An indepth look Arc of Whatcom CountyDan Godwin

An in-depth look Arc of Whatcom County-Dan Godwin Community Center Elizabeth Jennings Nonprofit management 435 -By Meghla Julin

Founding Principles � Mission: To improve quality of life, increase the independence and assure the full inclusion in the community of any person with a developmental disability. � Vision: The Arc of Whatcom County will be an effective resource, a strong advocate& a dedicated base of support for individuals with developmental disabilities &their families.

Arc’s Purpose TO CHALLENGE& CHANGE PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES OF THOSE W/ ALL KINDS OF DISABILITIES. They are ablebodied not disabled. Short video clip: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=c. A 3 t 1 HW 1 Ow&feature=related

State affiliation& local history � Whatcom county Arc is part of 10 chapters throughout WA � � state for 70≥ years (Elliott) Considered a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Elliott) Named in honor of Dan Godwin (see below)- it is a familycentered place where community members of all ages& abilities gather sharing resources and participating in both recreational& educational activities. “Daniel Godwin” Found on arcwhatcom. org website

Ways to join � Membership-Those members receive newsletters from Parent Coalition, Washington state Arc& Arc of the U. S. You will receive info about activities f/ people w/ disabilities& news of legislation that affects them Monetary/goods donations can donate via website http: //www. arcwhatcom. org/donations. html � For clothing/small household items pickup in Whatcom county 6713344 � Amazing statistic- in 2011 Arc volunteers logged over 2, 600 hours from landscaping to answering phones �

Assortment of Programs Parent Coalition (PC)Supports those w/ disabilities and/guardians to become further involved& offers variety of workshops � Down Syndrome Outreach (DSO) aims to create inclusive community f/ people w/ Down Syndrome � Youth Self-Advocacy (YSA) coaches/helps young adults become strong advocates f/ themselves& others. � CHOICE Project Program self advocates learn the skills needed to meet personal priorities &goals participating in (YSA), Inclusion training or Person-centered planning � Throughout process they exercise selfdetermination �

Arc organization Works to build people w/ developmental disabilities uphighlighting their strengths, abilities; a place where community members can gather collectively to affect some kind of change providing a base of support.

Management: Uses of Funding �I was interested in the ways in which organization can stay politically-active; not threaten their nonprofit status � Very specific language, work diligently to ensure compliance � Has leadership contract w/ Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC)f/ Parent Coalition � Contract stipulates “legislative information provided to individuals& the community will NOT endorse/oppose pending legislation, ballot initiatives or specific candidates running f/ public office in any publication, w/ any resource made available through public funds under this contract” Ms. Porter acknowledged

Budget & Leadership � Executive Budget w/ total revenue, expenses, administrative costs ($) 2009 2010 Exp. 284, 220 Rev. 357, 282 294, 063 300, 345 Admin 11. 38 8. 00 0 director& PC co-coordinator Beverly Porter � PC co-coordinator Monica Burke � Executive assistant Dana Little � Public Board of Directors = 8 total members awareness fundraising coordinator Amy Mc. Kinley � Inclusion advocate Terri Hansen

Life Cycle-Where are they? � Their founder Susan Jewell stepped down@ near end of 2010 -stages of stagnation and renewal � New change agent was Beverly Porter � I did not volunteer much of time don’t know if they lost sight of the market by focusing on creating programs designed to increase funding � New Year 2011=a time of transition � I suspect entire place was in shock, staff morale @all time low, increasing turnover f/ both staff& board members who were less involved (Simon, 2002). See Below

References Budget http: //www. 2 guidestar. org Arc of Whatcom County, “About the Arc. ” Retrieved from http: //www. arcwhatcom. org/ Arc of Washington State. Elliott, S. (n. d. ). About us. Retrieved from http: //www. arcwa. org/aboutus M. K. Julin (personal communication/administrative costs, February 1, 2012). Simon, J. (2002). Nonprofit lifecycles overview. Retrieved from http: //www. speakmanconsulting. com/pdf_f iles/nonprofitlifecyclesmanagement