CASE 5.3 SETTING STRATEGY: FINDING YOUR ORGANIZATION'S NORTH STAR North Stat Community Support Services had been in axistence for 2 deades providing a variety of social sorvices in Greorwood County. It nad a budget of $8.5 million with aver 150 employees and 600 volunteors. North Star's website adventised -Four Pillars of Servicn? including youth development, domestic violence and family services, worktoree development, and legal sorvices. North Star received the majority of its funds through govermment grants and contracts, and, as a result, North Star's programs were often developed in response to available funding streams. Furthermore, dospite North Star's solid reputation in the community, organizationally it was somewhat siloed end bureaueratic, in many ways reflecting the attributes of the government agencies from which it received funding. The youth development unit provided programming to local middle school and high school aged youth, reaching more than 800 annually. Programs included before and after-scheol care, gang and drug diversion progtams, and assistance with passing the high school proficiency exam that allowed participants who had dropped out, or who were at riak of dropping out, the opportunity to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. The programs were offered in donated or rented space at several local school sites and community centers. Athough there were similar programs operating in the region, including two Boys and Girls Clubs, the program itself maintained a relatively steady state, providing several beloved programs that community leaders and families had come to count on to keep kids safe and out of trouble. Some of these programs relied heavily on the development of aver $400 , 000 in private funding every year and required the buy in and support from several community partners, including city administrators and school district employees and counselors to continue to be effective. However, continued cuts to the state budget forced staff to scramble for funding and increased the need for even more private fund-raising and partnerships to sustain the programs. The domestic violence and family services unit provided in-home family support, group therapy, and parenting classes to over 1,000 families Ohapter 5. Strategic Decision Naking 97 per vear, All programing was adminigtered by clinical therapiets atd sociol workers empioyed by North Star, mary of whom were trainise specificaliy in innovative and short-term mentol and behavioral hesy methodologles. The program also retied on a vibrant group of counseling and social work interns from the local state university it support service delivery. incidentaliy, the mental heahth expertise of the staff had enabled North Star to effectively address issues folated to commercial sexual exploitation of children, a growing cencern in Greenwood County: Nortb Stat's tegal servicen, the smallest unit in the organization by budget and staff. wero provided by a cadre of lawy.

1. CASE 5.3 SETTING STRATEGY: FINDING YOUR ORGANIZATION'S NORTH STAR
North Stat Community Support Services had been in axistence for 2 deades providing a variety
of social sorvices in Greorwood County. It nad a budget of $8.5 million with aver 150 employees
and 600 volunteors. North Star's website adventised -Four Pillars of Servicn? including youth
development, domestic violence and family services, worktoree development, and legal sorvices.
North Star received the majority of its funds through govermment grants and contracts, and, as a
result, North Star's programs were often developed in response to available funding streams.
Furthermore, dospite North Star's solid reputation in the community, organizationally it was
somewhat siloed end bureaueratic, in many ways reflecting the attributes of the government
agencies from which it received funding. The youth development unit provided programming to
local middle school and high school aged youth, reaching more than 800 annually. Programs
included before and after-scheol care, gang and drug diversion progtams, and assistance with
passing the high school proficiency exam that allowed participants who had dropped out, or who
were at riak of dropping out, the opportunity to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. The
programs were offered in donated or rented space at several local school sites and community
centers. Athough there were similar programs operating in the region, including two Boys and
Girls Clubs, the program itself maintained a relatively steady state, providing several beloved
programs that community leaders and families had come to count on to keep kids safe and out of
trouble. Some of these programs relied heavily on the development of aver $400 , 000 in private
funding every year and required the buy in and support from several community partners,
including city administrators and school district employees and counselors to continue to be
effective. However, continued cuts to the state budget forced staff to scramble for funding and
increased the need for even more private fund-raising and partnerships to sustain the programs.
