HISTORY BEHIND THE ALLIANCE by Henry Johnson in 2006

The Alliance for Human Services of Henderson County, NC was founded in 1998 as a collaborative effort of the three primary funders of private human service programs in Henderson County: Henderson County Government, The Community Foundation of Henderson County, and The United Way of Henderson County. Its incorporation was an outgrowth of almost three years of effort by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Human Services (BRC), appointed in 1996 by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners. The BRC was charged with reviewing all human service programs and then receiving funding from the funders; evaluating potentially redundant programs and funding streams; recommending criteria for funding programs to meet community needs in a fiscally accountable manner; and recommending outcome measures by which individual programs could be evaluated.

As the BRC began to examine models from other communities, its members recognized that specific tools such as community-wide needs assessments and agency accreditation standards needed to be incorporated in its charter. The final result of the BRC effort was creation of an organizational structure (AHS), setting goals to meet the funders’ needs (needs assessment, agency accreditations, funding recommendations, etc.), support for the nonprofit sector (training and workshops, etc.), and a marketing effort to the community. The Alliance was incorporated in March 1999, under the laws of North Carolina as a tax-exempt corporation formed under subsection 501(c) 3 of the IRS code. A Board of Directors that includes community volunteers as well as annually appointed representatives from each of the partner funders governs The Alliance. The first board adopted the mission statement listed above.

The Alliance’s incorporation and adoption of by-laws in June, 1999 represented a unique and thinking experiment, bringing diverse entities- The Community Foundation, United Way, and County Government, all of Henderson County – to the table as formal partners. Many public and private leaders in our state have expressed envy of the Alliance’s efforts to enhance the impact of the private human service sector in a more global sense in our community. Margaret Henderson of the Institute of Government at UNC- Chapel Hill has pointed to the Alliance as a great model for creating community change through the leverage created by the intersection of, and interaction by, the government and nonprofit sectors. The personal leadership and commitment of all board members to date has certainly been instrumental in these achievements.

The three funders and Alliance boards have continuously expressed their firm belief that the Alliance model:

• represents the example of a collaborative and cooperative partnership that each seeks to foster among other community organizations,
• can accomplish collectively, and at less total expense, tasks that otherwise each would have to do on their own, such as conducting needs assessments and accreditations, reviewing semi-annual and annual reports, making funding recommendations, offering agency training, etc., and
• potentially, offers a greater impact (“more bang for the buck”) for the human service sector of our community through the synergy of three working as one than we each would alone.

Beyond just being a conceptual model, The Alliance has justified the funders’ ongoing investment in it. There has been a value-added return (measurable outcomes) to the funders and to the community as a whole. To that end, the funders have encouraged that Alliance efforts remain focused on its original mission statement which stressed identifying the most urgent human service needs in our County, influencing funding to meet those needs, and working to achieve efficiencies and effectiveness in human services resource allocation.