Background
In June 2016, the Amherst Survival Center finalized a 3-year strategic plan with four areas of focus: Access (more food/more people); Outreach and Advocacy; Responding to the Effects of Poverty; and Organizational Sustainability. This four-page document provided a method of measuring progress and performance for both the senior management and board of directors. In 2019, using an abbreviated process, the Center updated the plan, and defined six slightly revised strategic priorities: 1) More Food; 2) More People; 3) Organizational Capacity: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI); 4) Organizational Capacity: Financial; 5) Outreach; and 6) Advocacy.
COVID-19 has altered the characteristics and increased the extent of food insecurity. It has also changed (temporarily increased) available funding sources for the Center to meet the needs of the community. Consequently, it feels like an important time to reassess the priorities and assumptions that have guided the Center for the past 6 years. The foundational mission and strategic direction are unlikely to change in any substantive way but the areas of focus will need to be revisited. After a competitive bidding process, the Amherst Survival Center hired Integrated Diversity, LLC to support the creation of its strategic plan. Goals articulated by the Board for the development of a 5- year strategy included:
- What, if any, significant changes have happened to services provided to those we serve? How have COVID- 19, inflation, and other current conditions brought in new or increased services, reduced services, increased or decreased funding available for those facing food insecurity?
- How can we better serve our community?
- What do participants, staff, volunteers, donors and board members want most and value most from the Amherst Survival Center?
- What does medium/long term financial sustainability look like in the current climate?
- What is the Center’s tolerance for financial risk?
- How can we address strengths and improve on gaps identified in the Equity Assessment?
- Are we clearly and publicly expressing and demonstrating Amherst Survival Center values in a consistent way, and if not, how can we improve?
- What are our 5-year goals and how can we periodically measure progress toward them?
Strategic Pillars
The nine strategic priorities for 2024-2028 have been organized into 3 pillars: Food Security, Community, Capacity & Infrastructure. We also affirmed our sustained commitment to core approaches which make the Center both highly effective and special to our community.
Food Security & Community. The results of the surveys and focus groups showed that ASC is overwhelmingly succeeding on creating access to food and community. Our emphasis over the next 5 years will be to maintain this success while looking towards continued quality improvement in these two areas. Neither was found to require a different approach. Across all data sources, respondents had very high interest in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) work. The majority of participants concur that the Amherst Survival Center is already doing great work in terms of JEDI priorities. Many suggested continuing to “walk the talk,” and offered a message of encouragement to maintain the current direction.
Capacity and Infrastructure. This is the area requiring most substantial focus and development. As we emerge from the recent period of rapid growth and programmatic success, made possible in part by funding available during COVID, continued success will require measures to ensure the sustainability, infrastructure, and clarity on priorities moving forward.
AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER’S CORE VALUES
The Amherst Survival Center is committed to the following core values. These values apply on both the individual and the organizational level and inform and guide all practices.
Inclusive Community We are committed to fostering a strong, cooperative and diverse community centered in the values of equity and justice. We provide a respectful, fair community with the opportunity for friendship, security, and change.
Compassion: We are committed to the values of compassion, dignity, humor, respect, and patience. We nurture acceptance and caring within the community.
Integrity: We seek to maintain an environment that embraces the values of accountability, openness, transparency, and authenticity.
Continual Improvement: We are committed to continually reflecting on and consistently evaluating what we do, identifying research to improve our work, and using best practices in all that we do.
Stewardship: We are dedicated to carefully managing the Center’s human resources, ensuring sound fiscal management and development, and consistently examining and conserving our use of energy and materials.
JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, and INCLUSION (JEDI) STATEMENT
The Amherst Survival Center recognizes that integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout governance and operations of the organization is essential to our mission. A core element of our value of inclusive community is our commitment to equity and justice. The Amherst Survival Center is committed to fostering an environment where community members of all identities thrive. We are working hard to live into our anti-racism values, incorporating equity, inclusion, and anti-racism work into all aspects of our organization, including throughout our volunteering policies and practices.
The challenge of continuing to make incremental improvements is that the need for ASC services continues to grow. The Center saw a 32% increase in individuals served from FY2020 to FY2023 (with almost all of that gain occurring from FY2022 to FY2023) and a 105% increase in total meals (prepared and groceries) served, with the steepest increase happening between FY2020 and FY2021, when we dramatically increased the food per household provided in the Food Pantry. Trends from the first two quarters of FY2024 show rapid growth even from record FY2023 levels. This growth has fortunately been supported by an equivalent growth in revenue over the last 3 years (revenue has increased 95% since FY2019, including a large influx of COVID-specific revenue).
However, we are projecting a significant deficit in FY2024, relying on revenue from the COVID period to continue providing current programming. Significant new revenue is needed to sustain current programs at this scale. Beyond sustaining the current service level, it is important to note that this rate of growth cannot be sustained without both significant increases in space and significant increases in sustained revenue going forward. The current space impacts efficiencies, limits growth of programs and limits access due to parking shortages. So, while the Center looks into the feasibility of increasing space and revenues long term, the growth rate of services will need to slow in the short term (i.e., at least the next year or two) and the focus will be on sustaining the quality of food and community and striving for operational efficiencies to maximize what’s possible. We both strive to not turn anyone away, and we want to avoid returning to the days where we provided 3-5 days of food per month per household from the Food Pantry (compared to the 14 days we provide in 2023).
