As ActionAIDS enters its twenty-first year of service, with a track record of providing high quality services to the HIV community, we engaged in our fourth exciting and energizing strategic planning process.* Our fourth strategic plan does not change our Vision or Mission Statement. We remain committed to the vision that “No one should face AIDS alone”.
This plan does, however, reflect an evolution in the way we think about the people we serve, the services and benefits we seek to deliver, and the organization we develop to deliver those services. The thinking process in which we engaged is helping us refine our overall strategy.
Successful treatments have thankfully turned HIV into more and more of a manageable, chronic disease. As a result, AIDS service organizations need to move out of a crisis mode of operation and focus more on sustainability of the work the community needs to be done for the long haul. We need to develop more effective organizations that will continually assess and improve their performance to ensure that our services are really advancing the mission of our organizations over time. This evolution toward building organizational capacity to adapt to changing conditions is reflected in our 2007-2010 strategic plan. The adaptive or high performance culture emphasizes a disciplined approach to looking at what an organization is trying to accomplish and how it intends to succeed (intended impact). It’s about outcomes, accountability, transparency, learning and innovation. It’s about paying attention to mission impact and finances. It’s about staying flexible as conditions change and being proactive. It’s about keeping our passion for our mission and vision but enhancing our performance for greater organizational efficiency and mission impact of our services for the HIV community.
The overarching goal of this strategic planning process was to build on the track record, dedication and expertise within the organization to develop a more focused set of priorities or strategies. We need more strategic focus in order to:
- Know how to direct our limited resources to make the greatest impact against our mission and vision. This plan places a new emphasis on: (1) measurable outcomes, reflecting our commitment to evaluate services and organizational support functions for effectiveness and efficiency; and (2) financial viability of our total portfolio of services, so that we may deliver the best mix of critical services we can financially support.
- Continue to be responsive to the changing dynamics of the epidemic. ActionAI DS’ services will continue to be heavily directed toward care, but we are now placing increased emphasis on prevention services to avert HIV infection. This prevention focus reflects our belief that we have a responsibility to the community as a whole (to slow the spread of H IV), as well as to individual clients (to sustain and enhance quality of life).
- Respond to declining government funding and a more competitive private contribution environment. The need for services keeps expanding, but funding is not keeping pace.
* Previous plans were completed in 1989, 1993, and most recently in 2004.
The 2007-2010 plan focuses on three critical issues.
- Prioritize clients and services. Some at-risk people are more in need than others. People who are HIV positive and unaware of their status are currently underserved by ActionAIDS. Our portfolio is not as strong in prevention services as we would like. We are the largest AIDS service organization in the state and we want to step up our efforts at advocacy.
- Expand and diversify funding. Currently eighty percent of our funding comes from government contracts which are become more uncertain with ever increasing limits. We have 3000+/- donors each year and the majority are non-repeats. We want to make ActionAIDS THE private AIDS dollar destination in Philadelphia.
- Develop strategic and operating vital signs (indicators and outcomes). We want to plan, manage and govern the agency in a more focused and transparent way. We want to identify and use key indicators/outcomes (we call them our “vital signs”) to better monitor and enable progress toward mission and intended impact, and to ensure our organization continues to be flexible and adaptive to changes in the environment.
Many people contributed to this plan, but special thanks goes to the Strategic Planning Committee for guiding the overall process and taking the lead in developing the substance and process of the plan.
Strategic Planning Committee
Barbara Rice, Chair
Kevin J. Burns
Amy Finklestein
Elizabeth Hagan
Rich Lampkins
Mission ActionAIDS is a Philadelphia-based organization that, in partnership with people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, works to sustain and enhance quality of life. We provide a range of direct care and prevention services and take an active and professional approach to leadership in service, education, and advocacy. Staff, volunteers, and the board of directors are committed to include and assist people from our heterogeneous community and are responsive to the dynamic needs generated by the epidemic.
Vision No one should face AIDS alone. (ActionAIDS was founded in 1986 with the mission that no one should face AIDS alone).
Values
Measurable Outcomes - ActionAIDS is committed to evaluating our services and organizational support functions for impact and efficiency.
