R.I.S.E.

 
 

RISE (Reaching Independence through Support and Education)

This is a holistic program that is about more than adding a zero to your paycheck. This is about a complete look at your life while learning the skills to fill in the gaps. We can all improve on our communication, parenting, and management of our lives. This program is not a quick fix. It takes time and sustained effort to make these long-term, meaningful changes.

Break Free from Paycheck-to-Paycheck Living with RISE!
Ready to take control of your future?
RISE isn’t just a program—it’s your pathway to stability and success.

What is RISE?
A free 17-week educational program (with free on-site childcare!) followed by 18 months of ongoing support to help you:
- Boost your income by up to $1,200/month
- Raise your credit score by up to 120 points
- Improve your mental and physical health

What You’ll Learn:
- Financial literacy
- Career readiness
- Personal empowerment
With weekly peer support and one-on-one coaching, you’ll have the tools and encouragement you need to build a sustainable future for you and your family.

Take the first step toward the life you deserve—Contact Josh Golden today!  417.693.5902, josh@thevenues.org

Volunteer Opportunities!

Facilitator(s)

About: Facilitators lead weekly RISE classes. Classes are not taught lecture style but in adult-learning format. The role of the facilitator is not to be a content expert, but to guide discussion and create an inclusive and welcoming environment for RISE members. The role of facilitator each week can be shared or rotated, but there should be no more than two facilitators per class.

Responsibilities:

  • Guide discussion in weekly classes.

  • Create a welcoming environment for RISE members in class.

  • Set up the classroom, if needed.

  • Understand RISE material by preparing for class each week.

  • Lead by example. Time Commitment (per week):

  • Prep time (reading over materials and seeking out additional information as needed): 30 to 60 minutes

  • Class set up and tear down (making sure the room is set up appropriately): 10-20 minutes

  • Facilitating class: 60 minutes

  • Total: Around 2-3 hours per week.


    Training Info:

  • Three-part video series on the basics of facilitation.

  • RISE Workshop Training, provided by the RISE Expansion staff either in person or via Zoom, aims to help participants practically implement the information covered in the videos. This training will also offer opportunities to address questions and explore additional topics after the video content has been completed.

  • Additional training is available on the RISE Expansion site, including different resources and supplemental materials for each RISE Foundations class.

Personal Development Coach(es)

About: Personal Development (PD) Coaches work one-on-one with RISE members outside of class each month. The Coaches determine the number of touchpoints they will have with their members each month based on their capacity. PD Coaches provide basic budgeting support, goal setting support, and resource referrals. The Drew Lewis Foundation supplies coaching tools, including budgeting and goal-setting resources, which are used in two one-hour meetings per month. PD Coaches are not case managers or mental health experts. While it is beneficial for Coaches to attend the weekly classes if they are available, it is not required.

Responsibilities:

  • Basic budgeting guidance.

  • Goal setting support.

  • Community resource liaison - understand the basics of resources that RISE members could need, including mental health, parenting, educational, and financial.

  • Provide one-on-one accountability - based on goals and guidelines that RISE members set for themselves.

  • Set and uphold healthy boundaries with members. Time Commitment (per week):

  • The time commitment will vary with how many members a PD Coach is working with. DLF recommends that volunteer coaches initially take on no more than two members. This helps to maintain the quality of services provided and prevent burnout. If a volunteer PD Coach feels capable of taking on more members in the next cohort, this decision is at the discretion of your RISE Core Team.

  • Individual meetings: Around one hour every other week, per RISE member. If the PD coach is sitting in on RISE programming, add an hour for that. Training Info:

  • Personal Development Coaching video covering the basics of PD coaching.

  • RISE Workshop Training.

    Training Info:

  • Personal Development Coaching video covering the basics of PD coaching.

  • RISE Workshop Training.

  • Additional resources for coaching support, including budgets, goal-setting forms, and Motivational Interviewing training, are available on the RISE Expansion website and SharePoint site.

