ALLIANCE STRATEGY ROAD MAP

STRENGTHENING

OUR IMPACT

STATEWIDE

A Strategic Road Map for the Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs

2014-2017

Table of Contents

Our Process...... Page 3

Our Purpose...... Page 3

About the Alliance...... Page 4

Alliance Leadership and Structure...... Page 5

Our Planning Process...... Page 6

Our Operating Model...... Page 7

Our Critical Issues Across the State...... Page 8

Our Impact...... Page 9

Our Strategic Advantages...... Page 9

Our Strategy Screen...... Page 9

Our Identity Profile...... Page 10

Our Stakeholder Input...... Page 11

Our Big Questions ...... Page 12

Our Strategies ...... Page 13

Our Priorities: 2014...... Page 15


Road Map for the IL State Alliance of YMCAs
2014–2017

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITEE

Andy Thornton, CEO
Starling-Rock Falls YMCA
IL State Alliance Chair
Paul Stanzione, CEO
Decatur Family YMCA
IL State Alliance Vice-Chair
Meg Cooch, Executive Director
IL State Alliance of YMCAs
Andrew Bobbitt, CEO
Fox Valley YMCA
Christy Filby, Community Wellness Executive
Two Rivers YMCA
Jill Doerner, Group VP
YMCA of Metro Chicago
Jim Watts, CEO
Greater Joliet Area YMCA
Ken Strawbridge, C00
YMCA of Rock River Valley
Lynda Chott, CEO
BR Ryall YMCA
Rob Wilkinson, CEO
Kishwaukee Family YMCA
Sam Brooks, CEO
YMCA of Warren County
Tony Sparks, CEO
Mattoon Family YMCA /

Our ProcessIn the Fall of 2013, the Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs’Steering Committee commissioned a planning committee to complete a strategic planning process. The State Alliance implemented the YMCA of the USA’s real time strategic planning model led by Y-USA’s Resource Directors Richard Clegg and John Alexander.

The Alliance Planning Committee met over several months in the planning process. Their work included garnering input from key stakeholders to study the unique needs of the Alliance and the local communities the 48 corporate Ys serve to help shape the Alliance’s future organizational direction. The strategic planning committee crafted the Alliance’s continuing and future role as a resource for Ys in Illinois. Statewide and local trends continue to be factors in defining how we will strengthen the Alliance’s capacity to serve YMCAs and explore the opportunities to make it the best it can be.
This is intended to be a living plan; the Alliance is committed to
long-term impact, recognizing that will require adapting our strategies as our environment changes.

Our PURPOSE

The purpose of the Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs is to connect, support and foster state-wide initiatives, manage public policy efforts and ensure communication to advance the YMCA’s mission in Illinois:
  • To foster statewide communication and cooperation among YMCAs located in the State of Illinois.
  • To gain consensus on issues of importance to the YMCA’s located in the State of Illinois.
  • To make local, state and national policy decision makers aware of the Illinois YMCA's mission and programs and gain recognition as a leader on issues that affect children and families.
  • To advocate on behalf of the children and families served by the YMCAs located in the State of Illinois.
  • To protect the operating integrity of the Illinois YMCAs organization in order to carry out its mission.
  • To represent, communicate to, and to advocate on behalf of all member YMCAs located in the State of Illinois.

About Our Alliance

There is no other Illinois nonprofit like the Y. That’s because in more than 120 communities across the state we have the presence and partnerships to not just promise, but deliver, lasting personal and social change. We know that when we work as one, we can move people and communities forward. That’s why we are committed to providing support to our neighbors and opportunities for kids, adults and families to learn, grow and thrive.

