Clinton school student, Todun Afolabi (’13) partnered with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support (DCSNS) to assist in the development of a four-year strategic plan to improve services the division delivers to organizations in Arkansas.
To help identify issues the plan should address, Afolabi conducted an internal assessment to gauge organizational capacity, an external assessment to determine customer needs and best practice research to identify growing trends of nonprofits.
In its mission to strengthen community resources, volunteerism and national service in Arkansas, the division’s program developers assist nonprofits by providing trainings, consultations and technical assistance. The division also serves as a conduit to administer federal funds through its AmeriCorps program, which has AmeriCorps members who serve in each of the state’s counties.
“All of us at DCSNS are pleased to have Todun working with us to identify strategic issue areas towards the development of the strategic plan. We anticipate the plan will provide us with even more opportunities to serve the citizens of Arkansas,” said Sherry Middleton, director of the Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support.
To inform her research, Afolabi conducted customer surveys and key informant interviews. She also spoke with nonprofit leaders from across the country. The CEO of Independent Sector and the executive director of Nonprofit Risk Management Center were among those contacted who identified some growing trends in the nonprofit sector such as the use of social media and nonprofit mapping.
“Working with an agency that provides services to nonprofits across the state has helped in improving my skills and preparing for future opportunities in the nonprofit sector. I am so grateful for such an opportunity,” Afolabi said.
Afolabi completed the research for her Clinton School Capstone project, one of three field service project in the Master of Public Service degree program.
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