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How New Media Networks Sustain Long-Term Relationships

Austin, Texas

by Alan Nagal of ABBA- Austin Bridge Builders Alliance

Certainly, no one wants a disaster to occur. But, if one does happen, it can become a catalyst to unite people in new and extraordinary ways. A catastrophic event can provide a spark to motivate people to go from working as individuals or individual groups to reaching out to their neighbors together in a way that has a greater impact.

Austin Bridge Builders Alliance (ABBA) is employing new media and communications technologies to direct that spark in sustainable and meaningful ways to improve Austin in a permanent and measurable manner.

When the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina sent hundreds of evacuees to Austin in 2005, the communications and response systems were not in place to afford ease of service to the evacuees. But as compassion ministries and pastor networks, including ABBA, came together ad hoc networks formed to serve their immediate needs and provide guidance for long-term recovery.

The experience and lessons of Hurricane Katrina validated the need for a better, more permanent system for communicating needs and accessing resources when time is of the essence. Because of the way the faith community responded to the disaster, the city recognized that congregational networks who were ready and willing to serve Austin may very well be a part of that solution.

This led to the creation of the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN). ADRN provides a hub for emergency preparedness training during non emergencies so that during emergencies there are systems and resources ready to be mobilized as soon as possible. Today, this network of churches, using new and social media, is able to communicate and unite people for sustainable support in response to emergency situations at the touch of the 'send' button.

The recent wildfires demonstrate the power of new communications technologies to activate networks and forge united responses to communities in need. Minutes after the first wildfires erupted, the technology tools that were in place united the needs of Bastrop and Travis counties with the Christian community, mobilizing volunteers and resources needed to respond to the disaster. Today, as these communities begin the challenge of rebuilding lives, these tools will continue to drive ongoing efforts to serve our neighbors.

Virtual Connections to Real Disasters

When the wildfires erupted, ABBA was in immediate contact with ADRN Executive Director Daniel Geraci to understand what was needed—both on the ground and in regard to volunteers.

As a first responder, ADRN created and ran the shelters for the people fleeing as wildfires hit their neighborhoods. Daniel communicated regularly with ABBA, texting, emailing and calling about the kind of assistance needed in these shelters.

Each level of disaster response requires differing levels of expertise. As Daniel communicated the skill levels needed, we turned quickly to our networks, tweeting, posting or texting to the volunteers who could deliver the services needed at that time.

ABBA's different Facebook and Twitter communities allowed for the collection and gathering of information to appropriate groups. These social communities supported our ability to maintain lines of communication on an ongoing basis with pastors and churches to anticipate ways their church members could engage. With each email or text, pastors in the ABBA network could begin cultivating those resources within their churches. This support could be food and clothing drives, assistance in cleaning up affected areas, long-term housing support for those who had lost their homes or emotional and spiritual support through the recovery process.

In addition, ADRN operated its own call center out of Hill Country Bible Church Northwest. With a dozen phones and computers, the center was operational from the first day of the wildfires. Two separate phone lines were set up: one for those who wanted to help and one for those in need. The volunteers who manned this call center shared information through the use of a text messaging service.

As families indicated they wanted the faith community to help them begin to walk through the recovery process, ADRN would input their information in Charity Tracker. As churches volunteered to sponsor or adopt families, they would access the needs of the family from Charity Tracker. Because of the sharing of information through the secure web-based benevolence software and the willingness for churches and ministries to become a member of the local Charity Tracker network, the process for connecting people wanting help to those who were willing and able was streamlined. In essence, a family needing help could go from being by themselves to having a group of 12 people around them in less than 24 hours.

As evacuees returned to their neighborhoods, volunteers were already there, standing by to be with those who would be returning for the first time. Volunteers helped debrief people from the trauma, determined their immediate needs and provided the needed emotional and spiritual support as they faced the devastation to their neighborhoods and their friends.

ADRN volunteers will continue to log, track and report on resource needs and assistance provided through Charity Tracker. ABBA will use data gathered through Charity Tracker to measure and report on ways the faith community responded to the wildfire disaster. We will also use Charity Tracker data to quantify the impact of benevolence on disaster response—and how that impact can be extended to new needs in Austin.

