- Last Updated on Saturday, 01 October 2016 18:25
The Washington County Community Foundation (WCCF) is pleased to announce the adoption of a comprehensive strategic plan to chart a strategic direction for the Foundation over the next five years.
Initiated in late 2013, the strategic planning process included a Board retreat, SWOT analysis, community survey, community forum, focus groups, community leader interviews, research on best practices, as well as benchmarking against other community foundations. Concerted efforts were made to capture many stakeholder voices in a variety of meaningful ways. To facilitate the planning process, the WCCF contracted with the Bayer Center for Non-Profit Management at Robert Morris University.
The resulting Strategic Plan includes three broad strategies supported by goals and methods to achieve those goals.
The first strategy is to grow the assets of the WCCF, strategically and responsibly, to achieve sufficient scale to meet the WCCF’s mission to improve the quality of life in Washington County by promoting and facilitating philanthropy. The goals to support this strategy include an increased emphasis on securing sufficient operating revenue to meet the mission, maintaining an emphasis on securing permanent grant-making assets to address the community’s long-term needs, and an increased emphasis on securing grant-making assets to address the community’s current needs.
The second strategy is to position the WCCF as a community leader. To achieve this strategy, the WCCF will expand to increase its impact in the community and enhance the WCCF’s reputation as a charitable giving and grant-making expert in Washington County. The Foundation’s most significant leadership activity to date is the annual day of giving, which has resulted in unrestricted grants of $1.7 million to more than 100 local charities. The Foundation’s most recent leadership activity is the rehabilitation of the historic Samuel T. Brownlee House in Eighty Four which is expected to be completed later this year.
The final strategy of the strategic plan is to position the WCCF as a resource for area charities to assist them in helping to improve the quality of life in the community. The WCCF aims to strengthen charitable governance practices in Washington County, increase community awareness of Washington County charities, and increase volunteerism in the community.
For additional details on the strategic plan, please visit www.wccf.net. With assets of more than $18 million, the Foundation has awarded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships since it began operations in December 1995.