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Feb 07

Nonprofit’s executive director steps down to implement a shared leadership model

By Feature

Earth Charter’s Jim Poyser, Shannon Anderson and Tatjana Rebelle all are directors

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

Pictured: Tatjana Rebelle, Shannon Anderson and Jim Poyser

Within the first year or two into his role as the first paid executive director of Earth Charter Indiana (ECI), Jim Poyser, the former managing editor for NUVO, felt a sense of uneasiness as he looked around the room during a board meeting. 

“I remember thinking, ‘We are all white and old.,” recalled Poyser, sharing some of the history that led him to seek a replacement for his role as executive director of the 21-year-old nonprofit organization. 

The homogeneous nature of the ECI’s board in 2013 hadn’t gone unnoticed by ECI board president Rosemary Glass Spalding, a long-time board member for the local nonprofit organization. “When I joined the board a few years before that, it was so glaring and obvious,” Glass Spalding recalled. “And John Gibson, who was the one of the founders of Earth Charter Indiana, had a mantra that we will be an intergenerational organization.” 

Although ECI has since made significant developments in recruiting and maintaining a diverse board, Poyser also wanted to explore options for a new face of the organization.

Earlier this year, after a series of brainstorming and organizational meetings with ECI’s staff and board members, Poyser accomplished his vision by abandoning his executive title and becoming the director of advancement. At the same time, co-workers Shannon Anderson became director of advocacy and Tatjana Rebelle became director of youth programming.

“We know that climate change is going to be most impactful to frontline communities, including low-income communities, communities of color and females,” Poyser said. “I was doing a lot of presentations in schools and community centers. And I started to recognize that an older white male coming into a community to speak to people was never effective.”

The path to a shared leadership model

Early on in his tenure, Poyser started the process of bringing more diverse voices to the forefront by asking others, including females and people of color, to represent ECI at speaking engagements. “I felt it was the right thing to do. I had my time to speak. I had my opportunities. And I’m not seeing things move quickly enough in Indiana regarding climate.”

Years later, as part of the organization’s strategic plan, the team was able to significantly increase its budget. That was when the organization was able to hire Anderson as a full-time assistant director, and more recently, Rebelle to oversee youth programming.

And in 2020, in the wake of increased demonstrations from white supremacists and civil rights activists protesting the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Poyser felt the time had come for the change in executive leadership he had been contemplating.

“It seemed like the right direction,” Poyser recalled. “It was an instinct with the way things were unfolding around us.” 

Dismantling a hierarchy

When Poyser first approached ECI co-workers Anderson and Rebelle about his decision to hand over the reins of executive director to another person, they both paused at the prospect of disrupting a strong working relationship. 

Anderson, who excelled in advocacy work, had no desire to take on the top leadership role. Rebelle had the same response. And neither of them was highly interested in the possibility of a new person taking over the leadership position because they all worked so well together.

So, after that initial conversation, Anderson and Rebelle, who had personally experienced the benefits of a shared leadership model while working at The Kheprw Institute, explored the possibilities of a shared leadership or distributive leadership model for ECI. While many researchers and thought leaders have long touted the benefits of this type of leadership, it hasn’t become mainstream. 

“All three of us have these strengths that all balanced themselves out,” Rebelle said. “The areas that I’m really interested in are the ones that Jim and Shannon might not want to do. We asked each other, ‘What do you love about your job?’ and ‘What are some of the things you don’t really love about your job?’”

That questioning led to a more formal work discussion in which all three team members hashed out answers to those questions in a Google document, listing the things they wanted to continue to do and those they would prefer to hand off to someone else, Anderson recalled. “There was a fluidity to it when we started moving things around,” she said. “It was a three-person collaboration.”

Anderson also said the pre-planning was critical for further adoption of the proposal. 

“If Jim hadn’t been part of this three-person collaboration, I think it would have been very hard to sell to our board,” Anderson said. “But because all three of us were totally in sync on this almost from the moment it was brought up, everyone was really comfortable with it. It feels very organic and authentic.”

Gaining board approval

Once they had a detailed plan on how the shared leadership model would work — with workflow charts and pie charts, the team had numerous meetings with the board to move forward with acceptance and implementation.

“There were some concerns and questions when we actually took this to the board to get feedback. And the obvious one is, ‘Well, who’s in charge?”,” she said. “‘Who’s responsible, ultimately, to the board for achieving the strategic goals of the strategic plan?’ And the answer is, ‘They all are.’”’

During those meetings, they addressed how they would be accountable with each other and resolve conflicts.

“We’ve made a commitment to each other to be honest,” Rebelle said. “We also decided to bring in the executive committee if there’s something that the three of us can’t figure out as a unit.”

Based on her history of working at the organization, Anderson said, she anticipates that there won’t be conflict per se. “It’s good to be prepared for disagreements, but I think it will be more along the lines of ‘We have two paths before us. And we’re excited about both, but we can only do one.’”

The team’s plan was convincing. Within a fiscal quarter, the board had adopted the new leadership plan.

A new way forward

Under the shared leadership model, the board will be more integral in the personnel aspects of the organization, Glass Spalding said. 

“In the past, I and the executive committee did Jim’s personnel evaluation and Jim did Shannon and Tatiana’s. They’re now going to do each other’s in addition to their own self-evaluations,” she said. “But the board will have to be more involved.”

Along the way, other concerns were addressed, including the following:

  • What will supporters think? Poyser had been at the helm of ECI for more than eight years and is well known throughout the community and among funders. “The board was really concerned,” Glass Spalding said. “Jim has been the face of Earth Charter Indiana for a number of years. He’s a very dynamic person and there was concern that a perceived demotion or change could be detrimental to the organization. They didn’t want to have any ramifications from that.” Poyser addressed those concerns by pointing out that all three of the staff leaders can be considered the face of the organization. “Shannon Anderson is the leader of Earth Charter Indiana at places like the Statehouse,” he said. “Tatjana is the leader in other sectors. From a biodiversity standpoint, it really makes sense for the strength of the organization to have a team of leaders who are all on the same plane. In a way, this is just formalizing what I felt to be happening already.
  • Would the executive director be OK with losing his title? Poyser said that he wasn’t attached to his ED title and, as a result, didn’t have qualms about losing the “executive” in front of his name. “My transition to director of advancement is a natural fit for a transition from executive director,” he said. “The director of advancement and an executive director are very similar positions in the realm of grants and contracts.”

The team members all acknowledged that they will continue to refine the new leadership model as they navigate changes in the coming months.

Glass Spalding said she doesn’t anticipate any major challenges with the transition.

“In observing them, they’re all very highly driven people. The personnel issues are very nuanced in terms of more of an approach to achieving the goals of the strategic plan,” she said. “The question will be, ‘How do we meaningfully evaluate whether they’re achieving what we hope and expect?’ As the year progresses, we want to make sure we’re still on the same page, and that our expectations and their expectations and work match.”

And the benefits of a shared leadership model far outweigh any difficulties in making a transition, Glass Spalding said.

