2016 State of Poverty: A Portrait of Ohio Families

The Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies, in cooperation with Community Research Partners (CRP), released the 2016 State of Poverty: A Portrait of Ohio Families this afternoon during a press conference at The Ohio Statehouse. The report highlights trends and factors contributing to poverty in an effort to better understand the circumstances that affect Ohioans. Philip E. Cole, executive director of …

#OHWLC17 is right around the corner!

The 2017 Winter Legislative Conference is right around the corner! We are excited to have such a great lineup of featured speakers, presenters, and workshops available to our network. Though our online registration is now closed, you can still attend by registering at the door. Tracks for the conference include Leadership, Fiscal/HR, Family Development Specialist/Intake, Head Start, Energy, and an …

ROMA Next Generation: Putting it all together

For those who have not spent a lot of time reading through ROMA Next Generation documents, an easy way to describe the proposed changes is to review the current Information Survey (IS) Annual Report. Currently, the IS requires CAAs to provide outcome data related to National Performance Indicators (NPIs) under six Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) goals. Under ROMA …

Quick Tips for “Fund”-raising

Is your agency in need of extra funds for a project, program or service? Are you gearing up for end-of-the-year giving? Perhaps turning fundraising into friendraising will work for you. For the sake of this blog, we are not equating fundraising with grant writing, although potential contributors—especially corporations—may need a letter or application in order to grant or donate funds …

From OACAA Executive Director Philip E. Cole

Lyndon B. Johnson coined the phrase “The War on Poverty” when he signed into law The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. It was an instantly recognized phrase that was meant to represent a national effort to eliminate poverty. After successfully reducing the national poverty rate from 26% to 15% in the first two years, the resources to fight were drastically …

Wrapping up the 2016 Annual Summer Conference

Last week, OACAA held the 2016 Annual Summer Conference, which was hosted by Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron, and Richland Counties, and welcomed over 200 Community Action professionals from across the state back to Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio. The full schedule of plenary sessions, breakout classrooms, awards, and recognitions kept attendees busy and learning throughout the conference. …

Why do employees need training?

People are a driving force in every organization. In order to perform at their best, staff need development opportunities to not only teach them to perform their assigned duties, but also to educate them on new and changing techniques, programs, and services. Sending new and current team members to skill-specific seminars and enrolling them in appropriate online courses, ensures the teaching …

2016 Annual Summer Conference: Details Announced

OACAA’s 2016 Annual Summer Conference is right around the corner and the early bird deadline ends next Friday, May 27th! Don’t forget to register and book your hotel room at Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio. We have some great sessions planned this summer between four focus tracks: Fiscal/Human Resources, Reentry, Agency Board Members, and History of the War on Poverty. See the …

2015 State of Poverty in Ohio Report

Shortly after welcoming guests to a morning press conference to release the 2015 State of Poverty in Ohio Report, Phil Cole, executive director of OACAA, paused, looked at the crowd and said, “Poverty isn’t easy.” There are nearly 1.8 million people in Ohio that fall below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) according to the latest report written in cooperation with …