A meaningful match: Way Finders and Board Member Denise Cogman
Recently, as Springfield School Volunteers President and CEO Denise Cogman drove through Springfield, a large vacant church caught her eye.
“It has been closed for years, I think it was called Our Lady of Hope. And I was like, ‘Maybe we should talk to the Diocese and see if they would let Way Finders repurpose these spaces that no one’s using,’” said Cogman, a member of Way Finders’ Board of Directors. “It’s so funny when your head starts thinking like that. Like, ‘Way Finders could figure out what to do!’”
Since joining the Board in 2019—at the encouragement of friend and then Board President Trevis Wray, after they bumped into each other at Costco—Cogman herself has been helping the organization figure out what to do. It wasn’t a fit that initially seemed clear to Cogman, who earned a degree in social work from Western New England University and did her field placement at a transitional program for homeless families.
“I thought, ‘Why does Trevis want me to join? I run a volunteer organization,’” said Cogman about Springfield School Volunteers, which matches volunteers with students at Springfield Public Schools. “But the thing about running a small nonprofit is you wear a lot of hats. I’m also the CFO and the HR director. It doesn’t matter if your budget is $500,000 or $5 million, if you understand the processes and how to manage them. As a nonprofit executive, I bring that kind of understanding to the board. And because I have my own board, I try to be the kind of member that I’d like to have.”
What really enticed Cogman to join was hearing about the Excellence in Governance (EIG) training that some board members had participated in.
“It made me realize that Way Finders really invests in its Board and cares about governance, and members themselves are invested,” said Cogman, who later completed a 10-month EIG course. “If I’m going to be on a board, I want to feel like I can contribute something meaningful. I also want to learn.”
While serving on several committees over the past few years—governance, finance, personnel and compensation, and strategy implementation—Cogman has learned much about Way Finders.
“I certainly didn’t know everything that Way Finders is into before joining,” said Cogman, who lives with her mother and son just over the Springfield line in Chicopee. “It’s so much more than what people probably think. While affordable housing, homeless shelters, and emergency assistance are the umbrella, the mission is really about community and economic mobility for individuals and families. The work itself may be transactional, but the vision to change a whole region? That’s really lofty! That’s what motivates me.”
Way Finder’s push for a full and healthy housing continuum, articulated in the 2022-2024 strategic plan, also resonates with Cogman, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“We talk about how people are at different points on that continuum, whether it’s housing or even on their journey to economic stability. It’s about meeting people where they are and working with to keep them moving along the continuum,” said Cogman, who enjoys getting together with her large extended family, especially when it’s time for line dancing. “Everyone’s endpoint is different, too. It doesn’t need to be homeownership, but it needs to be stable. It needs to be equitable. It may be a nice little studio apartment that they can afford, where they feel safe, where their friends can come visit.”
When it comes to fund raising, Cogman has learned that Way Finders and Springfield School Volunteers—which has managed upward of 3,000 volunteers—face a similar misperception.
“Since our offices are housed in the school department, people mistakenly think that we should be solely funded by the school district,” said Cogman, who aspired to be a teacher when she was growing up. “People may know that Way Finders receives some government funding. But there’s only so much that funding is able to cover, and it’s usually restricted to specific purposes. But Way Finders does innovative things that go beyond just meeting basic needs. Such as through case management, where someone is taking a vested interest in a family living in shelter, supporting them to make sure they won’t be in the same situation in three or six months.”
Which is to say, money is no substitute for the coaching and mentorship that can help people navigate challenges and achieve their goals. It’s no substitute for the power of positive relationships and connections, which take root over time.
“That’s why, at Springfield School Volunteers, we say one hour a week can make a difference. We have one match where a lady has been mentoring a young woman, who is graduating this year, since she was in fifth grade,” said Cogman. “I found out that another man I serve on another board with used to be one of our volunteers and he’s still in touch with his match, who is now in his late 20s and has a son of his own. They still get together for dinner or to go to a Red Sox game every once in a while. He started mentoring this young boy when he was in the sixth grade.”
Thank you for your Board service, Denise Cogman!