From response to recovery

As the families of Bastrop and Travis counties begin the hard work of recovery, ABBA’s goal is to capture the momentum stirred by the wildfire response, directing that passion into long-term relationships on behalf of the numerous needs that exist in Austin when we are not in a state of emergency. We strive to empower churches and their congregants to step forward and take action on behalf of our city, so that they're not just going to church on Sundays, but they're working together, as Christians, seeking the peace and prosperity of the city as encouraged in Jeremiah.

Zetify.org is an important tool that will support those long-term relationships. Zetify is a web-based relationship-building resource that allows the public to see what's happening within the Christian community in Austin: events at churches, volunteer needs within ministries and nonprofits, social interactions and other opportunities to get out and get involved. It is a central hub to connect needs, identify resources and engage in volunteer activities.

The wildfires demonstrated the power of connected, flexible and responsive networks fueled by new media tools. We now have an even clearer picture in how to cultivate and marshal the power of these networks to improve our city.

Here's a link to the original article.

Full Circle

Conway, South Carolina

Via Michele Borbely
Caseworker for Salvation Army
Horry County Social Services:

When people in our community are in need, they come see me. I work to provide emergency food, clothing vouchers, energy and rental assistance (when funds are available), and assistance with burn-outs.

This past year was a very busy time for the Salvation Army Social Services, with many sad, happy, and inspiring stories. There is one story in particular that stands out and really conveys what the Salvation Army Social Services is all about.

In October 2011, an elderly gentleman walked into my office for utility assistance. He has never asked our Salvation Army for assistance before and was very thankful that we were able to meet with him. As he sat down, he extended his hand, smiled and said, “My name is Joe Smith.” As I took his hand and introduced myself my heart began to break; this gentleman had to be at least ninety and one of the nicest people that has ever walked through my door. Before we even began the intake process I knew he was someone who would appreciate anything he received, and I was so happy we had EFSP (Emergency Food & Shelter Program) funds available to help him.

To begin the intake process I logged into my Charity Tracker account and typed his name in the search bar. I could see that he was a client of CAPS (Client Assistance Program, SC) in the past, and there was something posted in the notes section. It was note posted by CAPS stating that Mr. Smith was the oldest living Navy Seal and that he served in WWII! All I could think was what an honor it was to have this man sitting in front of me; I knew I had to do everything in my power to help him.

I went over the general information with Mr. Smith (address, income, expenses, number of individuals in the household, etc.). Mr. Smith and his wife live in Conway and receive Social Security and a very small amount of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.

Throughout the process Mr. Smith just smiled and made a few jokes. As I called his electric company to see how much he needed to guarantee service for an additional thirty days, all I could think was, “Please let me be able to help him.” I think I smiled bigger than Mr. Smith when I told him we were going to be able to pay his whole bill of $203.84 through the EFSP Phase 29 funds.

As I filled out the paperwork, Mr. Smith began to tell me that when he was a teenager all he wanted to do was join the service, and his mother said, “Absolutely not,” so he ran away from home. He hitch-hiked across the country to California. Once he arrived on the West Coast he had nothing, not a dollar to his name.

He continued to tell me how someone told him to go to the local Salvation Army in San Diego. There they were able to provide the young Mr. Smith with a hot meal and warm bed before he enlisted in the Navy. He went on to say today was the first time since that day that he had ever asked the Salvation Army for help. He said how grateful he was that at both times in his life, we were able to assist him.

As I pushed the tears back and handed Mr. Smith his ID, he said that this was the best birthday gift he has ever received. How had I missed that today was his 88th birthday? It just made me even happier that we were able to assist him.

Days like this one are the reason I went to school to become a social worker. I was so happy and excited to be able to assist this sweet, gentle man that served his country, that made the world a better place for me…I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. It is people like Mr. Smith that make my job worth doing. Even though I have to turn down more people than I assist due to lack of resources, the ones that I am able to help are always so grateful.

Here's a link to the original article.

