Drive a Senior Central Texas (dba Chariot)

OUR VISION
Every senior in central Texas will have access to transportation, enabling them to age in place and
enrich their quality of life.
OUR MISSION
Chariot enriches lives and communities by providing transportation and
socialization to non-driving seniors, helping them to age in place.
OVERARCHING GOAL:
By 2024, Chariot will be a recognized leader in senior transportation services in Austin and surrounding rural
communities, providing over 30,000 rides annually to more than 1,000 adults over 60, particularly in areas where there is a significant need.
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE:
Goal 1: Assess and optimize the organization’s People, Policies, and Processes to ensure sustainable,
scalable, and enhanced services.
Goal 2: Implement data and system integrations for increased operational and communication efficiencies.
Goal 3: Develop new and expand existing programs while centering on underserved seniors (minority, low
income, rural).
DEVELOPMENT:
Goal 1: Grow existing fundraising streams to support the increasing demand for transportation services.
Goal 2: . Create opportunities for new donor partnerships that transform senior transportation in Central Texas.
Goal 3: Explore and develop alternative revenue streams in order to have a diversified and sustainable organization.
BRAND AWARENESS & OUTREACH:
Goal 1: Generate greater awareness through clear branding in order to increase clients, community partners,
volunteers and funders.
Goal 2: Establish a volunteer recruitment, engagement and retention program to ensure we meet the rapidly
growing demand for our services.
Goal 3: Identify, establish and maintain key stakeholder relationships to become a recognized advocate and leader in the senior transportation services sector.

Guiding Principles to Reach Goals: Strong Board Governance. Strength through Diversity. Focus on Service Quality. Vigilant Financial Oversight.

Organizational Excellence Strategies:
Streamline processes of staff, policies and operations of three merged organizations into one, going to one number of 512-445-5552 and expanded office hours in 2020.
Update contact information of Mailchimp, Salesforce, Assisted Rides for clients, donors and volunteers to make communications more efficient.
Use organizational metrics and city information to reach seniors most at risk of not having basic needs met, ex. hard hit COVID areas of 78741,44, &47.
Development Strategies:
Increase reach to potential donors of online fundraising campaigns and focus on growth areas for support such as Dripping Springs, Elgin, South Austin.
Initiate Corporate Giving Campaign and develop relationships with new Foundation partners through education and volunteer opportunities.
Research and pursue new reimbursement opportunities such as ITN payment for eye appointments.
Outreach and Brand Awareness Strategies:
Research and Develop new branding such as logo and tag line.
Create a volunteer coordinator position and a plan for recruitment, training and retention.
Participate in important community efforts to plan for and create positive results for older adults who want to live independently in their own homes.

The combination of the three entities was to increase services across Greater Austin, with an emphasis on low income, rural and underserved areas. As Chariot we have already: eliminated client wait lists, increased volunteer drives, hired professional staff, and added Dripping Springs and Southeast Austin service areas. We are optimistic we will return to previous levels of service post-COVID and begin fulfilling our Strategic Plan to grow.
Chariot is forming strategic partnerships because the success of our mission and of aging in place in Greater Austin will only be achieved through thoughtful and well-coordinated efforts between a wide variety of partners.
The DAS Network dissolved and Chariot has taken on creating and managing the interactive website showing all volunteer senior transportation services.
Chariot is an active partner with other volunteer driving programs, Aging Service Council, One Voice Central Texas, and multiple private entities. Chariot is active with chambers: Elgin, Dripping Springs, South Austin and Westlake. We have established informal relationships with other unserved areas in the 5 Counties that have a strong interest in our transportation services.

In the last 4 years, Chariot has combined 3 Drive a Senior organizations and expanded its service area to include Dripping Springs and Elgin. The Board, with the support of St. David's Foundation, has hired professional staff in 2019 to scale our program efforts and reach more older adults. This included the hiring of an Executive Director to oversee all workings of the organization. Much progress was being made into the 1st quarter of 2020, including the formalization of the Elgin/DASCTX merger and development of new Strategic Goals that will take Chariot through 2024.
The global pandemic then hit and, since many of our clients have underlying health conditions in addition to being the most vulnerable population to the virus, our Board responded immediately. On March 12th, our COVID Response Plan included canceling group van rides and putting a hold on rides by 250 volunteers. We continue to drive clients by using paid staff with COVID-19 safety protocols to many essential appointments such as radiation, chemotherapy, infusions etc. and clients were immediately designated as High/Low risk. Volunteers continue to check in or run errands through a new Buddy program to make sure they all have groceries, prescriptions etc. Through mail, phone, email and video we continue to keep our clients abreast of COVID-19 information and the importance of sheltering at home.
Many of our volunteers are also most vulnerable to the virus and a survey revealed that ⅔ will wait to resume driving until a cure, vaccine or significant change in the pandemic occurs. We expect to supplement volunteer drivers with paid drivers to meet critical needs of our clients. No date has been set for resuming group van rides, but we hope to resume in early 2021.
We have a new campaign of Gearing up for the Road Ahead to reach individual, corporate and foundation donors. Helping seniors shelter in place while providing transportation to essential medical appointments has been our goal for the last 6 months and, as Texas reopens, we will help them resume their important trips for routine medical care and groceries.
In August, Our Board approved expanding into the full zip codes of 78741, 44, and 47, the hardest hit areas by the virus. We have utilized our paid drivers in these zip codes for essential medical rides and will continue to do so until volunteer drivers are ready to resume driving in these areas and more can be recruited.
As we work to serve more diverse communities, we have translated our client intake form to Spanish and have a Spanish speaking service coordinator to assist families.
We are now taking requests for medical visits, including vaccine appointments and plan to assist seniors in returning to routine care. We will also be providing rides for healthy food and other essential errands as seniors continue to shelter safely until the virus is under control.