Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Inc.
Understanding & Diminishing Poverty
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
SHECP seeks to address the growing levels of poverty and inequality in the United States: People who might be in a position to alleviate poverty have not been taught the complexities of the issue or how their actions and decisions can increase or alleviate the problem. Higher Education is not meeting the demand from students aspiring to address poverty issues, and SHECP fills that gap. Research shows that “well-to-do Americans have almost no meaningful cultural contact with anyone from economically marginalized communities-from struggling inner cities to decaying suburbs to depressed rural counties.” SHECP interns help meet the needs of local organizations that provide relief to those in poverty. These internships provide the student with first-hand experience of the complexities of poverty in this country. Future professionals and civic leaders learn how their work and civil activity will impact poverty. As a part of reaching the next generation, we also support the nonprofit sector.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Experiential Internships
This program features 8 week summer internships with key and varied agencies that seek to diminish poverty and develop capability. SHECP works with each nonprofit partner to develop internship positions that meet agency needs while providing the best educational experience for students. These internships provide the student with first-hand experience of the complexities of poverty in this country. Future professionals and civic leaders learn how their work and civil activity will impact poverty. As a part of reaching the next generation, we also support the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits often serve hundreds, on razor-thin budgets, and the tension between limited resources and need makes their work difficult. When nonprofits can't afford to hire, interns significantly buoy capacity by supporting programming, new initiatives, and staffing.
Poverty Education Development
SHECP seeks to address the growing levels of poverty and inequality in the United States: People who might be in a position to alleviate poverty have not been taught the complexities of the issue or how their actions and decisions can increase or alleviate the problem. Higher Education is not meeting the demand from students aspiring to address poverty issues; SHECP fills that gap. We are the ONLY consortium in the nation offering a sustained, classroom based education to understand the complexities of poverty. Research shows that "well-to-do Americans have almost no meaningful cultural contact with anyone from economically marginalized communities-from struggling inner cities to decaying suburbs to depressed rural counties."
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
BBB Charity Accreditation 2018
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of students who demonstrate writing ability
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students
Related Program
Experiential Internships
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is a metric to identify the numbers of student interns who complete an essay related to Poverty Studies.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
SHECP Programs Maintain Four Goals:
1. Engender student civic responsibility through service-learning work with individuals and communities facing disadvantage;
2. Provide substantive support to social service agencies so that they may provide a level of service that could not otherwise be met;
3. Promote respect for differences through student engagement with diverse communities and fellow interns; and
4. Facilitate students’ awareness of poverty and impel them to integrate actions that benefit communities into their post-graduate vocations and civic lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
SHECP has two major strategies:
Strategy #1: Build a vibrant consortium of colleges and universities that host interdisciplinary educational programs on poverty. This strategy builds on the genesis of SHECP as a collaborative effort involving diverse educational institutions to develop and enhance poverty studies opportunities for college students. We do this by creating a consistent network for faculty, staff, and students; developing a consistent character to the programming we host; and deepening the structural and resource commitment to poverty studies within the Consortium.
Strategy #2: Transform the study of poverty in the United States, by leading the development of undergraduate poverty studies programs and by supporting innovative work in poverty-related scholarship and pedagogy. In other words, many of the same objectives recommended to serve organizational development— e.g., the creation of networks for faculty/staff collaboration, the development of governance structures, the addition of leadership positions—prepare SHECP to be a national presence in the "transformation of poverty studies, a goal at the heart of our mission."
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
SHECP has a robust board and staff. The Governing Board is led by members of the Consortium who are focused on delivering best in class solutions for the students. A seasoned nonprofit professional with a deep understanding of development, operations, and business leads the organization. To ensure SHECP is moving in a positive direction, the staff and board continually review its programs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SHECP faced a crossroads in 2020: cancel in-person internships or pivot from a historically face-to-face summer experience to virtual platforms. Ultimately, SHECP’s staff, Governing Board, and Council decided to embrace an uncertain path forward, and they worked expediently to place summer interns – for a second time – with partner agencies that could accommodate a virtual placement in short order. The team’s initial goal was 40 interns. In the end, there were 84 students from 18 member schools placed at 62 partner agencies in 26 cities and towns across the nation. These students dedicated approximately 23,520 hours of service for an economic impact of roughly $640,000 over the eight-week summer internship (June and July 2020).
Also, in 2020, SHECP leveraged Zoom to pilot a Professional Insights series for/with alumni. Opportunities for vocational discernment and networking with other SHECP alumni have been well-received. So far, SHECP has hosted panels on careers in healthcare, education, law, and government. More of these professional development events are on the horizon for 2021.
In October 2020, SHECP launched its theme for 2021, “Practicing Equity at the Intersection of Race and Poverty” with a live event featuring Dr. Annelise Singh, author of The Racial Healing Handbook. In the fall and winter (2020-2021), SHECP has organized reading groups involving SHECP alumni, partner agencies, representatives of member schools, and others who will come together virtually to discuss this book in anticipation of next summer's program.
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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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
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
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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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Inc.
Board of directorsas of 11/04/2022
Mindy Wilson
Kentucky Campus Compact
Term: 2022 - 2024
Fran Elrod
Washington and Lee University
Richard Duke Cancelmo
Bridgeway
Mindy Wilson
Kentucky Campus Compact
Drew Kumpuris
Cardiologist
Tiffanie Spencer
University of Vermont
Kristin Harper
Birmingham Southern College
Andy Hogue
Baylor University
Matthew Lawrence
Middlebury College
Sarah Worley
Juniata College
Shatakshee Dhongde
Georgia Tech
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
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/04/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.