Strategic Plan 2018-2020

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia Strategic Plan 2018 | 2019 | 2020

Big Brother Ryan Brady and Little Brother Robert Matched 2.5 Years

Executive Summary Big Brothers Big Sisters has been providing mentoring services to kids for more than 60 years, and the quality of the match relationships is what sets us apart from other programs where mentoring is only a by-product. Because of this, we consistently have a waitlist of around 100 kids who want to be matched with a Big. The community engages our agency to help solve trending issues. In 2016, we formalized our relationship with Roanoke Police Department to form the Bigs in Blue program, which matches children and law enforcement officers in one-to-one mentoring relationships. This strategic plan focuses on building up quality and capacity to grow the program in order to serve more children who need our services. The intention of this strategic plan is to serve 525 children facing adversity in Southwest Virginia in high-quality, one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. The Strategic Plan prioritizes quality of programming as the foundation of our growth over the next 3 years. A focus on performance and metrics will allow us to track the impact we are making in the lives of the kids we serve. In order to solidify programmatic quality, the agency must ensure that Bigs, staff, and board members recieve training that empowers them to fulfill our mission in the most effective way possible. Each match must be supported by a financially stable agency that is committed to funding and sustaining match- es throughout their lifetime. The ultimate goal of this plan is to cement our reputation as the community’s premier mento- ring organization. We are in the business of creating impactful and meaningful relationships that make a difference. Our messaging and community relationships will equip our partners to act as advocates on behalf of the children we serve. Through this advocacy, we will have the highest quality Bigs and financial resources to best serve the kids who need us most.

Changing Perspectives. Changing Lives. For more than 60 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters live in single-parent and low-income families, or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”). Providing a system of ongoing evaluation and support, Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that Littles will perform better in school, avoid violence and illegal behaviors, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia served 415 children in 2016.

Vision For all children to achieve success in life.

Mission To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Accountability By partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers, and others in the community, we are accountable for each child in our program achieving:

- Higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships - Avoidance of risky behaviors - Educational success

Service Area We proudly serve children in Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, Botetourt County, Christiansburg, Blacksburg, Radford, and Pulaski County. Intentionality Statement While we are committed to meeting the needs of all children who need and want a mentor, it is crucial to focus intently on tailoring programming to the needs of specific groups or populations.

Strategic Framework The focus of the 2018-2020 Strategic Plan will focus on setting up the agency to provide the highest quality programming possible.We separate ourselves fromother mentoring organizations by standing behind our one-to-one model and supporting the length of the match with professional staff. In the next three years, we intend to strengthen our organization from within, resulting in better outcomes for the children we serve.

Premier Mentoring Organization

Financial Stability We will secure sufficient funding to support matches for as long as they choose to be together.

Training In order to provide quality programming, we will be committed to providing top-notch training to staff, board members, and volunteers.

Quality Programming The foundation of our program is the quality with which we serve children. We will focus on match retention and strength of relation- ship as the driving force of our strategic plan and company culture.

Big Sister Rebecca Waterfield and Little Sister Taylor Matched 6 Months

Our goal is to serve 525 children by 2020. 425 children in 2018 475 children in 2019 525 children in 2020

Key Initiative 1: Quality Big Brothers Big Sisters tracks metrics and outcomes for each Big/Little match in order to ensure that we are providing high-quality service. In the next three years, our goal is to tighten up our processes for tracking quality and consistently be placed in the top 15% of Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates across the nation. 12 Month Retention Rate Retention of matches for at least 12 months is essential to Big Brothers Big Sisters’ goal of positive outcomes for every youth served. High retention rate demonstrates a commitment to our mission to truly provide our youth who are facing adversity with the caring support of an adult in a stable, long-term relationship. The 12 Month Retention Rate measures the percentage of matches that last for 12 months or more each year. Goal for Community Based: 73.6% | Goal for Site Based: 52.3% Match Support Contacts Match Support contacts are key to effectively supporting matches. Match Support Specialists con- tact each Big, Little, and Parent in the program monthly in their first year of being matched and quarterly for each subsequent match year. Contacts must be conducted by professional staff and must be thorough, engaging, and on-time according to the agency’s schedule. The Match Support metric measures the percentage of match support contacts completed in one year. Goal: 90% of Match Support Contacts Completed Quality Assurance Ratings Each month, match files are pulled randomly and rated based on the quality with which profes- sional staff has served the match. Quality Assurance evaluates each file on the enrollment process, match support, and child safety measures. Staff members responsible for the match are rated on a 0-5 scale, 0 being unsatisfactory and 5 being exceptional, based on the results of their evaluation.

Goal: Annual Average of 4 or Higher

Key Initiative 2: Training and Development

Staff Training Our agency becomes stronger when we invest in the training of staff. Trending issues in youth development are constantly changing; it is our responsibil- ity to prioritize training above and beyond the initial Service Delivery Model education. The agency is also placing a strate- gic focus on empowering staff to take initiative in their own professional development. Goal 1 100% of staff members are BBBSA Program Certified by 2020.

