For many of us, this month is the turning of the page on our fiscal year, perhaps the start of a new school year and a change of season as well. I for one am intrigued about all of the possibilities that 2025 can bring. So much change is happening in our network..new data systems, new LIHEAP systems, new Head Start Regulations, elections, and disasters oh my!

I'd like to give a special shout-out to all the Community Action Staff navigating through the implementation of the new LIHEAP state system and likely a new house system. This has been a long journey and one that is not likely to end exactly on October 1. THANK YOU for your insights, your questions, your critical thinking and your expertise in helping to get this system built and launched. As with any major change, it is not likely to be perfect at first, but with your engagement, we can collectively help this project come to fruition in a way that serves our communities well.

A lot of information comes across my desk and a couple of items sparked my interest that I thought I'd share to see if they spark your interest as well.

The Urban Institute presented this information on Wealth Inequality that highlights how policies and systems have contributed to the wealth gap in this country. It is striking and helps illustrate how and why our work matters.

https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/

James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits and produces a weekly newsletter that lands in my inbox each Thursday. It is a series of quotes that inspire, motivate, or just make me laugh. If you need a little of this in your life, you can sign up here.

ICAA's Banned Books Book Club (Triple B) is winding up for the year. We have read some incredible books, heard from some amazing speakers, and had some really great conversations. We're rounding out our year reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

We are seeking new readers to join us and to help us pick our new slate of books! If you are interested in joining the ICAA Bookclub (we meet on Fridays over the noon hour via zoom, typically every couple of weeks) sign up here.

Let us know what you think we should read by participating in this poll.

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Did you know that ICAA participates in several Coalitions? A coalition is a union of people and organizations working to influence outcomes on a specific problem. Coalitions are useful for accomplishing a broad range of goals that reach beyond the capacity of any individual member organization. Some of the coalitions that ICAA belongs to include:

Coalition on Human Needs
Iowa Hunger Coalition
Childcare Coalition
Coalition on Homelessness
Iowa Environmental Council Energy Coalition

As we start to build our legislative agenda for this upcoming session, we spend time dialoguing with our fellow Coalition members to get a sense of where the energy is and what is important to us and the constituents we serve. The landscape at the Iowa State Capitol will be different this year with a change in Senate leadership likely and several key Legislators retiring, we don't yet know who we will need to try and influence. Elections do matter, so please VOTE!

Here is a great resource to determine how to find your voting location, get your absentee ballot, or vote early. I strongly encourage you to vote early. Don't let pesky things like COVID derail you from your opportunity to exercise this pillar of our democracy - free and fair elections.

As T Swift said so eloquently: "I've done my research and I've made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make."

Spark: A Summit for Good

ICAA welcomed over 200 friends to our 2024 Spark: A Summit for Good conference in July. Thank you to all those able to join us – to learn, network, and have fun together!

We invite you all to mark your calendars for the 2025 Spark: A Summit for Good, July 23 + 24 at The Meadows Events and Conference Center in Altoona. The Conference Planning Committee will incorporate attendee feedback from the 2024 event and new emergent areas of training interest as we plan for 2025. If you are interested in joining the Planning Committee let ICAA know.

Agency Spotlight

Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. has been working to make the most of community partner relationships in response to the June 2024 floods that hit the northwest and western parts of Iowa. UDMO has worked in partnership with local churches and businesses, as well as the City of Spencer, Clay County, and Spencer Municipal Utilities to take the lead on a Distribution Center.

This distribution center grew from being housed in a local church to a warehouse space that would allow for UDMO and the distribution center to coexist in one space. Not only does the space offer access to food for disaster-impacted families, but it also allows for storage and access to much-needed household goods. Some examples of goods that have been available to families include water heaters, beds, building supplies, medicine cabinets, and other home furnishings.

Recently, the distribution center went from being open six days a week to three days a week. UDMO still sees many families that need ongoing support in disaster recovery. A large-scale distribution event was held on September 10th that included hundreds of beds available for families impacted by the disaster.

Alisa Schlief, UDMO Family and Community Services Director says that one thing that’s been both a blessing and a curse is that often semis full of supplies will arrive at the distribution center, sometimes even on days when it’s not open to the public. This often means needing to coordinate last-minute volunteers to help unload the trucks and prepare the supplies for distribution.

Dawn Dahm, UDMO Outreach Specialist for Clay County, has been coordinating with local partners to recruit volunteers to staff the distribution center, as well as to secure the donations needed to have supplies ready for families. Staff has further been involved in the ongoing long-term recovery efforts like assisting families with disaster-related assistance applications and providing referrals as needed.

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Grant Writing Summit

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

9:00 am - 4:00 pm (CST)

$275 for INA members (use promo code OKCNP23

Topics covered will include:

- Current trends in philanthropy

- Basic elements of grantsmanship

- How to research funders

- How to build relationships with funders

- Writing your grant narrative

- Preparing a budget

- Having difficult conversations with funders

- Handling objections or denials for funding

Resources You'll Receive:

Logic Model Templates
Grant Writing Terms and Entities
Needs Assessment Template
Narrative Word Count Template
And So Much More!!!

***Completion of this course provides 6 SHRM PDC's (Professional Development Credits)

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Iowa Childcare Connect

In response to the Governor’s Child Care Task Force Report recommendations, Iowa launched Iowa Child Care Connect (C3) on August 22^nd.