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ALLIANCE STRATEGY ROAD MAP

CORPORATE YMCAS

Alfred Campanelli YMCA

Belvidere Family YMCA

Bloomington YMCA

Bob Freesen YMCA

BR Ryall YMCA

Champaign County YMCA

Clinton Community YMCA

Danville Family YMCA

Decatur Family YMCA

Dixon Family YMCA

Edwardsville YMCA

Fayette County Family YMCA

Fox Valley Family YMCA

Greater Joliet Area YMCA

Greater Peoria Family YMCA

Illinois Valley YMCA

Kankakee Area YMCA

Kishwaukee Family YMCA

Knox County YMCA

Lincoln Area YMCA

Mattoon Area Family YMCA

McGaw YMCA

Mercer County Family YMCA

North Suburban YMCA

Ottawa Family YMCA

Paris Community YMCA

PAV YMCA

Prairie Valley YMCA

Quincy YMCA

Stephens Family YMCA

Sterling-Rock Falls Family YMCA

Streator Family YMCA

Tri-City Area YMCA

Tri-Town YMCA

Two Rivers YMCA

University of Illinois YMCA

West Cook YMCA

YMCA of Canton

YMCA of Jefferson County

YMCA of Kewanee

YMCA of McDonough County

YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago

YMCA of Northwest Illinois

YMCA of Rock River Valley

YMCA of Southwest Illinois

YMCA of Springfield

YMCA of Warren County

YMCA Youth & Government

BRANCH YMCAS

Arthur & Vera Smith YMCA

Buehler YMCA

C. W. Avery Family YMCA

Cahokia Area YMCA

Camp Duncan YMCA

Camp Independence YMCA

Camp Winnebago Branch YMCA

Central City YMCA

CMT Center YMCA

Community Outreach YMCA

DeKalb Barb City YMCA

Downtown Belleville YMCA

Downtown Springfield YMCA

East Belleville Center YMCA

Elmhurst YMCA

Field House Family YMCA

Foglia YMCA

Fox Valley Y Central Branch

Fox Valley YWest Branch

Fry Family YMCA

Galowich Family YMCA

Gilberts Family Branch YMCA

Gilberts YMCA

Greater LaGrange YMCA

Gus & Flora Kerasotes YMCA

Hastings Lake YMCA

High Ridge YMCA

I.D. Pennock Family YMCA

Indian Boundary YMCA

Irving Park YMCA

Kelly Hall YMCA

Kroehler Family YMCA

Lake View YMCA

Lattof YMCA

Leaning Tower YMCA

Lisbon YMCA

McCormick Tribune YMCA

McGaw Y Child Care Center

Mendota Area YMCA

Meyer Center YMCA

Monroe County Center YMCA

Morris Community YMCA

Mt. Sterling Community YMCA

North Lawndale YMCA

North Will Center

Northeast Family YMCA

O'Fallon Center YMCA

Oswego Family YMCA

Outdoor Center YMCA

Plattville YMCA

Rauner Family YMCA

Roscoe-Rockton TNCA

Sage YMCA

Sonnenberg Center YMCA

South Chicago YMCA

South Side YMCA

South Suburban YMCA

St. Charles YMCA

Sugar Grove Center YMCA

Taylor YMCA

Third Age Office YMCA

Wabash YMCA

West Communities YMCA

Western Community YMCA

YMCA Child DevCenter

Yorkville Aquatic Center YMCA

Youth Achievement YMCA

IL State Alliance of YMCAs | | 1

ALLIANCE STRATEGY ROAD MAP

Alliance Leadership & Structure

IL State Alliance of YMCAs | | 1

ALLIANCE STRATEGY ROAD MAP

STATE ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP:
Andy Thornton, Chair
Sterling-Rock Falls YMCA
Paul Stanzione, Vice Chair
Decatur Family YMCA
Meg Cooch, Executive Director
IL State Alliance of YMCAs
STEERING COMMITTEE
Town and Country:
Gary Bublitz, Alfred Campanelli YMCA
Andrew Bobbitt, Fox Valley YMCA
Jim Watts, Greater Joliet Area YMCA
*David Reed, McGaw YMCA
Northwest:
Rob Wilkinson, Kishwaukee Family YMCA
Andy McFarlane, Dixon Family YMCA
Andy Thornton, Sterling-Rock Falls YMCA
Illini:
Dan Chonowski, Greater Peoria YMCA
Paul Stanzione, Decatur Family YMCA
Sam Brooks, YMCA of Warren County
*Sue Brown, YMCA of Southwest Illinois
Chicago:
Jill Doerner, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
*denotes volunteer / PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE:
*David Reed, Chair, McGaw YMCA
Rob Wilkinson, Kishwaukee Family YMCA
*Sue Brown, YMCA of SW Illinois
Dan Chonowski, Greater Peoria YMCA
Paul Nolley, YMCA of Rock River Valley
Jill Edelblute, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
Lynda Chott, BR Ryall YMCA
Christy Filby, Two Rivers YMCA