“I do think, especially with a small organization, this is a really a very exciting possibility for organizations to look at,” she said. “The upside is you have the ability to achieve a lot more with a lot less red tape or bureaucracy. It’s very symbiotic and synergistic, words that are sometimes overused, but they really do fit this situation.”

Anderson said it also is a significant step toward inclusion.

“People may be scared to take on a change like this because they can’t imagine not being in control,” Anderson said. “I don’t think they realize that there’s a better version of everything when we elevate different voices. Jim’s not quitting. He’s not retiring. He’s going to be keeping us healthy going forward, but he’s also letting other voices come forward. A lot of organizations could benefit from deciding to doing something different. It puts you on a path toward a better future where there is more inclusion and there are more people of color at the forefront of movements.”

Jan 24

Looking back to move forward in 2022

By Feature

With an unprecedented demand for services, the Urban League and Coburn Place outline plans to support critical community needs, employees and partnerships

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

“Unprecedented.” That’s the word that immediately comes to mind for many Central Indiana nonprofit leaders in addressing the new challenges in carrying out their mission in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And many of those experiences are now critical in shaping how nonprofits are shaping plans to operate in 2022, including new ways to approach donors, addressing employee burnout and collaborating with other nonprofits, according to two local nonprofit CEOs.

The Urban League of Indianapolis, which promotes economic empowerment among underserved communities through education, job training and workforce development, unexpectedly entered into new terrain during the pandemic, according to Tony Mason, CEO and president. 

“At the onset of the pandemic, we started receiving calls from the senior living communities who were concerned about how their residents were going to get food,” Mason recalled.

After connecting some of the senior living communities to Gleaners, Second Helpings and other food banks, Mason assumed that request had been fulfilled. The team continued to focus on how to shift its operations to a virtual format. 

“But the calls kept coming in,” Mason said. “And they were coming from citizens. We had to do something.”

As a result, the Mason conferred with the rest of the Urban League team about launching a plan to operate as a drive-through food and resource distribution center. Assuming that the drive-through operations would only last a couple of months, the team decided it would serve as a good opportunity to engage and connect with the community while meeting an urgent need, Mason recalled. 

However, by the end of 2021, the Urban League  had continued to provide the service for more than 80 consecutive weeks, at times distributing food to up to 900 households each week, Mason said.

For Rachel Scott, president and CEO of Coburn Place, those challenges included serving an increasing number of victims of domestic violence, a trend that was reflected nationally and globally in response to lockdowns.

“We were inundated with new clients due to an unprecedented increase in domestic violence,” Scott said. “This meant not only hiring and training new staff, but redefining how we serve survivors. We were already set up for mobile advocacy, but suddenly that was all we had. Our staff had to be creative. They did intakes by phone with abusers in the next room because meeting at a coffee shop wasn’t an option.”

Adjusting to growing domestic violence needs

At the same time, Coburn’s development team was forced to turn away donations.

“For the development team, the in-kind donations we rely on to furnish safe homes for families disappeared because we could no longer have people dropping off items in our building, and of course, we couldn’t accommodate our regular volunteers,” Scott said. 

“We produced volunteer opportunities people could do virtually and found other ways to make up for the loss of in-kind donations. We found that many of the things we did because we had to are things we will continue — creative advocacy, engaging volunteers remotely, virtual support groups and new partnerships.”

The team also relied on innovation to meet needs.

One of the answers to meeting the needs of domestic violence survivors was to develop individualized housing safety plans during the lockdown, Scott said. “We worked with other organizations to create solutions for survivors, like hotel stays so they could get to safety immediately,” she recalled. “Our support groups went to a virtual format.”

While delivering programming is critical, it also is important to focus on internal needs, Scott said.

“Nearly every nonprofit organization that provides direct services to the community was pushed to the brink of its capacity in the last two years. We need to prioritize the well-being of nonprofit staff so we can continue to give our best to the people we serve,” Scott said. “That likely means addressing the mission creep many of us have experienced during this time. We all need to step back and make sure we are the best option for clients and, if they would be better served elsewhere, work with other organizations to make sure their needs are met.”

From the perspective of the Urban League, one of the most critical developments from the pandemic has been the formation of collaborative partnerships, Mason said.

“We established partnerships with some of our neighborhood-based, grassroots organizations, such as CircleUp, MD, Before You Fall, Purpose of Life, and Ministries of the Street,” he said. “We had about 10 to 12 organizations which would, from week to week, would come and would also pick up resources and take them back to their congregations or to people in the neighborhoods. We recognized that everyone can’t come down here.

“In some ways, it became an important part of what we’re doing because it positioned us to where we were collaborating more and with emerging and existing grassroots neighborhood-based organizations that would have probably in the past not considered being connected to us.”

Mason said those relationships will continue to be instrumental in meeting the needs of the community in 2022 and beyond.

“It allowed me and my team to better understand who else is out there on the ground doing this work, people who are committed to it,” he said. “People need help 24/7. It doesn’t change. We have pockets of poverty all over the city. Poverty is everywhere. So it’s important to have  this level of connectivity and be in relationships with groups that are doing this work all over the city.”

Scott also said it is important to be transparent when talking to donors. “See and speak the truth about where you are as an organization — not just what seems impressive,” she said. “What a donor wants is tangible ways to help and partner, not just have their own egos inflated. Be candid with your closest donors and supporters. Let them partner more deeply by letting them in on the areas where you need help.”

Jan 10

Empowering nonprofit employees can lead to much needed innovative solutions in 2022

By Feature

CICOA’s CEO Tauhric Brown

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

When Tauhric Brown took on the role of president and CEO of CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions in January of 2020, a top goal on his agenda was the empowerment of the organization’s employees to dream and innovate.

Based on his previous experiences in a combination of for-profit and nonprofit roles, Brown said, he knew that would be one of the most strategic approaches to continue successfully fulfilling CICOA’s overall mission — making the dream of aging in place a reality for many older adults.

Brown acknowledged the challenges that faced him. Even in normal times, it can be difficult to inspire employees to envision how to do things differently. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, further challenges developed as the organization followed stay-at-home orders and remote work schedules

“Many of us have tunnel vision. We see our work, day in and day out, and that’s really all we see,” Brown said.

However, opportunities can develop when leaders are able to help employees develop peripheral vision — recognizing the ways in which their individual roles, such as what a person does as a care manager, impacts the entire organization, Brown said..

“You really have to unlock that potential that lies well inside of each and every one of us,” he said.

As a result of that innovative focus on problem-solving, CICOA launched an innovation studio in 2021, an intrapreneurship model to encourage staff and partners to ideate, prototype and launch new solutions to meet the needs of older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers.

One of the first products of the CICOA Venture Studio was the development of Duett, a for-profit start-up organization with a mission to streamline the process of matching people with service providers through technology solutions.

Innovation as an ongoing model

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is approaching its two-year mark in Central Indiana, it is even more critical to challenge nonprofit employees to discover new solutions, according to Brown, who anticipates that few nonprofits will be able to continue to be successful without incorporating changes that can equip them for long-term sustainability.

