In 2009, Fedcap adopted a framework that has served us well over the past decade: Sustainability, Relevance and impact. These three drivers influence the way we think, plan and implement. They are foundational to the culture of our organization, and they guide how we measure success.
Sustainability: A commitment to long-term financial health.
None of our work is possible if we don’t remain financially healthy. Sustainability requires that we establish our core indicators of corporate health, that we report against those indicators, and we build strategies and accompanying structures to ensure we remain financially healthy.
Sustainability advances our ability to innovate and stay relevant.
Relevance: A commitment to continuous innovation and modernization.
An organization must remain ahead of the curve—understanding the emerging trends in practice, funding and technology and how they impact service design and delivery. We simply cannot do what we have always done. We talk a lot about looking forward in our agency. What is next…and what comes after that? These are questions that we explore in detail during our corporate weeks together.
Relevance means that the organization is positioned to thrive regardless of the inevitable twists and turns of the marketplace.
Impact: A commitment to measurable improvements.
Because we are committed to solving (not just serving) problems, we have set bold goals to improve the long-term outcomes for vulnerable populations. We are doing this by changing our own practice and by working with government and private partners to change how systems design, fund and deliver services. We measure our success by tracking the national outcomes of these groups, not just those who walk through our door.
We are embedding research into our program models to ensure the efficacy of our program design and then replicating and scaling our evidence-based interventions.
This very precise frame is one that we can apply throughout our companies, programs, and our services. It is simple, and it is direct, and it is the foundation for our structure and for our plans for growth.
What frame do you use for your planning and implementation?
As always, I welcome your thoughts.