The Prevention Council of Putnam was formed to raise awareness about substance use disorders and problem gambling, and to provide education related to prevention, treatment, and recovery to the residents of Putnam County and the surrounding area. During 2017 and 2018, the Prevention Council of Putnam received grant support from the Dyson Foundation’s Strategic Restructuring Initiative (SRI), which provides funding for a range of restructuring activities including exploring feasibility, planning, integration, and post-restructuring support.
After successfully completing a preliminary exploration process in 2017, which identified the Westchester County-based Student Assistance Services as an affiliation partner, the Prevention Council of Putnam was ready in 2018 to begin planning that affiliation. During the planning phase, the Dyson Foundation funded consulting services to facilitate the administrative and legal aspects of the affiliation. In late 2018, when the Prevention Council of Putnam was ready to formally become a subsidiary of Student Assistant Services, it received an integration grant to support the operational consolidation of the two organizations. Restructuring integration grants cover costs such as consolidation of fiscal systems, setting up new office locations, human resource expenses (such as background checks), and/or purchase of new software or equipment.
This project, which falls within the Strengthening Nonprofits theme, developed a shared services agreement between the two organizations, integrated their fiscal and billing systems, and realized staffing efficiencies – all of which supports their collective goals to deliver stronger programs to the community.