At work in over 2,500 American cities — and now, other countries.

New and exciting breakthroughs in networking technology ,collaboration, and systemic change now make it possible for communities to develop comprehensive and streamlined processes that empower people to map-out their own successful journey from crisis to sustainability to abundant living.

Diverse helping agencies can collectively coordinate (in real-time) resources that do more than just help people get by, but instead, help them get ahead to a better quality of life and a brighter future.  Agencies can also monitor people’s forward progress and advise adjustments when needed.

Transformation Roadmap
The Power of Assessments

The Power of Assessments

Could you create assessments that help you evaluate program effectiveness or gaps? What about assessments to help people see their personal progress over time? Or, what about assessments that can help you determine someone’s vulnerability? In this webinar, Krista reviews the different types of assessments CharityTracker and Oasis Insight users are utilizing, from Getting Ahead participant resources to Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) vulnerability indexes.

Learn:
  • Create assessments to evaluate program effectiveness
  • Creating assessments to help people measure their progress over time
  • Creating assessments to help people measure their progress over time

Presenter:

Jason Gabriel
Jason Gabriel
Simon Solutions
Krista Petty
Krista Petty
Simon Solutions
Getting Ahead: Helping People Create a Plan for Stability

Getting Ahead: Helping People Create a Plan for Stability

In this webinar, we explore the Getting Ahead model, moving people from crisis to sustainability and becoming problem-solvers. Author and consultant, Phil DeVol will go over how class participants, called “investigators,” examine their own experience of poverty as well as explore issues in the community that impact poverty. You will also learn how facilitators guide “investigators” through an assessment of their own resources and how to build those resources as part of their move to self-sufficiency. Through Getting Ahead, lives are challenged and changed and graduates are provided support from Bridges Out of Poverty collaboratives as they work toward their goals. We also look at the CharityTracker and Getting Ahead partnership to assess and measure “investigator” success.

Learn:
  • How class participants examine their own experience of poverty and explore issues in the community
  • How facilitators guide participants through an assessment of their own resources and how to build those resources
  • How CharityTracker and Getting Ahead have partnered to assess and measure participant success

Presenter:

Phil DeVol
Phil DeVol
aha Process!
The Getting Ahead Experience

The Getting Ahead Experience

Learn about the Getting Ahead experience from a team facilitators, participants and the author. This webinar features an up-close look at facilitating the program and what individual and community change looks like!

Learn:
  • How participants examine their resources, attitudes & aspirations
  • The hidden rules of economic class and how to navigate around them.
  • How participants plan for new, more self-sufficient futures for themselves AND their communities!

Presenter:

Phil DeVol
Phil DeVol
aha Process!
Stanley Smith
Stanley Smith
Lucas County Family Council
Measuring Outcomes Together

Measuring Outcomes Together

What would it look like to launch 2,000 people on the path to self-sufficiency in 2,000 days in your community? United Way of the Piedmont realized that through the Community Investment Process nearly 75% of the resources earmarked for Financial Stability were allocated to the Safety Net services, leaving only 25% to invest in programs that help families acquire and manage resources at the self-sufficient level. Understanding the importance of equally investing in programs on both ends of the spectrum, the Board of the United Way decided to launch the Financial Stability Initiative.

Learn:
  • 7 keys to self-sufficiency this group identified for people in their community
  • Partnerships and tools being used to move this initiative forward
  • How this community is using CharityTracker Plus and the Outcomes module for Case Management and collective reporting

Presenter:

Hannah Jarrett
Hannah Jarrett
United Way of the Piedmont
Krista Petty
Krista Petty
Simon Solutions
Reports & Documents

Reports & Documents

Content coming soon...

Capacity-building Tools

Capacity-building Tools — 3 categories

Now it is possible!

Helping agencies, across a community, are learning how to work together more efficiently and effectively to transform the lives of individuals and families. New and exciting breakthroughs in networking and capacity-building technology are happening in over 2,000 cities in 49 states.

Charities, churches, schools, hospitals, food banks, funders, and more are learning how to align their unique strengths and collectively tackle tough community challenges with greater impact and success. Every community, across the country, now has a big opportunity to create an unprecedented model for comprehensive coordinated care that makes a real and lasting difference.

