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A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PLAN

A ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE

June 2016

Submitted by

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION 3

MISSION AND VISION 4

STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTION PLAN

Program Growth 5

Measurable Outcomes 7

Workforce Culture 8

Facilities Infrastructure 9

Positive Brand Identity 10

Philanthropy 12

Board Governance 14

SUMMARY 16

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INTRODUCTION

Wordsworth Academy, hereafter referred to as Wordsworth, is a private, not-for-

profit organization that provides a continuum of education, behavioral health

treatment and child welfare services to children, adolescents and families. Their

services include a residential treatment program, special education programs, and a

number of programs that are provided in homes, schools and the community.

Wordsworth provides caring and professional services in a variety of settings, and

continues to grow and introduce new programming to meet the changing needs in

the community. Strengthening families and helping children overcome emotional,

behavioral and academic challenges is their primary goal. In many cases, healing

from trauma must first occur. They recognize that each child's story is unique and

tailor the treatment to each child's needs.

In addition, Wordsworth partners with numerous organizations in the Philadelphia

region to serve the needs of the community.

Dennis C. Miller, a leading nonprofit leadership coach, author and speaker, was

engaged to develop and facilitate a comprehensive strategic plan to guide

Wordsworth for entering the next five years. The goal of the strategic plan is to

build upon the success and quality of their existing programs and to increase the

scope of the organization’s impact. The strategic plan in this report includes a new

vision statement and seven specific strategic goals that need to be achieved in order

to reach the new vision.

DCM would like to acknowledge and thank Debra Lacks, President and CEO, Tom

Johnson, Board Chair, all members of Executive Management, Task Force Chairs

and Co-Chairs and members of each Task Force, including members of the Board

of Trustees for their contributions and commitment to create this report. A special

thank you to Teresa Cahill for coordinating the meetings and provision of

requested information on a timely basis. Everyone’s candid input was crucial in

developing this report that addresses their hopes and dreams for Wordsworth’s

future.

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MISSION AND VISION

A vision is a realistic, credible and an attractive future for your organization. It is

the articulation of a destination toward which Wordsworth should aim, a future that

in many important ways is a better, more successful, or more desirable place than

the present. Whereas mission answers the question “Why does your organization

exist?” vision clarifies your organization’s future direction and answers the

question “Where are you headed?” Wordsworth’s vision should inspire all key

stakeholders to achieve it, set standards of excellence, encourage commitment and

be easily understood and yet ambitious too. It must also be measurable.

Successful leaders know that nothing drives an organization forward like an

attractive, worthwhile vision for your future. Based upon input and feedback from

numerous stakeholders, the following is the mission and vision statements for

Wordsworth:

The mission statement:

To Provide Education, Behavioral Health and Child Welfare Services to

Children and Youth Who are Experiencing Emotional, Behavioral and

Academic Challenges so that They are Empowered to Reach Their Full

Potential and Lead Productive Lives.

The vision statement:

Wordsworth Envisions a Future Where All Children are Part of Strong

Healthy Families and Communities

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STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTION PLAN

To achieve this vision, seven strategic goals were identified by Wordsworth’s

Executive Team. Each goal was reviewed by a Task Force consisting of a cross-

section of employees throughout the organization to make specific

recommendations for achieving each strategic goal. Each Task Force had a Chair

or Co-Chairs.

The following seven strategic goals have been identified to measures the progress

of Wordsworth’s journey towards achieving the new vision:

Program Development

Measurable Outcomes

Workforce Culture

Facilities Infrastructure

Positive Brand Identity

Philanthropy

Board Governance

I. Program Development

A crucial goal of the strategic plan is to continue to serve the growing needs of

children and their families through expanding, developing and enhancing programs

and services. In order to achieve the new vision, the Program Development Task

Force recommends the following actions:

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Community Based Services

Explore funding from HUD to create community home model for aging out

clients from child welfare system.

Evaluate the need to provide more services within the first 3 years of a

child’s life to try to prevent more serious issues later.

Work with system to create more programs for 6-12 year olds

Pursue an outpatient license for each CUA site to eliminate the gap in our

continuum.

Creation of an assessment center for children and possibly adults.

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Recommend creating BHRS “family stabilization teams” in school setting to

be staffed with full-time, salaried staff.

Consider pursuing grant opportunity for community based program to treat

problem sexual behavior clients and victims.

Acute Services

Expand treatment program for PSB youth including a Partial program.

Develop appropriate programs in community homes with linkages to

community resources for the LGBTQ.

Evaluate the need for step-down programs for older youth, both for housing

options as well as for education.

Create more vocational options for youth in RTF.

Be available for expansion of mother-baby programs.

