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Simon Solutions is excited to partner with aha! Process for their webinar: When people work together, great things happen!

Learn new and exciting ways to maximize the effectiveness of the Bridges movement in your community. Discover how innovative technology and collective impact strategies are advancing a more comprehensive and holistic approach to transforming people’s lives.

Featured speakers are: Mike Simon, Community Impact Specialist and Co-Founder of Simon Solutions and Christina Fulsom, Founder and Network Weaver of East Texas Human Needs Network

February 21, 2019, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Central

Register with aha!Process here

Visit simonsolutions.com to learn more and register.

It's time to take our Bridges Out of Poverty and Getting Ahead knowledge and practices to the next level. In our November Webinar, Phil DeVol and Gene Krebs will discuss their new book, Bridges Across Every Divide- Policy and Practices to Reduce Poverty and Build Communities. This new book offers up both a common language and an accurate understanding of poverty, and the process for policy solutions in a harsh political environment. They will also give insights on why politics is so divisive.

Philip DeVol, author of Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin-By' World and Bridges to Sustainable Communities, has been addressing poverty issues since 1997. Programs derived from his published works are in use in the U.S. and around the world. Eugene Krebs served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives. Since leaving public office, he has focused on practical, nonpartisan solutions to major issues confronting our nation.

Can't make the live presentation? Register anyway and receive a link to the recording and handouts! Visit simonsolutions.com to learn more and register.

You will not want to miss the October webinar and the chance to hear from CharityTracker Champion, Christina Fulsom. Christina serves as the founder and director of the East Texas Human Needs Network, a dynamic collaboration of 90 organizations bringing about collective impact, poverty education and an innovative online service directory.

What is the East Texas Human Needs Network?

ETHNN brings human service agencies and organizations together for solutions where client voices are heard and the community at-large is educated through poverty simulations and workshops. ETHNN also administrates a comprehensive online community service directory.

What's special about their online Service Directory?

A LOT! Called 903Help, it places assistance information at people's fingertips. 903Help, developed in partnership with CharityTracker, includes a self-help form used by individuals in need of services, helping them make a comprehensive assessment and connect to services. Take a test drive of the directory at www.903help.org and register for the webinar to learn how this is being used to serve clients and case managers in Texas every day.

Can't make the live presentation? Register anyway and receive a link to the recording and handouts! Visit simonsolutions.com to learn more and register.

Improving the Social Determinants of Health & Community Collaboration Parts 1 & 2
Part 1, Tuesday, September 18, 1-2 pm CST
Part 2, Tuesday, September 25, 1-2 pm CST

About Part 1:

Hospitals and healthcare systems are moving into the community to collaborate with other organizations and churches for the benefit of their patients and overall community health, as well as their bottom line. CHI St. Joseph Health in Bryan, Texas is one such health system doing that and they are utilizing CharityTracker technology to meet their goals. Learn from Mary Clare Carden, Hospital Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Care, how to better serve people living in poverty; improve communication and move beyond just helping people cope with poverty but to move toward genuine opportunities for them to achieve and be valued. Learn how this Charity Tracker network shares resources and information in order to reduce re-admissions and expand the allocation of resources to those who need it the most in a timely manner.

About Part 2:

In Part 2 of the webinar series on health collaboratives, learn about the Brazos Health Resource Center, created by CLARE Ministries and CHI St. Joseph Health. Meet Pat Schoenemann, center director, and hear about the major demographic factors of health uncovered in the Brazos Valley community health assessment (2016) and how this community is prioritizing their collaborative work. Also learn how they are working toward improving community health using CharityTracker and improving the resource networking capability of their community.

Registration for Part 1 & 2 is open now. Webinars are free.

Can't make the live presentation? Register anyway and receive a link to the recording and handouts! Visit simonsolutions.com to learn more and register.

By Krista Petty, Community Connector

This might seem strange for a technology company specializing in collaborative software solutions to post, but it’s true. What Simon Solutions and our CharityTracker and Oasis Insight tech solutions provide is a helpful tool, but the tool is only as good and useful as the attitudes and actions of those who use it and lead the charge for collaboration in the local community. I like what Carol Kinsey Goman writes in her 2014 Forbes article “8 Tips for Collaborative Leadership.”

"...collaboration is more than the technology that supports it, and even more than a business strategy aimed at optimizing an organization's experience and expertise. Collaboration is, first and foremost, a change in attitude and behavior of people throughout an organization. Successful collaboration is a human issue." - Carol Kinsey Goman 

In the rest of her article, she outlines those 8 tips simply and beautifully and if you substitute the word “community” for business and organization, you have the recipe for the collective impact leadership many of us are striving to achieve in our cities.

1. Realize that silos can kill your business.

2. Build your collaboration strategy around the "human element."

3. Use collaboration as an organizational change strategy. 

4. Make visioning a team sport. 

5. Utilize diversity in problem solving. 

6. Help people develop relationships.

7. Focus on building trust.

8. Watch your body language.

Read Carol’s entire post here:forbes.com

At Simon Solutions, we love technology. We are geeky that way, BUT we are inspired and driven by the human element. The stories of life-change and creative problem-solving fuel our innovation. Three years ago, Simon Solutions launched our Community Connector initiative, intentionally collecting stories of our network champions across the country. We have been so inspired by our learning, that we launched capacity-building webinars and case studies so everyone could share in the best practices, innovation, and problem-solving together.

As we move into our third year of our community connector initiative, we are excited to bring you more practical ideas, inspirational stories, and education from a variety of experts. We are always looking for way to mix technology with strategy while keeping the human element in clear focus.

