YWCA and Strategic Planning
for every woman
2014 Capacity Building Institute
Date: February 6, 2014
Required for affiliation with YWCA USA
Local association operates strategically and
engages in regular planning.
for every woman
• Local association has a written strategic plan and
an annual written operational work plan informed
by the strategic plan.
• Strategic plan includes a plan for fund
development which is updated annually.
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Goals of Strategic Planning Initiative
• To increase mission impact of local YWCA
associations
• To increase overall capacity of local YWCA
associations to deliver mission
for every woman
• To integrate financial vitality into DNA of YWCA
• To strengthen YWCA internal alignment and
thus the collective identity
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Plan in every YWCA addressing:
• Mission impact
• Capacity building
for every woman
• Financial vitality
• Annual planning: annual operational plan and
annual fund development plan
Using data-based assessment to frame strategies!
3
• Mission impact
• Capacity building
for every woman
• Financial vitality
• Annual planning: annual operational plan and annual
fund development plan
4
Planning for mission impact
• System of measurement: both outcomes
and outputs
for every woman
• Set goals designed to increased
association’s measured performance on
mission
• As collective, growing toward uniformity in
defining mission impact?
5
• Mission impact
• Capacity building
for every woman
• Financial vitality
• Annual planning: annual operational plan and annual
fund development plan
6
Internal capacity
for every woman
• Self-assessment survey based on internal
capacity assessment tool
• Evolving into more textured assessment
tool
• Systematically assess elements of
operations
• Goals designed to address the top
priorities for growth
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• Mission impact
• Capacity building
for every woman
• Financial vitality
• Annual planning: annual operational plan and annual
fund development plan
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Financial vitality benchmarks
• Net Operating Margin (surplus or deficit)—2-5%
• Months of cash on hand—3-12 months
for every woman
• Dependence on government funding—less than
50%
• Capital intensity—less than 75%
• Net assets as % of annual expenses—more than
50%
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Ratio
standard
Benchmark 2008
Net
Operating
Margin
2-5%
2009
2010
2011
-$1.5M -$1.3M
-$1.4M
-$1.1M
-41%
-33%
-28%
-32%
for every woman
Ratio analysis: net operating margin
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Ratio
standard
Benchmark
2008
2009
2010
2011
Months of
Cash On
Hand
3-12
months
13
8
4
1
for every woman
Ratio analysis: months of cash on hand
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Ratio
standard
Benchmark
2008
2009
2010
2011
Capital
intensity
<75%
35%
42%
54%
71%
for every woman
Ratio analysis: capital intensity
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Ratio
standard
Benchmark 2008
2009
2010
2011
Dependence
on
government
funding
<50%
78%
84%
84%
68%
for every woman
Ratio analysis: government funding
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Ratio
standard
Benchmark
2008
2009
2010
2011
Net assets
as % of
annual
expenses
>50%
164%
119%
78%
57%
for every woman
Ratio analysis: net assets as % of budget
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Ratio
standard
Total
Assets
Benchmark
2008
2009
2010
2011
$6.3M
$5.0M
$3.5M
$2.5M
for every woman
Ratio analysis: total assets
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Additional financial data
• Definition of programs and program-specific
revenue/expense statements with
administrative and occupancy costs spread
for every woman
• Especially for programs earning revenue: per unit
cost and per unit revenue
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Planning for financial vitality
• Set goals designed to increase the association’s
collective knowledge of financial management
practices
(board, CEO, finance staff, program staff)
• Set goals designed to make financial vitality part of the
DNA of your association
for every woman
• Set goals designed to increase the association’s
financial performance as measured by defined ratios
• Mission impact
• Capacity building
• Financial vitality
•
for every woman
• Annual planning:
• annual operational plan
annual fund development plan
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Operational work plan
for every woman
• One-year operational plan with dated and
measurable objectives
• Use plan to guide year’s work
• Regular check in with plan
• Annual evaluation of progress
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Example Strategic Plan
Goal 1:
Strategy
Timeline
Associations undertake events of civic engagement
that address mission issues (public lectures,
debates, rallies, protests, marches, vigils, etc).
2008-2012
for every woman
The YWCA is reinvigorated as a movement for social change.
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Example operational work plan
Develop toolkits for models
of civic engagement that
address mission issues
(public lectures, debates,
rallies, protests, marches,
vigils, etc).
Timeline
Responsibility
2 toolkits—
Advocacy
September/Dec coord.
ember
for every woman
Action Steps
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• Mission impact
• Capacity building
• Financial vitality
for every woman
• Annual planning:
• annual operational plan
• annual fund development plan
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Fund development planning
• Annual development plan
– Annual campaign (individuals)
– Major gifts
– Special events
– Corporations, foundations, government grants
• Endowment/planned giving
• Capital campaigns
• Earned income
• Cultivation and stewardship
for every woman
• Case for support—strong, mission-centered
Planning for fund development
for every woman
• Ensure that board responsibilities are
defined and accepted
• Strong mission-aligned written case for
support
• Diversified fundraising plan
• Stewardship plan, including strategies for
acquisition, cultivation and recognition of
donors
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Phase 1: Strategic Planning Initiative
(Broad-based support)
for every woman
• Resource library
• Webinars
• Possible training for consultants
• Additional capacity building training
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Evolutionary process
for every woman
• This is Phase 1
• Will evolve to include new components,
such as:
– more market analysis of competitors
– more analysis of community trends and
needs
– more integration of financial information
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Phase 1: in each association, a plan to:
for every woman
1. Increase mission impact
2. Increase internal capacity to implement
mission
3. Increase financial vitality
4. Strengthen internal alignment
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Which will give us:
for every woman
• More mission work and better mission work
• More money to support our mission work
• More sustainability for our mission work
• Tighter collective alignment to clearly push the
needle forward on mission work
YWCA USA known nationwide for success in
eliminating racism and empowering women
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