The iconic butterfly logo, which has become synonymous with Chrysalis, symbolizes the process of growth and development that defines this Los Angeles nonprofit organization.

For 27 years, Chrysalis has been dedicated to providing resources and support to men and women to find and retain a job. With the recent economic downturn, Chrysalis at first struggled to deal with the increase in demand for its services. But after some hard cutbacks, it has adopted a business model that is successfully servicing the unemployed in Los Angeles during this hard economic period.

Today, Chrysalis serves about 3,500 people every month. Its typical client: a 40-year-old man who has experience in the criminal justice system. Of the people who come to Chrysalis, 70 percent have been incarcerated and 46 percent have faced felony charges. In addition, half do not have a GED.

Chrysalis’ philosophy is that for someone to get back on their feet in society they need self-sufficiency and to get that, they need a job. Through resources like resume building workshops, anger management classes, one on one interview skills Chrysalis gives their clients the skills necessary to land a job.

However, its business model was not always this strong. Chrysalis’ demand has risen steeply as the economy has collapsed. The organization saw a 60 percent increase in the demand for its services in 2009 and 2010. In 2009 it was forced to make the decision to cut back on its staff to focus on the core of the operation.

Mark Loranger, the president and CEO of Chrysalis said, “We were heading in downward spiral in 2009. We made the decision to go through staff reductions, a hard process but thank goodness we did it. We emerged as a much stronger organization in 2010.”

Chrysalis increased its budget in 2010 and now in 2011 Chrysalis is even stronger. Loranger said, “If we hadn’t been as aggressive and cut so heavily, I wouldn’t want to think where we’d be now.”

Chrysalis could be a model for nonprofits that are having trouble meeting their expenses and supporting their client base. Loranger said, “We get some government funding, but we’re not as tied up to ups and downs of state government. We focus on core competencies and question if things are a priority or can be terminated.”

Chrysalis runs mainly on donations and volunteers. They derive most of their funding from their major charity fundraiser, The Butterfly Ball, and smaller events. Equally important are the 50-60 volunteers that work at Chrysalis every day.
 
Volunteers are a major part of Chrysalis. Chrysalis has a long relationship with yearlong service volunteers, such as Americorps. Chrysalis is always looking for volunteers. Most people who come in spend two to three hours a week assisting. Currently, Chrysalis has a strong need for bilingual volunteers.

On its website, Chrysalis keeps a success wall of its clients that have used Chrysalis to put their lives back together. One of Chrysalis’ newest success stories is about a woman named Tiffany. After struggling with drugs for years, Tiffany finally became clean only to get laid off of her job and lose her apartment. Shortly thereafter, she discovered that she was pregnant.

Tiffany used Chrysalis as a support system and as a professional career builder—visiting the computer lab and attending the 9-week Women’s Empowerment Program. Tiffany felt confident to go back into job market and she was hired as a Café Barista at Nordstrom. Recently, she has been promoted to a supervisory role. She is three years sober and focused on her daughter’s future.

Despite the economy—Chrysalis’s future looks strong. Although Chrysalis has had to make some hard cuts, the company is now moving forward and thriving.

Loranger attributes the success to the core competency of the organization. Loranger said, “We focus on what we know we do well, helping those that are disconnected work.”

Reach Staff Reporter Jackie Mansky here