Virginia Eastern Shore Economic Empowerment and Housing Corporation
By the end of its second year of OD work, the Virginia Eastern Shore Economic Empowerment and Housing Corporation (VESEEHC) had developed a financial and accounting procedures manual, trained the board in financial oversight, and researched and implemented a fund accounting system. According to their report to MRBF, “The board has very The processes of building the capacity of the board and clarifying the appropriate role for board and staff are linked to VESEEHC’s emphasis on what Executive Director Arthur Carter refers to as “public accountability.” Dr. Carter explains: “We have accountability on various levels: First, we have members of our constituency on [program] committees. Second, at the board level, we ask that low-income communities send people to join committees and from the committees people recommend folks to the board. If they show interest in the work, we beg them to come to the board. Third, we [have annual] membership meetings . . . [to] approve/disapprove what we are doing. For funders, we audit programs and finances. And finally, at the level of individual accountability, [we consistently refer to our] vision, mission, and principles. These give us concrete things to measure and points of reference.”