Watch for fall 2018 webinar registration coming soon. If you are not on the webinar email list, contact krista@simonsolutions.com. This fall we will explore topics like Policy Change, Social Determinants of Health and Improving Outcomes, and more. You are sure to meet some inspiring leaders with innovative solutions. In the meantime, check out any webinars you missed or watch them again, paying close attention to the human element. simonsolutions.com

Simonsolutions.com now contains all case studies, webinars and articles in one place! You'll also find some great articles about the big picture of collaboration and transformation, such as our writing on Transformational Roadmaps.

We have also created a new Help Center for CharityTracker & Oasis Insight users! This site is full of tips, training, and troubleshooting. There are FAQs, Video Tutorials, Training Videos, User Guides and more. You can easily get to the help center from CharityTracker.com or Oasisinsight.com by clicking on Help. Check them out and share the links with your whole network!

Registration Now Open! Click Here!
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.

The initiative is led by 25 leaders from all sectors of the community. And yes, their mission is to move 2,000 families on to the path to self-sufficiency. In this webinar, we will explore the keys to self-sufficiency they identified for their community, and how they are overcoming obstacles and innovating new solutions. We will also discuss the partnerships and tools being used to collaborate as a community and see forward movement towards their goals. This includes creating more opportunities for:

--Affordable Housing
--Transportation
--Child Care
--Job Training
--Financial Literacy
--Care Coordination

In this webinar, we will also look at how this community is using CharityTracker Plus and the Outcomes Module for Case Management and collective reporting.

Our featured guest is Hannah Jarrett, Community Impact Associate, of United Way of the Piedmont in South Carolina. Born and raised in Chapin, South Carolina, Hannah attended Wofford College and graduated with a degree in English and History. Hannah served three years as an AmeriCorps VISTA at United Way of the Piedmont, working with United Way’s Young Leaders, Nonprofit Fellows, and Behavioral Health Task Force. In August 2015, she was hired as a Community Impact Associate to lead the Financial Stability Initiative. She is a graduate of the 2015 Grassroots Leadership Development Institute and the 2017 Leadership Spartanburg class.

Registration Now Open! Click Here!
April 10, 2018, from 1-2 pm CST. Always free!

Registration Now Open! Click Here!

For several years, Stephen MacDonald was a part of fighting poverty in his community of Toledo, Ohio when a new issue came to light. “I was informed of issues faced by businesses that provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). These employers hire Direct Support Professionals to work with individuals with DD so they can lead increasingly independent, productive and integrated lives. However, in these lower-wage, entry-level positions, the turnover rate was high---nearly 51%. They were hemorrhaging staff,” says MacDonald.

It was found that the top three reasons for high turnover were lack of transportation, lack of child care and disagreements with supervisors. While investigating possible solutions, MacDonald learned about ERN-USA Employer Resource Networks (ERN). To “stop the bleeding” of employees leaving and to build a better employment future for people, MacDonald brought employers together and the first ERN in Ohio was born. “It is an employer-based consortium formed to provide job retention services, work support, and training for employees,” says MacDonald, Bridges Out of Poverty Coordinator and President of Emerge Solutions. As a part of the network, employers bought “shares” depending on the size of their company, and together they hired a success coach. This coach works for the employers and is hired with their input. The job of the success coach is to keep ERN employees on the job.

Employer administrators, supervisors and HR personnel received Bridges Out of Poverty training. Under-resourced employees became “investigators” in Getting Ahead in the Workplace classes. With a new common language and understanding between economic classes, all the employees got to work solving problems that affected the businesses. Six of the original eight employers are continuing in the ERN in 2018. “ERN employers report that 69 fewer staff needed to be hired in 2017 relative to 2016. Based on their reported turnover costs, these six companies saved a combined total of $288,000,” says MacDonald.

Workplace stability is key to preventing and alleviating poverty and key to success in business. Enhancing stability is a win-win for all.

“Employers do a lot to stabilize us,” says Ruth Weirich, author of Workplace Stability and Engagement Specialist with Aha! Process “Employers offer us vacation, 401(k), paid time off, holidays, maternity leave, and all of those things stabilize us. Not everybody gets those benefits, though, and so we’re looking at ways to talk with employers about stability that will stabilize our employees and improve retention and profits.”

Are you partnering with employers in your community to help employees gain stability and businesses succeed?

This is the focus of the next Simon Solutions Transform Tuesday webinar. Low-wage workers can experience personal instability that leads to absenteeism, health problems and violations of work expectations, all of which decrease morale, attention to work, job performance and employee retention.  Weirich and Phil DeVol, author of Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting By World, will explore the range of factors that create instability for employees that impact business success. They will also discuss effective techniques and tactics for increasing stability in the workplace and explore how employers and the community can partner together for success and sustainability.

Workplace Stability: Improving Retention & Productivity for Greater Profitability
March 6, 1 PM - 2 PM CST
with Phil DeVol & Ruth Weirich, Aha!Process

Registration Now Open! Click Here!

Can’t make the live webinar? We are recording it! Register and you will receive a link to recording and handouts the next day.

Registration Now Open! Click Here!

Volunteers! Our community benefit organizations and churches often depend on them to help us meet our missions and expand our impact. In this webinar, Krista will discuss best practices in working with volunteers, including:

- inviting people to serve & writing position descriptions

- training & offering feedback

- affirming & recognizing volunteers

- evaluating & reflecting on experiences

- lots of downloadable resources

Krista Petty serves as Community Connector for Simon Solutions Inc, writing case studies and facilitating capacity-building webinars for community benefit organizations and churches. She is also a speaker, trainer and writer with a background in domestic missions, equipping volunteers and community collaboration. She resides in Spirit Lake, Iowa with her husband, Steve.

