Rasheeda Jamison has been the President/CEO of United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) for the past 8 months, and has worked there for 9 years.
INSIGHT: Tell us about the services provided by your organization.
UCAP: We manage a variety of programs, including Shepherd's Cove Homeless Shelter for women and children, a supportive housing program for chronically homeless, disabled individuals, eviction prevention and a First Time Homebuyers services, an emergency food pantry, a home renovation program and the weatherization assistance program. In FY'2016, we served 3,318 individuals.
INSIGHT: What, if any, challenges do you face as a nonprofit in Prince George's County?
UCAP: To secure sufficient funding to meet the needs of vulnerable families and individuals. We work together with many community partners, providing referrals when we cannot help, and accepting numerous referrals from other partners so that comprehensive services are offered to each household.
IINSIGHT: What advice would you give to a nonprofit to keep volunteers energized and engaged?
UCAP: We work with over 2,000 volunteers, and we strive to show them the long-term impact of their services. For example, the Girl Scouts renovated the community room, and they could see that it will be used by many families on an ongoing basis. We provide a monthly orientation for new volunteers and provide them with a list of the many options for ways they can help. We encourage them to find their niche and we stress there are different levels of volunteerism. Approximately 65 faith-based organizations volunteer, and many provide services each month.
