Inadequate Finances for Social Service Organizations
Social services organizations help individuals, families, groups, and communities that are disadvantaged. They provide services for children and adults who are disabled and also the elderly. The organization focuses on community services for a specific population. Social services include child care, elderly care, foster care, housing assistance, unemployment compensation, food stamps, public education, and universal healthcare (Gaber et al., 2020). These services can be provided by government agencies, private agencies, or non-governmental organizations. They are organizations based on gaining no profits but ensuring the social welfare and well-being of society. This paper shall address the challenges that social service organizations face at the macro level (Gaber et al., 2020).
Problem-Inadequate Funding
Most of the social services organizations have reported inadequate funding in the past few years. The problem has been exacerbated by the Covid 19 pandemic (Catalano et al., 2021). The social services organizations are non-profit, and they rely on philanthropic people for funding. They get most of the funding from grants, donations, federal agencies, the government, membership fees, and charitable groups (Catalano et al., 2021).
A 2019 survey indicates that 75% of these organizations have reported a decline in donations and funding. 60% of these organizations are in destabilizing conditions financially (Kolacz et al., 2020). With the Covid 19 pandemic, people have lost employment amid the inflation of products; hence, they do not have spare money that they use to donate to social services organizations. Moreover, the charitable groups that used to donate to social welfare organizations have stopped their donations. This could be attributed to the effects of the pandemic or donor fatigue. Besides that, due to the social distance regulations in the containment of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the organizations cannot hold fundraisers, which contributes to their inadequate finances.
In addition, the pandemic brought about a strained economy; consequently, the government reduced the funding to these organizations. 61% of these organizations report cuts from government funding (Tisdell, 2020). Besides that, 56% of the organizations have reported a decline in the grants that they receive. The organization also reports that the application process for governmental grants is complex. They report a 45% rate of late payments from the government and 36% failure of funding from the government despite applying for funding (Tisdell, 2020).
The chronic underfunding has led to dwindling resources in social services organizations. They are struggling financially to cater to the basic needs of society (Johnson et al., 2018). Most organizations have reported bankruptcy, as per a 2020 survey. Organizations play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of society. The financial problems in these companies have driven the society to a major crisis. The dependence ratio has increased tremendously since the disadvantaged in society have not been receiving social services, hence straining the economy. Youths cannot benefit from the employment opportunities that could be offered by social services organizations due to inadequate funding. There will be increased crime rates and poverty in society without social services organizations.
Moreover, inadequate funding leads to the collapse of social service organizations; hence, the community cannot benefit from them (Johnson et al., 2018). The effects of underfunding social service organizations are catastrophic. It is a menace consuming us slowly. Due to the financial crisis in organizations, the quality of services drops drastically. The quality of their services has dropped by 2.1% due to financial crises (Johnson et al., 2018). With a lack of funds, the organizations cannot afford to take care of the elderly; they cannot afford to provide healthcare to society. They generally become incompetent in what they do. It is said that money is the driver of several things in society. With its absence, everything goes amiss.
Inadequate funding for social services organizations has led to a loss of social workers due to low salaries. The social workers become demotivated, and their morale is reduced. The work they do requires empathy; they work with very vulnerable people who are highly emotional exhausted. The workers might be stressed by the workload, and with the low pay, they choose to quit. The organizations consequently suffer from inadequate staff and reduced effectiveness of their services.
Theories used in literature
Theory of change and theory of conflict are the most common theories that are applied by organizations to mitigate challenges of inadequate funding as a macro-level problem (Archibald et al., 2017). The theory of change intends to show how the organizations contribute positively to the society. In this way, they are able to woo and lure donors and investors. It is a way that they use to get more funds to run the organizations. The theory of change has been helpful in getting more finances for the organizations. However, conflict theory has created more problems. It is a theory that increases competition for resources and creates more economic inequalities. Due to the different socioeconomic classes, the conflict theory increases the differences. Social services organizations suffer in that they get less funding in the context of conflict theory (Archibald et al., 2017).
Literature review
From our review of the relevant peer-reviewed literature, I have identified and discussed major challenges facing social service organizations. The major challenge is inadequate funds for these organizations. The reviewed literature also shows promising practices to overcome this challenge. This paper is based on literature that draws largely from case studies or summaries of operational activities within a particular organization.
Strategies
Clearly, inadequate funding is a macro-level challenge that faces social services organizations. It is a problem that needs immediate solutions. There are a few strategies that the organizations can employ in order to solve this problem.
Firstly, the organizations can have innovative and coherent fundraiser plans. Fundraisers are some of the major ways in which organizations use to get funds to run social work (Garrido & Canarero, 2019). People tend to get donor fatigue, hence the reduced levels of philanthropy. Innovating creative fundraising methods will really be helpful. The organizations can hold fundraisers that aim at solving long-term challenges instead of short-term ones. They could have continuous fundraisers done creatively for longevity. They could do charity walks, auctioning, and hold music concerts that will be used for fundraising. Moreover, they could employ giving circles that encourage more people to give. The circles ensure that more people are involved in giving and more volunteers come up. A culture of giving is built in society through giving circles. People get to learn how to give and the benefits of giving to social services organizations. The community gets to be more involved in fundraisers, hence more funds to these organizations, therefore facilitating all the social services (Garrido & Canarero, 2019).