Consider a residential unit for clients with ASD and aftercare options and

work with Center for Autism and/or Belmont to train staff and develop

referral network

Continue to explore a way to create separate programs for the delinquent and

dependent RTF clients.

Explore need for programs for eating disorder clients, and the growing

immigrant populations.

Evaluate the need for additional acute services space by considering moving

CUA 10.

Educational Services

Develop relationships and a process in order to access clinical services for

education students covered by MCOs other than Philadelphia.

Consider a non-special education program, Alternative Education, for

students who have an Oppositional Defiant Disorder diagnosis.

Consider a program that targets autistic students who are higher functioning.

Expand university affiliations to create internships for teachers, counselors,

and psychologists.

Continue to explore home programming services for 3-5 year olds.

Develop a marketing outreach plan to increase the numbers of younger

students ages 5 and 6 in our education programs.

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Improve communication so that Wordsworth departments are aware of

changes that occur within programs regarding locations, criteria, accessing

services, contact personnel etc.

Wordsworth System-Wide

Explore an Affiliation with a University or Major Health System with

particular emphasis on researched based outcome measurement data.

Develop an Integrated Delivery System for increasing revenues from private

health insurance companies

Consider establishing formal collaborations with other similar mission based

organizations to avoid duplicative services perhaps through the Alliance for

Community Service Providers

Identify organization candidates for possible merger or partnerships through

a new legal structure or common parent model merger arrangement.

II. Measurable Outcomes

The purpose of the Measurable Outcomes Task Force was to identify key programs

Wordsworth holds, identify methods for tracking program outcomes, and be able to

have those outcomes relate to Wordsworth’s overall success. Essentially each

program serves to fulfill its own statement of need, but program success directly

affects Wordsworth as a top provider of children and family services.

All departments within Wordsworth’s three executive programs, Acute Services,

Community Based Services and Educational Services will collectively report and

analyze outcome data to enhance expertise and measure efficiency of current

practices, to reform and develop improved policies and practices, and to ensure

accountability through bi-annual completion of Logic Models throughout

Wordsworth programs.

Wordsworth continually monitors targets towards outcomes to provide quality

services to fulfill our mission: To provide education, behavioral health and child

welfare services to children and youth who are experiencing emotional, behavioral

and academic challenges, so that they are empowered to reach their potential to

lead productive, fulfilling lives.

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The Measurable Outcomes will measure the impact and report on progress towards

both internal and external benchmarks for the following goals:

1. Key Programs

2. Dashboards/Scorecards

3. Wordsworth as an Entity

4. Achievements/Results

Of all the individual programs and areas of service, shared common goals have

been identified as the following measureable outcomes:

Stable Communities

Improve Individual and Family Functioning

Preferred Agency for Staff and Consumers

Provider the full continuum of services

Improve Quality of Life

An Agency Outcomes Committee with each program represented will be created to

ensure measureable outcomes are tracked and reported.

III. Workforce Culture

As an organization that provides a full range of services and supports to children,

youth, families and communities, the quality, commitment and stability of our

workforce is directly linked with our ability to achieve quality outcomes and fulfill

our vision. Employees who experience a sense of connection and commitment to

the agency ultimately provide higher quality services and help the children, youth

and families they work with achieve better outcomes.

The “Development of Workforce Culture Strategic Planning Workgroup” met

weekly during February and March to identify and discuss current strengths and

needs within our workplace culture. As we formulated our strategies and

recommendations, we focused on four “bucket” areas that should be the focus of

our collective attention in order to initiate and maintain meaningful development of

our workplace culture. These buckets areas are:

Staff Recognition, Appreciation and Retention

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Staff Development

Shared Wordsworth Culture – Cross Team Building

The New Employee Experience

IV. Facilities Infrastructure

Wordsworth needs to have a strong facilities organization structure so decisions

can be made quickly to take advantages of opportunities or changing technologies.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Identify clear areas of responsibilities for each location

Implement Ticketing System and train maintenance staff and employees

Develop reporting metrics to use to analyze efficiency of facilities,

maintenance, and housekeeping teams

Develop a formal preventive maintenance program

Continuously evaluate outside contractors for effectiveness and cost

Begin plan to add smart technology to major systems to monitor health,

activity, efficiency and possible developing problems. Systems like HVAC,

Computer Networks, Energy, Surveillance and Security

Focus on investment in properties as opposed to shorter term ‘fixes’

Evaluate the current lease for Ford Road and consider engaging a real estate

firm to identify possible alternative sites.

Build a new playground at Fort Washington behind the cafeteria

Construct a training facility with a large auditorium.

Evaluate resurfacing the basketball courts at Ford Road.

