Denver Commission on Aging: Strategic Plan · 2015-06-22 · DENVER COMMISSION ON AGING STRATEGIC...

Denver Commission on Aging: Strategic Plan

Denver Commission on Aging Strategic Plan January 28, 2015

Facilitated by: Janine Vanderburg, J.D. Report prepared by: Meghan Camp, MPA

1 DENVER COMMISSION ON AGING STRATEGIC PLAN

Prepared for Denver Commission on Aging, January 2015

By JVA CONSULTING, www.jvaconsulting.com, 800.292.9551

INTRODUCTION The Denver Commission on Aging (DCOA), one of 10 commissions within the Denver Agency for

Human Rights and Community Partnerships (HRCP), advocates for and empowers Denver’s older

adult population by sharing information and community resources, building awareness around

older adult issues and opportunities and, as an expert in both policy and those issues affecting

older adults in Denver, monitoring and advising on legislation and policy change. Made up of

three key committees—communication, outreach and advocacy—DCOA serves as a bridge

between the community, HRCP and the mayor’s office. It is this responsibility to its constituents

and city representatives that motivated DCOA to engage JVA Consulting, LLC (JVA) to facilitate

its January 15, 2015, strategic planning session.

DCOA begins 2015 in a strong position to leverage current resources and proficiencies and

selectively develop its team and strategies over the coming year. By convening the entire

commission in this planning session, DCOA aimed to create a shared vision for the next five

years and develop 2015 goals and strategies that will strengthen its capacity to represent and

honor Denver’s growing and substantial community of older adults.

The desired outcomes of the planning session were to:

Unify DCOA members in a shared vision for the organization

Facilitate agreement among members of how to create this vision

Increase understanding of each committee’s roles and responsibilities

Refine definitions for committees and determine ways in which committees can work together to achieve the group’s unified vision

Develop a plan of action for working toward this vision

Establish commitment from members to accept this plan




Prior to the planning session, the JVA team worked with DCOA’s leadership to design a process

to achieve these desired outcomes.

JVA’s approach, customized to meet the needs of DCOA, integrates its over 27 years of

experience working with thousands of organizations across sectors of all sizes and lifecycles with

the work of leading business and strategy experts, including Jim Collins,1 David La Piana2 and

Osterwalder & Pigneur,3 as well as its own experience in developing successful and sustainable

strategic plans that advance the mission of organizations involved in community and social

change.

Specific methods used to help DCOA in its planning and strategy development included:

Reviewing the organization’s documents, including prior planning documents, proposals, committee descriptions and research

Meeting with the organization’s key staff and committee members

Facilitating a strategy session with commission members from all committees, covering:

Visioning: What would Denver look like in 2020 if we were wildly successful?

Goal and strategy development, including each committee’s key contributions and tools/resources needed for success, and developing consensus around a future strategic plan

Implementation planning

The resulting report summarizes this work and outcomes from the January 15 strategic planning

session with the commission members.

Planning Participants January 15, 2015, Planning Session

Name Committee

Leo Carosella Communication

1 Collins, J. & Porras, J. (1996). Building your company’s vision. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from

www.jimcollins.com; Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap…and others don’t. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

2 La Piana, D. (2008). The nonprofit strategy revolution. St. Paul, Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance.

3 Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &

Sons.

http://www.jimcollins.com/




Name Committee

Catherine Dockery Advocacy/Alternate Advisory Board

Barbra Evans-Small Advocacy

Joan Foster Seniors in September

Amanda Gregg Director, Office on Aging

Eliza Lanman Advocacy

Debra Mackillop Guest from Age Reimagined

Cec Ortiz Communication/Advocacy

Paul Ramsey Chair

Juanita Rios-Johnston Advocacy

Maureen Spiegleman Outreach

Janine Vanderburg Advocacy

Tamara Vermeer Communication

Alan Walker Outreach

Diane Young Outreach/Nominating

Why Our Work Matters During introductions, session participants identified what brought them to the commission and

why the commission’s work was important to them and to the community. Key themes that

emerged were:

