Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Adults living with mental illness lose connection with friends and family. They can lose their livelihoods and their homes. They can lose their faith in themselves. They can exhaust their savings and insurance in therapy, and medical care. And through all this they are subject to the stigma of mental illness. The Gainesville Opportunity Center uses an award-winning approach validated at over 300 centers internationally, proven to help individuals with mental illness recover their lives.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Work Ordered Day
The daily activity of the GOC is organized around a structured system known as the Work Ordered Day (WOD). The WOD is an eight hour period, 8:30 am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday, which parallels the typical business hours of the Gainesville community. Adults living with mental illness who voluntarily come to the GOC are called Members, and work side-by-side with staff, as colleagues to perform the work that is important to their community. All of the work in the Clubhouse is for the Clubhouse and not for any outside agency or business. There are no clinical therapies or treatment-oriented programs in the Clubhouse. During morning and afternoon meetings conducted by the Members, Members volunteer to participate as they feel ready and according to their individual interests. Tasks of the WOD support the operation of the clubhouse and are organized into work areas including culinary, janitorial, garden, and office.
Transitional employment
The Transitional Employment (TE) Program of the GOC is unique in its ability to help adults living with mental illness get a job in Alachua County and the surrounding area. The GOC works with potential employers to identify paid positions that might be appropriate for members, and then works with the employer to define tasks and related skill requirements. GOC staff then train themselves on the job, making sure the job requirements are clear and appropriate for a GOC member. The GOC then selects and trains a member from among those interested in the job. All training of the members is done by the GOC staff. Once the member is trained, the member begins their new job. In some cases, it is the first job the member has had in many years. For some, it is their very first job. Should our member be unable to work the job on any given day, our trained staff member works the job, thus insuring perfect attendance. The employer does not have to interview or train members.
Where we work
Accreditations
Clubhouse International -- 3 year unconditional accreditation 2021
Affiliations & memberships
Florida Clubhouse Coalition 2022
External reviews

Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve adults living with mental illness in Alachua County and surrounding counties.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Our Members prepare and serve meals to each other every day. Our existing kitchen was out of date and lacked the equipment needed to support our growth. Working with Rotary, and raising our own funds, we a re building a new kitchen, prep re, and beverage service area in our multi-purpose room.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners, Our volunteers,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
We operate a clubhouse model of self-directed recovery for adults living with mental illness. Our Members participate in all decision-making as one of the Clubhouse Internal Standards.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Gainesville Opportunity Center
Board of directorsas of 3/19/2022
Michael Conlon
Retired
Term: 2023 - 2021
Michael Conlon
Retired
Cynthia Garvan
University of Florida
Gail Childs
Retired
Mercedes Quiroga
Retired
Sandhya Chedda
Edward Jones
Taralyn De Wese-Mitchell
State of Florida
Alexis Henderson
Unaffiliated
Jodi Irving
University of Florida
Manny Quiroga
Retired
Kathleen Ryan
University of Florida
Reid Schreiber
Unaffiliated
Patricia Sokol
Retired
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes