As part of Small Staff Appreciation Month, I’ll be profiling different small staff associations all month long. Today’s interview is with Sherry Owens of the Colorado State Foster Parent Association.

How many staffers does your organization have, and how many members? Do you rely on volunteers?

We are a staff of two people – me (the executive director) and an administrative person. We have an all-volunteer board of directors who greatly volunteer their time and professional expertise. We have a membership of around 500. We rely heavily on volunteers to assist with implementation of our functions.

How long have you been with the organization, and what is your role there?

I have been with the organization for six years in total.  I first started out as contract and then went full time.  I am the Executive Director.

Have you ever worked for a larger association?

Oh yes … before “family,” I was a regional director for a very large health care organization with a staff of 10 managers and more than 200 employees.

What’s the best thing about working with a small staff association? The worst?

The best thing is that there is so much more autonomy. Decisions can be made quickly. We are focused on foster children and their needs and the needs of the foster families who take care of them. We can implement programs quickly and get to the heart of the matter without going through multiple layers of management.

The worst is always “chasing monies” and funding programs and dealing with the recession and budget cuts, etc. It’s very difficult sometimes to meet the needs of the community with so little … and our kids and families need us!

Is there anything else about your association you’d like to share?

We will soon be celebrating our 40th year — amazing! This organization began as a grassroots group dedicated to providing a voice to foster parents and foster children throughout the state of Colorado! Now, we’re 500+ members strong and we have multiple educational programs, benefits programs for foster families and are constantly looking at how to improve the child welfare system from our part of the world.

It’s a great group of caring folks who want the best outcomes for kids in care! We love kids! We love those foster parents who provide for them and we want to improve the systems that are in place. Our main focus is on educational programs for both foster parents and foster kids. Education is the best weaponry in the war against child abuse, neglect and the need for permanency for these very special kids.

If you’d like your organization to be profiled as part of Small Staff Appreciation Month, please send me an e-mail at shannon@memberclicks.com.