Strategic Plan 2021 - 2026
May 14, 2021 The components of this strategic plan have been submitted on a confidential basis. It may not be reproduced, stored, or copied in any form. By accepting delivery of this plan, the recipient agrees not to copy, reproduce, or distribute without permission.
© Copyright 2021 Almora Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved
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Acknowledgement The Almora team gratefully acknowledges the HomeWorks Trenton’s team for their commitment to the strategic plan and its implementation. We appreciate and thank Natalie Tung, Founder; Kris Schulte, Board Chair; and Nandini Singh, Development and Program Manager for their active participation in the strategic
planning process. A special thanks to Marci Vandiveer, Dana Harris, Erica Hundley, Gillian Scoch Reeder, William Stone, William Stone, Mike Caputo for sharing their insights
HomeWorks’
Unique Value Proposition
Unique Value Proposition After conducting extensive research, Almora and the team came up with two dimensions that are unique to HomeWorks’ mission and program: § HomeWorks’ program provides a wraparound service to its beneficiaries, who are girls of color from underserved communities. Boarding/Shelter + Nutritious Meals + Academic Support + Emotional & Social Skills + Parent Engagement
§ HomeWorks’ program is focused on building community leaders from these girls without disassociating them from their roots to create local and global impact
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Unique Value Proposition
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Use it on your website’s donate page
Use it in email templates
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Strategic Priorities Programs, Marketing & Communications, Development, Capacity Building, Crisis Management
Strategic Priorities HomeWorks Trenton undertook a strategic planning process beginning in October 2020 to determine organizational direction and priorities for the next three to five years across five principal dimensions: Program, Marketing & Communications, Funding, Capacity Building, and Crisis Management. The process was completed in January 2021 and led to the
identification of new strategies and a detailed implementation plan and a monitoring and evaluation strategy. The plan outlines the interconnected actions that together provide a roadmap to help guide HomeWorks toward the fulfillment of its mission through greater program excellence, extended funding opportunities, and improved capacities across the organization.
Programs
Goals Short Term [1 to 3 years]
Long Term [3 to 5 years]
Goal 1
Enhance existing program
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Goal 2
Prioritize family engagement
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Goal 3
Annual Program Evaluation
--
Goal 4
--
Introduce new programs to sustain operations
Recommendations Goal 1
Enhance existing program
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Determine the curriculum
Desired Outcome
An avenue for the girls to exercise their own creativity and push their limits to become community leaders, empowered women, effective learners and succeed in school. A systematic and holistic approach to developing a curriculum that will create balance between academics and enrichment.
Recommendation 2
Define boundaries
Desired Outcome
Prioritization of beneficiary segments and successful allocation of resources as per needs. Recognition of unmet needs among beneficiaries determining if other programmatic initiatives are necessary to accomplish HomeWorks’ mission and intended impact.
Recommendation 3
Create metrics to measure successes - academic and social emotional [This is creating specific metrics to track academic and social emotional development of girls]
Desired Outcome
Effective and ceaseless quality improvement resulting in positive outcomes for girls. A data driven approach is trustworthy, thus helps in attracting support from the community, potential donors and impact investors.
Recommendations Goal 2
Prioritize Family Engagement
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Ensure efficiency in communication with parents of students and help them become more involved and engaged in program activities
Desired Outcome
Increase family involvement and leadership in the girls’ academic achievement and informal learning.
Recommendation 2
Involve families in program planning
Desired Outcome
Greater support from students, their families, the neighborhood, and from the community at large.
Recommendations Goal 3
Annual Program Evaluation
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Review your existing Logic Model of the program to state the outcomes you expect to occur
Desired Outcome
Effective decision making around HomeWorks’ budgeting, staffing, fundraising, and strategic planning.
Recommendation 2
Develop Key Performance Indicators for the program [This is for the entire program]
Desired Outcome
A clear picture of your programmatic outcomes attracting funders. .
Recommendation 3
Monitor the progress and success of the program
Desired Outcome
Successful accomplishment of the programmatic goals
Recommendations Goal 4
Introduce new programs to sustain operations
Recommendation 1
Start two for - profit programs (Summer and Fall) for a different age group, preferably younger.
Desired Outcome
Long term revenue generation.
Long-term [3 to 5 years]
Marketing and Communications
Goals Goal 1
Engage the local community to source more scholars and secure more donors.
Goal 2
Engage Princeton and Lawrenceville families.
Goal 3
Raise awareness of social justice issues as they connect to HomeWorks.
Goal 4
Build the HomeWorks brand.
Recommendations Short – term [1 to 3 years] Recommendation 1
Increase social media content, engagement, and reach
Potential Objectives
Reach ‘n’ followers on social media platforms x, y, and z. Share ‘n’ posts per month on social media platforms x, y, and z.
Recommendation 2
Implement a public relations strategy
Potential Objectives
Publish ‘n’ press releases by the end of 2021. Build relationships with ‘n’ reporters/news sources by the end of 2021.
