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National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

2018 – 2023 Strategic Plan July 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS Strategic Plan Overview ............................................................................................................. 2 Five-Year Strategies .................................................................................................................. 4

Strategy #1: Increase Diversity ............................................................................................... 4 Strategy #2: Amplify Messaging and Marketing ...................................................................... 4 Strategy #3: Increase Membership ......................................................................................... 5 Strategy #4: Pursue Fee-For-Service Opportunities ............................................................... 6 Strategy #5: Engage Decision Makers .................................................................................... 7 Strategy #6: Align Internal Structure and Processes ............................................................... 8 Strategy Connection Points .................................................................................................... 9

Action Plan ................................................................................................................................. 9 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................10 Appendices ...............................................................................................................................11

Appendix 1: Priority Audiences Determined by Board ............................................................11 Appendix 2: Potential Theory of Change Indicators ...............................................................11 Appendix 3: Board Elevator Pitches ......................................................................................12

STRATEGIC PLAN OVERVIEW The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (“NCJFCJ” or “the Council”) has a clear vision: a society where every person experiencing violence, every family, and every child has access to fair, equal, effective, and timely justice. Its mission is to provide all judges, courts, and related agencies involved in juvenile, family, and domestic violence cases with the knowledge and skills to improve the lives of these families and children who seek justice. NCJFCJ’s vision, mission, and name are strong and ring true to its purpose and work. To reach this vision, judges and court professionals need resources, up-to-date best practices, and peer connections to do the best they can for their communities. Leveraging its 80 years of experience and proven track record, NCJFCJ aims to meet these needs by providing judges, court professionals, and other influential stakeholders 1) forward-thinking training, 2) premier research, and 3) a membership community of like-minded professionals to help them make the best decisions for those they serve. Today, NCJFCJ has a tremendous opportunity to leverage its proven track record, talented leadership, staff, board, and committed membership to take the organization from “good” to “great.” It can strengthen its brand, expand its reach, and serve more diverse membership in communities across the country. This strategic plan lays out the path to get there. Ultimate Impact and Theory of Change As part of its strategic planning process, NCJFCJ defined the impact it could accomplish through high-quality and integrated delivery of its core services; those impacts are: 1) fair and timely justice in the court system that improves the lives of children, families, and those experiencing violence; and 2) healthy courts supporting healthy communities. This effort was followed by the creation of a theory of change, which lays out who NCJFCJ serves, what it seeks to accomplish, and how it seeks to realize these results. The organization’s theory of change is timeless; it serves as the underpinning of the Council’s work from which its five-year strategic plan is built. Figure 1: NCJFCJ’s Theory of Change

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“Council First” To achieve this desired ultimate impact, the Council must first forge ahead in breaking down silos and coming together as one, cohesive organization – actualizing the vision of “Council First.” The Council has the groundwork laid for operating as a united and strong organization and has been delivering on much of its work in such a manner already. Taking additional action to further integrate research, training, and membership – not as three entities, but as one connected body – will drive increased results and further highlight the unique value the Council provides the field. Figure 2: Coming Together as “Council First”

Five-Year Strategies Looking toward the next five years, the Council asked itself: how can it amplify impact across all program areas? Through deep engagement of its board and senior staff, as well as members and trusted advisors of the organization, the organization developed six strategies for increasing its impact and ensuring organizational effectiveness. These strategies cut across training, research, and membership, as well as NCJFCJ’s operations. They will anchor the board and staff leadership’s focus over the next five years, and include:

1. Increase member, staff, and partner diversity 2. Amplify NCJFCJ’s messaging and marketing to expand reach of services and brand 3. Increase membership 4. Diversify revenue by pursuing fee-for-service opportunities 5. Engage state decision-makers 6. Align internal structure and processes

The following strategic plan document elaborates upon these strategies and their associated outcomes. It also offers a clear action and implementation plan through 2020. A strategy is nothing without being implemented – so this plan (and accompanying Excel workplan) serves to assist NCJFCJ in operationalizing the strategies and holding everyone accountable to its goals.