Registration Now Open! Click Here!

Assessing & Coordinating Care with the Homeless
January 16, 2018, 1 -2 PM Central Time
Hosted by Krista Petty, Community Connector, Simon Solutions
Featured Guest, David Tweedie, Associate, OrgCode Consulting
Registration Now Open! Click Here!

The first webinar on 2018 is going to be a great and challenging one! We will be talking about homelessness and the tools and methods used to effectively help communities succeed in housing people and families. One of the most essential tools in the human services sector is a valid, reliable, and consistent tool that allows for a definitive assessment of the needs of clients. Without a proper assessment of clients, chances are very good that resources will be allocated inefficiently – perhaps through a first come, first served system or serving the squeakiest wheel first. OrgCode has developed the SPDAT (Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool). Now in its fourth year, the SPDAT is available in multiple versions and is even integrated with many HMIS programs including CharityTracker.

Yes, Simon Solutions now offers CharityTracker HMIS- All the proven benefits of CT with additional coverage for those in a community with Homeless Management Information System needs.

Our webinar will feature David Tweedie from OrgCode interviewed by our webinar host, Krista Petty, Community Connector at Simons Solutions. David is a fast, intense and tireless problem solving optimist, underdog ally and HMIS programmer. He has been working to end homelessness for more than 10 years, using data to improve service delivery, accessibility and transparency to increase housing outcomes for his vulnerable neighbors experiencing decades of homelessness. Before coming to OrgCode, David led the implementation of Coordinated Entry for individuals experiencing homelessness within the District. David brings more than 10 years' experience as the System Administrator for Homeless Management Information Systems across multiple Continua of Care, designing the technological platform to better target street outreach to people not yet served or difficult to locate. Combining that technology's complex programming, OrgCode's assessment tools, and in-person case conferencing resulted in more than 1,000 of D.C.'s most vulnerable neighbors sleeping outside or in shelter moving into permanent supportive housing over 3 years, as part of more than 3,300 people who were permanently housed during that time.

Unable to make it to live webinar January 16? Go ahead and register! All registrants receive a link to the recording and notes/handouts after the webinar whether you can attend live or not.

Registration Now Open! Click Here!

Would you like to get a sneak peak at how other organizations and communities utilize CharityTracker and Oasis Insight? Now you can! Our Simon Solutions Case Studies are compiled on one simple web site that you can download and share. Just visit Simon Solution Case Studies

Check out our new line-up of Transform Tuesday Webinars this fall.
A new web page was created to house all the upcoming webinars with links to registration. Grab your team members and learn together for free. Each webinar includes downloadable handouts and case studies, as well as Q & A with our featured guests following their 45 minute interviews and presentations with your host, Krista Petty.

Register for Fall 2017 Webinars

Also, if you haven't seen it, we have a complete webinar library with recordings of every presentation done to date. Again, all for free! Don't forget to download the materials that accompany each webinar as well!

Webinar Library

Have an idea for an upcoming webinar? We are scheduling topics and guests for 2018. Email our Community Connector, Krista Petty krista@simonsolutions.com with your idea.

By Krista Petty, Community Connector, Simon Solutions

Do you ever work with a client and can’t secure all the resources they need? Are you tracking what your community is NOT able to provide? Tracking the unavailable services can be a powerful way to see the gaps that exist and provide the data necessary for an organization to ask for additional funding to start something that is desperately needed. For example:

Say you are a part of a CharityTracker Network where multiple organizations are collaborating for community impact, networked through relationships and technology. Your organization provides job training and financial counseling. You do not provide any health services, but an agency across town does. You frequently make referrals to them. But the young homeless man you are working with needs dental care, not necessarily healthcare. You know it will help his overall health as well as his chances to get a job he is working so hard to train for. You have nowhere to make the referral. And this is not the first time this has happened. It is actually a regular occurrence- young men needing dental services.

The health services agency you refer to would like to offer those services, but are without funding to offer it. What if you went ahead and made the referral? Begin tracking all the times you need to refer a client for this service, even if you know they will be denied. Imagine the strength of a grant or donor appeal if the health agency can say “We received 30 referrals for dental services in the past six months. Unfortunately, they were denied because we currently are unable to offer those services due to funding.”

PJ Bopp, HMIS Training Coordinator for the Marion County Homeless Council shared with me this little tip about tracking what you can’t provide. This CharityTracker HMIS network in Ocala, FL expanded their referral status options to include the following:

PENDING

APPROVED

ASSISTANCE NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

CONTACT MADE/CONTACT ATTEMPTED

DENIED

DETERMINATION PENDING

NO FUNDS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

What a great way to work together as a community to clearly see and record the gaps in services. Of course, organizations and agents should communicate as to what they desire to track together so there are not hundreds of open referrals. And PJ’s advice “Update those referrals often! Don’t leave them as pending.”

To learn more about, Making Requests/Referrals,
visit and view our video tutorials.


Photo by Pawel Loj

Register for the May 9th Webinar: The Getting Ahead Experience. Click Here!

If you work for a community benefit organization that provides human services for any length of time, you know that many people are just getting by, and some are barely getting by. How can we help people to get ahead and stay ahead, financially, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally?

Getting ahead is hard to do! So how can it happen? Meet our friends at aHa Process! And their program “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ by World.” This program assists individuals living in poverty to evaluate their lives, so they can develop the skills necessary to survive and flourish. Participants examine their own pasts and create new futures, including developing a written plan for prosperity that is broken down into manageable and achievable steps. Participants in Getting Ahead:

--Examine all areas of their lives including their resources, attitudes & aspirations.

