Tough questions
Since we're talking about some poverty-related issues, here's something that's been on my mind ... increasingly so in recent weeks. I fear it's going to come across as a criticism of OneAthens, which isn't my intent, so I'll try to formulate this the best I can.
My concern is that with OneAthens hiring staff and seeking to raise $5 million (which, personally, seems a bit outlandish), what does that do to our existing social service providers in town? Particularly with the great potential to develop the Athens Resource Center for the Homeless and offer real, proven solutions to combat homelessness and poverty in our community?
Arguably all of these organizations need money and arguably they're all engaged in good work, but there are only so many avenues of funding and only so many donors willing to write a check.
Case in point, ARCH agencies will receive funding to handle the purchase of land and development of buildings, but will have to raise all other revenue to fund these operations which, for many, are expansions of existing services. So, for instance, IHN of Athens is slated in the agreement to provide child care services, which will require anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 in additional funds to staff and maintain this facility. So will the other organizations in ARCH (though by varying numbers), and this is in addition to existing services they provide.
With more and more folks seeking funding, and less and less funding coming from the state and federal level, this means the competition for private funds and grant opportunities will only go up. And, if OneAthens is trying raise $5 million to cover its costs, how will this impact those providers who have been on the ground working to combat poverty since the beginning?
My concern is that with OneAthens hiring staff and seeking to raise $5 million (which, personally, seems a bit outlandish), what does that do to our existing social service providers in town? Particularly with the great potential to develop the Athens Resource Center for the Homeless and offer real, proven solutions to combat homelessness and poverty in our community?
Arguably all of these organizations need money and arguably they're all engaged in good work, but there are only so many avenues of funding and only so many donors willing to write a check.
Case in point, ARCH agencies will receive funding to handle the purchase of land and development of buildings, but will have to raise all other revenue to fund these operations which, for many, are expansions of existing services. So, for instance, IHN of Athens is slated in the agreement to provide child care services, which will require anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 in additional funds to staff and maintain this facility. So will the other organizations in ARCH (though by varying numbers), and this is in addition to existing services they provide.
With more and more folks seeking funding, and less and less funding coming from the state and federal level, this means the competition for private funds and grant opportunities will only go up. And, if OneAthens is trying raise $5 million to cover its costs, how will this impact those providers who have been on the ground working to combat poverty since the beginning?
posted by Jmac at 11:47 AM
5 Comments:
I actually disagree, if OneAthens is planning to act as a capstone rather than a competitor, because I find that our patchwork of nonprofit and government services is inefficient, both for nonprofits and clients.
It depends on less on what OneAthens will provide and more on where they go to get their funding. Even if they serve as a local clearinghouse for funding for existing agencies, they're going to be competiting with those organizations for money.
For instance, if Joe Smith gives $100 a year to, say, CASA, but realizes he can just give $150 to OneAthens and they'll put that money to work. That $100 to CASA then becomes something like $50 to them after the fact.
Granted, OneAthens, from what I hear, is still sorting out what they're going to do, but it seems rather clear they'll be in competition for local funding, as well as a few grant opportunities (less frequently though).
Few people give sacrificially, and most do it because they have some discretionary money and they want some element of benefit (either a personal, emotional one or a tax savings one). Most folks, if there's an additional agency in town, are going to divert money from one venture and give to another.
When IHN of Athens came into existence, places like CASA or the Athens Area Homeless Shelter saw a dip in their revenue. We've seen a dip in ours the past few years because of the emergence of other organizations.
I don't disagree that IHN might see a dip (and so might CASA, for that matter, or AAHS)...but is that necessarily a bad thing if what OneAthens is doing in fact serves to enhance the services fo those other organizations?
It all depends for me on what OneAthens intends to do. If OneAthens is going to significantly impact poverty in a way that IHN, CASA, etc., cannot do on their own or within the existing structure, then I think its creation is a good thing. Another logical discussion might be whether some of the nonprofits should consolidate -- most are struggling in an inefficient structure with a tiny and heroic board, and it bears consideration whether they might be made more effective by combining.
Ok, first, there are a finite number of philanthropy dollars in Athens. Any new organization will siphon off some of that money. Unless OneAthens has a plan to bring money into what is essentially a closed system, they will hurt existing non-profits. Second, in terms of efficiency, who has ever heard of adding a level of middle management (or a "capstone") as a method of increasing efficiency? For most of the business folks involved in this initiative, isn't the normal tact to ELIMINATE excess management? That is all OneAthens will be. Beyond that, all OneAthens offers so far is talk. Their initiatives are lifted from other groups (e.g. their affordable housing initiative; lifted from the Athens Affordable Housing Roundtable). Beyond this, they simply chose to ignore the white elephant in the room—UGA. The largest employer in Athens. When pressed on a living wage, in the presence of Arnett Mace, Jones spouts BS and offers little in terms of convincing Athenians that OneAthens stands for anything but a UGA puppet.
I'll post this to the continuation post as well, but I have worked with a lot of people in various ways who are trying to navigate the patchwork of Athens non-profits that provide various services. It's hard work.
Each non-profit defines its own focus and audience and rules. So it's not too unusual to run across people who aren't eligible for certain types of help from ANY local nonprofit. It's also not too unususal to run across people who are eligible, but have trouble figuring out how to get the help they're eligible for -- because they're only offered at location x between the hours of y and z, for issues a, b, and c requiring qualifications d and e. And of course some only provide services to people within a religious framework, which can also be off-putting and coercive to someone who can just choose to keep not getting help.
Which is to say that if you're trying to reduce or eliminate poverty, there are two ways to do so. One involves assessing what you have and simplifying information and access to it -- as Community Connection does. But that still doesn't resolve the gaps that exist among the services offered by the nonprofits. To resolve that kind of problem, and to make the decisions that need to be made from the perspective of a community-wide attack on poverty, resources must be dedicated to address the issue in a comprehensive, non-territorial way. And if that's what OneAthens wants to do, then I support that.
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