"Thinking outside the box" has become a cliché', but it is often still a good idea. Both non-profit and governmental agencies, large and small, are desperately looking for new techniques to relieve the enormous backlogs and long wait-times that burden both caseworkers and clients. Doing things the old way "because that is how we have always done it" is no longer accepted wisdom. One state agency has begun thinking outside the case.

All harried case workers dream of a better way to do things.

Human resource managers in the non-profit sector are struggling with an alarming rate of employee turnover. Unfortunately, studies indicate that non-profit human resource managers still hold beliefs about recruiting and managing employees that have proven to be inaccurate.

Don't Leave Your People Behind

Every nonprofit agency in the country, large or small, is already implementing, or is about to implement, the installation of a new software system. The development of modern Human Services Software is dragging even the most reluctant agencies into a new age of efficiency.

Imagine how vulnerable it must feel to be utterly dependent on others to help you with even the most basic things. “Things aren’t what they used to be,” you think to yourself while waiting for the attendant to assist you in getting out of bed. You’re having trouble remembering your attendant’s name -- Kimberly? Bethany? You reflect on how unpleasant it is to have to rely on someone else to take you to the bathroom.

How many of your clients do you know? When case managers are asked this question, their answers might surprise you. Some, of course, say they know all of their clients. Some answer that they know most of their clients. Some, on the other hand, believe that they don't truly know any.