COULEECAP INC

2022-2024 goals for Couleecap include:
1. While addressing the results of low-wage, low-benefit work, Couleecap builds programs to enable people to build wealth to reduce generational poverty.
2. Couleecap deliberately addresses structural barriers to mobility from poverty, giving particular attention to populations who are most highly impacted by poverty and are socially disadvantaged.
3. As a recognized leader with over 30 years of experience as a housing service provider, Couleecap will assist in collaborative efforts to become a ‘Functional Zero’ community.
4. Couleecap’s financial management plan is designed to enable investment in capacity building and innovation while providing security during unexpected events.
5. Couleecap’s business practices employ current industry standards for efficiency, oversight, and transparency.
6. Couleecap strives to employ an integrated service approach to enhance the client experience, improve efficiencies, and improve outcomes.
7. Couleecap is a place where all board members, employees, and volunteers can bring their best selves, experiences, and ideas because individuality is encouraged and valued.
8. Couleecap employees are highly engaged in their work, the success of the organization, and the community.

Couleecap's strategies to meet these goals include:
1. Expand permanently affordable and new housing projects; support successful homeownership.
2. Help people earn higher wages through education and workforce development initiatives.
3. Advance small business and entrepreneurship incubator projects.
4. Intentionally incorporate equity initiatives within agency programs, practices, and policies.
5. Leverage partnerships and community integration techniques to reduce barriers to address the unique needs of people experiencing food, housing, and energy inequities.
5. Lead alongside a coalition of providers to implement the Coulee Collaborative to End Homelessness Strategic Plan.
6. Build sustainable models for co-located and collaborative programming in service of people who are unsheltered or insecure in their housing.
7. Process improvement and agency efficiency.
8. Budget sustainability for post-COVID recovery, including revenue diversification and sound investment strategy.
9. High donor engagement and planned giving strategy.
10. Active capacity building.
11. Employ agency-wide standards for electronic record keeping, waste elimination, and continuous process improvement.
12. Achieve exceptional audit and monitoring results.
13. Produce effective risk mitigation and IT security standards.
14. Provide service, training, and technical assistance to other nonprofit agencies.
15. Create opportunities for multi-program intake, navigation, and employee cross training.
16. Develop recommendations for integrated program performance tracking throughout organization.
17. Increase client engagement with multiple programs and identify opportunities for customer relationship management.
18. The advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a normal part of training and culture.
19. Our team best reflects the community we serve.
20. We easily and successfully recruit top talent for all open positions.
21. Talent development is active through career laddering, leadership delegation, and training.
22. Employee engagement survey scores above 90% in all key areas; All employees participate in personal development.
23. Employees actively participate in decision making, events and activities, peer recognition, and client service.
24. Determine a mechanism to measure work capacity vs. workload and use in organizational planning.

Couleecap is well positioned to meet these goals. Couleecap's Management Team and other staff, along with our Board of Directors, are highly skilled in developing plans and initiatives to carry out strategies and activities to meet these goals. In addition, Couleecap has the reputation of fulfilling contract obligations. Contract goals and objectives are regularly met and exceeded. Auditors annually congratulate our staff for accuracy, cooperation, and compliance with contract regulations and accounting principles. No material weaknesses have been found in internal customer control structure and operation. Overall, the agency is well suited to operate complex and comprehensive programs to serve low- and moderate-income individuals and families.

Couleecap staff and Board are working on various strategies and activities to meet these goals including:
1. Building additional affordable housing in Prairie du Chien WI that will be sold to low- and moderate-income households to help them build wealth.
2. Increasing outreach efforts that target the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community to ensure they have access to programs and services that will help meet their needs.
3. Partnering with Social Responsibility Speaks and our Diversity & Inclusion Committee to ensure all staff feel valued, appreciated, safe, and respected.
4. Coordinating homeless and homeless prevention programs and services to ensure all people in our area are housed.
5. Opening a Tenant-Landlord Resource Office to provide information and advocacy to tenants and landlords in our area.
6. Developing a Downtown La Crosse Small Business Incubator space for low-moderate income entrepreneurs.
7. Implementing a new accounting system to improve efficiencies throughout our agency.
8. Continuing to offer an array of programs and services, such as housing, food, transportation, and more, to meet the needs of people in our area.

Couleecap staff and Board will work together on meeting these goals over the next three years, with a targeted completion date of December 31, 2024.