Wealth & Finance International - February 2017

81 February 2017 In a Class of Its Own he Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is the largest non-profit organisation in the world that is dedicated to providing leadership, communication, professional devel- opment, and research for the field of adult education. Sharon Bonney is the Executive Director of COABE, and she goes into further detail about the organisation and its core client base. “We are 15,000 members strong and growing, due in part to a number of strate- gic partnerships and ground breaking initiatives that we have led in our field,” she enthuses. “The majority of our members are administrators and teachers, many of whom work directly with adult students. Many of the students they work with are taking adult education classes because they want to pass the citizenship test, get their high school diplomas, reskill for different jobs, or learn how to read so they can read to their children or help them with their homework.” Recently, COABE held a virtual conference for more than 2,000 mem- bers across the country. Sharon tells us more about this success story, and other recent highlights for the organisation. “The virtual conference was a great success in that it provided much needed professional development to the field in a format that was easy to use for all members, so long as they had internet access. “ “We also engaged in our first set of Capitol Hill Days where we brought state leaders in from around the country to talk with legislators about the value of adult education and the great return on investment to the economy.” The organisation also launched its “Research to Practice” initiative within the past year, which pairs its research with webinars and PD resources. It embarked on a leadership initiative (taking place over the next year) to provide state leaders with various tools to lead their association. Finally, its successful “Shine a Light on Adult Education” campaign resulted in three videos that have been widely shared, along with toolkits, press releases, and webinars. As Executive Director, Sharon’s role is to run the organisation and to ensure it is meeting the needs of the field. However, she continues to explain how she could not do this without her team of first class, dedi- cated staff members. “From our folks on the front lines who answer the phones and respond to hundreds of emails daily, to the folks who play a role behind the scenes coordinating all of our meetings and calls, conference work, and much more—all are vital to the success of our organisation. We also are unique in that we work very closely with a dedicated board of directors, the majority of whom have served in the field for many years and volun- teer extensively in their leadership roles.” “We also get great feedback. Our members continually state that they are amazed at the new services we provide regularly. They often note that we have transformed and grown exponentially over the last few years.” The future is bright and Sharon foresees growth for the firm in 2017 and beyond, although it will not be without its challenges along the way. “The challenge we face is that the number of adults that read at or below the 4th grade reading level will likely only increase without addi- tional dedicated funding. Thirty-six million adults are stuck in the cycle of poverty or recidivism because they do not have the basic skills that they need to get up and out of poverty. Our goal is that as we grow, we hope to continue to shine a light on the wonderful services that are out there, combatting illiteracy on a daily basis. In doing so, our intention is to attract greater funding for the field at large.” “Our challenge and opportunity will be to find ways through technology to help adult students get their diplomas or take classes while dealing with their busy lives. Often these adults are working two to three jobs and have small children as well. Finding a way to work with them on their terms will be critical.” Company: Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) Name: Sharon Bonney Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.coabe.org Address: P.O. Box 620, Syracuse, NY 13206 Telephone: +1-888-44-COABE (888 442 6223) Sharon Bonney of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education tells us more about the organisation and its secret to ongoing growth. T 1702WF59