OUR APPROACH
CSIO brings to its organizational development work a framework for community accountability which helps emphasize the importance of grassroots leadership as the core of organizational functioning.
We ground our organizational support efforts in our belief that in immigrant community-based organizations, members of the immigrant constituency should be leading the organization. The organization should have mechanisms that help it to be accountable to the needs of the community as the community defines them. We help groups develop immigrant leadership at all levels of the organization:
- The Board of Directors, which ideally is composed of immigrant leaders who articulate the community’s vision for the organization and help hold the organization accountable to that vision.
- The staff leadership team or the Executive Director, which should be accountable to the community-led Board and its vision. The executive should or leadership team should support each staff member to identify their particular role and understand how their work each day helps make progress toward advancing the vision.
- Community leadership groups, like issue-based committees, which involve immigrants supported by the organization in coming together to address and organize around their community’s challenges.
Areas of organizational support provided
Since 1999, CSIO has been providing organizational development support within the above framework in a multitude of areas:
- Leadership development strategies (staff, board and membership)
- Organizational assessments
- Evaluation and planning of organization and programs
- Work plan development
- Coaching for executives and organizers
- Strategic (3-5 year) and operational (1-year) planning
- Grant writing, research and reporting
- Budget development and financial planning
CSIO is a fully bi-lingual English/Spanish organization, and provides the above supports in either language
CSIO’s 2021-2022 organizational support efforts include:
-
Staff team planning as well as coaching for the Capacity Building Director at the Chinese-led Chinese Progressive Association, who with CSIO’s support developed leadership training and support systems for CPA staff.
- Coaching for the Latin American-led Proyecto Faro’s Executive Director, a newly hired longtime immigrant leader and organizer in the organization who is now taking on E.D. responsibilities including management, supervision and development of leadership and communication systems in the fast-growing group.
- Strategic Planning for Casserly House a Roslindale-based organization that wants to involve its ESOL students and parents of children in its after school program – as well as community partners in Roslindale working with immigrants – help give direction to its work the next 5 years.
Previous CSIO organizational development support included work with:
City Life/Vida Urbana Brazilian Immigrant Center, Metrowest Workers Center, Association of Haitian Women (AFAB), Multilingual Action Council, Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, South Boston en Acción, Mass Worker Education Roundtable, Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE) , Allston-Brighton CDC, Boston Tenant Coalition , Agencia ALPHA, Brockton Interfaith Committee, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, Olneyville Neighborhood Association, English For Action, Asociación de Venezolanos de Nueva Inglaterra (ASOVENE), Providence Youth Student Movement, Muslim Community Center, Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education (RISE), Oasis International