FC Community Hub Project Report - 2014-15

The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation
Community Fund Final Evaluation Report
2013-2014
The FC Community Hub Project
Family & Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region
with Project Support and Partnership from Capacity Canada

2 FC Community Hub Project Report – 2014-2015
PROJECT INFORMATION
Organization Name Family & Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region
Person Completing Report Cameron Dearlove
Position Family Centre Coordinator
Phone Number 519-772-4399x1
E-mail coordinator@thefamilycentre.ca
Executive Director (if different from
contact):
Alison Scott
Date of Report April 27, 2015
Grant Number 20130061
Approved Grant Amount $ 21,480.00
Project Name A Capacity Building Community Hub
Problem you are trying to address Small and start-up NFPs face a variety of fiscal and logistical
challenges that present barriers to developing a sustainable
organization and successfully meeting community needs.
Type of change you want to
achieve
Develop a model for a community NFP incubator where NFPs
receive startup assistance with rent, administration, and
mentorship, while engaging in a culture of collaboration with
small and large organizations.
Waterloo Region Vital Signs
Priority selected in Proposal
Belonging and Leadership
Other relevant Vital Signs Areas Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, and Getting Started (in
Canada and in life)

1.1 Outputs: Were project activities carried out as planned?
Outputs are quantified measures or products of service delivery (e.g., number of classes offered, number of
attendees, number of pamphlets distributed). Outputs are used to evaluate activities (“did they occur as
planned?”).
a. Your agency identified the outputs in your work plan submitted with your grant proposal. Using the table
below, please describe the actual outputs produced by the project. In the spaces provided, please include
any additional outputs you’ve produced through your work. Where applicable, please provide comments
about contextual issues influencing service delivery or more detailed description of the outputs if you think it would help us to better understand the story of your
project.
Type of Output Planned Outputs Actual Outputs Additional Comments
OutputsfromProposal
4 current Community
Hub members continue
sustainability work. New
members will be
accepted in ongoing
basis. (3.8 FTE
workstations still
available).
The Family Centre’s
Steering Committee
Subcommittee will
consider
applications and
decide on project
participants. (3-5
staff/volunteers)
The Family Centre Steering
Committee accepted and brought the
number of core members up to 6, with
one “associate member”. The SC also
added 3 non-core members to the
program, bringing our total number
of members to 10 over the project
period.
Associate member is a member who benefits from
the physical space, but participates little in the
program portion of the project (the mentorship and
learning).
A non-core member is an organization that
participates in the program (mentorship and
learning) but does not reside in the Community Hub
space (these 3 organizations are housed in the
Centre for Autism).
Approximately 26 mentorship meetings
will be held between ED in Residence
and Community Hub members
One employee of Capacity
Waterloo Region providing
approximately 2 hours (without
planning time) bi-weekly;
$8/hour of in-kind room
bookings.
Actual output
was 12 meetings,
with additional
one-on-one
meetings booked
ad hoc.
Program participants, as EDs of the
organizations, couldn’t manage bi-weekly
meetings, so this changed to monthly
meetings. As issues came up that members
needed support with, they met
independently with their mentor.
Six 2-3 hour organizational
development workshops will be held for
Community Hub members (may be
expanded to other small NFPs);
workshops arranged by Family Centre
Coordinator and ED in Residence
$600 in grant money for food
and drink at these meetings.
$240 of in-kind room
bookings at The Family
Centre.
6 workshops were delivered,
offered free to Hub members
and wider community. Over
150 different people
attended these workshops.
Spending on this area was slightly
higher ($904.27) due to higher
than anticipated attendance, and
adding small gift certificates as
honoraria for presenters.
Type of Output
Planned
Outputs
Actual Outputs Additional Comments
Workspace and meeting room rent in the
Community Hub will be billed to Community
Hub members, however, the grant will provide
$14280
requested from
the KWCF for
Workspace and meeting room
subsidies were used by most Hub
members, to varying degrees. MOUs
Spending on this area was
lower than anticipated. This
was due to a lower need for
“We feel part of something very unique and
welcoming by being part of the Hub. We feel
like we belong!”
- FC Community Hub Member

