2. Non-Profit Overview
• Founded in 1905
• Serves Lancaster County Pennsylvania
• Governed by a Board of Directors
• Operated by a Staff Leadership Team
• Accredited by 3rd Party Certification
• Large number of Volunteers
3. What do they do?
Temporary housing for the
homeless
Food and necessity pantry
Ministry work
Medical and dental care
Job placement
Transportation services
4. Observations Pertaining to Improvements
• Paperwork Driven
• Has Accreditation and HIPPA requirements to meet
• Utilizes a basic documentation system
• Multiple staff members and volunteers gave input
• Would like documentation streamlining
• Would like documentation simplification
• Must adhere to an 501C requirements
5. Specific Recommendations
• Seek out staff input to increase ownership
• Foster teamwork
• Problem solving
• Buy in
• Morale
• Have document controls enacted
• Revision control boxes
• Maintain a library of documents
• Locate all documents in one place
6. Specific Recommendations (continued)
• Consider document layout, content and space usage
• Format documents to landscape
• Change fonts as needed
• Change margins
• Add additional comment space for greater detail
• Add more visual breaks such as borders
• Consider combining documents
• Combine medical and dental forms into a single use document
• Combine transportation, daycare and education documents into a single
use document
7. Summary
This project was not as difficult as I first thought. Like many of my fellow students have insinuated, this
should be considered an opportunity to see what it takes to really make an organization go when there is little to no
room for error. Resources are tighter than ever, and that doesn’t just mean those that come in monetary form.
The suggestions that I made for the project that I want to undertake with them has to be cleared by their Leadership
Team due to the impact and oversight from EFCA and HIPPA regulations. Each of these suggested changes will be
provided to the Leadership Team for consideration and a subsequent time will be set aside to complete this task
should they agree that it will not affect their accreditation or HIPPA regulations.
In conclusion, without a dedicate, cohesive, leadership team, non-profits would be severely lacking in their
effectiveness, cohesion, direction, abilities and future. Fortunately for the guests of Water Street Ministries, Lancaster
City and County, WSM has a dedicated and forward thinking core that is ready and willing to do what it takes to be
around for another 110 years.