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FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIES NCJFCJ identified six, cross-cutting strategies that will guide its work over the next five years. Individually, each strategy aims to seize a promising opportunity or minimize a current gap. Collectively, these strategies are interconnected and seek to increase the organization’s efficiency, cohesion, reach, and impact. They are meant to be in complement to individual program/internal unit plans. STRATEGY #1: INCREASE DIVERSITY

To better represent the populations NCJFCJ serves and ensure its programs and services are more inclusive, the Council will focus on increasing the diversity of its membership, staff, and partners. It will do so as a stand-alone effort and through its other strategies – particularly those focused on increasing membership and recruiting and retaining diverse talent.1 Priority Activities: Over the next five years, the areas where NCJFCJ will focus its energy are:

1. Intentionally integrate diversity components into NCJFCJ conferences (e.g., range of speakers and tracks on diversity, equity, and inclusion)

2. Continue to identify and develop partnerships – including joint memberships – with other associations, especially those representing diverse judges and courts like the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA)

3. Ensure leadership development track at NCJFCJ conferences builds a pipeline of

potential board members who are diverse

4. Equip staff, board, and members to clearly and confidently communicate with potential members and partners about NCJFCJ’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring targets associated with the following indicators:

• Increased diversity in staff candidate pool • Increased diversity in pipeline of new board members • Increased diversity of membership • Increased diversity of speakers/participants in conference and training programs

STRATEGY #2: AMPLIFY MESSAGING AND MARKETING

To bolster its brand and increase its presence across the country, NCJFCJ will clarify its narrative and tailor key messages to different audiences, including funders and key state decision-makers. It will utilize its newly refined theory of change in conversations and develop marketing plans for each key external audience so that it can strategically communicate and drive the other strategies – such as increasing membership and diversity. It will also seek to strengthen its storytelling and marketing capabilities through hiring and training, so that it has adequate skills and capacity to deliver. 1 While most of the strategies were developed by the board and staff in partnership with Community Wealth Partners, the priorities associated with increasing diversity were largely informed by work of The Raben Group.

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Priority Activities: Over the next five years, NCJFCJ will focus on these key activities:

1. Refine and utilize new theory of change and related messaging across organization and with members/key partners. See separate “NCJFCJ Theory of Change” PowerPoint for full details.

2. Tailor elevator pitches and other collateral materials for each priority audience. See Appendix 1 for priority audiences and Appendix 3 for draft pitches developed by the NCJFCJ board.

3. Create marketing plans for membership, fee-for-service, and state decision-maker

engagement strategies, including: • Overall: Assess current and potential communications offerings (e.g., e-

magazine, closed chat room and journal) for best use/value going forward • For membership and decision-maker engagement:

i. Determine priority audiences for outreach ii. Capture and share stories of impact and recognition that demonstrate the

value NCJFCJ provides to members and partners iii. Streamline process of reaching out to newly appointed judges iv. Refine talking points and determine collateral needed in state

engagement efforts • For fee-for-service:

i. Determine priority audiences for outreach ii. Update brochures outlining offerings and packages available to court

administrators Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring the following indicators:

• Finalized marketing plans for each strategy that have been implemented • Increased year-over-year membership (Target: 5% annually) • Increased year-over-year revenue (Target: 5% annually)

STRATEGY #3: INCREASE MEMBERSHIP

NCJFCJ will increase and diversify membership to amplify its value and presence across the country. Specifically, it will do so by: aiming to open up more state funds for membership through decision-maker engagement; empowering current members to reach out to their peers; pursuing creative membership offerings for individuals; and continuing to explore joint membership and partnership opportunities. Priority Activities: Over the next five years, NCJFCJ will focus on these key activities:

1. Increase outreach to key state officials who oversee court training and membership funding. Key steps include:

a. Determine key officials in charge of court training for each state and whether they have funds available for training and/or NCJFCJ membership (e.g., CIP directors, State Judicial Conferences, State Administrative Office of the Courts, State Judicial Educators)

b. Encourage and support current members in selected states to share the value of NCJFCJ with these key state officials (with support from staff or board)

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c. Convince these new state officials to replicate successful Georgia and Ohio dues payment models and use training funds to cover NCJFCJ training and membership costs

2. Provide members with materials to share with peers/potential members on the value of NCJFCJ membership. For example:

a. Refine and share existing marketing materials with members (e.g., materials from Days on the Hill, list of resources to fund membership in a state, existing standard presentations/talking points)

b. Provide more focused information – such as state profiles – to show value

3. Pursue additional creative ways to increase new members. For example: a. Offer reduced membership fees for new judges b. Offer free membership to law school students without journal access c. Consider holding the board more accountable to membership recruitment

