BIENVENIDOS COALITION

The Bienvenidos Coalition and  Compassion Capitol Fund project is made possible through a cooperative agreement between the NM Conference of Churches, HELP-NM, and the Administration for  Children and Families through the Federal Department of Health and Human Services

Links to Project Information

Collaboration Fair Invitation

Press Release

NOTICE About Funding

Newsletters

NEW Upcoming Dates

Steering Committee Member

Project Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

Training & Technical Assistance Information

Training Schedule

Training Partnerships

The Bienvenidos coalition is formed by HELP-NM, one  of the country’s oldest Community Action Agencies, and the New Mexico Conference of Churches.  For the past half century, each organization has been instrumental in forming and developing organizations, both faith-based and community-based, to serve the most vulnerable and needy citizens of New Mexico.

The current project, funded by a grant from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, continues that tradition through the provision of training, technical assistance, and in some cases, financial backing  to  strengthen social service organizations who serve needy and vulnerable populations.

There are three parts to the support:  Training, which consists of workshops, training seminars, electronic and print media to teach basic concepts of good management, effective service provision, and working with the community. 

Technical Assistance is described as one-on-one , face-to-face  training that takes place between one mentor or expert and one organization, an event that may include staff, leadership, boards of directors, and/or volunteers, according to a plan for assistance worked out between the mentor/TA and the principals of the organization.

SubAwards, also known as mini-grants, are funds used to pay for activities or supplies that help build the capacity of the organization according to the regulations for allowable expenses determined by the Office of Management and Budget.  The funds are meant to purchase goods and services that will  have a long-lasting effect on the ability of the organization to serve.

The process of obtaining a grant is a competitive one, and is meant to be a part of the learning experience.

A series of training events, which are mandatory for those seeking grant awards and training, are scheduled for December.  See the schedule in the box on this page. GO THERE

For Question or Further Information Contact

Holly Hickson
Grants Program Manager
eMail:  Holly@helpnm.com
Telephone:  505-766-4917

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Schedule of Training

Albuquerque

Brownbag Seminar

5101 Copper NE

(map or directions)

Tuesday, January 15th

or

Thursday, January 17th

11:30 am - Brief Presentation

12:00 - 1:00 pm - Question and Answers

1:00 pm - Repeat of Presentation (if Needed)

Volunteer Reviewer Training

(applicants not eligible)

Mimmo's (Dinner)

3301 Coors Blvd NW

(map or directions)

Thursday, January 24th

6:30 pm

Anyone interested in volunteering

should call Holly at

(505) 766-4917

CCF/BIENVENIDOS PROJECT
TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Regardless of where a non-profit organization finds itself in terms of growth and development, the need for continuous improvement is ever-present in the minds of both the Board and senior management.

Usually, this need translates into training and some form of ongoing technical assistance. These avenues can be provided internally, if the non-profit has attained a high level of longevity in its chosen markets, maturity within its services, programs and people, and overall economies of scale ……… non-profits with operating budgets of $8-10 million and higher tend to possess fairly well-developed support infrastructure, such as IT and HR.

On the other end of the developmental continuum, technical assistance is usually provided externally, by leveraging consultants who possess “subject matter expertise,” management experience within non-profits, or a combination of the two. It is this model that Bienvenidos will use to meet the various needs of those non-profits who meet the requirements of the sub-award process.

Because the first year scope of the Compassion Capital Fund grant (hereafter known as the CCF project) is limited, we will only be equipped to assist a small percentage of the those non-profits who may be eligible. This translates into the following parameters for the training/technical assistance component:

• There will be 12-15 technical assistance “mentors” identified to represent the first “generation” or core group; this number will fluctuate throughout the year

• Each mentor will be assigned to at least 1 and no more than 3 non-profits to assist, depending on how many non-profits demonstrate eligibility, where they are geographically, the specific need(s) they have, stage of growth/development, and mentor availability

• Each mentor will be expected to arrange for at least 1 site visit to conduct a formalized assessment/audit to determine specific needs as well as priorities (more than 1 site visit may be required, depending upon the size and complexity of the non-profit client)

• Once assessments have been analyzed and synthesized, each mentor will develop a work plan to be shared with other mentors as well as the Project Manager prior to implementation.

