A Hand Up For Women

Program Mission Statement:

(self-reported)

We envision a community where all women are well equipped to manage their lives wisely and sustain adequate employment to meet their needs. Each woman would possess the self-confidence and self-respect that comes with the knowledge that she is a women formed by the hand of God and deeply loved by Him. Because of the long-term investment in her life made by our program, she would own the personal strength and courage to achieve self-reliance.

Score Summary

Overall Score:	Excellent
Practice Principles:	Excellent
Faith Related Elements:	Excellent
Outcome Measures:	Excellent
Change Process:	Good

Program Facts

• Paid (FTE) Staff Working: 1
• Program Participants Last Year: 37
• Meets about 13 time(s) with each participant per month
• Participants remain in the program for 24 months

Board Activities

Funding Overview

(self-reported)

	This Program	This Organization
Organization Budget: $100,000 Program Budget: $100,000
Foundation Grants	8%	8%
Government Grants/Contracts	5%	5%
Individual Gifts	72%	72%
Business/Corporate Gifts	8%	8%
Congregation/Denominational Gifts	7%	7%
Dues/Fees/Income	0%	0%
Other	0%	0%
	Average Program Funding From All Samaritan Programs	Average Organization Funding From All Samaritan Organizations
The next charts display the average funding sources for all programs currently in the Samaritan Guide for your comparison. Average Organization Budget: $3,817,897 Average Program Budget: $480,643
Foundation Grants	24%	18%
Government Grants/Contracts	3%	8%
Individual Gifts	36%	33%
Business/Corporate Gifts	9%	8%
Congregation/Denominational Gifts	9%	10%
Dues/Fees/Income	7%	9%
Other	10%	11%

It is important to maintain diverse income sources for your programs and for your oganization as a whole. Doing so provides long-term financial stability to your organizations and programs. It is also important to note that government funding often comes with stipulations and restrictions. More information is available in the Raising Resources Toolkit - pdf.

Score Details

Program Focus
Program Mission	Clarity and specificity of the program's mission statement.	Good
Target Population	Clarity and specificity of the programs target clientele.	Excellent
Eligibility Criteria	Clarity and specificity of the program's eligibility criteria.	Excellent
Program Requirements	Well defined requirements for client participation.	Excellent
Referrals From Other Organizations	Do other organizations recommend this program to their clientele.	Excellent
Referrals to Other Organizations	Does this program recommend other programs to their clients?	Good
Volunteer to Staff Ratio	Are volunteers effectively incorporated into the program?	Excellent
Past Participant Recruiting	Are past program participants recruited as volunteers?	Excellent
Evaluation and Practice Princples
Practice Principles	How supports and resources are provided to increase outcomes.	Excellent
Outcome Measurement	The ability to measure stated program outcomes.	Excellent
Change Process	Specific and measurable statement of the program's goals.	Good
Faith Related Elements	Integration of faith related elements.	Excellent
Measurement Frequency	Frequency of measuring client outcomes.	Excellent
Program Evaluation	Level of the budget allocated to measuring client outcomes.	Excellent
Institutional Stability
Organization Age	A measure of the organization's durability.	Excellent
Board Oversight	How involved in the program are the members of its board?	Excellent
Program Duration	Average duration of a clients participation with a program.	Excellent
Finances
Budget Diffusion	Diversity of the programs funding sources.	Good
Government Funding	Does this program accept little or no government funding?	Excellent

Program Score Details

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Outcomes & Measures:

(self-reported)

Scoring for this section is based on the organizations ability to provide at least three clear and specific outcomes with corresponding measures in which a relationship is shown between outcomes and measures.

Outcome 1: Completion of program requirements.

Measure Used:
Attendance and participation records, instructor and mentor reports- written and verbal, direct observation.

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Outcome 2: Achievement of goals outlined by the participant.

Measure Used:
Written covenants formulated upon entering the program, and reviewed and adjusted regularly.

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Outcome 3: Obtaining employment or better employment.

Measure Used:
Decreased dependence on public assistance or community helps, better equipped to provide for themselves and their family.

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Outcome 4: Improved self-concept.

Measure Used:
Wiser relationship choices, decreased substance use/abuse, better attention to emotional and physical health.

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Outcome 5: Spiritual development.

Measure Used:
Stated intention to live life based on Christian principles, participation in a church family, change in attitude from helplessness to hope.

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Change Process:

(self-reported)

Scoring for this section is based on the organizations ability to provide clear, measurable, client-focused stages of change based on participant participation.

The transformation that we see in our graduates are changes that effect every aspect of who they are. Many come off the public assistance rolls for the first time in their family's history, breaking the pattern of generational poverty. Crippling depression and anxiety give way to a new sense of hope and confidence as they discover, in the words of one graduate, "God is crazy about me!" This new sense of personal strength and independence enables them to leave abusive relationships that they thought they had to depend on for their livelihood. Graduates have remained clean and sober, regained custody of their children, started their own businesses, graduated from college, mended broken family relationships and formed lifelong friendships. A graduate now serving on our Board of Directors says, "There is no way I could have come this far and become self-sufficient without A Hand Up For Women!"

Program Score - Historical Review

Note: Significant decreases in scores may be the result of incomplete data in a Samaritan Award application.

End Notes

Incomplete Applications

Significant decreases in certain scores may indicate failure to comprehensively complete certain sections of the Samaritan Award application. Please be sure to fill out every question in the Samaritan Award application.

Relative Scoring

Total program scores are partially computed against other programs from within the same pool of applications and so are not cumulative.

Additional Reference Material

More information on scoring and methodology may be found on the Samaritan Guide and Award website.

Acton Institute Relationship

The Samaritan Guide and Samaritan Award are projects run by the Acton Institute. Inclusion in the Guide does not signify endorsement by the Acton Institute. More information on why the Acton Institute runs this project is available online.