Strategic Plan

Transcription

1 Strategic Plan

2 Table of Contents 1. About Social Planning Cowichan 2 2. Drawing from the Past 2 3. Considering the Future 4 4. Goals, Objectives and Results 8 Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 1

3 1. About Social Planning Cowichan Vision Social Planning Cowichan seeks to support the vision developed through the Visions 2020: where the people of the Cowichan Region work together to collectively take responsibility for a caring, safe, prosperous, diverse, ecologically sound community and ensure opportunities for current and future generations. Mission Statement Social Planning Cowichan researches, forms partnerships, creates strategies and informs the Cowichan public about social planning issues to support community health and well-being. Mandate To conduct research about the social health of the Cowichan Region To educate and inform the Cowichan Region community about social planning issues To facilitate partnerships and community consensus on issues and action plans To recommend action plans and short and long term strategies to improve the quality of life in the Cowichan Region Public Benefit SPC fills a unique role in the Cowichan community, facilitating relationships, ensuring coordination between community organizations and agencies, and providing research that is outside of the mandate of other organizations. SPC s research is used broadly by other organizations to demonstrate community need for services. Values Social Planning Cowichan uses the values outlined in the Earth Charter as a framework. Broadly speaking these are: Respect and care for the community of life Ecological integrity Social and economic justice Democracy, nonviolence and peace 2. Drawing from the past History of Social Planning Social Planning Cowichan was founded in 2004 in response to a community need for increased planning and coordination of social issues. The need for an organization such as Social Planning grew from the recognition that local government, in particular, was not equipped to respond Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 2

4 to certain issues, either due to lack of resources or the complexities of jurisdiction. In addition, there were community frustrations related to the perceived lack of coordination and overlap among existing nonprofits. In 2005, Social Planning was given responsibility to deliver and support the vision statements generated from the Visions 2020 process. This led to the development of the Status of the Community Report, which has since acted as a touchstone for Social Planning s work. From the beginning, Social Planning has been clear that the focus of its work is in research and facilitation, not service delivery. Although these boundaries have become less distinct with the nurturing of projects such as Affordable Housing, Social Planning s role remains that of an incubator rather than the final home for these projects. Social Planning s goal for all projects is to transition projects to another community group whether that group is pre-existing or requires the formation of a new organization. One of Social Planning s key strengths has been its ability to be responsive to community need; retaining this ability is an important priority as the organization moves forward. Since its inception, Social Planning has successfully delivered numerous projects in addition to the Status of the Community Report including disaster response planning, the incubation and launch of Warmland House, the creation of the Cultural Connections Council following NAIG, and the Family Doctor Attachment Survey. Moving Forward Social Planning Cowichan has a responsibility to continue the work we have already begun. Therefore, we will continue our work in the following areas: Affordable Housing In the next year, we will complete a count of our community members who are homeless to help us understand the breadth of the affordable housing challenge in our community. We will also complete research to identify the housing needs of aboriginal people living off-reserve. Since 2007, Social Planning Cowichan has been the host agency for affordable housing work in the Cowichan Region. Our long term goal for this work has been to establish an independent organization that will develop and lead affordable housing initiatives in the region. By the middle of 2015, we hope to see this organization established in our community. Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 3

5 Status of the Community The 2010 edition of the Status of the Community report is now out of date. As with previous editions, we will focus on the social determinants of health, while using online tools to make the data more easily available to the community. By providing data on key issues and trends, we can help other community organizations and governments establish their priorities. As much as the Status of the Community provides data to the community, it also acts to bring the community together and creates conversations about community issues and solutions. Walk of the Nations After five years, the 2014 Walk of the Nations will work more closely with School District 79 in order to more closely support the needs of the school district and students. This new focus is targeted at using a cultural lens to support the transition of students from Grade 7 to Grade 8. Students will be able to forge relationships with peers from other schools that will help smooth their transition into Grade 8. With the significant changes being tested with the district this year, and the walk being re-created with new partnerships with Cowichan Intercultural Society and House of Friendship, a long term direction for Walk of the Nations has yet to be decided upon. A five year strategic plan process will be explored as part of the development process of Cultural Connections Building on the workshops to be held in early 2014, Social Planning s work on Cultural Connections is focused on designing a process for us forward as a community from the information and feedback gathered over the first round of workshops. This feedback will allow the development of a plan to guide the long term development and implementation of this work with the long term goal of creating a successful model that can be replicated in other BC communities. 3. Considering the future External Environment Downloading from federal and provincial governments have resulted in increased pressure on municipal and regional government and on nonprofit organizations. In addition, many funding sources that were available in the past have either not fully recovered from global economic events or have disappeared entirely. Fewer resources has resulted in increased need, both for individuals and organizations. Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 4

