Focusing on Issues and Strategies for RESULTS

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Focusing on Issues and Strategies for RESULTS

• United Way of America
• Fall 2005

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Standards of Excellence Framework
Results for Communities, Value for Investors
United Ways strategy for strengthening
communities
Impact Strategies, Resources Results
Community Engagement Vision
Broad organizational capabilities needed to
execute on strategy
Relationship Building Brand Management
Organizational Leadership Governance
Operations
Core values of commitment to community success,
accountability/ transparency, operational
excellence, customer-centered, inclusiveness,
innovation/continuous improvement
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Component 2 Impact Strategies, Resources and
Results

• 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.

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Intended Outcomes

• As a result of this session, 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

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Topics
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
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Benefits Reported by Focused United Ways

• 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

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Benefits of Getting Focused, continued

• 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

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Topics
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
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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 peoples lives
Getting focused is essential for delivering
meaningful results with limited resources
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What Does Getting Focused Look Like?
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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What Does Getting Focused Look Like?
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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What Does Getting Focused Look Like?
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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United Way of Santa Fe County Levels of Focus
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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United Way of the Midlands (Omaha) Levels of
Focus
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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United Way of America Levels of Focus
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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Getting Focused
e.g.
Focus Area Healthy Children
Vision Our communitys children are physically
and mentally healthy
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 Strategies ???
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Specific Direct-service and Community- change
Strategies
e.g.
Breakthrough opportunities to advance community
change efforts

• Influence a media campaign on childrens issues
  to spotlight child dental health

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Specific Strategies Mapped on Community
Investment Triangle
e.g.
Increase parents knowledge of child dental
health

• Amend state Medicaid guidelines to cover
  childrens dental care

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

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

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Topics
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
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United Way of Santa Fe County Levels of Focus
Investments of time, relationships, technology,
expertise, money, other resources
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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)

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United Way of Santa Fe County Four Priority Areas

• Helping Kids Succeed
• Improving Health Healing
• Increasing Self-sufficiency
• Unifying Our Diverse Community

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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)

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Getting Focused in Santa Fe County A 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
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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)

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Getting Focused in Santa Fe County Objectives for
a Goal
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

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

• Who Did What
• Staff synthesized Work Group input, drafted
  strategies
• CIC recommended
• Work Groups vetted
• Board approved

• How Long It Took
• Approximately 2 months

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Getting Focused in Santa Fe County Direct-service
and Community-change Strategies for One Objective
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Topics
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 Lessons learned from
the field Related resources
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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

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In Each Level of Decision-making Engagement
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Engagement
Community investors
Neighborhoods
Agencies

• Not about engaging everyone in every decision

Corporations

• Not necessarily about engaging the same players
  in each decision

Networks
Faith-based groups
Issue advocates
Individuals
Formal organizations
Foundations
Academia
Government
Labor groups
Demographic groups
Informal associations
Systems
Institutions
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Strategic Engagement

• The right players
• At the right points in the process
• In the right roles
• For the right purposes

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Deciding Who to Engage

• 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

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Topics
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
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Other Lessons Learned

• Things theyre 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

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Other Lessons Learned

• 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

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Other Lessons Learned

• 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

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Other Lessons Learned

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

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Topics
Getting focused Why do it? What are the
benefits? What does getting focused look
like? Making decisions about your focus How one
United Way got focused Lessons learned from the
field Related resources
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Related Resources
on United Way Online

• 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/)

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