Beyond poverty: Lowcountry network seeks to marshal churches, charities in effort to empower poor

Charleston, South Carolina

by Adam Parker, The Post and Courier

Posted: Sunday, July 24, 2011 12:01 a.m., Updated: Friday, March 23, 2012 10:39 p.m.

There are doers and there are facilitators.

Chuck Coward and the Human Needs Network are mostly in the second category. Coward's title is chief vision navigator, which indicates his emphasis. The goal is to make connections among potential collaborators -- nonprofits, churches, agencies and service providers -- in an effort to alleviate the effects of systemic poverty.

Once called Charleston Outreach and affiliated with the Charleston Baptist Association, the now-independent Human Needs Network assumed its new name officially on Jan. 1.

And it's been ramping up its efforts lately, forging new collaborations on Johns Island and in Goose Creek, seeking to empower both the impoverished and those who serve them.

Coward and his small staff are the idea generators, the cheerleaders, the faithful who believe that communities can be healed when resources are combined and deployed by teams of caring people, he said.

But it's not only about beneficent ideas.

CharityTracker

In 2009, the Human Needs Network and Trident United Way introduced a new computer-based solution to link local churches and agencies together so they could share information about clients served.

The software product is called CharityTracker.

When churches are able to centralize key information, they can better track which services have been offered and make their outreach ministries more efficient, Coward has said.

"We're wanting to help the church be the church," he said, "to be a life-restoring institution in a broken world."

Today, local users of CharityTracker number more than 100 and include East Cooper Community Outreach, Stallsville United Methodist Church in Summerville, St. Andrew's Church and East Cooper Baptist in Mount Pleasant, Northbridge Baptist Church in West Ashley and Midland Park Ministry Center (part of Riverbluff Church) in North Charleston.

About 400 individuals at churches and agencies have been given access to the database, and more than 46,000 clients (nearly 21,000 households) have received $2.6 million in financial assistance since 2009, according to Cathy Easley, Trident United Way's vice president of Safety Net Services.

"Now it is so much easier to look at a picture of a family in a positive way," Easley said. "With a family in need, it's so important to determine what's missing, specifically, to help them move forward."

CharityTracker's bulletin feature enables easy inter-agency communication and minimizes the need for lots of phone calls, she said.

"Midland Park Ministries recently sent a bulletin out. They had a woman who makes a living sewing. But her machine was disabled," Easley said. "Within five minutes, she had five offers of a sewing machine."

The requirements of one service provider are known to the others, making the delivery of aid more efficient, and the burden on the client less cumbersome, she said.

"It builds trust between all of the agencies and churches."

Collaboration

Coward and Easley co-administer the CharityTracker program. They work together to offer human needs response training in the Lowcountry's communities, bringing stakeholders together and encouraging the kind of collaboration that might lead to true social and economic restoration, they said.

On Johns and Wadmalaw islands, Coward and his colleagues have learned about acute food insecurity, especially among vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, disabled and children.

Food insecurity is strongly associated with household income. It is, by definition, a condition that arises from a lack of enough income and other resources.

Human needs training there brought people from 13 churches to the table to discuss systemic problems and the need to deliver not only emergency food aid but also nutrition, Coward said.

"We recognized a general desire for the Johns Island world to be better, and community leaders are dedicated to improving it, but they're not sure how," Coward said. "So we're using food insecurity as the catalyst to create collaborative behavior across organizational lines."

What's desired is long-term change.

"It's not about establishing more food pantries but creating systems that move people from instability to stability to self-sustainability," he said.

Housing aid

In Goose Creek, the Human Needs Network is consulting with clergy about the need for emergency shelter and transitional housing.

Coward said he hopes to help design a small transitional housing pilot that can be expanded and replicated throughout the area.

The organization also is a partner in the Ramp It Up program, whose ambitious goal is "to build every needed wheelchair ramp in the Tri-County by the end of 2011."

Working with the Disability Resource Center, Operation Home, Trident Area Agency on Aging and a host of volunteers, the collaborative effort has installed 11 ramps since it announced the initiative in April.