--Learn about the hidden rules of economic class and how to navigate around them.

--Build new, supportive friendships with classmates.

--Receive one-on-one help to overcome barriers to success.

--Start planning for new, more self-sufficient futures for themselves AND their communities!

According to researchers and participants Getting Ahead has been remarkably successful in 45 states and five other countries. Simon Solutions is a proud partner with this life-changing program, designing assessments that plug into the current CharityTracker system, helping you track and report progress of Getting Ahead participants.

What does it look like to facilitate a Getting Ahead program in your community?
Our May 9th Transform Tuesday Webinar features The Getting Ahead Experience with facilitators Mary Hicks from Muskogee OK, Stanley Smith from Toledo, OH and author Phil DeVol. This webinar features an up-close look at facilitating the program and what individual and community change looks like.

Register for the May 9th Webinar: The Getting Ahead Experience. Click Here!

Watch the webinar with a group!
Get the most out of this webinar by watching it with others in your community. You have permission to share this invitation with others and gather as a group of co-workers, volunteers or community collaborators to view. Have a post-webinar discussion with another about what you learned and what you might want to follow-up on based on your learning experience. Simon Solutions will even provide you with discussion question handout to spark the conversation!

Can’t make it on May 9th? That’s ok! Everyone registered receives a link to the webinar recording and handouts, so you can view it at a time most convenient to you.

Previously, we featured author Phil DeVol introducing the Getting Ahead constructs in November 2016. This May webinar is not a repeat, but a closer look at facilitating the Getting Ahead Experience.
View all our Transform Tuesday Webinars!

Free Webinar April 11, 2017 1 PM CST
Registration now open! Click Here!

How do churches come together to serve with their community? In our next webinar, we will hear the story of how Stillwater, OK churches came together initially for prayer and created a dynamic collaboration which builds the capacity of all the helping organizations in their community.

Learn how churches can...
-Practice goodwill and mutual support of one another
-Promote best practices to prevent and alleviate poverty
-Provide a mechanism for collaborative case management and interfaith and community communications and referrals
-Focus on Responsive, Responsible, Relational, Respectful, and Redemptive Benevolence

Our featured guest is Quinn Schipper. An ordained minister of 33 years, Quinn has experience both overseas and in America in cross-denominational networking and multi-sector collaborations. He is the president of OIKOS Network, a ministry to unite the Body of Christ. Stillwater CARES in Stillwater, OK was birthed out of OIKOS Network in 2010. Through Stillwater CARES, Quinn developed an association of 58 organizations working together to address the prevention and alleviation of poverty - half of those organizations being local churches.

In 2014, under Quinn’s leadership, Stillwater CARES launched a CharityTracker network with 28 churches and 14 organizations sharing case management and referrals using this collaborative, cloud-based solution. Quinn believes it is possible to elevate people above and beyond their circumstance of poverty, whatever that might be. He is a Bridges Out of Poverty and Getting Ahead certified trainer, Bridges workshop leader, and involved in Oklahoma’s Bridge the Gap statewide poverty alleviation program. Quinn leveraged his relationship with local pastors and churches to create a unique model to sponsor students for Getting Ahead classes in Stillwater.

Our webinar facilitator is Krista Petty. Krista serves Community Connector for Simon Solutions Inc with an extensive background in research and resource development in faith collaborations leading to community transformation. She has written and trained faith leaders on moving their churches from internally focused to externally focused, moving from a crisis to development mentality, how to have multi-sector collaborations, and best practices for volunteer engagement. She has published numerous articles and white papers for Leadership Network, Group Publishing, FASTEN, Compassion Coalition, and The Neighboring Church and been project manager, researcher and editor on numerous book projects including The Externally Focused Church, To Transform a City and The Neighboring Church.

Forward this information to a faith leader in your community! Grow your network!

Can't make it to the live webinar?
No worries! By registering, you will be automatically sent a recording within days of the live webinar as well as links to all the handouts.
Registration now open! Click Here!

You will not want to miss this upcoming webinar with author Dr. Tom Wolff! This is especially good for all CharityTracker and Oasis Insight Network Administrators!

Can't make it to the live webinar? Go ahead and register because all registrants receive links to recordings and presentation materials!

Creating Collaborative Solutions with author Dr. Tom Wolff on March 7th, 1 PM Central

Tom is a nationally recognized consultant on coalition building and community development, with over 30 years’ experience training and consulting with individuals, organizations and communities across North America. He has published numerous resources to help communities solve their own problems. His most recent book is "The Power of Collaborative Solutions – Six Principles and Effective Tools for Building Health Communities" published by Jossey Bass-John Wiley in early 2010.

In this webinar hear principles and practices for effective collaboration. You will learn about:
--How to design community-based solutions, as opposed to agency-based only
--How to ask outreach, asset-based questions
--How to move from fragmentation and duplication of effort to holistic approaches and coordination
--How to move from crisis orientation to prevention
--How to move from excessive professionalism to integrating formal and informal helping networks
Tom is passionate about looking at issues from a community perspective and empowering local communities to solve their own problems. His writings combine theoretical understanding with rich stories and on-the-ground experience. His clients include federal, state and local government agencies, foundations, hospitals, non-profit organizations, professional associations, and grassroots groups. This webinar has something for everyone at every level of your organization, church or agency.

