Q & A with Lindsey Buss, President and CEO, Martha's Table

First in a series on the 2009 Exponent Award recipients

What is Martha's Table and what does it do?

Martha's Table finds solutions to poverty in the short term and the long term. We address emergency needs with food and clothing programs and break the long cycle of poverty with education and family services. 

What do you want people to know about Martha's Table that they may not already know?

Sometimes people are surprised by how many children and youth we have here. We serve 300 children and youth ranging in age from three months to 18 years. Most of them come to our site on 14th Street and we also have programs at Banneker Senior High School and Shaw Middle School. People may be surprised that in addition to our clients that come directly to us, there are more than 80 other nonprofits and government agencies that refer people to us for food and clothing. Finally, we have 10,000 volunteers a year.

What sacrifices have you had to make as a result of the economic downturn?

Since early Fall 2008 we’ve dedicated more effort to analyzing options, creating contingency plans, and communicating those plans. We implemented a combination of immediate cuts with contingency plans that would allow us to move quickly if things became worse or better than our baseline prediction.

The items removed immediately from the budget would stretch programs even further than usual, but not close them down, including: a hiring freeze, the elimination of our modest merit increases, and the reduction of classroom and food supplies. Going into 2009, we had cut 7 percent from our 2008 budget. We enlisted the entire staff in a cost-savings initiative. Our Board put together a special task force to work with staff to closely monitor our budget and expenses throughout the year. Our contingency plans for further cuts includes employee benefits (e.g., healthcare) and programs for children and youth and the jobs that go with them.

Were there any unexpected opportunities or strategies that presented themselves due to the downturn?

As the depth of the economic crisis set in, people and organizations created an environment for quick implementation of new ideas and partnership. The result was a tremendous amount of energy and the lowering of the usual barriers to change. Some the greatest energy came from people wanting to jump in and help as the growing need for emergency services swelled.

There also were many people finding new solutions that helped us save money and provide healthier food. Farms and gleaning were the big answer for many of us who address hunger. Sending volunteers out to farms to pick fruits and vegetables left from farms who have already harvested will save us $50,000 in 2009.

How do you develop leadership skills from all levels of your organization?

It is our senior team’s philosophy that it is our job to create new leaders. With more than 70 employees and seven departments, I rely on each of my senior staff members to be executive directors. We establish organizational and departmental goals and share them with the staff, and develop channels for feedback. Everyone has personal goals and professional development goals so they understand how their work and growth are a part of the organization. Sharing real responsibility through delegation of goals encourages leadership growth and it helps us serve our clients better.  

How do you keep staff morale up during these challenging times?

Like so many of us, Martha’s Table has had to do more with less. Much of that burden has fallen on the staff and so morale has become an even bigger focus for us. Several solutions have come from the staff, such as a spa day (services donated) and pot luck lunches.

The biggest effort that helped our staff and that of other nonprofits was the creation of a nonprofit kickball league by a member of our Teen Program, Ron Allen. Because of the 13-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operations of Martha’s Table and the broad diversity of our staff we had always found it difficult to find a day, time, and activity that could bring everyone out during off-hours. Ron and his nonprofit kickball league has been the answer. We had a total of five teams this summer: Martha’s Table, Latin American Youth Center, N Street Village, Urban Alliance, and Sitar Arts Center. Suddenly we had representation across all departments and demographic groups.

Tell us a few of the significant ways in which the organization has grown or changed under your leadership.

I originally hoped to have an impact externally by reaching out to develop relationships with other nonprofits. I have found that also has helped us internally. I helped found the D.C. Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA) more than four years ago, in response to a pressing need for youth advocacy representation in D.C. We have now built a coalition of 100 youth-serving agencies that help provide a voice for youth and youth services in our city. When one of Martha’s Table’s teens ran away from home recently, it was the network of relationships that we’ve developed through DCAYA that helped bring him back from Texas safely and quickly.

We have seen our quality rise, with better services for our children, youth, and parents, and higher quality and nutritional content in our food. We have become one of only two nationally accredited after-school programs in D.C.

Partnerships—with First Helpings, Hermano Pedro, Whitman Walker, and AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, to name a few—have helped us to provide a broader range of services to our clients. Internally, we hired a human resources staff member, analyzed and improved our benefits, created job descriptions, instituted an annual performance review and merit raise system (one of the victims of current budget cuts), and instituted a professional development program.

How are you measuring/evaluating your work?

Martha’s Table uses a variety of instruments to measure the success of its programs. For our education programs we use research-based assessment criteria that meet the standards of various accrediting bodies and D.C. Public Schools. We document participation in programs, meals, and workshops. We work with schools on standardized test scores, attendance, and discipline issues. We collect data from parents, such as report cards and surveys and utilize that information to individualize programming as much as we can. Our skill building activities, such as writing, reading, and computers, use follow-up and informal testing to evaluate how much the children and youth are learning. Finally, we implement  pre- and post-testing to assess the extent to which the youths have improved their academic skills.

Learn more about Lindsey Buss and Martha's Table.

Learning Opportunities

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Not-for-Profits and the Economy: A Two Part Series

Grant Thornton, LLP

This two-part webinar series will discuss the current economic environment and how not-for-profit organizations are managing through this recession. Learn more.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Not-for-Profit Symposium

Greater Washington Society of CPAs

The Greater Washington Society of CPAs Not-For-Profit Symposium features seminars presented by some of the most highly regarded and internationally renowned speakers in the not-for-profit accounting and financial management field. Learn more.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Outcome Thinking and Management: Shifting Focus from Activities to Results

Foundation Center

This course will teach grantseekers and executive directors how to focus on outcomes in order to write breakthrough grant proposals and how to report on program results. Learn more.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Webinar: Recruit Four Great Board Members in the Next Four Months

TechSoup

This session will explore how to get names of the right potential board members and how to approach them. Learn more.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Fundraising in a Challenging Economy

Foundation Center

This free class will give fundraising professionals the tools to make sure their nonprofits are positioned to weather the economic downturn, explore the impact of the downturn on philanthropic giving, and explain how to adapt fundraising methods and strategies in the current economy. Learn more.

See more learning opportunities.