DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ST LOUIS

The DSAGSL has three goals with our current strategic plan: 1) Know and Understand our Members; 2) Create a Roadmap for Excellence; 3) Advance Racial Equity in the DSAGSL Community.

1. Goal: Know our Members and Partners
Objective 1. A. by mid-2022 have defined all services, and contact types and mapped 100% of families in database.
Objective 1.B By the fourth quarter of 2022, have identified and prioritized data needs and how to accurately collect this information.
Objective 1.C By the fourth quarter of 2022, have updated 90% of family records in the database and have a system for accurate data collection
Objective 1.D By the end of 2023, have designed, deployed, and analyzed a comprehensive needs assessment for the Ds community to inform future decision making and set programmatic priorities.

2. Goal: Create a Roadmap for Excellence
Objective 2.A. By the end of 2023, have developed logic models for programs and communications as well as a strategy screen to ensure programs meet desired outcomes.
Objective 2.B. By the end of 2023, have established and implemented a communication plan to enhance brand and articulate key messages to specific constituencies.
Objective 2.C. By the end of 2023, have created and implemented a resource development plan to grow and diversify revenue.
Objective 2.D. By the end of 2023, have created indicators for operational excellence as well as documented policies, practices, and processes.
Objective 2.E. By the end of 2023, identify needs in staff, board, and volunteers, and develop a plan to attract and retain qualified individuals for these positions.

3. Goal: Advance Racial Equity in the DSAGSL Community
Objective 3.A. By mid-2022, have collected and disaggregated 80% of data pertaining to race and ethnicity among DSAGSL family members.
Objective 3.B. By the end of 2021, have conducted internal assessment of all organizational policies and procedures as they relate to racial equity and evaluate annually.
Objective 3.C. By the end of 2023, have increased touchpoints between communities of color and the DSAGSL by 50%

- Create strong committees in order to conduct the activities to reach objectives and goals
- Assess database needs and convert to a new CRM database for membership demographic / donation collection
- Conduct a DSAGSL census to gather updated demographic data on members
- Disaggregate data and assess gaps
- Review and revised DSAGSL policies and procedures and update as necessary
- Assess ROI of DSAGSL fundraising strategies and assess gaps in revenue generation
- Create a new development plan
- Conduct a brand analysis of DSAGSL brand
- Create new options for DSAGSL branding. Test. Implement new communications strategies.
- Conduct member program satisfaction survey and subsequent focus groups.
- Assess data from these surveys and focus groups and develop recommendations to the board.
- Work with an outside firm to conduct a salary and benefits analysis. Make recommendations to the board for compensation parity.
- Develop an African American community group and Latinx community group and hold activities accordingly to increase touchpoints with these communities.
- Develop relationship with translation services and ensure translation of materials as necessary and a page on our website is translated into Spanish.
- Hold Board retreat to review all data and make plans for future strategic planning

Our organization has a growing budget that allows us to pursue new opportunities each year. We have a highly professional staff that is innovative and forward-thinking, and has a mix of parents, siblings and friends of individuals with Down syndrome. In partnership with a diverse, visionary Board, we are creating lofty goals and bringing new partners into the fold to help us achieve our vision of helping individuals with Down syndrome achieve their full potential.

As members of Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (DSAIA), GLOBAL Down Syndrome Foundation, National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), we are plugged into national trends and a network of colleagues that allow us to measure our program quality on a regular basis. We also constantly and actively seek out community partners in St. Louis that care about people with disabilities and help us to expand our ability to serve the population.

DSAGSL is the only organization in the St. Louis region solely dedicated to serving individuals with Down syndrome from birth to end of life and we are the most comprehensive source of information about Down syndrome in the region as well.

Over the past three years, even through a pandemic, we have continued to increase our budget and raise more funds through special events, new local grants, and United Way Funding. We are developing and pursuing new strategic funding partnerships in order to diversify funding. We have also moved yet again to an even larger space in order to serve more families, more effectively. We have hired three new staff and have grown programs by nearly 100%

In August, 2022 the board assessed all of the data collection from our strategic plan and made the decision to invest in three new staff which will help us continue to raise diverse funds, and to serve members who have been traditionally underserved (geographically and culturally).

Finally, in the last year alone, DSAGSL has won two major awards - the Better Business Bureau TORCH Award for Ethics and the St. Louis Headliner Award - Top 3 best nonprofits in the region. We have staff that present at annual conferences annually and have staff that serve on boards and committees on both a local and national scale.