Section 1: Overview

Capacity

Approachability was a core priority throughout the process of creating this toolkit. However, CILs and adjacent organizations are typically underfunded and understaffed. Creating a Voucher Program from scratch is a substantial amount of work over a prolonged period of time. Sponsoring agency staff should seriously consider whether they have the capacity to create and manage the program, especially before procuring start-up funds.

To address this, we organized the toolkit into chronological, bite-sized pieces. Each step in the start-up process has been carefully organized to ensure every work session contributes to meaningful progress. We also encourage sponsoring agencies to reach out to us with any questions (luke.santore@umt.edu or andrew.myers@umt.edu), and we will answer your questions as best as we can. But remember, you are the expert. You know your CIL and your community better than any outsider.

Funding

The most important start-up hurdle is obtaining grant funds that can be used for the Voucher Program. Obviously, this is necessary to distribute voucher budgets to riders, but it also funds the staff time needed to create and operate a voucher program. The start-up process will likely be the hardest part. Once you acquire funds, some of them can be used to hire staff dedicated to the voucher program. 

Recruitment

Finally, initial recruitment of program participants and partners can be a challenge. Riders, drivers, and transportation providers can be confused, skeptical, or both. Drivers, in particular, can be difficult to source. Participation in the program is not a meaningful source of income and typically only allows drivers to break even. You may want to first pilot the program with a limited number of riders and drivers. This allows for a valuable trial-and-error period as you learn how to best run the program.