Family Tree, Inc.

Family Tree partners with all people to prevent and overcome the interconnected issues of child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness to promote safety, healing and stability across generations.

Family Tree STRATEGIC GOALS (2020-2022)

I. Deliver integrated, mission-driven and client-centered services that result in a positive impact on people in our community experiencing crisis, trauma and oppression.

II. Ensure the organizational culture embodies Family Tree’s mission, vision and values and our team includes people who are dedicated, diverse and highly-skilled.

III. Enhance and strengthen community awareness, engagement and advocacy to increase programmatic and financial success.

IV. Ensure a sustainable, responsive infrastructure and financial foundation to provide capacity for the organization to flourish and evolve.

These goals were derived to enhance our impact both internally as an organization, and also with the broader goal of focusing efforts on community transformation.

A major component of Family Tree’s strategic plan is to enhance our program evaluation capacity and approach. Family Tree implements a Continuous Improvement Practice (CIP) utilizing a variety of relevant, strong, and data- aligned tools and program evaluation practices, such as a Client Support Tool, a Client Feedback Survey, Post-exit surveys and a regular review of data dashboards. We also utilize evaluation data to develop individualized plans with each client to promote safety, healing and stability. These efforts were developed and completed with input from team members across the organization and validated with feedback from the people we serve. Progress is evaluated monthly, and program outcomes are reviewed quarterly by our Executive Team and Board of Directors.

Second, Family Tree has been deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization, the people we serve and our community. This commitment is integrated through Family Tree’s strategy and planning, promoted through daily operations, and guided by our employee-led Inclusiveness Committee.  Forty-three percent and of Family Tree team members and 25% of Board members identify as BIPOC. The Family Tree Board of Directors is heavily engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work. Board candidates who are passionate about the organization’s mission and impact, who have been engaged with Family Tree, and who identify as BIPOC have been, and continue to be, recruited to the Board of Directors. We hired Kim Desmond, Consultant and Partner, to provide training to our full team and board members, and to conduct assessments through surveys and SWOT analyses, leading to the development of an Equity Decision-Making tool and Equity Action Plan. The Equity Decision-Making Tool has questions that will guide our programmatic and business decisions to help us: 1) slow down and ensure we are considering decisions from an equity lens, 2) consider the potential benefits and burdens of the decision, and 3) interrupt our assumptions.

Finally, Family Tree is committed to competitively compensating our team members. We have developed salary ranges based on market data, including data from outside the nonprofit sector. By prioritizing use of data from all types of employers across the Denver metro region, we have implemented competitive increases to salary ranges, boosting the pay rates of our team members. The notable market adjustments we did in 2019 and 2021 (>$500K in base pay increases) as well as the Board’s designation of net assets for future investment in the organization and community, provides opportunities to recruit and retain a talented, diverse workforce and operate more efficiently through infrastructural improvements.

Strong Leadership: Over the past fiscal year and looking ahead, Family Tree’s commitment to strategic planning includes a dynamic document of strategic goals paired with ongoing planning. We have two planning teams: a) The Executive Team (ET), which consists of senior leadership and meets bi-monthly and, b) The Expanded Leadership Team (ELT), which includes program and administrative directors and meets monthly. In 2020, The ET worked with the Family Tree Board of Directors to update and finalize strategic goals, goal objectives and success measures where the updated strategic direction was then shared with the ELT to assure planning happens across the organization.

Diversified Funding: Family Tree is committed to continually diversifying and growing our restricted and unrestricted funding. In addition, to ensuring the financial health and vitality of the agency as a whole, the fund development plan prioritizes securing additional unrestricted revenue with a focus on increased giving from individuals, corporations, and foundations to further diversify and increase revenue while decreasing our reliance on governmental funding.

Strategic investments in Organization: At the end of fiscal year 20/21, Family Tree’s Board of Directors voted to establish a designated pool of funds for strategic investment in our team, infrastructure and capacity improvements for the organization. The Board’s designation of net assets for future investment in the organization and community provides opportunities to recruit and retain a talented, diverse workforce and operate more efficiently through infrastructure improvements.

Family Tree has recently implemented a series of Post-Exit Surveys (at 6, 12 and 24 months after engagement) in many of our programs. The post-exit survey assesses the extent to which outcomes have been reached and maintained after engagement with Family Tree, and includes how the clients perceive Family Tree contributed to these outcomes. Analysis of this data will help Family Tree better understand if the impact of our services is sustainable. Family Tree has committed funds from strategic investment funding pool to complete the next step in an integrated data platform.

Family Tree has been working intentionally to engage the voice, experience and leadership of clients in the design, implementation and continuous improvement processes for our programs. Family Tree programs are thoughtfully working to create new outreach strategies to engage clients, such as creating alumni advisory groups, partnering with organizations and leaders in communities and providing services in multiple languages. Because power imbalances and discrimination disproportionately impact BIPOC individuals, we utilize trauma-informed and collaborative approaches during outreach and initial engagement with clients.

Family Tree has recently adopted inclusive hiring practices, such as prioritizing “lived experience” as a qualification for some positions and incorporating equity principles into the job duties.

Family Tree implemented across the board permanent market-adjusted pay increases in July of 2021, approved by the Board, the second adjustment of its kind in just over two years.