Recommendation 3
Launch a Quarterly Newsletter
Potential Objectives
Reach ‘n’ subscribers by the end of 2021. Have an open rate of ‘n’ by the end of 2021.
Recommendation 4
Develop a Brand Book
Potential Objectives
By 2023, create and implement a branding guide that will help define who you are as an organization.
Recommendations Long – term [3 to 5 years] Recommendation 1
Partner with organizations that have similar missions to expand the HomeWorks audience.
Potential Objectives
Host public-speaking or cultivation events with ‘n’ nonprofits. Have ‘n’ nonprofits share HomeWorks marketing materials.
Recommendation 2
Establish relationships with volunteer or low-cost photographers/videographers to take high-quality photos and create videos
Potential Objectives
Develop a list of ‘n’ photographers/videographers who are willing to support HomeWorks. Have ‘n’ new photographers/videographers support HomeWorks events/storytelling
Recommendation 3
Partner with mission-driven influencers on social media.
Potential Objectives
Develop a partnership with ‘n’ social media influencers by ‘n’. Launch ‘n’ social media campaigns with social media influencers by ‘n’.
Development
Goals Short - term
Long - Term
Goal 1
Digital Fundraising
-
Goal 2
Fundraise to buy a property/house in Trenton
-
Goal 3
Increase major donors
-
Goal 4
Grants (Create Multi - years grants)
-
Goal 5
Annual Fund
-
Goal 6
Develop recurring gifts program
-
Goal 7
-
Diversify Fundraising
Goal 8
-
Create a strong donor base
Recommendations Goal 1
Digital Fundraising
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Social Media
Desired Outcome
Cost effective and higher audience engagement
Recommendation 2
Desired Outcome
Donors are able to get impact updates and how they are making a difference
Recommendation 3
Text to give
Desired Outcome
Administrative load off HomeWorks team
Recommendation 4
Peer to peer (P2P)
Desired Outcome
Builds up existing relationship Grows awareness about your cause organically
Recommendation 5
Matching Gift
Desired Outcome
Fundraising revenue gets doubled without asking supporters for more donations.
Recommendations Goal 2
Fundraise to buy a property/house in Trenton
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Run a Special Campaign
Desired Outcome
Successfully securing enough funds to buy a property in Trenton
Goal 3
Increase Major Donors
Recommendation 1
Identify, Prioritize and Qualify
Desired Outcome
Successful donor cultivation and solicitation
Recommendation 2
Personalize your outreach strategy
Desired Outcome
Stronger relationship with major donors
Recommendation 3
Execute a solid stewardship program
Desired Outcome
Donors feel the impact they are making is valued
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendations Goal 4
Focus on Grants
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendation 1
Develop a strong grant seeking strategy
Desired Outcome
Organized approach to finding grant opportunities in different categories - Government, Foundations, Corporate. Access to great amount of exclusive training through webinars, newsletters, and more.
Goal 5
Annual Fund
Recommendation 1
For high impact fundraising, plan your annual fund appeal
Desired Outcome
Unrestricted funds that will go towards operations
Goal 6
Recurring gifts program
Recommendation 1
Develop a strategic recurring gift program to support your monthly revenue m
Desired Outcome
A source of regular income simultaneously building a strong donor base
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Short-term [1 to 3 years]
Recommendations Goal 7
Diversify fundraising
Long-term [3 to 5 years]
Recommendation 1
Fostering new partnerships with Corporations, Foundations, Family Funds and exploring different funding opportunities
Desired Outcome
Multiple opportunities to increase income Great Partnerships Scaling up becomes easier
Goal 8
Create a strong donor base
Recommendation 1
As a comparatively newer organization, it is essential for HomeWorks to develop a strong donor base for long term sustainability.
Desired Outcome
Long Term Sustenance
Long-term [3 to 5 years]
Capacity Building
Recommendations Recommendation 1
Internal Capability Building
Desired Outcome
A more organized organizational set up and continuous improvement of performance
Recommendation 2
External Capability Building
Desired Outcome
Access to wider range of expertise for different areas of HomeWorks
Recommendation 3
Board and Management
Desired Outcome
Administrative load off HomeWorks team
Recommendation 4
Infrastructure
Desired Outcome
Cost per scholar decreases Process driven culture results in better time management and growth
Crisis Management
How do you create a resilient organization? HomeWorks identified the following: § The HomeWorks team is all-in! § Concern is around funding in emergency situations § Planning for replacing team members in emergencies Specifically, you should consider what components of the following checklist to include in your plan: Determine clear objectives to protect the stakeholders
Communicate with stakeholders and service providers from the organization first
Ensure key audiences are kept informed
Decide how communication will be shared and updates provided
Detail specific actions that should be taken
Provide frequent updates best to over communicate
Identify a spokesperson to speak with one voice and a consistent message
Discuss how to use social media in your plan
Be transparent and open through all external and internal communication
Review your plan and do not be afraid to pivot as needed
Keep employees informed
Obtain advice from your leadership, staff, board, and other stakeholders
Thank You