To strengthen local nonprofits serving vulnerable populations statewide, the United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) partnered with NeighborWorks America. Alabama and its essential cadre of community-based organizations have been working to recover from the economic recession. When 64 tornados ripped through the state this past spring, the devastation they caused once again destabilized the economic security of hundreds of thousands of Alabama residents.

Marshall Crawford of the Southern District of NeighborWorks America and Shirley Worthington, Vice President of Community Initiatives for UWCA worked together for some time to address foreclosure recovery issues and on strategies to build financial stability in Alabama communities. Then the partners identified a resource in the Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In 2010 UWCA was awarded SCF funding of $973,584.

Through an open and competitive process, the United Way selected twelve geographically and programmatically diverse Alabama nonprofits to build capacity through training, technical assistance, and technology. Six of the twelve organizations selected NeighborWorks America capacity assessments as part of their capacity building grant.

One Alabama family resource center was reeling from internal disruption, resulting in CEO and CFO vacancies. The Board of Directors assumed a vital governance role and prioritized financial management and a NeighborWorks America PROMPTTM organizational assessment as critical steps toward stabilization. As a result, the organization filled the executive positions and stabilized affordable housing and workforce development services.

Two organizations in Mobile opted for NeighborWorks assessments. One was the Community Foundation of South Alabama (CFSA), where the long-time CEO had just retired. CFSA board vice chair B.H. Eichold II commented, “The assessment helped provide objective information used during our CEO selection process and will be used by the board as we move CFSA to the next level. We thank Shirley Worthington and the United Way of Central Alabama for investing in our future."

“UWCA is exceedingly satisfied with the assessment results and reports,” said Ms. Worthington. “More importantly, each of the sub-grantees that underwent an organizational assessment is more focused on capacity building and more able to priori- tize strategic action steps. Their ability to discern the ‘urgent’ from the ‘important’ is significantly improved.”

NeighborWorks America remains engaged as a key partner in providing high quality capacity-building resources to SCF sub-grantees, including courses at NeighborWorks Training Institutes.