A Resolute Plan

Where Possibilities Are Endless

Strategic planning is essential to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working towards common goals, and establish an alignment on the organization’s impact and results.

Els for Autism® leadership team embarked on the Five-year Strategic Plan journey in the first quarter of 2022. In advance of developing the Five-year Strategic Plan, an internal and external environmental scan was conducted to enable the plan to reflect pressing organizational needs and give a voice to key constituents vital to the Els for Autism organization. Included in this environmental scan were autism experts, board members, community officials, major donors, program participants, Foundation staff, The Learning Center staff, The Learning Academy staff, Els for Autism Golf Challenge participants, and sponsors. These key constituents provided the impetus for developing the Five-year Strategic Plan through their knowledge, observations, and insights shared.

Why develop a new Five-year Strategic Plan? The reason is simple – we serve the broad global autism community, and it is our organization’s responsibility to focus on transforming their lives, not just individuals impacted by autism but their families and caregivers as well.

This new, resolute strategic plan builds on an infrastructure thirteen years in the making. It is a plan defining new goals, and ensuring a positive, forward-thinking transformation, and it is our roadmap to becoming the global leader for a world that envisions limitless possibilities for individuals with autism and their families.

The Els for Autism global mission is to transform the lives of people with autism and those who care for them through lifetime services and collaborative partnerships. We will do this in partnership with our Els for Autism organizations in Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This ensures the Foundation’s impact on the global autism community will be significant.

Guiding Principles

WE RENEWED OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO BETTER ALIGN WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, OBSERVATIONS, AND INSIGHTS PROVIDED BY OUR KEY CONSTITUENCIES.

Mission

THE GLOBAL MISSION OF ELS FOR AUTISM IS TO TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH AUTISM AND THOSE WHO CARE FOR THEM THROUGH LIFETIME SERVICES AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS.

Vision

WE ENVISION A WORLD OF LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Values

TRUST / COLLABORATION / INTEGRITY / RESPECT EXCELLENCE / INNOVATION

Three Primary Impact Areas

A NEW SUPPORT MODEL AND VISION FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

ELS FOR AUTISM PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

EARLY INTERVENTION & EDUCATION SERVICES

RECREATION SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

Research Family Support Global Outreach

Research, Family Support, & Global Outreach services are threaded across our three impact areas and throughout the lifespan.