Resource Library
Board Discussion Guides for Navigating Uncertainty
These two guides are designed to help boards explore uncertainty, strengthen decision-making, and plan for the future. Use them to spark meaningful conversations, assess options, and align on next steps.
Discover Innovative Community Action Initiatives at Community Action Showcase!
The Center of Excellence is a national training hub, engaging Community Action Agencies coast-to-coast to share innovative, high impact strategies. This platform shines a light on Community Action success stories to inspire. Here you can access resources to strengthen services, build community outcomes, and create family and community change in your local area.
Leadership During Crisis: Northern Kentucky CAC
CAPLAW and the National Community Action Partnership have put together this case study to discuss some of the ways that Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission has adapted to the pandemic, ensuring governance compliance while continuing to meet customer needs.
Leadership During Crisis: Pro Action Case Study
CAPLAW and the National Community Action Partnership have put together this case study to discuss some of the ways that Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. has adapted to the pandemic, which we hope will inspire and encourage other CAAs considering similar measures.
Effective Governance Despite Challenging Times
Watch this webinar with CAPLAW to learn more about covering board meetings during COVID-19, including virtual meetings and compliance with open meeting laws – including specific CAA examples.
Board Engagement Webinar Series
This webinar series was developed to assist Community Action Agencies (CAAs) with board engagement including recruitment and development, capacity building, and advocacy strategies.
Board Capacity Building for CAAs
This presentation overviews assessment tools for boards and strategies for strengthening board capacity.
Advocacy for CAA Boards
This presentation overviews key skills and characteristics boards need to engage in advocacy work. Relevant resources are also provided.
Board Recruitment & Development for CAAs
This presentation overviews effective board recruitment strategies and provides key resources available to CAAs.
Bridging to Equity: Developing a Community Approach to Racial Equity
The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB) shares their Community Action Plan process fueled by their agency values, highlighting both needs and assets of the community while creating their local poverty snapshot. This board-led process, based on a commitment to engage with those who normally “don’t come to the microphone” as part of town hall meetings, allowed for the agency to learn and listen deeper through Listening Circles and Pop Up Poverty Conversations. CAB shares how they engaged with community, how they prepared for the process, what was highlighted in their Community Action Plan and what they did with what they learned, thus far.
Training & Orientation Tools for Public & Private CAA Tripartite Boards
These presentations and tools were created by CAPLAW through a collaboration with the Organizational Standards Center of Excellence in response to a need in the network for training and orientation materials.
Empowering Your Board to Lead: Resources for Board Training and Orientation
Board members, whether seasoned or recently elected to the board, need tools equipping them to take on the responsibilities of overseeing a Community Action Agency (CAA)’s operations and programs. This webinar highlights new resources, developed by CAPLAW in collaboration with the Community Action Partnership, on tripartite board roles and responsibilities, one for public CAAs and the other for nonprofit CAAs, as well as a series of four guides that help boards of CAAs with Head Start programs implement specific governance requirements that overlap between the CSBG Organizational Standards and the Head Start Performance Standards.
ROMA for Boards Training Series – Community Needs Assessment
This training is one of a series of seven training modules designed specifically for Community Action Agency Boards on the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) cycle.These trainings are meant to be adapted by agencies to use in whatever way best engages Boards in the discussion about the ROMA cycle, either as short stand alone segments or to be joined together in as a full day workshop. Taken together, this training series will provide sufficient information for participants to be able to
Understand the foundational concepts that will help local agencies and the entire CSBG network increase their performance measurement and management capacity so that the Community Action National Goals are accomplished.
Recall and describe the basic elements of the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) principles and practices
Discuss how all the elements of the ROMA Cycle, Organizational Standards and the Performance Management Framework work together
Understand how to meet and exceed Organizational Standards by greater focus on the ROMA Cycle
ROMA for Boards Training Series–Introduction to Implementing the ROMA Cycle
This is a series of trainings based on material produced by the Community Action Partnership and the Association of Nationally Certified ROMA Trainers. They are designed to be either short stand alone segments that could be presented at a Board meeting, or to be joined together in as a full day workshop or Board Retreat session. It can be done in conjunction with other Board training activities¸ or could be provided to Board Members as a “take home” activity (where they would view the power point and read the notes independently).The guides are designed to be adapted to use however best engages Boards in the discussion about Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA).
ROMA for Boards Training Series – Implementation of Services & Strategies
This training is one of a series of seven training modules designed specifically for Community Action Agency Boards on the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) cycle.These trainings are meant to be adapted by agencies to use in whatever way best engages Boards in the discussion about the ROMA cycle, either as short stand alone segments or to be joined together in as a full day workshop. Taken together, this training series will provide sufficient information for participants to be able to
Understand the foundational concepts that will help local agencies and the entire CSBG network increase their performance measurement and management capacity so that the Community Action National Goals are accomplished.
Recall and describe the basic elements of the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) principles and practices
Discuss how all the elements of the ROMA Cycle, Organizational Standards and the Performance Management Framework work together
Understand how to meet and exceed Organizational Standards by greater focus on the ROMA Cycle
This specific training is bout helping the Board understand key elements of the actual work of the agency. In this training, Board members will learn some questions that they can ask to help them understand how the agency’s strategic plan will be implemented.