V. Positive Brand Identity

The Positive Brand Identity Task Force is pleased to present its recommendations

for the Wordsworth Strategic Plan. The following recommendations are based on

the core belief that a positive Wordsworth brand has to start with a positive

employee culture. Our staff members are the greatest tool we have for crafting and

sharing the story of who we are as an organization serving as the foundation for the

following flow of information:

Employees feel positively about Wordsworth, understand its continuum of care

and have the tools to communicate internally and externally.

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Clients and stakeholders have a positive experience with Wordsworth and

promote its continuum of care to others.

The nonprofit community and child serving systems in the region recognize

Wordsworth as a high quality provider and thought leaders in the education,

behavioral health and child welfare arenas and seek out the organization for

partnership opportunities and expertise.

People and places outside the child serving systems and nonprofit community in

the region know who Wordsworth is, what we do and why our work is important.

The Positive Brand Identity Task Force was fully representative of the entire

organization with employees from all three sites and each department. There was

great insight amongst the committee members into the strengths at Wordsworth

along with our needs related to the promotion of a positive brand.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Employees will be able to confidently and accurately represent the agency to

external stakeholders, both potential clients and the external community.

Provide employees with the tools they need for effective internal

communication including an enhanced intranet and phone system:

Provide additional opportunities for cross-departmental work starting with a

rethinking of Executive Management roles to include more capacity to

support this work.

Increase opportunities for employees to interact with each other including

events and activities such as staff sporting teams (softball, kickball, etc.).

Develop a succinct and clear story of who Wordsworth is so that every staff

member can use as an “elevator speech.”

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Increase opportunities for cross-departmental training.

Encourage and train agency employees to always positively represent

Wordsworth.

Encourage all staff, from CEO down to always smile and greet people in all

agency spaces particularly lobbies, elevators and hallways.

2) Employees and clients will be the agency’s marketing and communication

experts and ambassadors.

Improve phone system and consider a single receptionist model so the

people outside the agency are easily able to access who/what they need

when they call.

Redo agency website to make information more easily accessible.

Increase use of social media tools

Explore new PR and advertising options

3) The nonprofit community and child-serving systems will consider Wordsworth

the go-to agency for employment, services and partnerships.

Increase participation in regional events such as job fairs, back to school

nights, etc.

Participate in community service activities as an agency

4) The external community will recognize Wordsworth as a place they want to

support and promote.

Increase connections to Universities and colleges

Participate in industry and business events and use opportunities to present

the story of Wordsworth.

Increase connections to Universities and colleges and participate in research

and evaluation of programs/services/ models geared towards publication.

Increase the number of and ways we share success stories

Focus more of our materials on what we have accomplished rather than just

what we offer and increase our use of outcome data.

IV. Philanthropy

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The Philanthropy Task Force is pleased to present its recommendations based on

what this committee sees as a work flow in creating a culture of Philanthropy that

starts with our Board of Trustees and ultimately ends with a strong base of donors.

We recommend the following objectives for each:

Board of Trustees:

Increase the Willingness to assist in fundraising efforts and provide them

with the tools they need to be effective advocates for our needs.

Establish clear paths for them to contribute Expertise to fundraising efforts.

Use their Connections to build a donor base.

Increase their Understanding of program needs so that they can effectively

advocate for our needs with prospective donors.

CEO:

Devote additional time to philanthropy.

Provide a link between the agency’s philanthropic efforts and the Board of

Directors.

Executive Management:

Provide a Link between the “on the ground needs” of the agency & the

advancement efforts.

Devote time to Philanthropy.

Agree upon a “volunteer” policy and provide support to programs in

accepting and making use of volunteers.

Office of Advancement

Provide a link between the agency’s philanthropic efforts and the broader

organization including Board of Directors, CEO, Executive Management,

programs, employees and external stakeholders.

Provide tools that facilitate internal and external paths for giving and

receiving donations.

Articulate a clear vision to the organization for how a culture of

philanthropy can be developed and maintained.

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Establish deep and long lasting relationships with donors and community

partners.

Develop and implement annual plans for donor/foundation research,

fundraising, planned giving and major gifts.

Develop and implement annual plans for media and public relations,

promotion and community outreach.

Programs

Communicate needs to Executive Management & Advancement Department on

a continuous basis.

Carve out time & space for volunteer initiatives.

Collect objective data that helps identify clear need and communicate the

positive impact of donations.

Participate in proposal development working in partnership with the Office of

Advancement.

Employees

Serve as ambassadors of Wordsworth and the children, youth and families

we serve.

Communicate the needs of all programs to the community at large.

Provide the opportunity to show how donations positively affect their work

environment

Increase Positive Brand Identity through community interaction.

