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State CED Associations Support the Human Capital Needs of CDCs

 

State CDC associations develop the capacity of the community development field by running training programs for their members which focus on building CDCs' human capital and their ability to develop leadership in their communities.  State associations also conduct surveys and produce publications, recruit and place interns to help them gain experience in the field, and engage in other activities to help recruit and retain talented individuals into the community development field.  During the past year, state associations expanded and improved their human capital programs.  Specific activities include:

 

Ø      Relationships with local colleges, universities, and community colleges .  MACDC partnered with MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and The Ford Foundation to operate the Minority Community & Regional Economic Development Internship and Training (CREDIT) Program.  Two CREDIT interns are now working at CDCs and two more will start later this year.  The Network secured interns from area universities for its Community Building Support Initiative (CBSI) sites in Trenton and Camden.  CCEDA sponsored a community-building institute with the L.A. Trade Technical College and is working with PolicyLink on a Community-University partnership event.

 

Ø      Research .  OCDCA is working jointly with Neighborhood Partners, Inc. on the development of a survey tool that will gather information on salaries and fringe benefits of CDCs employees.

 

Ø      Engage VISTA volunteers .  CCEDA, MACDC, and OCDCA train and place VISTAs throughout their states. 


 

Ø      Staff training .  Well-trained developers and counselors increase the pool of qualified professionals in the community development field and increase the capacity of the organizations for whom these professionals work.  Training not only improves efficiency and effectiveness of staff but will hopefully lead to more stable staffing patterns.  OCDCA, CCEDA, the Network, and MCCD operate professional training programs, workshops, conferences, and forums on evolving issues for their members.  While some are one-day trainings, others are week(s)-long events that result in exams that lead to certification that is recognized statewide.  Courses include:

 

Ø      Week-long housing counseling training course with certified exams (MCCD); 

Ø      Maryland specific, seven-day housing development training course;

Ø      HUD’s policies on Real Estate Owned Properties (MCCD;

Ø      Self-Help training program for nonprofits interested in sweat equity housing (MCCD);

Ø      Default and Delinquency Training for housing counselors (MCCD); 

Ø      Legal Issues for CDCs getting into retail development (MCCD);

Ø      Individual Development Accounts (MCCD, OCDCA);

Ø      Community Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (MCCD, OCDCA); 

Ø      Monthly housing developers’ networking breakfast to facilitate communication between organizations about difficulties they encounter and solutions to those problems (MD);

Ø      Partnering with Neighborhood Reinvestment’s California Trainings;

Ø      Housing Development Training Program has 17 participants (NJ);

Ø      Property management, small business technical assistance, and workforce development (NJ);

Ø      Property management operations enhancement including tenant relations, property and liability insurance, and financial management software. (NJ); 

Ø      In conjunction with the Network’s Community Building Funding Pool, the Network provided technical assistance and structured training to eight funded groups as well as other non-funded members. The Network has designed and carried out seven cross-site training sessions on Participatory Planning; the Early Phases of Community Building; Evaluating Your Community Building Initiative; and four of eight sessions on Organizing for Community Building;

Ø      Retreats and strategic planning processes for Network members and for local CDC associations; and

Ø      The Network's TA & Training Center has developed an outline for a leadership development program as well as a proposal for a peer-to-peer organizational development program.

 

Ø                  Staff support .  State associations push for an increase in resources for CDCs, so that they can afford to hire qualified staff, and have adequate project funds in place to keep them employed.

 

Ø                  Collaborative Staffing.  Both MACDC and MCCD coordinate staff collaboration among member CDCs.  MACDC coordinates economic development staff among Boston CDCs.  MCCD participates with the Baltimore Neighborhood Collaborative that hosts workshops such as the problem of substance abuse in Baltimore neighborhoods and its impact on community building and community development, and how to link the neighborhood community development work with the human services industry in a mutually beneficial manner.  Being at that table also allows MCCD’s executive director the opportunity to build relationships with individual foundations and corporations and spread the concepts of results-oriented operating support and the value of supporting funding adequate wages to attract quality staff.  This is an ongoing discussion, with many funders expressing concern about high turnover within the community organizations but not wanting to support general operating support or high salary lines, without understanding the connection between these.

 

Ø                  Recruitment .  State Associations seek to share information about the field to potential community development staff by connecting to colleges and universities.  All of the associations are specifically attuned to the need to attract and retain high quality employees, especially African American, Asian, Latino, and Native American community residents.  The MACDC program continues to work closely with the Boston office of LISC/NDSC to implement a Career Paths Program as part of the Human Capital Development Initiative (HCDI). Minority Fellows Demonstration Program began its first class of three who are working with three Boston area CDCs. This popular program received 200 inquiries and applications from 30 people.  MACDC  ultimately selected five people, but only three were lucky enough to be picked by a CDC. As additional funds are raised MACDC will be able to bring more of these highly qualified and talented people into the CDC field.  CCEDA and the Network work with NCCED’s Human Capital Program.  CCEDA also works with Students for Responsible Business.