MANOS DE CRISTO INC

OBJECTIVES

OPERATIONS: Ensure financial health and vitality
ASSETS: Develop the team and infrastructure to better execute Manos’ mission
MISSION: Scale and improve services to better meet the dental, education, and basic needs of the low-income community in Austin

Manos continuously evaluates the needs in the community and the agency's programming, infrastructure, and business model in order to maintain and grow a sustainable organization that meets the needs of families in poverty. Manos' Board of Directors and leadership team responds by providing: strong leadership, thoughtful planning, and effective use of resources through collaboration, strategic development efforts, and the highest quality of services to clients.
The Strategic Plan for Manos de Cristo for FY 2023-2026 contained the following three strategic goals that ensured the viability of our operations, assets, and mission

OPERATIONS: Ensure financial health and vitality:
• Continue to revisit implications of our commitment to financial stability in terms of goals for fundraising, revenue mix, reserve size to ensure organizational health and vitality
• Engage in long-term planning to build a multi-story building in the current parking lot and convert the current building to a parking lot. Complete plan within 3 years of SP. (Alternatively: sell Harmon site and lease back while building new HQ in area with the fastest growing Title 1 school)
• Investigate renting space in adjacent building for education as a short-term band aid

ASSETS: Develop the team and infrastructure to better execute Manos’ mission
• Reestablish our identity in the community with simplified messaging, logos, marketing, collateral, and branding
• Explicitly acknowledge every board member’s role and opportunity in Manos’ fund development at orientation and ongoing calls for action
• Ensure every new board member serves on at least one committee to cultivate commitment and facilitate service to the mission
• Expand the Development Committee utilizing a Gala sub-committee that includes non-board members to broaden our goal

MISSION: Scale and improve services to better meet the dental, education, and basic needs of the low-income community in Austin
• Annually set key performance objectives for each program to track metrics and adapt performance year-round
• Develop a plan to reduce lead times for dental and hygiene appointments to serve constituents well
• Add dental specialist to team to extend complex care capabilities
• Implement staff training in specialties like endodontics where practical to address affordability
• Develop resources for bilingual community in languages other than Spanish
• Review client outreach and marketing for alignment with key demographics to reach target clients in a rapidly
evolving community
• Invest in capacity to meet program demand—including expansion of online education—by hiring education staff
members and expanding volunteer training
• Consider developing and offering native-language literacy program

Manos de Cristo has a 35-year history of assisting underserved persons in a culturally appropriate, effective and efficient way. We understand their challenges and barriers and offer a hand-up to support their access and success.

Dental Center: The Manos de Cristo Dental Center serves families who do not have dental insurance, earn too much to qualify for assistance programs and generally are 150% or less of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The Dental Center offers dental services including emergency treatments, preventative and restorative services at rates between the 30th and 35th percentile of average private dental practices, according to the National Dental Advisory Service – Comprehensive Fee Report. Dental health education is provided in English and/or Spanish at every visit. The Dental Center provided 5,422 unduplicated clients with 15,373 visits and 47,048 procedures. For twenty-five years the four-operatory dental center operated on Cesar Chavez Street. In November 2013, the agency completed a three-year project, converting under-used space in the Programs and Administration building into an eleven-operatory Dental Center on Harmon Avenue. Basic Needs Services Manos de Cristo operates a Food Pantry and Clothes Closet. Manos de Cristo’s Food Pantry continues to serve families from 8-11 am, Monday-Friday. In 2022 Manos served food pantry clients 1 time a month, a total of 5,700 people were served through the Food Pantry. Manos continued to shop through the Capital Area Food Bank, Sam’s Clubs and HEB. The Austin Area Presbyterian Churches and generous donations also supplemented the Food Pantry. In 2022, 12 volunteers provided 166 hours of service, as Manos only allowed volunteers that met CDC guidelines (vaccinated) indoors. The clothes closet remained closed for clients, but clients were able to select clothing through the door.
Education: Manos offers several levels of English as a Second Language (ESL), introductory and intermediate computer classes, U.S. Citizenship classes, and Spanish literacy classes. In 2022, 512 students enrolled in ESL classes, 102 participated in citizenship classes, 153 in computer literacy classes, and 11 in Spanish literacy classes. In 2022, 111 volunteers provided 6,270 hours of instruction; classes were taught in-person and virtually throughout the year. Back to School: In 2022, Manos provided 1,200 backpacks for students through the Food Pantry and partner organizations. An in person Back to School event was not held in 2022. Manos de Cristo is primarily funded through program services fees, contributions, grants and contracts.

As the number of low-income individuals and families in Central Texas continue to grow in number, our work continues. The Dental Center operated near full capacity during 2021, providing more than 14,042 appointments for oral health care and education.
The Dental Center's goal is to become a dental home for many of our patients. As a practical matter, however, it is imperative that Manos remain flexible to the urgent needs of emergency patients who line up early each day waiting for oral treatment, as we are one of very few local dental centers that sees emergency patients the same day.
The agency has also successfully secured partnerships that benefit the clients we serve. For instance, we have broadened and deepened referral sources for dental procedures that cannot be performed at our Dental Center so that patients will receive the help they need at a cost they can afford. Manos has increased staffing with dental specialities to offer our clients the opportunity to meet their medical and oral health needs at our agencies.
Increasing visibility, securing new donors, and funding is another area in which modest progress has been made. The agency will secure a dedicated marketing and communications person who makes sure the website is current, that social media is employed where practical, and that ongoing outreach and public relations efforts with potential clients, the media and other publics are developed and cultivated. An experienced Director of Development leads and guides strategic fundraising efforts to attract and retain support from foundations, corporations, businesses and generous individuals. Growing a major gifts effort is an ongoing goal necessary for fund diversification.
The agency has been successful in expanding the composition of its Board, which was a strategic objective. The agency sought to recruit members from an array of professional backgrounds, skills, and abilities.
Manos de Cristo has a strong foundation and is positioning itself for sustainability into the future. The agency's leadership will continue to seek opportunities for growth in program capacity, for strengthening referral networks, and in professionalism in the way we conduct business.