Secondly, creating value and accountability for the funders will help solve the problem of inadequate funding. Most charity organizations usually request financial reports before they donate any funds (Crisp, 2020). They require that the current funds be used appropriately. There is a need of up to date information indicating how the organization has been operating. Annual financial reports will be necessary for each organization as they request funding. This will create transparency and accountability. When funders receive accurate financial reports, they will trust the organization, and they will be more convinced to fund them since accountability is created. Accountability and transparency are crucial values in luring philanthropists and external funders (Crisp, 2020). Developing policies that encourage accountability and transparency will be a huge step toward getting funding. Accountability and transparency create trust between the organizations and the funders, hence fostering a long-lasting relationship, resulting in continuous funding.
Thirdly, social services organizations can develop a marketing plan. Marketing plans help organizations communicate their mission and services to communities that might need their services, to potential donors, and to government agencies that would be willing to support them. Marketing for these organizations offers opportunities to define what makes their organization unique and create a brand that will be associated with them (Baines et al., 2017). Consequently, creating a pool of donors and agencies willing to fund them solves the problem of inadequate finances that hinder them from delivering social services.
Plan
| Social change strategies | Advocacy strategies |
| · Fostering relationships with donors
· Developing innovative fundraising methods |
· Developing a marketing plan
· Making policies that encourage accountability and transparency |
References
Archibald, T., Sharrock, G., Buckley, J., & Cook, N. (2017). Assumptions, conjectures, and other miracles: The application of evaluative thinking to theory of change models in community development. Evaluation and Program Planning, 59, 119-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.05.015
Baines, D., Cunningham, I., & Shields, J. (2017). Filling the gaps: Unpaid (and precarious) work in the non-profit social services. Critical Social Policy, 37(4), 625-645. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261018317693128
Catalano, A. S., Jamieson, N. L., & Knight, A. T. (2021). Building better teams by identifying conservation professionals willing to learn from failure. Biological Conservation, 256, 109069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109069
Crisp, B. R. (2020). Four approaches to capacity building in health: Consequences for measurement and accountability. Health Promotion International, 15(2), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/15.2.99
Gaber, J., Oliver, D., Valaitis, R., Cleghorn, L., Lamarche, L., Avilla, E., Parascandalo, F., Price, D., & Dolovich, L. (2020). Experiences of integrating community volunteers as extensions of the primary care team to help support older adults at home: A qualitative study. BMC Family Practice, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01165-2
Garrido, M. J., & Camarero, C. (2019). Assessing the impact of organizational learning and innovation on performance in cultural organizations. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.384
Johnson, P., Wistow, G., Schulz, R., & Hardy, B. (2018). Interagency and interprofessional collaboration in community care: The interdependence of structures and values. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 17(1), 70-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/1356182021000044166
Kolacz, J., Dale, L. P., Nix, E. J., Roath, O. K., Lewis, G. F., & Porges, S. W. (2020). Adversity history predicts self-reported autonomic reactivity and mental health in US residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.577728
Tisdell, C. A. (2020). Economic, social, and political issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic Analysis and Policy, 68, 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/
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Question 
Macro Analysis Paper
Assignment Overview
This assignment aims to analyze best practice skills and strategies to address a social services organization or practice problem. First, you must identify a problem at the macro level (larger group, organization, community, et cetera). You then conduct a library search of peer-reviewed articles. Finally, best practice strategies should be integrated into a plan that addresses the problem.
Inadequate Finances for Social Service Organizations
All reference material must be from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, edited books, official government documents, or reliable agency and organizational reports and documents approved by the instructor. Note that textbooks are not allowed as reference material for this assignment. Additionally, newspapers, Internet sites such as Wikipedia, and other non-peer-reviewed reference materials are not acceptable as references for this assignment. Using these materials as references results in the failure of the assignment.
By successfully completing this assignment, you demonstrate your proficiency in the following EPAS and generalist behaviors:
Competency 4: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
C4.GP.B: Apply critical thinking to engage in the analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings.
C4.GP.C: Use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
Related Assignment Criterion:
5. Apply research-based strategies to the defined problem.
Competency 6: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
C6.GP.A: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies.
Related Assignment Criterion:
6. Synthesize best practice strategies and skills into a holistic plan to effectively prepare for action with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Assignment Description
In this assignment, you create a five-page paper identifying a macro-level problem related to a social services organization or practice. Use the Capella University Library and other credible sources. Perform a search for relevant, peer-reviewed articles that have been published in the past five years. You must use a minimum of eight peer-reviewed references in your analysis.
Assignment Instructions
In your paper:
Describe the problem you have identified.
Justify the selection by describing why this is a significant problem worth addressing. Provide evidence demonstrating the extent of the problem. Also, describe the impact the problem is having on the macro level of practice.
Summarize and synthesize the peer-reviewed literature related to the identified problem.
Evaluate relevant theories and models found within the literature. Be sure to explore macro-level theories or models related to your chosen problem. In your evaluation, explain the impact these theories and models may have on the identified problem and whether the impact improves or makes the problem worse.
Analyze and synthesize best practice skills and strategies related to the problem found within the literature. Explore the variety of strategies used to reduce the problem. These strategies could be about social change or about advocacy.
Combine these strategies and skills into a holistic plan to address the problem, after reviewing the literature.
Be sure that your plan contains a minimum of three integrated strategies.
Explain your reasoning using details and peer-reviewed literature.
Describe which types of strategies best apply to the problem (for example, social change strategies, advocacy strategies, et cetera).
Note: Remember to be as detailed as possible when developing your argument and ideas. Also, include relevant, peer-reviewed APA citations to support your analysis throughout the paper.
Additional Requirements
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting standards.
References: A minimum of eight scholarly resources. All literature cited should be current, with publication dates within the past five years.
Length of paper: Five typed, double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 points.