Resource Library
All of CAPLAW’s resources and publications are now available in CAPLAW’s new Resource Library. Use the search filters below to find the resource you need.
Featured Resources
Bylaws Toolkit
This updated Bylaws Toolkit will help CAAs develop bylaws that are clear, effective, and up-to-date. The toolkit outlines key concepts for an agency’s bylaws, such as the authority of the Board of...
Dynamic Duos Podcast
Mutual respect and trust between leaders at a Community Action Agency (CAA) is essential to the stability of the organization. Without a strong relationship between a CAA board chair and executive...
Tips on Preparing for a Possible Government Shutdown
With the possibility of a federal government shutdown looming, what should CAAs be doing to prepare? Review 10 tips to consider when preparing for a possible shutdown. Summaries of federal agency...
Ask the Financial Experts: Fiscal Navigation in 2022
Fiscal administration and management issues for federal grants have become more complex for CAAs due to the historic influx of funding they received in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these challenges, from managing new programs and a rapid ramp-up of services, to cost allowability as...
Community Economic Development for CAAs
As part of their mission to lift people with low incomes from poverty to self-sufficiency, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) often seek to spur growth and build wealth in their communities through job creation and business development. These efforts can generally be referred to as “community...
Social Enterprise Case Study: CT Food 4 Thought
This webinar discussed CAPLAW's case study on CT Food 4 Thought, a hydroponic greenhouse farm operated by New Opportunities, Inc., a CAA in northwest Connecticut. The webinar featured New Opportunities’ Executive Director Bill Rybczyk, who shared the story of how his team pivoted strategically to...
Bridging Across Barriers
At first glance, a state CSBG office and state association might seem like an odd couple. State CSBG offices administer CSBG funding and oversee and monitor CAAs in the state. State associations support and advocate for those CAAs, and their boards of directors are typically executive directors...
Case Study: New Opportunities, Inc. and CT Food 4 Thought
This case study profiles CT Food 4 Thought, a hydroponic greenhouse farm operated by New Opportunities, a CAA in northwest Connecticut. It discusses how the CAA's leadership pivoted strategically to grow its business from an idea to a successful farm producing 8,000-11,000 heads of lettuce per...
Community Action and SNAP E&T
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) seeking to develop new employment and jobs training programs or expand on existing employment services should consider what the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program has to offer…
Building Blocks of Employee Compensation
Like many employers, CAAs are experiencing challenges retaining their existing staff and recruiting new employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To help CAAs strategize for employee recruitment and retention in a post-pandemic world, CAPLAW has created this guide identifying some types of compensation they can offer, and the laws and regulations governing their salaries and benefits.
Purpose: In Boards We Trust
Ready to chat in the café car? Travel with us for the third webinar in CAPLAW's Conductor Series, focused on CAPLAW's animated board training video Purpose: In Boards We Trust. In this webinar we broke out into small groups to hash out the fiduciary duty of...
Process: The CAA Board Meeting Ecosystem
Travel with us for the second webinar in CAPLAW's Conductor Series, focused on CAPLAW's animated board training video Process: The CAA Board Meeting Ecosystem - Consent Agendas and the Conservation of Time. View this board training video with frequent CAPLAW-led pauses to understand consent...