Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS)
FACILITATION | STRATEGIC PLANNING | IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING | CAPACITY BUILDING
Overview
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Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS) developed a multi-year relationship with Aging Dynamics supporting various levels of the organization and building on each engagement. Engagements included Board development, overall strategic planning, implementation support, and follow up staff development and support after a significant leadership transition.
Board Retreat (2017)
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VOANS requested the assistance of Aging Dynamics for Board Development related to risk management. Board members varied in the way they defined risk and approached decision-making. Through interviews with the board members, we developed a work session that addressed defining risk, decision-making, and board culture and culminated in consensus on a decision making framework.
Strategic Planning and Implementation Support (2019-2022)
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VOANS was at a critical point in terms of growth in both housing and healthcare which included building a new organizational leadership structure. VOANS contracted Aging Dynamics to guide leadership through the development and implementation of a strategic plan. This included building cross-functional staff teams, skills and team building, and follow up support.
Instead of a traditional strategic planning process, Aging Dynamics included an intentional focus on staff and leadership development. Staff and leadership were invited to:
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engage with the visioning and development of outcomes,
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become active members of the plan’s implementation teams,
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participate in team development activities focused on the strategic plan, and
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practice how to work as a team and move the plan forward together.​
Aging Dynamics met with each of the five (5) implementation teams (senior and junior staff) multiple times over three (3) months– providing individual and team coaching– to break down the strategic plan into more manageable pieces.
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Major win: What began as a board-driven process ended as a staff-owned, board-supported strategic plan.
In 2022, the contract was extended. Aging Dynamics was contracted to facilitate focus groups with VOA-affiliate Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to develop an affiliate framework to guide collaboration with VOANS.
