stable employment of choice,  a job with a career.

Each day, we hear stories of individuals whose lives have changed as a result of the support they received from someone who believed in them and helped them believe in themselves.  This is how independence is achieved. The first step is believing in the power of possible. The rest is finding the right resources to achieve that power.

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Recovering Out Loud

Recovering Out Loud

Every day, we hear the stories of people who have overcome barriers to their success. In New Hampshire, Ashley’s life was a downward spiral in a tangle of opioid addiction. She spent time in jail. She lost her husband to a drug overdose. She lost custody of her child. She came perilously close to death herself. But then she found recovery. And today, Ashley is recovering out loud. She works at our Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, NH as a recovery coach. She tells her story over and over again to people who are at the cusp of their recovery. She gives them hope by example. Every day, she works her recovery by bravely telling her story and helping spark others’ courage.

In a recent New Yorker, in an article “The Addict Next Door,” Margaret Talbot writes about the opioid crisis in West Virginia, which holds the sad distinction of being number one in the country for opioid overdose deaths. (New Hampshire is second.) The article depicts the dark story of town after town suffering from too many young deaths. One of the root causes of the ongoing epidemic is the unwillingness for people to admit out loud that their loved one was caught in the clutches of addiction. Instead they—and their loved ones—are hemmed in by shame and by stigma. Obituaries do not name the cause of death. Family members don’t talk about it. No one asks. And the epidemic continues.

Obviously, having the right resources to answer the need is key. But it is by speaking up and telling our stories that barriers can begin to lift and stigma begins to melt away. When we tell our stories out loud, that’s when the power of possible becomes real. That’s when action and forward momentum is possible.

What can those of us who want to support our clients, neighbors, family members or friends do? We can listen. We can listen without judgment, knowing that what has happened to another can happen to us at any time. Ashley didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming addicted to heroin. None of the people we serve dream of a life of barriers. When we listen to others’ stories, we give them room to take action and to change. We cannot turn away from those with barriers. We need to listen and to imbue in them hope and the belief in the power of possible.

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Inspiring Hope

Inspiring Hope

The stories of those who have moved past homelessness, incarceration, trauma, unemployment, and addiction are an inspiration for those who are struggling. For so many who have claimed—or reclaimed—their right as a self-sufficient, contributing individual, it is the story of someone whose path was much like their own that gives them the courage to try.

Last week, at the Fedcap Career Design School graduation, we were honored to hear the stories of three individuals whose lives took an unexpected turn. These three represented the 300+ other graduates who had the courage to start again, to take risks, and to believe in themselves.

James had had a successful career in security. He expected to move up the ladder. When his employer went out of business he thought it would be easy to step into another, comparable job. But that didn’t happen. Instead, after months of job searching, he found himself on public assistance. He was deeply discouraged.  But then… he took action. He applied to the Fedcap Career Design School. There he found a supportive staff and concrete skills that helped him navigate the pathway to a job that leveraged his training and his experience.   James is thrilled, is telling his story out loud and inspiring hope.

Yashira Cruz earned a Bachelor’s Degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College –and believed that she was on the road to a great career and a well-planned life. But she could not find a job, her family life was torn apart, and she found herself struggling with deep depression. She took a chance and enrolled in Fedcap’s Home Health Aide Training Program, to support herself while she pulled her life together and worked towards her dream. Today Yashira is completing a Master’s Degree in clinical social work, while gaining valuable experience working for Fedcap.  She took risks and fought for her life and when she told her story, people who listened were inspired to fight for theirs.

Minurka Marte is deaf and struggled to find her way in a hearing world.  With no education she immigrated to America, found Fedcap, learned American Sign Language and graduated from our Total Facilities Management Training Program. She now has a job, a home and can support her children.  Although she is deaf and cannot speak Minurka told her story out loud, she shared the courage it took to change her life, and she caused those who listened to fundamentally believe that they too can change theirs.

Many of us have stories of overcoming, of fighting back, of persevering in times of tragedy.  By speaking up and telling our stories we change the lives of those around us.  As we learn every day at Fedcap, the  Power of Possible is a life altering force.

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