Casting a Wide Collaborative Net
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
Click Here to Learn More & Register for January 24th Webinar

Bring more partners into your network to collaborate! In this 1-hour webinar, we will learn how two United Ways are bringing together community organizations, churches, schools, businesses and more to create community solutions. Learn about:

-How these networks got started.
-How communication flows and technology strengthens their work together.
-How they grow and develop their networks.
-How their on-boarding and training process for new agencies joining the network flows.
-What their role as network administrators looks like.
-How these leaders develop in their roles as community conveners.

Our Featured Guests are James Jackson, Executive Director of Ada United Way and Maret Cahill, Executive Director of United Way of Central Arkansas

Click Here to Learn More & Register for January 24th Webinar

Registration is now open for our February and March Webinars as well!

Improving the Senior Adult Experience with CSFP- on February 21st

Creating Collaborative Solutions with author Dr. Tom Wolff on March 4th

From its inception over 10 years ago, CharityTracker has worked alongside St. Vincent de Paul conferences to help them keep track of their good work. SVdP conferences have also used CharityTracker to collaborate and communicate with other conferences and organizations. In fact, there were Vincentians from Florence, AL that were a part of providing feedback into CharityTracker’s very first network!

Meet SVdP Everett, WA

One SVdP Council using CharityTracker very robustly is in Everett, Washington. Carla Laird, executive assistant, says they have 15 parishes within their council and about 200 volunteers. Currently, 13 of the parishes are using CharityTracker.

Centralized system leads to improved recording and reporting

Laird serves as the CharityTracker network administrator with each parish (or conference) being their own “agency” within the network. The conferences record everything from time spent and miles driven by volunteers, to money paid for food and rent, and in-kind donations given away. Before using CharityTracker, Laird says that each conference created their own database, sometimes in Access or Excel, and there would be one person within that conference that would usually access it. She described how moving to a centralized system has improved reporting:

“Previously, a lot of the in-kind donations given out weren’t being recorded as accurately. Some data such as service time spent on home visits, phone calls, mileage driven, etc. would sometimes go unreported because it was recorded with pen and paper. It was all separate. Every conference had their own pool of data. At the end of the year, we are to report to our national council and it was often a challenge. Some conferences had pages of handwritten information that needed to be organized into a spreadsheet in order to come up with the statistics needed for our annual report. What is great about CharityTracker is that it is this on-going recording system that is centralized.”

Expanded services

The benefits of improved reporting are many. Not only does the local council feel more secure in their annual reports to the St. Vincent de Paul Society National Council, Laird said they have expanded their services as a result. She shared about one of their council’s newest projects:

“We recently became the administrators of Project PRIDE. This is where people can make a donation when they pay their electric bill to help someone else who is struggling to pay theirs. We work alongside the Public Utility Department and we do the administration of Project PRIDE with them. We couldn’t have even thought of doing that until we had CharityTracker and could accurately record everything that we pledged out to people who are in need. We are definitely able to serve a lot more people and have our name out there.”

Positioned to receive grants

In addition to taking on new projects, Laird sees that improved data collection and reporting can position the council to receive more grants.

“There is a lot of grant money out there and more and more, grantors are very specific on reporting how you used the funds. Through CharityTracker, I feel confident that as we receive these grants we are able to come up with the statistics they are asking for, which just secures more grant money for us in the future.”

Capturing volunteer efforts

Through improved reporting, this SVdP council has also learned more about their volunteers.

“They are spending a lot more time with our clients than we ever knew. Our volunteers, spiritually-speaking, don’t brag about what they do. Putting it into CharityTracker is actually capturing much more of their efforts than we even realized,” shared Laird. Last year the SVdP council in Everett, WA helped approximately 93,000 people, including people through their four thrift stores as well as those recorded in CharityTracker.

Greater collaboration…and goats!

When requests come in, no matter how big, small or unique, the CharityTracker bulletin feature helps bring the conferences in Everett together to meet many needs. Laird explained:

“We find the bulletin board so handy. We often come across a need that is higher than the conference might have the resources to fulfill. So the CharityTracker bulletin board can explain the situation, for instance a rental payment is needed. They can do sharing, or we call it twinning, so that the need can be met by multiple conferences. There was a need for a handicap van for a child in one of our conferences. They were able to work together to provide that.”

Primarily, Laird sees requests for rental assistance and utilities but they also get very unique opportunities as well. SVdP is known for their innovation and there is no form of charity foreign to this society. Laird shared this story: “Two years ago we had a family that made a request for a goat. They were using the sale of goat milk to supplement their income. When the goat passed away, we were able to replace the goat as well as give them a second one!”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has 160,000 trained volunteers in the United States provided 11.6 million hours of volunteer service in 2015, helping more than 14 million people through visits to homes, prisons and hospitals at a value of nearly $1 billion dollars. To learn more about their good work, visit www.svdpusa.org

The good people at SC Thrive in Columbia, South Carolina have reached out to ask that we might help spread the word about resources available for people affected by the flooding disaster.

Here are some resources for those who have been directly affected:

Quick Reference Guide for Applying Online for FEMA Assistance (thanks to Cathy Easley): http://bit.ly/femaApplicationReferenceGuide

FEMA's Online Application for Assistance: http://bit.ly/femaOnlineApplication

Red Cross Shelters in South Carolina: http://bit.ly/RedCrossShelterLocationsSC

If you are in a region that has not been affected by the disaster, and you want to help, the following links offer you the opportunity:

United Way of the Midlands, covering Fairfield, Newberry, Richland, Lexington, Calhoun, and Orangeburg http://bit.ly/UnitedWayOfTheMidlandsRelief

Trident United Way, covering Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley http://bit.ly/TridentUnitedWayRelief

We at Simon Solutions keep South Carolina in our thoughts, and we send prayers for all who have been affected by this disaster.

