Questions and Answers Regarding NSPN Membership

What are the benefits of National Safe Place Network (NSPN) membership?

Individuals and organizations have access to a variety of resources and networking opportunities – each informed by the needs of youth in crisis and the organizations which provide critical services at the community, state, and national level. Benefits include professional development coaching, funding proposal review and support, customized training specific to an organization’s needs, and others. Learn more about NSPN member benefits here.

What are some of the advantages of the new structure?

Previously, NSPN members selected packages of services. Under the new structure, members can select whichever service most meets their needs throughout the year. All members will have access to services regardless of the category of benefit. For example, an organization can choose to send a new leader to the Emerging Leaders Institute, submit a grant for review, request a site-based training, and engage in executive leadership conversations without the need to pay for a complete package of resources that may be redundant to information already available.

What are some examples of customized services?

An agency may be struggling with implementing trauma-informed services. The philosophy is in place and the leadership supports programmatic and procedural shifts. However, implementation has not gone as expected. Reframing long-standing policies is difficult and some staff are resistant to change. NSPN can work with an organization to create an implementation plan specific to various organizational programs that may be operating with different restrictions, funding requirements, and capacity.

NSPN also provides access to Child and Youth Care Foundations training, which may lead to youth worker certification at the entry, associate, or professional level. NSPN can work with an organization to bring this training to your community to increase access to this training for local staff and partnering organizations.

NSPN’s customized services reflect our team’s understanding that, much like the youth you serve, you need what you need when you need it.

Are some fee-for-service opportunities only for NSPN members?

Access to services such as Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grant proposal support and review, access to The Destination for Online Training (The D.O.T.), customized webinars and trainings, and professional coaching are ONLY available to members. As a network, we invest in those who invest in the community of individuals and organizations dedicated to supporting the NSPN vision of a world where all youth are safe.

A fee-for-service benefit was previously included in my selected membership package. What does this change mean?

Rather than paying for an entire package, you would only expend your valuable resources to access the specific benefit most important to you. As long as you are an NSPN member, you can select and pay separately for any benefit.

How does the new structure benefit licensed Safe Place® licensed agencies?

Previously the Safe Place license fee included access to resources specific only to the operations of a Safe Place program. The majority of Safe Place agencies already invest in membership services to enhance capacity on issues impacting youth and programs in communities. Built on feedback from licensed agencies, the new structure simplifies and streamlines access to NSPN services and supports. The Safe Place license fee will now include NSPN organizational membership and will ensure access to all the resources to operate a quality Safe Place program and to support youth accessing help and the staff that serve them.

There is already a Safe Place® agency in my community. How can my agency also be part of this program?

All NSPN members share a commitment to meeting the needs of youth in order to ensure all youth are safe. The licensed Safe Place agency in a community maintains responsibility for maintaining Safe Place sites, increasing awareness in the community, and ensuring youth are aware of and can be linked to critical community resources. Individuals and organizations in a community with an existing Safe Place presence can contribute to the effort in several ways. Organizations can choose to be Safe Place site of the licensed agency, operate as a TXT 4 HELP site which educates and supports youth in crisis, offer staff as volunteers, and/or participate in shared community awareness events. Individuals can sign-on as a Safe Place Ambassador. There is more need than resources in every community so all organizations can contribute to this national safety net for youth.

Our agency is a member agency; however, our community does not have a licensed Safe Place® program. How can we bring this program to our community?

Safe Place is the national outreach program for youth in crisis. To truly ensure all youth are safe, youth in every community should be aware of options for safety. NSPN partners with local non-profit agencies, transit companies, and first responders in communities to ensure youth have access to emergency support and shelter. Community collaborations are often the best way to start the discussion of the best ways to make Safe Place an integral part of your response to youth needs. Learn more about establishing Safe Place in your community.

From case workers to the chief executive officer, what are a few ways our various staff can benefit from our organization’s membership in NSPN?

NSPN has decades of experience in providing role-specific support for individuals and organizations. Every organization relies on each staff member and volunteer to achieve goals and to ensure youth, families, and communities receive quality and ethical services. While there are different responsibilities and requirements assigned to each role, all roles are important. NSPN members can access resources for youth, volunteers, youth care workers, case-managers, clinicians, program supervisors, fund development specialists, executives, board members, and others. While the resources are different, the commitment to youth development, trauma-informed services, inclusivity and respect, and fun are part of every member engagement.

For example, clinicians can participate in Clinician’s Coffee House, which provides monthly webinars offered in partnership with the National Board of Certified Counselors Foundation. Executives participate in quarterly leadership calls, and youth advisory board members can participate in monthly meetings of the National Youth Advisory Board Collaboration Committee (YCC).  

Will you share the rationale for the shift in invoicing to a calendar year?

The shift in the invoicing and due date aligns with the NSPN budget year which is January 1 – December 31.

What differentiates NSPN membership from other options for non-profits?

In searching for a membership association for your investment, you would be hard pressed to find an entity that did not offer webinars, newsletters, advocacy support, and consultation. Much like any business, there are varied options which look the same on the surface.

It is in the engagement with the association that you find your home. NSPN members learn, develop, contribute expertise to others in the network, and become leaders through advisory board or subject matter expert services.

Unlike other member associations, access to fee-for-service opportunities is reserved exclusively for NSPN members. Your investment is not taken lightly and our team is committed to assisting you achieve the best outcomes possible. When you succeed, youth win. When youth win, we have contributed to our own mission of a world where all youth are safe. For NSPN, our efforts to support members don’t shut down at 5 p.m. Your organizations are making a difference on the weekends, at night, or on holidays. You should expect no less from your association.

It isn’t only about what NSPN does; it is how NSPN does it. Routinely, NSPN event evaluations have an aggregate level of satisfaction at 4.5 or above on a 5 point scale. The NSPN success rate for support of funding proposals exceeds 90% annually. Whether it is reaching staff during a proposal writing crisis at 10:00 p.m. the day the proposal is due or accessing a leadership coach for a new staff member who shines with potential – the NSPN motto of “together we can” is clearly operationalized in all of the resources, services, and events offered by the network.

I noticed some of your members have been with the network for more than 40 years. What do they say keeps them involved?

Organizations have joined NSPN and stayed for decades. This doesn’t happen by accident. Members quote the relationship, the sense of true community, the responsiveness, and the ever evolving access to resources that reflect the changing needs of youth and programs. Members also appreciate the varied supports offered to all staff. Read more directly from members or take a look at some of the memorable moments created throughout the years.