History, Mission and Vision

History: The Folsom Cordova Community Partnership “The Partnership”, a small grassroots independent 501 [C] [3] corporation, was founded as the Folsom Cordova Schools Foundation in August of 1992 by the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. The school district acts as the fiscal sponsor to the Partnership.

In May of 2006, the Schools Foundation officially changed its name to the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership to more accurately reflect the mission of the agency.

Mission: The mission of the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership is to mobilize and integrate resources that enhance the education, health and well being of the children and families of our community.

Vision: Our vision is to bring together community programs and partners to assess and address community needs thereby, maximizing resources while reducing duplication of services; with the end result being a unified, self-sufficient community which is in-tune with its needs and has the ability to resolve its challenges.

In the Community

The Folsom Cordova Community Partnership collaborates with many devoted community partners to provide safe, fun spaces and services for the children and families of our community.

This is what we’ve been up to this year:

KaBOOM!, February 28, 2007 – At the Folsom Cordova Unified School District’s first KaBOOM! Playground-Building Event, the Partnership staff joined community for a National Day of Service. The day’s activities included repainting Cordova Meadows Elementary’s asphalt with brightly colored four-squares, a vivid map of the United States, and two new hopscotch boards. Staff also built fences, mixed concrete, assembled playground equipment, and planted flowers to create the play space designed by the school’s students earlier in the year.

Kid’s Zone at the Rancho Cordova “America the Beautiful” Celebration, July 1, 3, & 4, 2007 - July 2007 marked the inaugural year that the Partnership hosted the Kids Zone at the Rancho Cordova 4th of July Celebration, “America the Beautiful.” The event was a smash success, and Partnership staff and volunteers had lots of fun in the sun over the 3-day celebration. Highlights of the Kids Zone included Free Pony Rides, Arts and Crafts, Face Painting and Bubble Pond. Hourly kid-friendly and developmentally appropriate games were played by trained Partnership Resource Center Staff, including the ever-popular “cup cake walk” and water-balloon toss. Good (and slightly messy) times were had by all, and the Partnership looks forward to lending a helping hand (and paintbrush) to the event in 2008!

In the News

Read about the Partnership programs and projects in local and regional media.

(PDF) Partner-up! (El Dorado Folsom Style - August 2007)
(PDF) Folsom Cordova gives 9 Community Partnership awards (Folsom Life - )
(PDF) They’re all about kids (Grapevine Independent - June 29, 2007)
(PDF) Kids get a shoulder to lean on (The Sacramento Bee – May 21, 1006)
(PDF) Sharp drop in child homicides (The Sacramento Bee – March 13, 2006)
(PDF) The Beat Goes On (Grapevine Independent – August 24, 2007)

Board of Directors

Agency Leadership

Paul Shane, Executive Director
PShane@FCCommunityPartnership.org

Paul Shane [our executive director] came to the "Partnership" from the Sutter-Yuba Friday Night Live Program where he served as the Development Director. Over the last twelve years, he has held leadership positions at the Yuba-Sutter YMCA [Executive Director], Sacramento Food Bank Services, Women Escaping A Violent Environment [WEAVE], Community Housing Opportunities Corporation and Martin's Achievement Place. His educational background includes undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Human Services and a graduate degree [Masters] in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. He possesses a strong commitment to national and community service and has proudly and successfully completed terms of service with the United States Air force as a Law Enforcement Officer and with the AmeriCorps National Service Program as a Home Visitor within the Birth and Beyond program.

Katie Willse, Program Manager, Roots and Horizons
KWillse@FCCommunityPartnership.org

A passionate advocate for community development, Katie Willse is proud to have had the opportunity to create and implement the Roots and Horizons mentoring program for the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership.  With a degree in Sociology and Interpersonal Communication and a background in program development, volunteer management and event planning, Katie has over 10 years experience in building programs that promote positive opportunities for youth. She has received extensive training on sustaining quality mentoring programs through the Center for Applied Research Solutions, the Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents and the Family and Youth Services Bureau.   In 2007 Roots and Horizons became a founding member of the Association for Mentoring Professionals and the Greater Sacramento Mentoring Coalition.

