‍Why It’s Important for State Organizations to Participate in the CSO

Joseph Sabatini first became involved with Kids’ Chance of New Jersey (KCNJ) about six years ago and has since served as a volunteer, Advisor Board Member, Vice President, and is currently serving his second term as President. He has been serving as a representative to the CSO since he was elected President of KCNJ in 2018.

Joseph believes it’s important for state organizations to participate in the CSO because “We need a free exchange of ideas to help us grow as an organization; each state has different rules and regulations surrounding workers’ compensation, therefore each KC State Chapter has different rules and regulations. States [can] share changes in their region that could impact others as well as the national organization. Some [chapters] cross over to other states and can help them grow and the more seasoned chapters can assist the younger chapters.”

He also says participation in the CSO can help with fundraising efforts. “Each chapter sharing ideas on what worked and—more importantly—what didn’t work is key and there is no better place than the CSO Meeting to discuss that. We need to share ideas and bubble them up to KCOA for more national exposure to the general public; not just the workers’ compensation community.”

So what’s Joseph’s aspiration for the CSO during his tenure? “[I hope] to bring all the states together and promote the growth of KCOA outside the workers’ compensation arena—to the private industry, grant programs, and large employers—in order to reach more children and families in need.”

How CSO Subgroups are Providing Value to New Organizations

Allison Hanson joined Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin (KCOW) during the early planning stages of the chapter in 2012. She was one of the founding Board members and served as the first Vice President. Allison assumed the role of President approximately two years ago, and has since grown the Board to 14 individuals, including defense and plaintiff attorneys, a workers’ compensation administrative law judge, employer representatives, several P&C vendors, and an Executive Director.

As a representative to the CSO for over two years now, Allison has learned a lot, “The knowledge and insight that the various state organizations receive directly from KCOA is priceless! Navigating any non-profit has its share of obstacles, challenges, and concepts that are successful and others that are not. Networking with your fellow Kids’ Chance CSO representatives helps to provide the guidance and foundation for a very successful state organization.”

And the impact the CSO has had on her doesn’t end there; CSO subgroups have also played a very important role. “I most recently served as the Chair of the Best Practices Sub Committee. Establishing our ‘Levels of Excellence’ is something we were really proud of! Understanding there are state organizations at all different stages of their maturity, we wanted to focus on ideas and concepts that would apply to the new organizations, but also assist with the more seasoned groups in their continued quest to grow and award additional money to their applicants.”

When asked about her hopes for the future of the CSO, Allison shared, “I hope that as we continue to navigate through this altered atmosphere we are in, we can develop new and effective ways to continue with cohesive Board continuity and contributions, creative and successful fundraising, establish and highlight KC brand awareness, and build upon our student relationships both while they are pursuing their educational goals and post-graduation.”