He began the process of introducing innovation early on. “When I first started in my role here in January of 2020, I just started having conversations with people,” Brown recalled. “It wasn’t the CEO talking to the care manager. It was just Tauhric to Sherri — getting to know people on a personal level, and then really challenging them to see their work differently.”

Conversations included looking at goals and determining creative ways to respond, Brown said. “How do we begin to develop some additional programs or social enterprise concepts that might help us for decades to come?,” he said. “In other words, not just for this scenario, but for a more efficient, effectively run nonprofit organization that benefits the consumers you serve for years?”

Problem-solving also could involve determining how to deliver more services with fewer resources.

“For us, that was the primary opportunity we saw — and have been capitalizing on pre-COVID because innovation is part of our culture, part of our DNA,” he said. “That spirit existed here pre-COVID.”

In some ways, the pandemic fueled interest in generating problem-solving and innovative ideas, Brown noted.

Since implementing the innovation studio, Brown said, an increasing number of employees have been actively proposing potential solutions for challenges the organization faced during the pandemic, which forced many organizations to do things differently.

“We’re starting to see more staff bringing additional ideas and concepts forward that may not have been presented without this public health emergency,” he said. “Some of those ideas are now being teased out as potential social enterprise concepts that we can take to market down the road.”

Dec 06

6 leading nonprofit trends to look out for in 2022

By Feature

Philanthropic researcher, educator predicts a year focused on equity, smaller donor pools, innovation, mission and new HR policies

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

As local nonprofit teams plan for another calendar year, the agenda most likely will include strategies for embracing change, innovation and sustainability in numerous areas, according to Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

With the pandemic and social protests representing some of the most disruptive events in the nation’s history, nonprofits are being forced to regroup on how to carry out their mission and operations, Pasic noted. “Almost all of our lives were turned upside down in many ways,” Pasic said. “The nonprofit philanthropic sector was no exception.”

Pasic pointed out six trends that nonprofits will likely need to address as they move into a new year.

1. Integrating equity as a long-term solution. While conversations and news around racial equity may not be as intense at the height of social justice protests, it will remain at the forefront of agendas of nonprofits, Pasic said. 

“When you had the kind of material, economic consequences of COVID, and then afterwards the killing of George Floyd and other black citizens, you saw the rise of racial reckoning and that becoming a global phenomenon. Equity and inclusion became major topics,” he said. “The fervor might have dissipated a bit, but I think those priorities are going to be there permanently for the nonprofit sector because so many of us became aware of the fact that our institutions and practices have been exclusionary.”

With the growing awareness around racial equity, Pasic added, it will have a “differential impact on nonprofits, depending on where they stand.”

2. Relying on a smaller pool of donors, mostly wealthy. Another trend that emerged during the pandemic is a shrinking pool of donors, Pasic said. “One of areas of research that has been interesting but somewhat worrisome is that giving continued to grow, but it came from a smaller number of donors,” Pasic said. “There was pretty strong evidence that donations are coming from a smaller number of wealthier people. We will be looking to determine if that trend will continue.”

Pasic said that nonprofits will need to make further adjustments if that trend remains. They will need to understand the best strategies for engaging a smaller number of donors until they can expand their donor base. “They need to ask, ‘How do you balance that with planning for a future where you’re trying to replenish those donors over time?’,” Pasic said

3. Rethinking employee work schedules. Another concern related to equity emerged during the pandemic when some employees easily transitioned to working online, while others faced downsizing or layoffs because they jobs demanded an in-person presence,according to Pasic.

Human resource leaders will need to explore ways to adopt hybrid work models while addressing the needs of all employees. “It looks like there’s going to be all kinds of different combinations of people working remotely,” he said.  

4. Offering a mix of in-person and online volunteer/giving opportunities. During the pandemic, a significant number of nonprofits offered volunteers ways to continue to support the mission remotely, Pasic said. “More people started giving online, engaging online and trying to figure out who they can help online,” he said. “At the same time, we saw an upsurge in neighbors helping their neighbors. We saw people knocking on the doors of neighbors they may never have met before to see if they could help by shopping for groceries.

“I think we’re going to see more of this type of decision-making in the future,” he added. “People will continue to figure out what it is that they can do remotely and when they have to travel.”

5. Remind your team of your mission. With many nonprofit organizations undergoing unprecedented changes in adjusting to challenges, it’s important to take the time to focus on the mission, Pasic said.

“In times of difficulty, it’s important to remind yourself why you exist. What is your mission?” he said. “Revive that purpose. It’s not only a time to remind yourself of what that is, but for those who are your champions. It can sometimes be forgotten when we’re all scrambling to make it through the day, but I think that that sense of mission can be rejuvenated and give you some energy to start the next day.”

6. Embrace innovation as an ongoing pursuit. “The pandemic has shown us that there’s no reason to keep doing the way we’ve been doing,” Pasic said. “A sense of innovation and possibilities are some of the positive things that came out of the pandemic. When we know our mission, then we can think of innovative and interesting ways to pursue that. We need to take some of the things we learned during the pandemic and apply it to the future.” 

Nov 22

Is trust-based philanthropy here to stay?

By Feature

Indiana philanthropic organizations are weighing advantages of maintaining unrestricted funding models and alternative reporting processes post-pandemic

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

In addition to a paralyzing pandemic and social unrest, 2020 marked the year that philanthropic organizations in Indiana, and nationally and globally, abandoned the rulebook on how grants traditionally had been issued.

Many Indiana philanthropic organizations, weighed down by the enormity of the challenges facing communities, including job losses and food insecurity, decided to distribute funds to nonprofits without the need for detailed grant requests or reporting processes.

“They woke up and asked, ‘What can we do?” recalled Claudia Cummings, president and CEO of the Indiana Philanthropic Alliance, which represents 190 philanthropic organizations in the state. The leaders of “one foundation showed up at the office one morning and mailed out checks to every single grantee — whether or not they had requested funds.”

Other philanthropic organizations shared similar stories with the alliance, including distributing funds without restrictions — trusting that the grant recipients would use them to carry out their mission quickly and optimally in the midst of the global pandemic.

In that way, the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the adoption of better practices across all industries worldwide, according to Cummings.

“Many things we would have thought to be impossible pre-COVID were adopted by a lot of institutions. It has opened up opportunities,” Cummings said.

“While writing out checks to those who never even asked might not be something that’s triggered all of the time or even ever again because it may not be a good practice, we have learned that dollars can go out rapidly and we understand the mechanisms that can make that happen.”

That demonstration of support didn’t come without challenges, Cummings said, noting that the markets went down in the wake of the pandemic outbreak.

“It was impacting the ability of philanthropy to even respond financially. It was a really rough first six months but what I saw on the ground was incredibly inspiring. Our members, even in light of what was happening with the markets, made the decisions to give more than they had ever given before

Pledge to transform philanthropy

The question on the minds of many interested in the future of philanthropy is whether these types of changes are temporary — or are they signaling a significant shift in how philanthropic organizations operate.

“Clearly, nothing in society globally is the same now as it was two years ago,” Cummings said. “No one has ever seen something this unprecedented. Now, we’re asking, ‘What happens next?’ There’s kind of a middle phase of trying to move as a response to recovery.”

