Capitol Hill Village—Experience in starting an urban village

After 7+ years, what does Capitol Hill Village do?

• Capitol Village was founded in spring 2006 and opened its doors in October 2007

• Now, the largest village in the DC area– Over 400 individual members in over 300

households– More than 3000 services are performed each year

by 300 volunteers (90% of them) and vetted vendors

• Volunteers First. Just say No.

Who are the CHV members?

GENDER # %

Female 304 73%

Male 113 27%Grand Total 417 100%

AGE # %50 or less 9 2%50s 14 3%60s 99 24%70s 180 43%80s 62 15%90+ 53 13%Grand Total 417 100%

VOLUNTEER STATUS # %Non Volunteer 289 69%Volunteer 128 31%Grand Total 417 100%

CHV is a leader in services during health and other crises

• Two social workers coordinate hospital discharge, transition to rehab or nursing home and home care support

• Village Connections matches each of 20 members with a volunteer to check multiple times weekly and coordinate services. – Two days of training– Monthly meetings of all VC volunteers– Regular check-ins with the CHV social worker

Living & Learning in the Village• Sept. 2014 2014,, “Hard Choices Down the Road—the

Time to Plan is Now” topped 100 attendees• Nov. 2014 Financial & Legal Bucket …>50 registrants• Other programs – Health and long-term care insurance– Home maintenance and adaptation strategies– Home energy saving strategies

• Monthly newsletter writing, editing and graphics by volunteers

Shared Interests, Friendship & Support• Petanque (Every Monday)• Qi Gong (Every Tuesday / Thursday)• Urban Walkers (Monthly)• Bridge Group (Every other Thursday)• Games/Puzzles (Every other Thursday)• Mahjong (Every Wednesday)• Literary Group (Monthly)• History/Biography Book Group (Monthly)• Opera Group (Monthly)• Cinephiles (Monthly) • Restaurants (Monthly)

• Theater Group (Monthly) • Travel Club (Monthly)• Genealogy, photo-archiving and other

special programs (SE Library Partnership)• Balance Class (Monthly)• Second Wind ( Every Wednesday)• Care Giver Support Group (Monthly)• Cancer Support Group (Monthly)• Recycling• Book Pick Up (Monthly)• Hazardous Waste Pick Up (Monthly)• Clutter Pick Up (Quarterly)• House Hold Goods (Quarterly)

Volunteerism—the Heart of the Village

• Volunteers run each of the 25 clubs and support groups

• Volunteers provide 90% of the 3000+ annual services

• Volunteers work with social workers to produce half a dozen all-day or half-day educational programs a year

• Volunteers work one on one with frail members

CHV Finances 2014INCOME STATEMENT $ in thousands

Membership dues $156

Donations $109

Event Income $94

Other Income $10

TOTAL REVENUES $369

Payroll $235

Rent $29

Other Expenses $90

TOTAL EXPENSES $353

NET INCOME $15

How did CHVillage Start?

• Group of neighbors began meeting in spring 2006• Incorporated and got 501c3 in a few months• January 2007, sent a letter inviting people to become

charter members and founding donors.– By April 2007, 51 Charter Members @ $2000 for 2 years’

membership plus $500 donation– & 40 Founding Donors @$1500 donation. – Hired an Executive Director as of May 2007– 93 member households as of October 2007 when

launched.

How did CHVillage grow?

• By April 2007, 51 members; October 2007, 93 members; July 2008, 162 members; December 2008, 192 members. – Hovered around 200 members until 2014 when

grew to 280 members.• Founders held about 40 gatherings in homes to

recruit members• About 35 are subsidized members; Board

authorized up to 45.

Capitol Hill Village: Message to “Not Ready Yet”

• Reasons to Join the Capitol Hill Village– At some point we all need help, and we can’t always

depend upon or ask neighbors. Examples: --Showing you how to save digital photos --Watering plants while you are away

– Village-vetted vendors save time & money & often offer discounts.

– Villages advocate for members– Village events/contacts help avoid isolation– A village provides new friends & deepens relationships

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Staffing Changes—2007-2015

• Start-up to Jan 2009: Executive Director & Office Volunteers

• Feb 2009: Add part-time Bookkeeping Assistant• July 2009: Add full-time Community & Social

Services Director• June 2113: Add full-time Volunteer & Services

Coordinator• January 2115: Add full-time second Social Worker

Challenge to find the right leader

• The leader (Executive Director) needs to– Have strong interest in people and empathy—to

connect them with each other– Know, or learn fast, a lot about what older people

need and where resources are– Be good at enlisting volunteer support from people

with all kinds of skills—writing, technology, event management, educational program development. Requires a deep respect for volunteers.

– Keep cool with many people and lots going on.

For more information

• Village to Village network has list and website links for operating villages and villages in development. www.vtvnetwork.org

• Capitol Hill Village website has many pages of information and links to recent newsletters. www.capitolhillvillage.org.

• Mary Procter, mprocter@olg.com