Focusing on Issues and Strategies for RESULTS United Way of America

Focusing on Issues and Strategies

for RESULTS

United Way of America

Focusing on Issues and Strategies for RESULTS 2

Standards of Excellence Framework

Impact Strategies,Resources & Results

Impact Strategies,Resources & Results

Relationship Building & Brand

Management

Relationship Building & Brand

Management

Community Engagement & Vision

Community Engagement & Vision

Organizational Leadership & Governance

Organizational Leadership & Governance

United Way’s strategy for strengthening communities

Broad organizational capabilities needed to execute on strategy

Operations Operations

Results for Communities, Value for Investors

Core values of commitment to community success, accountability/ transparency, operational excellence, customer-centered, inclusiveness,

innovation/continuous improvement


Five Standards:

1: Impact Strategies

2: Partner Engagement

3: Resource Development and Mobilization

4: Implementation and Action

5: Measure, Evaluate and Communicate Results

“Getting focused” relates to all of these.

Component 2:Impact Strategies, Resources and Results


Intended Outcomes

As a result of this presentation, you will:

• Understand the strategic benefits of focusing your resources to achieve targeted results

• Have a framework and examples to help your organization narrow its focus

• Know issues to consider in making decisions

• Have advice and lessons learned from United Ways that have focused successfully


Getting focused: Why do it? What are the benefits?

What does “getting focused” look like?

How one United Way got focused

Making decisions about your focus

Other lessons learned

Related resources

Topics


• Contributed to their recognition as a community leader around specific community issues

• Led to a framework for a 5-year investment strategy focused on community change

• Provided a rational alternative to historical funding

• Helped them to say “no” to work not in alignment

• Helped align skills and resources

Benefits Reported by “Focused” United Ways


• Defined different investment products to

offer to different donor segments and

serve as alternatives to agency designations

• Provided content for a marketing strategy that differentiates them

• Revitalized interest in the United Way by donors, staff, volunteers, partners

• Attracted new people with fresh ideas

Benefits of Getting Focused, continued







Related resources

Topics


What Does “Getting Focused” Mean?

Selecting a limited number of issues and strategies in which to invest time, relationships, technology,

expertise, money, and other resources to improve people’s lives

Getting focused is essential for delivering meaningful results with limited resources


Investments of time, relationships, technology, expertise, money, other resources

Focus Area

What Does “Getting Focused” Look Like?



Focus Area


Specific direct-service and/or community change strategies

for improving lives



Focus Area

Next level; more specific

Next level; still more specific

Next level; evenmore specific


Specific direct-service and/or community change strategies

for improving lives


United Way of Santa Fe County Levels of Focus


Priority Area

Goal

Objective

Strategy


United Way of the Midlands (Omaha) Levels of Focus


Focus Area

Impact Initiative

Strategy

Project


United Way of America Levels of Focus


Focus Area

Vision

Objective

Strategy

Target Issue


Focus Area: Healthy Children

Getting Focused

e.g.

Vision: Our community’s children are physically and mentally healthy

Specific Strategies:• ???

Target issue: Dental health of preschool children

Objectives:• Ensure that children establish good dental health

habits early• Promote regular dental check-ups and needed

treatment beginning at age 1


Specific Direct-service and Community- change Strategies

• Incorporate information on children’s dental health care in parenting programs

• Promote dental health education activities in child care centers

Prevention & development

services that:

• Increase parents’ knowledge of child dental health• Amend state Medicaid guidelines to cover

children’s dental care

Efforts to influence

community changes that:

• Influence a media campaign on children’s issues to spotlight child dental health

Breakthrough

opportunities to advance

community change efforts

• Provide evaluation and referrals for emergency dental care for children in homeless shelters

Basic human-needs &

crisis services that:

e.g.


Specific Strategies Mapped on Community Investment Triangle

• Provide evaluations and referrals for emergency dental care for children in homeless shelters

• Incorporate child dental health care infor-mation in parenting programs

• Promote dental health ed in child care centers

• Increaseparents’

knowledge of child dental health

• Influence media campaign

• Amend state Medicaid guidelines to cover children’s dental care

e.g.







Related resources

Topics


United Way of Santa Fe County Levels of Focus


Priority Area

Goal

Objective

Strategy


Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyHow and How Long – Level 1: Priority Areas

Who Did What:

• Staff researched & provided options. Included research into other UWs, survey of donors, discussion of options, selection of draft

• Community Investment Committee (CIC) proposed

• Staff & CIC identified & recruited experts for Work Groups (agency & nonprofit staff and other community members with expertise in each priority area).

