Rendezvous Pointe selected as 1 of 16 ‘High Performing Nonprofits in the Nation’
October 19, 2014
In 2013, two university scholars conducted a nation-wide sample for analysis and evaluation of human resource management practices in non-profit organizations delivering human services in the United States. Rendezvous Pointe Senior Center in Pinedale, Wyoming was selected as one of sixteen "high performers" out of the hundreds of organizations that responded to the survey.
Jessica E. Sowa, Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado in Denver, and Sally Coleman Selden, Professor of Management at Lynchburg College in Virginia conducted the research project over the course of two years.
Executive directors from 344 organizations responded to the survey. The top sixteen were selected from eight states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan, Virginia, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Rendezvous Pointe was also one of just four traditional senior centers selected in the eight states. The other nonprofits that were high performers included a YMCA, a YWCA, health clinics, a free clinic, and ones working to prevent domestic abuse, sexual assault, and child abuse.
After providing and completing an extensive survey and other data, each of the 344 responding nonprofits was ranked on ten measures including quality of service, ability to raise money, ability to secure grants, ability to retain essential employees, satisfaction of clients, and relationship with funders. From those responses, sixteen top performers were selected for further evaluation.
In the fall of 2013, researcher Jessica Sowa came to Pinedale and visited Rendezvous Pointe to complete their case study examination. Three staff members were personally interviewed, including Paul Jensen, the Executive Director. In addition, staff and volunteers completed a survey providing more information which was a critical component of the research.
Rendezvous Pointe’s finances, financial management, program management, and the treatment and management of employees accounted for their status as a high performing nonprofit. Specifically, they were distinguished by sharing information with all employees, providing employees with an opportunity to express their views and participate in problem solving, and establishing performance based compensation and other non-monetary benefits such as flextime, some form of health care, retirement plans and verbal recognition of outstanding performance.
For more information, contact Paul Jensen, Executive Director of Rendezvous Pointe, 307-367-2881, edrpointe@centurytel.net.
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