financial assistance, where needed. Hub
members will complete a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Family Centre
Coordinator, which will be updated quarterly,
to determine need for subsidy.
workspace and
program space
rental subsidies.
were completed to match subsidy with
ability to pay. Subsidies allowed
organizations to hold more
programs in high-quality meeting
rooms.
subsidy than anticipated, and
the addition of non-core Hub
members (who did not access
subsidies).
Administrative Support services
may be provided for Hub members
based on need. These services may
include:
a) Payroll services;
b) Accounting services;
c) HR – basic human
resources consulting
services;
d) Tech or web support
$6000 requested from KWCF.
This funding will go to pay for
the additional work required
of Family and Children’s
Services staff (i.e. HR, IT,
Accounting) or outside
contractors. This figure is
based on 6 organizations
making full use of $1000
available to each.
This was a highly used component of
the program. We renamed this
category “organizational
development”, to put the emphasis
on activities that would build the
capacity of the organization in the
long-term. Services were typically
performed by outside contractors
rather than FACS staff due to FACS staff
capacity issues.
Spending on this area was
higher than anticipated, due to
a higher number of
organizations involved in the
program, as well as lower than
anticipated need for
workspace subsidy.
Type of Output Planned Outputs Actual Outputs
The project will be led by The Family Centre Coordinator who will have the strategic
position to assist in developing relationships amongst Hub members and existing
Family Centre partners. The Family Centre Coordinator will also arrange events and
meetings throughout the year to foster cooperation, collaboration, and relationship
building, and include Hub members in all Family Centre communications, promotions,
and activities. The Coordinator will also be responsible for project reporting. Volunteer,
student, or work placement support will be sought to assist the Coordinator with
fulfilling these duties.
$16993 in staff time from
the Alliance for Children and
Youth (through an existing
Ontario Trillium Foundation
grant). This represents 0.2
FTE of the Coordinator’s
position.
This was an
accurate
projection of
staff time
devoted to this
project.
b. Please identify any major changes in planned and actual outputs. In particular, identify what factors may have led to the discrepancies in outputs and how they
affected the development and implementation of your program. In reflection, what may have been done to address such changes?
The biggest discrepancy was around the amount of funding used for subsidies versus organizational development. When planning this
project, the assumption was that all organizations would be physically housed within the Community Hub. When the Centre for Autism
opened with three small NFP organizations, we extended the “program” portion of this project, however, as their rent was being covered
by KidsAbility, they did not require subsidies. This meant that we had a higher participation level in the project, with a lower demand for
rental subsidies.
This had an impact on the organizational development funds. Organizations expressed a greater need for these supports than for
subsidies, as the organizational supports are the “extras” – the long-term items that often get cut from budgets. They are also the items

that help to build long-term capacity. As we had a higher participation rate in the program, with unused subsidy funds, we moved funding
from subsidies to organizational development to maximize the investment in the long-term capacity of the participants.
FC Community Hub Project
Public Launch Event
September 16, 2013