Our Planning Model


Our Operating Model

Current Business Model
Geographic service area: / State of Illinois
Serving: / 48 Corporate YMCAs with more than 200 Y branches, program and afterschool sites
Supporting: / State and Federal Legislators
Local and municipal elected officials
Statewide nonprofit organizations
Through our areas of focus of: / Youth Development
Nurturing the potential of every child and teen. / Healthy Living
Improving the state’s health and well-being. / Social Responsibility
Giving back and providing support to our member Associations
……………………Convening and Collaborating ……………………
……………………Education and Awareness ……………………
……………………Information Sharing……………………
……………………Training……………………
……………………Legislative Monitoring……………………
Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities / Advocacy
Public Policy
Global Engagement

Critical Issues Across the State

Critical Social Issues
Families /
  • Changing traditional family unit
  • Less discretionary money
  • Grandparents raising grandchildren

Health /
  • Chronic disease
  • Stress due to economic issues
  • Lack of fresh foods; increased food deserts
  • Increased gun violence

Diversity /
  • Growing diverse populations
  • Lack of understanding of diverse cultures
  • Lack of engagement of newcomer and emerging populations

Economy /
  • State Pension and State Budget in crisis
  • Erosion of the middle class
  • Continued high unemployment and under employment
  • Population shifts
  • Power centers within the state

Education /
  • Rising school drop-out rates
  • Inequity in and declining school funding
  • Increased behavioral issues
  • Lack of early childhood programs
  • Lack of coordination of services

Nonprofit /
  • State tax challenges
  • PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes)
  • Nonprofit mergers, consolidations and closings
  • Decreased resources
  • Increased competition


Our Impact

Our impact defines the “why” of our Alliance purpose. The State Alliance of YMCAs seeks to:

  • Support the local Y’s impact on the communities they serve
  • Support the local Y’s ability to build capacity
  • Support and move forward policies that affect local Ys
  • Protect the charitable status of YMCAs; the brand, relevance, and sustainability
  • Leverage local issues collectively as a State
  • Strengthen our cause with one voice across the State
  • Serve as a leader in the areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Our Strategic Advantages

Strategic advantages are the presence of visible, obvious and measurable ways in which our Alliance differs from and is better than its peers (other statewide entities and organizations). The Alliance’s strategic advantages are:

  • Implementation capacity statewide
  • National and global affiliation and resources
  • Neutral and bi-partisan support and approach to issues
  • Strong brand identity
  • Historical record of impact
  • Broad and diverse population served
  • Scope, depth and diversity of leadership; both volunteer and staff

Our Strategy Screen

The strategy screen is a vetting process for the Alliance’s Big Questions that will guide our discussion at the Steering Committee and leadership level. We will ask:

  1. Is it compatible with our purpose and values and does it add value to our Alliance?
  2. Is it sustainable, e.g., do we have the resources, both human and financial? Do we have the capacity and the ability to manage?
  3. Does it align us with the right organizations?
  4. What are the local and/or state political implications?
  5. Do we need consensus among our corporate Ys or 100 percent agreement?
  6. Who does it benefit; entire alliance, a group of Ys or a single corporate Y?
  7. Is it aligned with the Alliance’s priorities and moves our work forward?
  8. What are the advocacy and public policy implications as an Alliance?
  9. What’s the return on the investment?
  10. Are there measureable outcomes?

Our Identity Profile

We advance our purpose… / to connect, support and foster state-wide initiatives, manage public policy efforts and ensure communication to advance the YMCA’s mission in Illinois:
Using our values to guide us: / Caring… show a sincere concern for others
Honesty… be truthful in what you say and do
Respect… follow the golden rule
Responsibility… be accountable for your promises and actions
With our collective voice being: / Determined, Genuine, Welcoming, Hopeful, Nurturing
and seek to: /
  • Increase the local Y’s impact on the communities they serve
  • Strengthen the local Y’s ability to build capacity
  • Support and move forward policies that affect local Ys
  • Protect the charitable status of YMCAs; the brand, relevance, and sustainability
  • Address local issues collectively as a State
  • Strengthen our cause with one voice
  • Serve as a leader or in a leadership role in the areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

