Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer, a Central Alberta city of over 71,000, has grown steadily and significantly in recent decades, with strong agriculture, oil, petrochemical and manufacturing industries. Mirroring the city’s growth and development is the organization under which the Red Deer Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Club programs operate.
The traditional Big Brothers program in Red Deer was established in 1976, and the Big Sisters program was added four years later. By 1983, the city’s need for Boys and Girls Club group programs was recognized. A Club was then developed under the Big Brothers Big Sisters governance and administrative umbrella, but with a distinct charitable number and society registration. The following year, the organization overseeing all these programs became known as the Red Deer Youth And Volunteer Centre. In 1986 a third society and charity was created under the Youth And Volunteer Centre umbrella, namely “Teen Networks” which offered youth counseling programs. Since that time, the Youth And Volunteer Centre organization has seen the addition of numerous initiatives, such as a wilderness camp, a youth shelter, and programs offering family mentoring and support, peer mediation and youth employment counseling.
“The agency has grown considerably during the past 10 years. Programs were developed out of an established need, and as funding opportunities dictated,” reports Marketing Director, John Johnston. The agency historian by virtue of his longevity with the agency, John observes that, “We have grown from a small, grassroots organization to a larger agency, with specialized positions and programs.” He states that the growth and evolution of the organization has not really been a result of a concentrated long-range strategy. Rather, it has been more a consequence of a rapidly changing environment that presented pressing needs and opportunities.
Some of the organization’s programs have come and gone, while others remain. The constant amid all this change has been a single leadership structure. One executive director and administrative team manage the three organizations and multiple programs that exist under the Youth And Volunteer Centre banner. And while officially each of the three societies has its own board consisting of four directors, the collective group of twelve directors oversees the Youth And Volunteer Centre as a whole. Thus, in practice, a single board governs the three organizations.
While this might seem an ideal way to efficiently use human and financial resources, the approach sparked a conflict with the Alberta Gaming Commission in recent years. With three societies, the Youth And Volunteer Centre was eligible for three casino licenses. Several years ago the Gaming Commission denied them three licenses, insisting this was really a single organization.
The Youth And Volunteer Centre challenged this perspective, demonstrating the distinctions among the collaborating partners. They successfully argued that, with technically separate boards, budgets and front line staff, the three organizations are truly discrete. To avoid similar confrontations in the future, the Youth & Volunteer Centre has taken extra steps to ensure its board documents, audited financial statements, and budgets more clearly reflect the boundaries among the three societies and charities.
Nevertheless, it is true that the Youth And Volunteer Centre operates in many respects as a single entity. “We make sure that we keep a view of the big picture. We’re committed first and foremost to the overall organization and serving the community in the best way. We look beyond the interests of each program individually and instead look at the collective interest … In the end, all of the programs and the kids in the community benefit from this collaborative approach,” observes John.
The Red Deer Youth And Volunteer Centre is optimistic about the future, believing the approach they have adopted has added to their resiliency, sustainability and advantage in a highly competitive environment. John sums it up this way, “We have an effective, efficient organizational structure; we are value based; our programs are relevant in the community; we’re accessible to all youth; we have a broad scope with all our programs; we’re able to tap into [a range of] staff expertise and a large volunteer base; we have impact and a good track record. These attributes collectively create an organization that we find is unmatched by a lot of other organizations. We find that when we present that to [the public], it is very attractive.”
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