Volunteers

Give them a meaningful experience and work and a clear pathway to

becoming ongoing supporters through additional volunteer opportunities and

donations.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Deliver knowledge, tools and opportunities that propel our Board of

Directors, CEO, Executive Management Team, Program Leadership and

Employees to take an active role in creating a culture of philanthropy at

Wordsworth.

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Foster a culture of philanthropy that has a strong, measurable impact on

Wordsworth.

Elevate awareness and understanding of Wordsworth's value to the children,

youth and families we serve, to the communities we work in and to the

broader region.

Establish philanthropy as a key factor in securing long-term financial

strength and organizational sustainability.

Board Governance

The current nine member Board of Trustees is comprised of a highly dedicated

group on business, civic and community leaders who are passionate about the

mission of Wordsworth. The Board is led by a highly qualified Board Chair who

has been actively involved in ensuring the financial sustainability of the

organization and the success of the programs and services. The Board has made

significant strides towards the implementation of board governance best practices

and should be applauded for its efforts.

A mature board functions in a true partnership with the CEO. The Board is an

active participant and assumes a leadership role in guiding the organization

towards its vision. One of the characteristics of a highly performing board is the

level of engagement between the Board and the CEO.

There are four major stages of board governance:

Founding boards do almost all of the work without any paid staff. This is

the primary role of the board in a new and developing organization until

such time as they can hire paid staff.

Fiduciary boards emerge after staff are hired to carry on the work of the

organization. At this stage, the board serves as “trustee” to the community to

ensure that funds are wisely spend, personnel policies are established, and

goals for the organization are developed.

Strategic boards develop as the organization matures and the board takes on

a more strategic role and works together with the staff to develop and

implement the strategic plan.

Leadership boards exist when there is a true partnership between the

executive director and the board. Though the fiduciary and strategic roles

remain important, providing leadership to the organization in “partnership”

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with the chief executive is the ideal stage for an organization to succeed in

today’s challenging times.

As with most boards, Wordsworth’s board needs to develop towards becoming

more of a “leadership board” and less of a founding or fiduciary board. Though

assuming fiduciary responsibility is important, today, more than ever before, the

board needs to work in strategic partnership with the CEO. The Board has two

main responsibilities: 1. Governance to ensure that the board performs its work

effectively; and 2. Fundraising. These are the two goals that the Board needs to

focus on. In addition, Wordsworth’s board needs to develop a more effective

committee structure. A key aspect of this will be the recruitment of a few

additional members in 2016.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Expand the role of the Board Governance committee to include board

recruitment, reappointment, board education, and performance improvement

Once additional members are recruited, consider creating a committee

structure to include board governance, finance, programs and outcomes,

brand identity and philanthropy/development

Develop an ideal board matrix to identify the sought after expertise, access

and influence needed for the board. Compare this ideal matrix to the current

board’s matrix and the “gaps” should become the priority for recruitment

Transition from a nominating process to a recruitment process which

involves meeting with key business and community leaders throughout the

Philadelphia region about what your needs recruitment needs are and if they

can help identify potential candidates for the board

Develop a board approved reappointment process where every member

knows upfront what is expected of them, including, but not limited to,

attendance at meetings, active participation on committee assignments,

making an annual financial contribution and the role of community

ambassador

Prepare for board leadership succession. The Board does not have a current

system of preparing members to assume the leadership role, nor for officers

Good boards evaluate their Executive Director; great boards evaluate their

own performance. Every two or three years, consider having a

comprehensive performance evaluation of the board

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Provide an educational session for the Board on the characteristics of high

performing nonprofit boards

Support and register Board members to attend conferences and seminars of

trends in behavioral health and board governance best practices.

SUMMARY

Wordsworth is an incredible organization comprised of dedicated, competent and

passionate staff, leadership and professional individuals who serve on the Board of

Trustees. For over six decades, Wordsworth provides caring and professional

services in a variety of settings, and continues to grow and introduce new

programming to meet the changing needs of the community.

The new vision statement: Wordsworth Envisions a Future Where All Children are

Part of Strong Healthy Families and Communities articulates a realistic and

attractive future for the organization. To achieve this vision, this strategic plan has

identified seven strategic goals and specific recommendations for achieving each

goal.

A key challenge for Wordsworth going forward will be the requirement of a new

business mindset or strategic thinking that focuses more on strategic collaboration

for program development and expansion, brand awareness and a dramatic increase

in leadership cultivation of high net worth individuals to increase private sources

of funding. Though Wordsworth is expected to continue to receive a substantial

percentage of its funding from public and state sources, it must begin to think of

itself more frequently as a private tax exempt organization rather than a nonprofit

organization that relies on public funding.

By reviewing, debating and prioritizing the recommendations for each of the seven

strategic goals in the report and then moving forward to implement them will

clearly assure that Wordsworth continues transforming children’s lives.