Fund Development Committee - White Paper

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January 5, 2010

ACS

This is a difficult document to write.

And it will, most likely be, a difficult document to read and absorb.

But it is an important document at an important time. And, so therefore, we ask that you open

your mind to the information and perspectives offered here. Not that you have to agree

wholesale. Or buy into all the conclusions or concepts. As a board member, and as one

tasked with the responsibility to help not only steer ACS during your tenure on the board, but

also to create a viable future for the organization and the community in which we serve, it is

important that we take an assessment of where we stand. And what we may well be facing incoming years and, perhaps, in the coming decade and then some.

This document is written primarily from the perspective of the Fund Development Committee

and its mission, yet will naturally touch on many aspects of ACS as a whole. From

membership services, to communications, to community engagement, our value proposition

and mission, marketing, education and staffing needs.

ACS has, as we all know, a long history of goodwill, good work and good relations with its

member organizations, key influencers and the community at large. This has been true for 40

years. ACS has grown with the population growth and changing needs of Howard County in

the past 40 years and has adapted to serve its member organizations and provide value. All

of this is true.

And, yet, it’s not enough to go forward.

Even more so, the organization is endangered if the board and staff believe that this rich and

well-earned history and goodwill is enough to carry us through difficult times and into a

changing and dynamic future. A future in which many signs point to a need for ACS to bestronger, more capable and more connected and relevant to its member organizations and

the community at large than ever before.

In order to become that organization, able to support its community by supporting its

members in a relevant and valuable way, a most honest and reflective confronting of reality is

needed.



The first and most important aspect in confronting reality is that the dominant perception of

our organization in the community is that ACS is a valuable but not essential organization.

This perception undeniably affects our revenue in that we rely heavily on membership dues,

and if we are perceived as valuable but not essential, then when our member organizations

need to trim their own budgets, ACS membership is an easy item to cut.

The second most important aspect in confronting reality is that we can become not only more

valuable but absolutely essential to member organizations, key influencers, the local media,

organizations’ clients, service providers and community members.

The third most important aspect of confronting reality is that we probably cannot do it with our

composition current board and current staff. No changes need to be made today. But, if we

choose as an organization to become more valuable and absolutely essential, it is most likely

that a scan of the board and staff three years from now will look significantly different.

These are the most painful, the most true and -- perhaps -- the most encouraging. We are

perceived as essential, we can become essential and we can start today, and we’re going to

have to make changes in who WE are as an organization.

Here are some other points to ponder when confronting reality.

Mid-life crisis

As a 40-year old organization, we are at a natural point of renewal and regeneration. The

core “city” of Howard County is facing similar challenges. Not to advocate for one vision or

another of what Columbia should become, but more to point to the phenomenon that it is

natural for an organization, place and -- especially -- person to have to face who they are in

their early 40s. The gift of the mid-life crisis is to be able to look upon a past and decide what

has been valuable, to look upon the present and confront reality about exactly where you

stand now, and to decide into the last half of life who you want to be. Inside of that question

it is important to answer what you want to take from your past, what you want to discard and

what you need to gain/get/become in order to live the second half of your life as you want.

This is a natural cycle and ACS is in such a mid-life crisis at this point in time.

Deep cultural shifts

The cultural shift that is occurring at this point is more significant and impactful on power

structures, information sharing, alliances and values than most people are able to currently

grasp. The thinking, style and methods of successful collaboration and organizational

effectiveness that worked from the mid-80s to the mid 00s is losing steam. New cultural



preferences, communication styles, approaches to information sharing and alliances are

emerging. These are not personality issues. These are cultural changes that are becoming

more predominant and are likely to cycle up and become the status quo within three years

and to stay as such for another 10-12 years after that. ACS is woefully in need of an image

make-over. Our nice but not essential (or relevant to the times) vibe is communicated in our

marketing, communications and branding in a way that can no longer be ignored.