6 Due to internal factors, the first half of 2013 saw a decrease in profile and activity for Social Planning Cowichan. As a result, other organizations in the Cowichan Region have begun to fill the gap left by Social Planning. Internally, Social Planning is now more stable, however, work is required to rebuild the profile of the organization in the community. In this context, partnership and collaboration become increasingly important. Social Planning needs to seek out and identify opportunities for partnership, both in the delivery of projects, but also to support the organization itself. Internal Environment Social Planning Cowichan is fortunate to have core funding from the Cowichan Valley Regional District. However, without additional resources, Social Planning would be pressed to deliver key projects such as Cultural Connections and Affordable Housing. At present, SPC s core staffing complement is 1.5 FTEs while SPC s core funding covers 0.5 FTE. Maintaining a staff complement of 1.5 FTEs is seen as the minimum staffing level required for Social Planning Cowichan to be effective. Where possible, retaining long term staff will increase Social Planning s effectiveness and reduce training and turnover costs. Social Planning Cowichan is supported by a diverse Board of Directors, however, some gaps, particularly in geographic coverage exist and attracting new Board members is an immediate priority. With a small staff and Board members who are engaged elsewhere in the community, it is important for SPC to be aware of the possibility of board and staff burnout. Creating connections and accessing resource people in the community can assist with this issue. Regarding infrastructure, Social Planning has some immediate and long term needs. In the short term, addressing computer infrastructure and security is a priority, while in the long term, accessing additional office space for both work space and storage is a priority. In the long term, we may wish to investigate the possibility of building or owning our own building. A final internal need has been identified in the creation of policies to support the structure and development of the organization. With core funding in place, Social Planning Cowichan has an advantage over many other similarly-sized nonprofits. However, regional governments are facing increasing pressure to curtail their budgets, so it is important that Social Planning not take this funding for granted. By strengthening our organization with committed staff and strong policies, diversifying our Board Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 5

7 and seeking new sources of funds, Social Planning should be able to face the future from a position of strength. Funding Map In addition to our core funding, Social Planning Cowichan has traditionally sought grant funds to deliver projects. While Social Planning has had a high success rate in securing these funds, grant funding can be precarious as funding priorities shift or funding sources decline or disappear. Collaboration with other organizations has also been important, particularly as Social Planning does not wish to compete with organizations who are delivering services. This has also meant that Social Planning has not sought donations or memberships as a source of funds. Future Priorities The combination of internal and external factors has resulted in the identification of additional priorities for Social Planning Cowichan over the next 5 years: Poverty Reduction Poverty is seen as a critical issue for the community at this time and creating a strategy to respond to this issue has been identified as a priority. Youth Social Planning Cowichan is working to support the Youth Action Council that was initiated by Safer Futures. We will continue to support this work and to fill research gaps related to youth, initially by expanding the Status of the Community report to include a focus on youth. By doing so, we will give youth in our community the opportunity to identify the issues that matter to them and to be involved in shaping their future. Communications, Accessibility and Partnerships Social Planning has a history of partnership in the Cowichan Region. Continuing to forge successful partnerships and strategically identifying organizations who may be potential partners is an important priority. By continually gathering community input into priorities, Social Planning can be flexible in setting its own priorities for research and planning. To better communicate with the community, Social Planning will develop a Communications Plan, redevelop its website and host community forums to solicit feedback. As part of our role in the community, Social Planning needs to improve our communications regarding community needs and to increase the accessibility of Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 6

8 information, both through online resources and by acting as a repository of related information. Sustainable Funding The development of a strategy to ensure sustainable funding for Social Planning is required. Policy Development We have identified a need to develop policies to support the structure and functioning of the organization including human resources and finance policies and role descriptions for board roles and committees. As well, the need for project screening criteria that clearly identify possible exit strategies has been identified. Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 7

9 4. Goals, objectives and results Based on Social Planning s past and current work and the priorities that have been identified for the future, the following goals can be identified: We will research and identify community priorities We will respond to community priorities through partnerships, coordination and action planning We will provide information to the community about issues and trends We will build a strong organization Goal 1: We will research and identify community priorities. Objectives Outputs Outcomes Measure of Success Timing Resource Needs Status of the 2014 Project funding Community Website development An updated SOC report is completed in 2014 SOC is available online and is updated on a more regular basis SOC priority areas form the basis of SPC action planning SOC includes qualitative component (eg success stories/profiles) and tracking between 2006, 2010 and SOC data will be more easily available SOC will be more current Future action planning will reflect SOC priority areas # of hits/downloads on SOC website # of indicators showing positive change vs # showing negative change from 2006 to 2014 # of action plans based on SOC data Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 8

