Westside Works’ Post

I’m thrilled to share that I’m stepping into a new role as the inaugural Head of Programs at Work for America, a new nonprofit dedicated to solving the government staffing crisis. I started working in government because I wanted to tackle complex, urgent issues facing my community. Along the way, I had the honor of working alongside incredible public servants who made the impossible seem routine, whether it was by opening 100+ COVID testing sites in just 3 weeks, launching a fully staffed mobile clinic to serve unsheltered New Yorkers, or turning a vacant hotel into a 24/7 service center for over 1,000 clients a day. But for every success, I’ve also seen moments where vulnerable people didn’t get the help they needed because we didn’t have the right staff — and couldn’t hire them. Those experiences left a lasting impact on me. It became painfully clear that even the best policies can’t succeed if we don’t have the people in place to deliver them. Today, state and local governments are facing a severe staffing crisis that’s only getting worse. Applications for public sector jobs have plummeted by 55% since 2019, and a third of public servants are set to retire by 2025. This is personal for me, because I’ve seen how the lack of a strong workforce can mean the difference between success and failure for our communities. That’s why Work for America is laser-focused on making public service a desirable, accessible, and stable career path that uplifts communities and supports our country. Here’s how you can help: 💻 Follow Work for America on LinkedIn. 💌 Join our email list for updates via our website, workforamerica.org. 📨 Email me at [email protected] to explore how we can partner to advance this mission. Thank you to all the incredible public servants and mentors who have inspired and supported me along the way. I hope to make you proud!

Britain's creative output depends on the talents of street-level communities, from music to fashion and beyond. But education cuts, underfunding and cultural biases in the workplace are putting a creative career out of reach to anybody but the privileged few. We cannot take the talent pipeline for granted. If those voices continue to be shut out, the country becomes culturally stagnant. We all lose. Common People is a community for anybody in the creative industries with experience of being from a Working Class background. Connecting and celebrating individuals, organisations, charities and companies doing the work to make creativity accessible to all. https://lnkd.in/eTX8fRfW [Source: Social Mobility in the Creative Economy, PEC 2020]

It’s been another busy few months at The Angel Network, where lives have been changed for generations to come. We cannot do this work without your donations. It enables us to foster a spirit of generosity and community upliftment. We thrive on empowering people to reach their full potential, and you, our loyal members, have ensured that this is possible. Imagine for a moment that you could not provide for your loved ones—that ten of you slept in a confined space on a piece of cardboard, soaked by rain, with rats sharing the little food you had and newspapers serving as your blankets. Now imagine being able to change a family’s life forever. Our three pillars allow us to run feeding schemes, assist with education, and provide emergency relief. Our 100 soup kitchens nationwide continue to serve 300,000 meals every month. None of this would be possible without your help. At a cost of just R5 per meal, we urge you to consider sponsoring a soup kitchen for a day (R750), a week (R3,750), or a month (R15,000). As we turn our backs on the bitter winter that has plagued many parts of our country and head into spring, let’s continue to bring sunshine and hope to the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. Please consider partnering with us by setting up a monthly debit order. https://lnkd.in/dJrKG94

💥 Board of Directors Assessments. This is the time of year that many nonprofit orgs begin conducting their board of directors self-assessment so boards can detemine their effectiveness in all their areas of responsibility. Are you ready for your board of directors assessment? Visit here or direct message me! #governance #nonprofithttps://lnkd.in/e8hg7xhC

Empowering futures! 🌟 Check out these 4 nonprofit job training programs helping young, low-income adults build skills and find opportunities. Learn how they're making a difference: https://buff.ly/4dasAIz #SkillPointe #JobTraining #CareerGrowth

Can you help us to tackle homelessness? This month, and the next, and the next? We're a social enterprise and employ all of our tour guides. Raising funds can be tough because we're always asking people to part with money that is stretched in so many different directions. But now, people can make little monthly donations on a regular basis and that is huge news for us. 💚 A fiver a month pays for training materials for a new guide 💚 £10 a month pays for a venue for guide training 💚 £20 a month pays for new guides to explore their city and hear from other museum, gallery and tour guides on how they run their tours. If you or your business can make a small regular donation like this, it helps so much and we'll be excited to share those updates with you as we help more people across the UK impacted by homelessness. https://lnkd.in/eCsShAHw #crowdfunder #fundraising #socialenterprise #tacklinghomelessness.

Giving Tuesday blog for #the410bridge https://lnkd.in/eniAtX4i And the importance of what we do our goal of 250K along with this link - https://lnkd.in/egcZ5wV3

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 - 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Seek out staff, volunteers, donors and partners who believe what you believe and value what you value. Don't try to put round pegs in square holes - that's mission drift and it doesn't serve you. 📌 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 - 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁. I'm not suggesting a lack of diversity or a need to fit in - I'm advocating for an alignment of core values. The more you unite people behind your mission the stronger your: ✅ Voice ✅ Clarity of purpose ✅ Sense of belonging  All the things you need to build a community to get the job done. But to get there you need to make choices, so you need to know what you want AND what you don't want. The situations you find yourself in today - mirror the choices your non-profit made yesterday. Similarly, the decisions you make today - will shape your future circumstances. The chances are it's going to be years before you fulfill your vision and mission - so equipping yourself for a long journey makes sense.  Including being resilient - another reason to be connected to and supported by people who truly want you to succeed. Are the aspirations of your service users, employees, volunteers, donors and partners aligned with your vision, mission and values? 📌 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗹 - 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 😀

Many of our recruiters spent time working within the industry for which they now recruit talent. Take Nonprofit Recruiter Dan Kuhar, CPC for example. His background leading charter schools has equipped him not only to understand the needs of education and environmental Nonprofits, but to deeply identify with their story and mission. To learn more about Dan and his approach to Nonprofit recruiting, watch his full video here: https://buff.ly/3SyaCHu #nonprofitrecruiting #executivesearch #recruiter #nonprofitsearch #jobhunt

Someone asked me for my thoughts on organizations to donate to if you want to help Western North Carolina. Based on information from those I know in the area, here are some that are on site and seem to be making a big impact. The situation is rapidly changing and wildly different depending on where you are at. Given the devastation and all the work that is needed to repair or fully replace infrastructure (roads, electric lines, water lines), the government seems to have their hands full with that. In many cases it is individuals, local businesses, nonprofits, and churches that are really carrying the load in terms of meeting immediate individual needs. Nonprofit: https://lnkd.in/eWcXSiaT https://lnkd.in/ewErFxpj https://wck.org/ Faith Based: https://lnkd.in/ejgjiF8k https://lnkd.in/eVVs8amj Businesses: It's the fall tourist season, and local small businesses are really taking a hit b/c this season is basically canceled. You can also consider shopping online from local businesses: https://lnkd.in/eBks-_vF or supporting them through grants: https://lnkd.in/eWy5v7hT.