1.2 Outcomes: What changes did the project influence? Did the
project have the anticipated impact?
a. In your grant proposal, your agency identified the outcomes listed in the table below. Using the
table below, please describe how your project contributed to each of these outcomes, including
information on methods/tools used to capture progress. In the spaces provided, please include any
additional outcomes you’ve identified through your work.
Target Groups: Outcome Objectives: Measurement
Strategies:
Findings:
Community
Hub members –
these members
will be selected
strategically as
small and start-
up
organizations
and groups. As
such, they will
directly benefit
from having
access to
subsidies for
rent, program
space, and
administrative
services, while
they focus on
their
work/client
services, while
they focus on
building the
sustainability of
their
organization,
and while they
build strategic
relationships
“There will be a number of
long-term outcomes from
this project:
 There will be between
5-10 local
organizations that will
directly benefit from
this project and will be
more sustainable in the
long-term. They will be
able to provide better
service to the
community in both the
short- and long-term
because of this project.
 There will be ongoing
collaborative efforts
and organizational
relationships developed
due to this project. This
will continue to
improve services
throughout the
community in the long-
term.
 This project will
develop local models
for a) a NFP incubator;
and b) a large NFP
Hub member
sustainability:
Hub members
were asked to set
organizational
development
goals for the year
and report on
meeting these
goals. (Survey
and interviews)
All responses have been edited to maintain the anonymity of respondents.
Goals:
Response 1:
 Completed all organizational goals including: creating and approving new
strategic plan, building awareness of services with FACS through new
workshop/partnership, and networking organization with community
through joining DART and SART tables.
o Successful in meeting goals.
Response 2:
 Increase in clients, improve financial sustainability, increase volunteer base
 Successful in numbers increased, but we did not reach our goal numbers.
Financial sustainability is still a work in progress
o Some successes.
Response 3:
 Goals were to increase client numbers and find new revenue streams. Program
1 running at capacity since move to FC. Program 2 attendence from 10-15 per
session to 20-25 since move to FC. Total client numbers doubled from 2013-
2014. Successful in application to Trillium Foundation.
Response 4:
 Goal to increase client numbers. Increase of 8% in last year.
Response 5:
 Goals were to increase outreach opportunities, increase fundraising dollars
and to increase capacity of our children’s programs and young adult programs
over the past year.
 Successful in our outreach efforts to have our communications materials
available in all pediatrician offices in Waterloo Region.
 Hosted our first big fundraising event as a launch into our second annual
“I feel the mentorship program has helped to
foster trust and respect among the
organizations. As these relationships continue
to build so will the opportunity for further
collaborations.”

and
collaborations.
Hub members
will be selected
strategically not
only to fit
within The
Family Centre’s
vision, but also
for their desire
for
collaboration
and
cooperation,
and for their
strategic
connection with
other members
and existing
Family Centre
partners.
providing
administrative services
for small NFPs. This
model will be detailed
through a project
report, and shared out
within the community
for further
development.”
Hub
organizations
were encouraged
to use Imagine
Canada
accreditation
standards as
best-practice
guidelines for
organizational
sustainability.
(Survey and
interviews).
fundraising appeal. Our event brought awareness to our organization and
raised $2800 (event only). Our annual appeal raised $25,000.
 Increased capacity of our children’s programs and have added an additional
program at The Family Centre on Saturday mornings. We have also
transitioned the participants who aged out of our program to a new program
at CrossFit.
 With the support of the Community Hub, created new communications
materials including new information cards, pop-up banner, posters and
business cards. This was part of a new branding process.
 Moved from an operational board to a governance model and we have added
five new board members over the past year.
 Created second staff position.
Organizational Sustainability:
Response 1:
 Increase in compliance from 50% to 100% (estimated, application in process)
from July 2014-April 2015.
Response 2:
 “When we started this process it was good to know that we already had some
of their practices in place. Some of their standards we need to strengthen or
re-evaluate and some create from scratch. But again, reaffirming to know we
were on the right track as a young organization”
o Increased compliance from 15% to 60-70% in 1 year.
Response 3:
 Unable to move forward on accreditation this year.
Response 4:
 Unable to move forward on accreditation this year.
Response 5:
We meet many of the Imagine Canada benchmarks. One area that we have improved on
this year is through Board Governance. We have:
 Moved from an operational model to a governance model.
 Increased the size of our board to add expertise which will benefit the
organization.
 Ensured we are financially accountable and transparent completing all
necessary requirements.
 We are respectful of our donor base and meet the necessary standards with
regard to fundraising.
 We are improving processes related to staff management as we have grown
our staffing component.