The Council on Foundations is among the organizations that is advocating for change, encouraging philanthropists to pledge to reform the sector by adopting the following reforms, especially during the pandemic:

  • Make new grants as unrestricted as possible, so nonprofit partners have maximum flexibility to respond to the crisis.
  • Reduce what we ask of our nonprofit partners, postponing reporting requirements, site visits, and other demands on their time during this challenging period.
  • Contribute to community-based emergency response funds and other efforts to address the health and economic impact on those most affected by this pandemic.
  • Communicate proactively and regularly about our decision-making and response to provide helpful information while not asking more of grantee partners.
  • Commit to listening to our partners and especially to those communities least heard, lifting up their voices and experiences to inform public discourse and our own decision-making so we can act on their feedback. We recognize that the best solutions to the manifold crises caused by COVID-19 are not found within foundations.

While these measures are specifically focused on COVID-19, the council also advocates for long-lasting change in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion as well as how philanthropists partner with nonprofits and the community working for social change.

Indiana philanthropy organizations advocating for change

Many Indiana organizations were among the philanthropists that accepted the pledge, Cummings said, and the expectation is that many of them will continue to accept the challenge to evolve. She also noted that numerous Indianapolis philanthropic organizations have already embraced change.

“Clearly, nothing in society globally is the same now as it was two years ago,” Cummings said. “No one has ever seen something this unprecedented. What happens next? There’s kind of a middle phase of trying to move as a response to recovery.

“What we hope to see is that our members will continue some of the practices that were learned at the height of the pandemic, including alternative reporting processes and an increase in unrestricted funds,” she said. “These are things that allow nonprofits more time to focus on their core mission.”

Nov 08

How do we reimagine shelter?: Pandemic forces Indianapolis leaders to seek new ways to address homelessness

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

In recognition of National Homeless Awareness Month, Not-for-profit News gained insights from nonprofit leaders on the latest efforts to support those experiencing homelessness.

When Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a “stay-at-home order” on March 23, 2020, it became painfully clear that not all Hoosiers would have an equal ability to safely navigate the global pandemic of COVID-19, including people experiencing homelessness.

“It’s hard to be safe when you don’t have a home,” said Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, executive director of the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP), the organization leading The Indianapolis Community Plan to End Homelessness 2018-2023. “The way people were able to stay safe during the pandemic was to stay in their homes and engage in all the hygiene practices. That’s really scary if you don’t have that home in the midst of a public health crisis. It really elevated the nation of housing really is healthcare. We have to continue investing in and supporting permanent housing choices for people.”

Since the outbreak of COVID, community leaders and government officials have combined efforts to meet the needs of the city’s homeless as their numbers have swelled — to 1,928 on any given night based on a January 2021 point-in-time count. That’s up from 1,588 in January 2020. While some of those differences may be traced to a different counting method — over a five-day period instead of a one-night period, numerous factors have led to an increasing number of people experiencing homelessness, Haring Cozzi said.

In the past, Haring-Cozzi said, people may have avoided being counted in the homeless system because they relied on couch surfing for shelter. “What we saw this last year with COVID, people who may have stayed with family and friends found that was no longer a viable option. People are now saying, ‘I can’t run the risk of additional people in my house outside of the family unit.’”

Also, with social distancing rules in place, congregant housing, like Wheeler Mission’s shelters, were required to reduce the numbers of guests to abide by guidelines for social distancing during the pandemic.

Clearly, those challenges aren’t over. “We’re still in the midst of the pandemic,” Haring-Cozzi said. “Because of COVID, there are more people experiencing homeless, living unsheltered, and who are housing unstable.”

Another major complication in meeting the needs of those facing homelessness is inadequate staffing, according to Perry Hines, chief development officer for Wheeler Mission. Employee shortages have made it increasingly difficult to support initiatives to expand services at a time when they’re most needed. During a normal year, Hines said, the organization would serve 700-800 people with beds and/or meals at its facilities. In 2020, that number climbed to 1,200-1,300 per day because of the increased need, he said. 

“This year, we are planning for increased demand. What that means is finding beds and anticipating an increased need for food and social services — especially during the winter contingency time frame, which is Nov. 1 through March 31,” Hines said. 

However, some of the programs needed to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness, such as overseeing accommodations in hotels, require additional staffing, Hines said. 

“We are severely lacking in employees. We need help. At any given time, we will have 20 to 30 job openings. Our employees have a tough job. They’re on the front lines,” he said. “A lot of times our employees can go to McDonald’s and get $15 an hour. We don’t pay $15 an hour, so that makes it real tough to keep things in place. On top of the demand for more services and more people coming into your doors, you’re having a tough time getting qualified people to help open the doors.”

Planning a future with minimal homelessness

While the impact of COVID has been devastating for many individuals and families with inadequate housing or no housing, it has been impactful in accelerating collaboration around how to imagine alternatives to homeless shelters, Haring-Cozzi said. 

One of the primary ways that leaders are envisioning a new path is by considering alternatives to the prevailing sheltering model.

“A lot of sheltering is based on these congregate models,” Haring-Cozzi said. “That doesn’t allow for spaces where people can isolate and have privacy and for family units to stay together. The pandemic and the use of hotels really opened up a lot of our community leaders’ eyes on how to create safe sheltering models — one that serves public health purposes and serves the purpose of keeping families together. It becomes housing-centered.”

Those experiences helped shift the conversation to how to get people connected to permanent housing, Haring-Cozzi added. “We have started some intentional work around shelters being part of a rehousing process and not a destination — not a place where people stay for long periods of time,” she said. 

Another layer of support that needed to be addressed is the access to technology, according to Haring-Cozzi. With so many services going virtual during the pandemic, including mental health services, many people experiencing homelessness didn’t have the technology to access them. “We realized we have to make services accessible in a different type of way,” she said.

Hines also said that efforts must focus on expanding support services, including those that address mental health and addictions, to ensure that the needs of a segment of the population experiencing homelessness are met. 

“We are always asking how can we do more beyond addressing the immediate needs? That’s the emergency shelter part. We also are asking how can we solve the underlying problem? That’s the social work part,” Hines said. “We know that there are a lot of joblessness issues that result from mental health and addiction issues. Our hope and dream is that we want to end homeless in Indianapolis but that means addressing both the structural issues as well as the underlying causes.”

Haring-Cozzi said that she is hopeful that significant change can be realized as a result of the millions of dollars in federal funds targeted to homelessness throughout the nation, including Indianapolis. “This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to take these federal resources and really focus on how you shift systems and how you help support people getting back into permanent housing,” she said.

She also said that the collaboration around addressing homelessness — among nonprofit agencies, service providers, and government entities — will be instrumental in realizing real change.

“I’ve seen collaboration this past year in ways I have never seen it before,” she said. “We’re all working under the same shared agenda. We’re trying to keep people healthy and then get them into housing. That’s significant. This last year really helped kind of solidify that shared vision. We don’t want to manage homelessness. We really want to move towards ending it.”