• Work Groups & Board approved proposed priority areas

How Long It Took:

• Approximately 5 months (not including board approval)


United Way of Santa Fe County Four Priority Areas

Helping Kids Succeed

Improving Health & Healing

Increasing Self-sufficiency

Unifying Our Diverse Community


Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyHow and How Long – Level 2: Goals

Who Did What:

• Staff provided options

• CIC recommended

• Work Groups reviewed, approved

• Board approved

How Long It Took:

• Once priority areas determined, draft in about 1 month

• Finalized in 2 more months (not including board approval)


Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyA Goal Within a Priority Area

Priority Area: Increasing Self-sufficiency

Goal: Individuals and families have opportunities to maintain independence and improve their quality of life


Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyHow and How Long – Level 3: Objectives

Who Did What:

• Staff synthesized Work Group input, drafted objectives

• CIC recommended

• Work Groups vetted

• Board approved

How Long It Took:

• Approximately 3 months, not including board approval (1 month overlap with finalizing goals)


Priority Area: Increasing Self-sufficiency

Goal: • Individuals and families have opportunities to maintain

independence and improve their quality of life

Objective:• Increase economic opportunities and financial

security for families and individuals by focusing on financial skills, housing options, employment and job opportunities, and functional literacy

Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyObjectives for a Goal


Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyHow and How Long – Level 4: Strategies

How Long It Took:

• Approximately 2 months

Who Did What:

• Staff synthesized Work Group input, drafted strategies

• CIC recommended

• Work Groups vetted

• Board approved


• Provide outreach and education leading to financial literacy and security for low-income, at-risk populations

• Provide people in the hospitality industry with skills needed to advance their careers

Prevention & development

services that:

• Promote innovative approaches such as IDAs to help families become self-sufficient

• Develop partnerships between nonprofits and educational institutions that lead to careers in small business and nonprofit management

Efforts to influence

community changes that:

• Increase the development of affordable housingBreakthrough

opportunities to advance

community change efforts

• No strategies identified for investmentBasic human-needs &

crisis services that:

Getting Focused in Santa Fe CountyDirect-service and Community-change Strategies for One Objective






Lessons learned from the field

Related resources

Topics


At Each Level of Decision-making About Your Focus:

• Be clear about the topic – what you are trying to decide

• Understand how it fits within the level above and provides the context for the level below

• Define criteria to guide the decision

• Based on the criteria, decide what specific information you need to make the decision

• Think strategically about who to engage

• Be prepared to amend earlier decisions


In Each Level of Decision-making: Engagement

Focus Area

next level

next level

next level

Strategies


Engagement

• Not about engaging everyone in every decision

• Not necessarily about engaging the same players in each decision

Agencies

Individuals

Corporations

Labor groupsGovernmentFoundations

Academia

InstitutionsSystems

Neighborhoods

Formal organizations

Faith-based groups

Informal associations

Networks

Demographic

groups

Issue

advocates

Community investors


Strategic Engagement

• The right players

• At the right points in the process

• In the right roles

• For the right purposes


Considering . . .

• what you are trying to decide at this point

• the information needed to apply your decision-making criteria

• the realities of history, political climate, turf, influence, etc.

• other important considerations

Deciding Who to Engage

knowledge

skills

relationships

population perspective

affiliations

legitimacy

support for implementation

etc.

what people/organizations/interests need to be involved to provide the required . . .







Related Resources

Topics


Other Lessons Learned

Things they’re glad they did

• Lots of communication with agencies and donors along the way

• Engagement of people with specific expertise through work groups to provide input and vetting at each level

• Staff provided recommendations to volunteers, who actually made decisions

• Regular education of board members

• Not holding out for consensus on every decision


Best advice they can offer

• Fewer (focus areas, objectives, strategies) is better

• Involve all organizational functions in the process

• Persevere. Unless you are ready for a long-term commitment, do not start

• You can proceed at different speeds with different focus areas



Best advice they can offer, continued

• Adapt. Be ready to change based on valid input while maintaining the core of your original plan

• Expect and work with resistance from some agencies and other stakeholders

• Take as much time as you need, but no more

• Have courage and take (calculated) risks



Best advice they can offer, continued

Communicate, communicate, communicate – internally and externally

• Volunteers need to know why you need to focus, how decisions will be used, how it’s being done

• Funded agencies/programs, other partners, stakeholders need to know how, why, what it may mean for them







Lessons learned from the field

Related resources

Topics


• The Community Investment Triangle: Targeting Our Resources (keyword: CITriangle)

• Connecting Program Outcome Measurement to Community Impact (keyword: POM-CI)

• Getting Focused to Make Tough Choices (keyword: GetFocused)

• Redefining Agency Relationships for Community Impact (keyword: RedefineAgency)

• Small Cities: Getting Focused for Greater Results webinar replay (http://uwa.breezecentral.com/p84658172/)

Related Resources on United Way Online


Documents

Focusing on Issues and Strategies for RESULTS United Way of America