NW Works Inc
Empowerment through Employment
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
NW Works’ programs and services are designed to meet the diverse needs of individuals who are 18 years of age or older and have long-term disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and physical disabilities like blindness and hearing and vision impairments. We also work with those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), veterans with disabilities, and those with other barriers to employment. NW Works, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that serves these underserved populations in Winchester, Frederick County, Clarke County, and other neighboring counties.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Individualized Supported Employment
Individuals in this program are supported in selecting, securing, and sustaining employment within the community, and they are trained and assisted by Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists until they achieve their career goals. In collaboration with the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), the individual and their Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist work with a Vocational Counselor to identify the amount of assistance needed to learn job tasks and meet their employer’s expectations. Hours for this program are flexible to meet the needs of the individual and the employer.
Once an individual and their support team (which includes the employer, employment service coordinator, case managers, parents, and advocates) determine that an individual can complete the essential functions of their job tasks, long-term follow-along support may be provided to ensure ongoing success, or the client may phase out of services.
Group Supported Employment
Clients participating in Group Supported Employment work at a number of integrated community settings alongside several NW Works employees providing support as needed. NW Works clients fulfill contracts with small and large businesses in the region like Trex Company, completing production line tasks, product assembly, and other group assignments. They are supervised by Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists, but can generally complete tasks without support. Sometimes, they need reminders, breaks to regroup and decompress, or accommodations that nondisabled employees may not need. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist serves as an advocate if clients are unable to express that they need help or a break.
Day Support Services
Day Support Services are offered for those of our clients who are not oriented for employment, whether that be because they choose not to work, are not ready to work, or other reasons relating to their disability, and to Business Services clients when work is not available. During this day program, our team of highly-trained, dedicated staff work to broaden our clients’ strengths and skills through a personalized, goal-based curriculum called SNAP (Specific Natural Activity Program). They also attend community outings, engaging in recreational and leisure activities to include volunteering at local organizations. Some clients choose to work part time and participate in Day Support part time, so options are available to meet every individual’s goals.
AbilityOne
The AbilityOne® Program is among the largest sources of employment in the United States for individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities. Established in 1938, the program is administered by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission®, an independent Federal agency (whose statutory name is the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled). The Commission has designated National Industries for the Blind and SourceAmerica® as the central nonprofit agencies facilitating the program. NW Works is a proud partner of AbilityOne, and currently serves 18 government client workers across eight AbilityOne sites in three states.
Career Services
The Career Services Program at NW Works provides eligible families who have children under the age of 18 with monthly employment assistance to help meet their basic needs. Career Services operates as an extension of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program by providing resume building, mock interviews, job search help, functioning email addresses, job readiness training, and more to prepare TANF recipients for jobs and careers so they can provide for their families long-term.
ProjectSEARCH
The ProjectSEARCH Program is a collaboration between Valley Health, Winchester City Public Schools, Frederick County Public Schools, Northwestern Community Services Board, the VA Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and NW Works. Each year, ProjectSEARCH at Winchester Medical Center enrolls 12 graduates of Winchester or Frederick County schools who have disabilities. Over the following academic year, they prepare for employment through internships, mock interviews, and other relevant training. Then, the ProjectSEARCH team helps them search for and apply to competitive, integrated jobs in the community.
Business Services
Our in-house production is managed by our Business Services department, handling contracts with a number of local vendors to meet their business needs. In this department, adults with disabilities and people with other barriers to employment work on our production line or assemble kits for our 8 business contracts, which include SouthernCarlson, Rubbermaid, HP Hood, Trex Company, and more.
Where we work
Awards
Passing Score 2021
Charity Navigator
Affiliations & memberships
Virginia Values Veterans 2021
Top of Virginia Regional Chamber Member 2021
VA Accses Member 2021
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of employer partners offering jobs to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with disabilities, Economically disadvantaged people
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
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?
Our mission at NW Works is to enable adults with disabilities and individuals with significant barriers to employment to gain training and secure and sustain meaningful employment.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
NW Works is proud to partner with dozens of businesses in Winchester and throughout the broader DC metro region. We welcome any opportunity to provide service that offers meaningful work for our clients with disabilities and other barriers to employment. We know that businesses, from local restaurants to healthcare providers to global manufacturers, are finding it difficult to hire trained staff for entry-level, high-value functions. We believe people with barriers to employment are an untapped resource.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
NW Works is uniquely positioned to recruit, train, place, and support workers. Our clients answer the workforce challenges businesses face during peak seasons, when technology or automation cannot solve a specific production need, or when a particular process is too labor-intensive and must be outsourced. Our clients deliver guaranteed quality and on-time service completion. As businesses that provide jobs for those who traditionally have difficulty finding and sustaining employment, partners also benefit from the chance to give back and strengthen the community as a whole.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
NW Works has remained open and operational during the pandemic and continues to follow all CDC Guidelines to protect our clients, staff, business partners, and volunteers. Over the 2021 Fiscal Year, we are proud to share the following milestones:
Individual Supported Employment: 21 client workers employed, participants earned minimum wage or better in all placements, we averaged 140 job coaching hours per week, and collaborated with 14 unique employers.
Group Supported Employment: Program grew into 14 rotating positions, 5 days a week. In a September interview with local media, representatives of the Trex Company indicated they wish to grow the partnership and potentially hire on clients full-time in the near future.
Day Support Services & Community Engagement: In FY21, NW Works implemented a new enrichment curriculum that teaches financial literacy, cultural competency, community engagement opportunities, gardening, physical education, and recycling.
Business Services: Added 2 additional in-house contracts for a total of 8 contracts, grossed over $1.74 million, negotiated price increases for four contracts to raise wages, employed 24 client workers and 14 staff members across the department, client workers assembled an average of 2,750 kits a day for our SouthernCarlson contract.
AbilityOne: 18 Government Client Workers and 7 NW Works staff fulfilled custodial and landscaping contracts across eight AbilityOne partner sites, including the Internal Revenue Service, US Department of Agriculture, US Geological Survey, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, US Food and Drug Administration, and US Customs and Border Protection.
ProjectSEARCH: Eleven out of our twelve ProjectSEARCH program participants (92%) have been offered and accepted jobs in the community.
Career Services: Made 38 job placements, $12.61 average starting hourly wage, 75% of participants are employed full-time, collaborated with 35 unique employers, 12 participants obtained a wage increase, 18 new individuals joined the program, and we collaborated with 8 agencies across our service area.
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 act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
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.
NW Works Inc
Board of directorsas of 02/08/2023
Samir Jhaveri
Richard Kozlow
Joel Stopha
Joel Smith
Andrea Koenker
Stephanie Fincham
Aaron Martin
Kevin Lakin
Justin Dennis
Todd Devine
Katrina Pike
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
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/07/2023GuideStar 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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- 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 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.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.