HARVEST PROJECT
STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2012
A Message from the Harvest Project Board
Harvest Project is very pleased to present our 2010-2012 Strategic Plan. This plan reflects our continued commitment to
providing a suite of physical, emotional and spiritual programs and services to North Shore residents who are
experiencing challenging life circumstances.
The board initiated the strategic planning process in early 2009 with the following quote in mind:
The essence of strategy making is planning and the value in planning lies not so much in the output as in the
process itself and the shared understanding created among participants. ~ Arie de Geus
Our goal was to be as inclusive and iterative as possible; to act as stewards of the collective will of the community. Our
first step was sending out surveys to various stakeholders and meeting one-on-one with select members of the
community. We then held two strategic planning workshops with the board, staff, several volunteers and community
participants. These workshops included internal and external environmental analyses, a review of our survey results,
presentations on various options for future direction and most importantly, a great deal of creative discussion.
A strategic planning team was formed, consisting of two board members and three staff members. The role of this team
was to represent the board, staff and other stakeholders in the creation of a concrete strategic plan. The strategic
planning team met several times throughout July 2009 and August 2009 to amalgamate the information collected and to
draft the plan. The plan was presented for staff review and feedback in early September 2009, revisions were made and
then the plan was approved by the Board in late September 2009.
Given that Harvest Project is a Christian organization, our strategic planning process was built on a foundation of prayer
and biblical analysis. At all times we laboured to ensure that the plans we were creating were congruent with our
understanding of God’s mandate to help those experiencing challenging life circumstances. While we looked at many
Bible passages throughout the planning process, the following verse summed up our responsibility very simply:
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your brothers
and toward the poor and needy in your land. ~ Deuteronomy 15:11
We had a strong conviction that this was the right time for us to develop a strategic plan. We have experienced some
instability over the past number of years and as a result, suffered from lack of clear direction. We have some new board
members, a strong staff team, a dedicated array of volunteers and many faithful supporters in the community. While we
are still facing some serious financial pressures as a result of a depressed economy and an increase in the demand for
our services, we believe the vision we have for the future will help carry us through this difficult time and establish a
resilient organization for years to come.
The planning process has been very rewarding for everyone involved and the board thanks everyone for their
contributions. We eagerly look forward to implementing this plan and continuing to meet the needs of North Shore
residents who are experiencing challenging life circumstances.
Sincerely and with great excitement,
Harvest Project Board
Catherine Cabeldu, Darrell Lim, Irene Leschert, Neil Van Seters & Terry Byrnes
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Contents
Background
4-5
Looking Forward
5
Motto
6
Mission Statement
6
Values
7
Current Challenges
8
External Trends & Expectations
8
Community Opinion
9
3 Year Vision
10
Strategic Directions 2010 – 2012
11 - 13
Expand the scope of Harvest Project clientele.
Move select programs and services off-site or off-hours.
Create new programs and services.
Develop stronger partnerships with select organizations.
Phased Approach
13 - 14
Strategic Plan to Operations Plan
14
Conclusion
15
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HARVEST PROJECT
STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2012
Background
In 2008, Harvest Project celebrated 15 years of service. Since its inception in 1993, the
organization has been providing physical, emotional and spiritual support to individuals
and families on the North Shore who are experiencing challenging life circumstances.
Harvest Project has been praised by many for the diversity of programs and services it
offers, as well as the number of clients it reaches. Clients are very vocal about how
much they value the support that they receive, whether it’s “shopping” for free food
and clothing, participating in a workshop or having someone listen to them and
encourage them on their journey towards a better life.
Since 1993, Harvest Project has grown significantly in both size and scope.
Over the past three years, the most significant areas of growth have been:
- The expansion of our client clothing area into a retail store called “Clothes for
Change”. This initiative has given us the ability to provide our clients with a
greater selection of clothing, as well as generated additional revenue to
augment our operating expenses.
“The people at
Harvest Project
have helped me
by giving me
strength to
move forward
and to believe
in myself.”
~ HARVEST PROJECT CLIENT
- The implementation of a Food Recovery Program, made possible by a grant
from Vancouver Coastal Health. This project has enabled us to provide an
abundance of wholesome perishable food to our clients. It has also given us the
ability to re-distribute perishable food to other community agencies.
- The creation of a second program called the Emergency Needs Program which
allows us to serve people who are experiencing challenging circumstances, but
are not quite ready to take steps towards a better life. The implementation of
this program has enabled us to double the number of clients that we serve.
- The extensive renovation of our kitchen, made possible by a grant from the
Vancouver Port companies. This renovation included new countertops,
cupboards, and appliances. Besides the aesthetic benefits, this project has
opened up the potential for various food-related programs.