Volunteer Training Bigs are our direct-service pro- viders; they spend time with their Littles and are truly the impact-makers. The expand- ed volunteer training program consists of these components: 1. Volunteer Pre-MatchWebinar 2. Child & Youth Development Webinar 3. Match Ethics, Safety, and Boundaries Webinar 4. Specialty training as needed Goal 1 70% of Bigs complete ex- panded volunteer training program in 2018. Goal 2 75% of Bigs complete ex- panded volunteer training program in 2019. Goal 3 80% of Bigs complete ex- panded volunteer training program in 2019.

Board Development A well-developed Board of Di- rectors will elevate our agency by connecting us to opportuni- ties and resources in the com- munity. Board Development will revolve around skill-based recruitment, programmatic training, and creating Board champions for BBBS programs and initiatives. Goal 1 Develop full Board Training and Develoment process by 2018. Goal 2 60% of Board of Directors complete training and de- velopment process in 2019. Goal 3 75% of Board of Directors complete training and de- velopment process in 2020.

Goal 2 Each staff member receives

an annual Personal Development Plan.

Goal 3 Agency CEO attends BBBSA national conference each year.

Key Initiative 3: Financial Stability

Culture of Philanthropy Under the guidance of the 2016-2018 Strategic Plan, the agency successfully addressed many issues regarding financial stability. This gave us the opportunity to create a cash reserve fund that led to se- curing significant pass-through funding from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Moving forward, we plan to continue working towards financial stability through an agency-wide culture of philanthropy. As an organization, we are shifting focus from “meeting the budget” to “funding our matches. ” The outcome of our financial stability is that we can support as many long-lasting mentoring relationships as possible. Raising consistent funds is a reflection of our ability to provide solid, sustainable mento- ring relationships to children facing adversity in Southwest Virginia. Our donors and supporters are partners with us in funding matches that make an impact in the community. Our goal over the next 3 years is to consistently fund the matches represented by the budgets below.

Revenue Foundations/Grants Individual Giving Events and Campaigns Total Expenses Personnel Program Services Resource Development General and Admin Total

2018 $454,460 $197,910 $80,630 $733,000 2018 $501,000 $107390 $36,650 $87,960 $733,000

2019 $471,200 $205,200 $83,600 $760,000 2019 $515,500 $115,300 $38,000 $91,200 $760,000

2020 $515,034 $224,289 $91,377 $830,700 2020 $576,500 $112,981 $41,535 $99,684 $830,700

Key Initiative 4: Premier Mentoring Organization What does it mean to be the Premier Mentoring Organization? It means that Big Brothers Big Sisters is seen as the expert in mentoring and youth development. Our quality programming, training, and financial stability create the foundation from which we shape our messaging and reputation in the community. Communication The Big Brothers Big Sisters service delivery model is complex; communcating it effectively can be a challenge. We will strategically develop clear messaging around every part of the BBBS business, from service delivery model to funding opportunities. Communicating accurate and engaging in- formation about the agency is essential to the community having a clear understanding of what we do and how we do it. Goal 1: 100% of Board and Staff are trained on branding and communications within 90 days of onboarding. Goal 2: 100% of communication tools are successfully in place. Community Relationships A second component of this initiative involves Big Brothers Big Sisters developing strong commu- nity relationships that reinforce our mission and commitment to one-to-one mentoring. We will be more effective in spreading our message through strong, beneficial relationships with key orga- nizations, influencers, and institutions. As a result, we will better serve children facing adversity in Southwest Virginia. Advocacy Each year, we have more than 1,000 individuals who interact with our agency. Whether they are staff, volunteers, Bigs, Littles, parents, board members, donors, or event attendees, our goal is for each individual to be prepared to advocate on behalf of our program. Consistent communication and stewarding relationships will create an army of advocates who care deeply about our mentor- ing program and the children we serve. Goal: Identify and cultivate 3 strong partnerships that empower our mission. Goal 1: 80% of program participants (Bigs, Littles, Parents, event volunteers, etc.) are trained to be advocates. Goal 2: 100% of Board Members actively advocate for our agency.

Big Sister Paulina Grant and Little Sister Olivia Matched 1 Year

Roanoke Community Based Mentoring Program

Bigs and Littles are matched in a one-to-one relationship and see each other at least every other week for at least one year for an outing in the community. The time, place, and activity are mutually agreed upon between the Big and the family. The activities might include going to the park, playing basketball, visiting the library, baking cookies, or just spending time talking together. Through these activities, Bigs and Littles spend time together and create a relationship based on trust. Resources Needed for Strategic Growth

2018 $306,930 169 $1,816

2019 $307,500 196 $1,568

2020 $351,070 228 $1,539