Expert Navigation and Growth
Any business or organization must be able to adapt to a changing landscape and demonstrate its value and successes using data. However, it is not always clear what data will be most impactful or if performance management systems are set up to capture it effectively. Archaeological reporting – or reporting retrospectively after a key shift in strategy or staffing – can be a critical first step. Exact Change Strategies (ECS) worked closely with Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies, Inc. (CCFSA) on archaeological reporting and then to design and implement a new performance management system and framework that would offer a solid foundation for the future, no matter what the landscape.
A Continuum of Services
CCFSA is a network of 15 community-based nonprofit organizations across Connecticut that have been serving and strengthening families for over 100 years. Its members are community-based, state licensed, and nationally accredited. They work with clients to help them envision new realities and provide them with opportunities. CCFSA works to build the capacity of its members as well as advocate for policies and programs at the state and national level that are in the best interests of Connecticut’s diverse communities and families. By hiring ECS, CCFSA has been able to stay responsive to the needs of its members, staff, and funders while working to increase its own capacity and remain at the forefront of its field.
As the leader of a network of statewide organizations, CCFSA serves as an administrative umbrella, providing contract and fiscal management, program design and oversight, as well as quality assurance. Through this innovative model, local family service agencies directly serve their communities with reduced administrative costs. CCFSA and its members are able to build on best practices, offer
consistency in program delivery statewide, and leverage localized resources.
The CCFSA member organizations provide a continuum of services to individuals and families of all ages, including:
• mental health and substance abuse services
• early childhood services
• parent education
• disability services
• family strengthening
• adoption
• employment support
• senior services
• home visiting services
• immigrant and refugee support
• domestic violence services
• housing
• basic needs
• case management
Navigating Data and Transitions
Initially, ECS worked with CCFSA to address immediate reporting needs and take stock of past accomplishments through archaeological
reporting. At the start of the partnership, ECS and CCFSA leadership worked closely together to investigate the current situation and needs. This involved studying existing data sources and spreadsheets, determining what data was important to capture, and then creating
critical funding reports.
Some projects may end when a pressing need is met. However, CCFSA leaders had the foresight to go further and lay the foundation for their growth as an organization and network with the expert guidance of ECS. CCFSA was preparing to implement two new programs: Counseling Services and Housing Mobility Counseling and Search Assistance. ECS designed and built a dynamic Efforts to Outcomes® (ETO) system specifically for these major program areas using its distinctive Performance Management Framework.
Working in close collaboration with CCFSA leadership, ECS created an ETO system that includes custom data collection and reporting to meet the specific and diverse needs of CCFSA and its member organizations. ECS was able to provide ETO site administration services as well as training and technical assistance to ensure that CCFSA staff and members had a highly functioning database and the foundational knowledge to use the system effectively.
CCFSA was also able to enhance its data collection overall, matching their desire to move from simple counts of individuals served to a
more complex assessment and understanding of the people that they serve, the outcomes that result, and the effectiveness of various
approaches and services.
A Foundation for the Future
CCFSA and ECS have a strong ongoing partnership that strengthens the foundation of family services throughout CCFSA’s entire network. There is now a system in place to build upon as they continue to expand their work and take a multi-generational approach to impact cycles of poverty through barrier reduction and building resilience in families. They can assess performance in major program areas and have a focus on both performance and outcomes in statewide case management services. The organization has elevated its data-driven approaches and has even been able to assess the economic outcome and value of services. With a solid foundation, CCFSA can continue to navigate growth and change in its organization and field.