Changing Perceptions
Change A Mind, Change A Life
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Changing Perceptions aims to solve the challenges faced by individuals seeking to reintegrate into society after incarceration. We provide services and support to help these individuals successfully transition back into their communities and reduce recidivism rates.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Peer Mentorship Program
Goals: 1. To provide a supportive and non-judgmental environment for individuals reentering society after incarceration. 2. To offer guidance and resources to help mentees navigate the challenges of finding employment, housing, and rebuilding relationships with loved ones. 3. To empower mentees to become self-sufficient and responsible members of society by fostering personal growth and accountability.
The Peer Mentorship Program provides up to 1-year of personalized mentoring to help individuals successfully transition to society. This program offers social services, support, and resources on various programs to help individuals build a positive reputation, become self-sufficient, and feel empowered to give back to their community.
Supportive Employment Program
Goals: 1. To provide job training and skill development opportunities to individuals previously incarcerated to help them successfully reintegrate into society and become productive members of their communities.
2. To create partnerships with local employers and businesses to facilitate job placement and provide ongoing support to program participants, including mentorship, job coaching, and other resources to help them succeed in the workplace. 3. To promote awareness and education about the challenges faced by individuals with criminal records and to advocate for policies and practices that support their successful reintegration into society, including fair chance hiring policies and access to education and training programs.
The Supportive Employment Program is an 8-week stipend-based workforce development program designed to support returning citizens with job readiness training, skills-building, on-the-job training, and career coaching to help obtain and maintain employment.
CARES Program
Goals: 1. To provide case management and advocacy services to individuals living in under-resourced communities, helping them to navigate the challenges of reentry and access the resources they need to succeed. 2. To empower individuals with the information and skills they need to reduce the likelihood of reoffending through education, vocational training, and other forms of support. 3. To foster a sense of community among program participants, providing a supportive and caring environment that helps them to build positive relationships and develop a sense of purpose and direction in their lives.
The CARES Program provides assistance to individuals living in under-resourced communities who need case management, advocacy, referrals, empowerment, and support. Changing Perceptions helps these individuals with detailed reentry planning, equipping them with the essential information and resources to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Flex Fund Services
Goals:
1. To provide immediate financial assistance to individuals who need help with basic necessities like transportation, food, workforce development, and housing. 2. To support those facing challenges as they try to rebuild their lives after reentry by offering compassionate and equitable support. 3. To ensure that no one falls through the cracks by providing a safety net for those who cannot access other forms of assistance.
Changing Perceptions Flex Fund is a service that offers emergency funding to participants who require assistance with necessities such as transportation, food, workforce development, and housing. This emergency funding is a lifeline for individuals struggling to make ends meet as they navigate the reentry obstacles. Changing Perceptions is committed to providing fair and empathetic assistance to all in need.
Where we work
Awards
Justice Award 2023
Opportunity Finance Network
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of intake assessments completed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Incarcerated people, Adults
Related Program
CARES Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Incarcerated people, Adults
Related Program
CARES Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
- Help individuals successfully transition back into society after being incarcerated
- Reduce recidivism rates
- Provide job training and placement services
- Address mental health and addiction issues
- Help individuals rebuild relationships with their families and communities
- Focus on policy and advocacy work to address systemic issues that contribute to mass incarceration and hinder successful reentry.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Changing Perceptions has a variety of strategies in place to help individuals successfully transition back into society after being incarcerated. One common strategy is to provide job training and placement services, as employment is a critical factor in reducing recidivism rates. Changing Perceptions also offers counseling and support services to address mental health and addiction issues and help individuals rebuild relationships with their families and communities. Additionally, our focus on policy and advocacy addresses systemic issues contributing to mass incarceration and hindering successful reentry. Overall, successful reentry requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the complex needs of formerly incarcerated individuals, and Changing Perceptions plays an essential role in providing these necessary services and support.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Changing Perceptions Board of Directors consists of four community members with diverse backgrounds and resources. Their main goal is to help the organization expand its reach and capabilities. Each board member has committed to serving for at least two years and contributing a minimum of $1,000. They also participate in fundraising events and attend quarterly board meetings to share their expertise and help the organization increase its capacity, sustainability, and visibility.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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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 look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
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
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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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Changing Perceptions
Board of directorsas of 03/31/2024
Ana Harvey
DuPont Underground
Term: 2022 - 2025
Monte Pollard
Changing Perceptions
Talib Shakir
Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services
Thomas Penny
Donohoe Hospitality
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
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/13/2023GuideStar 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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- 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.