Sustaining Amachi Beyond Federal Funding

In Fall 2003, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (BBBSEMO) received its first round of federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for its Amachi program. Since then, the agency has focused on sustaining and growing the program. “When we’re starting any kind of new project we really think about what do we need to do to make [the] program successful and continue it as one of our core programs,” says Kristen Slaughter, senior director of administration for BBBSEMO. To date, BBBSEMO has served more than 300 children and has completed Program Outcome Evaluations (POE) on each child.

The sustainability task list included targeting a wide scope of federal and state funding sources, as well as private foundations. However, in order to receive funding from these sources, the agency had to supply outcomes. “Funders don’t just want to hear a good story, but they also want the results,” says Slaughter.

Completed by the caregiver, child and teacher, each POE includes 21 indicators that fall into three areas: confidence, competence and caring. It tracks metrics such as improvement in grades, school attendance, attitudes and behaviors. Using them, we are “able to show funders of the 300 children we’ve served in our Amachi program: here are the improvements that they’ve made in these 21 areas,” says Slaughter.

When thinking about sustainability, many agencies focus solely on securing grants and soliciting private donations, but BBBSEMO believes that creating and maintaining key partnerships is just as important. For instance, the agency has developed close ties with Missouri’s Department of Corrections and will potentially be written into their budget at the state level, says Slaughter. Not only will this provide additional monetary resources for the Amachi program, but the relationship also will help ensure long-term recruitment of participating children.

BBBSEMO has also created partnerships with the state’s attorney general, the U.S. attorney’s office, and the local police chief. “Those three individuals have all said at different times that working with Big Brothers Big Sisters is like working with their best partner to reduce crime so to speak,” says Vicki Biggs, vice president for marketing and communications at BBBSEMO.

Some of the partnerships, such as the relationship with the local police chief, have developed into board positions, a critical component of program sustainability. “Make sure that your board is comprised of people who can help you open doors and make introductions,” says Biggs. “It’s our board that we really use. They are there to help introduce us to donors and volunteer sources and referral sources. They’re a very active, involved, and committed board.”

The agency’s board played a crucial role at a recent Amachi Celebration event that BBBSEMO held at the governor’s mansion. Although BBBSEMO had the full support of the former governor, the agency as a whole did not have a relationship with the current one, who took office in January. However, many of the BBBSEMO board members do have connections with him and throughout the year kept him informed him about Amachi. The celebration at the mansion gave BBBSEMOs CEO and President Becky James-Hatter a chance to discuss the program firsthand with the governor.

“It’s one thing to be able to have an event at the governor’s mansion,” says Biggs. “It’s another thing to have him be there. It speaks to the fact that we have great relationships in place with people that he knows, since he didn’t know us personally.”