Ben Stedman

CEO of Simon Solutions

September is Hunger Action month and we would like to salute one of our Oasis Insight heroes fighting hunger in her community. Meet Dee Nadjkovic, volunteer administrator at the North Middle School Food Pantry in Great Falls, Montana. Each week she helps between 10-20 students shop for food right there in the middle school before they hop on the bus to go home.

What started out as a simple way to be involved in her son’s school has turned into a passion for fighting childhood hunger. “Two years ago when my son went into middle school I was involved in the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Each parent joining PTA was asked to volunteer for a committee. The Food Pantry was on the list and for some reason I thought this sounded like fun and more interesting than counting box tops,” she says.

Dee has found that this volunteer role is a very direct way to help her son’s peers. She shares, “You can see a child with the same shoes and phone as all the other kids and think that he or she isn’t in need, but I’m learning that children are going to school without what they need. We can do something about hunger.”

Each week shopping is done at the local Food Bank and school food pantry volunteers sort and stock the shelves. Once a week they help students “shop” for nutritious foods so they can be more focused on their school work and less distracted by a growling stomach.

On special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, even more students visit the pantry and bigger boxes of food are distributed. “We don’t necessarily do these special boxes for the holiday, per se. We do it because of the extended time out of school for these kids,” says Dee. The boxes often include items for a holiday meal, but are also stuffed with additional lunch, breakfast and snack foods to help see the students through the breaks from school.

But what about summer break? That was a question Dee and fellow volunteers wondered about. Concerned for the well-being of the students they had been serving, Dee and friends set up a summer school-based food pantry as well. “Yes! We created a rather impromptu summer food pantry. We operated it with two to three volunteers at one of the middle schools weekly.”

Not only does Dee help with distribution year-round, she also keeps the records for the program, reporting back to the food bank and the program’s financial supporters, The Great Falls Public School Foundation and the North Middle School PTA. She makes sure they know the number of students served and the amount of food received.

Dee has been one of the first school-based food pantry volunteers to upgrade her record-keeping by using Oasis Insight’s technology solution for case management and reporting. “The paperwork was daunting to me and it used to take over an hour a week and two to three hours a month to create reports with my miscellaneous papers and excel spreadsheets. Using Oasis Insight has taken the chore feeling out of it and saved me a lot of time.”

While the school food pantry isn’t designed to be a primary food source for the children or families served, it is able to help families get by, or make it through to the end of the month. Nationwide, Feeding America’s School Pantry program serves more than 21 million meals to nearly 110,000 children. Dee shares, “This work is something that has become incredibly important to me in my life. I will always make sure that I am doing what I can to help children with food.”

Thank you, Dee, for taking action against hunger in your community! To learn more about Hunger Action Month and School Food Pantries visit www.feedingamerica.org. To learn more about bringing Oasis Insight to your community food pantry or local food bank, visit www.oasisinsight.net.

Simon Solutions Inc. is expanding our commitment to collaboration and innovation and would like to introduce you to our newest staff member, Krista Petty. Krista is serving in a newly developed role of Community Connector and Editor. She will be connecting with many of our networks and writing case studies and profiles. You might be hearing from her soon as she researches the great work Charity Tracker and Oasis Insight networks are doing in their communities.

Through these studies and profiles, we hope to glean principles and best practices that our various networks and community collaborations have in common. We also want to learn of the unique ways some of you are solving problems and collectively having impact. Our goal is to share what we learn as to strengthen the capacity of us all. We believe what we learn will also aid in the development and implementation of forming new collaborations for community benefit and transformation.

Krista is no stranger to our team. We have been collaborating with her on various special projects for several years. If your collaborative network is doing something groundbreaking, feel free to reach out and share your story. Contact Krista directly at krista@simonsolutions.com

"Collaboration is the backbone for innovation success."

-Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grandneice of Thomas Edison

The month of May marks the 9th year of business for Simon Solutions, Inc.

It’s hard to believe that our solutions, CharityTracker and Oasis Insight, are now helping people in 871 cities.

Our staff continues to grow as does our passion for the work that we do.

We would like to thank the many agencies and administrators who have guided our company in building better solutions.

We have big things in store for the future and we trust that you will be with us for the next 9 years. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!!!!!!

Simon Solutions is proud to congratulate our intern, Jeffrey Allen, on his recent graduation from the University of North Alabama where he majored in computer science and minored in mathematics.

Originally from Orlando, FL, Jeffrey is pictured above with his wonderful mother, Hannah.

Jeffrey has been a part-time member of the our team for a year and a half and will now be joining us full-time.

He says that he appreciates the opportunity to work with people who care to make a difference in communities, and we certainly appreciate Jeffrey and his hard work.

Jeffrey is a bright young man with an even brighter future. We are lucky to have him!

On September 3rd and 4th of 2014, representatives from Simon Solutions conducted CharityTracker training sessions for the Stillwater CARES assistance network in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Executive Director Quinn Schipper was nice enough to talk to us about the reasons why Stillwater CARES chose CharityTracker.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shoals Software Company to Train New Users in Oklahoma

CharityTracker implemented by Stillwater CARES, Inc.

Florence, AL. August 26th, 2014

Members of the Simon Solutions Team will be present in Stillwater, Oklahoma next week to provide onsite training at the launch of a new CharityTracker network sponsored by the collaborative, Stillwater CARES, Inc. (Community And Resource Empowerment Solutions).