10 Working in partnership Consulting the Community 2014 reports When developing new projects, SPC will identify and collaborate with partners SPC will seek out partnerships to enhance both its projects and operations SPC conducts regular consultations with the community to identify priorities SPC reports to the community about status of Visions 2020 goals SPC s work will be more likely to reflect community need Efficiencies will be found for projects and operations SPC s work is informed by the community The community is more aware of SPC and its work Progress is made in tracking Visions 2020 goals % of projects that involve partnerships Dollars leveraged through partnerships # of people attending community consultations # responses by SPC to community priorities Goal 2: We will respond to community priorities through partnerships, coordination and action planning. Core funding Staff/Board time to create partnerships Core funding Project funding for SOC Objectives Outputs Outcomes Measure of Success Timing Resource Needs Affordable Housing Affordable Housing Cowichan launched by end of 2014 Affordable Housing Cowichan will be launched as an independent organization Continue to deliver the goals and objectives in the The Cowichan Region will have a coordinated, focused approach to affordable housing An increased number of Funding for Affordable Housing Core funding Staff/board time Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 9

11 Cultural Connections Walk of the Nations Youth 2012 Affordable Housing Strategic Plan Deliver crosscultural workshops in early 2014 Develop long term strategy for cultural connections with the intent to create a replicable model Investigate the long term strategy, including potential exit strategy In partnership with CIS and others, SPC delivers an annual Walk of the Nations event Development of long term strategy for WON, including community partner to take over event Support the development of the regional Youth Action Council, in partnership with Safer Futures and other partners Support youth in affordable housing units will be available (long term) Cowichan community has a deeper cultural understanding Organizations and agencies have tools to build cultural connections Community members will have an increased understanding of diversity in the Region Youth will be engaged with issues in their community Organizations can respond to youth needs more effectively # of participants attending workshops # of organizations and agencies committing people to workshops # of schools participating in WON # of community members participating WON successfully transitioned to community partner # of youth participating in SOC # of youth issues identified for SOC Transition within 5 years Project funding Project funding Strong partnerships 2014 Project funding Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 10

12 Poverty Reduction Child Care Other priorities as identified the community by engaging them in the Status of the Community to identify issues of concern Continue to expand awareness around Living Wage and to update Living Wage data Create a Poverty Reduction Action Plan for the Cowichan Region Transition leadership of the Child Care Council to the community Respond flexibility to future priorities identified by the community Increased awareness, particularly among local government about action needed to reduce poverty Community action arising from future recommendations Child Care Council has new community partner or is established as standalone entity SPC is able to provide the community with information as priorities arise Goal 3: We will provide information to the community about issues and trends. # of community partners Child Care Council operates without direct support from SPC Living Wage - Poverty Reduction - Begins as part of SOC Update main work begins 2015 Complete by end of 2014 Project funding Staff/board time Staff/board time Project funds as required Objectives Outputs Outcomes Measure of Success Timing Resource Needs Increase accessibility of information Create online information hub Develop and expand SPC s repository of Social research and data for the Cowichan Region is easily accessible both online and in # of website hits # of people requesting materials Begun as part of SOC Update Core funding Staff time Website development Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 11

13 Communications Plan Goal 4: We will build a strong organization. information and make available to public Develop five year Communications Plan Take advantage of opportunities to communicate about research related to community priorities New website hard copy SPC maintains high profile in Cowichan Region # of media reports # of responses to communications materials # of web hits Communications Plan complete by mid-2014 Website in early 2014 Staff time Objectives Outputs Outcomes Measure of Success Timing Resource Needs Sustainable funding Funding strategy Staff time complete by mid 2015 A funding strategy that identifies new, long-term sources of funding will be developed The current funding relationship with CVRD will be nurtured and maintained New and existing sources of grant funds will be identified for projects SPC will increase the funding it has available for core operations New and existing projects will be supported by grant funds # of dollars raised for operating costs size of contribution from CVRD # of dollars raised for new and existing projects Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 12

14 Internal policies A Human Resources Policy will be developed A Financial Policy will be developed Project Screening Criteria will be developed Board and Committee role descriptions will be developed SPC will operate in a manner that is consistent with its values, but without unnecessary bureaucracy Staff and board members share a common understanding of how issues will be addressed New policies in place by end of 2015 Staff/board time Strengthen board New board members will be recruited and a board complement of 15 members will be maintained SPC will access the expertise of community members in an advisory capacity Board members will be engaged and informed about SPC's work Attendance at board meetings % of board members serving multiple terms Staff/board time Staff capacity SPC will maintain and increase its core staff capacity Completion of HR Policy Completion of annual employee evaluations Staff complement will include a variety of skills suited to SPC's work SPC will strive to be an exemplary employer Employee turnover (for reasons other than funding) HR Policy by end of 2015 Staff/board time Social Planning Cowichan Strategic Plan Page 13

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