My Nonprofit Reviews
Grandma
Review for Family to Family Network, Houston, TX, USA
Family to Family Network abruptly cancelled the Family Friends program as of November 1, 2010 so it no longer provides any respite for families and can no longer claim any credit for the reported 1800 hours of respite care or 540 hours of volunteer time. As a result, the organization now serves only the informational needs of parents who have one or more children with a disability. Family to Family Network no longer has any interest in or capability of providing one on one mentoring relationships. The former Family Friends program director is looking for a new sponsoring 501(c)(3) organization to serve the 48 plus families currently matched with their family volunteer.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the positive growth for families who received in the past the non judgmental nurturing and caring provided by the Family Friends program director and volunteers, and the positive effect on volunteers who get to know their families personally and reap the personal reward of their good and well guided family mentoring.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
either make fund raising part of the executive director's job or lower the salary of the executive director and/or cut corners elsewhere in order to provide personal support to families and children. Without those changes, in my opinion, it is wrong to solicit private donations on top of the governmental funding received for holding seminars on how to advocate for children with disabilities.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
No
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
Family to Family did not abruptly cancel the Family Friends program...they kept it going for two years after the National Council on Aging grant ended. Unfortunately, a substantial donation was needed to keep a staff person on and keep the program going. Reported hours of any volunteer time during these years is allowable as funds were used to support the program during the fiscal years ended 2006 - 2010. Fund raising is part of the Executive Director's and she was successful in maintaining the Family Friends program past the original grant end date. The decision to end the program was a financial decision made by the Board of Directors in order to focus efforts on the 750+ families served by our other programs, which many of the same 48 families served by Family Friends participate in.