 We are creating formal policies and procedures related to staff and operations.
o Increased compliance this year.
Strategies:
Findings:
Family Centre
partners – the
existing
partners will
benefit from
having an
increased pool
of expertise to
draw on, a
greater
diversity of
people within
the Centre, a
wider variety of
services and
programs
within one
location, and
new and more
stable partners
to collaborate
with. These
collaborations
can both
improve
services and
reduce costs for
these
organizations.
this project:
 The Family Centre will
have better developed
programs and services
which will benefit the
community
(particularly the large
proportion of
vulnerable individuals
and families accessing
The Family Centre.)
5-10 local
service to the
and organizational
will continue to
improve services
throughout the
term.
This project will develop
Hub members
asked to track
interactions and
collaborative
experiences
within Hub/FC.
Asked to pay
attention to what
helped
collaborations
succeed/barriers
to collaboration.
(Survey and
interviews).
Response 1:
 Collaborative relationship with FACS has improved tremendously because of
location. Our clients are expressing less stigma about working with FACS.
 Through information sharing with another Hub member, we identified a
community network our organization should join.
 With two other full-time Hub members, I have experienced excellent
information sharing of resources and contacts. The full-time presence here
helps this.
 With one Hub member organization, we were able to create a team-based
approach for a single client. This was possible because we knew about the
others’ services due to being in the Hub.
o Reported success in collaboration.
Response 2:
 Improved collaborations through the Hub mentorship program. Most of the
interactions were through learning from each other or supporting each other
in their programs and missions.
 Currently we have come together on a Volunteer program and submitted a
grant to KWCF as a collaborative.
 The Community Hub has been an amazing resource and support to us as a
young organization. It has validated our struggles and potentially prevented a
few as we learn what has worked or not worked for the other organizations.
 I do see potential for further interactions as we continue to grow.
 I feel the mentorship program has helped to foster trust and respect among
the organizations. As these relationships continue to build so will the
opportunity for further collaborations.
Response 3:
 Collaborated on creating and sharing a database – Sumac.
 Volunteer Program Grant application to KWCF – Spring 2015 - Six
organizations working together to create one volunteer program
 Any collaborative project that we do together going forward in the general
sense will allow all of the six organizations to develop a plan together to better
serve the population we provide programs to. We will also be able to get to
know each other and better support our community’s needs.
Response 4:

local models for a) a NFP
incubator; and b) a large
NFP providing
administrative services for
small NFPs. This model will
be detailed through a
project report, and shared
out within the community
for further development.”
 This was a fantastic area for us.
 Mentoring meetings with Cathy Brothers were highly educational and
informative around things to do and not to do with respect to working with
Board, fundraising etc. Being able to hear what others were doing and how
along with Cathy's input was great and I learned a lot. Was able to take
information back to our board so the information didn't just stop at me.
 We interacted with all the hub members at one time or another but more
closely with 4 of them. I think what makes it so successful is the connection we
share, the passion for what our individual organizations do and the respect
each person and group gives each other.
Response 5:
 We have participated in the monthly mentoring sessions with Cathy Brothers.
These sessions have been extremely helpful in terms of knowledge sharing
through Cathy’s experience and through relationships built among Executive
Directors from the different organizations.
 We have participated in some of the workshops. We have been unexpectedly
short-staffed at various times throughout the past year and as such not always
able to participate in these learning opportunities. However, we do appreciate
that they are made available to us.
 Collaborating on the proposal for the Volunteer Coordinator has also brought
organizations within the Hub together. With a focus on similar needs, we can
work together to create a volunteer base for each organization. In sharing this
role, each organization can then focus on other priorities.
 As a small organization, the most valuable asset of the Community Hub is the
opportunity to meet other EDs and staff from other organizations to share
experience, wisdom and challenges. We no longer feel isolated which can often
be the case with a very small organization. We feel part of something very
unique and welcoming by being part of the Hub. We feel like we belong!
Strategies:
Findings:
Family Centre
clients/
community –
the clients and
community
members who
use The Family
Centre will
this project:
 The Family Centre will
have better developed
programs and services
which will benefit the
community
The Family
Centre will be
tracking use of
Family Centre
services and
facilities. We will
expect a 10%
increase in client
Between 2013-2014 (the period for which we have data, and the period for which the
FC Community Hub project has operated), we have seen significant growth in use of
the Family Centre. In this period we saw:
 A 15% increase in overall use of the Family Centre
 A 33% increase in groups seeking to work with various
ethnocultural/linguistic/religious communities
 A 40% increase in groups seeking to work with New Canadians
 A 40% increase in groups seeking to work with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit

