AAUL Strategic Plan: 2010 -2011
• Vision Statement
• Mission Statement
• Strategic Directions
• Specific programs and goals
Our Vision
A community where all individuals and families are empowered to succeed economically and contribute to their community’s success.
Our Mission – Our Work
To assist African Americans and all other under-served Austin area residents in the achievement of societal and economic equality by focusing on educational improvement, employment readiness, health and wellness, and the preservation of affordable housing.
Pillars of Excellence
• Promote real estate wealth for current and future generations through:
– Repairing homes
– Sustaining affordable housing stock
– Partnering with residents and developers to stabilize neighborhoods
– Assisting First Time Home Buyers
– Educating homeowners on foreclosure prevention, available property tax waivers
• Improve education for youth and young adults by:
– Partnering with the community in high school redesign
– Offering after school technology enrichment
– Providing workforce development programs
– Offering Computer training, GED preparation and essential office skills
• Foster health and wellness through:
-Education on disease prevention
-Strategies to assist the most vulnerable in society
-Partnering with local health care providers
• Provide stable infrastructure to ensure continuation of AAUL programs for Long Term
– Explore the purchase of present location for the AAUL
– Strengthen the fundraising and membership development function
– Consider different venues for EOD and for Annual Business Meeting
Strategic Pillars
• The National Urban League employes a five-point approach to provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities and the guarantee of civil rights of African Americans.
• Education and Youth Empowerment ensures the education of all children by providing access to early childhood literacy, after-care programs and college scholarships.
• Economic empowerment invests in the financial literacy and employability of adults through job training homeownership and entrepreneurship.
• Health and Quality of Life empowerment promotes community wellness through a focus on prevention, including fitness, healthy eating and access to affordable healthcare.
• Civic Engagement and Leadership Empowerment encourages all people to take an active role to improve quality of life through participation in community service projects and public policy initiatives.
• Civil Rights and racial Justice Empowerment guarantees equal participation in all facets of American society through proactive public policies and community-based programs.
Strategic Pillars - Affiliates
• Education
• Economic Empowerment
• Health & Quality of Life
• Civic Engagement
• Civil Rights & Racial Justice Activities
• Other Programs: Community networking, Arts, Programs against violence
Initiatives
1. Fundraising and Public Relations opportunities
2. Emergency Home Repair Services
3. Workforce Development & Education
4. Health Awareness, Wellness Services
5. Expand "fee for service" programs
Emergency Home Repair:
Program Summary and Goals
• Purpose: Provide emergency plumbing, heating, roofing, electrical repairs for eligible homeowners
• Community need: Helps low income home owners with home repairs that some could not afford to make on their own. Also assists in preventing homes from being determined substandard by the City of Austin
• Extent of impact and growth potential: Serves more than 500 home owners annually and more than 14,000 since inception. The sky is the limit if improvements to funding time frame can be achieved.
Emergency Home Repair
Initiative: Crisis Home Repairs for plumbing, electrical under $500
Objective: To protect the immediate health and safety of home owners by performing plumbing repairs.
Tactics: Calls to licensed, bonded contractors.
Timing: Ongoing, Immediate.
Initiative: Emergency Home Repairs for plumbing, electrical, sewer repairs, greater than $500.
Objective: To protect home values of low-income Austin residents by repairing homes.
Tactics: Initial property inspection by AAUL and conduct of a bid process for best value award.
Timing: Ongoing, weekly.
Initiative: Major Home Repairs for swer, electrical and roof replacement, greater than $500 and less than $4,000.
Objective: To protect the long-term value and viability of real property of low-income homeowners by repairing/replacing roofs.
Tactics: Initial property inspection by AAUL and conduct of a bid process for best value award.
Timing: Ongoing, bundling of bid packages twice per year on average.
Results: 484 home repaired in 2010.
Workforce Development & Education Services
Program Summary and Goals
• Purpose: To provide essential office technology skills, including businessetiquette, to low income individuals so that they can achieve employabilityand self-sufficiency
• Community need: 15.2% of Travis County residents (over 100,000 people)had income below the poverty level in 2006. The Central Texas communityis unique in that it requires a more sophisticated level of education and/oryears of labor and market experience. The program goal is to prepare theeligible individuals for a better opportunity at earning employment.
• Extent of impact and growth potential: The program has the potential toreduce the City’s unemployment rate, as well as a reduction in the overallpercentage of those on public assistance. This program serves about 460persons per year, and has been in existence about 20 years. Potential for growth is there depending on our ability to acquire funding. Budget has not changed in 5 years.
Workforce Development & Education
Initiative: Essential Office Skills (EOS)
Objective: To equip clients with skills to become gainfully employed.
Tactics: Training on Microsoft Office 2007, workplace skills Training on Internet usage.
Timing: Six-week sessions throughout the year.
Initiative: Career Connections Center/Job Readiness
Objective: To provide employment referrals and successful job searches.
Tactics: Resume preparation, Mock Interviews, Employer contact, Clothing/Transportation Timing: Assistance Ongoing, year-round.
Initiative: GED Certification
Objective: To prepare students to pass the GED.