Oct 25

Spirit & Place Festival welcomes a public conversation about a year that changed everything

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

Conversations about challenging topics can be incredibly uncomfortable, whether they’re about race relations, gender identity, pay equity, the removal of 100-year-old Confederate monuments, social justice protests or COVID-19 vaccine shots. 

When faced with the many challenges in 2020, Indianapolis residents had the opportunity to engage in many uncomfortable conversations. Some did. Some didn’t. The 2021 Spirit & Place Festival wants to highlight the need for ongoing conversation by encouraging a public discourse on some of those topics. 

The festival, which is now in its 26th year, has rolled out an agenda that revolves around the theme of CHANGE, encouraging the public to reflect and engage in conversations about how 2020 brought about change and envision the steps needed for further change.

The 11-day festival of events, which runs from Nov. 4-14, includes an exhibition and a panel discussion called Monumental Changes: History and Power in Public Art from 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 5. During that discussion, which will be held at the Garfield Park Arts Center, panelists will provide perspectives on the history, controversy and June 2020 removal of a Confederate monument in Garfield Park on the city’s Southside.

Jordan Ryan, a historian, archivist and scholar, who is among the panelists, noted that the monument was dismantled and removed without community discussion — leaving a gap in residents’ ability to have their voices heard. The Spirit & Place Festival panel discussion will provide one of those opportunities, Ryan said.

“We never had a community conversation when the statue was taken down … a public conversation,” said Ryan, noting that some other cities had public forums before statues were removed. “This represents the first time the public can come together and have that discussion.”

Ryan acknowledged that it can be uncomfortable to engage in this type of discussion. However, it’s needed, she said.

“It will be uncomfortable, but that’s how we grow,” Ryan said.

In addition to Ryan, the Monumental Changes panelists include Dr. Paul Mullins, who has studied the history of the monument placement in Garfield Park, and Danicia Monét, an artist, researcher and urban planner. 

The Indianapolis discussion follows the National Monument Lab’s recent release of the National Monument Audit, a comprehensive look at the characteristics of the nation’s collection of monuments, most of which are overwhelmingly of white males.

A history of inspiring community engagement

As in previous years, community engagement was key to developing the theme of CHANGE for the festival, which is now in its 26th year, according to Erin Kelley, Spirit & Place program director.

“We have had different themes for every year,” she recalled. “We had previously set a theme but halfway through 2020, we knew that wasn’t going to resonate. We went out into the community, getting feedback through social media, emails, and by contacting event partners. We asked, ‘What is resonating with you right now?’ And the concept of ‘change’ rose to the top. That’s the one theme that people gravitated to.”

Kelley said that this year’s event will include a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid offerings — a model that will continue for future festivals. As a result of the pandemic, Kelley said, Spirit & Place has recognized the demand for a mix of options for people who work different hours, or have parental responsibilities that interfere with their ability to participate in person. 

As part of the opening night event, local spoken word artist Manon Voice, will serve as emcee and jazz pianist Christopher Pitts will perform a newly commissioned piano piece.

And, as with the Monumental Changes panel discussion, other Spirit & Place events will encourage public conversations on challenging topics, including the following:

  • Tearing Down Boxes and Embracing Change: Nov. 5, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Phoenix Theater Cultural Center — Fiber artists will discuss art as a vehicle for healing and growth, and will inspire attendees to break out of their boxes — whether its religious affiliations, circle of friends and social groups — to broaden their perspectives.
  • (Un)Comfortable Conversations: Telling Our Stories, Transforming Our World: Nov. 8, noon-1:30 p.m., virtual event — Spoken word artists, writers, and community leaders will discuss what it means to wrestle with and accept the consequences of change.
  • Be Anxious for Nothing: Loss and Joy in Unexpected Change: Nov. 8, 7-8 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral, hybrid event — A discussion about what the Bible, Torah, Qur’an, and sacred music say about change.

“We want folks to come out and have these conversations,” Kelley said. “It’s uncomfortable, hard and scary work. But we need to enter into brave spaces together and do this.”

For more information about the 2021 Spirit and Place Festival, visit the event lineup.

Oct 11

2021 Charitable Advisors salary survey reveals 57 percent of Central Indiana nonprofits expect to offer pay raises; 34 percent do not

By Feature

The 2021 Charitable Advisors Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Report is now available to the public online

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

Although annual pay raises are often considered essential in keeping valued employees, about a third of Central Indiana nonprofits reported that they would not be offering pay raises in 2021 — in the midst of one of the most competitive job markets in recent history.

Those statistics were among the findings of the Charitable Advisors 2021 Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Report, issued after a tumultuous period marked by the COVID-19 outbreak, government stay-at-home orders, social protests and an economic crisis.

With 286 Central Indiana organizations represented in the anonymous survey — a record response, HR executives, CEOs and other leaders provided insight into the salary levels of 26 positions of nonprofit institutions varying widely in size and in annual budgets — from less than $250,000 to more than $10 million.

When asked whether they expected to increase wages for employees at their organizations, 285 of the respondents revealed a mix of answers in the 2021 survey. They are as follows:

  • 2 percent expected a decrease in wages
  • 32 percent expected no increase in wages
  • 8 percent expected a wage increase of 1-1.9 percent
  • 18 percent expected a wage increase of 2-2.9 percent
  • 25 percent expected a wage increase of 3-3.9 percent
  • 2 percent expected a wage increase of 4-4.9 percent
  • 4 percent expected a wage increase of 5 percent or more
  • 9 percent had not yet decided or did not know if they would offer a wage increase

Based on the previous Charitable Advisors Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Report, released in 2019 before the pandemic, the number of nonprofits planning to offer some type of wage increase had declined — from 63 percent t0 57 percent. However, a larger number of nonprofits in the 2019 survey had not yet decided on pay increases — 24 percent compared to 9 percent in the 2021 survey.

Salary ranges across job levels

As part of the 2021 survey, respondents gave detailed wage information for 26 position categories, from executive level positions to administrative and facility/maintenance support positions, for organizations of varying sizes, budget levels and nonprofit categories (arts, culture and humanities; community development; health; foundation, etc.)

For a full list of salary comparisons, read the 2021 report here.

The following is a sampling of some of the salary comparisons for organizations with operating budgets of $250,000 to $999,000 (the largest group represented at 35 percent):

Executive Director/President/CEO
Average – $79,348
Minimum – $30,000
Maximum – $224,430

Vice President of Programs
Average – $60,475
Minimum – $30,000
Maximum – $140,000

Vice President of Programs
Average – $60,475
Minimum – $30,000
Maximum – $140,000

Case Manager
Average – $42,641
Minimum – $31,200
Maximum – $65,000

Volunteer Coordinator
Average – $38,737
Minimum – $32,136
Maximum – $52,744

Office Manager
Average – $43,970
Minimum – $33,000
Maximum – $74,000

Facility/Maintenance Manager
Average – $51,521
Minimum – $32,600
Maximum – $75,0005

HR executive perspectives on moving forward in 2021

According to several HR executives for the organizations that participated in the annual salary survey, 2020 triggered a significant shift in the evolution of hiring, retention and employee engagement practices in the nonprofit industry.