• Because of limited budget dollars, there will be, on a case by case basis, remuneration for site visits only (per diem plus mileage); much of the actual technical assistance will be performed via phone consultations, subsequent to assessments being processed; actual training will be delivered at client sites

• Each mentor will be expected to “broker” their client relationships with non-profits and maintain consulting logs to track progress against mutually agreed upon deliverables, deadlines, etc. (format TBD)

• Recruiting for qualified mentors will be ongoing throughout the year to compensate for core members not being available and to build second and third-generations of mentors to call upon the second year of the CCF grant

• Mentors will convene periodically to share successes, challenges, and learning opportunities (meetings, newsletters, emails, CCF Internet links)

I want to re-emphasize that this inaugural effort continues to be a “work in progress” and therefore open for input and feedback from many different constituents:  the Bienvenidos’ Steering Committee, mentors, and most importantly, those non-profits who are selected to actually receive training and technical assistance. There will be a feedback “loop” created in the form of a Bienvenidos’ newsletter that will serve as a primary communication vehicle for our information as well as for your feedback.
In summary, we at Bienvenidos are extremely excited about the possibilities ahead of us. We continue to encourage you as potential recipients of subsequent training and technical assistance to play an active (and proactive!!) role in your development. At the end of this process, a critical success factor will definitely be the extent to which we were able to assist your non-profit in capacity-building; another will be your ability to utilize our assistance in making demonstrable and measurable improvements.

Thank you all for your interest, and please be on the lookout for more information as we move forward.

Bienvenidos continues to identify and forge relationships with organizations who deliver cost-effective training to non-profits in New Mexico. The Center for Non-Profit Excellence, a resource center designed to build the capacity of non-profits, is very interested in participating, where appropriate, in our project. The Center is sponsored by the Albuquerque Community Foundation and the United Way of Central New Mexico’s Corporate Cornerstones program.

For Questions or Further Information Contact

Tom Bell
Bienvenidos Coalition Project Manager
eMail:  TomB@helpnm.com
Telephone:  505-220-5385

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Who is eligibile for this grant?

Q: What are the target populations?

Q. What can our organization use these funds to do?

Q: We are just getting started and are very small.  May we apply?

Q: What are the dates and deadlines that I need to know?

Q: How do I connect to you through facebook?

ANSWERS

A: Small, less experienced social service organizations with budgets under $500,000, no more than one direct federal grant in the past five years, and who are serving one of the target populations.

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A: The homeless, The elderly in need, youth at risk(includeing victims of human trafficking), families in transition from welfare to work, those in need of intensive rehabilitation such as prisoners, the chemically dependent, and mental health consumers, children and families of prisoners, prisoners facing re-entry.

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A: These are capacity-building funds.  This means that they must be used to increase the ability of your agency to  help your consumers over the next few years.  They may not be used to pay for direct services to the client.

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A: You are the kind of agency we are looking for.  You do not need to be designated as a 501 ( c ) 3 organization nor do you need a fiscal sponsor to apply.  As a matter of fact, if your fiscal sponsor has a budget larger than our limit, they may not be included in the process.

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A: The last mandatory training opportunity in Albuquerque is Tuesday, December 18 at Calvary Chapel.

The letter of intent is due Friday before 4 pm  December 21

The proposal for tiers one, two, and three are due before 4 pm Fri January 25 2008:

an original and five copies are due at that time 

All deadlines are firm.

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First, log on to www.facebook.com.  Create a facebook page.  You can do this using your name, a fake name, or, maybe the best idea, the name of your organization and/or project.  Ignore as much of the information they call for as you like, but use a real, accessible email address where facebook can reach you.  They appear to put advertising on their pages, but do not spam your mailbox. 

You will want to enable an application called “the wall”  .  This will serve as a bulletin board, especially when you want to ask us a quick question. 

