Hello Friends,
As a new year approaches, CFSA’s Board of Trustees is taking the time to step back and look at all that we have been able to accomplish in an unparalleled year. Despite our shift in the way we have operated this year, the hard work that our partners, board, and staff put in made the transition seamless without disrupting the efficiency and efficacy of the work we do for the Southern Arizona community. We know that it is the background and rich cultures of all who live, work and play in this region that made this year successful with glimmers of hope intertwined.
One of these glimmers that we experienced this year was our work on our Strategic Plan for 2021-2023. As you know, these plans serve as the guide for our organization as we navigate through the following years. Let’s be honest, strategy tends to stay theoretical in organizations when a plan of execution is not introduced. With this Strategic Plan, CFSA has redefined our Values and created specific Strategic Themes. But before we began construction of those, we developed a purpose statement that will act as the foundation.
That purpose reads, “To create an equitable and vibrant community for all Southern Arizonans.”
After developing that purpose, we began to work on the key values that we hope to build into the way we work which include: Collaborative & Innovative Leadership, Integrity, Stewardship & Service, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), along with Fun. Our goal is to specifically highlight and uphold the DEI of our programs and grants in order to better impact our community. When developing this strategic plan, three specific themes were developed:
- Commitment to Accountability and Impact
- Equitable Community Investor
- Foster Community Connections
These themes helped us to develop the following six goals to complete by 2023:
- Expand Inclusive Community Leadership
- Increase Impact through asset growth and donor collaboration
- Diversify Capital Structure
- Invest in Nonprofit Capacity Building and Sustainability
- Build Brand Awareness and Trust
- Support Staff and Systems to Improve Service
As we worked through creating this strategic plan, we have also begun the search for our next CEO that will guide our foundation through our new generation. Our search committee is made up of a wide array of individuals that come from diverse sectors of the community. Search committee members include: Karla Avalos, Ivelisse Bonilla, Carol Carpenter, Celestino Fernández, Cande Grogan, Herb Hoffman, Fàtima Luna, Mary Okoye, Ethan Orr, Roman Sandoval, Saunie Taylor, and myself.
The national search will be conducted by a professional search firm and we are excited to bring on a new leader to work with the board, staff, and community and reimagine the ways our foundation is delivering on its purpose. Please be assured that we remain committed to engaging our key constituencies throughout this important process and will be providing regular updates as we move forward.
With gratitude,
Claudia Jasso, CFSA Board Chair