But success depends not only on collaboration, but on the kind of collaboration that delivers sustainable change, Coward said. And that requires that the community ask itself some difficult questions.

"Is our help the right kind of help?" Is it long-lasting, will it empower the powerless? Or is it guilt relief?

And change, Coward said, requires an essential ingredient: the right attitude.

"People develop an attitude toward people in poverty that's one of frustration and even anger," Coward noted. They blame the victim, he said. They expect him to just work harder.

"But do you know their story?"

Beginning in November, the Human Needs Network will present the Bridges Out of Poverty program, which models poverty through role playing and puts participants in the shoes of the poor. The program likely will be offered semi-annually and include community leaders as well as average citizens.

It's designed to sensitize people about the true cost of poverty and the difficult challenges it presents, he said. It's meant to shatter assumptions and change attitudes.

"Assumptions can be poison to restoration," Coward said.

Here's a link to the original article.

Charity database helps people get back on their feet

Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:27 PM CST
Updated: Apr 07, 2011 7:06 AM CST

By Aisha Tyler

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Several Lowcountry organizations have teamed up to help people in need, impacting the lives of many as they struggle through difficult times. The online database is called Charity Tracker, which allows organizations to collaborate and assist online.

"When all of this happened my grades were low and now my grades are back to A's and B's," said 7th grader Karlessia Middleton.

That's in part because of much of the help she and her family has received after their home burned down a week before Thanksgiving this past November.

"It makes me feel like all is not lost its been hard but there's still some good people in the world," said her mother Annette Green.

The Charity Tracker system has become a life changer for those like Annette.

Trident United Way and the Human Needs Network have joined forces, and through them, churches and other agencies can also get involved.

Green's information is entered into an online database which allows several organizations to respond to her families specific needs.

"Charity Tracker has helped us do major levels of communicating it has just changed our response patterns," said Human Needs Network Executive Director Chuck Coward.

Coward says the program allows every group helping Green to enter notes and even send out bulletins, giving them a way to keep up with her families needs while getting back on their feet.

"Because of this collaborative effort we have been able to continue to work with her and make some connections to the right agencies to continue to help her and her family," Coward said.

Annette says it is really made a difference.

"I'm grateful for the help we received we still have a long way to go were living day by day the best we can," Green said.

Copyright 2011 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Here's a link to the original article.

Beaufort County organizations and churches working together

Beaufort, South Carolina

Posted: Apr 21, 2010 5:19 PM CST
Updated: Apr 23, 2010 9:18 AM CST

By Jaime Dailey

BEAUFORT, SC (WTOC) - With the economy, more people are needing assistance to make ends meet. That's why organizations and churches are coming together to make sure those who need the help, get it.

Volunteers at St. Vincent DePaul Outreach of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Beaufort stay pretty busy, keeping the shelves stocked to help feed those who need it.

"We used to see close to 500 families a month and now we are up over 900 and there doesn't really seem to be any end in sight as more people are in need," said Caroline Lutz with St. Vincent DePaul Outreach.

While clients come to the food pantry for groceries, volunteers often find out they are in need of other assistance.

"Someone could come in and have electric bills and not know what resources are available in the community to help with that," said Lutz.

While they're not changing their mission, the food pantry is joining forces with other churches and non-profit organizations in Beaufort County called CSO, Community Services Organization. It's a group Steve Curless with the Help of Beaufort started to help make sure those who need help, get it.

"We have so many needy out there that don't know where to go and by bringing everyone together, the churches and everyone know where to send people for different items," said Curless.

With 50 churches and organizations on board, they're implementing a new online database called Charity Tracker, which will help organizations help their clients like never before.

"When they enter a person's name into the Charity Tracker, which is completely secure, then all of the other organizations on this will be able to see where that person has been helped and where they can send that person to be helped," said Curless.

Lutz sees it as another way to serve their clients and help the most people.

"We need to be good stuarts of the resources people have entrusted to us so if we can work together and prevent duplication and work more efficiently that's a win, win for everyone," said Lutz.

CSO was able to get Charity Tracker up and running thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Coastal Community Foundation.

