The objective of the Alabama Strengthening Communities Project (ASC) is to build the capacity of faith-based and community organizations in the State of Alabama by providing training and technical assistance that will strengthen the infrastructure of organizations while enhancing the services they provide to the community. With a comprehensive yet targeted capacity building model, administered by the Alabama Governor's Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives (GFBCI), the ASC project will support, strengthen, and improve the well-being of children and families in the State of Alabama by providing trainings from experts including but not limited to the following fields:
- Grant Writing
- Grant Management
- Leadership Development
- Staffing
- Governance / Board of Directors
- Benefits of Networking
- Effective Communication Skills
- How To Become a Financially
Healthy Organization
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- How To Survive the Economic Downturn
- Volunteer Management
- Sustainability Planning
- Expansion & Growth
- Building Partnerships with the Government
- Role & Functions of State Agencies
- Importance of Community Engagement
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ASC Project participants will attend one ASC Capacity Academy and complete a project evaluation which will assess and evaluate the effectiveness of their organization. Each ASC Capacity Academy agenda will be constructed based on a pre-assessment evaluation of five critical areas:
- Organizational Development
- Program Development
- Leadership Development
- Collaboration and Community Engagement
- Evaluation of Effectiveness
The project evaluations will be conducted by Professor James D. Slack from
the University of Alabama - Birmingham. The evaluation responses will be used to
tailor the ASC Capacity Academies in order to refine goals, set measurable
objectives and create an action plan for each project participant for the
implementation period of the project. Each project participant will send two
members of their organization to attend an academy.
During the implementation year, project participants will receive additional
training and resources to continue to strengthen the areas of need identified in
the ASC Capacity Academy. The ASC website will also provide project participants
access to important updates pertaining to faith and community-based
organizations, training materials, and resources which will be maintained by the
GFBCI to ensure constant communication with project participants.
At the completion of the project year, project participants will attend a Best Practices and Sustainability Conference, in Montgomery, Alabama. This 2-day conference will allow project participants to share the success and challenges of the project and create plans to sustain the robust, collaborative model in their communities