The Fahe Way

“The Fahe Way” is our method of supporting local leadership that results in the delivery of scalable solutions in persistent poverty regions.

Fahe helps leaders from different sectors work together to create solutions that are innovative, place-sensitive, person-focused, and efficient in the use of available resources. We provide the training, support, resources, expertise, and connectivity that local leaders in Appalachia need to become the architects of our region’s future.

 

Strategy

Fahe leads a consortium of 50+ Membership organizations with the expectation that participants have a stake in each other’s success.

We’ve established a performance-oriented culture. We are successful because our Members participate in initiatives, test/refine innovations, share their experiences with each other, and otherwise conduct their business activities in a future-focused way that supports the pursuit of scale for the Network as a whole.

 

Practice

Leaders in our Network are practitioners who need access to resources and expertise.

Fahe leverages our capacity/relationships to create access to regional and national level resources such as the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Revitalization (POWER) initiative, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, etc. that support innovation and growth.

Fahe builds platforms, infrastructure, relationships with national partners, and other supportive structures for our Members to engage so that they can focus on what they do best: serving their communities.

 

Collaboration

Fahe’s Membership Department coordinates the sharing of expertise from Member to Member or Expert to Member to overcome geographical isolation and siloing that holds rural nonprofits back.

These relationships are cultivated and maintained through extensive development services that include two annual meetings in the spring and fall, quarterly state caucus meetings, monthly Membership calls, and weekly email updates.

 

HOMES, Seth Long

The day Seth Long stepped into the role of Executive Director 20 years ago was the same day Fahe Member HOMES nearly closed its doors. The organization was on rocky financial footing and planning to liquidate assets in order to pay as much debt as possible. HOMES going under would have left a devastating void of services for the immediate region. Luckily, Seth reached out to Fahe, and we helped him craft a new vision for HOMES, and provided emergency financing to address the immediate debts, pay his employees, and keep the lights on. Under his supervision, HOMES rebuilt trust with the community and hope for the future.

Today, HOMES plays a vital role in the eastern Kentucky communities it serves. HOMES is a leader in the Network for the Appalachia HEAT Squad, an early adopter for our USDA 502 Direct packaging project, and the primary provider of affordable housing and rental in Dickenson, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Letcher, and Pike counties in Kentucky.

HOMES is a great example of how strong leaders in stable, high-performing nonprofits build stronger communities.