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- The provision of counselling for our clients through a partnership with a local
counselling agency, thanks to a grant from Green Shield Foundation. This has made it
possible for us to secure short-term counselling for select clients who are unable to
afford counselling, even at a subsidized rate.
Looking Forward
NORTH SHORE
DEMOGRAPHICS
The North Shore has an
estimated 187,668
residents. Population
growth has been fairly
stagnant for the past two
years.
The 65+ population is
projected to increase by
56% over the next
twenty years.
There are 4700 renter
homes living at or below
the poverty line.
Over 2000 households
are identified as at risk of
spending more than 50%
of their taxed income on
housing.
There are estimated to
be over 200 homeless
individuals on the North
Shore.
Harvest Project is looking ahead to 2010 and beyond, planning for a future in which
the needs of North Shore residents who are experiencing challenging life
circumstances are fully addressed.
The first step in the plan was consulting the community – donors, volunteers,
businesses, churches, municipalities and other community agencies. Two different
surveys were sent out to determine how the public viewed the role of the Harvest
Project on the North Shore. The questions centred on people’s awareness and
perceived effectiveness of the programs and services provided by the organization.
We conducted an analysis of the continuum of care on the North Shore; looking for
gaps in service and overlaps in the programs and services which we provide. Our key
findings highlighted the fact that we are the primary recipient and provider of food
services on the North Shore.
The next step revolved around our strategic planning workshops, which consisted of
the board, staff and select volunteers. Members of the Strategic Planning team
prepared and delivered presentations on the internal and external climate, as well as
various options for future directions. The first workshop was held in June 2009 and
the second was held in July 2009. The purpose of the time gap was to give everyone
involved an appropriate amount of time to digest the information that was presented.
The Strategic Planning team met various times between and after the two workshops
to disseminate all of the information into a coherent plan that would ensure that
Harvest Project continues to meet the needs of the community over the next three
years.
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MOTTO
A motto is a phrase which formally describes the general motivation or intention of
an organization.
Our Motto:
Extending a hand up, not a hand out.
Our motto means that we extend a hand to pull people up, rather than simply giving
them a hand out.
MISSION STATEMENT
A mission statement is a brief statement about the purpose of an organization. It
guides the actions of the organization, spells out its overall goal, provides a sense of
direction and guides decision making at all levels of the organization.
Our Mission Statement:
To help people who are experiencing challenging life circumstances, through
channelling the resources of the community to provide physical, emotional and
spiritual support that empowers people to take positive steps forward in their lives.
Our mission statement refers to our desire to help the whole person versus simply
providing for their physical needs.
“The personal
empathy, caring
and support is
outstanding in
every way. I
never expected
to be so warmly
embraced and
supported
through the
difficult time I
found myself in”.
~ HARVEST PROJECT CLENT
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VALUES
All of the actions and decisions made by members of the Harvest Project team are
grounded in our shared values:
DIGNITY
We seek to uphold the value of each individual in our personal interactions and
provision of services.
“Coming to
Harvest Project
was very hard
for me but the
grocery
volunteers
treated me like
I was in a fivestar grocery
store. They
made me feel
so good about
myself”.
COMPASSION
We seek to understand the experiences of our clients and to walk beside them
as they journey through difficult times.
RESPECT
We uphold the intrinsic worth of each individual through our words and actions.
We respect the rights of others to hold values, attitudes and opinions that may
differ from our own.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We expect our clients to pursue their goals and to communicate honestly. We
do not hesitate to hold our clients accountable for their words and actions.
HOPE
We believe that our clients can become the people who God created them to
be. We encourage our clients to seek out and embrace opportunities that will
lead to growth and positive change. We believe in possibility!
~ HARVEST PROJECT CLIENT
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CURRENT CHALLENGES
We have experienced a number of challenges over the past year which have
threatened to jeopardize the quality of programs and services we offer our clients.
Our first challenge has been the increase of clients we have had due to the creation of
our Emergency Needs Program. This program doubled the number of clients we
serve, but we were only able to add one part-time staff position to support this
program.
Our second challenge has been depleting food supplies. This is due to the fact that we
doubled our client base, while only marginally increasing our food supplies. Also, like
most other food service agencies we receive a large amount of our donations at
Christmas and rely on these to carry us through the summer months.
Our third challenge has been an unstable cash flow. We have been very reliant on
individual donors who give in an inconsistent pattern. We receive a large majority of
our funding at Christmas, making it difficult to manage our budget throughout the
year. We also do not have a large regular monthly donor base, although we have
started a number of campaigns to increase this base.