During conversations with prospective employees, Ponda Sullivan, director of human resources for Tangram, dedicates time to understanding the reasons behind why they left their previous jobs. She also thoroughly reviews exit interviews from current employees.

“When I’m interviewing individuals, I try to capture some of the things that led them to look for another job,” said Sullivan, who previously worked at a for-profit healthcare organization for 18 years. “Some of the concerns expressed were related to child care, career development, flexible schedules and not feeling appreciated.”

Sullivan said nonprofit organizations that can’t compete must focus on those types of areas — the intrinsic appeal of working in the nonprofit industry — to be competitive. 

“People are looking for a company that does the right thing,” Sullivan said. “They want to be treated a certain way and they’re OK with a pay reduction as long as the company provides those other work-life balance benefits. You definitely have to be creative and innovative, and ask, ‘What are those intrinsic awards we can offer?’.”

Discovering new opportunities in the midst of challenges

While the pandemic prompted a series of unexpected “pivots” in the way the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has traditionally operated, the outcome was a team that emerged better because of the experience, according to Debbie Aull, director of human resources for the organization.

“It definitely changed the world of human resources — in a good way,” Aull said. “We had to rethink everything. We’re much more focused, more transparent, and more purposeful about inclusion with all of our policies and practices.”

In addition to assessing its diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) practices by hiring a consultant, appointing a DEI task force and undergoing an audit to increase transparency, the Children’s Museum expanded into uncharted territory by bringing many programs online.

“One thing that was a challenge — and an opportunity — was moving the majority of our recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training and educational programs to virtual platforms,” Aull said. “At one time, we would have said, ‘There’s no way we can do that,’ but we did. And it’s great for the museum and the community.”

Aull also said that the museum is mindful of the need to adapt to remain relevant — and HR is core to that strategy.

“HR has proven to be the key to the success of the organization. Our people really are the most precious resource,” she said. “We have to provide them with a safe environment which is going to mean different things to different people. We all need to be open-minded in our thinking.”

For example, while HR professionals at organizations of all sizes will likely consider flexible, hybrid and remote options moving forward, it’s important to be mindful of employees who aren’t able to take advantage of those benefits, Aull said. 

“We have to consider it but we also must be open to ensuring there is equity and collaboration for hybrid and remote options,” she said. “We should be mindful of how it would impact employees who don’t have that option. We definitely don’t want an ‘us vs. them’ situation, especially for the staff members who are going in and working, facing visitors harping about having to wear masks, or complaining when they close the restrooms to clean and sanitize them. They’re on the receiving end of all that while I’m sitting in my second bedroom on a computer.”

To ensure that the front line employees felt supported through a challenging period, employees from other departments helped with some of the in-person responsibilities of operating the museum, such as cleaning laundry used in the facility, Aull said.

Rethinking HR strategies

Shelby Slowik, director of human resources at Conner Prairie, said that the living museum has had the advantage of operating many of its programs outdoors, which resulted in fewer disruptions in the team’s ability to continue welcoming visitors. The museum shut down for only two months in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, Slowik noted.

Also, as a larger organization, Conner Prairie is able to compete with many for-profit organizations on the wages it offers salaried employees, Slowik said. “It’s a rarity that we can’t compete at the professional and leadership levels,” she said. 

However, like many other businesses and nonprofits, hiring part-time and entry-level employees — primarily seasonal workers at Conner Prairie, has been challenging, Slowik said. 

“We rely a lot on seasonal employees and that’s where we see a bit more of the pay competition,” she said. 

After more than a year of adhering to new COVID-19 guidelines, streamlining programs, rolling out new policies, and ensuring that employees feel supported through the challenges, many HR departments have been pushed to evolve — perhaps much quicker than they would have without the pandemic, Slowik said. 

“I don’t think I have ever experienced anything like this in my 30 years in HR,” she said. “When you look at it from an HR perspective … the new policies and procedures we had to implement, the expenditures to support filtration, handwashing stations, hand sanitizers, dealing with fear factor of staff, the mental stress, lockdown, safety issues, immunizations, exposure … all that falls under the HR umbrella.”

In the past, Slowik noted, HR departments were comparable to policy enforcers. “Especially for those who have been in HR for some time, we tend to have a black and white viewpoint on how things should be handled when it comes to following policies and procedures, and guidelines on what you need to do to be successful,” she said.

That mindset has evolved significantly, she said.

“Maybe in the last 5 to 10 years, we’re no longer the person there to derail creative ideas. We have switched to being more like a business partner that’s willing to embrace creative ideas, whether it’s telecommuting and attractive benefits that may not have been previously considered. We’re much more approachable in collaborating.”

Just 10 years ago, Slowik said, she would never have considered telecommuting as an option for employees. The pandemic effectively changed her perception.

In the near future, Slowik predicted, HR managers will continue to struggle to find clarity on how much they should pay entry-level employees. “We’re all experiencing staffing challenges. Many hourly positions, which pay anywhere from $12 to $16 an hour, have remained vacant.

“This has caused us to review our entry rates of pay,” she said. “What do we need to do to be competitive if everyone else is raising their rates?”

Conner Prairie has hired a firm to evaluate their wage structure to ensure they’re competitive. “The pandemic pushed me to look at that a year earlier than I probably would have.”

Sep 27

Does DEI matter?: More than 70% of Central Indiana nonprofit employees say, ‘Yes’

By Feature

NFPN survey reveals support for continuing DEI initiatives

by Shari Finnell, Not-for-profit News editor/writer

(First in a series of articles about Charitable Advisors’ NFPN “How Are You Doing?” survey)

Many nonprofit organizations are still grappling with how to address diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) policies — more than a year after protests erupted nationwide after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

And that work still matters, according to nearly 70 percent of about 450 nonprofit employees who responded to a recent Not-for-profit News survey about how they’re coping in the aftermath of one of the most tumultuous periods in the nation’s history.

When asked if their organization’s stance on DEI personally impacts them as an employee, 30 percent responded it impacts them “a great deal,” 42 percent said it impacted them “somewhat,” and 28 percent responded, “not at all.”

However, based on the survey responses, employees also said that their employers likely think that they are doing better than they actually are — or at least in comparison to how the employees perceived they were progressing with DEI issues.

When asked, “What do you think your leadership would say about your organization’s progress on DEI?,” nearly 35 percent of employees responded that their leaders probably would feel that the work isn’t new — “we have always valued inclusion and equity.” About 34 percent said that their employees would believe that they “are having some hard conversations and making important changes,” while nearly 24 percent said their leadership probably would feel that “we are talking about it but not doing anything, not doing much,” and 7.75 percent would say, “we aren’t talking about it.”

In contrast, employees’ perceptions about that question, “What do you think about your organization’s progress on DEI?” was as follows:

  • This work isn’t new to us — we have always valued inclusion and equity — 23.06 percent
  • We are having some hard conversations and making important changes — 29.37 percent
  • We are talking about it but not doing anything, not doing much — 36.17 percent
  • We aren’t talking about it — 11.41 percent

Survey respondents weigh in on DEI successes and challenges 

Some respondents said that their organizations have been committed to undertaking DEI work not just since the social justice protests — but for some time.

