Standards of Excellence Committee

April 25, 2012

Participants: Meredith Cooper, Wonders Worries; Marci Roe, Volunteer Healthcare Clinic; Juanita Budd, Austin FreeNet; Hank Perret, Capital Area Food Bank; Ellen Balthazar, Any Baby Can; Amy Loar, Ascend Austin; Steve Luteran, Front Steps; Support: Sam Woollard

Highlights

Following are the highlights and action items from the meeting:

Highlights:

  • Welcome: Welcomed Steve Luteran to the group
  • Minutes: Approved with minor corrections and a clarification about the timing of completing the checklist.
  • Workplan: Reviewed and approved the workplan and will continue to review progress at each meeting.
  • Accountability packet. Amy reviewed the changes recommended by the ad hoc work group which include:
  1. Creating a document that is concise, in plain English, and provides a baseline
  2. Ensuring 990 requirements are included
  3. Adding a section on cultural competency
  4. Including the word ‘volunteers’ in policies where appropriate
  5. Adding a section on inclusion of insurance
  6. Adding adherence to G.A.A.P. in financial management

Discussion: Group recommended the following:

  • change the cultural competence standard to: “organization offers culturally appropriate services.” Evidence includes: annual training, materials in appropriate languages, interpretation services where appropriate
  • Add a section: Organization is accessible to the public. Evidence: website with easy to find contact information, Phone number on materials (since some small organizations may not have a website)
  • Add a section on advocacy: Board and staff understand advocacy rules as they pertain to the organization. Evidence: advocacy policies, advocacy addressed in personnel policies, advocacy a board agenda item, etc
  • Confidentiality statement: The Committee reviewed a draft statement and amended so that the recommended statement is: All information received about a specific organization or individual through the Accountability Standards

checklist, mentoring program, and other means will remain confidential. The information may be used to help identify areas of future programming or other forms of technical assistance that One Voice Central Texas can provide.It was recommended that One Voice members sign this statement and it is kept in the One Voice files.

  • Website: Communications Committee will be asked to review the efficacy of creating a password protected part of the website where resources can be located, so that it is a member benefit. Members were concerned that it should be as barrier-free as possible and allow individuals to identify their own password.
  • Mentoring Program: Members discussed the various ways in which a mentoring program can be established and noted that there are three types of possible mentoring:
  1. Mentor for new Executive Directors – pairing a seasoned Executive Director with someone new to the position. Agree to minimum one hour a month for a year.
  2. Peer to Peer Buddy – randomly assign peers to learn from each other over the course of a year – agree to once a month contact over the course of a year. Assigned each February.
  3. Resource Mentor – provide technical/resource assistance on various topics. Mentor agrees to be contacted for targeted questions and provide resources and advice. Ad hoc and as needed. Resource mentors would be listed on the One Voice website and members would contact them as necessary

Each January, One Voice members will have the opportunity to sign up and state

in which mentorship area they are interested.

Action Items:

  • Amy will make the adjustments on the checklist
  • Ellen will review the AFR and 990 to ensure that no significant domain is missing
  • Marci will present the checklist and confidentiality statement to the Executive Committee in May
  • Sam will ask Lily to align the Accountability Guide with the checklist domains
  • Entire group was asked to think about ways to make the presentation to membership interactive and creative.

Potential Additional Future Action Items:

  • Identify logical connections with the HR & Finance groups

Next meeting: May 23rd 3:00pm at Any Baby Can which will focus on preparing for the June presentation to membership on the Accountability Standards. The group will also review and refine the components of the mentoring program.