4. Continue to seek out joint membership or training opportunities to increase

NCJFCJ’s member diversity and presence in different communities (e.g., groups like NACM, NAICJA, tribal courts, Hispanic and African American judicial associations, public defenders, professional associations, and law schools)

Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring targets associated with the following indicators:

• Increased membership, including lifetime and joint membership (Target: Increase membership by 5% annually)

• Increased joint organization membership (Target: Increase joint organization memberships by five entities, two to three of which are diverse associations over five years)

• Increased member retention among juvenile and tribal court judges, especially those who are newly appointed

STRATEGY #4: PURSUE FEE-FOR-SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Expanding NCJFCJ’s reach will require new ways of generating revenue. Therefore, the Council will pursue fee-for-service opportunities so that NCJFCJ is more financially sustainable and has more flexibility in its programming. Specifically, NCJFCJ will pursue more fee-for-service contracts, beginning with a focus on selling existing trainings and services to existing partners and/or in markets where it already has a presence. At the same time, the Council will train staff with the skills needed to sell these opportunities. Although there is a new focus on pursuing fee-for-service opportunities, development and fundraising will continue in tandem with these efforts. Priority Activities: Over the next five years, NCJFCJ will focus on these key activities:

1. Sell existing trainings and services to existing partners/markets through the following steps:

a. Determine real cost of trainings/services and staff rates that include profit margin

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b. Develop different pricing levels (especially low-cost options as a first purchase for partners) for promising trainings to sell, such as: Trauma-informed assessments; Easy Access Data tools; Model Courts/Project 1 Site services; Enhancing Judicial Skills in Domestic Violence Cases Workshop

c. Use a set of criteria to assess which trainings/services to prioritize selling as fee-for-service (see Figure 3 below for criteria discussed: impact potential, profit potential, market funding available, and organizational capacity to deliver)

d. Ensure contracting process is efficient and simple (e.g., utilizing a contract template; clarifying staff rates and time tracking process; not pursuing any fee-for-service opportunities that conflict with federal grants)

2. Equip staff to sell fee-for-service opportunities, including: a. Train all staff to use the fee-for-service system and develop a common “business

mindset” around marketing existing services/trainings b. Assess other capacity needed to sell/implement contracts (e.g., subcontractors)

Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring targets associated with the following indicators:

• Staff report that they have the needed processes, systems, skills and guidance to pursue new fee-for-service contracts by end of 2019

• Increased unrestricted funds through fee-for-service contracts (Target: 5% each year, in tandem with ongoing development work)

Figure 3: Draft Criteria to Assess Fee for Service Opportunities

Impact Potential Profit Potential Market Demand / Funding Available Capacity to Deliver

High Opportunity

Significant opportunity to improve outcomes for children and families in

the court system

Product has the potential to generate significant profit relative to organization’s

budget

Significant interest in the product or service

High staff capacity to deliver product

Medium Opportunity

Moderate opportunity to improve outcomes for children and families in

the court system

Product has the potential to generate moderate profit relative to organization’s

budget

Moderate interest in the product or service

Moderate staff capacity to deliver product

Low Opportunity

Limited opportunity to improve outcomes for children and families in

the court system

Product has the potential to generate little profit relative

to organization’s budget

Limited interest in the product or service

Limited staff capacity to deliver product

STRATEGY #5: ENGAGE DECISION MAKERS

The Council will seek to engage with more state and local decision-makers so that 1) policies NCJFCJ supports in resolutions move forward in certain states and 2) more state-based leaders value NCJFCJ and open funds for more judges to receive its training and membership. While pursuing more state-level work, the organization will continue its well-supported and high-impact work at the federal level. Priority Activities: Over the next five years, NCJFCJ will focus on these key activities:

1. Ensure staff/members understand NCJFCJ advocacy role in the field: NCJFCJ is best positioned to influence policies and systems through decision-maker engagement and relationship-building at the federal level and more actively in states.

