Just months after being named co-executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Missouri, Matthew Evans shepherded the organization into 2012 with its best financial position in the past decade.
Evans, co-Director Pat Reiser and other organization officials were informed in December that Greene County was pulling its funding for the organization in 2012, meaning it would lose $18,000, or roughly 5 percent, of its budget.
Evans took to traditional and social media to spread the word, and within that month, the organization – which had budgeted contributions of $10,000 for December – received more than $73,000 from community donations.
Evans is focused on development, marketing, communications, finance and administration for CASA of Southwest Missouri, which advocates on behalf of abused and neglected children in the foster care system.
“I have a unique opportunity to utilize my abilities and skill sets in ways that can impact our organization and the children we serve,” Evans says. “I feel that I can bring fresh ideas and forward-thinking initiatives that will help CASA achieve great success in the years to come.”
Evans, who earned a general business degree from Missouri State University, brought with him to CASA six years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and Ozarks Area Community Action Corp.
For Big Brothers Big Sisters, Evans led a 2011 campaign, 30 Men in 30 Days, to increase the number of young men volunteering for the organization.
“Through coordination of media, community organizations, and current volunteers, staff and board members, we were able to exceed both the goal of the campaign – 30 prospective big brothers – and the number of boys in need,” he says. “The final result, after 30 days, was an extraordinary 74 inquiries to be matched with a little.”
Evans says the success of the campaign garnered attention through the Big Brothers Big Sisters network, leading to several inquiries from other states on how to run similar campaigns.
Evans notes the events leading up to being named co-director of CASA of Southwest Missouri have been his greatest accomplishments to date, because the positions that led him to this point in his career provided so many opportunities to help others. “I have been very blessed in my life and – knowing that I can make a difference in the community – am grateful for the opportunity to help others in my little part of the world,” he says.
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