Domus Leadership Training TOPIC - Planning June 2015

Planning… Basic management function designed to achieve the balance of needs or demands with the available resources Setting the direction and guiding the system to follow the direction Process includes identifying what you want to achieve (goals), how you will achieve your goals (strategies), who will be responsible and when the strategies will be achieved (action plan). Systematic & rational process of envisioning the future and translating this vision into goals, objectives, action steps and outcomes

Types of Plans

Plans BusinessStrategicProjectBudgetCrisisFundraisingStaffingProgram Corrective Action

Today Strategic Planning Program Planning Logic Models

Strategic Planning Management tool for organizing the present on the basis of the projections of the desired future.

Environmental Scan Vision Mission Core Values Hypothesis Program Goals Objectives Activities Action Plan

Environmental Scan External Objective review of the current and anticipated factors that may impact your organization: Political Economic Demographic Competition Trends Internal Overview of your recent performance and organizational health – financial, culture, morale, development capacity

Domus Vision Our vision is that no child shall be denied hope, love, or a fair chance in life.

Domus Mission Domus Kids is a nonprofit organization serving children and families through a variety of programs within the Fairfield and New Haven County communities.

Hypothesis If… then… because… If = Independent Variable (intervention) Then = Dependent Variable (outcome) Because = Research or Experience (etiology) If more low-income women get mammograms, then there will be lower rates of breast cancer. If you combine housing and support services, then families will strengthen their functioning and be able to live more independently.

Exercise #1 Develop three hypotheses for one of the Domus program areas: Community Programming Chester Addison Community Center Lion’s Den Work & Learn Charter Schools Domus Academy Trailblazers Academy Stamford Academy Residential Programming Domus House Passages

Goals Fundamental issues you must address that give direction for accomplishing the mission Desired end Not necessarily quantifiable

Objectives Steps derived from the goals that answer the question “how do we accomplish this goal?” Should be SMART Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely

Objective Example To recruit, develop and retain a critical mass of diverse staff.

Strategies or Activities Actions that are intentional parts of the program. Done to bring about change.

Strategies Examples To recruit, develop and retain a critical mass of diverse staff. How would you do this? How would you measure?

Action Plan When will your activities be accomplished and who will be responsible

On to program planning…

Program Planning Should always be aligned with agency mission Should be aligned with strategic goals Involve board members Plan as a team Involve clients or potential clients as much as possible Don’t worry about developing the “perfect” plan

Using logical models to plan A logic model is a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan, and the changes or results you hope to achieve.

Why a Logic Model? Keeps a balanced focus on the big picture as well as the component parts. Good evaluation reflects clear thinking and responsible program management. Creates an opportunity to chart your course. Creates an explicit understanding of the challenges ahead, the resources available, and the timetable in which to hit the target. Creates opportunities to learn continually while improving programs. Logic models strengthen the case for program investment (aids in development and collaborative efforts)

If Resources Then Activities Then Outputs Then Outcomes Then Impact

Logic Models are all around us.

Resources/Inputs The resources needed to support the specific activities you have planned to do: Funding Staff Partners Volunteers Facilities Equipment Supplies Licensing

Activities Activities refer to what you do with your resources. These may include products – promotional materials and educational curricula; services – education and training, counseling, or health screening; and infrastructure – structure, relationships, and capacity used to bring about the desired results.

Outputs Outputs refer to what we do – the direct and measurable products of a program’s activities or services. A program output, for example, might be the graduation rate, number of classes taught, meetings held, or materials produced and distributed; program participation rates and demography; or hours of each type of service provided.

Outcomes Outcomes answer the question “What difference does the activity make?” Outcomes are specific changes in attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, skills, status, or level of functioning expected to result from program activities and which are most often expressed at an individual level.

Impacts Impacts are organizational, community, and/or system level changes expected to result from program activities, which might include improved conditions, increased capacity, and/or changes in the policy arena.

How Logic Models Better Position Programs Toward Success:

Practical Uses Planning tool Improve and assure accountability Resource allocation decisions Communicate and market your roadmap to community change Direct link to action

Define the scope and scale of your work. Focus attention on key outcomes and powerful strategies for achieving these outcomes. Provide a framework for sequencing and prioritizing your work. Planning tool

Improve and assure accountability Provide a framework for gauging whether you are achieving tangible goals. Identify the prioritized outcomes and strategies your initiative intends to document. Measure or gauge your progress. Provide a foundation for “holding yourself accountable”

Resource allocation decisions Provide a framework for investing resources in strategies that are linked to your initiative’s prioritized outcomes. Guide decision making about how to spend limited resources. Provide a basis for discontinuing and refocusing funding to the most effective areas.

Communicate and market your roadmap to community change Communicate your change roadmap to partners, stakeholders, investors and the community. Provide transparency to your work by clearly identifying your prioritized strategies and expected accomplishments. Tells a consistent “story”

Direct link to action Establishes focus areas and direction for shaping programs, activities, policies, partnerships and other efforts Provides a reference point for measuring whether specific actions are effecting positive changes among your constituents (children, families, schools, etc). Maintains the “big picture” that guides your specific actions.

Program Design Once you are able to articulate your logic model, you have the skeleton of your program.

Break Out Session Using the handouts work in teams (4-5) to build a basic theory of change model for one of your programs. Plot the model on a flip chart page and post it on the wall 15 minutes Present to the group (5 minutes each group)

PlanDo Collect Data Analyze & Reflect Act & Improve

Evidence Based Practice

EBP Best Research Evidence Clinical Expertise Client Values & Preferences