benefit from the
wider range of
services, events,
and
opportunities
within the
Family Centre.
Additionally, as
collaboratives
develop, they
will benefit
from shared
expertise and
new
opportunities
and services.
The community
can expect
greater
diversity
represented
within the
Family Centre,
and greater
strength-
building
services for
children and
families.
(particularly the large
proportion of
vulnerable individuals
and families accessing
The Family Centre.)
5-10 local
service to the
and organizational
will continue to
improve services
throughout the
term. “
use of The
Family Centre,
and a 10%
increase in the
diversity of
clientele.
(Consistent with
goals of OTF
Family Centre
Coordination
grant).
Through
interviews and
survey, Hub
members will
provide
qualitative
responses on
improved service
and access for
clients.
people
 A 22% increase in groups seeking to work with people with disabilities.
 Unfortunately in this time, we saw a 15% decrease in groups seeking to work with
LGBTQ individuals.
Response 1:
 Our clients have benefitted from our inclusion in this project because we are able
to work closely with other groups in the Family Centre. In particular, working
cooperatively with Family & Children’s Services has helped significantly.
Response 2:
 Indirectly our clients have benefitted as it has helped with smoothing out the
growing pains of our organization.
 Our clients have benefited from using The Family Centre space. It is clean, easily
accessible and safe which is what our clients appreciate.
Response 3:
 We have been able to host almost all of group supports under one roof as well as
our training. Our last location was not wheelchair accessible.
Response 4:
 Our clients have benefitted simply because the leader (me) is more confident in
the direction we are going. The mentorship meetings help to ground me and keep
me going and make me better at dealing with families and with the board. Having a
physical location has helped as people know where we are now, so that makes a
difference.
Response 5:
 Many of our families have benefited from being located at the Family Centre.
Further co-location through Hub partners has opened the door to connect families
with other organizations when necessary.
In the space below provide additional commentaries on your data collection process. For example, identify the number of people that participated in the program, surveys
and/or interviews, and specify any common themes that emerged. Be as descriptive as possible.
The main collection of information came from interview and survey results from FC Community Hub member organizations. Five organizations were able to
complete this detailed information collection process. Common themes that emerged:
 Huge benefit for leadership of organizations in sharing ideas, resources, and support
 Benefit to clients in being co-located with other services

 Strong praise for mentorship component of program
 Desire for more organizations to be involved / more involved in the program.
Information was also collected through an anonymous survey of workshop participants. 17 people completed the survey. Themes that emerged:
 100% of respondents found the workshops to be of “high” or “very high” quality
 Demand for these workshops remains strong. Respondents provided a wide variety of suggestions for future workshops relevant to small NFP
organizations.
Expand on your findings. What is important about the information in the table? What is important that is NOT explained in the table? What does this information say about
your progress towards long-term outcomes?
There are a few themes that did not emerge as strongly as they should in the chart above. They are:
 The importance of organizational development opportunities. We have been able to use funds from this grant to send organizations to capacity-
building trainings, to purchase resources and tools that they can share collectively, and to move forward with the ‘extras’ that make a big difference
in their development.
 The importance of the mentorship meetings with Cathy Brothers. The mentorship component is consistently cited as one of the most important
components of the program. Not only does it build knowledge, it provides a dedicated time to build connections and rapport with colleagues from
other organizations.
 Overall, the opportunities that have been provided to start-up organizations through this initiative, as it has provided space and support to
organizations that didn’t have comparable space and support previously.
b. Explain any major changes in anticipated and actual outcomes that occurred over the course of program delivery.
In the proposal, the intention was to base more of the outcome results in Imagine Canada’s Accreditation Standards. While we discussed
these standards often throughout the mentorship and learning opportunities, not all organizations were able to move forward on
pursuing accreditation this year. Capacity is always an issue for a small NFP organization, so not each group could make it a priority in this
year. Though not every group worked towards accreditation this year, each group was influenced by the standards through the program.
c. If applicable, please attach or include below a client story or testimonial demonstrating progress
towards achieving project outcomes.
Participant Organization testimonials / feedback:
 “Final Thoughts: The Community Hub has been a life line for HCH. It has given
us a place where we can meet with clients in a safe and welcoming
environment and to run our programs. The mentorship program has provided
the ED and Board with practical education, knowledge and support that we
otherwise would not have had the opportunity to gain. It has been invaluable
to us.” – Hummingbird Centre for HOPE
 “Thank you so much for creating the Community Hub! It has been a huge asset

