Reflecting on Five Years at Spectrum
A few days from now will be my fifth anniversary as director of Spectrum, so this is a good opportunity to reflect on all that has occurred. Here are a few:
*I inherited from my predecessor Will Rowe an organization which is what I term “mission-driven” and that is still so. When you come to work at Spectrum, or even visit, you can tell right away that Spectrum is first and foremost about the kids and families we serve. That is our priority, and I am proud that while many things have changed in five years, that is still the same.
*Our organization is only as good as the people we have working for us, and I think we have the best. We have maintained very high standards in terms of hiring and then retaining people. Our turnover rate is very low for this field. We have managed to give annual Cost of Living Adjustments every one of the last five years. We adjusted our salary scales upward two years ago (and are contemplating doing so again in 2008), we started a contributory 403B retirement plan around the same time, and we have managed to continue to provide health coverage for staff, including for a spouse/partner and children.
*We have systematically improved the physical conditions of every building we own or lease, starting with those in which our youth live. I am a big believer that how a place looks, and its level of cleanliness and order, sends a huge message to staff (“We are professional and we want you to work in a setting that connotes such,”) and to kids, (“We care about you so we want you to live and receive services in a space that is clean and functional.”)
*Our financial picture has done a complete 180 degree turnaround. In my first year, every payroll was a white-knuckler, hoping that people would be slow to pick up their paychecks (we didn’t even have the reserves to do direct deposit) and/or that the mailman would arrive with a check large enough so paychecks wouldn’t bounce. There were some scary moments. Many thanks to Chittenden Bank which stood by us when they had every right not to, the Vermont Community Loan Fund, the Vermont Department of Children and Families, and to former board president Dale Randall and treasurer Doug Teator who worked with me and our finance director Paul Smith to navigate the financial straits. By the end of my first year, Spectrum was fully solvent, living within its means, and continues to do so.
*Contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations have greatly increased in five years. Early in my tenure someone from Sen. Leahy’s office told me, “I’ve been in this town for a dozen years and I have no idea what your organization does.” He or anyone else who reads the newspaper, watches television, listens to the radio or surfs the net can no longer say that. We continually improved our work with kids and families, and then we systematically worked with the major media outlets to get the message out to the public. It paid off, and the result was that people began to support us in greater numbers.
*Spectrum is a leader in the Legislature now. When issues are being discussed or bills proposed which will affect homeless youth, foster youth or victims of domestic violence, legislators and advocates call upon Spectrum staff to testify and weigh in. We were the main proponents behind Act 74 last year, which extended services to foster youth up to age 22, and which Gov. Douglas signed in our drop-in center.
There is much more, but those are the highlights which come to mind. The one important thing for me to end with is that all these improvements were the result of a team effort. We have had and still do have very active and involved board members. Our government funders such as the Department of Corrections, Department of Health and many others have been extremely helpful, as have partner nonprofits like the Howard Center, the Burlington Community Health Center and others. And then there are the individuals who comprise our management team: Elise Brokaw, Annie Ramniceanu, Paul Smith, Cate McLaughlin, Paul Hochanadel, and Joan White. All have been with me from the start, and they are extremely dedicated, intelligent and inspiring individuals to work with.
It’s been a great five years. I can’t wait to see what more we accomplish in the next five.