Treasure McKenzie, executive director of Muskogee Bridges Out of Poverty in Muskogee, Oklahoma, always says R & D means “Rip Off and Duplicate.” That is what being a member of Emerge Solutions is all about.

Are you a member? Do you wish you could connect with other like-minded people and organizations addressing poverty? Do you have questions, challenges, or success stories you’d like to share?

Emerge Solutions is a membership organization and learning community for Bridges Out of Poverty and Getting Ahead investigators, facilitators, and trainers, as well as anti-poverty organizations.

Below is a peek into one recent conversation on the community board. The question comes to the membership from a woman named Michelle.

Let’s talk stipends. What do you provide as a stipend? What is the frequency?

The answers to her question are varied and allow her to take the answers and create a solution that is good for her organization and community. This is an example of Treasure’s R & D.

  • From Ginger (facilitator):

$35 per week so that if an Investigator has perfect attendance (16 weeks), then they don’t exceed the amount where we’d have to provide them with a 1099. We offer them the option to receive their stipend weekly (which, as a credit union, we do as an internal transfer to them the next day if they have an account with us), or they can choose to have a check with the full amount for the number of classes attended.

  • From Deirdre (trainer):

 We meet twice a week for 10.5 weeks. They earn either a $700 Kroger gift card or a laptop equal to the $700. That way we don’t jeopardize their benefits.

  • From Georgann (community resource manager):

We provide a $300 Visa card at the end of our 10-week session. I also checked with our human resources department and made sure this wouldn’t need to be reported as income.

  • From Miriam (member):

Oh, wow! This is good to know. I didn’t realize that this can jeopardize our benefits.

  • From Stephen (community resource provider):

$25 per session. For our classes, we have twenty 2.5-hour sessions, plus graduation. So the total is $525. Also, in Ohio, when Getting Ahead classes are funded through the county, investigators must complete a W-2 form to get a stipend check (it’s county payroll policy). The W-2 may trigger a new hire alert from the State of Ohio if the Getting Ahead investigator receives benefits.

  • From Nancy (facilitator):

In Fredrick, Maryland, we award a $25 gift card (not a stipend) for each session attended.  We also give them $50 gift card at graduation. By using gift cards, we avoid impacts to taxes and benefits.

We like to think of this as our “Facebook” for all things Bridges. Speaking of the national conference, Emerge Solutions is hosting the annual poverty conference, Together We Thrive, in Toledo, Ohio, October 7–9. We would love to have you join to share your “R&D” with other communities.