In the best practices of a nonprofit there are references to cooperation, coordination and collaboration. Those labels for engagement can seem somewhat formal but in fact they are a description of how people work together. Every day, in the work done at Hall-Dawson CASA, there are volunteers at the heart of collaboration who truly exemplify its definition. To collaborate is to commit to the possibility of producing an outcome greater than one that would be developed in a silo. Collaboration requires multiple teams to provide input, make requests, or share information. It allows all these diverse skill sets and knowledge to be harnessed together.
It is powerful to imagine the benefit children receive from a trained CASA Volunteer whose service is literally collaboration in action. With the best interest of the child as their beacon outcome, a CASA Volunteer and their Advocate Supervisor understand they cannot reach this goal alone. The heart of the work is in the accessing input and resources, sharing information and recommendations, breaking down barriers and building up opportunities. CASA Volunteers have a laser focus on the child’s optimal outcome and truly understand that it takes a village.
Children may never know all the behind the scenes collaborative work that is done on their behalf. Yet, they will feel the authentic advocacy and know that their hopes and dreams are essential to the heart of collaboration.