A desire to ensure older adults stay purposeful, relevant and connected in their

communities

A recognition of older adults’ assets and contributions to the community

A desire to change the conversation around aging—aging is different than it once was

The importance of the commission to serve as a voice and community connector for the

older adult population

A respect for the uniqueness of each individual and his/her need to maintain this

identity beyond retirement

An understanding that aging is just another metamorphosis in life—and older adults need to be engaged in this next phase




THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK: DENVER COMMISSION ON AGING

The Foundation A vision projects the organization’s ideal future, defines the impacts it hopes to achieve and

ensures the whole organization works toward the same end.

A mission defines the organization’s fundamental purpose and describes why it exists—keeping

the organization grounded while allowing it to adjust to the world.

Core values ensure an

organization stays true to its

deeply held beliefs, and

explicitly state the principles it

will not compromise, under

any circumstance.

While individual strategies will

evolve over time, unless the

purpose of the organization

changes, the mission, vision

and core values will remain

constant and will serve as

foundation and measure for

each opportunity.

Vision

Based on the visioning session

and key concepts agreed upon by participants in the January 15 strategic planning session, a

draft vision was developed:

Denver is the #1 city in the country for older adults.

JVA recommends that at the next commission meeting, members agree on a version to promote

within the organization and to the external community.

Mission

Helping make Denver the best community for older adults through outreach, communication

and advocacy.

Core Values

Based on strategic planning session, JVA identified the following core values for DCOA:

1. Older adults should be valued as integral, contributing members of society.

2. Denver should be recognized as an intergenerational city.

3. DCOA is a generator of new ideas and conversations around aging.




4. DCOA connects people to resources and each other.

5. DCOA shifts the paradigm of aging.

6. Committees work together to achieve the DCOA vision.

7. Change takes both vision and action.

8. All committee strategies should be informed by and aligned with Age Matters.

9. Committee meetings are focused and deliver results.

10. DCOA and the mayor’s office have a shared vision and work collaboratively to serve

older adults.

11. Seniors in September is an “illuminator” for the commission and its partners’ work as

well as for older adults living and working in Denver.

JVA recommends that DCOA review these core values at an upcoming commission meeting

to determine which are really core.

The Environment DCOA Operates in

Key trends affecting DCOA and how we are positioned to deal with them

Successful organizations understand the trends affecting their work, the markets in which they

are operating and their competitive advantages.

Colorado has one of the fastest growing aging populations in the U.S., and by 2021, it is

anticipated that there will be more than 1.3 million adults over the age of 60 residing in

Colorado. As the boomer generation ages, bringing what researchers have called a “silver

tsunami,” communities have a choice: consider older adults to be a burden or find innovative

ways to serve them and draw upon their unique assets. As a leader and a resource for Denver’s

older adult population, DCOA has aptly recognized that this shift is not an aging issue—it’s a

societal issue. By harnessing the innate and earned intelligence of the older adult population,

while ensuring necessary services and policies are in place as this population continues to grow

(and many decide to age in place), DCOA is setting the foundations for a successful, vibrant and

intergenerational city, where individuals of all ages have access to the resources they need and

are thriving, contributing members of society.

A summary of other key stakeholders in the aging field

DCOA should continue to work with other stakeholders in the field that play a central role in

providing direct services, growing Denver’s capacity to become a “blue zone”—that is, a city

where people live healthier, longer lives—and ensuring older adults maintain a sense of purpose

and identity beyond retirement. Key stakeholders include:

1. The mayor’s office: As DCOA implements strategies toward achieving its vision,

partnership with the mayor’s office will be essential to ensure visions are aligned,

supported and advanced as part of the city’s overall strategic plan.

2. Colorado Division of Aging & Adult Services Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs): DCOA can

connect with DRCOG (Denver Regional Council of Governments—Denver’s AAA) as well

as AAAs in other counties to determine trends and strategies they have identified that

are helping them to advance their work in the communities they serve.




