Child Crisis Arizona

Child Crisis Arizona has recently developed a Board-approved Strategic and Operational Plan. The plan outlines goals set during merger process and CEO recruitment for the following multi-year strategic initiatives: 1) Create & Define Agency, 2) Organizational Culture, 3) Earned Revenue & Fundraising, and 4) Marketing Communications & Advocacy. Poised to grow our presence, we created and invested in a position dedicated to elevating the organization's strategic efforts. While employing Chief Strategy Officers has been common practice for years in the corporate world, it has only recently been adopted by nonprofits. Working in close concert with the CEO, the Strategic Initiatives Director is future-oriented, maintaining laser-focus on increasing the number, breadth, and strength of our own and collaborative efforts.

On April 1, 2015, Crisis Nursery (Phoenix) and the Child Crisis Center (Mesa) officially merged, bringing together 71 years of combined experience in providing crisis services to vulnerable children and strengthening families in Central Arizona. Both agencies shared a culture focused on proven outcomes, a passion to protect Arizona's most vulnerable children from abuse and neglect, and a desire to help build strong families. We are now Child Crisis Arizona. The merger of two solidly-grounded organizations creates a positive financial outlook now and into the future. Both founding organizations were debt-free and donations have remained steady. Prior to merger, the average agency Administration and Fundraising cost was 21% of total budget. Now, Child Crisis Arizona's overhead cost is 19% of budget — a reduction of 2% in less than one year. Funds saved through operational efficiencies are invested in direct service expenditures. For more than 30 years, we have successfully met budgetary needs for high-quality services through philanthropic support. Child Crisis Arizona practices a balanced fund development plan consisting of individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, an active volunteer program, and well-established special events. We are confident in our ability to continue to raise the needed funds to maintain and grow vital community services.<br/><br/>In addition to our agency's independent capacity and strengths, we are deliberately investing in strategic growth with partnerships and cross-agency collaborations. These partnerships will expand the depth of services and resources we can offer low-income, families in, or on the verge of, crises. Each organization's programs serve as potential entry points for families in crisis and can open the door to finding the help they need.

Tracking Investment in Strategic Growth: The effectiveness of the Strategic Initiatives Director will be tracked by the number and depth of partnerships Child Crisis Arizona develops. Additionally, tracking how clients come to find our programs will be indicative of how our reach is expanding throughout Maricopa County.<br/><br/>Tracking Expansion of Community-Based Education Model: Taking our parenting education classes out into the community means we expect to serve a more geographically-diverse population. We can track this success by comparing the concentration of clients we serve in each Maricopa County zip code. Additionally, the curricula we use for our classes has evaluative criteria, often taking the form of pre- and post-surveys. We use the results of these evaluations to measure success of our education classes.<br/><br/>Tracking Foster Care & Adoption Recruitment: The success of the Child Crisis Arizona Foster Care & Adoption Program is determined by the number of homes licensed or certified, the number of children placed in those homes, satisfactory reports from our foster/adoptive parents, and through the regular monitoring and evaluation of those placements by qualified professionals. We also aim to continue experiencing a disruption rate of less than the national average.

Child Crisis Arizona has achieved the following: • Distinguished Service Award for Direct Service/Advocacy from the Arizona Attorney General Office of Victim Services – Awarded April 2020 • All Children – All Families Leader in Supporting and Serving LGBTQ Youth and Families Seal of Recognition – Awarded 2018 and renewed in 2019 by the Human Rights Campaign. • Five-Star Rating of the Phoenix Early Education Center (Early Head Start and Preschool) conferred by Quality First/First Things First, 2013 and continually renewed. The Mesa Early Education Center received a 5-Star rating in 2019, the first year of its participation. This places the Early Education Services Program in the top tier of early childhood education programs in Arizona. • Blue Ribbon Affiliate, awarded by Parents as Teachers, in recognition of the high quality of the Home Visitation Program and its fidelity to the Parents as Teachers model. Awarded October 11, 2017 and valid through September 30, 2022. • Losos Prize for Excellence Award in 2013 recognizing creative initiatives that realize the Parents as Teachers vision for the Home Visitation Program. • Commitment to Transparency seal awarded by Intelligent Philanthropy, 2016 – renewed 2017 • Charity Navigator, 4-Star Rating (the highest possible) – renewed 2018 for 4th consecutive year. • GuideStar Nonprofit Profile, Platinum seal of transparency renewed 2020