Empowering Careers in Community Action: Leveraging Support Partner Resources
In the vast landscape of Community Action, where dedication to social change and empowerment is paramount, the journey of career development is not just a personal pursuit but a collective endeavor. Within this dynamic ecosystem, support partners play a pivotal role in fostering growth, providing resources, and nurturing talent at all levels of the organization.
Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Growth
At the heart of Community Action lies a profound commitment to serving communities and effecting positive change. This ethos naturally extends to the development of its workforce. By collaborating with support partners, Community Action Agencies create a culture that prioritizes continuous learning and growth.
Support partners often offer a diverse range of resources through various avenues, empowering staff to expand their skill sets, deepen their expertise, and stay up-to-date to emerging trends and best practices.
The National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) offers a unique opportunity to individuals working within Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to further their professional opportunities within the Community Action industry.
Upon successful completion of the certification process, individuals are awarded the Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) designation, which signifies their achievement of a recognized standard of excellence in the field of Community Action and demonstrates a commitment to professional growth, ongoing learning, and the highest standards of practice within the industry.
Another professional development offered by support partners is the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) certification. The ROMA Certification is a professional credential designed to equip individuals working within the Community Action industry with the knowledge and skills needed to implement outcome-driven strategies and effectively measure program impact. Administered by the Association of National Certified ROMA trainers (ANCRT) a nonprofit organization collaborating with national, state, and local community action partners to improve the network’s ability to achieve, document, report, and analyze results and to use data for decision making.
ROMA certification enhances the credibility and effectiveness of professionals working in CAAs, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other social service providers. By promoting a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making, ROMA-certified professionals contribute to the overall effectiveness and impact of anti-poverty initiatives and programs.
Democratizing Access to Education and Training
One of the most significant barriers to career development can be access to education and training. Recognizing this challenge, support partners within the Community Action world strive to democratize access to these essential resources.
Through partnerships with education institutions, online learning platforms, and vocational training providers, CalCAPA and support partners offer its members opportunities to acquire new qualifications, earn certifications, and enhance their competencies by removing financial barriers and providing flexible learning options to ensure that career development remains accessible to all staff.
CalCAPA provides in-house training and technical support to CAAs in a variety of areas. One of these areas include network-wide Affinity Groups, which is a group of like-minded people gathering to learn more about a common purpose or vocation and share knowledge and expertise. A few Affinity Groups offered are New Executive Directors/CEOs, Human Resources, Finance, Communications, and Young Professionals. Another area is Community Action-specific training on topics like Community Needs Assessments, Community Action Plans, and Board of Directors training.
The New Executive Director/CEO Affinity Group offered an installment series called, “What I Wish I Knew,” where seasoned executive leadership participate as the guest speaker and provide insight to knowledge learned over their years of leading. Just recently, CalCAPA launched a new series called, “Innovation for Impact.” This series covers a variety of topics, ranging from diversifying funding streams to succession and sustainability planning, that allow for open dialog at an executive leadership level. This T/TA encourages existing leaders to constantly look for opportunities for growth within their positions.
Internal training and technical assistance also extends to our full-body support for agencies such as regular roundtable discussions which create open dialog around legislation that is potentially impactful to areas of service for CAAs; consulting on communication and marketing efforts, etc.
CalCAPA is dedicated to providing training and technical assistance that will allow CAAs to improve their current systems and processes in the effort to maximize the impact made on their communities.
External support partners also offer value to CAAs in the effort to dismantle barriers in access to education and training. Cornell University is a renowned educational institution that comes with high costs. Through a long standing partnership with CalCAPA, the university offers an online exclusive course catalog that enables interested users to participate and earn certification completely remotely, called eCornell.
Seeing the value in this collaboration , CalCAPA secured a limited number of seats for eCornell’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certification course at a significantly discounted rate for interested parties. CalCAPA has organized and held two cohorts, enlisting 33 participants in the certification program. That is 33 CAA leaders and staff bringing valuable DEI initiatives to their agencies to implement to better serve their communities.
Empowering Leadership Development
Effective leadership is essential for driving organizational success and advancing the mission of Community Action Agencies. Support partners recognize the importance of nurturing leadership at all levels of staff and offer tailored programs and resources to empower emerging leaders.
Leadership development initiatives may encompass executive coaching, leadership academies, and immersive training experiences designed to cultivate essential skills such as strategic thinking, communication, and team management. By investing in leadership development, support partners ensure that Community Action Agencies are equipped with capable and visionary leaders who can navigate complex challenges and inspire meaningful change.
The National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) launched a Young Professionals Advisory Council that invited each region within the nationwide Community Action network to nominate one representative to the Young Professionals Advisory Council that would serve as a voice for Community Action professionals ages 18-32. This council would serve as an opportunity for the emerging generation of leaders to have a hand in guiding Community Action in years to come.
By investing in leadership development, CalCAPA and Community Action support partners ensure that CAAs are equipped with capable and visionary leaders who can navigate complex challenges and inspire meaningful change.
Career development is not just a matter of individual ambition, but a collective commitment to nurturing talent, fostering growth, and driving positive change. Support partners serve as invaluable allies in this endeavor by providing resources and training opportunities that empower staff to maximize their potential.
By cultivating a culture of learning, democratizing access to education and training, and empowering leadership development, CalCAPA and Community Action support partners play a vital role in shaping the future of Community Action Agencies and advance the Community Action mission of building a more equitable society.