Proven Resources

Since 2006, we have worked with many experts and practitioners, who are passionately engaged in combating poverty, hunger, homelessness, and more. Their knowledge and experience have proven to be a "best practice" for collective community impact. Each column is a clickable link to their websites.

aha Process

Bridges Out of Poverty

Getting Ahead provides people in poverty with the same information found in Bridges Out of Poverty, which was developed for professionals and others in the community working to end poverty.  Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World is a book and a 45-hour workshop that helps individuals in poverty build their resources for a more prosperous life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Phil DeVolGetting Ahead
Phil DeVol
Author / Educator
Getting Ahead Network
phil.gettingahead@gmail.com
Tru Charity

True Charity

True charity stems from compassion and cannot be legislated. Government is an institution and cannot be charitable in truth. True charity is voluntarily sourced. If charity doesn’t empower the poor, it misses the mark.Empowerment is impossible without some aspect of challenge to help a personbecome self-sufficient. Real charity is “made actual” – it makes a realdifference. Some good or service is rendered to the poor, and outcomes aremeasured to ensure that efforts are actually making a difference in theindividual and community.

James WhitfordLife Deck
James Whitford
Executive Director
True Charity Initiative
james@truecharity.us
Spark Consulting

Spark Consulting Group

We believe our leaders and organizations must be equipped with the resources, tools, and talent necessary to tackle deeply rooted problems that exist in our communities. Too many times, those entrusted to make a difference are expected to do so with extremely limited resources and insufficient support. On a mission to change the odds.  Spark Consulting Group works alongside courageous organizations that dare to combat social epidemics plaguing our community – providing expertise, technical support, and strategic leadership.  

Angie WilliamsSpark Consulting
Angie Williams
Founder / President
Spark Consulting Group
angie@sparkachangenow.com
Tom Wolff

Tom Wolff & Associates

Tom Wolff and Associates bring forty years of experience in coalition building, community development, collaborative solutions and collective impact. We can advance and support your community and agency initiatives. We have the tools and resources necessary to mobilize the power of collaborative processes in your communities. Through collaborations and coalitions, individuals, organizations and communities become empowered to impact the world around them. Our work is dedicated to bringing greater joy and a deeper sense of spirit and purpose to those seeking to create healthy communities.

Tom WolffPower of Collaborative Solutions
Tom Wolff
Author / Consultant
Tom Wolff & Associates
tom@tomwolff.com
Significant Matters

Significant Matters

Since 2005, Significant Matters has worked with individuals, businesses, city government, non-profits and especially the faith-based community both domestically and internationally to explore and develop more sustainable waysof doing good. Though we still have a long way to go, we believe it’s possibleto accelerate the learning curve in this arena through an initiative we haveentitled SATtalks, which stands for Sustainability and Transformation Talks.

Tom BassfordSaTtalks
Tom Bassford
Executive Director
Significant Matters / SATtalks
info@significantmatters.com
Good Cities

Good Cities

GoodCities specializes in coaching those who are facilitating the development of a city transformation movement. Our coaches understand the dynamics of leading citywide kingdom coalitions which seek to serve God and their city. Each coach understands the stages of transformation and the skills needed to move from one stage to the next. Our coaches are capable of teaching these skills or can bring in trainers who can. Coaching is a dynamic partnership between the coach and one being coached, helping that person/team move from where they are toward the person/team’s desired destinations. Those destinations are defined and shaped by the person/team being coached with the help of the coach to unlock the vision, build confidence, focus on goals, take practical steps and celebrate progress.

Glenn BarthGood Cities
Glenn Barth
Author / Educator
GoodCities
glenn@goodcities.net

Recommended Reading

The following is a list of books that you will find informative and encouraging. These resources will help individual organizations and communities to build capacity for collective community impact.

Power of Collaborative SolutionsCommunityWhen People Care Enough to ActCollaboration ChallengeWhen Helping HurtsToxic CharityXL R8Leap of ReasonThe Performance FactorThe Abundant CommunityBridges Out of PovertyWell-connect Community

More Good Reads