Program Development Update

By KATIE DULLE

The Program Development Committee, an ad hoc committee formed every three to five years, is currently evaluating potential partners for the Junior League of Cincinnati’s next program partnership. For this round of Program Development, the JLC decided to focus its search on community organizations dedicated to addressing adverse childhood experiences and basic needs, such as housing, food security and clothing. This decision was based on research conducted during a community needs assessment in 2017.

This year’s Committee has paid special attention to feedback collected from JLC membership, Program Acceleration and former Program Development Committee members in order to formulate a new process for this year. That feedback was also used to synthesize key learnings and a list of desired characteristics in the next JLC program partnership. Given the unusual circumstances of Covid-19, the Committee drafted the request for proposal making clear that the JLC partnership is not intended as relief funding, but instead is a formal, three-year partnership designed to address an unmet community need and leverage the skills, talents and experiences of our volunteer base. It is critical that the program partnership aligns to our mission and affords our membership the training and volunteer opportunities that define the JLC, while also creating a mutually beneficial relationship to help the community partner grow.

This year’s process began with an all-call to membership for partner recommendations, JLC membership’s personal connections and an assessment of past applicants. From those sources, the Committee invited twenty-two organizations to complete the RFP. One of the changes implemented by this year’s committee was a bifurcation of the application process into two independent phases. Phase One of the application process was intended to collect highlevel information about each organization, their proposed project, and the types of ways the JLC can help from a volunteering standpoint. From the first wave of applicants, the Program Development Committee and additional volunteers from across the JLC selected five organizations to move onto Phase Two. The Phase Two partners offer a diverse set of services, project ideas and volunteer needs across the Cincinnati area while also ranging in organizational size and maturity. The partners considered in Phase Two include The Children’s Home of Cincinnati, Family Nurturing Center, Give Like a Mother, Rosemary’s Babies, and Women Helping Women.

Phase Two of the application process asks the prospective partners to dive deeper into the community’s unmet need, reasons the organization is best poised to address this need, and the specific details of the organization’s strategic plan. To assist in this phase, Program Development volunteers are paired with each partner as dedicated liaisons working collaboratively to create the proposed program partnership. After the Phase Two applications are submitted, the scoring sub-committee will meet again to discuss each partner and advance semi-finalists to inperson presentations. The final two partners will be invited to present to the JLC during the April General Membership Meeting for a vote, where membership will determine our next program partnership.