If you would like to get involved with CSO contact Steve Curless at 843.252.2710.

Copyright 2010 WTOC. All rights reserved.

Here's a link to the original article.

Benevolence in a recession: Churches help needy, try to screen out greedy

Bobby Ross Jr.

The man’s emotional appeal touched the hearts of the elders at the Sunny Hills church in Fullerton, California.

A young father of three told of losing his job and seeing his family — including a newborn — evicted from their apartment.

The church gave him $700 for temporary housing and car repairs, and the family attended a couple of worship assemblies, elder John Free said.

But then the man began approaching a widow in the congregation for money. The elders became more concerned when they learned of the man’s run-ins with a mechanic and a minister at a different church.

“We have come to the conclusion that we need to be … more thorough and organized in doing background checks,” Free said.

Amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, many churches across the nation report increasing cases of strangers seeking help with food, rent and utility payments.

At some congregations, requests for benevolence are up 25 percent or more, a survey by The Christian Chronicle found.

“We are also seeing a comparable increase in the number of members needing assistance,” said Patrick Odum, minister of the Northwest church in Chicago.

Benevolence ministry leaders say they are eager to feed, clothe and house “the least of these” — as Jesus described the less fortunate in Matthew 25.

But determining who is truly needy and not simply greedy can be a challenge.

“While you don’t want to see anyone suffer, especially children, you don’t want to waste the Lord’s money either,” said Diane Stephens, office manager at the Livonia, Mich., church.

That congregation, west of Detroit, offers the poor gift cards to a supermarket that does not sell cigarettes.

Members also support God’s Helping Hands, an area-wide ministry that serves the needy.

Stephens and the congregation’s benevolence ministry leader screen people who show up at the church asking for help.

“We know who the regulars are,” she said. “After a while, you get a feel for those who might be abusing things.”

WHO’S A SCAMMER?

“Repeat customers” are a concern for many churches.

“Those who really need help are generally reluctant to ask,” said Jackie Chesnutt, minister and elder at the Southside church in Rogers, Ark., which provides a free community lunch each Thursday. “Many who are quick to ask for help are generally poor money managers, poor decision makers and have become so dependent on agencies, churches and government that they don’t know how to take steps to help themselves.”

Flooded with requests for food and clothing, the Gateway church in Pensacola, Fla., works with other churches and agencies to monitor who receives aid.

“We have had a lot of repeat customers — folks who were using us and other churches regularly,” minister Danny Dodd said. “While we still will help, we do want to be the best stewards of what we have. We use a company called Charity Tracker which connects us with other churches so that together we can keep up with who is getting aid.”

In 19 years in full-time ministry, Roger Woods said he has observed three main categories of people who seek assistance: the scammer, the opportunistic and the truly needy.

“I believe the scammer to be the least common,” said Woods, minister and elder at the Walled Lake, Mich., church, northwest of Detroit. “The most common are those who are in need but are taking advantage of the system. The truly needy are certainly among us, and we need to help them out.”

Woods stressed: “We have found that the largest part of our benevolence budget has been spent on members of our own church due to job loss, death of a spouse, disability and the like. These are definitely not scammers.”

PRAYERS AND POLICIES

If a family seeks food or shelter, the University church in Abilene, Texas, provides it.

It’s that simple, ministry leader Mel Hailey said.

“There are no loopholes for ignoring the poor,” Hailey said. “It is not my responsibility to do a means test.

“In our community, there is a database where one can check to see if the person requesting help is ‘working the system,’” he added. “This is particularly helpful for rent and utility requests. If we err, we choose to do so on the side of helping.”

Asked how he screens those who express needs, Jack Bower, an elder at the King of Prussia, Pa., church, replied: “I pray for God’s wisdom and grace.”

While acknowledging the power of prayer, the Walled Lake church and other congregations have developed policies — and application forms — aimed at screening out those who prey on churches’ goodwill. Typically, these forms require people to provide documentation such as a pay stub, driver’s license or utility bill to verify their address.

