We recently invited Michael Kumer, Executive Director and Faculty for the Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Duquesne University to work with our Board of Trustees and staff with regard to strategic planning. I had the opportunity to work with Michael when I attended Meals On Wheels of America’s Leadership Training in Ohio last year and I was in awe! How did he get our group to be so productive in such a short amount of time?
Michael reminded us that as nonprofit community benefit organizations we are not here to plan for the sustainability of our own organizations. Rather, we exist to make an impact in the community we serve. “How is SCS making an impact on the lives of metro Atlanta seniors?” Michael asked me. I responded with how many lives we affect with life-sustaining services that truly help seniors remain independent.
Michael probed further. “How are you measuring it—and not just in outputs, but in outcomes?” Proudly, I knew where he was going—nonprofits are more than just the meals they deliver and home repairs they complete—they are about change for the communities they serve. What I did not realize until he framed things the way he did, was that even though we pride ourselves at being as client-driven as possible, we were still focusing our planning efforts on how to grow the organization (with the end result of impacting more seniors) as opposed to how to truly resolve a perplexing issue for our seniors.
If we want to envision an Atlanta that is free of senior hunger and isolation, which is what we as an organization have envisioned since our first year in 1965, we need to fully grasp the need and think big about bold solutions. This means that we may need to partner with or invest in studies that help us understand our local need. For the most part we’ve relied on census data and internal waitlists to comprehend the need. This will not suffice going forward.
This also means that we will have to think more broadly about solutions. We need to think more about advocacy and how public policy may more quickly affect the change we need than just service delivery. We certainly have some recent experiences with our seniors advocating on behalf of SCS, but something even more substantial will be necessary.
Finally, this means that SCS will need to think more about collaborations and may need to extend its reach beyond our current service delivery area. We may need to think about other factors that affect our vision and form more strategic partnerships. We may need to invest more in awareness, marketing and education.
You can see that our time with Michael was a wise investment for the organization and a break-through for me. Though sustainability for SCS is vital in serving our seniors, it is the means, not the end. We remain dedicated to an Atlanta where no senior is hungry and no senior is isolated. Will you jump in with me?
-- by Jeffrey M. Smythe, Executive Director
Showing posts with label collaboration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collaboration. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Responding to the Senior Boom
How do we respond to the growing senior boom in metro Atlanta? We respond through innovation, collaboration and engagement.
First, innovation is not often a word we use as much in aging services. But “doing things the way we’ve always done it” is unacceptable given the rising tide of the aging boom. I am proud of our team for providing innovative solutions this year to inadequate resources in Meals On Wheels Atlanta, for instance. The MOWA team increased its focus on volunteerism and has seen an increase in retention rates as a result. They also launched the Meals-In-Motion Pantry which provides donated canned foods to seniors who are appropriate for a grocery program instead of home delivered meals.
Collaboration is a buzz word we all love to use in nonprofit circles. I am proud, however, that SCS continues to work on collaborations, no matter how challenging the relationship. Our wellness collaboration with Visiting Nurse Health System, Kaiser Permanente, Emory’s Fuqua Center for Late Life Depression, and a number of other organizations has produced tangible health outcomes in the lives of our seniors. As the host agency for the Atlanta Home Repair Network, we are constantly working to ensure that senior homeowners who need repairs performed on their houses receive services from us or from other nonprofit providers that help in other parts of the City or in specific ways that we cannot.
Engagement is like collaboration, but in this sense I am more focused on the community at large. More and more individual donors are engaging in the mission of Senior Citizen Services because they appreciate the direct effect that their donations make on lives of seniors in need. Volunteers appreciate being utilized in an efficient and meaningful manner. Community organization, Universities and schools, churches and synagogues, neighborhood associations and civic clubs are welcomed partners because of SCS’ approach that is inclusive and honoring of the experiences of various neighborhoods and traditions.
So you can see that innovation, collaboration and engagement have been a key to our success and will continue to be vital as we seek to meet the needs of a dramatically growing population. We look forward to the challenge and invite each Atlantan to join in the mission!
-- by Jeff Smythe, Executive Director
First, innovation is not often a word we use as much in aging services. But “doing things the way we’ve always done it” is unacceptable given the rising tide of the aging boom. I am proud of our team for providing innovative solutions this year to inadequate resources in Meals On Wheels Atlanta, for instance. The MOWA team increased its focus on volunteerism and has seen an increase in retention rates as a result. They also launched the Meals-In-Motion Pantry which provides donated canned foods to seniors who are appropriate for a grocery program instead of home delivered meals.
Collaboration is a buzz word we all love to use in nonprofit circles. I am proud, however, that SCS continues to work on collaborations, no matter how challenging the relationship. Our wellness collaboration with Visiting Nurse Health System, Kaiser Permanente, Emory’s Fuqua Center for Late Life Depression, and a number of other organizations has produced tangible health outcomes in the lives of our seniors. As the host agency for the Atlanta Home Repair Network, we are constantly working to ensure that senior homeowners who need repairs performed on their houses receive services from us or from other nonprofit providers that help in other parts of the City or in specific ways that we cannot.
Engagement is like collaboration, but in this sense I am more focused on the community at large. More and more individual donors are engaging in the mission of Senior Citizen Services because they appreciate the direct effect that their donations make on lives of seniors in need. Volunteers appreciate being utilized in an efficient and meaningful manner. Community organization, Universities and schools, churches and synagogues, neighborhood associations and civic clubs are welcomed partners because of SCS’ approach that is inclusive and honoring of the experiences of various neighborhoods and traditions.
So you can see that innovation, collaboration and engagement have been a key to our success and will continue to be vital as we seek to meet the needs of a dramatically growing population. We look forward to the challenge and invite each Atlantan to join in the mission!
-- by Jeff Smythe, Executive Director
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