TFA Strategic Articulation & Fund Development Strategy

TFA Strategic Articulation & Fund Development Strategy

TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE STRATEGIC ARTICULATION & FUND DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Prepared for

2020-2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

3

2.0 Key Process Highlights

4

3.0 Strategic Articulation Map

6

4.0 Fund Development Plan

15

5.0 Fund Development Partner Deck (Appendix A)

26

6.0 Landscape Analysis (Appendix B)

37

7.0 More Vision Snapshots (Appendix C)

52

8.0 TFA Implementation Plan (Appendix D)

55

9.0 Balanced Scorecard (Appendix E)

56

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TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE STRATEGIC ARTICULATION MAP & FUND DEVELOPMENT PLAN REPORT

INTRODUCTION 1.0

Since its start five years ago, the TransFormation Alliance (TFA) has made an impact in Atlanta through a commitment to collaboration and partnership. Our accomplishments include: • Securing the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge grant • Securing support from local funders namely The Kendeda Fund, MailChimp, NeighborWorks, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation • Creating a mini-grant program that has distributed $65,000 to local small businesses and nonprofits • Conducted citizen leadership academies, including our most recent youth summer camp • Developed an equity evaluation project tool • Executed a community-based murals program that resulted in public art at four MARTA stations • Created a shared multi-issue policy platform • Invested capital grants in innovative programs such as Station Soccer, Atlanta C.R.E.W., and the Atlanta Land Trust The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) provides administrative and staff support to TFA and serves as our fiscal sponsor. The Executive Committee supports the Managing Director in leading the collaborative’s vision and strategic direction, making decisions around internal operations and external partnerships, creating and executing an annual workplan, and fundraising. Regular meetings with the full membership and a monthly newsletter help to keep TFA’s full membership and stakeholders informed about their work. Heading into 2020, TransFormation Alliance realized that they needed a clearer roadmap to support their continued health and sustained impact. TFA selected Hummingbird Firm through a competitive RFP to develop a comprehensive and customized strategic framework and fund development plan to help us increase and diversify funding, build capacity for operations, support the growth of our members as leaders, and partner more effectively with community members. Just as important as the final deliverable was the process by which this work was conducted, and Hummingbird Firm’s S.O.A.R. (Strengths/Opportunities/ Assets/Results) framework was the right fit for TransFormation Alliance’s collaborative approach. The

Hummingbird Firm team developed a series of engagements that balanced work with energy management practices, such as guided stretching and meditation, in keeping with TFA’s values around human centered design. In addition, Hummingbird Firm utilized locations and vendors from TFA’s focus geography in keeping with the goal to support businesses and venues along Atlanta’s Lee Street Corridor.

“We are really reflecting the core values that started TransFormation Alliance”

The strategic articulation map and fund development plan that follow will help TFA stay on course with goals, more clearly communicate objectives and impact, and give an accountability framework for showing progress to supporters and to TFA.

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TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE STRATEGIC ARTICULATION MAP & FUND DEVELOPMENT PLAN REPORT

KEY PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS 2.0

The TransFormation Alliance is a diverse collaboration of 34 members ranging from nonprofits, government agencies, business partners, and MARTA working together to amplify the impact of their existing resources. TFA’s members are dedicated to ensuring that the opportunities and benefits provided by transit investment are available to all residents – present and future. Amidst all of the moving parts of TransFormation Alliance’s work, they center two “north stars”: • Race and racism are the reasons for the disparities they seek to disrupt; and • Transit is central to the success of each member’s mission.

“TFA members are really good at collaborating in order to achieve our shared goals”

TFA members sign a Memorandum of Agreement which outlines their guiding principles for working together. These guiding principles are: • Leading with racial equity • Transparency • Respect

• Strengthening Atlanta’s civic infrastructure • Sharing of resources and resource development • Branding and messaging

To ground their process in TFA’s existing body of work, Hummingbird Firm conducted a comprehensive review of TFA’s governance documents and work program, including but not limited to: 1. Governance structure

2. Guiding principles 3. Policy documents 4. Memorandum of Agreements 5. List of existing members 6. 2017 and 2018 lists of accomplishments 7. 2018/2019 work plan.

A review of these documents revealed that TFA has several processes in place to support its success but should also consider some changes. The consensus process for decision-making, a clear commitment to shared guiding principles, and a policy platform are assets. Areas for improvement include adding more arts & culture members and stakeholders, adding residents to the Executive Committee and membership as a demonstration of power sharing, aligning the annual workplan to the strategic priorities laid out in the strategic articulation map, and creating an accountability process for confirming that work is being completed. TFA could also benefit from measuring it’s impact by using a balanced scorecard, see Appendix E for example scorecard.

“What makes us extremely unique is that we are a diverse group of organizations and individuals that can change the lives of young people”

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TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE STRATEGIC ARTICULATION MAP & FUND DEVELOPMENT PLAN REPORT

In order to gather the requisite intel to inform the fund development plan, a landscape analysis of 9 similarly situated alliances, 5 key stakeholder interviews, and a literature review was conducted. Hummingbird Firm was challenged to encourage broad participation from TFA’s diverse membership. At the start of the strategic planning process, Hummingbird Firm asked TFA members to share what they were most proud of regarding TFA and what made the organization unique. Hummingbird Firm used these findings to highlight the strengths of the organization. The full video can be seen here: https://www. tribute.co/transformation-alliance/

“We are very proud of the fact that we’ve been able to build trust within the community and our target areas and neighborhoods”

Hummingbird Firm also designed and facilitated three in-person meetings with an average of 24 participants at each meeting. These meetings took place on: 1. May 30, 2019 - The purpose of the first meeting was to set the foundational stage for which the strategic plan would be built. TFA members participated in a range of exercises that resulted in a thorough needs assessment of the organization. 2. June 26, 2018 - The second meeting was squarely focused on gathering >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57

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