“As a small organization, the most valuable asset of the
Community Hub is the opportunity to meet other EDs
and staff from other organizations to share experience,
wisdom and challenges. We no longer feel isolated which
can often be the case with a very small organization. We
feel part of something very unique and welcoming by
being part of the Hub.”
to our organization and therefore to all of the families we support. Being
able to learn from each other and through professional development has
increased my capacity as an Executive Director and the overall capacity of
our organization. It is a pleasure to be part of something so empowering and
supportive. Cameron has been an amazing link and exceptional coordinator
in his role. We feel honoured to be involved with such a progressive
initiative that supports families in our community….These are exciting times
for WRFN and we are thankful for our involvement with the Community
Hub. Our involvement and experience with the Hub has definitely
contributed to our success in reaching our goals over the past year and we
look forward to continued success through this relationship.” – Waterloo
Region Family Network
 “It is difficult, at times, to be a single person working with a Board to develop and sustain an organization. Meeting the members of
the Hub and connecting has been hugely beneficial in many ways. First, just not feeling so alone by knowing there are others who
have been through or are going through the same or similar things you are is a huge help in realizing that it is okay and things will
get better. Being able to bounce things off each other by asking questions, like ‘what did you do?’, ‘how did you accomplish this?’
etc…
The mentoring meetings with Cathy Brothers were highly educational and informative around things to do and not to do with
respect to working with Board, fundraising, etc. Again, being able to hear what others were doing and how along with Cathy's input
was great and I learned a lot. I was able to take information back to our board, so the information didn't just stop at me.” – Facile
Waterloo Region
Anonymous feedback from Workshop Series:
 “The FC Hub offers an excellent resource to social profit organizations. I had
the opportunity to meet two people, whom I have had regular contact and
collaboration with since.”
 “The material provided so far was well received and effective with increasing
our awareness around those specific issues. THANK YOU for creating these
opportunities and we hope that you will continue educating us.”
 “It is great that the Family Centre offers workshops that others do not and
are very practical and help educate on such a variety of topics relevant to all.”
 “Thank you for this excellent opportunity highlighting local expertise on
relevant topics. I consider this to be a professional development opportunity
as well as a time to meet other community members who are not part of my
sector. I also appreciate the central location and the fact that the workshops
are sponsored at no cost to participants, although I would be willing to pay a