The domestic violence and family services unit provided in-home family support, group therapy,
and parenting classes to over 1,000 families Ohapter 5. Strategic Decision Naking 97 per vear,
All programing was adminigtered by clinical therapiets atd sociol workers empioyed by North
Star, mary of whom were trainise specificaliy in innovative and short-term mentol and
behavioral hesy methodologles. The program also retied on a vibrant group of counseling and
social work interns from the local state university it support service delivery. incidentaliy, the
mental heahth expertise of the staff had enabled North Star to effectively address issues folated
to commercial sexual exploitation of children, a growing cencern in Greenwood County: Nortb
Stat's tegal servicen, the smallest unit in the organization by budget and staff. wero provided by a
cadre of lawyers and mediation. experts who worked pro bono. The unit had a bit impact and
was therefore very efficient, serving 3,200 clients annually. Additionatly. many of those who
volunteered for the program personally mate donations and direotly solicitid large philanthropic
gifts from prominent law firms to support the program. The program vas staffed by a fill-4ime.
inanager and two part-time offece administrators who coordinased the volumteent: The
warkfotco develepment unit was by far the most developed of the four pillars as it had grown
rapidly during the Great Recession with Heady. funding provided through the American.
Recovery and Reinyestment Act North Star used these and other federal funds 40 : enroll people
in lob training programs and to provide direct job placement services. As the funds flowed in,
new programs were addet. on to existing 3. to 5 -year demonstration grants. North Star had
quicily become the "go-to" nonprofit in the region when it camo to job elacerment. However,
these were programs with an expensive unit coet per cilent, and it could take 10 to 24 months to
achieve the dosired outcomes of employment and employment retention. North Star was
operated under the capable leadership of a newiy appointed CEO, Louisa Calderon. Louisa had

2. enjoyed a successful carer in soclal work, primarily in the area of youth development, working
for the likes of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA. She progressed steadily professionally,
and it was not long before she found herseif moving out of direct service provision, taking up
management positions Whth increasing responsibility. Prior to her position at North Star, loulsa
had spent 5 yoars as the C 00 of a $5 million human services agensy 98 CASES IN
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENL confldent ia hur abilities to leod an organization, she was quite
pleabed te tee fecruited for the CEO position at North Star. When she firat arrived at North Star,
Loaisa taunched a personal istening tour, moeting with community members, politicians, church
isapers: program cliens, donors, and other stakeholders to learn more. about the community and
its needs. Additionally, Louisa engaged the poard in a thorougt financial review that also
included a detailed Finandal forecast. provided by a local consultant. Before long. it becama
davicus to Louisa that North Star was not fully aligned with the nends of ine cornmunity. Af
dinner on Friday night. she shared her observations with her nuband. EEsentially, the
organization is reactive rather than stratefic. They ve buit almost every program based on
whatever grant dollars were available at the time, it feels like a house where the owners added on
to make some room for a new baby, then a few years later added on again, and then again; as
their family grew. Before long. the house no ionger had an intentional design, and the floor plan
was a mess. That's what it foel Eke has happened at North Star." "That bad, huh?" he
commented. "Don't get me wrong, Louisa said. "There is plenty of good being donte and so
much opportunity to do more. Everywhere I look, I see opportunities," she said. "Think about the
counseling staff, "she continued, "They have real bench-strength and eapacity to address a wider
variety of issues than we provide in our current services. We also have some real prospects to
lererage or even completely offload youth programs to other partners. And we need to get ahead
of the curve in terms of government funding. the recession is supposedly over, so l expect that
workforce development money pot vill be shrinking." "Sounds ike you have your work cut out
for you, dear," he told her. Louisa know he was right. She spent the better part of that weekend
thinking about how to move the organization forward. As her first order of business on Monday
morning. Louisa announced that North Star would be embarking on a major strategic planning
initistive. "I want to Checes 5 | Stralegio Dacsion Making 99 Write a post addressing the core
emphasis and repercussions of one case from this week's reading. Respond to two students' posts
AND Respond to any students who responded to your post.