This is the first installment of The Navigators, a new series that will explore the people, organizations and systems that connect people to help. It will demonstrate that we have a grassroots navigation movement already in place and an opportunity to build off of this foundation.
Scattered throughout St Petersburg is a loose network of navigators. Some work alone within their organization. Some enjoy their own ‘department’ within the larger nonprofit, like at the St Petersburg Free Clinic. All of their work is incredibly important – and we need more of it.
Navigators shepherd people in need through the labyrinth of local government and nonprofit resources built to meet those needs. They know where to go for the right help, and they set their clients up for success by making warm introductions, helping with the paperwork, and calming nerves.
Where navigation rises above simple referrals is when a client has multiple needs, as many do. In these situations, the navigator charts a path to different solutions with consideration for how different organizations interact with each other and in which order the client should pursue the help. This full blown navigation is actually quite complex and it takes a multi-faceted effort to make it work.
To expand our navigation capacity in Pinellas, we’ll need to consider solutions for these challenges:
Tracking: When multiple partners are involved, the navigator requires feedback from the service providers as to how the client is progressing. For example, if a help strategy includes a treatment program followed by counseling followed by job training, and job placement, there must be a mechanism to keep all parties informed of the plan and a way to make the handoff to the next partner in that plan. That can be accomplished by reporting back to the original navigator, who acts as a case worker, or by passing the navigation baton to the next provider. Whatever the solution, it must be secure and HIPAA compliant.
Resource mapping: To keep up with the ever-changing resource landscape, we must create a well-documented resource map so that even new navigators can hit the ground running. Without that, each navigator relies on whatever personal awareness they have of partner organizations or Google. This effort needs to be more than just a directory — it should include wiki-style best practices so that navigators can share knowledge of people, procedures or other nuances that can help others operate effectively.
Funding: As with all things in the nonprofit world, navigation requires funding. Building navigation infrastructure that crosses many organizations requires some administrative effort. A navigation-specific organization is an option, but there are lighter-weight strategies that may be even better for our current situation. Building a service infrastructure that supports training, communication, and incentives for all nonprofits to participate in navigation has a lot of upside. First, it leverages the expertise of each organization. Where a general services navigation organization could become homogenized with generalists, decentralizing navigation allows each node to actively participate and bring its specific knowledge. Second, it brings everyone into the fold. The person performing navigator duties in each organization becomes an advocate for the work and constantly boosts the navigation signal amongst their coworkers and leadership team. Third, it is a great use for excess capacity. Many organizations aren’t operating at full capacity and have team members who would value the opportunity to learn new skills and do more good. Tapping into these already-employed resources doesn’t require additional funding and activates a built-in incentive, which we’ll consider next.
Buy-in: Good internal and external incentives are essential to drive adoption and continued participation. The administrator should provide infrastructure, training, and partial salary reimbursement to organizations. Doing these things well will make standing-up navigation easier so it doesn’t feel like a financial or logistical tax on the organization. The long-term benefit of navigation — the internal incentive — is in lead generation. A few organizations are getting all the clients they can handle. Those tend to serve basic needs like food, medical care or keeping the lights on. Many organizations, though, struggle to acquire clients. They work to get their mission out to the public through marketing, partnerships, and word of mouth but still end up underutilized. Navigation provides load balancing. High-traffic organizations can tap into the network of navigators to serve their clients’ other needs without having to provide the navigation service themselves fully. Clients who enter navigation through one need, say hunger, can be shepherded through myriad other services they might never have known about or considered. This helps more organizations reduce wasted capacity, fulfill their mission, and grow. A vibrant navigation network makes for healthier people and healthier nonprofits.
If you’re a navigator, or have thoughts on navigation that you’d like to contribute. Please email impact@stpete.foundation.
