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Executive Summary
Open Hand Community Services is a nonprofit that helps people in our county and the nearby towns who are in a crisis get through it and get back on their feet. We provide emergency help with rent and utilities, food, and a case manager who helps with a plan to stay stable, with a case manager who works with each household to solve the immediate problem and prevent the next one.
A crisis can happen to anyone: a sudden job loss, an illness, a fire, a death in the family. For people with little savings, one emergency can lead to an eviction, a shutoff or hunger. Help that arrives quickly and is paired with a plan can stop a crisis from turning into a long-term problem. Our program gives fast, dignified help and a case manager who works with each household on what comes next.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 250 households over the year. Our Year 1 budget is about $192,000, growing to about $306,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one case manager to three. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Meridian Community Fund for $75,000, as part of the $167,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $25,000 in Year 1 comes from donations, which we plan to grow to about $70,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for case manager time, emergency help paid directly to vendors and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many households we help, what kind of help they receive, how quickly we respond, and how many are still stable (housed, with utilities on and enough food) 90 days later. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Open Hand Community Services is a nonprofit organization in Oklahoma. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help neighbors in crisis get through it and get back on their feet.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2021 when a church started a small emergency fund to help neighbors with utility bills. Since then we have helped about 220 households, with 15 volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Answer calls and walk-ins from people in crisis, and respond quickly, often the same day.
- Provide emergency help, paid directly to the landlord, utility or vendor, for rent, utilities, food, transportation and other basics.
- Give each household a case manager who helps with a plan to stay stable.
- Connect people to benefits, jobs, health care, child care and other help.
- Work with other agencies so people do not have to tell their story many times.
Where we work. A donated office at a church, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus a phone line.
Our partners. 211, a food bank, the housing authority, a legal aid program and three churches
Our approach. People in crisis deserve dignity and speed. We do not ask people to prove they are worthy. We ask what happened, what they need now and what would help them stay stable.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
Many households in our county and the nearby towns have no savings, and one emergency can push them into crisis. Help is scattered across many agencies, each with its own hours and rules. People often wait days or weeks while their situation gets worse. An utility shutoff or eviction notice cannot wait.
Facts about our community. According to 211, our county received thousands of requests for rent or utility help last year.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Speed. Emergencies need help in days, not weeks.
2. Scattered help. People often have to visit many offices to piece together help.
3. Limited funds. Many agencies run out of emergency money early in the month or year.
4. Not enough follow-up. A one-time payment may not solve the underlying problem.
5. Stigma. Many people are embarrassed to ask for help.
What we have seen ourselves. Many people we help had been working and had a single emergency, like a car breakdown, that put them behind on rent.
Who we serve first. Households facing an immediate crisis such as an eviction notice, an utility shutoff or no food, especially families with children and older adults, in families with children, older adults and people with disabilities who face an eviction or shutoff in the next 14 days.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. One point of contact. People call, walk in or are referred, and a case manager meets with them quickly to understand the crisis and what is needed.
2. Emergency help paid to the vendor. About $70,000 in Year 1 pays for emergency help with rent, utilities, food, transportation and other basics. We pay the landlord, utility or vendor directly and record every payment.
3. A plan to stay stable. Each household and case manager agree on a plan with a few steps, such as a budget, a job search or applying for benefits.
4. Connections. We connect households to benefits, jobs, health care, child care and other help through partners and 211.
5. Follow-up. Case managers check in after the crisis to see how the household is doing.
How we will measure results. We record each household, the crisis, the help given and how quickly we responded. We follow up at 30 and 90 days to see whether the household is still stable. We ask households how they were treated and what would have helped more. Our goals for Year 1: help 250 households; respond within two business days for 85%; have 70% still stable after 90 days; and connect 100 households to benefits or other services.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve households in our county and the nearby towns, especially families with children, older adults and people with disabilities who face an eviction or shutoff in the next 14 days.
How we know people need this. Our emergency fund ran out by the 10th of each month last year, and we turned away more than 80 households.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 250 households over the year. The number of households with no savings, the number of eviction filings and utility shutoffs, and how many requests agencies like 211 receive are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one case manager to three, we expect to help more households each year.
How people reach us. 211, three schools, a health clinic and local churches
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- Government benefits like SNAP, Medicaid and rental assistance provide major help. We help people apply and fill gaps while they wait.