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2. Pursue more state/local level engagement on NCJFCJ resolutions: a. Provide resources and/or national staff/judge support to state partners that

are driving policy efforts that support NCJFCJ resolutions b. Activate more judges to influence their local and state policy makers

through further training in Community Resource Guidelines and sharing examples of partnerships that have worked in other states

3. Form trusting relationships with more decision-makers in states (e.g., CIP directors) to increase NCJFCJ reach, value and opportunities for more revenue and membership (Note: Specific states to be determined by leadership)

Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring targets associated with the following indicators:

• Prioritized and engaged in state level work (driven by members’ energy and interest) with new states that are pursuing policy changes based on NCJFCJ resolutions (Target: 2 new states, to be determined)

• Presentations made to CIP directors, State Supreme Courts, or other key stakeholders in charge of state training resources on the value of NCJFCJ (Target: At least 5 new state officials engaged each year)

• Increased membership and revenue opportunities in states engaged (Target: Contribute to annual 5% membership and revenue growth)

STRATEGY #6: ALIGN INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES

A strong internal structure is the engine that drives programmatic success. To enable successful program delivery, NCJFCJ will prioritize aligning structure and processes to create a more cohesive and robust internal organization. Yet, this work takes time. To empower all staff to shape the organization they seek to live into, NCJFCJ will ensure that the team takes the time needed to make the right decisions that set the Council up to be a strong, unified, “Council First” organization in the years to come. Priority Activities: Over the next five years, NCJFCJ will focus on these key activities:

1. Clarify long-term organizational structure: Engage staff to map out the right organizational structure that unifies and strengthens NCJFCJ

2. Define organizational culture: Develop staff engagement process to define ideal “Council First” culture (i.e., defining three to four shared values and related everyday behaviors)

3. Focus on professional development: Recruit capacities needed to fill in gaps and provide trainings and professional development opportunities to continually support staff

4. Clarify internal operations: Codify internal policies and procedures in key areas, including human resource manual

Indicators of Success: By 2020, NCJFCJ will know it has been successful in advancing this strategy by measuring the following indicators:

• New long-term organizational structure in place and staff report satisfaction with it • Staff report increased engagement in organization and improved culture/operations

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STRATEGY CONNECTION POINTS

In all, for these six strategies to fully strengthen NCJFCJ’s capacity and augment its impact, their implementation must be integrated and connected. Diversity is the overarching strategy that will be integrated into all aspects – external and internal – of NCJFCJ’s work to ensure the Council is serving and representing diverse communities needing justice across the country. Furthermore, marketing efforts must be integrated with membership, development/ fundraising, fee-for-service and stakeholder engagement strategies to ensure NCJFCJ’s name, value, and engagement opportunities are clear and compelling – enough so to increase membership, revenue, and scale of the Council’s work. Finally, NCJFCJ’s structure is the engine that will drive strategic success in the coming years, and the organization must make investments here to ensure staff have what they need to drive the strategies forward to intended impact. ACTION PLAN Below is a snapshot of the key action steps that will be critical for NCJFCJ to take through 2020 to advance each strategy and meet the associated success indicators. This action plan serves as a starting place, with the expectation that the team will edit and add to it to best meet evolving needs. For a more detailed version of this action plan and initial owners of each step, please reference the separate Excel document “NCJFCJ Strategic Plan - Action Plan.” Figure 4: Summary of NCJFCJ Action Plan

Actions steps completed/in-progress

Action step priorities for 2018-early 2019

Action step priorities for 2019/2020

Increase Diversity • Developed a diversity

statement and action plan

• Completed a membership and employee diversity survey

• Continue recruiting diverse conference speakers

• Utilize the findings of both surveys to develop action steps in committees

• Continue to refine internal recruitment processes

• Continue ongoing communication with partners and pursuit of diverse joint memberships

• Plan annual diversity training for Board and staff

Amplify Messaging and Marketing • Developed a more

consistent brand and approach to outreach efforts

• Launch new website • Revisit organizational structure to

prioritize and integrate messaging and branding efforts

• Add a staff member to PR/marketing team

• Form marketing plans for membership, development and stakeholder outreach strategies

Increase Membership • Drafted letters to

Governors and Chief Justices introducing the NCJFCJ

• Develop creative ways to increase and drive membership (see priority activities above)

• Add a staff member to membership team

• Launch a membership drive campaign

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• Added organizational members, law school, and private sector members

• Utilize data from Imis or MemberSuite to focus outreach efforts

• Develop a plan and mechanisms to ensure the Council’s work reflects membership’s interests and needs (from existing list)

• Engage state decision-makers to open up funds for membership

Pursue Fee-For-Service Opportunities • Trained internally on

the difference between a grant and a fee-for-service contract

• Began developing template contracts and proposals

• Update website to include a section to request contract services

• Develop a menu of fee-for-service options – pricing, requirements, options, etc.

