Taxing and Spending

Question: Does your Community Partner rely on money or services provided by any other entity (public or private)? Are the money or services provided in a consistent and reliable manner or is the Community Partner subject to periodic application, approval, re-application, etc.? How does this consistency, or lack thereof, affect your Community Partner's operations? Do other people or organizations rely on  your Community Partner for funding?


All the money needed to fund the Day Worker Center of Mountain View comes from public and private donations and grants. The money is not always consistent and it is necessary for Maria the executive director to approach businesses and other donors for contributions each year. So far the center has been able to make ends meet with the money it has been receiving. The center provides all of its services for free to their clients and does not charge for anything so there is no way for it to be self-sufficient or help to fund other organizations. I'm sure most of Maria's time is spent researching new ways to receive grants and funding.

Local Government Structure and Leadership

Question: How does your Community Partner interface with local governmental units? Be specific. Are there any leaders in particular who have had an important impact on the success or development of your Community Partner?

I was unable to obtain much information about how the Day Worker Center of Mountain View works directly with local government and leaders. The center grew from the need of the community for a safe place where day workers could provide their skills to possible employers. The community sprung into action and donations were brought together to fund the creation of the center in 1996. Since then, it has accepted grants and donations from the community to support its services and efforts.

Budgeting and Service Delivery

Question: "A budget is a statement of values." Discuss the way your Community Partner gets and spends its money or resources is a reflection of its values. Which Hallmarks, if any, are expressed in the way your Community Partner manages its budgeting and service delivery?



The Day Worker Center of Mountain View is a 501(c)3 non-profit that has been supported by grants from organizations such as:
 


Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation,
the Zellerbach Foundation, 
the Mountain View Voice, 
the Catholic Campaign For Human Development 
and many individual supporters

This money is used to run the center and its day to day operations. The center was able to purchase their worker-maintained facility on Escuela Avenue in Mountain View, California through very generous donations from the community and businesses. This capital investment allows for the organization to remain stable and not worry about monthly rental or lease costs that are contracted or may end up being increased. The center includes a large multi-purpose room that is used for weekly worker meetings, classes, and events.

Most of the classes offered by the center are volunteer-led classes so there is not any cost to the center for providing these services. These classes include instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), high school equivalency (GED), computers, blogging, music, sewing, cooking, canning, green housecleaning, CPR, and after-school tutoring programs for kids.

The DWCMV currently has two or three office workers that are employed by the center to answer calls and maintain office operations. Maria is the executive director and probably obtains a small salary from the organization but overall costs and spending are low which allows the center to offer its services free of charge.


Here is a picture of the renovated warehouse that was purchased by the DWCMV organization!

To donate visit their website or stop by in person: Day Worker Center of Mountain View, 113 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040

Community Engagement Journal and Time Sheet #3

Community Engagement Project: 

• Day Worker Center of Mountain View

Group: Jade Rosa, Allie Valladarez, Marco Tovar, Thalia Martinez, Babe Faalata

My group was able to meet with our community partner for a second time on Saturday 4/10/2016 to discuss our Research projects and inform Maria about our progress regarding the recruitment of workers. At our first meeting on 3/5/2016 with the Executive Director of The Day Worker Center of Mountain View explained the company's goals and mission. She provided my group members with information about the history and need behind the organization. It was decided that as volunteers, we would be going out to the community and recruit new laborers because she said that it has been the first time since they opened that they have more job positions than workers.

Since our first meeting, I took the liberty of designing an informational brochure for our recruitment activities. Information and photos were taken from the organizations website and yelp to communicate the mission and services offered. It took me about a total of 4 hours to find all the necessary info and be sure everything was formatted correctly. I created brochures in both English and Spanish. Much of the information on the website was already translated in both languages but, there were a few sections in the final brochure that needed to be revised and translated so for that, I asked for help from my group members who are Spanish speaking. They looked over the sections and got me the changes on 4/7. I updated the brochure and we will be emailing to Maria by Tuesday 4/12 for her final approval before we distribute them amongst the community.

In our meeting with Maria, today 4/10/2016, I quickly showed her the brochure and she appreciated the work and felt it could be used in certain settings which are more formal but, she mentioned it might be better to also have a simple flyer that is smaller and a little less detailed for when we are handing them out directly to workers or even to post on job boards in local markets, libraries, and Laundromats. So today I came up with a simple, to the point flyer that we could print on colored paper to make it eye catching and use as a more portable piece of information.

We have decided to go out to certain locations where day laborers seek work and inform them about the center. We will absolutely go to places like Home Depot but Maria also suggested that we could try putting flyers up on job boards in local markets, libraries, community centers, churches, and youth centers. Alejandra also said it might be a good idea to put some up at elementary and middle schools as to attract parents who may need supplemental income. I also asked Maria about the possibility of going to county probation offices and giving officers info about the organization. She said that was a good idea because she did have workers who were on parole already and her organization accepts those in good standing.

Another thing our group thought was a good idea is to create a Volunteer Outreach Informational Packet for future volunteers. This info packet will be targeting those who are going out to the community to help recruit more workers and reach individuals who are unaware of the organizations services. We discussed with Maria that there should be a simple script and possibly a list of 'locations' to recruit. It will also include business cards and Flyers which are the type you can pull the phone number off the bottom.

Our group has been a little stressed with the end of the semester nearing but, we are definitely making progress in our hours. Personally, I have spent my time communicating through email and in person, researching our community partner, writing blog/journal entries, attending our group meetings to discuss our status, and creating our recruitment materials.

For plans moving forward, this week I am going to be printing out our simple flyers on colored paper and driving around to find locations they can be posted. We do have to await Maria's approval on them but I hope to have them emailed to her before Tuesday 4/12 and approved by latest Thursday 4/14.

So far it has been a little drawn out with the scheduling issues and awaiting approval for certain things but I think we will absolutely be able to complete our service hours before the end of the semester.

Source: http://www.dayworkercentermv.org/aboutus/

- Time Sheet Status - 

Total Time Invested: 22 hours

Time with CP: 7.5 hours