CATHOLIC CHARITIES INC

Catholic Charities strives to be an agency that is known as an expert in the field of human services by providing compassionate care and respected as an effective relationship builder.

Recently we held a 2-day forum with key agency employees and directors of local agencies. A specialist was brought in to facilitate our meeting to lay the ground work for a comprehensive Strategic Plan. Director of Strategic Planning, our Leadership Team is putting a Strategic Plan in place for the agency. Our goals are:

1. Provide a comprehensive response to the needs of people who are under-served in our 11 counties.
2. Act as The Coordinating agency to manage the collective impact.
3. Provide services to people who fall through the gaps.
4. Diversify funds to increase organizational support.
5. Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization to better serve the community.

As related to the 5 goals listed previously:
1. Increase the number of proposals written for continuum of care and the number of county services by assessing our current programs, assess and prioritize gaps, research funding opportunities and determine funding sources for each county, expand current services.
2. Increase the number of meetings with providers and funders, the number of lead agency proposals, and the number of new partnerships by proactively meeting with identified partners; write and submit for funding that creates partnerships; build ongoing partnerships based on needs of county.
3. Increase the number of new programs focused on decreasing racial disparity and the number of new services to address unmet needs by using existing reports and data by United Way counties, Race to Equity, heat maps; develop external relationships with diverse agencies; create diversity coordinator position.
4. Increase the number of donors; increase the dollars raised from events, grant writing, private pay by asking board and staff for leads, evaluate donor efforts, restructure events, add events, more grant writing, evaluate private pay funds.
5. Increase racial diversity of staff, increase training hours, reduce paper use by evaluating current hiring practices, participate in job fairs; reduce paper use by working with internal and external experts, identify where technology can replace paper, identify local resources to assist with transitions.

Our Director of Strategic Planning, Leadership Team and their key staff are assigned sections of the Strategic Plan to complete by a given deadline. Regular meetings are held to make sure everyone is on task.

With a professional staff force of nearly 400, over 1,000 volunteers, strong relationships with other agencies and community leaders, we have a large network to assist us in accomplishing our goals.

At the time of this entry we are in the process of completing our goals. We have completed any analysis/evaluation that needed to be done and are at the point of implementing the real changes that are needed.

New positions have been created and hired for, such as a dedicated grant writer; a new program called "Behavioral Health in Schools" has been established and others such as our "Building Bridges" program has been expanded to better serve their communities.

Catholic Charities has joined the local Latino Chamber of Commerce and more efforts are being made to advertise hiring positions and general promotional ads in publications and websites to reach racially diverse populations. Also participating in multicultural health fairs.

Paperless technology is being used for time reporting - where available and updated equipment used to scan documents, rather than making copies, where acceptable (in compliance with confidentiality procedures).

We continue to diversify our workforce, expand programs, and collaborate with community leaders.