The Clergy, CASA & Community Toolkit comprises materials developed by experts in faith-based volunteer recruitment and CASA programs from around the state. The order of resources below will help guide you as you launch your Clergy, CASA and Community program, or if you need a refresher as you grow.
All these tools are designed to help you come alongside faith communities interested in serving children and families involved with the child welfare system. So, each partnership and ministry may vary.
Start Here
A Guide to Faith-Based Recruitment for CASA Programs
This guide for engaging faith-based communities is a primer for recruiters and other CASA staff on faith-based recruitment. It includes checklists, suggestions and resources for recruiting and supporting partners from the faith-based community in your local area.
Faith Outreach Team Materials
Faith Outreach Teams are the cornerstone of Clergy, CASA, and Community. Our field-tested recommendation is that you start with building this group, which can comprise CASA volunteers, community members, and whomever best understands the needs of people of faith in your area.
Faith Outreach Team Road Map
Follow this road map created with input from other experienced Clergy, CASA and Community programs to get started building your Faith Outreach Team.
Faith Outreach Team Recruitment PowerPoint
This customizable PowerPoint template is for your information sessions or recruitment presentations for Faith Outreach Team members.
Sample Faith Outreach Team Information Session Agenda
This sample agenda can be used as a guide, along with the PowerPoint, for your Faith Outreach Team recruitment sessions.
Research Questions for Faith Organizations
Once you’ve organized your Faith Outreach Team, you’ll want them to learn more about their faith communities. These questions are designed to help guide your research of faith organizations and help you know where to start with partnership development.
Faith Outreach Team Talking Points
These talking points will help guide your conversations with faith organizations.
Faith Outreach
Once you’ve begun to develop your Faith Outreach Team, the following resources help connect with faith communities.
Clergy, CASA & Community Handout
This double-sided, one-page handout provides a primary overview of the initiative. It gives the essential details on The Need, The Results and how faith communities can establish a meaningful relationship with CASA.
A Call for Faith Leaders
This guide provides details for faith leaders and covers the initiative, why it is needed, the role of CASA, and the faith community. It is designed as a helpful leave-behind tool once a community has shown interest in creating a ministry to serve child welfare.
Clergy, CASA and Community Video
This recruitment video features clergy from diverse faith groups sharing about what working with CASA programs means to them. This may help connect with faith community leadership as you begin partnering.
Sample Data Tracking Spreadsheet
Clergy, CASA and Community is focused on developing lasting partnerships. So, your data tracking will look different than traditional recruitment methods. You can use this data tracking spreadsheet, based on the Volunteer Ownership Cycle, to track your progress with your Faith Outreach Teams and faith community outreach.
Stand Sunday
On this day each November, faith communities across the state of Texas are invited to pray for children and families involved in the foster care system. To help promote Stand Sunday, we’ve created a media release template, social media posts and prayer cards to distribute to faith organizations. Stand Sunday is a wonderful entry point for building relationships with faith communities that have just begun showing interest in caring for the most vulnerable.