2. After 7+ years, what does
Capitol Hill Village do?
• Capitol Village was founded in spring 2006
and opened its doors in October 2007
• Now, the largest village in the DC area
– Over 400 individual members in over 300
households
– More than 3000 services are performed each year
by 300 volunteers (90% of them) and vetted
vendors
• Volunteers First. Just say No.
3. Who are the CHV members?
GENDER # %
Female 304 73%
Male 113 27%
Grand
Total 417 100%
AGE # %
50 or less 9 2%
50s 14 3%
60s 99 24%
70s 180 43%
80s 62 15%
90+ 53 13%
Grand
Total 417 100%
VOLUNTEER STATUS # %
Non Volunteer 289 69%
Volunteer 128 31%
Grand Total 417 100%
4. CHV is a leader in services during
health and other crises
• Two social workers coordinate hospital
discharge, transition to rehab or nursing home
and home care support
• Village Connections matches each of 20
members with a volunteer to check multiple
times weekly and coordinate services.
– Two days of training
– Monthly meetings of all VC volunteers
– Regular check-ins with the CHV social worker
5. Living & Learning in the Village
• Sept. 2014 2014,, “Hard Choices Down the Road—the
Time to Plan is Now” topped 100 attendees
• Nov. 2014 Financial & Legal Bucket …>50 registrants
• Other programs
– Health and long-term care insurance
– Home maintenance and adaptation strategies
– Home energy saving strategies
• Monthly newsletter writing, editing and graphics by
volunteers
6. Shared Interests, Friendship & Support
• Petanque (Every Monday)
• Qi Gong (Every Tuesday / Thursday)
• Urban Walkers (Monthly)
• Bridge Group (Every other Thursday)
• Games/Puzzles (Every other Thursday)
• Mahjong (Every Wednesday)
• Literary Group (Monthly)
• History/Biography Book Group (Monthly)
• Opera Group (Monthly)
• Cinephiles (Monthly)
• Restaurants (Monthly)
• Theater Group (Monthly)
• Travel Club (Monthly)
• Genealogy, photo-archiving and other
special programs (SE Library Partnership)
• Balance Class (Monthly)
• Second Wind ( Every Wednesday)
• Care Giver Support Group (Monthly)
• Cancer Support Group (Monthly)
• Recycling
• Book Pick Up (Monthly)
• Hazardous Waste Pick Up (Monthly)
• Clutter Pick Up (Quarterly)
• House Hold Goods (Quarterly)
7. Volunteerism—the Heart of the Village
• Volunteers run each of the 25 clubs and
support groups
• Volunteers provide 90% of the 3000+ annual
services
• Volunteers work with social workers to
produce half a dozen all-day or half-day
educational programs a year
• Volunteers work one on one with frail
members
8. CHV Finances 2014
INCOME STATEMENT $ in thousands
Membership dues $156
Donations $109
Event Income $94
Other Income $10
TOTAL REVENUES $369
Payroll $235
Rent $29
Other Expenses $90
TOTAL EXPENSES $353
NET INCOME $15
9. How did CHVillage Start?
• Group of neighbors began meeting in spring 2006
• Incorporated and got 501c3 in a few months
• January 2007, sent a letter inviting people to
become charter members and founding donors.
– By April 2007, 51 Charter Members @ $2000 for 2
years’ membership plus $500 donation
– & 40 Founding Donors @$1500 donation.
– Hired an Executive Director as of May 2007
– 93 member households as of October 2007 when
launched.
10. How did CHVillage grow?
• By April 2007, 51 members; October 2007, 93
members; July 2008, 162 members; December
2008, 192 members.
– Hovered around 200 members until 2014 when
grew to 280 members.
• Founders held about 40 gatherings in homes
to recruit members
• About 35 are subsidized members; Board
authorized up to 45.
11. Capitol Hill Village: Message to “Not
Ready Yet”
• Reasons to Join the Capitol Hill Village
– At some point we all need help, and we can’t always
depend upon or ask neighbors. Examples:
--Showing you how to save digital photos
--Watering plants while you are away
– Village-vetted vendors save time & money & often
offer discounts.
– Villages advocate for members
– Village events/contacts help avoid isolation
– A village provides new friends & deepens relationships
11
12. Staffing Changes—2007-2015
• Start-up to Jan 2009: Executive Director & Office
Volunteers
• Feb 2009: Add part-time Bookkeeping Assistant
• July 2009: Add full-time Community & Social
Services Director
• June 2113: Add full-time Volunteer & Services
Coordinator
• January 2115: Add full-time second Social Worker
13. Challenge to find the right leader
• The leader (Executive Director) needs to
– Have strong interest in people and empathy—to
connect them with each other
– Know, or learn fast, a lot about what older people
need and where resources are
– Be good at enlisting volunteer support from people
with all kinds of skills—writing, technology, event
management, educational program development.
Requires a deep respect for volunteers.
– Keep cool with many people and lots going on.
14. For more information
• Village to Village network has list and website
links for operating villages and villages in
development. www.vtvnetwork.org
• Capitol Hill Village website has many pages of
information and links to recent newsletters.
www.capitolhillvillage.org.
• Mary Procter, mprocter@olg.com