Robert Sanger, Program Manager, Birth & Beyond
RSanger@FCCommunityPartnership.org

The Program Manager for the Birth & Beyond program, Robert Sanger, came to the "Partnership" from Child Action Inc. where he served as their Health Insurance Coordinator for all of Sacramento County.  Over the last eight years, he has dedicated his career to human service positions at Child Action Inc., the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento and the Sacramento Children’s Home.  His educational background includes undergraduate degrees in Psychology, years of extensive training in group facilitation and multiple professional certificates.  In a previous professional life, he has owned and operated a small business.  Robert is married with two children and feels time spending time with family is the most important investment that could be made to his children’s future.  He has a strong commitment to community service and has successfully completed two terms of service with the AmeriCorps National Service Program as a Home Visitor within the Birth and Beyond program and volunteers his time educating parent on the correct installation of child passenger safety seats.

Nicole Jarred, Community Collaborations Manager
NJarred@FCCommunityPartnership.org

Nicole Jarred has extensive background in youth development settings, including after-school care programming and 10 summers with the YMCA of Michigan's Hayo-went-ha Camps. Nicole also has experience in campaign organizing and fundraising, school support services and parent education. When she is not mobilizing and integrating resources at the Partnership, Nicole can usually be found pursuing her love of rock climbing, bicycling, hiking, and/or vegetarian food, accompanied by her husband Michael, who is himself a proud volunteer with the agency. Nicole celebrated her one-year anniversary with the Partnership this summer.

Community Supporters

The Partnership would like to recognize and thank the following people and organizations for their selfless and compassionate support of children, families and communities:

- American River Bank for sponsoring our quarterly Healthy Baby Showers.

The Partnership recognizes our community supporters annually at an event called Heroes Joining Hands.

The Partnership would also like to recognize community support and sponsorship of our signature event, A Taste of December 2007. For a complete list of sponsors, click here.

Partner-up! Collaborative Projects

The Partnership would like to recognize its partner organizations in the community.

Camp Fire USA is a not-for-profit co-ed youth development organization that serves 70,000 kids nationwide. The Gold River Council of Campfire USA collaborates with the Partnership to share their extensive knowledge about youth leadership and youth councils for the community’s REACH Youth Development Initiative. For more information about Camp Fire USA, please visit www.campfireusa-sac.org.

The Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento (CAPC) is committed to protecting children from the risk or impact of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. CAPC provides administrative support and training to the Partnership’s AmeriCorps service members. For more information about CAPC, please visit http://www.capcsac.org/.

Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal organization committed to improving lives, strengthening communities, and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation for National and Community Services provides living stipends and educational awards for the Partnership’s AmeriCorps service members. For more information about the Corporation for National and Community Service, please visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/.

FCUSD School Readiness, as a collaborative partner of the Partnership, provides a nutritious dinner, developmentally appropriate activities for younger children, and family friendly movies at the bi-monthly Family Movie Night. For more information about FCUSD School Readiness, please call Denise Thompson at 861-0631 x163.

Mather Youth Academy is a heavily-structured non-traditional community day school with a military emphasis. Through the SOARS Initiative, the Partnership provides one staff member to support Mather Youth Academy families in need of advocacy. For more information about Mather Youth Academy, please visit https://www.edline.net/pages/Kitty_Hawk_School/Mather_Youth_Academy.

Sacramento Self Help Housing provides housing counseling and referrals to over 2,000 Sacramento residents each year. Sacramento Self Help Housing serves clients by appointment or walk-in at the Partnership Resource Center. For more information about Sacramento Self Help Housing, please visit http://www.sacselfhelp.org/.

