Executive Director Capacity Building Program

 Dorchester County, MD

Program Summary

Increasing the capacity of the Empowerment Center in Dorchester County, MD by funding the first-ever Executive Director position to grow the organization

  • Providing multi-year grant to fund the Empowerment Center’s first paid staff position
  • Hired a non-profit consulting firm to focus on board development, strategic visioning, the hiring process, and onboarding to help “future proof” the organization
  • Fully engaged in the project by participating on the hiring committee and participating in all board functions for the term of the grant
  • Assisting with the development and measurement of both process metrics and performance indicators to ensure positive outcomes in terms of revenue growth and program evolution
  • Will transition the position funding to the Empowerment Center in Year 4 to ensure sustainability
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation

Measures of Performance

For more information, please see Data Analysis section at the bottom of the page

Data Analysis

  • Goal: To increase the capacity of the Empowerment Center in Dorchester County, MD by funding the first-ever Executive Director position.
  • Intent: We expect to see the following:
    1. Financial growth: The position is expected to be self-sustaining in 3 years; and additional revenue should be generated in order to increase the number of students at the center for both after-school and summer programs.
    2. Improved governance: The position is expected to improve board governance and participation; and to develop organizational processes to ensure a more efficient organization.
    3. Strategic growth: With increased resources and improved organization, we expect the Empowerment Center to scale in size and programmatic activities over time.
  • The Empowerment Center has hired, over the course of the first two years, two executive directors. Both hires were only in place for 5-6 months each and did not work out. That said, we recently hired a part-time Executive Director with leadership and programming skills, and also hired a part-time marketing coordinator/grant writer to take on the administrative tasks within the Center. 
  • Successes with this model include:
    1. Submitted and received state of Maryland childcare licensure, now the best-in-class Out-of-School Time center in Cambridge, MD.
    2. Modified the physical structure, which will allow the Center to expand from 30 to 45 students, increasing capacity significantly.
    3. Restarted the after-school program, which had been closed for several months while awaiting the licensure and building renovations.
    4. The two part-time positions will allow J2W funds to go even further, allowing the program to run on grant funding for a fourth year before requiring Center funding for long-term sustainment of the positions.
  • Halfway through the third year, the Empowerment Center increased its cumulative organizational revenue from $303K to $422K. The goal for the end of year 3 is $450K, so the Center should easily reach that by summer 2024. This earned a “green” health score.
  • The Center was able to grow the number of 2023 summer campers past its original, pre-COVID capacity of 40 students to 45 students. This was a significant increase over the 2021 summer that hosted 21 students, thus earning a “green” score.
  • Following a COVID outbreak and the departure of the 2nd executive director, the Center closed for several months in the fall of 2022, stopping all after-school programming. The program has been slowly regaining students in the after-school program, reaching 20 children in the fall of 2023, earning a “yellow” score. We believe the Center will reach max capacity again before the end of school year 23-24.