- 211 and other referral lines connect people to resources. We partner with them and take referrals. We are listed with 211 and receive referrals from them.
- Churches and other nonprofits offer food and emergency funds. We share information and avoid duplicating help.
- Housing and utility assistance programs offer larger or specialized help. We refer people to them when they qualify.
- Legal aid helps with evictions and benefits denials. We refer people and work together.
What makes us different: fast response, payments made directly to vendors and a case manager who follows up
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from 211, schools, clinics, churches, courts, employers and other agencies.
- Information in places people go in a crisis: libraries, laundromats, school offices and clinics.
- Word of mouth from households we have helped.
- A simple phone number and a quick call back, because a crisis cannot wait.
Community support. We invite local employers, churches and civic groups to give, volunteer and host drives. Donations of any size help, and we share stories of results, with names left out.
Volunteers. Church groups, retired people, service clubs and employer volunteer programs.
Raising money beyond grants. Donations are planned at about $25,000 in Year 1, growing to about $70,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How a household moves through the program:
1. A call or visit, and a short intake to understand the crisis.
2. A quick check on eligibility and what kind of help fits.
3. Emergency help paid to the vendor, within days when possible.
4. A plan to stay stable, with referrals to other services.
5. Follow-up at 30 and 90 days.
An intake. A staff member listens to what happened, asks about the deadline and the household's income, explains what help we can give and agrees on the next step that day.
Fairness and records. We use written rules about who is eligible and how much help we give, so people are treated fairly and funders know where the money goes. We pay vendors directly, and keep a receipt for every payment.
Privacy. Client information is private. We share it only with signed permission or when the law requires it, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $2,000 in equipment (laptops, a printer and office furniture), then about $1,000 to $1,500 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One case manager in Year 1, then two in Year 2, two in Year 3, three in Year 4 and three in Year 5. Case managers need to be quick, kind and organized, with enough time for each household.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $16,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Grace Flores, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $60,000 a year.
Case managers. Meet with households, decide on help, make plans, work with partners and follow up. One position in Year 1, growing to three by Year 5, at a planned salary of $42,000 each. Qualifications we look for: experience in social work or case management, strong skills in listening and a calm manner in a crisis.
Volunteers. Volunteers help with phones, intake, food and supply drives and rides. They are screened and trained before they work with clients.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Anthony Okafor, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Set up our intake process, eligibility rules and payment procedures.
- Hire and train our first case manager and recruit volunteers.
- Help about 250 households over the year.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for response time and household stability.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $192,000.
Year 2: two case managers; budget of about $241,000.
Year 3: two case managers; budget of about $248,000.
Year 4: three case managers; budget of about $299,000.
Year 5: three case managers; budget of about $306,000.
Over the five years: grow to three case managers, add more hours and partners, and build a stronger donor base. Direct client assistance grows about 8% a year as more households are helped.
How we will check our results. For each household we record the crisis, the help given and the response time. We follow up at 30 and 90 days. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from the Meridian Community Fund for our first case manager's salary, emergency assistance paid to vendors and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $192,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $167,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Donations: $25,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $60,000. - Case managers: $42,000. - Direct client assistance (emergency help with rent, utilities, food and other basics, paid to vendors): $70,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $16,000. - That is about $188,000 in costs. The remaining $4,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $2,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $192,000 in Year 1 to about $306,000 in Year 5 as we grow to three case managers. Grants and contracts are planned at $167,000 in Year 1, $206,000 in Year 2, $202,000 in Year 3, $241,000 in Year 4 and $236,000 in Year 5. Donations grow from $25,000 to $70,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $18,000 of our own plus $60,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for grants and government funds. Many emergency assistance funds pay after the help has been given, and some have rules on who can be served and what can be paid. We plan for the wait and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer hours, donated food and goods, and partner services are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free office space at a church (about $6,000 a year in rent value), about 1,000 volunteer hours a year and donated food If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a church or community center, start with a small emergency fund and a few volunteers and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from 211, schools, churches or other partners.
- Your eligibility rules, intake form and payment procedures.
- Your numbers from the past year, if you have them (households helped, amounts, results).
- Your privacy and conflict-of-interest policies.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.
The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $60,000; each case manager $42,000, growing from 1 to 3.
- Direct client assistance about $70,000 in Year 1, rising about 8% a year
- Office costs about $16,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.