During this session, participants will use Step 1: Prepare from the HCBS Business Acumen Center Toolkit, “Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations”. This resource is a ‘how-to’ guide designed to help Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) evaluate, plan, develop, implement and monitor strategies to help build and sustain their organizations in various business climates.
Step 1: Prepare discusses how to review and update the organizational vision and mission, conduct an environmental scan, complete a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis and identify champions to inform their work.
During this session, new participants will use Step 2: Plan from the HCBS Business Acumen Center Toolkit, “Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations”. This resource is a ‘how-to’ guide designed to help Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) evaluate, plan, develop, implement and monitor strategies to help build and sustain their organizations in various business climates.
Step 2: Plan discusses the activities that CBOs need to do in order to analyze the information they collected in an environmental scan and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis and provides recommendations on how to organize and prioritize that information in a strategic plan that will help their organizations achieve their goals. Since building and implementing a strategic plan involves a number of people and departments, the module also discusses how to manage organizational change.
During this iQ course, participants will learn about Step 3: Stabilize, from the HCBS Business Acumen Center's toolkit. Every organization strives to have stable operations. Every business has to operate. It has to function. Organizational stability means many things. It requires that you have control of your finances so that you have enough in revenue to meet current expenses and are able to create savings that can be used to sustain your organization through down periods. Ideally, the financial stability of your organization is such that you are prepared for growth when opportunities present themselves. Organizational stability requires that your business has an employee base who is responsible, reliable, and trained. It means that your business has efficient business processes and uses technology in ways that allow employees to operate as effectively as possible. Ultimately, organizational stability means that your organization operates effectively today and should for the foreseeable future.
This iQ course on Step 4: Grow and Develop builds upon the previous Steps 1, 2, and 3 iQ courses on the HCBS Business Acumen Center’s Toolkit. This course will describe how to capitalize on new business opportunities. Financial stability, good human resources (HR) practices, solid business processes, effective use of technology, and accurate financial reporting prepares your organization for growth and development. This course will help participants consider: who you want to pay for the services you offer; how to establish relationships with new payers; how to identify what is important to the potential payer; how to describe your value proposition; how you can get your foot in the door; how reimbursement will be structured; and more.
During this session, new participants will use Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate, and Respond from the HCBS Business Acumen Center Toolkit, “Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations”. This resource is a ‘how-to’ guide designed to help Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) evaluate, plan, develop, implement and monitor strategies to help build and sustain their organizations in various business climates. Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate, and Respond discusses the activities that CBOs need to do in order to ensure that their strategic plans stay on track. This includes monitoring their finances, compliance requirements and quality measures as well as implementing ongoing continuous quality improvement efforts.