Then, make sure you place yourself in the “Albuquerque network”, even if you are from out of town.  This will allow you to find us, named “Bienvenidos NM”.  When you find us, facebook will ask if you want to make us your friend.  You do so click on the link.  That’s it!  We will confirm your connection.  Feel free to add any other connections you want, although you may, especially if you are new to this, and if you are using your name, want to restrict access until you are more comfortable with it all.  We hope that in the coming months it will be useful for us in communicating more visually, aurally, and more quickly.

Brownbag Seminars in January

Come learn about federal forms and ask your budgeting questions.

Bring lunch and a beverage to: 5101 Copper NE (seating limited: Please call Holly to reserve)

Dates: Tues. Jan.15  OR   Thurs. Jan 17
11:30: brief presentation
12-1: Q& A
1p: repeat of presentation if needed

Voluntary

Training for Volunteer Reviewers (applicants not eligible)

Thursday, January 24  6:30 pm
Starts with dinner at Mimmo’s
4400 Coors NW

If interested in volunteering, call Holly (505-766-4917) for brief telephone interview

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Steering Committee Members

We are grateful for your Service

Barbara Dua

Homer Gomez

John Martinez

Bill O'Neil

Luis Santos

Thomas Perez

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Newsletters

Volume 1, Issue 1 - Dated January 25, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 2 - Dated May 1, 2008

NOTICE About Funding

You may have heard that Congress has not appropriated any CCF money in the new bill.  This is new money they are talking about.  This particular action does not affect our funding for the grant proposals applicants have just submitted, nor does it in any way affect renewal of this program for a second year.  It will affect any capacity-building grants you attempt to write without a 2007 intermediary like Bienvenidos  in the next year or so, but not this program.    If you have any questions about this, you can call us, but we don't really know much more--your local congressional representative may have more information.

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Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:          Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Family Services Division Director

Telephone:       505-766-4932

Email:              jerry@helpnm.com

HELP-NEW MEXICO ANNOUNCES GRANT AWARDS

The Bienvenidos Coalition a partnership between by HELP-NM, one of the country’s oldest Community Action Agencies, and the New Mexico Conference of Churches is pleased to announce that 23 agencies statewide have been selected to receive Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) awards through a grant offered by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services.  The awards are intended to build non-profit agencies’ capacity to accomplish their community work.

HELP-NM was awarded the CCF grant in October 2007.  During the month of December 2007, the Bienvenidos Coalition held seven workshops statewide, which were attended by over 180 people.  At the end of December 65 agencies submitted letters of intent and in January 2008, 37 agencies submitted full proposals.

The grant awards were broken down into three tiers.  Tier 1 is an award of up to $5,000.00 for newer, inexperienced agencies that may or may not have a 501 (c) 3 designation.  Tier 2 is an award of up to $10,000.00 for agencies that have recently being designated as a 501 (c) 3 but have not been in existence longer than five years.  Tier 3 is an award of up to $20,000.00 for more experienced non-profit agencies, designated as a 501 (c) 3 with a 2007 budget of less than $500,000.00 and who have not received more than one federal grant in the last five years.

After thorough review by a panel of volunteers, 23 agencies were selected and approved by the Steering Committee to receive a grant award.  The following are the agencies that were selected and the tier that they applied and were approved for.

The grant awards program has two parts.  The monetary awards will be mailed out at the end of March for the above referenced agencies.  Second is a training and technical assistance program that will begin in April.  Technical assistance and training will be provided in the following areas:

·         Organizational Development

·         Leadership Development

·         Program Development

·         Community Engagement

·         Revenue Enhancement Strategies

The Bienvenidos Coalition staff along with some qualified volunteers statewide will provide one on one technical assistance to help each agency become more self-sufficient.  There will also be group trainings that will be open not only to the above referenced agencies but to any agency that applied or attended any of the December workshops. 

If you would like more information about this please call Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Family Services Division Director, at 766-4932 or e-mail him at jerry@helpnm.com

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