“We have been honored to work with Stillwater Cares Executive Director, Quinn Schipper, to get this going. Quinn has a love for his community and a passion and commitment to help others.” says Joey Yarber, Implementation Specialist, at Simon Solutions, Inc.

Stillwater CARES is presently associated with 30 local churches, 26 agencies and organizations, and many motivated members to provide support and offer practical assistance to caregivers within the Stillwater community.

According to the Stillwater CARES website, 31 local organizations already identify as “early adopters” of the CharityTracker software and the organization says “a coherent system of coordination will help circumvent unnecessary duplication, insufficient services, and needless waste.”

Kyle Minckler of Simon Solutions said, "The collaborative led by Stillwater CARES is doing some amazing work to improve the quality of life of individuals impacted by poverty, and I am so excited to share CharityTracker as part of the solution."

CharityTracker representatives will be on hand to train users, demonstrate new features, and answer any questions new users may have about the shared case management software.

In the coming months, Simon Solutions will introduce CharityTracker updates which will allow users the option to track components of the popular Bridges Out of Poverty community support program and track outcomes and assessments from their Getting Ahead curriculum.

“Stillwater is a ‘Bridges Community’ and several agencies use the Getting Ahead Process in working to help people out of poverty. These new updates will prove to be a great tool for this collaborative and its members.” said Yarber.

CharityTracker was developed in Florence, Alabama by Simon Solutions, Inc. in 2007 in conjunction with the United Way of Northwest Alabama and other charitable agencies and is now being used in 756 communities across the country.

Source: Simon Solutions, Inc.

Pictured: Hydrate the Homeless event in Wilson Park and members of the Simon Solutions Team with this year's donation.

Simon Solutions and CharityTracker would like to salute the Homeless Care Council of Northwest Alabama for organizing the Hydrate the Homeless event in Wilson Park in Florence, AL on Tuesday, August 19th!

Local assistance agencies and volunteers handed out information for resources, free bottled water, fans, sunscreen and other cooling items.

Pictured: Nancy (Safeplace), Beth Haddock (United Way of Northwest Alabama), YaShika Ray (Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama).

Participating agencies included the Shoals chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Shoals, Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama, Safeplace, United Way of Northwest Alabama, North Alabama Housing Assistance, AIDS Action Coalition Housing Department, and the City of Florence.

Pictured: Myra Childs (211 Director, United Way of Northwest Alabama), Danielle McCullar (UNA Social Work Intern), Skyler Mansell (United Way of Northwest Alabama Intern).

Thanks to Marie Waxel, from WAFF 48 News, for covering the event. Please check out the links below.

Providing Heat Relief to the Homeless

Volunteers Supply Homeless with Ways to Beat the Heat

Also, a special thanks to Melanie Dickens, Lyndsey Borden, and Beth Haddock for all of their help!

Great Job Everyone!

(pictured: This mural in downtown Joplin is made from photos of many proud residents with the overall message, "We Are Joplin.")

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 Joplin, Missouri was leveled by a devastating EF5 tornado that took the lives of many and changed the city forever.

Joplin is home to one of the oldest and most established CharityTracker networks in the country and at the time of the storm, CharityTracker was already being used in Joplin.

We are proud that our solution has been one of the tools implemented to assist the residents of Joplin in the aftermath of the storm and during the lengthy recovery period that has followed.

Joplin has rebuilt itself stronger than before and is a powerful example of how an entire community can collaborate to improve and heal itself from within.

(pictured: This newly dedicated monument in Cunningham Park represents homes that were lost in the 2011 Joplin tornado. )

During the third week of May, Isaac Simon and Derek Dailey had the opportunity to visit Joplin on behalf of the Simon Solutions Team.

While in Joplin, they were able to speak with many CharityTracker users about their experiences and to collect feedback which will enable our team to continue to improve our solutions.

On the 3rd anniversary of the storm, our representatives were able to attend the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the beautiful new memorial overlook and butterfly garden at Cunningham Park. The park also features several other moving memorials, including a plaque with the names of those lost, a tribute to the volunteers, a children's memorial reflection pond, a memorial fountain, and 161 trees have been planted on the property to honor those who perished.

KY3 News was there to cover the dedication ceremony. Here's a link to their story.

Simon Solutions would like to extend a special Thank You to the following people, and the organizations they represent, for their time, courtesy, input, and caring spirits.

They are indeed, JOPLIN STRONG.

April O’neil, Holly Hoyeer, Greg Spink, and Larry Hazelett
Watered Gardens Gospel Mission

Kathy Lewis
Crosslines Churches of the Joplin Area, Inc.

Dave Wood
College Heights Christian Church

James Whitford
Watered Gardens Gospel Mission, Joplin True Charity Initiative

Brad Campbell and Andrea Minor
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri

Misty Frost and Lisa Bushnell
Mission Joplin

Terri Giarratano
St. Peter’s Outreach House, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church

Pastor Dave Burgess
First Presbyterian Church Joplin

Georgia Jones
Souls Harbor

Caroline Jones and Debra Gaskill
Salvation Army of Joplin

Regina Shank
River Street Food Pantry

Chris Cotton
Joplin Parks and Recreation Department

A couple of weeks ago Jacob Senecal and Shae Erisson were able to attend the National Human Services Data Consortium Spring Conference in beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The conference was held on May 1-2, 2014 with the theme “Data in Action: Transforming Systems and Lives”.

There were about 250 attendees from homeless care continuums around the country and also from various foundations, non-profits and government agencies.

These sessions were bursting with in-depth information and dialog on how to best gather and use real-world data to help end homelessness. There was also a great deal of discussion surrounding the newly released 2014 HMIS data standards.

