Implementing the Impact Business Model

Capital Area United Way 700 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (225) 383-2643 CAUW.org Capital Area United Way “Implementing the Impact Business Model” Prepared by: Darrin Goss, Sr. President and CEO Purpose: The purpose of this White Paper is to describe the steps necessary to fully implement the Capital Area United Way (CAUW) Community Impact Business Model.

Background and Summary: Over the past eight years, Capital Area United Way has been in the process of moving to the United Way Worldwide Community Impact Business Model. While this process began in earnest in 2005 with the movement from core agency funding to program-based funding, CAUW has struggled with fully implementing the more holistic approach to addressing and measuring the root causes of the Capital Region’s most pressing social issues. In that same time period, a depressed economy coupled with two natural disasters (Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac), have created challenges for the organization in its ability to maintain consistent funding levels through the traditional workplace campaign. Campaign revenues are down 23.65% since 2005. This downward trend has impacted the full implementation of Community Impact.

Community Impact: One of the hallmarks of the Community Impact Business Model is that it provides opportunities for the United Way to raise resources for its community work above and beyond the traditional workforce campaign, while at the same time strengthening the United Way’s ability to make a compelling case for support to workplace donors by leveraging their time (volunteer opportunities) talent (service on boards and committees), and treasure (financial donations).

The Community Impact Business Model requires United Ways and the communities they serve to take a strategic perspective on the needs of their communities and then develop the appropriate strategies, mobilize the necessary resources, implement strategies, programs, and initiatives to respond to those needs, and report the results. Results are then used to improve service delivery, understand service gaps, identify potential policy-related issues, and identify promising solutions that can be brought to scale.

Community Impact is intended to be a collective process rather than an isolated attempt at community change. Capital Area United Way cannot do this work alone and requires partnership and collaboration from all of its community partners (funded and non-funded agencies), corporate partners, local foundations, Parish, City, and State Government, the faith-based community, elected officials and most importantly the input, perspectives, and cooperation of recipients of services.

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Capital Area United Way – Page 2 Implementing the Impact Business Model Communities that have demonstrated great success at implementing the Community Impact Business Model have done so through a lens of Collective Impact. Collective Impact is the framework that suggests that long-term and sustainable community change happens when five conditions are in place: (1) common agenda; (2) mutually reinforcing activities; (3) common metrics; (4) continuous communication; and (5) the presence of a backbone support organization. In the areas of Education, Income, and Health, Capital Area United Way believes it will play a critical role in moving the needle for children, youth and family as it fully implements the Community Impact Business Model.

What does this mean for CAUW? Throughout this process, CAUW will be able to: a. identify its unique role in the Capital Area; differentiate it from other nonprofit direct service agencies as well as private and corporate foundations; b. take a long-term and strategic view of “what success looks like for clients� in the areas of Education, Income, and Health and clearly identify its funding priorities and role in making progress. Roles might include: funder, convener, thought-leader, or collaborative manager; and c. align its investments with strategies, programs, and initiatives that are responsive to community needs (client-level results) and demonstrate evidence-based results.

Successful implementation of the Community Impact Business Model: CAUW is committed to the implementation of Community Impact. This is not a direction that is taken lightly or can be done in a matter of days. It will be an incremental process engaging all levels of the community along the way. In order to successfully transition to Community Impact, CAUW must: a. take the time to build consensus, support, and credibility for a new role in the Capital Area for CAUW that involves both funding programs and initiatives as well as leadership in convening (includes thought-leadership, collaborative leadership, and collaborative funding) and leading our community in making progress in the areas of Education, Income, and Health; and b. take the time to bring the community along by working with community partners, corporate and private foundations, elected officials, and public agencies in creating community roadmaps. These documents will act as the investment plan for CAUW and will be available as a useful tool for others who want to invest in community solutions.

A working plan: In order to have the time and capacity to successfully fulfill our current work through Program Investment funding as we move toward our longer-term vision of community impact, Capital Area United Way has created a two-year working plan. Following this plan, CAUW will execute a number of items, including the following: a. CAUW will stabilize funding for our current 47 Community Partner agencies and programs committing to stability of funding over the next two fiscal years: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. This means that agencies will not have to submit a full application for funding evaluated on a zero-based funding perspective, but instead will submit an

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Capital Area United Way – Page 3 Implementing the Impact Business Model update and report results allowing for evaluation of progress and successful stewardship of donor dollars. a. As campaign revenue increases, CAUW and its community volunteers are committed to the distribution of additional dollars raised to advance the work of Community Impact. Allocation of additional funding will be based on increased campaign revenue in the 2013 and 2014 community campaigns and will be allocated to current programs with performance results that are exceeding CAUW expectations, and to targeted community investments based on community need and alignment with CAUW as recommended by the Community Investment Cabinet. b. Community Roadmaps will be created for each of the 10 parishes in Capital Area United Way’s service area; this effort will be the focus over the next two years and will ultimately drive the work of Community Investment. These Roadmaps will provide the platform by which CAUW will focus its financial investments as well as its leadership in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. Roadmaps will be built by a cross section of community stakeholders including United Way partner agencies, other nonprofit providers, school districts, experts from the field of Education, Income, and Health, and clients of services. a. All Roadmaps will identify the specific needs in Education, Income, and Health as well as agreed upon strategies and metrics from stakeholders. b. Current United Way community partners (funded agencies) will help in the identification and creation of strategies and metrics to best determine client-level success. c. CAUW will work with other foundations, parish governments, corporate leaders, and other stakeholders to complete the Community Roadmaps. c. Implementation of the Community Roadmaps will begin in the summer of 2016 with the announcement of CAUW program investments and those agencies and programs that will begin executing client-level strategies for improvement in the lives of children, youth, individuals, and families in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. a. CAUW’s current focus on early education will continue over this period of time with full implementation of the Help Me Grow program as well as advancing the work of the Early Development Instrument. b. Systems-level initiatives and strategies will be determined as a part of the Roadmap creation process; these are strategies and initiatives that CAUW may lead and/or provide a supporting role in carrying out. c. Broad and bold community goals in Education, Income, and Health will be identified during this process on which CAUW and its community partners will make progress over a 5 to 10 year period of time.

It is the hope of CAUW that these Community Roadmaps will be created, vetted and embraced by all individuals and families in the Greater Baton Rouge community. It is only with the support and commitment of the community at large that we will collectively be able to stabilize individuals and families, strengthen our community, and create a vibrant place where everyone is successful regardless of zip code, gender, age or ability. We hope that you will join us in this endeavor.

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