RiseKit Case Study: Streamlining Workforce Development at AIDS Foundation Chicago

How AIDS Foundation Chicago Uses RiseKit to Empower Clients

We sat down with Nicole at AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and here's what she had to say about how RiseKit streamlines their workforce development program. Learn how they leverage RiseKit for mass communication, client motivation, and community coordination to better serve their clients facing HIV, chronic conditions, and housing instability.

How does the AIDS Foundation of Chicago serve the community?

AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is a leading public health nonprofit dedicated to advancing health equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV, chronic conditions, and housing instability. AFC provides direct services, advocacy, and community partnerships to address health disparities and improve quality of life for underserved populations.

What is your role at AFC?

I’m the Employment Manager for the Community Partnerships & Special Projects team. We’re a dynamic team dedicated to advancing research initiatives and programs while fostering capacity building and providing technical assistance. Committed to promoting employment and workforce development, our focus extends to racial equity work and specialized programming tailored to Black and Brown populations. We thrive on collaborative partnerships with community-based organizations to create lasting impacts and drive positive change. 

How many team members does AFC have?

I have 8 staff members on my team (Community Partnerships).

How many participants do you work with on a monthly basis?

I'm working with 53 clients right now.

What critical jobs does RiseKit help you fulfill during your day?

• Mass Communication: Mass messaging allows me to create groups of clients and share resources with multiple people at once based on their needs and situation. I'm able to keep the message personal and private and easily accessible as a text message.
• Motivating Clients: I call them my “Motivational Mondays.” Every Monday, I compose and send a positive message through RiseKit to support my clients as they go through the job search. RiseKit makes it easy to share these messages with both my clients and my team.
• Community Coordination: The RiseKit network of support services include readily available contact information for outside non-profits so I can coordinate with referring organizations around how I can best reach and help a new client.

What’s your RiseKit process?

1. During our onboarding process, we conduct a skills assessment, discuss goals and different steps we can take to achieve these goals (ex: interview prep). 
2. Other than communicating via phone calls, RiseKit is the only platform that I use to communicate with my clients because my messages are sent as texts and we don't assume clients are familiar with email.
3. I review RiseKit with them and show them how to look for things like job fairs and other resources through the available tools. 
4. I'll then send them an invitation to create a profile. It doesn't take long for me to help them do this, if they need it. I describe it to them as “Facebook for your future” — you’ll have a profile, access to useful information, and adding your resume will allow employers to see your qualifications and invite you to interviews.
5. I then use RiseKit's tags to bucket different types of clients who have different barriers and that may require separate needs. I also use these tags to tell me which organization referred them so if they become non-responsive, I can quickly access the non-profit's contact information in RiseKit and reach out to coordinate help and resources.
6. From here, everyday I come into the office: I check my email first and then RiseKit second. 
7. Keeping these two systems separate, I can better organize my workflow and make sure none of my client communications get lost in my inbox. 
8. Every week I get an email from RiseKit that shows me newly added jobs. As a result I'll log into my account and begin sharing these opportunities with clients. I find it especially helpful that positions in RiseKit are labeled as "record-friendly" so I can filter and share them with my justice-involved clients.

Be sure to check out the good work that Nicole and her team do at AIDS Foundation Chicago. 

Interested in learning more about how RiseKit can help you streamline job placements and enhance communication?

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