The House of Ruth-Maryland is a $4 million domestic violence organization that works to meet the complex needs of women and children affected by domestic violence, arranging for comprehensive services including counseling, emergency shelter, job training, legal assistance, education, outreach, health, wellness, and transitional housing. This approach empowers clients on the journey to self-sufficiency (a journey not unlike that faced by at-risk youth, the under-employed, the homeless and other populations in need). Case management and client tracking, both within and between programs, are two functions critical to the organization’s mission.
ETO Motivations
House of Ruth has always valued data collection – but struggled prior to ETO implementation to manage and exchange data across five separate databases. Redundant forms, lost paperwork, and obsolete technology frustrated staff trying to managing information, and information gathered did not effectively and easily reflect the work being done – or adequately demonstrate to funders, board members and other constituents the difference being made in human lives and communities.
Inefficient data management even affected House of Ruth’s service provision, as clients inquiring about legal services endured lengthy waits during paperwork processing, and routine reporting requirements pulled staff from human service responsibilities.
The leaders of House of Ruth realized (1) they needed a better way to get front-line staff to inform program planning, and (2) unify their efforts with program goals.
Lessons and Achievements
House of Ruth implemented ETO as a means of meeting the dual goals above – and of streamlining and simplifying the ways that House of Ruth shares information, determines outcomes, and demonstrates impact.
House of Ruth found the implementation process generally smooth, with simple integration of primary performance indicators of the organization’s social service activities through simple wizards and templates in the ETO Software®.
Initial results have been promising even beyond the organization’s hopes. ETO is now instrumental in allowing House of Ruth to better control its agenda and prove its original assumptions to funders through clear data and outcomes.
Through ETO Software®, House of Ruth has transformed the way it talks about service – from dry numerical recitations such as “we served 500 clients in October,” for example, to measurements of tangible progress toward broader, customized goals such as client “self-efficacy” and “measures of safety.” Just as importantly, ETO Software has provided measurement capabilities that justify more long-term approaches to serving clients than previous shorter-term, higher-volume strategies.
Looking Forward
ETO Software® has also so increased efficiency at House of Ruth that the organization has saved an estimated $39,000 annually on clerical, managerial, and technology costs such a savings that ETO paid for itself in just four months.
ETO continues to measurably impact House of Ruth at 3 key levels of the organization:
- Service Delivery - Counselors now have an opportunity to give direct input on what the House of Ruth’s programs are measuring. There’s more cross-program collaboration and less bureaucracy. Front-line staff report a growing sense of power, control, and ability to serve client needs.
- Fundraising - The Development Department uses the reports from ETO to better communicate with prospective funders, support stewardship, and report on current grant requirements. The unique value-driven outcomes of ETO paint a larger and more accurate picture of program impacts at the ground level.
- Strategic Planning - A consistent source of reliable data now informs day-to-day decision-making, long-term planning, and provides a “goldmine for future research.” In a way previously impossible, House of Ruth’s Executive Director uses ETO Software® to manage and champion a new feedback loop that measures staff performance, program impact, and clients’ satisfaction levels with services received.