• Add performance measures for directors on fee-for-service

• Develop staffing strategy to perform contract services

• Clarify systems and processes to execute fee-for-service

Engage Decision-Makers • Increased efforts in NV

to develop fee-for-service contracts, engagement in local efforts and outreach to local officials

• Increase efforts in NCJFCJ’s other home state, PA

• Replicate NV state outreach strategies in select new states

• Identify strategies to increase NCJFCJ scope of topics and services

• Encourage Board to take an active role in state engagement and increased membership – especially in target states (note: target states to be determined by staff and board)

Align Internal and Structure and Processes • Review HR manual and

insurance/benefits assessment

• Update HR manual and insurance/benefits

• Review options for team structure • Finalize insurance/benefits

assessment and changes

• Implement new long-term organizational structure

• Define culture (e.g. core values)

• Implement new training/professional development opportunities

CONCLUSION NCJFCJ’s staff, leadership, programming, vision and mission remain strong. To increase impact, the organization aims to move from “good” to “great” through the successful execution of this strategic plan. Achieving this plan’s goals will require deep commitment from the organization’s talented board, staff, and NCJFCJ’s loyal and long-time members. Coming together as one organization – Council First – to execute on these strategies will amplify NCJFCJ’s impact and reach in the coming years – and set it up to be a sustainable, strong, movement-leading organization long-term.

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APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: PRIORITY AUDIENCES DETERMINED BY BOARD

NCJFCJ equips juvenile and family courts to make the best decisions for their communities in critical areas such as child abuse and neglect, adoption and foster care, family violence, and juvenile justice. NCJFCJ primarily seeks to support judges and court professionals working on juvenile and family issues because together, they have significant influence on the outcomes of children, families, and those experiencing violence.

APPENDIX 2: POTENTIAL THEORY OF CHANGE INDICATORS

The outcomes below apply to the long-term outcomes in the Theory of Change: right decisions are made at the right time, policies and systems are changed, and juvenile and family courts are elevated. These indicators are already tracked on an ongoing basis by NCJFCJ to show its progress toward the ultimate impact children, families, and those experiencing violence having fair and timely justice in the court system.

Indicators for the Theory of Change • # of states that have implemented the Enhanced Resource Guidelines • # of policies that dedicate resources toward developing policies, practices and tools for

judges and court officers and evaluation of their efforts, and funding to support courts in their efforts to become broadly competent

• # of policies that support the implementation of Enhanced Resource Guidelines and Project ONE technical assistance

• % retention rate of judges working on juvenile and family court issues • # of foster kids in the juvenile court system

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APPENDIX 3: BOARD ELEVATOR PITCHES

The following example elevator pitches were drafted by board members in March 2018. The intent was to develop tailored elevator pitches for priority audiences by identifying the issue, need and solution that would resonate for that specific audience. These can be further refined and shared.

THE ISSUE THE NEED THE SOLUTION

Pitch 1: Attorneys

Children and families need judges and attorneys who understand best practices in the field, such as trauma-informed approaches.

With constantly changing social issues to address, judges and attorneys need resources and training to help them make the right decision for any child, individual, family and community they serve.

NCJFCJ has 80 years of experience equipping judicial officers and attorneys with the knowledge and resources they need to address these critical issues, make the right decision and help their communities heal and thrive.

Pitch 2: Court Administrators

Most court administrators specialize in management, not in the law. They need support in understanding the issues that are most important to the judge to they can invest in what they need.

Court administrators need support in understanding the training areas which are most important to their judges – and they can get that from being connected to those with expertise in this area.

NCJFCJ can provide training, tools and other resources to help court admins better align their court with best practices and community needs. They can get connected and learn from other successful NCJFCJ court administrators, so they can mirror their practices and improve their courts and communities.

Pitch 3: Funders (Example: Heinz Foundation)

1750 children are in foster care right now in Alleghany County. Where those children lay their head at night is up to judges like me. But I have a law degree – I’m not trained in child welfare best practices or the most up to date science on issues facing these children.

Judges like me across the country need up-to-date training so we make the best decisions in our courts for these children, for their families, and for persons experience violence.

NCJFCJ is the solution – this organization provides the training, workshops and research I need. Through them, I know what works, and what doesn’t, so I make the best decision for that child coming into my court.