Restructuring of National Organization Positions It for Achieving Greater Systemic Change
Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) January 08, 2014 -- Taking substantial steps to maintain and increase its success in an ever-changing operating environment, the 102-year-old Alliance for Children and Families has completed an historic restructuring that is meant to fully leverage its member network around achieving true systemic change for families and communities.
Employing a visionary approach, the Alliance recognized that to realize its mission of a healthy society and strong communities for all children, adults, and families—while also maintaining its responsibility for growth and financial success—it must move above and beyond serving its member network to creating a more powerful voice for the human-serving sector and the people it serves.
Therefore, the boards of directors and members have approved the following changes:
• As first announced in October 2013, the 150 members of the United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) have integrated with the nearly 350 members of the Alliance. The result is the nation’s largest network of human-serving organizations working on the front lines to enhance the lives of America’s children, families, and communities.
• The Alliance Board of Directors has been reconstituted to better align organizational assets and streamline its governance to pursue its future vision. On Jan. 1, 2014, the Alliance became the umbrella identity for what had been five disparate organizations. This single brand will be governed by one, reconstituted, smaller, more focused and integrated Alliance board that is comprised of selected CEOs of member organizations and other volunteers, recruited for their unique skills, high level of expertise, and national profile.
• Greater alignment of the Alliance’s organizational assets enables the board of directors to oversee and recognize opportunities for leveraging the Alliance’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). While currently operating the Ways to Work poverty reduction program, the Alliance will do more with its CDFI for the benefit of its network to help with capacity building, innovation, technical assistance, and social enterprise development. The board will also oversee FEI Behavioral Health, the social enterprise unit wholly owned by the Alliance, which provides organizations with a full spectrum of solutions to reach their workforce resilience goals.
• The launch on Jan. 1, 2014 of the national Center for Engagement and Neighborhood Building, which will amplify the values of the settlement house movement and accelerate the proven practices of neighborhood centers and effective social work practice. The Center for Engagement and Neighborhood Building will unite stakeholders of all types in studying and promoting the efficacy of authentic engagement in all settings of the human service sector.
“This restructuring reflects the Alliance’s intention to extend its purpose beyond member services and to leverage its many strengths to have a more robust and positive influence on society. We are now a network-building entity, a social enterprise, a community development financial institution, and a strong, united network of 500 organizations, representing millions of voices, ready for mobilization that will be leveraged to create systemic change for America’s children, families, and communities,” said Alliance President and CEO Susan Dreyfus.
In addition to implementing these significant changes, the Alliance Board of Directors will begin to study in 2014 the benefits of a new organizational name that better reflects its unique vision and purpose.
The Alliance for Children and Families is a nonprofit, national organization dedicated to achieving a vision of a healthy society and strong communities for all children, adults, and families. The Alliance works for transformational change by representing and supporting its network of hundreds of nonprofit human serving organizations across North America as they translate knowledge into best practices that improve their communities. Working with and through its member network on networking, leadership, and advocacy, the Alliance strives to achieve high impact by reducing the number of people living in poverty; increasing the number of people with opportunities to live healthy lives; and increasing the number of people with access to educational and employment success. Go to alliance1.org for more information.
Nancy Kunkler, Alliance for Children and Families, http://www.alliance1.org, +1 (414) 359-6564, [email protected]
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