small fee to attend.”
For more testimonials, please see the video on the FC Community Hub Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGWmWXLXkMA
d. Waterloo Region Vital Signs Priority Areas: Community Fund grants are awarded to high-
impact programs that have an overarching objective of contributing to the culture of Belonging
and Leadership in the community. This overarching objective would be reached through one or
more of the following streams:
 Arts and Culture
 Health and Wellness
 Getting Started (in Canada and in life)
How has your project contributed to advancing the Waterloo Region Vital Signs priority areas as related to your work? (Some programs may indicate multiple
priorities – please address all areas applicable):
This project touches on all three identified streams:
 The Family Centre attracts a wide variety of programs, meetings, events, and opportunities, many of which are based around arts
and culture. While still a small portion of the total number of booking hours in the Family Centre, arts and culture bookings grew
by 40% between 2013-2014.
 The Family Centre is based around a holistic, strength-based approach to working with children, youth, and families. Our
programs and events increasingly make use of a resilience model. Collectively we focus on health and wellbeing of the clients we
serve.
 FC Community Hub partner organizations often support some of the most marginalized in our community, including people with
disabilities, women, New Canadians and racialized individuals, people experiencing poverty, and families struggling with loss. By
supporting and growing their work in The Family Centre, we create a welcoming space for our community’s most marginalized
who often have a lower sense of belonging. As identified above in the Outcomes section, the Family Centre has seen significant
growth in the diversity of our clients.
How has your project contributed to advancing Belonging and/or Leadership in the community?
One Hub member said, in their survey: “We feel part of something very unique and welcoming by being part of the Hub. We feel like we
belong!”
This project is aimed at impacting belonging and leadership in a number of ways:
 Individuals access services and supports within The Family Centre, a modern, bright, and welcoming 60,000 square foot facility.
Client feedback about The Family Centre is consistently positive. (To better understand how the Family Centre welcomes our
Between 2013-2014 we have seen significant growth in
use of the Family Centre, including:
 A 15% increase in overall use of the Family Centre
 A 33% increase in groups seeking to work with various
ethnocultural/linguistic/religious communities
 A 40% increase in groups seeking to work with New
Canadians
 A 40% increase in groups seeking to work with First
Nations, Metis, and Inuit people
 A 22% increase in groups seeking to work with people
with disabilities.

community, we encourage you to watch this short video: https://youtu.be/-
enIXa0ll24). Visitors are greeted by friendly and helpful staff to find the
services and supports they need in our accessible facility.
 Organizations that join the Family Centre experience our hospitality and
welcome. The FC Community Hub project moves small and start-up not-for-
profits off of their kitchen tables and into a welcoming and professional
environment. FACS staff provide the support they need to provide a high
level of service. They join into partner meetings to build relationships with
partner organizations, and are invited to make use of our communications
channels to reach new clients. The FC Community Hub project is one way of
saying to small organizations – and their clients – that our community
respects, appreciates, and supports the services and supports that they provide. We create welcoming experiences by adding value
to the important work that they do.
This project also impacts community leadership by giving the tools and support to emerging leaders in our NFP community, and helping
them to grow the important initiatives they are working on. By networking these leaders in this project, we magnify their impact.
“The mentoring meetings with Cathy Brothers were
highly educational and informative around things to do
and not to do with respect to working with Board,
fundraising, etc. Again, being able to hear what others
were doing and how along with Cathy's input was great
and I learned a lot. I was able to take information back
to our board so the information didn't just stop at me.”
– Facile Waterloo Region

1.3 Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned
a. Discuss any significant challenges and/or opportunities that you encountered over the course of the
project that had an impact on your work (the impacts could be positive or negative - e.g. update on any
significant organizational development, financial or staff changes).
One of the major challenges we have is making linkages between Community Hub
organizations and the larger host organization, Family & Children’s Services. The
Community Hub partners are housed in close-quarters, which naturally increases
opportunities for interaction, whereas most FACS employees use offices in another
building. Networking a 1-2 person organization with another smaller organization is
a much simpler prospect than networking a 1-2 person organization with a 300+
person organization. This process takes time and requires a lot of intentional connecting opportunities.
Another challenge we have is maintaining momentum with the small organizations. Organizations without at least 1 full-time staff
person struggle to make the capacity-building gains of their staffed peers. While the volunteer-driven organizations bring a lot of
passion for their work, it is challenging for them to commit to all of the mentorship meetings, workshops, and other opportunities. As
such, their development comes much more slowly than other participants. A piece of learning we have taken from the early days of
this project is to spend a lot of time working on schedules and commitments to the project, to ensure groups get everything they can
out of this opportunity.
b. We recognize that things do not always go as planned. Lessons learned from this project
can help improve your future work and similar work done by other groups. Reflecting on
how you carried out the project’s activities and services, please comment on:
i. What worked well?
The mentorship meetings worked much better than anticipated.
While we were confident that they would be an important
component of the project, the depth of information sharing and
relationship-building that took place in these meetings was beyond
expectations.
ii. What would you not do again? What would you do differently?
We would spend more time in the vetting process ensuring that
member organizations can fully commit to being a part of all
components of the project.
“The FC Hub (workshops) offers an excellent
resource to social profit organizations. I had the
opportunity to meet two people, whom I have
had regular contact and collaboration with
since.”

