Issue Briefs and Reports

Project DeLorean: A promising solution to the Veteran benefits take-up gap through an intentional outreach model

The “take-up gap” describes the disparity between individuals eligible for social support programs and those who ultimately receive benefits. This challenge is especially pronounced among Veterans, who often face barriers such as complex bureaucracies, stigma, and lack of awareness. Project DeLorean, initiated by Veterans Services of the Carolinas (VSC) under Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), addresses this gap through a strategic and personalized outreach model to connect high-need Veterans

Nurturing Nonprofit Collaborations: Insights for Philanthropic Funders

View the Resource By Michelle Shumate In philanthropy and social impact, a complex tapestry of challenges often weaves itself into the fabric of well-intentioned efforts. Foundations and grantmaking organizations wrestle with questions of nonprofit efficiency, impact, and sustainability, seeking the elusive formula for lasting change. Sustained collaborations are a potential solution to many common funder dilemmas. These partnerships have the potential to ensure efficiency, strategic transformation, growth, innovation, and sustainability.

Unlocking the Power of Sustained Collaboration: Insights from Partnerships for Nonprofits and Consultants

View the Resource By Michelle Shumate Sustained collaboration can be a strategic option for social impact leaders seeking greater efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability. However, every social impact leader has also experienced ineffective collaborations. These collaborations never advance past the talking phase or lack the resources necessary to succeed. Sometimes, conflict or poor management undermines the goals of the collaboration. Throughout this research, the Sustained Collaboration Network argues that there are

Understanding U.S. Veterans and Military Connected Individuals’ Needs: A Conceptual Framework for Identfying the Level of Need and Co-occurring Needs

View the Resource By Marwa Tahboub, Tatum Thomas, Lucia Koo, Qiwen Zhang, Michelle Shumate Veterans, service members, and their families often seek a wide variety of assistance, including access to health and benefits services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), housing and homeless assistance, and financial and employment assistance. These needs frequently co-occur and require the delivery of services by more than one organization. This research examines the

Maintaining Systems of Care in the Midst of Shock

View the Resource By Joshua-Paul Miles, Marwa Tahboub, Zachary Gibson, Michelle Shumate The COVID-19 pandemic created massive disruptions across society. These disruptions put into focus integrated social service referral networks’, hereafter systems of care, ability to be resilient in times of crisis. This research examines 11 systems of care across the United States. The researchers compare network performance before and immediately following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic using quantitative

Networks for Social Impact in Education Series – Appendix

View the Resource By Michelle Shumate, Rong Wang, Katherine R. Cooper, Jack L. Harris, Shaun Doughtery, Joshua Miles, Anne-Marie Boyer, Zachary Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Hannah Kistler This resource describes the networks that participated in the national education network study conducted by NNSI. Each network identified includes a mini-description and classification based on a typology that includes governance and cross-sector engagement.