“People give money and food with the expectation that it is given to genuinely needy people,” said Steve Mahoney, minister of the Newark, Del., church.

That church’s car care ministry relies on a form designed to verify that recipients make less than $23,000 a year, secretary Carol Sizemore said. The congregation does not turn away anyone requesting food but limits the use of its pantry to once a month.

“Many of the contributors to our food pantry are brothers and sisters of modest means themselves,” Mahoney said. “But in the end, I’d rather get scammed than turn away someone who really needs help.”

Back in California, the Sunny Hills elders are developing a new application form for benevolence and planning to partner with other charitable organizations to help identify those in need.

“While we want to be helpful to people in need, especially children who may suffer due to the choices of their parents, we do not want to reinforce irresponsible choices,” Free said.

GO TO CHURCH, GET HELP?

Some churches ask that people expressing a need attend church or participate in a Bible study before receiving help.

“If they won’t come to church, this indicates to me they are not completely genuine,” said Bill Mendenhall, a deacon at the Northside church in Jeffersonville, Ind., which operates a food pantry and helps with utility bills and rent. “On the phone, I guarantee assistance if they will attend with us during our worship assemblies.”

Other ministry leaders caution against tying physical aid to spiritual requirements.

“I don’t think mixing benevolence and evangelism is the best way,” said Don Yelton, local benevolence deacon at the Hendersonville, N.C., church. “I think we should just help the needy because they are needy and then get on with evangelizing our communities through other methods.”

In Fort Worth, Texas, the food bank at the Western Hills church opens from 4 to 7 p.m. each Thursday. Last fall, the church started offering a Bible study at 3 p.m. before the pantry opens, minister Ron Buch said.

While not a requirement to receive aid, showing up for the study allows clients to claim an early place in line.

“We have had two baptisms thus far result from that effort,” Buch said.

Carl Jemison Jr., a retired chemist in charge of benevolence at the Overland Park, Kan., church, oversees a pantry stocked with frozen meat and vegetables. He distributes furniture, appliances and other items, from bicycles to infant car seats.

“There are ways of avoiding being scammed and avoiding being used for personal gain,” said Jemison, who works in the ministry with his wife, Brenda.

Most people in real need don’t mind telling their story, he said.

If they balk at simple questions or repeatedly say, “I’m not lying,” they probably are not being completely truthful, he said.

“Scammers want money,” he said. “People who need something tend to be more specific,” although some want the church’s money for food so they can spend theirs on vices.

For Jemison, the reward is in showing Christ’s love.

“People that we help often say, ‘I have been waiting for a message from God,’” he said. “I tell them, "The message is already here. It’s the church. The body of Christ is the answer that is available with a phone call."

Here's a link to the original article.

Lowndes United Way launches new program to protect resources

March 24, 2009

Columbus, Mississippi

Lowndes County residents attempting to abuse the system will quickly learn to try their scams elsewhere.

United Way of Lowndes County officially launched the use of Charity Tracker after a one-year trial period with the software. The program allows United Way and its agencies to track help given to families and individuals as not to duplicate their services.

"After using other tracking programs and trying to develop a system locally, United Way introduced the software to our human services agencies on a trial basis," United Way Executive Director Jan Ballard said.

"The program allows our agencies to work together to make the best use of their resources and to ensure that those who are in real need are served, rather than those who would abuse the system," Ballard continued.

United Way agencies utilizing the program include the Community Resource Connection, CONTACT Helpline, Helping Hands and The Salvation Army.

"The software has made it much easier to weed out the people trying to abuse the system from the individuals who really need the help," Community Resource Connection Project Coordinator Jennifer Garrard said.

Garrard said the misuse of the agency''s resources and the duplication of services decreased nearly 50 percent since the Community Resource Connection began using the software.

"Sadly, there are people who attempt to scam multiple charities for assistance," Ballard said.

"Agencies that use Charity Tracker can quickly find out if someone has received help from another organization, for what purpose and for how much."

For more information about United Way of Lowndes County and the services it funds, please visit http://www.unitedwaylowndescounty.org or call 662-328-0943.

Here's a link to the original article.