One survey respondent said, “The organization has been working for a while now on DEI. I feel like we are on the right track, but we still have more to improve on. We need more diverse leadership and board representation.”

Others shared a wide range of thoughts about DEI, revealing various challenges such as coming to a common understanding of what it means. Some believed that the solution requires an extensive undertaking, while some believed it is much less complicated to undertake. Here are some responses:

  • “We need to stop arguing about the reality of racism and accept that systemic racism is real and that we must address it to succeed in our mission.”
  • “We need to judge people based on their character and not their color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. It’s really simple.”
  • “We need to be more modern … stop letting the older Baby Boomers make decisions that affect a wide swath of people. This group (in our organization, at least) doesn’t want to make changes or doesn’t understand why they’re important.”
  • “We need to weave it into our daily practice, educating ourselves in it, holding each other accountable.”
  • “Add diversity to the team, address a misogynistic work environment, stop training our organizations on topics we refuse to even talk about. Dismantle the good ‘ol boy stronghold.”
  • “We need more internal communication, so everyone understands it.”

While many respondents said that their organizations are committed to DEI, some pointed out that it can be challenging to seriously invest in it to create substantial change. Others felt that their organizations weren’t fully committed to the work.

“It’s tough when we are remote,” one survey respondent said. “Not to do DEI, but to do SERIOUS anti-racism work. DEI is a facade in most cases. Equity is the only part I think impacts systemic change. D and I are just an illusion. We need transformation.”

Another survey respondent said, “We have really avoided this conversation as a team and board despite my repeated attempts at raising concerns. We should at a minimum be looking at our internal policies and having some hard conversations about how we operate.”

One nonprofit employee said that conversations about DEI are difficult because they have become politicized. “There is a reluctance to take a public stance on DEIA (diversity, equity inclusion and accessibility) issues — especially addressing them head-on,” the employee said. “However, general public statements do not protect those of us who have had to accommodate the feelings of others for decades. Being a leader today on issues around DEIA is just seen as too political. This is so very antiquated in perspective. My human rights to be myself don’t have anything to do with politics. But at the same time, my employer is diversifying hiring. So, I’m no longer the only native Spanish-speaker in the building apart from the cleaning staff. There’s that, at least.”

Personal perspectives also came up as challenges that may be difficult to overcome, according to numerous nonprofit employees:

  • “I struggle deeply with issues of DEI. I believe it’s incredibly important, and support DEI efforts wherever I encounter them, but as a white male do not know how to contribute effectively and with respect to colleagues of color, nor do I understand my own position or allowable expression as it relates to accepting or advancing my own career. As a first-generation, college-goer from a blue collar background, I can see how DEI efforts can gain wide acceptance among the white-collar workforce while causing confusion and backlash among so many who take great pride in what they’ve accomplished (and are understandably confused about issues of privilege). The lack of personal connection due to COVID has exasperated this confusion on my part, as my interactions with colleagues feel less genuine and more awkward, while DEI issues have become increasingly important and widely discussed.”
  • “I am the only person of color in my organization. It puts a great deal of pressure on me to perform at a near inhuman level.”
  • “I wish we were doing more. I’m in the majority and I don’t think people in the majority can do much to make positive change.”

Implementing DEI in the workplace — perspectives from two nonprofit organizations

For nonprofits undertaking DEI initiatives in recent years, the process is continually evolving as teams better understand what it takes to achieve successful outcomes, according to two survey respondents who agreed to be interviewed.

Sally Bindley, MSW, founder and CEO of School on Wheels, said the 20-year-old organization in Indianapolis started focusing on DEI initiatives in 2016. At that time, the team developed a diversity task force to broaden and diversify School on Wheels’ volunteer tutor base. “We wanted it to be more representative of the students we served,” Bindley recalled. School on Wheels received a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to support the work.

It didn’t take long for the School on Wheels team to realize that diversity, equity and inclusion needed to be integrated into all aspects of the organization’s operations — not just as a side project, Bindley said.

“Diversity is not a task. If you approach DEI as a standalone initiative, you check the box. This way it’s more of a thought process,” she said. “We made it a standing committee of the board of directors — a diversity committee led by a member of the board. Just as we have regular reports from other committees, finance, executive, development, we have regular reports on diversity.”

As a result, employees and board members have become increasingly more aware and intentional on how to include diversity in all areas — from identifying where diverse volunteers are living and working to ensuring diversity in marketing, messaging and operations, Bindley said.

When asked about advice she would give to other nonprofits on embarking on DEI work, Bindley said that it is important to acknowledge that it is an ongoing process.

“Being intentional for us is being aware. Review your language,” she said. “Whether it’s job posts, or messages circulating on your website, make sure you’re mindful of what you’re putting out there. Do you have a commitment to DEI? A statement against racism and hate? We also realized our volunteer recruitment flyers needed to be in English and Spanish. If you don’t have a DEI program, that’s OK. Start with training: What is diversity? What is inclusion? What are microaggressions? Then analyze how you’re doing with all of that. Once we had the in-depth fast training, it brought so much awareness to our language and conversation.

“We’ve made strides, but there’s always more work to do,” she added. “It’s constantly evolving.”

Bindley also said she is a strong believer in hiring a consultant to help assess where the organization stands with incorporating DEI, as well as ensuring that she, as a leader, is fully engaged in the process. Although School on Wheels designated a person to undergo DEI training, Bindley said that she makes sure to personally engage in DEI initiatives.

“I want to have the most opportunities to grow and to impact change as a leader,” she said. “I have zero time, but I can’t say, ‘You’re in charge of this and let me know how it’s going,’” she said. “If you’re a leader of a nonprofit, this messaging starts at the top. If you don’t make it a priority, it’s obvious. I can’t say I’ve always done it right, but you have to be vulnerable as a leader and say this is what I know, what I don’t know, and this is what I need to learn.”

Guenevere Kalal, MSM, director of foster care services for Damar, said that DEI has been at the top of the nonprofit organization’s list of priorities for some time. The team members want to ensure that they are culturally aware of the clients they serve. 

“Our foster families are very diverse,” Kalal said. “Over the past couple years, we have seen more children from Hispanic, Burmese and other cultures coming into light for support in the child welfare system.” As a result, they have initiated discussions on how to gain a better understanding of the various cultures and ensuring that they are always culturally and racially sensitive, she said.

Open, candid conversations and acknowledging personal biases must be a priority, Kalal said.

“My approach to many things, not only with my staff, is to be as professionally transparent as possible. It can’t be the elephant in the room. We need to learn how to be comfortable with uncomfortable conversations,” she said.

That process also includes checking in with families for feedback on their interactions with staff, including asking if they have felt any disparities from staff members.

The team also committed to undergoing training, including a two-day workshop, Interrupting Racism for Children, offered by Child Advocates. “The Department of Child Services also did an excellent job of doing their research on what potential trainings are out there to help our providers navigate conversations about racism, including series on Netflix and PBS,” Kalal said.