Soil Born Farm teaches youth and adults to produce environmentally-friendly food that nurtures the environment through its Urban Agriculture Project. Soil Born Farm creates opportunities for Rancho Cordova youth involved with the REACH Youth Development Initiative to learn about healthy decision making. REACH is an initiative of the Partnership’s Cordova Community Collaborative. For more information about Soil Born Farm, please visit http://www.soilborn.org.

Today’s Youth Matter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created to provide battered and abused children in need of positive adult mentoring a reason for hope and a future. TYM generously welcomes Partnership youth to attend their week long camps and allows Partnership staff the opportunity to serve their clients in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. For more information about TYM, please visit http://www.tymkids.org/.

UCD OB/GYN Community Clinic provides accessible health services to pregnant women in the Rancho Cordova community. The UCD OB/GYN serves families at the Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Center. For more information about the UCD OB/GYN Community Clinic, please call (916) 734-6982.

WEAVE, inc provides services to survivors of domestic violence and their families as well as survivors of sexual assault in Sacramento County. Weave, inc. provides counseling orientations at the Partnership Resource Center. For more information about WEAVE, inc, please visit http://www.weaveinc.org/.

Women’s Health Specialists is committed to empowering women through support, education, self-help, and services to be able to make the best health care decisions for themselves. As a collaborating agency with the Partnership, Women’s Health Specialists offers free reproductive health care services at the Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Center. For more information about Women’s Health Specialists, please visit http://www.womenshealthspecialists.org.

Resource Development & Sustainability

We believe that the truest way to honor our supporters is to use their contributions in the most efficient manner possible, ensuring that gifts given in good faith have the largest community impact possible. As such, the Partnership maintains a comprehensive resource development strategy and strategic plan which are reevaluated and adjusted [as needed] on an annual basis to reflect the needs and desires of the communities we severe. The following paragraphs are intended to provide you with a “snapshot” of our resource development strategic plan. Please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have, or for a hardcopy of our planning documents.

When most people think of resource development, their minds automatically jump to the topic of fundraising. While it is true that fundraising is as essential component of the overall resource development strategy, it is certainly not the only component of a successful resource development strategy. By embracing the following six pillars of resource development, we will build a strong sustainable organization that is reflective of the community and responsive to it emerging needs.

The six pillars of a successful resource development strategy are as follows:

1. Community Collaborations

2. Human Capital

3. Friends Raising

4. Funds Raising

5. Micro Enterprises

6. Mergers & Acquisitions
   

I. Community Collaborations: We adhere to the three tiers of a successful community collaborations campaign which include: maintaining a physical presence in and a commitment to the communities whom you serve, partnering with the community to enhance and sustain marketing efforts, and developing mutually beneficial relationships with other community-based NPO present in your targeted communities.

II. Human Capital: The second pillar of our resource development strategy is focused on human capital to include employees and volunteers. Employee turnover rate in the nonprofit industry can be as high as 78%. This means that the nonprofit sector as a whole is spending more money on recruitment and training than the for-profit sector. This also means that there is virtually no continuity of care for clients seeking assistance from nonprofit organizations and that the institutional memory of these agencies is either extremely weak or, does not exist at all. When asked why they “job hop”, the main reasons cited by nonprofit employees were extremely low wages and job dissatisfaction. They went on to state that their job dissatisfaction had little to do with job functions and was directly related to not feeling appreciated or valued as an employee and as a person. Some even stated that their supervisors and executive directors had never even taken the time to learn their names or thank them after completing extremely complicated tasks. If employee turn over is viewed in terms of resource development, it has the potential to needlessly become the biggest drain on an agency’s financial resources and quality of service. Our philosophy is to pay our employees the fairest wage possible while valuing their talents and abilities and investing in to take on larger roles at the agency.