A new generation of leadership

Connected to both ACS’s 47-year tenure and the deep cultural shifts emerging is the obvious

and impacting effect of a new strata of organizational leaders, media, service providers and

key influencers in the community. Whether its Barbara Lawson leaving The Columbia

Foundation after XYZ years, or long-time advocate Susan Rosenbaum of Citizen Services

retiring, what’s obvious -- and part of the natural cycle -- is that relationships in which ACS has

earned its standing over many years of service and activity are disappearing. And the new

class of community leaders may, or may not, share a similar feeling of warmth and care for ACS. And while individual staff members and board members have reached out to new

executive directors and points of contact at a number of organizations this approach is not a

long-term solution for a near-term problem: ACS has much more to do in communicating our

value and essentialness to the community, the media and new organizational leaders.

Economic pressures

While it’s absolutely true that most, if not all, health-and-human-service provider

organizations in the county have seen their budgets decrease in the last 12 months or more, it

is hardly an excuse for our organization’s revenue to decrease. If anything our membership

should be soaring. But it can’t today. And it can’t now because the truth is we are a valuable

but not essential organization.

The myth of the recovery

Regardless of economic predictions by pundits and the general conversation among

neighbors, colleagues, financial advisors, blogs or wherever else you get your information,

the concept of an economic recovery is, for now, just a concept. It is not a guarantee. It is not

even likely. And it doesn’t have a certified, money-back promise to bail you out if it doesn’t

arrive by the date you’re hoping it does. If anything, it’s a myth. Vague talk of something that

might happen. Worse, it belies that the problems coming may be twice as worse. Or ten timesas worse in the coming decade. For ACS to create any plans -- or not to take action today --

based on assuming this “recovery” will occur anytime in the next decade is folly. If it does

occur, we’ll be all the better for it. But there won’t be much of an organization and ACS will

likely have lost even more “essentialness” if we act as though we our revenue will increase in

tandem with said recovery.



Increased community need

Whether we stay in an economic state of not-yet-recovered-ness or, and more likely, fall

deeper into financial system contractions, community need for human services in Howard

County is most likely going to rise in the next three years and continue to rise throughout the

decade. Concurrently, most of our member organizations are probably going to see

decreasing donations and contributions. Combine increased need with decreased operational

capacity, and “We’ve got a problem, Houston.” A big one. Worse, we have a significant

portion of our population for the most part that is not used to scraping by, making ends meet

and quelling their extravagances. So, there’s likely to be a heretofore unseen composition of

people coming through the doors of our county’s human service provider organizations. The

once-rather-well-to-do who are now trying to find their way in a new world order for which

they hadn’t planned, in addition to the more classic composition of clients seen by human

service providers in the past decade or so.

So what’s next?

Well, at one level the first next step is to check and see if the “confronting reality” points are,

indeed, real. Note, this is not an exercise in defending the organization with anecdotes of

how a particular politician praised us recently, or how a new ED was pleased to get to know

the staff at ACS, or how the education and training class had more attendees this month than

last month.

Leadership requires the ability to not only manage current resources, maximize staff, and

accomplish articulated goals but also to know the landscape and changing market conditions

to keep an organization nimble and able to respond to shifting dynamics. So look at the

“confronting reality” points not from a perspective of defense, but in your heart, deep down.

Be fearless, for we will need courageous leaders in the coming years.

OK, pulpit preaching aside. Let’s assume the confronting reality info -- even if not articulated

as you would state it yourself -- is real enough that it requires significant action. So, we’re

back to “What’s next?”

A starting point is to to take a nothing-is-sacred assessment of our current membershipofferings. Every single item that we list as a membership benefit needs to be placed in full

light for thorough inspection to see if its relevant. If it’s something we want to keep as a

benefit? To improve? To offer free to the community as a statement of ACS’s value to the

community Or to drop it all together.

Let’s take the member newsletter, for example.



Is it relevant?

Yes, to the extent that providing timely, relevant information is an important function.

Do we want to keep it as a benefit?