3. Seniors Resource Guide: As commission members agreed in the January 15 session,

utilizing this resource to connect to direct service providers—particularly for the Seniors

in September event—will be essential to DCOA’s role as a community connector.4

A summary of DCOA’s strengths

As an agency that does not provide direct services, and that has the ability to work

collaboratively with the City and County of Denver, DCOA is in a unique position to shape the

city’s vision for and messaging around aging and the assets of the older adult population. As the

commission grows and continues to be deliberate in its partnerships and actions, DCOA will

continue to be at the forefront of communication, outreach and advocacy for this community.

Seniors in September has the potential to become a brand for the commission and its

constituents, and it offers a significant advantage to DCOA for building organizational capacity

and expanding reach to numerous community organizations, providers and older adults—many

of whom might otherwise go unreached.

OUR STRATEGY

Committee Goals and Strategies Based on the recognition that each DCOA committee not only plays an individual role in the

commission’s success, but also supports other committees’ efforts, participants defined the key

goals and strategies for each committee as an integral part of the overall vision and success of

DCOA. Goals and strategies for each committee are outlined below.

Advocacy

The committee serves as a link and partner to the city, county and state advocates, and it

increases awareness of senior issues and legislation.

Key Questions:

What are policies or practices we need to advocate for on behalf of older adults in the

city?

Who do we need to be connecting with to effect policy change?

Purpose: Create a transparent and succinct policy directive.

4 DCOA should continue to explore and engage additional stakeholders working in the field, such as

Denver Senior Coalitions, a network of three senior coalitions—East, Northwest and Southwest—that

provides networking and professional development opportunities for professionals serving older adults in

the Denver metro area. Given its work is parallel to DCOA, this partner and its connections could be

leveraged to amplify impact on service providers, community organizations and individuals seeking

resources and connections.




Goals Strategies

1. Successfully advocate for one major

issue that is aligned with DCOA and

mayor’s goals in 2015

Mayor’s representative present at next DCOA

meeting

Policies are directly aligned with the mayor’s

efforts/vision

Commissioners participate in other city policy

groups communicating defined DCOA advocacy

goals

2. Offer informed and defensible

recommendations around advocacy

priorities to the commission/mayor

Participation in community policy groups and

other HRCP commissions; alternatively,

creation of a statement regarding policies that

impact seniors, with input from HRCP

Advocacy member attends mayor’s legislative

committee or connects with specific attendees

Elected officers invited

Focus areas are prioritized based on legislative

session timing, and policy priorities that have

measurable impact are defined

3. Stay accountable to the commission

to be informed and to communicate

city/county/statewide issues

DCOA support is not communicated until there

is a majority vote

Vacancies on citywide committees are known

and nominated appropriately

The committee partners with the

communication committee to create a white

paper script

A uniform process is created for research

(pros/cons)

Seniors in September event utilized to get

support and signatures on policy priorities

Conversations begun with outreach committee

to identify those populations in need in order

to advance social justice

Tools/Resources Needed

HRCP input

Connection to mayor’s office




Communication

The committee creates and maintains effective and efficient internal and external

communication structures, enhancing the work of the commission, forging new partnerships in

the community and engaging older adults in their community of Denver.

Key Questions:

What are key messages?

Who are we communicating to?

Purpose: Serve as the main source of information on and for the older adult community in

Denver.

Goals Strategies

1. Be the “go-to” designated

resource for media and

community as the

communications voice for the

aging in Denver

Have a designated media spokesperson

Develop media contacts so information directed to the

right person/people

Determine city guidelines for communications

Maintain and grow robust social media presence

Fund a survey for preferred nomenclature

2. Provide an accurate picture

of older adults in Denver and

correct negative images

Develop four op-ed pieces in various media in the

upcoming year. Communicate timing to entire

commission.

