Stephanie Willding, Chief Officer of Strategy, Planning & Development at Chicago Family Health Center, will know that her organization has ‘made it’ when health disparity is no longer an issue in the South Side of Chicago. Taproot pro bono support in human resources is helping them get there.
Saying yes
I want to be able to say yes, to every patient, every time they come into our centers needing our help. My organization, the Chicago Family Health Center is out to change the lives of South Side Chicago residents by providing access to critical dental, behavioral, and medical health services. We’re building a healthier community, one patient at a time.
My organization has big goals and with that comes challenging work. It is all worth it when a patient writes a letter or a review about the impact that we had on their lives or we see the look on a diabetic patient’s face when we tell them that their disease is finally under control. I love that multiple generations of Chicago families come to our health centers because they know this is a safe place with great services. It reminds me how our mission saves, uplifts, and changes lives.
Transformational impact in human resources
CFHC initially reached out for pro bono because we needed to take serious action to reduce our staff turnover. We embarked on a long term service project with a team of Taproot skilled volunteers with the goal of building up our workforce through fresh Human Resource techniques and policies.
Our amazing team of skilled volunteers helped us develop strong Human Resources processes for recruitment, onboarding, and retention. These new plans and processes gave us crucial employee information that will guide us in our future work. Our Human Resources capacity has truly been transformed because of the service we received. Two years ago our employee turnover rate was 48%; today– 24%.
Hard truths: an opportunity for growth
Pro bono service is not without its own challenges. As with any consultant, your volunteer may tell your organization things that you would rather not hear. A piece of advice for other nonprofit leaders: listen to your consultants when they tell you this difficult information. It is the hardest part of their job but ends up leading to the most impactful results.
Skilled volunteers are a fantastic resource: they are there with you because they truly care about your organization’s mission. Their passion shines through in the quality of their work. Through their service, we are able to do better, more impactful work each and every day.
