HELPING WOMEN PERIOD INC

To develop a larger and more diverse board for the organization to enhance our resources, gain
areas of expertise, establish more divergent thinking, and provide a broader outreach.

Within 9 months, research and implement operational tools to support HWP. These tools will be used to maintain relationships/communication with donors, assist in the coordination and organization of volunteers, and provided communication support to the charities served by Helping Women Period. This is considered a quick action item based on need.

Develop long term and consistent funding resources to support the sustainability of the organization and continue to expand and educate the clients that are served.

Ascertain space for housing Helping Women Period which would include a common place to house product and conduct operations. A place to collaborate, communicate, educate the public through presentations, provide a space for volunteers to congregate to enhance productivity of the organization and to house the necessary staff to support the operations of the organization.

Explore the staffing needs of the organization to share the responsibilities of the current tasks which are conducted by the board members, allow for expansion of the organization, avoid burnout of individual members of the organization and allow areas of expertise to be fully utilized and deepened.

Updated 2017 and in full revision in 2021 for the next 5 years.

Board Development: As a newly formed organization in 2015, HWP focused on creating a working board, developing board guidelines and resources and ensuring strong connections to other community partner organizations.

Organizational Relevance and Efficiency: Annually assess the regional nonprofit landscape to ensure that HWP is providing a relevant service and one that is not provided by other groups. Remain open to mergers and/or becoming a program of a larger nonprofit by leading with integrity and awareness. Implement donor and volunteer tools that support community engagement, equitable access to services and transparency for reporting and accountability. Assess inventory management tools to track stock and distributions, potentially working with tech partners/student tech groups to develop an appropriate app.

Professional and Board Development: Working through regional, state and national partners, forge or expand relationships including municipalities and foundations, creating networks of funding and community partners.

Assess Organizational Growth + Future Needs: Determine if HWP will need a physical space, what requirements are critical to current operations and potential growth keeping in mind that the next leap for the organization may be to either merge into a larger nonprofit or to merge with a smaller organization. Continue to develop relationships with medium and large donors to create a culture of giving and investment in the region while also working on policy matters directly tied to the mission and goal of ending period poverty.

Board Development: HWP continues to attract enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers, creating a pipeline of future board members with lived and/or professional experience in this space. Due to the regular volunteer opportunities created by HWP, there are hundreds of local volunteers who are invested in the organization's success and who are part of the individual donor community.

Organizational Relevance and Efficiency: HWP continues to meet regularly with local nonprofits through the Continuum of Care (HUD's local hub for service coordination and thus far are planning to continue as a stand-alone nonprofit organization.

Professional and Board Development: Perhaps our most challenging goal is securing enough funding to pay for staff time sufficient to carry out the mission work of HWP. We have been awarded some grant funds from local municipalities and foundations but the next leap requires an expensive annual audit which would not guarantee more grant funding but is required for most funders. Many of our founding board members have also cycled off and we are actively recruiting new board members, but this also takes staff time to recruit, vet, onboard and train.

Assess Organizational Growth + Future Needs: We will need to secure investment for capacity building in order to meet our goals.

Board Development: We are on Board 2.0 which is both exciting and nerve wracking. Recruiting, vetting, onboarding, training and supporting new board members takes time and with COVID-19, it has not be the top priority for the organization. We have a small board but need to add 2 - 3 more members for full functionality in 2022.

Organizational Relevance and Efficiency: HWP continues to be a vital part of the umbrella of services on offer in the region and we have "spun off" three affiliate groups (Chicago, Grand Rapids, Detroit). While we are open to merger/alignment, this is not an immediate opportunity. We have implemented Little Green Light and developed an app with a local tech group to manage our inventory and to streamline the ordering process for community partners.

Professional and Board Development: HWP now receives a number of annual grants from municipalities, foundations and corporate partners including significant in-kind contributions of hygiene supplies. Our next leap will be to complete a financial audit in order to "level up" for other funding opportunities.

Assess Organizational Growth + Future Needs: HWP secured a large, secured storage facility and made the decision to operate virtually for admin/fundraising and in the community for distribution events. Given the ongoing pandemic and the restrictions on gatherings in 2020 and into 2021, this was a strong move on our part.