C3 powers two new public online tools,

Child Care Search and Child Care Data Dashboards.

The new tools help:

· Families find child care,

· Child care businesses advertise open slots and fill child vacancies faster, and

· Local and state leaders understand current vacancies, supply, and demand of child care in communities to provide actionable insights for strategic planning toward solutions.

Attend one of the Iowa Child Care Connect presentations/demos to learn more about how the Child Care Search can help employees/parents find child care that meets their needs and how the Child Care Data Dashboards can help your organization/community understand the current supply and demand for child care.

You can attend a demo by signing up for one of these dates:

· Tuesday, September 17 ^th ,

from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

· Thursday, September 19 ^th ,

from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

· Monday, September 23 ^rd,

from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

· Tuesday, October 1 ^st,

from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

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3DRP Diaper Pilot

Partners continue distributing diapers to families and await the official notification of $600,000 in supplemental funds to continue 3DRP for another year. Upon renewal of funds, all partners plan to continue for an additional year, except for the Food Bank of Iowa.

While FBOI will be missed as a partner, ICAA is excited to begin working with new procurement partners that will allow program work to continue and should allow for significant cost savings, allowing network partners to stretch the supplemental funding meaning participating families can continue to receive supplies for as long as possible.

Disaster Programs

From July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, the Iowa Network served or began service with over 430 disaster-impacted families and households. Approximately $983,953.40 of direct payments were made to disaster survivors throughout our network this past state fiscal year.

ICAA staff continue to participate in the Disaster Case Advocacy Redesign team. At the last meeting in late July, the redesign team focused on surge and capacity needs, along with solutions and ideas. ICAA staff, along with CAA representatives, will participate in September with subgroups focusing on surge and capacity, as well as data management.

Future topics include data management, education & training, engagement & partnerships, outreach, resources, funding through HSEMD, and program structure, including single entry into disaster programs, surge models, and how we talk about/market DCA.

Orientation to Community Action Webinar

Tuesday, October 29th, 2024,

9-10:30 AM

This interactive webinar covers an overview of the mission and uniqueness of Community Action, the national Community Action Theory of Change, an introduction to a few key national, regional, and state Community Action partners, and shares ways you can access additional resources and support through ICAA. Register here.

Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) Program

Enrollment is now open for CCAP candidacy July 1^st – October 31^st. If you are interested in becoming a CCAP please reach out to Tiffany Keimig at ICAA (tkeimig@iowacaa.org) before enrolling and no later than September 20^th. ICAA will purchase discounted slots through NCAP and provide a discount code you can use when enrolling. ICAA will then pay NCAP for enrollments and bill agencies for the discounted amount. Reminder, CCAP candidacy is a three-year period, allowing candidates the flexibility to go through the process at their own pace.

ICAA will also be facilitating a CCAP Study Group if there is enough interest in the network. The ICAA Study Group is a highly encouraged (optional) activity that is available for a participation fee to help mentor and facilitate your learning and preparations through the CCAP process. The Study Group is open to anyone in the national network and typically meets online December through May. RSVP no later than September 20th, 2024, to tkeimig@iowacaa.org.

Learn more here.

Emerging Leaders’ Institute for Training and Excellence (ELITE)

ELITE is a fantastic opportunity for Community Action staff looking to improve their understanding of, and leadership in, Community Action. From Community Action’s rich history to the role we play in performance management and advocacy. ELITE covers key modules of core content with lots of peer-to-peer learning and engagement. There is a five-month commitment and participants meet approximately monthly via on-line Zoom meetings

The 2025 application packet is available here. Applications are due January 10^th.

Click here to see ICAA's Events Calendar for all the latest trainings, network events, and more!

Congrats from Seattle!

Tiffany Keimig from ICAA was able to celebrate with three of Iowa’s new Certified Community Action Professionals (CCAPs) at the 2024 NCAP Convention in Seattle. It was a wonderful celebration of 112 new CCAPs in the network.

Pictured L-R: Abra Dougherty, Megan Thompson, and Kaden Phillips with Tiffany.

Three other new Iowa CCAPs not pictured include Courtney Adam, Jayni Hirth, and Nicole Ramirez.

Congratulations to all Iowa CCAPs!!!

Introduction to Social Capital

Social capital refers to the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society or community and enable the society to function effectively. It encompasses the connections, trust, norms, and networks facilitating collaboration among individuals and groups. These networks within communities deliver resources, support, and opportunities for economic empowerment and social mobility—contributing to positive outcomes, like enhanced financial health, educational attainment, and overall well-being. Read more here.

Peer Data Webinar Series

NCAP is offering a series of Webinars focusing on:

Centering Customer Voice in Your Agency's Data Practices - Oct. 2
Navigating the Landscape of Technology and Data Systems-Nov. 6
What if your Spreadsheets talked to Each Other?- Dec. 3

You can register for the series here.

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What's happenin'?

Quote of the Quarter

A question from Barrett Brooks on choosing your heroes:

"Here’s the thing about your heroes: You have to know about them to look up to them. The candidate pool is 100% limited by your exposure. That’s why so many kids look up to athletes, I think. They haven’t been exposed to enough other people to look up to them.

Here's how I think about that: Who haven’t I been exposed to that would inspire me if I knew they existed or knew the details of their lives? And how could I learn about those people?"

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