The second category of human capital is the volunteer workforce. In 2007, the department of labor estimated that the average volunteer's time is equivalent to $19.79 an hour. In addition, studies have consistently shown that volunteers are more likely to donate to the NPO where they provide service and that when they donate, it is on an average of 66% more than non volunteers. This volunteer time can also be counted as in-kind support and leveraged as matching funds. However, the largest benefit form utilizing volunteers is often the intangible benefits related to their commitment to the NPO. Many volunteers are very aggressive in soliciting their social networks to support the NPO where they volunteer. This, in turn brings in monetary support, additional volunteers and more in-kind donations.

III. Friends Raising: A great way to build and maintain relationships with our donors and community supporters is through friends raising. As people become more involved in the agency, they become more committed. Paramount friends raising activities at the Partnership include but are not limited to: Recognizing supporters through prompt and personal acknowledgements of their gifts to the agency, providing personal tours and informational sessions, holding periodic social and informative gatherings, hosting occasional breakfast meetings & luncheons and having an annual “State of the Partnership” dinner.

IV: Fund Raising: We believe that fundraising is the glue that holds an organization together and should never be centralized to one source (i.e., the government) or viewed as the only option in sustaining the NPO. It is essential to a successful resource development philosophy that support for the NPO comes from a variety of different sources. That way, if one funding stream dries up, the river of support sustaining the NPO still remains strong. We do not see fundraising as being separate from our relationship building efforts and do not look for one time checks or singular gestures of support. Rather we build open and honest relationship with people who genuinely care about our cause and offer them an opportunity to support what is truly important to them.

V: Micro Enterprises: Micro Enterprises are profit making business created and maintained by the NPO to support its operations. One of our plans is to open a youth development center which has several micro enterprises which sustain its operations.

VI: Mergers & Acquisitions:

Acquisitions typically occur when a smaller nonprofit agency faces extinction and is swallowed by a larger nonprofit and then becomes a program of that nonprofit agency. This arrangement helps to build the capacity of the larger agency while carrying on the good work and legacy of the smaller nonprofit agency.

Mergers occur when two or more nonprofit agencies with similar missions decide to combine forces to have a bigger impact on society.

The benefits of a successful merger include but are no means limited to:

• A strength–based partnership which greatly broadens the resources and supporters associated with either single entity.

• Reduction in the duplication of services and inefficiency, thereby allowing the nonprofit to serve more people and causes.

• Expanded capacity for mission fulfillment

• Brings diversity and “new blood” to the Board of Directors.

We are on a consistent search for additional nonprofit organizations which share our mission and vision of helping children and families and to work with them to have a bigger community impact of society.

In addition to the six pillars of resource development, we believe that consistent training and professional development are crucial to ongoing sustainability of our organization. For Example, just recently after a competitive process, the Partnership was selected to participate in the Family Resource Center Sustainability Project which focuses on peer-to-peer relationships among Family Resource Centers and best practices in organizational development as strategies for the long term sustainability of nonprofit organizations. In addition to this, our executive director was recently selected as the only nonprofit director to participate in “Leadership Rancho Cordova”. Leadership Rancho Cordova is a nine month leadership development program with focus areas which address the following topics: local government, land use, arts & culture, education, health & human services, economic development, public safety and nonprofit organizations & community volunteerism.

Employment & National Service

The Partnership is always searching for passionate and dedicated individuals who share our vision of serving children and families in the community. Cover letters and resumes for available positions can be sent to PartnershipRecruitment@FCCommunityPartnership.org.

Current available positions:

(PDF) Home Visitor PDF 6 from list

(PDF) Team Leader PDF 7 from list

AmeriCorps is a national service program whose members commit to 11 months of Getting Things Done, Strengthening Communities, Encouraging Responsibility, and Expanding Opportunities. These full-time AmeriCorps members receive valuable experience and training, a modest living allowance, and an educational grant to further their education.

For more information about Americorps, please visit www.AmeriCorps.org. Cover letters and resumes for available positions can be sent to PartnershipRecruitment@FCCommunityPartnership.org.

Current available Americorps positions:

There are no available Americorps positions at this time.