EXTERNAL STATISTICS & EXPECTATIONS
HARVEST
PROJECT
STATISTICS
Over 150 volunteers who
come in on a weekly basis
Staff to Volunteer Ratio is
35:1
Currently serve 560
clients and feed 913
individuals, of which 277
are children
$758,370 worth of food
distributed in 2008
We are in the midst of a recession and the situation is predicted to get worse over the $32, 753 worth of
next three years. Our community is not immune from the effects of the global
clothing distributed in
2008
economy. Here are some provincial statistics:
- Unemployment is up 68% over the past year.
- Income assistance cases among adults able to work rose by nearly 50%.
Volunteer hours donated
between January 2008 –
April 2009 = 25,000
- Employment Insurance caseloads are up 114%.
- 103,000 fewer British Columbians had jobs in May compared to one year ago.
- Low income families have increased 13.3% since 2001
- Our province has the highest child poverty rate in Canada at 16%.
- Aboriginal and recently immigrated children have a poverty rate of 49%.
We at Harvest Project have seen an increase in the number of individuals who are
recently unemployed and we have witnessed the stress that this causes for
themselves and their families.
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COMMUNITY OPINION
Of the individuals who completed our survey, most seemed to be satisfied with the
services and programs offered by Harvest Project. They expressed that the organization
was a necessary fixture in the community and on the right track.
“Harvest
Project is a
great concept
and offers a
variety of
appropriate
services to
people in
need.”
~ COMMUNITY MEMBER
There was a general consensus that the organization is needed more now than ever
before. The majority of respondents also felt that the organization should continue to
focus its efforts exclusively on the North Shore and not pursue expanding to other
communities.
The ratings system used was:
1 = Poor
2 = Below Average
3 = Average
4 = Good
5 = Excellent
Interestingly, the overall understanding of the organization was less than the perceived
level of effectiveness.
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“You offer hope
for a better
tomorrow”.
~ DONOR
3 Year Vision
Our Vision:
By 2012 Harvest Project will be a multi-service, multi-location organization that
works with key partners to provide essential services to anyone experiencing
challenging life circumstances on the North Shore. The organization will have an
enhanced focus on those who exhibit a desire to improve their situation and a
willingness to take positive steps to better their own life.
We will have introduced new programs and services targeted to better assisting our
clients. We will have created a clear differentiation between our Emergency Needs
Program and our Core Program. We will have moved our Clothes for Change boutique
off-site, in order to avail more space for workshops and other group activities.
“Harvest Project
provides for the
ignored and
down-trodden in
an increasingly
fragmented
world.”
~ DONOR
Our organization will have continued to focus the majority of our efforts on those
clients who are ready to take positive steps forward in their lives. This does not mean
that we will not be helping others experiencing difficult circumstances. They will just
not receive the same level of support and services as our core clients.
We will treat each individual’s journey as unique and will assist each client at their
own pace, allowing for bumps and setbacks along the way.
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Key Strategic Directions 2010 – 2012
North Shore residents value Harvest Project and view it as an essential community
resource. For this reason, the organization will continue to provide the best services
possible to those people in the community who are experiencing challenging life
circumstances.
Based on the responses of stakeholders, the board has agreed upon four major areas of
focus for the period of 2010 – 2012:
1. Expand the scope of Harvest Project clientele.
2. Move select programs and services off-site or off-hours.
3. Create new programs and services.
4. Develop stronger partnerships with select organizations.
1: EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF HARVEST PROJECT CLIENTELE
We want to help as many people as we can, within the scope of our mandate.
Historically, we have focused on helping those who are actively pursuing and capable of
becoming self-sufficient. With the addition of our Emergency Needs Program in July
2008, we were able to expand our scope to those who were not quite ready or not able
to move forward. Over the past year, our Emergency Needs Program has grown
significantly. We have decided to split the populations in this program, so that our
Emergency Needs Program will only be for those clients who are able to move forward,
but not taking active steps to do so. Clients who exhibit a clear desire to improve their
life circumstances but whom are not capable of doing so will be served in our Core
Program.
GOALS
- To ensure that we are helping all North Shore residents who are trying to
improve their situations, regardless of whether or not they are capable.
- To provide hope to all who are experiencing challenging life circumstances.
- To ensure that people are connected to all of the resources that can help
them, whether this be government assistance or assistance through other
community agencies.
- To reach all of those who are eligible for our services through appropriate
advertising, outreach activities and linkages to other community agencies.
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2: MOVE SELECT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS OFF-SITE OR OFF-HOURS
We will be moving our clothing boutique in order to make more space for workshops
and group activities. We will be creating a clearer delineation between our
Emergency Needs and Core Programs by either moving our Emergency Needs
Program off-site or off-hours.
The movement of programs will not affect the amount or quality of services we
provide to our clients. They will still be able to access free clothing from our retail
location through vouchers they will receive. Clients will also still be referred from the
Emergency Needs Program to our Core Program. Both programs will be an integral
part of the continuum of care on the North Shore.
