Empowering Conflict Resolution: Community Mediation in St. Mary's County

Community Mediation of St. Mary s County STEPHEN MICHAELS, M.D. DOUG LEEPA CRYSTAL HUNT THE BEST TEAM EVER! LEADERSHIP SOUTHERN MARYLAND CLASS OF 2017 THE BEST CLASS EVER!

Community Mediation of St. Mary s County 2 ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

Organization Description 3 Community Mediation of St. Mary s County (CMSMC) reduces interpersonal and community conflict by increasing the use of peaceful and cooperative conflict resolution strategies and making mediation more accessible to all individuals. CMSMC has two full-time employees, and AmeriCorps members, and 25 volunteer mediators and board members. Originally established in 2001 as Community Mediation of Southern Maryland, the center divided in 2006 and two centers were established; one focused on Calvert County and the other center became CMSMC.

Organization Mission 4 The mission of CMSMC is to provide free, confidential, voluntary mediation services by training community volunteers to become mediators and to educate the public about conflict management. Last year, CMSMC provided services to nearly 700 individuals and conducted more than 250 mediations.

Population Served 5 CMSMC serves St. Mary s County residents engaged in conflicts of almost any kind. They have extensive experience with District Court litigants, inmates, separating couples, families, and small businesses. Services are provided by trained volunteers, ranging in age from 35 to 80, with the most active volunteers being retirees.

Organization Budget 6 Receive $5K in direct donations annually Looking for Trouble 5K raises ~$10k in donations Fee-for-service agreement with Circuit Court Estimate receiving $15K from Circuit Court in fiscal 2017 Base funding is $85K from other Maryland Courts.

Community Mediation of St. Mary s County 7 PROJECT SUMMARY

Project Objective 8 Starting Objective Develop a marketing plan Revised Objective Develop a fundraising plan Fundraising Focus Raise awareness in the philanthropic community to set the stage for the ask Specific Goal Secure additional $70K annually on an ongoing basis

Project Inputs 9 CMSMC Articles of Incorporation dated May 2005 CMSMC Bylaws dated August 2005 CMSMC Expectations for Board Members dated August 2014 CMSMC Strategic Plan dated March 2015 CMSMC Mission, Vision, and Values dated March 2016 CMSMC Leadership interview covering Progress made towards addressing the Strategic Plan Current work, funding, participation, and challenges CMSMC responses to 7 Steps to Creating Your Best Nonprofit Marketing Plan Ever , Steps 1-3 Organizational Self-assessment Setting Goals and Strategy Determining Your Unique Value Professional Fundraising Recommendations

Project Challenges 10 Any extra government funding earned by increased case load does not offset cost of case load. There is no dedicated fundraising staff. Current fundraising event is in the spring with stiff competition from at least three other local 5k races within a two-week window. There is no existing list of potential donors vetted for both availability of funds and a compatible philanthropic perspective.

Caseload Funding 11 For each mediated dispute, mediators earn 1 point for each intake party, and 3 points per mediation session Example, a 2-people / 2-session mediation earns 8 points Cases average a little over 5 points per dispute Current caseload of 250 per year nets ~ 1300 points Current funding tier requires 1200 point minimum Next tier of funding requires 2400 points and nets only an additional $20,000 per year

Performance to Strategic Plan 12 Not ID Goal / Objective / Task Notes Complete Delayed Addressed 1.1.a Develop a two year marketing plan X 1.1.b Identify key messages X 1.1.c Perform a publication audit for consistent look and feel X 1.1.d Engage Community Champions X Needs to be recurring 1.2.a Create and conduct informational sessions X 1.2.b Identify service / civic organizations to pursue X 1.2.c Identify which major events to attend / exhibit X 1.2.d Develop effective table display X 1.3.a Determine Best electronic media approaches X 1.3.b Keep website current / relevant X 1.3.c Determine best use free electronic media X 1.3.d Determine best use of video / documentary links X 1.4.a Connect w/faith-based and other non-profits X 1.4.b Strengthen relationships with courts X 1.4.c Develop better relationships with referral services X 1.4.d Develop strong relationships with SMC commissioners X 1.4.e Develop periodic touch plan for existing supporters X 4.x.x Ensure Diverse Resources X Entire section Complete=CMSMC completed the activity; Not addressed=CMSMC did not report any activity status Delayed=CMSMC tracked some progress on the activity but did not complete;

Input from Professional Fundraisers 13 Re: Fundraising Events Without a dedicated fundraising staff, refrain from initiating new / additional fundraising events Reconsider the approach to existing fundraising events if the return is unsatisfactory. Explore alternate fundraising methods and timeslots that return larger dollars for each volunteer hour invested. Establish a solid funding base through other means before adding events that may deplete resources in the early years.

Input from Professional Fundraisers 14 Re: Identifying new supporters Contract with an experienced grant/proposal writer to develop a concise, comprehensive template explaining value of mediation to the community and value of each dollar donated to furthering CMSMC s community impact Be specific (e.g., every $100 donated allows us to mediate one more tenant/landlord dispute, saving our courts thousands of dollars in court expenses) Enlist existing board members, stakeholders, and other champions to get in front of people and businesses in their personal and professional networks to make the ask, leave collateral, and follow up.

Community Mediation of St. Mary s County 15 ACTION PLAN

Recommended Actions 16 Follow the plan you already have good answers Complete the tasks identified under Goals #1 and #4 in the CMSMC 2015 Strategic Plan.

Recommended Actions 17 Promote mediation services aggressively within the business community. Encourage businesses to offer mediation as a benefit to employees to resolve conflict inside or outside the workplace. Develop a mediation services insert for 2018 open enrollment packages, which are typically distributed October through December. Include value of mediation in the workplace, home, and community, and how to contact/use mediation services. Develop a program explanation to give to each company. Provide printed collateral to companies for free (limited number of printed copies along with electronic copies) Recommend suggested donation based on company size

Recommended Actions 18 Event Management focus on doing one event well Consider moving annual 5K to another time slot with less competition but DO NOT hold two races or start another event. Improve Messaging to raise money, talk money Develop collateral that presents tangible and measurable community benefits per dollar invested in mediation Engage Stakeholders it s who you know that counts Leverage stakeholder relationships and updated collateral to engage peers and identify potential donors with means and interest

Recommended Actions 19 Amazon Smile make giving easy and free Apply to the Amazon Smile program to be added to the list of nonprofit organizations individuals can select to donate to through their purchases on the smile.amazon.com website. Promote the Amazon Smile program affiliation (and web link) on all literature, giveaways, and organizational website. Increase Case Load slow and steady wins the race Staff with volunteers or cost of case load will exceed increased income May require recruiting additional mediators and a mediator development plan Focus on recruiting mediators who can support the work of mediation and bring in an expanded set of personal and professional networks to help with fundraising efforts