Not only does MTN track and report to other organizations where families have already been and to record the current visit and what they were given, but it also shows where the families are scheduled to be going and what items they will be receiving. The Scheduling System allows the Key Contact of each charity, church or school participating in the drive to set up a calendar for the days and times when they will be providing items or services and the number of families that can be seen at those days and times. Then, staff or volunteers are given access-controlled passwords they can use to access the Scheduling System to book families into specific days and times until the number of slots available at each day/time has been filled. Families will not be double-booked for the same drive at different distribution sites because you’ll see that family is already scheduled elsewhere. Once the family is booked, they are given a bar-coded summary sheet with the details about when they are to return and what they will be receiving (for each member of their household too) to provide a rapid check-in process on the distribution day(s). When the family returns that day, the organization simply scans the barcode, which identifies that family and that particular visit in the system, and “checks” them in.
Category Content: Shared Case Management
Are there any cases where a person can meet the need of a family directly?
A person must be specifically authorized by a church to connect with a family. We recommend churches perform background checks before making that authorization. Otherwise, individuals can still help those families but can only do so in cooperation with a local church or charity who posted the need for that family.
How does MTN prevent people from walking from church to church or charity to charity asking for the same things?
MTN tracks and report to other organizations in the community where families 1) have already been and what they received, 2) to record a current visit and what was given to the family, and 3) where families are scheduled to be going and what items they will be receiving. When the person walks into a 2nd MTN church or charity, the Key Contact loads in whatever information the family will provide (e.g. phone number, address, Driver’s License, SSN#) and the system searches the entire local MTN database. If it finds that person, then the Key Contact will see what church or charity they’re already assigned to, all of their household members who have been entered into the system, what needs are currently listed in the system for their household, other organizations that have helped that household, and what they did for them (e.g. gave them $100 or bag of groceries), even if it happened 1 hour ago. The church or charity can then respond, “you’re already part of the giving network that we use so your needs are already showing up on the web sites of many local organizations.” Sharing a common platform allows churches to work together in unity to meet local family needs and prevents potential “abusers” from taking advantage of anyone’s generosity.