GOALS
- To reclaim much needed space for workshops and other group activities.
- To generate additional revenue.
- To serve more people in need of basic assistance.
“Harvest Project
makes you feel
at home and
cared for when
times are tough.
The volunteers
are always
smiling and
happy.”
~ HARVEST PROJECT CLENT
3: CREATE NEW PROGRAMS & SERVICES
We want to ensure that we are providing our clients with the services and programs
that they need to take positive steps forward in their lives. While many of our current
programs meet basic needs, we feel there are other programs and services that we
could offer to help those who are moving forward with their lives. We will not
develop these programs in isolation but will do so with considerable input from our
clients, our volunteers and from other community organizations.
GOALS
- To expand our current life skills programs, which include computer skills, a
cooking workshop and assistance with money management/budgeting.
- To develop a portfolio of additional programs. While the full program will be
developed at a later date, some ideas are as follows:
- Expand our food-related programs to fully leverage our recently
renovated kitchen: community kitchen dinners, nutrition workshops,
chef-training programs, etc.
- Support groups for specific populations such as seniors, single mothers
and recent immigrants
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- Provide more services for parents, such as “baby bundles” for expectant
mothers, “back to school kits” and children’s lunches
- Additional Christian learning programs to assist clients with their
spiritual health and to help lead them to a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ
“Harvest
Project has a
real
understanding
of the needs
and challenges
that individuals
on the North
Shore face.”
~ COMMUNITY MEMBER
4: DEVELOP STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS WITH SELECT ORGANIZATIONS
We realize that the issues our clients face are too large for us to deal with on our own.
To assist our clients in finding a complete solution to their challenging life circumstance
we need to work collaboratively with other organizations. While we have worked with
many other groups over the years, most of these relationships have been fairly ad hoc
and informal. To ensure we are avoiding duplication of services and efforts with other
organizations, we want to work with the other service organizations to develop a
continuum of care plan.
While service focused organizational partnerships are very important, we also realize
that a key element of financial stability entails stronger funding partnerships. We have
been blessed to receive generous donations over the years but these have not
translated into a consistent funding stream for our organization. As such, over the last
number of years we have constantly been in a state of financial instability. We believe
that by securing several additional key funding partners, we will be able to establish a
strong funding base for Harvest Project for the coming years.
GOALS
- To ensure that clients receive a full set of support services.
- To minimize duplication of services and effort on the North Shore.
- To establish a more solid and consistent funding base for the organization.
Phased Approach
We will be taking a phased approach to implementing our strategic plan.
Our first phase is called “solidifying the foundation”. This will involve stabilizing our
board, staff and volunteer teams, streamlining our current programs, strengthening our
existing stakeholder relationships and stabilizing our cash flow.
Our second phase is called “managed growth”. This will involve developing our board,
staff and volunteer teams, introducing new programs, establishing new stakeholder
relationships and increasing our cash flow. This growth is not just for the sake of
growing; rather, it is intended to meet the changing needs of the community.
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Our current projection is that the first phase of our plan should take most of 2010
while the second phase will occur in 2011 and 2012. That said, our plan is also
flexible so that we can make the necessary adjustments to changes in the
environment around us.
Strategic Plan to Operations Plans
Our Executive Director will translate our strategic plan into a series of annual
operations plan that details all activities involved in delivering the key elements of the
plan within a given year. Each member of the team will have key areas of
responsibility and clearly defined deliverables which will ensure that our vision comes
to fruition in the timeline outlined.
The Executive Director will report on the progress of the Operations Plan on a
monthly basis to the board, so that we can ensure we are continually executing our
plan. We want to ensure that our strategic plan is not merely an intellectual exercise;
rather that it is a guiding force for our organization moving forward.
“It’s so nice to
come here
because it feels
good. The people
are kind and I
don’t feel like I’m
begging”.
~ HARVEST PROJECT CLIENT
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CONCLUSION
The Harvest Project 2010 – 2012 Strategic Plan builds on the organization’s existing
strengths, it is based on feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders and it takes into
consideration the needs of the North Shore community.
Four broad strategies were identified in this plan:
“I am grateful
for having
Harvest Project
in our
community and
that in my
family’s time of
need, they were
there to lend a
helping hand”.
- Expand the scope of Harvest Project clientele.
- Move select programs and services off-site or off-hours.
- Create new programs and services.
- Develop stronger partnerships with select organizations.
The board, staff and volunteers look forward with great optimism to providing the best
programs and services possible to those who are experiencing challenging life
circumstances on the North Shore.
~ FORMER HARVEST
PROJECT CLIENT
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