Q: You were just named executive director in May. What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?
A: Clarifying the identity of the organization and its mission and developing a strategic plan to get there.
Mi Casa is on the right track in terms of connecting the various dots between employers, government and the people who need help.
We do a series of networking events to encourage businesses to work with each other. We’re launching a computer literacy program this fall. A lot of people’s barrier to employment is just access to a computer.
Q: What are your long-term goals for Mi Casa?
A: Mi Casa can be the leading business career and development center serving Latinos in Colorado.
I envision this building becoming a Latino center where we bring several other organizations to serve the same population. We can do health screening, credit counseling and have a micro-finance entity. The building can be shared by various organizations.
Q: Nonprofit organizations have been hard hit by the economic downturn. What are you doing to position Mi Casa for continued success?
A: We are definitely down on foundation gifts. We have been working very hard to develop individual donors, but we don’t have a strong major donor. Corporate donations and sponsorships are down.
Where there is hope for Mi Casa is with government funding because of our focus on green jobs. But as foundation gifts have gone down, it’s made it tougher to take advantage of government opportunities.
We’re going to be launching a campaign very shortly where we really call on the community to make sure Mi Casa makes it. We’ll ask past board members and businesses. Their gifts can help Mi Casa leverage thousands of dollars in government funding.
Mi Casa is a 33-year-old institution. We’re going to say that we need your help to make sure we can survive and take advantage of unique opportunities.
Edited for length and clarity by Margaret Jackson.
