San Luis Obispo Non-Profit Support Center Feasibility Study - 1998-99; Models of Non-Profit Support Centers

San Luis Obispo
Non-Profit Support Center Feasibility Study
1998-99

Cuesta College Institute of Professional Development

Study underwritten by PG&E Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Los Padres Customer Operations

Models of Non-Profit Support Centers

Community Foundation Model

Non-Profit Support Centers were examined by telephone interviews and observation of written materials in nine mainly rural communities. One model which has been successful for some communities is typified by five of the Centers interviewed. These Centers are part of their Community Foundation, are not "stand alone" Centers and are not self supporting. These Centers or Management Assistance Programs as some are called are located in Humboldt County, Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, Sonora County and the East Bay Community (see Exhibit 20). Three of these centers (Humboldt, Monterey, and Santa Cruz) have a model where the management services provided by the Center are an integral part of the Foundation and another important tool to provide the agencies in their communities. These Foundations do not expect their Centers to be self supporting although some do charge for their training services. The Foundations see the benefits of this model as offering an integrated approach to problem solving, consistent communication, and consistent funding. Agencies in their communities say that their services are enhanced by having both the foundation staff and the center staff working on their case. For communities that do not follow this model, the staff claim that there is a conflict of interest for services to be provided by the funding source. The Packard Foundation is helping these Centers in their start up phases and is hoping that some will become self sufficient such as the Sonora Center.

"Stand Alone" Model

Another model of a "stand alone" Center is used by four other interviewed Centers which are not currently or never were affiliated with a Community Foundation. These are located in Redding, Santa Barbara, San Jose which has since merged or consolidated with San Francisco Non-Profit Support Center, and in Sacramento (see Exhibit 21). The Santa Barbara Center was originally part of their Community Foundation as an incubator grant with the idea that after the start-up phase (approximately two years) and credibility was built in the community, the Center would "stand alone." The Redding Center has always been a "stand alone" since they do not have a Community Foundation. However, they received $600,000.00 start up funding from a private foundation that only funds in their two county area. In some ways calling these centers "stand alone" can be misleading because they are hoping to become self sufficient and are often struggling with their funding to stay open. The monies that they bring in from membership and training/workshops are not sufficient to run a Center. Redding started with two or three member agencies and built credibility by providing orientation programs to explain the services and benefits. In two years they built membership to over 200 agencies. In Redding, they supplement membership, training and their startup grant with an annual fund raiser and corporate sponsorships of some programs, etc. In Sacramento, they get large training contracts from state agencies in addition to their funding from the United Way and their Community Foundation.

Exhibit 20: Characteristics of Interviewed Non-Profit Support Centers

	Humboldt	Monterey	Santa Cruz	Sonora	East Bay	Redding	Santa Barbara	San Jose	Sacramento
Did Needs Assessment	X	X	X	X	X		X
Packard Foundation Initiative	X	X	X	X	X
Stand Alone						X	X	X	X
Not self supporting	X	X	X	X	X
Satellite Programs	X				X	X	X
Membership Fees				X		X	X	X

Types of Services Provided

All of the Centers started small in the types of services that they offered. Library services were provided by all centers except for the East Bay (they used San Francisco in order not to duplicate services) and Redding. Libraries included Foundation Center Grant collections and most Centers used the public libraries in their community because that provided the widest access and the best availability of time. Training was provided by all Centers. Fee structure varied in each community and provided only a small percentage to the overall budget. Most of the Centers started with only one or two training offerings to gain quick success and build credibility. The most frequent starting workshops were grant writing or fund raising and board development training.

A newsletter/calendar was provided by most of the centers. Sometimes the newsletter replaced a brochure because it provided the most updated information about a Center. Consultation services were provided by most Centers in a variety of ways. Some had their staff directly consult, others used a database of consultants in their community or some used a referral system. Consultation services were usually set up after the training programs were well under way. Two of the more rural communities (Sonora and Redding) provided direct services of computers, online access to the Web, and even off set printing. Only one Center (Monterey) provided bilingual programs and services. Several Centers provided certification programs with their local colleges. Interest in certification seemed to vary with each community and the number of courses available for certification also varied based on interest as to whether the program was a full program or just a few courses (see Appendix A for a list of Centers and their contact person).

Exhibit 21: Services Provided by Interviewed Non-profit Support Centers

	Humboldt	Monterey	Santa Cruz	Sonora	East Bay	Redding	Santa Barbara	San Jose	Sacramento
Library	X	X	X	X			X	X	X
Training	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Newsletter /calendar	X	X	X	X			X	X	X
Consolation	X	X	X	X			X	X	X
Technical Assistance	X				X
Computer Assistance				X		X
Bilingual Program		X
Certification	X	X		X		X

Proceed to the Conclusions and Recommendations.

Return to the Feasibility Study Table of Contents.

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