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Alliance for Positive Change (Alliance)

Alliance for Positive Change (Alliance), Sharen Duke

Title / Role: Founder
Location: New York, New York
Formed in: 1990
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My successes.

Currently, Alliance has more than 170 staff members, 130 Peer interns, and a budget of nearly $25 million. More than 5,000 clients come to Alliance for services each year and 14,000 people are reached through Alliance’s Peer outreach and harm reduction education in communities across New York City. Alliance also was recognized by SCORE as the 2014 Outstanding Non-Profit Organization.

In 2012-2017 Alliance went through a restructuring as Duke developed the organization's strategic business plan and goals for the future. They had a Medicaid case management program that provided targeted service plans tailored to address each client’s unique needs regarding healthcare, housing, public entitlements, mental health and substance use issues. In 2012, the Medicaid case management program was part of NY State’s Medicaid redesign plan and “morphed” into what is now called a “Health Home” program for Medicaid enrollees with two or more chronic conditions. While change can be scary, Alliance saw this program transition as an opportunity to construct a service model that would lead to program growth, and be based on the co-location of my community case management staff within hospital clinic settings. 

Alliance was able to establish co-location relationships with premier hospitals—Mt. Sinai and NY Presbyterian—that augmented the hospitals’ social work staff, provided “feet on the ground” accompaniment for patients to see their doctors, increased patients’ adherence to medications, decreased missed appointments, and ultimately created a Win-Win-Win for the patient, the hospital and the organization.

Duke has continued to work with Roselin at SCORE on a new round of strategic planning. This new stage included a merger—the acquisition of the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center— and an expansion of their existing Peer training services and their treatment adherence support program for people living with HIV and AIDS.

"I am proud to say that, from 2012 to 2017, Alliance doubled our organization’s budget from $10 million to $22 million, and SCORE was extremely helpful in this growth and success."

What inspired you to start your business?

Sharen Duke launched the nonprofit Alliance for Positive Change (previously known as AIDS Service Center NYC) in 1990. With the help of the Design Industry’s Foundation for AIDS (DIFFA), which donated office space, and the AIDS Institute, which provided a grant, Duke and a staff of three began their mission to improve the lives of people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Alliance is now a 27-year-old organization with a strong track record and proven approach that helps New Yorkers make lasting positive changes towards health, housing, recovery and self-sufficiency. Alliance’s innovative peer education and access to medical care helps people manage and overcome addiction, escape homelessness, get back to work, and find community.

Find out more at http://alliance.nyc/ 

How SCORE helped.

In 2010 the impacts of the economic recession presented Duke and Alliance with new, unfamiliar challenges. Duke reached out to SCORE to help her in an area where she had not been formally trained in finance. Duke's mentor, Munir Saltoun, was a retired corporate CFO and he worked with Duke and Alliance's Board Treasurer to create and implement a five-year plan to fiscally restructure the organization in order to get it on a sustainable financial track.

What's great about my mentor?

"I turned to SCORE and was matched with two amazing mentors who were able to help me develop a business plan that included clear and compelling presentation of agency financial statements, as well as marketing strategies for outreach to commercial banks so that I would be able to establish the ideal banking relationship for Alliance that included a line of credit."

Munir Saltoun helped Duke review Alliance financials and create a strategic financial plan. Alvin Roselin helped to create a marketing plan. "Together, we targeted banks, went to meetings, and ultimately persuaded Chase to continue our banking relationship. It was a very successful endeavour."

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712 H St NE PMB 98848
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646-580-2066

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Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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