Tactics: Intensive instruction by ACC Faculty for reading, comprehension, math & writing.
Timing: 16-week sessions throughout the year.
Smaller Programs at the Austin Area Urban League Program Summary and Goals
• Purpose: To provide several programs that address aniche market or service need.
• Community need: All of the following programs havesome constituency and steady demand but their revenueor grant sources do not fully support their programs.
• Extent of impact and growth potential: By definition,these programs are small in scale, and depend uponsignificant funding to become major efforts—some ofwhich existed at one time
Smaller Programs at the AAUL
Initiative: First Time Homebuyer Education Classes.
Objective: Educate consumers re:homeownership& provide down payment assistance Tactics: Mandatory class taught by banking partners. Participants provide closing documents.
Timing: Bi-Monthly
Initiative: Academic Scholarship Competition.
Objective: Help highschool seniors pay for college.
Tactics: Regional.
Timing: Competition Annual. Appx.
Initiative: HACA After School Youth Technology Enrichment Program.
Objective: Provide self paced mentoring/instruction to prepare youth with computer skill development, GED/college prep support by utilizing techonology.
Tactics: HACA community collaboration to promote participation.
Timing: Weekly.
Results: 80% of youth enrolled will successfully complete one component of the program. 90% of youth who complete the program will demonstrate competency in one or more technical areas. 80% of youth who complete at least one component of the program will remain in school. 70% of youth will report an increase in their ability to collaborate with peers and adults.
Resources: HACA Funds $40K a year for this Program
Initiative: Community Outreach Social Justice.
Objective: Serve as voice in public policy for constituents.
Tactics: Board Policy Media Public Forums.
Timing: Determined by the Board.
Results: Quality of Life Initiative; Voice on deaths of Kevin Brown & David Morales; Lawsuit MUD.
Resources: Board and CEO Time Case-by-Case Basis
Recommendations
First Time Homebuyer Education Classes
1. Begin Assessing a $50 Fee for each participant to Register for the Course
2. Allocate 15% of Funding to Support Administration (Saturdays, Staff, Closing Documents Review)
Academic Scholarship Competition
1. Begin Assessing 10% of Funding to Support Administration (Meetings, Accounting, Reporting, Interaction with multiple educational institutions nationwide)
Community Outreach
1. Continue on a Case-by-Case Basis, informing the Board along the way.
Health Awareness & Wellness New Program
Summary and Goals
• Purpose: To educate our constituency and the larger communityabout the need for healthier lifestyles, habits and choices.
• Community need: There is a large need to address a myriad ofdisproportionate health care issues in communities of color – incl. diabetes, obesity, prematurity, HIV and several others
• Extent of impact and growth potential: With partnerships w/ March ofDimes, “Honey Child” program, Seton & St. David’s—and state and federal grants – this could be the next high-growth opportunity at AAUL
(NEW) Health Awareness & Wellness
Initiative: Cancer Prevention.
Objective: To educate the community about various forms of Cancer & life choices.
Tactics: Partner with American Red Cross & Sisters’ Network.
Timing: Board to Decide Timing & Sequence.
Results: New Initiative.
Resources: $15K-$35K
Initiative: Diabetes.
Objective: To educate the community about Diabetes & life choices.
Tactics: Partner with American Diabetes Assoc., City of Austin.
Timing: Board to Decide Timing & Sequence.
Results: New Initiative.
Resources: $15K-$35K
Initiative: Prematurity & Low Birthweight.
Objective: To educate the community about Prematurity & health care choices.
Tactics: Partner with “Honey Child” program of March of Dimes & Hispanic Chamber
Timing: Board to Decide Timing & Sequence.
Results: New Initiative.
Resources: $15K-$35K
Initiative: Obesity & Wellness.
Objective: To educate the community about Obesity & life choices.
Tactics: Partner with City of Austin, Seton, St. David’s.
Timing: Board to Decide Timing & Sequence.
Results: New Initiative.
Resources: $15K-$35K
Fundraising Initiatives
• Purpose: To put the AAUL on a stable financial foundation.
• Need: We will not be able to attract and retain the kind of investors that we want if we cannot demonstrate our own capacity to raise funds
Initiative: Fundraising for the AAUL
Objective: Improve our ability to raise funds from individual donors and companies.
Tactics: Market to the largest base of donors - individuals.
Hire a development director; also consider contracting with professional fundraising org.
Timing: ASAP.
Resources: Expect to spend about $70k; funding to be supplemented by Topfer Foundation
Initiative: Assign staff for event-planning.
Objective: Hold events that are profitable.
Tactics: Reconsider EOD components.
Timing: ASAP
Resources: Seek a separate meeting to decide redesigned format for greater profitability.
Initiative: Hire a Funds Development Director to write grant proposals.
Objective: Obtain more grant funding. Provide grant writing resources to staff.
Timing: ASAP
Resources: $1,500 -$3,000 Training Costs.
Toward the Future
Connections with The Opportunity Compact
1. The Opportunity to Thrive (Children & Youth)
2. The Opportunity to Earn (Jobs)
3. The Opportunity to Own (Housing)
4. The Opportunity to Prosper (Entrepreneurship)