3. Build awareness of what is

already happening (e.g., what

older adults are already doing

in community) as a policy

matter and for the general

public

Collaborate with other committees and commissions

4. Raise awareness of the

commission and its work

Develop elevator speech

Be in city newsletter three to four times

Be in HRCP newsletter every month

Evaluate past year media plan and develop 2015 Senior

in September promo, including press releases, media

coverage, flyer distribution program, promotional

material; assist with fundraising and sponsorships (press

packets)

5. Serve as vehicle/hub for all

committees’ communication

Train other committees how to communicate uniform

message

Create template for committee reports




Develop uniform communication plan (all comes

through communication committee)

Integrate overall calendar to support other committee

or communication needs


Input from other committees

Funding survey

Commissioner expertise

Access to commissioner connections

Outreach

The committee empowers older adults to live healthy, safe and joyful lives in their community

by building awareness around the services and opportunities available as well as the gaps in

services and needs still unmet.

Key Questions:

What are our key outreach messages?

Who are we reaching out to?

How can Age Matters inform the gaps in services, and as a result, how outreach is

designed?

Purpose: Serve as public interface to seniors, agencies and nonprofits (partners that serve older

adults.

Goal Strategies

1. Reach seniors in need of

information and services

Get older adults’ and partners’ point of view

(describe what is available and discuss what is

not)

Facilitate collaboration and communication

with agencies/nonprofits serving seniors

Work with communication committee to reach

individuals who are living alone and not

connected to current services

2. Serve as bridge to other agencies Partnership coffees/meetings with other

outreach organizations and companies

Represent commission at other public events

(e.g., resource fairs, mayor’s Cabinet in the

Community)

Share commission’s story with other




commissions

Expand technology


Resource guide—expand and increase numbers printed

Age Matters report

Seniors in September The committee shines a light on resources, benefits and programs for older adults in the Denver

metro area. Through its premier event, it connects individuals and organizations, whether they

are seeking services, volunteer/employment opportunities or deeper understanding of Denver

issues and offerings.

Key Questions:

Who do we need to recruit for the upcoming year (and who aligns with our vision for

this event)?

How do we reach new communities and organizations? What existing resources,

partnerships and tools can be used to reach them?

Purpose: Develop Seniors in September as “brand” or culmination of other DCOA actions

Goal Strategies

1. Shine “spotlight” on resources,

benefits, programs that help older

adults identify and meet (in-person)

people who can help them

navigate/understand what is available

to them and thrive as older adults in

the city and county of Denver

Work with communication committee to shape

and get information out to community

Work with advocacy committee to help city

leaders understand the paramount importance

of the older adult population

Work with outreach committee to collaborate

with city leaders and to get the word out about

event, so isolated seniors are still connected

Innovate around transportation partnership—

continue these pieces and continue to expand

Determine additional avenues to differentiate

event (evening social event and happy hour,

Walk2Connect activity, storytelling activity)


Fundraising

Other committees

City agencies and other organizations and direct service providers




BIG Questions A BIG Question might be a pending opportunity, a looming threat or a persistent challenge

facing the organization. These are the issues an organization wrestles with and are often the

impetus for new strategies.

During the planning session, DCOA

identified two BIG Questions:

How do DCOA and its

partners prevent older adults from

falling into poverty after

retirement?

How do we better reach

individuals who are living alone or

who are not connected to current

services and resources?

These warrant further discussion

at future commission meetings.

IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING The strongest action plans are dynamic, responsive and frequently updated. They often take the

form of spreadsheets, so that overall goals can be linked to sub-goals and specifics, such as

action steps, resource needs, associated staff, start and completion dates, projected expenses

and outcomes.

Many organizations use action plans to support major areas of the business, such as: fund

development, marketing, programming, evaluation, governance, human resource management

and facility management.

With champions for each specific action plan, or a single champion to oversee the entire

strategic plan, the chances for successful implementation grow stronger. Brief progress reviews

at each committee meeting help to reinforce a larger review process so that leaders can update

their strategies in response to rising opportunities and fluctuating forces.

Annual Goals

Goal Target Date

1. Committees are working in support of each other February 2015

2. A comprehensive communications and media plan is developed March 2015

3. Seniors in September expands partnerships an clientele September 2015




4. New partnerships are formed in all areas (advocacy, communication,

outreach) to build collaboration and identify information and service gaps

December 2015

5. Advocacy and communication is aligned with that of the City and

County of Denver/Mayor Hancock’s agenda.

