The Rundown - October 21, 2022
The latest news and notes from the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors
What are We Feeding America’s Poor People?
My day job is running a mid-size nonprofit here in America’s Midwest. Our nonprofit strives to serve people that are those that are experiencing poverty and one of the more tangible ways people receive our services is through one of two food pantries.
Our pantries serve a community of just over 100,000 people and last month, we served 1,200 people. In other words, in a one month period 1 out of every 80 people in my community visited one of our food pantry in a thirty-day period. If you don’t think food insecurity isn’t a real issue, think again.
So it was with that backdrop that this interesting opinion piece came from the Chronicle of Philanthropy imploring our nonprofits to think about what we are feeding our neighbors through our food pantries. Nancy Roman, the author of the piece and the President/CEO of the Partnership of Healthier America plainly states:
To help break this cycle, philanthropy needs to break away from old and ineffective funding patterns. Rather than simply throwing food at the problem, grant makers need to focus more on testing new approaches, collecting data, learning about what works, and sharing the knowledge.
These are all accurate statements and while our pantry is good at many of those things that Ms. Roman states above, there are still some challenges that need to be made.
For example, we collect tons of data on the people that come through our pantry. The data helps us figure out not only what we are doing well on the customer service side of the ledger (we continually rank high in questions like “Were you treated with care and courtesy today?” and “Was the food pantry prompt today?”), we also collect voluntary data on other topics that dig deeper into the health and lifestyles of those we serve.
“All we have is a microwave”
One of the most interesting pieces of qualitative survey data we received was this note on one of our surveys: “We are currently living in a hotel, we don’t have a stove and our fridge is very small, all we really have is a small microwave.” It’s in these instances that shelf-stable foods (albeit high in preservatives and carbohydrates) end up taking a lot of the space in the bag when families like this come through our pantry. While we wish we had more fruits and vegetables to give away, we also know that these food types do require a great deal of refrigeration and when cold storage space is low, it ends up being sacrificed for other things such as meats and dairy products.
The data is only as good as those reporting it
The argument under-girding Ms. Roman’s piece is that many of the health ailments facing our underserved communities (and the country as a whole) come from a poor diet. There is absolutely no argument on that.
Yet, when we ask those that we serve what kind of health conditions they are facing (such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes), an astounding 40% of all our respondents state that they have none of those health concerns. The numbers are even more surprising when you learn that most of those that come through our door are those that are elderly.
My only point is that if I am serving a population in which 40% of respondents do not think they have a health concern, I am a bit dubious that they are making conscious decisions on what to eat. These folks are dealing with the short-term crisis of hunger and they are willing to forgo the long-term consequences of a health ailment. It is not a function of a lack of education, or even a lack of access, it is more human nature than anything.
If people aren’t honest about their health, no amount of good foods thrown at them are going to help.
What people can expect here
One of the aspects about our food pantry is that people who come here are allowed to make choices about what they take home, but those choices are fairly limited. We use the United States Department of Agriculture “Choose my Plate” model to provide balanced meals for those that are visiting our pantry. Families and individuals are limited in what they can receive from each food group. For four person families, they can choose 18 items from our pantry, nine of those items must be a fruit, vegetable or protein (such as beans) only two items come from our “sweets and oils” section.
A Work in Progress
I am grateful for pieces like the ones written by Ms. Roman. These ideas should make us think deeply about how we are caring for our fellow neighbors and they help me take stock of the situation we are facing here at the nonprofit where I work. Above all else, the ideas make me think that while we do have a lot of work ahead of us to not only fight food insecurity, but making sure those foods can help create long and productive lives, we have come a long way and for that I am eternally grateful.
The Weekly Announcements
A quick rundown of what I am seeing and hearing in the nonprofit world….
Now Hiring!
I have a nonprofit in Sidney, Ohio that has reached out to me looking for a new Executive Director. I can tell you that this a very strong organization that needs leadership that has strong entrepreneurial and staff management skills. If you have any interest, please drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and let’s talk!
Registrations now open for Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership!
Registrations are now open for continuing education offered by Edison State Community College in Piqua for the Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership! I have been a proud alumni of both programs and have even been asked to help present sessions and teach classes. It’s an amazing program and I would encourage you to be a part of it if you are in the area! You can register here.
The Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership 1.0 is a series of workshops designed to develop more effective directors, leaders, board members, staff and volunteers of nonprofit organizations. Course topics include the fundamental practices of board recruitment, planning, staffing, budgeting, evaluation, board meetings and community awareness. The classes are designed to help individuals make a difference on their boards and in their community.
The Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership 2.0 has been created and designed specifically for experienced executive directors of nonprofit organizations and alumni of the Academy for Community Leadership 1.0. This challenging and intensive Academy is coordinated by the Academy development team and participants. Advanced participants will conduct original research and exchange results via reports and discussion. Participants will help to further develop the foundational agenda for each of the four monthly sessions that will explore nonprofit organizations—based upon their backgrounds, experiences, pressing issues and needs—through self-analysis, organizational analysis, guest speakers, best practices, resource review and in-depth discussions. At its conclusion, Academy 2.0 participants will be immersed in the annual Mosaic of Community Leadership Conference, both as participants and presenters. Academy 2.0 is the latest collaboration between the Paul G. Duke Foundation and the Edison State Community College Center for Leadership Development.
We are Trying Something New
Perhaps you read our last “Deeper Dive” where we talked about the amazing power of Youtube as a Social Media platform. Well, a reader challenged me and said hey, “Why don’t you start your own channel?”
Okay, challenge accepted. Here is our channel with our first four videos. We had some readers share them on LinkedIn (THANK YOU!) and the response has been positive. Check it out and let me know what you think! Feel free to drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com or just comment below!
Here is a link to our YouTube Channel!
Check Out Some New Resources
Pinnacle Strategies has created a new resource! Check out our store here on the gumroad platform. These are the three most popular tools that I am hit up for. Take a look at these tools and of course, if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
What Can We Work on Together?
Did you know that Pinnacle Strategies works individually with nonprofit and public sector leaders to help them solve problems, achieve goals and gain confidence in their roles?
Why?
Because, this work is hard and it’s often a lonely road. Our nonprofit and public sector leaders need people that they can talk to to get solid advice and encouragement to do the work that is in front of them. If you feel that this can be of value to you, or a member of your team, please reach out to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and let’s talk.
A Quick Note of Thanks!
Thank you all for subscribing to this newsletter. The subscription numbers continue to grow and from what I am learning, this side job seems like it has “sticking power”. I am not getting inquiries and calls from literally all over the world wanting to partner and work together to create value for you, the non profit and philanthropy leader. I feel very excited about the future of this newsletter and if you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to share them with me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com
I know many of you have shared this with your friends and colleagues and I am very grateful. Thank you! If you haven’t shared it yet…..well, here is your chance….
Ready to Learn Something New?
One of the prettiest cities in Fall is Indianapolis and travelling there can open a perfect opportunity to sharpen your skills and meet new professionals in the field. I would encourage you to look at some of the offerings of The Fund Raising School at the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University’s campus in Indianapolis. The professional development school has great programming both on-line and in-person both in Indianapolis and at other sites across the country. Take a look at their course offerings here!
Other Ways to Connect
Our coaching practice has openings starting here in 2022. If you are interested in working with me to get your nonprofit organization on a track to achieve the big missions you have for your organization, please reach out to me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Here are some other ways you can keep in contact with Pinnacle Strategies!
Check us out on our LinkedIn Page
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