“We need to understand where we came from as a country. I don’t want to dwell on the past, but it has a huge influence on where we are,” she added. “I need to understand that so I know how I can focus on becoming part of a positive change.”

Sep 13

Nonprofit builds relationships — one by one — to achieve vision of transforming Eastside neighborhood

By Feature

A day experiencing Shepherd Community Center’s Shalom Project

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

On a Thursday morning, in mid-August, Shane Hardwick, a paramedic, slides into the passenger seat of a police car parked outside of the Shepherd Community Center, a nonprofit organization in the heart of Indianapolis’ Near Eastside — one of the city’s most troubled and blighted neighborhoods.

His work partner, Adam Perkins, a police officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, sits in the driver’s seat as they tune into a weekly 9 a.m. virtual meeting on the vehicle’s computer monitor.

During the next 45 minutes, they join other team members of Shepherd Community Center as they discuss the challenges facing about 20 to 25 individuals and their families in the area surrounding them — primarily within the 46201 zip code.

They talk of the individuals with familiarity, giving updates on how they’re currently coping and what they need to gain more stability in their day-to-day lives. An elderly couple, fearful of venturing out during the COVID-19 pandemic, hadn’t left their home in a six-month period. A survivor of a domestic violence stabbing is having trouble managing a confusing mix of medication. Another woman wants to improve her job prospects but needs internet access for a medical coding class. A man estranged from his family hasn’t taken his high blood pressure medicine for months, putting him at risk for serious health complications.

Each person mentioned — Jesse, Amy, Bob, Ericka, Maria, Angela, Derek and others — are considered part of the key to transforming the 46201 neighborhood under Shepherd’s Shalom project. By focusing on individuals, couples and their families, the initiative, which was started nearly eight years ago in partnership with the city of Indianapolis, the team is able to take steps toward rebuilding a community that faces one of the city’s highest rates of poverty, crime, unemployment and food insecurity,

The center, which has been serving the community for nearly six decades, launched the Shalom Project as an outreach initiative in 2015, sending a community police officer, Perkins, out on neighborhood patrol to get to know residents on a personal basis. When they realized that many residents were facing health-related challenges, paramedic Hardwick joined the team to meet those needs.

Five days a week, the pair go out into the neighborhoods to give residents the gift of time — time to build trust and make a connection, time to understand the underlying challenges that eventually lead to a crisis … in some cases calling 911 “as primary care,” as Hardwick puts it, and, consequently, time to rebuild a community one neighbor at a time.

Building on a vision to become experts at relationships

According to Andrew Green, assistant executive director of the Shepherd Community Center, the shift to outreach has been significant in truly meeting the needs of residents in the community — especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Shalom model, which focuses on going out to meet the needs of local residents, instead of expecting them to come to 4107 E Washington St, where the center is located, has taught the Shepherd team the importance of building relationships and connections as they move toward the goal of making the 46210 area a stronger, healthier and safer community. 

“It fits a theme for us for the last few years — we’re focusing on the humanity piece,” Green said. “Relationships are what make the difference. And we want to be considered experts on building relationships.”

Shepherd continues to build on its legacy of providing quality services and programs, including after-school programs, a clinic, a food pantry, job training, counseling and legal aid. Yet, as IMPD leaders shared in a conversation with Shepherd, “Great things are happening on site, but your neighborhood is crumbling,” Green said.

At one point, it offered a clinic on Saturdays to address acute medical issues but quickly realized that residents were arriving for primary care. “It was staffed with volunteer doctors, pharmacists and nurses,” Green recalled. “However, it was becoming primary care because of underlying chronic conditions.”

Under the Shalom model, the Shepherd team now connects with individuals one on one and ensures that they see the right medical professionals. Another key is maintaining those relationships long-term — following up to make sure that people are continuing in a positive direction, Green said. 

“The whole theme of building relationships is driven home day after day. The pandemic moved us toward that model even quicker,” he added. “We are now making calls to people twice a week.”

Making critical connections

After their morning meeting, Perkins and Hardwick start the work of making face-to-face connections in the 46201 community, where they are welcomed into the living rooms, porches and yards of the nearby residents. They also respond to 911 calls, joining other EMS respondents and police officers in addressing emergency situations that range from several suspected overdoses, a dog bite, an arrest on a suspicion of a stolen car, and also, on this particular day, a search for a cow on the loose.

On their first stop, Perkins and Hardwick drive a couple of miles to a rooming house where Derek, a middle-aged man, is waiting outside in anticipation of their arrival. He smiles as Perkins and Hardwick exchange warm greetings with him, commenting on the weather and how each other are doing. Derek, still smiling, replies that he’s doing great. Hardwick pulls out a blood pressure cuff to determine how Derek really is doing.

“That’s not looking good,” Hardwick announces as he shares the reading with Derek. Just as the Shepherd team had suspected, Derek’s blood pressure was dangerously high after going without his prescribed medication for about five months.

These are the types of situations that lead to unnecessary 911 calls, Hardwick later explains. Without intervention, Derek’s medical condition could reach a crisis stage — leading him to make a 911 call.

The reading reveals what the Shepherd team had suspected: After going without his medication for about five months, Derek’s blood pressure is high. Without intervention, Derek could reach a crisis stage — requiring a 911 call

“In many cases, people end up using 911 as primary care,” Hardwick says.

Hardwick orders an Uber driver to give Derek a ride to the Shepherd Community Center, where social workers and staff members work on his behalf to ensure he receives his medication. After a series of calls, including long waits on hold, they are finally able to address the source of Derek’s challenges and barriers. As it turns out, under the restrictions of his medical plan, Derek could only see one physician for medical care, who apparently had moved to California months ago, and could only get his medication filled at one pharmacy — located miles from his current address.

After spending hours resolving his challenges, Shepherd was able to ensure that Derek was assigned a new doctor and was able to get his medication filled at a more convenient location.

During that same day, Adams and Hardwick visit the family of an elderly man who was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a fall on ice. The man wants the dignity of dying at the home of his sister, in the company of his children and other relatives.

The daughter is distraught, telling Adams and Hardwick that she feels he has given up on his battle to live. She doesn’t understand why he refuses to go to the hospital to get further medical care.

The Shepherd team gathers with about eight relatives on the expansive porch for a while, discussing various options. As he leaves, Hardwick gives the daughter his business card, encouraging her to call him if they need any assistance.

Hours later, the daughter does call. The father has agreed to be taken to the hospital to rule out any medical complications that could be resolved. Adams and Hardwick return to the home to assist emergency responders who take him to the hospital for a medical check.

The next day, the family calls the team once again to let them know that their loved one had returned home and had passed amongst his family as he had wished. They invite Adams and Hardwick back to the home as they gather.

The connection represents yet another long-term relationship built through the Shepherd Shalom project.

By focusing on individuals, couples and their families throughout the neighborhood, the Shalom initiative not accomplishes critical needs — it meets the needs of many individuals and families who need someone to care, lightens the load of the emergency responders and rebuilds the 46201 community — one neighbor at a time.