c. Now, reflecting on the outcomes and impact of your project, please comment on:
i. Did the project accomplish anything you didn’t expect? Please explain.
The project is designed with staff coordination through Family & Children’s
Services. We did not anticipate as much leadership coming from within the
member organizations as we have seen. Through the peer-mentorship
model, some organizations have stepped into leadership roles, mentoring
newer and smaller organizations. The growth and the importance of the
peer mentorship has been a pleasant surprise.
ii. Were you surprised by what the project was not able to achieve? Please explain.
We had anticipated more collaboration around individual clients. While this did happen, it wasn’t as frequent as anticipated. With
more member organizations and greater variety of services, this will continue to develop.
iii. Looking back, how appropriate was your chosen measurement strategy in assessing changes in your indicators and outcomes? What may have been done
differently? Please explain.
If we were to do this initial phase of the project again, we would continue to use the Imagine Canada Accreditation Standards for
assessment, as it covers all of the best practices of a successful and sustainable NFP organization. That said, we would have
customized an assessment too using these standards to make the measurement simpler and more consistent.
d. Did you face any challenges around evaluating the impact of your project? Did any unexpected issues emerge that may have required a change in the
measurement strategy? Please explain.
Yes. It is very difficult to measure the impact of this project through quantitative measurements. We could look at volunteer hours,
donations, website hits, etc., of each organization, however, there are so many factors that would influence these numbers, the results
would be largely meaningless.
Qualitative results are more applicable to this type of project. In the future, it would be beneficial to collect this qualitative data in
smaller portions throughout the life of the project to engage in emergent learning.
“Our clients have benefitted from our inclusion in this
project because we are able to work closely with other
groups in the Family Centre. In particular, working
cooperatively with Family & Children’s Services has
helped significantly.”

1.4 Sustaining the Project
a. What plans are in place to sustain the project after The KWCF Community Fund grant ends?
Please outline next steps.
We will be focusing on transferring more of the responsibility to the
member organizations. Already they have been taking on more leadership
of the project, and as they do, they will accelerate the outcomes of the
project.
Our agency has renewed its commitment to the project. We have had
promising conversations with individual donors about sponsoring the
project in conjunction with continued funding through the KWCF.

1.5 Project Budget Information
Budgeted Actual
Revenue
The KWCF Community Fund $21,480 $21,480
Other (please add rows as
appropriate)
In-Kind FACS: $22,553.00
In-Kind Capacity Canada: $10,000
In-Kind FACS: $22,553.00
In-Kind Capacity Canada: $10,000
Total Revenue $53,433.00 $53,433.00
Expenses
Organizational Development
Funds
$6,000 $9,001.36
Rent and Room Subsidies $14,280 $8,151.00
Workshops $600 $904.27
Mentorship and Workshops – in-
kind
$10,560 $10,560
Staff time (in-kind) $16,993.00 $16,993.00
Implementation Support (in-kind) $5,000 $5,000
Total Expenses $53,433.00 $50,609.63
+/- $0.00 $2823.63
i. If allocated funds were not all expensed, please provide an explanation.
Spending on workshops was slightly higher ($904.27) due to higher than anticipated attendance, and adding small gift certificates as
honoraria for presenters.
Spending on rental subsidies was lower than anticipated. This was due to a lower need for subsidy than anticipated, and the addition of
non-core Hub members (who did not access subsidies).
Spending on organizational development was higher than anticipated, due to a higher number of organizations involved in the program,
as well as lower than anticipated need for workspace subsidy.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of
our funders, volunteers, and supporters who have made
this project a reality.
You have truly made a difference in building the
capacity of the not-for-profit sector in Waterloo Region,
and in turn, you have made an impact on the lives of the
people we serve.

FC Community Hub Project Report - 2014-15

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