Data Collection Coordinator

About: Data collection is an integral and necessary component of any RISE Program. Assigning a team member to coordinate data collection makes the process of data collection smoother and easier for the entire team. While data is often collected by Personal Development Coaches, since Coaches have rapport built with members and maintain contact with their members outside of weekly classes. The collection process is the most intensive during the beginning of a cohort - with Screening Forms and the Initial Intake Data Form being required before class begins.

Responsibilities:

  • Direct contact for the DLF Expansion staff for communication and organization of your group’s data collection. This Coordinator will notify the PD Coaches when data is due for their members, collect it from the Coaches, and upload it to the RISE Site when it’s all completed. Expansion staff will remind the Coordinator when data is due at least one month ahead of the due date.

  • Collect completed data from PD Coaches.

  • Scan collected data forms for errors and completion, following up with PD coaches or members to correct errors.

  • Scan and upload data into the RISE Expansion SharePoint site.

  • Maintain secure storage of members’ personal information (required to be in a locked cabinet, secured behind a locked door).

Time Commitment (per week):

  • During the start of a cohort, it can take 1-2 hours per member to get all forms completed. This load can be split between the Data Collection Coordinator and PD Coaches.

  • Every six months, follow-up data will be required for all active participants. The follow-up data form should take no longer than 30 minutes max to fill out per participant. Uploading of data can take one-hour maximum.

Training Info:

  • Data Management training video.

  • RISE Workshop

  • Training on SharePoint site and how to upload documents.

Volunteer Coordinator

About: The Volunteer Coordinator can be anyone on the team, though this role is typically the "champion" for most locations. This individual will organize all of the volunteers interested in helping with the implementation of RISE. These include volunteers for childcare, volunteers for cooking and serving dinner, and volunteers of the Core Team - including PD coaches and facilitators. This role is often the most time-consuming role - and the most important!

Responsibilities:

  • Maintain contact with the Drew Lewis Foundation’s Expansion team regarding their RISE Program - including what is going well, areas of need or assistance, when new groups are starting, etc.

  • Attend monthly RISE Community meetings - offered virtually - as their schedule allows.

  • Recruitment and selection of volunteers.

  • Scheduling ongoing training with the RISE Expansion staff as new volunteers are added to the volunteer roster.

  • Placement and scheduling of weekly RISE classes.

  • Support and supervision of the RISE Core Team.

  • Evaluation and feedback regarding the RISE program.

    Time Commitment (per week): The time commitment for this role changes depending on the season and how many RISE members are served. Typically, a Volunteer Coordinator or RISE “Champion” can expect to spend as much as 4-5 hours per week in this role when beginning the program. The time can decrease after the successful implementation of the first cohort.

Training Info:

  • Community Engagement Video Training

  • All other RISE information videos

  • Training on the RISE Expansion website and SharePoint sites

  • Community Action Plan

  • RISE workshop training

Recruitment Lead

About: The Recruitment Lead is a very helpful and important role. The Recruitment Lead will be responsible for management of recruits (aka potential members) of the RISE Program. While the entire Core Team should be making phone calls, presentations, dropping off flyers, and more to spread the word about the program - the Recruitment Lead organizes all of this information.

Responsibilities:

  • Notify RISE Core team of opportunities in the community to present information on the program.

  • Organize and delegate where the Core Team will be promoting the program.

  • Maintain an organized list of interested RISE participants.

  • Delegate Screenings & Interview of potential RISE members.

  • Conduct Screenings & Interviews.

  • Maintain the list of potential members in between RISE cohorts.

Time Commitment (per week): This role will find that they are the busiest the month before a class begins. Interviews and screenings can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes - and ongoing education and delegation to the Core team can take 1-2 hours during the busiest season.

Training Info:

  • All RISE Training videos.

  • RISE workshop training.

Food Preparation and Service Volunteers

About: Food preparation and service volunteers help to prepare, cook, and serve the dinner to RISE families before programming

Time Commitment (per week): 1-1.5 hours per week.

Have questions? Email, text, or call Josh!

Josh Golden, Connections & Justice Director, josh@thevenues.org, (417) 693-5902