VANDERHEYDEN SIGNS AGREEMENT TO WORK WITH SIENA’S NEXT PROGRAM
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cathy Yudzevich
(518) 874-4901
November 20, 2015
VANDERHEYDEN SIGNS AGREEMENT TO WORK WITH SIENA’S NEXT PROGRAM
Vanderheyden, a non-profit human services agency serving youth, adults and families referred from many counties in New York, has begun work with Siena College’s NEXT Consulting program. The collaboration will assist to identify shared management services and/or merger opportunities with other non-profits in New York. “Public and private funders are demanding that the non-profits they support find ways to provide services more efficiently,” says Karen Carpenter Palumbo, Vanderheyden’s President & CEO. “All human service agencies are dedicated to seeking ways to stop duplicating services and collaborate by sharing back-office operations. The NEXT program is an ideal way for us to begin this process.”
Siena’s NEXT program, endowed by a generous gift and ongoing support from State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU), builds on the strengths of Siena College’s Center for Academic Community Engagement and Siena’s Schools of Business, Science and Liberal Arts. Faculty and students consult with non-profits to implement solutions including business efficiency, cross-agency collaborations and outcome-driven programs.
Dr. Mathew B. Johnson, Director of the Center for Academic Community Engagement, and Pamela Skripak, Director of the NEXT Program, along with NEXT Consulting Fellow TJ Curtin, have begun working with Vanderheyden’s CEO and other senior executives to identify potential partners for shared services. Some of the shared services and functions that are being discussed surround back office areas such as: Finance & Administration, Human Resources, IT, Maintenance, Marketing and Communications, along with the exploration of potential programmatic collaborations with other non-profits. During this semester, experienced NEXT Fellows Nick Graham and Tom Langton have joined TJ to oversee the process over the coming months. “It is a great opportunity to be able to bring students, faculty, and executive members of local non-profits together to help better the community in a way that goes beyond the traditional service model.” says Dr. Mathew Johnson, “With the challenging environment that non-profits are facing today, it is essential to explore the options of efficient collaboration.”
Vanderheyden began as the Troy Orphan Asylum in 1833. Today Vanderheyden provides a safe haven for children, youth, adults and families who have experienced family disruption and trauma, emotional difficulty and learning problems. The Richard A. Desrochers Educational Center at Vanderheyden is a Regents accredited 7-12 grade program that provides education to individuals who are at risk of not succeeding at school and those in need of a special education.