Eh, newsletters as private, members-only publications don’t offer much “value” and

specialness in an information-rich, websites, blogs, twitter streams, RSS feeds world. So,

no, it’s probably not a benefit we’d list as a benefit.

Is it something we want to improve?

Yes. We have an opportunity to completely flip how we treat the newsletter. To transition

it from a “member benefit” sent only to members into an entirely new, highly valuable

and energizing member benefit. While it would take thinking and work to execute it,

wouldn’t we be more in alignment with our mission to create an online, real-time

publication (a blog structure), in which paid ACS members would have posting privilegesand could -- within our content and editorial guidelines -- self publish their information to a

news site in, for and about human services in Howard County.

As information can be easily categorized using such technologies, the site could be for

organizations, their managers, their staff, clients, affiliated service providers, the local

media and the general citizenry who were interested to learn more about the landscape

of services and opportunities to volunteer and get connected with their local community.

Is it something we want to offer free to the entire community? Something to drop

altogether?

Probably dropping the for-members’-eyes-only newsletter and moving to a publish-it-for-all-

to-see site is more relevant and will be more attractive to EDs. Especially the newer and

younger ones. Creating such a site positions ACS as a hub in the community. ANd even

though we may be that in many ways, our visibility, currently, is low. Such a site would

support many goals at once. ACS could redirect its energies and attentions from a

“member newsletter” to focusing more on the role of managing the coordination of the

site and the marketing of it to current and potential members, the community and so on.

Let’s look at the member directory, for example.

Is it relevant?

Eh, sort of. Not really. Ah, no, it isn’t. The concept of helping people find organizations in

Howard County is a good one. But an annual printed directory published in the year

2010 ... ? It simply isn’t of value to print mass quantities of an annual directory that many

pick up but few access throughout the year. It isn’t much of a benefit to member



organizations who can be found online and through other means. And, frankly, it makes

ACS seem a bit out of date, both with the printing of the directory and with our dated

logo and image. It’s probably not a keeper.

Do we want to keep it as a benefit?

Well, the idea of helping organizations, service providers, clients and community

members at large find help is a valuable one. So, what’s the solution. One opportunity is

to take an issue, a subject around which others need to know the human service

organizations. Let’s pick homelessness, for example. A 8.5x11” sheet of paper can be

designed up, with the relevant organizations listed. It can be branded with ACS’s logo

and info. It can be posted on our website and downloaded. It can be sent as a PDF to

organizations that want this information: churches, government agencies, xyz. The

document can be sponsored and a small stream of revenue can be generated. Or

perhaps a local business donates in-kind copying of 250 fliers made available to our

member organizations. And the document can be updated! No more waiting for theannual directory.

Plus, marketing and communications campaigns around each flier give ACS reasons to

have press and reasons to connect with the community. When we produce one thing once

a year (the directory), we can one point for one activity. That’s the way people tend to

think. But 12 fliers for 12 areas of concern produced over the year. That’s 12 touch points.

12 announcements. 12 opportunities to reach out to relevant organizations that might

want to be posted on the list of organizations for a certain support area and would want

to become a member now to be included on the list.

These are ideas. Possibilities. The point and purpose is to demonstrate that we need to look at

each and every thing we offer as a benefit. We need to ask the questions about is it relevant?

Not “is it nice?” Or do “some people really like it?” But is it relevant? Can we do it better?

Do we drop it altogether? Nothing is sacred. Not when you’re facing a crisis. Not even the

Audrey Robbins Annual Award. And if the ACS organization does decide that something is

sacred, such as, for example, then as an organization we need to articulate that decision to

our membership. We need transparency and clarity in how we communicate with our member

base at this moment in time. To tell them of our decisions and how we came to them. To own

that some things are going to change and be dropped. Some things are going to be madebetter. And some things, perhaps, are sacred and part of who we are.



It is written by Jessie Newburn, and the voice and style of writing are hers. Equally, each

Fund Development Committee member has been offered an opportunity to write an

addendum piece in which they express points they wish to add, not agree with or wish to

state differently.

Fund Development Committee - White Paper

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