September 2015
AN UPDATE FROM YOUR BOARD CHAIR & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear CASA/LA Community,
Happy New Fiscal Year and special thanks for your contribution to our strong results in the year just completed! This twofold message is about our short-term focus on serving 1,000 children and youth this fiscal year, and our longer term goal of serving 3,000 children per year.
Our immediate goal is for CASA/LA to serve 1,000 children by June of 2016.
Reaching this goal is an essential step for our organization to take its place among the top 5 CASA programs nationwide. We are committed to growing the impact of CASA in Los Angeles where over 30,000 children—the largest foster care population in the country—need and deserve a high performing CASA program to provide more advocates.
During this new fiscal year, we will continue our commitment to train staff and peer coordinators in the coaching approach to volunteer management. We are grateful to our current group of almost 30 peer coordinators who are working with us to build the capacity to support larger numbers of volunteers. Together we are blazing trails and seeking solutions to our geographically unique challenges. Success is in our hands and up to us.
As an investment in our organizational vision to annually serve 3,000 children and beyond, last fiscal year we convened the Strategic Direction Task Force, with members representing our key stakeholder groups, to carve the path by which CASA will achieve sustainable growth over the next five years. On September 8, after intense research, discussion and review, our Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the Task Force’s final recommendations.
As an immediate next step, our Board has formed a Strategic Planning Team to develop the specific and definitive five year growth plan for moving forward towards advocating for 3,000 children every year. Once ready, this draft plan will be shared broadly with our community for input, consideration and support.
While our long range vision is in the works, we must continue to focus on our annual goals. Almost 500 CASAs advocated for over 860 children in FY2015. Reaching the full 1,000 by next June will require engaging many more future advocates and donors by offering a volunteer experience like no other.
We greatly appreciate your dedication in taking CASA of Los Angeles to its full potential serving vulnerable children and families in our community. Let us continue together our march to serve more of our kids!
Sincerely,
James M. Rishwain, Jr.
Board Chair
Dilys Tosteson Garcia
Executive Director
We believe that every child deserves a champion and the opportunity to thrive. Given the large – in both quantity and quality – unmet advocacy need of the children entering care in Los Angeles County, who deserve a top-performing CASA program, we formally commit to…
- Serving at least 10% of the foster care population in LA County, or 3,000 children annually with dedicated volunteer advocates, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs).
- Fully leverage volunteer engagement in a variety of roles to support more rapid service level growth with the activation and support of larger numbers of volunteer advocates.
- Drive expansion of volunteers serving as Peer Coordinators, allowing for cost effective expansion to support of larger numbers of volunteer advocates.
- Develop a culture of continuous improvement with;
o Training for staff and volunteers around all roles contributing to supporting a larger cadre of advocates,
o Improvements in case management support,
o Rigorous review and reflection on progress in individual advocacy plans, making adjustments rooted in an increasingly evidence based practice.
o Using technology and communications tools to expand and facilitate access to training and resource information.
- Apply ideas from experience of other programs committed to growing service levels, pilot-test-innovate.
- Build community engagement – connect and build relationships with existing and prospective donors and volunteers – supporting a more impactful and robust CASA program in LA County, devoted to moving swiftly towards more children served,
- Raise the $8-10MM needed annually to effectively and efficiently serve 3,000+ children/year at an effective and efficient annual cost per child of $3,000 or less.
- Develop detailed operational plans mapping out the best pathways for reaching this higher level of service to children and families (the “how”).
- Lean in to learning how to get there.
Special Thanks to Strategic Direction Task Force Participants!
- Jim Rishwain, board chair
- Anneli Stone, former board secretary
- Ed Nahmias, board treasurer
- Jeremy Davies, board member
- Steve Carlston, board member
- Allyson Pfeifer, board member
- Frances Ridlehoover, board member
- Dilys Garcia, executive director
- Sylvia LaMalfa, deputy director
- Lynne Gabriel, volunteer services director
- Camrin Christensen, volunteer recruitment and outreach director
- Lesley Bois, regional director, Antelope Valley
- Louise Bieschke, senior program coordinator
- Rosa Arevalo, senior program coordinator
- Jan Miller, CASA, 21 years
- Harriet Zaretsky, CASA, 19 years
- Robert Smith, CASA, 17 years
- Bruce Herron, CASA 10 years, former board chair
- Nina McCullaugh, CASA, 6 years
- Rosemary Hutton, CASA, 4 years
- Elois McGehee, CASA, 3 years
- Vince Schodolski, CASA, 2 years
- Erika White, CASA, 1 year
- John Ott, Center for Collective Wisdom, facilitator
Strategic Plan Timeline
June 2015
Strategic Direction Task Force (SDTF) completes recommendations after 8 work sessions between Nov 2014 and June 2015.
July 20
Strategic Direction Task Force Presents Recommendations to Board Executive Committee.
September 8
Board Chair presents Strategic Directions Task Force Recommendations to full Board; Board formally accepts the recommended direction and appoints a Strategic Planning Team for the next phase of detailed growth planning.
September/October
Strategic Planning Team preparing draft growth plan for review of Advisory Circle and Board Executive Committee.
November 2
Preliminary draft Strategic Plan to be presented for Board review, input, and discussion.
November/December
Draft Strategic Plan to be presented at CASA stakeholder meetings for input and discussion.
January 2016
Strategic Planning Team to finalize Five Year Strategic Plan for Board consideration and adoption, taking into account stakeholder input gathered Nov-Jan.
February 2
Board to review and adopt final Plan for implementation to begin in FY2017.