by serving: / the 48 corporate YMCAs and more than 200 Y branch and program centers in the State of Illinois
and supporting: / State and Federal Legislators
Local and municipal elected officials
Statewide nonprofit organizations
through our areas of focus of: / Youth Development
Nurturing the potential of every child and teen. / Healthy Living
Improving the state’s health and well-being. / Social Responsibility
Giving back and providing support to our member Associations
……………………Convening and Collaborating……………………
……………………Education and Awareness……………………
……………………Information Sharing……………………
……………………Training……………………
……………………Legislative Monitoring……………………
Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities / Advocacy
Public Policy
Global Engagement
and emphasizing our strategic advantages of: /
  • Implementation capacity statewide
  • National and global affiliation and resources
  • Neutral and bi-partisan support; approach to issues
  • Strong brand identity
  • Historical record of impact
  • Broad and diverse population served
  • Scope, depth and diversity of leadership; both volunteer and staff

and funded by: /
  • Endowment Disbursement
  • Grants
  • Local Y Assessments
  • Statewide Events

Our Stakeholder Input:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

What opportunities should the Alliance focus on in the next three years?

•Leverage our strength in meeting with State Officials, bargaining in the marketplace and sharing of needed expertise in human resources if feasible.

•Create and implement statewide initiatives:

1)CATCH, 7th grade memberships, membership reciprocity, YDPP, child abuse prevention, early childhood development, engagement of youth and young adults to name a few

2)Statewide Grants that support statewide initiatives at the local level

3)More statewide legislative engagement

•Continuing partnerships with organizations that are related to our signature programs and our three focus areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

•Strategic and intentional work to position our statewide movement to work with health care providers and insurance companies to be the place of choice for the new community wellness model.

•Third party reimbursement for chronic disease prevention.

•Foster shared services amongst Y's and how that could possibly strengthen our movement

•Education issues with the budget cuts to our local schools.

•Diversity, Inclusion and Global Work

What threats should the Alliance focus on in the next three years?

  • We must speak as one voice
  • Tax exempt status
  • PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) programs
  • Afterschooland Child Care Licensing
  • Obesity epidemic in the State
  • Minimum wage increases
  • Affordable Health Care Act
  • Expenses outpacing revenue
  • Child safety and protection
  • Encroachment of low cost competitors
  • Third party pay schemes that erode margin and create unnecessary dependencies
  • Financial sustainability
  • Lack of understanding by non-engaged Ys about the value proposition of Alliance membership

Our Big Questions
The Strategic Planning Committee identified the following opportunities and threats facing the Allianceand selected a number of Big Questions that the Alliance collectively will give their time, energy and resources to:

Funding:
  1. How do we build a funding mechanism to sustain our Alliance?
  2. How can the Alliance support shared services among member Ys?
  3. How can third-party funding sources support local Y and Alliance work and not become a threat to the local Y’s funding model?
Statewide Initiatives:
  1. How do we leverage our strategic advantages to have statewide impact?
  2. How do we build a funding mechanism to sustain our statewide initiatives?
  3. How do we improve the health of kids and families in Illinois?
  4. How does the Alliance support the ever-changing family unit?
  5. How does the Alliance close the achievement gap of our youth?
  6. How do we support local Ys with newcomer and emerging populations in their communities?
  7. What does the Alliance support in the focus area of social responsibility?
/ Structure:
  1. How do we structure ourselves so that our work is supported and drives us to a common goal?
  2. How do we increase our collective buy-in to the Alliance to support and move our work forward?
  3. How do we add to the member value proposition to encourage full engagement of Ys across the State?
  4. How can the Alliance support the knowledge sharing and key learnings of the 48 corporate Ys?
Position and Image:
  1. What mechanisms do we need to develop to speak with one voice?
  2. How do we position ourselves as a credible leader in the areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility?
  3. How do we strengthen our statewide partnerships? Who do we align ourselves with?
Competitive Threats:
  1. How do we protect our charitable status?
  2. How do we address the direct impact that the state and federal minimum wage will have on Ys in the state?
  3. How do we collectively minimize the threat of our competitors?

Our Strategies

The Strategic Planning Committee identified strategies in the following areas of 1) funding, 2) statewide initiatives, 3) structure and 4) position and image that will begin to address and answer the Alliance’s present opportunities and threats.

Funding

  1. Create a funding model that will support the work of the Alliance by 2014.
  2. Identify and secure funding sources to fund the work of the Alliance by 2014.
  3. Identify the way to manage and monitor third-party funding sources that will help align our work as an Alliance.

Success Measurement(s):