Dear Client,

Global Vision Technologies (GVT) will be conducting an update to Visions Server - the platform behind the FAMCare and/or ClinicalPURSUIT systems on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 - between the hours of 6pm and 3am EDT.

Often the people closest to us escape our notice. An old classmate of mine from the Harvard Business School recently surfaced with a simple but profound message that instantly clarified an issue I’ve been pondering all year - what motivates the dedicated people who toil tirelessly in the nonprofit world? The message was unusual coming from a business school graduate. After all, most of my Harvard classmates went on to become captains of industry focused on making money for themselves and their stockholders. And, for the most part, they were pretty good at it. 

It is not uncommon for many to assume that technology is dehumanizing interactions and removing the need for face-to-face contact in the human services world. This assumption couldn’t be further from the truth, as technology and the right human services software are actually helping social workers deliver more family-focused care.

During a recent discussion with social workers engaged in public health, obesity was identified as the major chronic health problem facing the United States.

Two important events for fundraisers come together this time of year:

1. The holidays (and the giving spirit they engender).
2. The year-end tax deduction cutoff. 

This is fundraiser prime time. Everyone is, of course, aware of this and the competition is fierce. Creativity and innovation are indispensable. The same old smiling Santa on your nonprofit’s holiday card will no longer get the job done. 

For a nonprofit organization, gaining a better understanding of the data in their system can go a long way towards helping them achieve their mission. Why is data so important for nonprofit organizations? Ultimately, it all comes down to accountability.

The right nonprofit software solution can help you understand your data and find that accountability. It should be one that is user-friendly, effective and thorough. When buying software, you may think the technology aspect is the most important, but it is truly about having the right attitude and change management in place. If you have the right attitude and right people to involve in that change management, there will be success.

I just shot a quick video overview of one of our newest, fun communication tools that seems to continually get new, cool features added to it regularly.... TAG-IT Notes.

After hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, social workers and service providers naturally focused on the immediate needs of their clients. They provided food, childcare, safety and support, among other services. However, a year has passed and the critical needs of these people, helpless in the face of mother nature’s awesome power, continue to evolve rather than abate.

In recent years, homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In August 2018, there were 62,166 homeless people, including 15,189 homeless families with 22,511 homeless children, sleeping each night in the New York City municipal shelter system. The number of homeless New Yorkers sleeping each night in municipal shelters is now 79% higher than it was ten years ago, and families make up three-quarters of the homeless shelter population.

This is the fourth in our series on case manager stress relief. In the first post, we discussed the physical things that can be done to relieve stress. The second focused on ways to find mental stress relief and the third focused on identifying and lessening exhaustion factors. In this post, we will examine how case manager burnout can be prevented with good supervision and mentorship.