Hunger

As we reported earlier this year, few Americans know that hunger has become a serious social problem in the U. S. We tend to think of countries in drought plagued Africa or the war-torn Middle East as places where children suffer malnutrition and die of starvation. However, food insecurity and nutritional depravation continue to haunt Americans in urban pockets of poverty and remote rural regions across our country.

The latest government statistics report that approximately one in five adults reported experiencing household food insecurity at the end of 2022. High food price inflation, along with elevated costs for other basic needs, such as transportation and rent, have likely eroded food budgets in the last year, and some of the safety net responses that buffered food insecurity in 2021 are no longer in place. In addition, 35% (229 million tons) of all food produced in the U.S. every year goes unsold or uneaten and is thrown away while nearly 42 million Americans – one in eight – struggle with hunger.

In our last report on hunger in America we highlighted the role of nonprofits and social service agencies in the battle against food depravation. This week we would like to shine a light on one “for-profit” company that is making an amazing contribution to the fight against hunger in America.

Transparency in a non-profit can entail disclosing to supporters, the public, and the government, the internal operations, board composition, impact, and financials of your agency.  You're telling a story that demonstrates the positive effect your efforts are having for your clients.  A story that is supported by vital statistics.  These vital statistics or reporting is essential for the funding and continued support of your agency. 

Non-profit agencies have become more conscious of their practices and reporting to avoid improprieties, financial or otherwise.  Understanding requirements for transparency and creating a culture built around this, will help your non-profit agency navigate smoother and with more profitably.   
For these reasons let's look at non-profit transparency and its importance to the social service sector.

Technology is transforming American and global industries at a rapid pace. According to a 2018 report, digitization and technology were expected to create over 58 million jobs by 2022. Based on the evidence, the prediction appears to be correct.

Because of the quick adoption of technology in various industries, workforce development has also advanced. The US may have the highest prevalence of technology influencing workforce development worldwide.

Both corporations and social service organizations want their employees to be ready for the challenges and opportunities that accompany new technology adaptation. Let's look at where we can see the effects of technology in workforce development and focus on the benefits for the non-profit sector. 

With the introduction of Chatbot/GPT to the public, artificial intelligence, like every other technology introduced since the beginning of the 20th century, is making some people nervous.

The American social service sector employs over 680,000 caseworkers. As the industry expands, record numbers of new caseworkers join the ranks. There will always be a learning curve, but in an industry, that's experiencing large numbers of job burnout and turnover, tips for newcomers can be a lifesaver. Let's share some diehard tips for the newbie case managers and a refresher for our brilliant veterans.  

Fueled by a long-running housing shortage, rising rent prices, and the economic hangover from the pandemic, the overall number of homeless in a federal government report to be released in coming months is expected to be higher than the 580,000 unhoused before the coronavirus outbreak.

Traditional mental health settings assign sole treatment authority to the therapist reducing patients to a classified diagnosis followed by the indicated treatment. Traditionally, after reviewing the case history and a brief initial interview, patients are assigned a diagnosis and “told what is good for them.” The caseworker retains total authority over the patient’s treatment plan usually focused on symptom reduction. Case notes are kept confidential even from the patients themselves. Providers feel pressure to document primarily for billing purposes and must submit notes within 24 hours for Medicaid reimbursement. There is little time allotted for consulting with patients to illicit their input on their treatment plan.

According to surveys, in the first half of 2022, approximately 53 million companies and individuals were victims of successful cyberattacks and data breaches. These figures are concerning, especially when you consider that cybercriminals have targeted all types of businesses, including non-profits, that have a weak cybersecurity structure. Non-profit organizations deal with sensitive data such as clients' family histories, locations, and medical records, which must be protected, emphasizing the importance of non-profit cybersecurity.

This blog discusses how to effectively improve cybersecurity in non-profits.

If you stop to think about it, there has to be a reason why more than 90% of businesses worldwide have switched to the cloud. Gartner estimates that this year's public spending on cloud-based services will total $591 billion.

Consider these figures before asking why more social service organizations are not utilizing cloud computing. The advantages of the cloud for non-profits are so numerous, including the financial ones, that any human services organization that does not use it is losing out on many opportunities.   Let's take a moment to highlight some advantages of using cloud computing for nonprofits.

The demand for enhanced productivity inside teams has emerged as one of the top goals for organizations. Case managers in the human services industry are motivated to increase their caseload capacity, take on more clients, and become more involved in their local communities.

However, it's reasonable to say that given the evolving nature of the human services industry and the unique problems faced by social services, simplifying your caseload may seem like a laborious task. We hope that this article will help you streamline your caseload and save you time and energy. This will put a smile on your face and the faces of your teammates!