Community Connections for Children saw explosive growth beginning in fiscal year 2019. With Pennsylvania’s restructuring of several early childhood education, CCC’s increased the counties it administers the Child Care Works and Keystone Stars programs, which resulted in the organization quickly expanding.
From a single office in York County, CCC, an advocate for parents and children that provides financial assistance for families to pay for childcare and high-quality early learning and solutions, soon opened a second office, doubling its staff and extending its services to 13 counties.
“By size and revenue, we’re one of the largest nonprofits in York County,” says CCC Executive Director Christy Renjilian, “but a lot of people haven’t heard of us.”
A trusted partner in CBY Professional Services
By 2024, Renjilian and the CCC leadership and board of directors knew it was time for a new strategic plan for their growing organization.
They turned to Patrick Ball, CEO of CBY Professional Services. Ball had helped CCC develop its previous strategic plan and walked with the organization through its season of major growth. Renjilian knew he was the right person to help CCC plan for its next era.
“Patrick is very well-connected to the communities he serves,” says Renjilian. “He is deeply committed to the success of nonprofit in these communities. He helps the leadership and board of directors think creatively and broadly about their current work and impact on the organization.”
Developing the plan
After CCC brought on CBY Professional Services to help create the plan, Renjilian and Ball generated a list of community stakeholders, funding sources, businesses, local foundations, early childhood education providers, and the major community partners with whom CCC works.
From there, Ball and his team began conducting confidential interviews with each group and numerous individuals, asking their opinion about CCC, the work it does, and the areas where it needs to improve. These interviews helped CBY develop a strategic roadmap with clear objectives and action steps.
“Time and time again, I’ve seen his skill in asking good, thought-provoking questions and the added skill of then being quiet and giving space for people to contemplate and respond. Patrick is able to create a space where there’s room to do that and have differing opinions, bringing that all together into a document that is a useful tool. Which is a skill in and of itself,” Renjilian says.
After the interview process wrapped up in spring 2024, Ball conducted a CCC board and leadership retreat where participants examined the mission, vision, and values of the organization. The CCC team spent the next several months honing these key tenets, meeting with Ball in late summer to finalize the work. By September 2024, the board was ready to approve the strategic plan.
Meaningful steps forward
“At its core, strategic planning is creating a plan to solve a problem and establishing metrics, priorities, milestones along the way to create focus,” says Ball.
But having a strategic plan isn’t enough to make an impact on an organization. After its approval, Ball and the CBY team worked with CCC to implement it. They took each of the objectives and assigned action items that CCC team members would work toward.
Key focus areas of the strategic plan include:
- Raising community awareness of CCC services
- Focusing on the growth and professional development of the CCC team
- Supporting the early childhood education workforce
- Planning for succession for all leadership roles
- Pursuing accreditation through the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Throughout the process of implementation, Renjilian knows that Ball and the CBY team are available to answer any questions that arise.
“If we reach a hiccup or something that we hope doesn’t happen with the federal funding freeze or anything else that pushes us to pivot, I know Patrick is just a phone call away,” she says.
Caring about the community
Renjilian has experienced the value that working with CBY can provide to nonprofits and organizations that want to strengthen their strategies.
“Patrick is attuned to the nonprofit community in Southcentral Pennsylvania. He has a wealth of experience in strategic planning. He is adept at helping nonprofits collaborate together and think about the work we do in the broader communities we serve.
“He’s also just a really good person,” Renjilian adds. “He cares deeply about the success of the nonprofits in the community. He cares very deeply about the individuals who live in our community, and he’s very easy to work with.”
With CBY’s guidance, CCC is well-positioned to grow community awareness about the important work it does while continuing to develop its team and advocate for quality early learning opportunities.