Topics ranged from visualizing data with maps and dashboards to protecting the privacy of personal client information. Throughout the consortium, it was clear that these folks sincerely desire to change the status quo and really impact the lives of those struggling to find and keep stable housing.

All of us here at Simon Solutions are committed to being a partner in these efforts and we were honored to be a part of this conference.

The Simon Solutions team had a wonderful time yesterday attending the 11th Annual Empty Bowl Luncheon at the Marriott Conference Center hosted by The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary of The Shoals.

There were over 60 delicious soups for guests to sample which were provided by local restaurants, bakeries, and culinary programs.

A panel of judges, made up of local celebrities, helped to pick this years "Best Soup in the Shoals", with The Pie Factory taking home the trophy for their Corn Crab Bisque.

With hundreds in attendance, the luncheon was a grand affair, complete with a fashion show, a silent auction, and lots of volunteers with smiling faces.

Simon Solutions was proud to help sponsor the Empty Bowl Luncheon and we would like to thank The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary of The Shoals for organizing such a remarkable event and for their tireless effort to end hunger in the Shoals area.

Here's a link to WAFF 48 Huntsville's coverage of the Empty Bowl Luncheon..

Over the course of the last seven years, we have dedicated ourselves to making CharityTracker a service that is helpful to you in your amazing work of assisting people in need.

We are excited to share that CharityTracker is now used in more than 700 cities! We would like to take this moment to thank you for your tireless and often unnoticed work. We are humbled and honored to serve you in your great effort.

As always, if there is something you need from us, please let us know.

Thank you,
Ben Stedman CEO

We are pleased to announce that Simon Solutions now offers our clients the ability to use scanner and barcode technology with our products, CharityTracker Plus and Oasis Insight Plus.

The newly available features will enable clients to open cases and add assistance records with just a couple of scans, as well as print and use scannable ID cards. This will streamline intake processes and greatly reduce data entry time for assistance workers.

While the software is flexible and can work with many different models of scanners, we have tested and confirmed 100% compatibility with the Motorola LI2208 and Symbol LS4208. Both are widely available scanners and can be independently purchased from your retailer of choice.

Here’s how it works. (Be sure to view in full screen)

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.

Members of our family come over for some great Southern cookin’ and my wife serves up a delicious turkey with homemade dressing, a recipe passed down for generations. Couple this with all the goodies supplied by other family members, and we’ve got a meal that’s nothing short of amazing.

For us, Thanksgiving is also a time of “giving thanks” for all of our blessings - including family, friends, and more.

On behalf of all the families of Simon Solutions, we offer a sincere thanks to all of you, our valued customers. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to partner with you in making a difference in your communities.

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and a joyous year’s end!

-Mike Simon

Joey Yarber and Kyle Minckler are eager to speak with your representatives who are attending the 2013 Feeding America ACPN Conference in Chicago, IL (Oct. 21st-23rd).

Make sure to stop by the Oasis Insight table and say hello!

Paying monthly for CharityTracker or Oasis Insight? Save 10% and switch to Yearly billing! Give us a call or visit your billing tab. Happy Savings!

Kyle and Sadie Minckler, members of our Simon Solutions family, recently celebrated the birth of twin boys – Henry and Harlow.

Mom and Dad are learning how to do more…with less sleep.

Perhaps the reason for this is the lively conversations that the boys are having about Alabama/Auburn football.

As you can see, Henry is very enthusiastic about Alabama winning another national championship. Harlow suggests that they wait and see the stats from other teams.

Despite sleepless nights, Mom and Dad still consider the boys to be a wonderful blessing.

We salute all helping agencies for their tireless work in combating hunger in America.

I am reminded of the story of the little girl walking down the beach, throwing beached starfish back into the sea. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of stranded starfish waiting to die. A passerby asked the little girl, “With so many starfish to throw back, what difference will it make?” The little girl paused for a moment…looked at the starfish in her hand and politely said, “Well, it will make a difference to this one.”

We thank all the users of CharityTracker and Oasis Insight for your part in making a difference in people’s lives. We wish you well for your Hunger Action Month campaigns and special events.

Exciting times here at SSI.

We've just had a new phone system installed. Our old system was on its last leg, and also couldn't handle more than four lines at once. With the new system, if we have a day with heavy call volume, fewer people will have to go to voicemail.

There may be some bumps along the way, as we learn the ins and outs of our new phones, but we'll get there. Thanks for your understanding.

Greetings everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you our new CEO, Ben Stedman. Ben and I have worked together for many years, and I believe he will be be an asset to both Simon Solutions and to you as we continue to grow and move into the future.

Mike Simon
President

Hello! I am excited to take on the role of CEO here at Simon Solutions. I am one of the founding owners of Simon Solutions and have worked diligently since day one to give you the best service we can offer. I know there are many areas where we can improve our service, and we will continue to work diligently to achieve those improvements.

Even though I am new to this role, I can assure you that the principles that have guided Simon Solutions over the last seven years will continue to guide us into the future. We will continue to build software that is simple to understand and use. We will continue to answer your phone calls and emails promptly. And we will continue to be company of integrity, honored to serve you as you offer service to others.

We wholeheartedly believe in what you do. We are proud to be a small part of the Human Services community and we will do our best to be a valuable member.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me: ben@simonsolutions.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Ben Stedman


Moving forward we are going to use this blog to do a better job of communicating with you. I will blog each month as will our new CTO Isaac Simon. Isaac will offer reviews of software and services that he has found which he feels may help you in your day to day work. Look for a blog post from him in the near future!