April 2015

Last updated on: January 24, 2015

Monthly Implementation Planning

The following provides the proposed implementation plan for each committee. JVA has also

developed a “live” excel calendar with monthly actions for each committee that accompanies

this report.

Advocacy

Action Target Date

Display goal on DCOA website January 2015

Identify contact at the state level who

can be conduit to legislative direction

February 2015

Create methodology to use to develop

policy positions

February 2015

Complete Age Matters electronic

release (all committees)

February 2015

Identify #1 policy priority and work with

communication committee to develop

language

March 2015

Bring mayor or representative to a

commission meeting to talk about

mayor's expectations and commission's

desires/objectives

March 2015

Hold Age Matters release party April 1

(all committees)

April 2015

Identify other advocacy groups to work

with

April 2015

Connect with city staff, such as city

planners, to speak to the group at a

committee meeting

April 2015




Develop an outreach meeting schedule

to connect with metro-wide outreach

organizations (all committees)

April 2015

Meet with other communities on policy June 2015

Recruit powerful people in community

to be members of the advocacy

committee

June 2015

Recruit two city staff members July 2015

Start planning and working on senior

holiday gift project (all committees)

August 2015

Recruit three city staff members October 2015

Conduct SIS panel presentation October 2015

Communication

Action Target Date

Develop integrated master calendar by

February meeting

February 2015

Create elevator speech February 2015

Have brand discussion of DCOA activities

February 2015

Create Seniors in September communication plan/outline

February 2015

Complete Age Matters electronic release (all committees)

February 2015

Create communication template for all committees

March 2015

For media contact: Establish clear outline of what topics are funneled and to whom

March 2015

Hold Age Matters release party April 1 (all committees)

April 2015

Be featured in HCRP newsletter April 2015

Plan for survey to be established April 2015

Develop an outreach meeting schedule to connect with metro-wide outreach organizations (all committees)

April 2015




Start getting media placements May 2015

Determine op-ed article dates and publications

May 2015

Start planning and working on senior holiday gift project (all committees)

August 2015

Get 1,000 Facebook likes December 2015

Outreach

Action Target Date

Schedule mayor's office to come to

commission meeting to discuss city goal

on seniors

February 2015



February 2015

Determine which metro area

information fairs the commission will

agree to participate in

March 2015

Schedule at least two partnership coffees

March 2015

Hold Age Matters release party April 1 (all committees)

April 2015

Develop an outreach meeting schedule to connect with metro-wide outreach organizations (all committees)

April 2015

Schedule information session on Age Matters 2015 revision for commission (specifically for those wanting to act as community liaison)

June 2015

Start planning and working on senior holiday gift project (all committees)

August 2015

Seniors in September

Action Target Date

Meet with communication committee

for SIS media plan

February 2015

Create organization (sponsors) listing February 2015






February 2015

Determine missing organizations March 2015

Hold Age Matters release party April 1

(all committees)

April 2015

Gain sponsorships April 2015

Develop an outreach meeting schedule

to connect with metro-wide outreach

organizations (all committees)

April 2015

Determine presenters May 2015

Complete invitee roster listing July 2015

Complete plans for SIS August 2015

Start planning and working on senior

holiday gift project (all committees)

August 2015

Evaluate/debrief SIS October 2015

Determine next year’s date, location,

mayor representative, vital participants

November 2015

Accountability

To ensure success in moving forward, DCOA has established the following accountability system.

Person(s) responsible for oversight: Committee chairs

Schedule for quarterly implementation planning: See Excel implementation calendar

Schedule/methods for quarterly evaluation of progress toward goals: TBD

Frequency of check-ins: Monthly

Mechanism(s) for oversight: Monthly committee meetings, held at JVA Consulting, the third

Thursday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon.

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Denver Commission on Aging: Strategic Plan · 2015-06-22 · DENVER COMMISSION ON AGING STRATEGIC...

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