- Critical indicators/outcomes (vital signs) will be identified for client services, funding, finances, staffing and governance. (The effectiveness of some services is easier to measure than others, but we will strive for measurable outcomes as much as possible as a valuable management tool for achieving greater impact.)
- Board and management will use these vital signs in an ongoing way to monitor and enable progress toward mission and intended impact, and to ensure the organization is flexible and adaptive to change in the environment
Innovation – ActionAIDS keeps pace with the changing environment and provides initiative and leadership in developing adaptive strategies and programs:
- ActionAIDS will keep abreast of the most recent epidemiology, medical advances, and psycho-social research affecting people living with HIV and AIDS
- ActionAIDS will be creative in developing standards and tools for program management, quality assessment and outcome measurements
- ActionAIDS will keep abreast of behavioral trends within the HIV community which effect transmission and quality of life issues for clients
- ActionAIDS will promote information sharing regionally and nationally
Client Centered Services – ActionAIDS fosters an environment that is open and inviting, with services that are easily accessible to the people who need them. (Clients refer to people receiving services from ActionAIDS.)
- Staff and volunteers will receive support and have skills to provide ndividualized services and develop trustworthy relationships.
- Facilities will be comfortable, near convenient transportation and accessible to people with disabilities.
- Services will be offered on-site at community locations in the neighborhoods hardest hit by HIV disease and, when needed, where clients live or need to meet.
- Services will be available at hours convenient to clients.
Consumer Driven Services – ActionAIDS is a consumer driven organization. (Consumers refer to people living with HIV/AIDS, their caregivers & dependents, and other individuals and communities deeply affected by HIV and AIDS. Consumer-Driven refers to including people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in planning for and delivering those serices.) ActionAIDS commits that people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS will:
- Be reflected at all levels of the organization including Board, staff and volunteers.
- Provide leadership in program planning, assessments, and quality review.
- Inform public policy positions and advocacy.
- Have multiple and ongoing means of dialogue and feedback on ActionAIDS’ services and strategic direction
Competency – ActionAIDS upholds standards of excellence in all professional and volunteer activities:
- The Board will reflect a broad and sufficient range of professional skills and life-experience.
- The staff will be professionally and culturally qualified in their areas of work, receive regular supervision, and participate in ongoing training.
- Volunteers will receive in-depth training and ongoing support and supervision
Collaboration – ActionAIDS recognizes the valuable work of its community peers and actively collaborates with providers and public and private funders in the region.
- ActionAIDS will coordinate with community providers and government agencies to offer fluid and seamless services to mutual clients.
- ActionAIDS will actively participate in community planning and solicit feedback from consumers, providers and funders in developing its rograms.
- ActionAIDS will participate, when possible, in offering mutual support and technical assistance to peers to strengthen programs, fundraising and infrastructure.
- ActionAI DS staff will work internally to foster collaboration and a team approach within and across department.
Ethics – ActionAIDS adheres to the highest standards of ethics:
- Board, staff and volunteers will promote the mission of ActionAIDS
- Board members will disclose and address all conflicts of interest that may arise
- Staff will be versed in and follow the standards of ethics for their disciplines
- Board, staff and volunteers will receive training in confidentiality and standards of client, volunteer and staff relationships
Volunteer Involvement – ActionAIDS was founded by volunteers and promotes volunteer involvement in all parts of the organization.
- ActionAIDS is governed by a volunteer Board of directors;
- ActionAIDS will commit resources to recruiting, training, supervising and supporting volunteers;
- ActionAIDS will involve volunteers in program planning and implementation;
- ActionAIDS staff will encourage volunteer participation in the provision of client services and agency operations.
Multi Culturalism – ActionAIDS promotes a multi-cultural environment that reflects the many communities affected by HIV and AIDS:
- Board, staff and volunteers at all levels of the organization will reflect diversity in gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, disability, economic class, and cultural background;
- Board, staff and volunteers will exhibit mutual respect and an appreciation for difference;
- Services will be specialized to the needs of targeted populations and address the gaps in services of hard-to-reach populations;
- The agency will provide access to trainings in cultural difference.
