June 3 2007 -AFS USA Organizational Study Update

From AFSWiki

Dear Volunteers and Staff,

AFS-USA is commencing an Organizational Study. The purpose of this study is to

• Objectively review our current human resources (volunteers and staff), and the structures in which they operate
• Study outside volunteer based organizations and other AFS Partners in our network with the goal of bringing relevant learning into our Organizational Study process
• Identify structural options that will enable us to more effectively and efficiently deliver the mission and vision of AFS-USA and ensure our ability to achieve financially viable growth with quality now and over the next 10 years

The need to do a study of this sort came out of the National Leadership Summit held in October 2006 in Chicago, IL. At that Summit which included over 115 volunteer and staff leaders representing all areas of AFS-USA, representatives from several international partners, and AFS International, the participants discussed and developed recommendations to address 5 Core Issues that were identified through an online survey. One of the 5 Core Issues was “Volunteer Structures - looking towards the 21st century volunteer”. One of the recommendations was to do a thorough review of our current volunteer structure. This will be the first opportunity since 1995 to undertake a thorough evaluation and assessment of the organizational structure when we launched the Area Teams, Regional and National Councils.

Additionally, the environment that we are operating in now compared to 1995 has changed. To highlight some fundamental changes over the past 10 years;

• There is greater oversight and regulation from the federal and state governments as well as schools and school districts
• The number of active volunteers appears to be lower. We need to look at whether we are organized to meet the needs and expectations of the “21st century” volunteer with respect to their available free time, preferences for joining, or helping organizations, access to technology just to name a few
• Program growth in hosting and sending has not been sustainable, and comes at a high cost to the organization
• We have a higher than average staff turnover for our industry

The process for the organizational study will involve the following steps:

1. Background and Research

• Collect data and research on our volunteer and staff structures since 1998
• Collect data and research on other volunteer based non-profit organizations
• Collect data on the top 10-15 partners in the AFS network
• Gather information on industry standards for non-profit organizations as it relates to fundraising, finance, volunteer development and staffing

2. Evaluation and assessment of our current volunteer and staff structure

3. High level review of the 5 Core Processes in AFS-USAThese core processes include hosting, sending, volunteer development, fundraising and new programs/products (separate from our core programs)

4. Ongoing meetings and input gathering from staff and volunteers around the country Our goal is to get input from staff and volunteers at all levels of the organization as we work through this Study

5. Development of recommendations for structural options

6. Implementation of recommendations

7. Follow up and assessment

We have already created several workgroups for this study and envisage the establishment of numerous additional forums for input.

The current workgroups are:

• Framework Design Group
• Planning & Oversight Committee
• Current Volunteer and Staff Structures Workgroups
• Core Processes Workgroup
• External Research Workgroup

The Framework Design Group is responsible for developing the AFS-USA Organizational Study. The members of this group are: Kerry McCollum, Margaret Hunt Joanne Yokoyama-Martin, and Dominik Scherrer (AFS International),

The Planning and Oversight Committee (POC) is responsible for overseeing the entire study. They will work closely with all the workgroups and will ensure that the work done on the study meet the goals, objectives and timelines of the plan. The members of this group are: Judy Weyand (National Council Chair), Gail Inaba (AFS-USA Board Member), Theresa Collignon, Carl Moccia, Margaret Hunt, Amy Rome, Kerry McCollum, Dominik Scherrer (AFS International), Joanne Yokoyama-Martin, Alex Plinio. Margaret Crotty, incoming AFS-USA President, will join this group when she begins her tenure at AFS-USA.

Two separate workgroups will be responsible for reviewing our current volunteer and staff structures. At this time, we have identified the leaders for these two workgroups. The Staff Structures Workgroup will be led by Kerry McCollum and Carl Moccia. The Volunteer Structures Workgroup will be led by Theresa Collignon and Joanne Yokoyama-Martin. Their work is just commencing and the next steps will be to finalize the membership of these two workgroups, and the mechanism for seeking input to the work groups. The Volunteer Structures Work group will work closely with a newly formed committee of the National Council – the “Volunteer Organization and Development Committee”.

The Core Processes Workgroup will be responsible for reviewing the core processes in AFS-USA. The process reviews will serve as a means to understand the current operations of AFS-USA and more importantly get perspectives from different stakeholders. The primary focus will not be on process redesign but on understanding how current operations affect AFS-USA's ability to grow with financial viability and quality. This workgroup will be led by Dominik Scherrer and Eduardo Assed from AFS International and they will start their work June 5-6, 2007 at a meeting at AFS-USA. A group of volunteers and staff will participate.

The External Research Work group will focus on gathering information, analysis and benchmarking AFS-USA with other volunteer based non-profit organizations. We have contracted a team from Rutgers University Business School in New Jersey to help us in this external research and we will also be working with the Management Information Unit at AFS International. This work group will be led by Meryl Lewis.

In order to ensure a thorough review and process, the current timeline for completion of this study is May 2008. The success of this study requires us to ensure that all volunteers and staff are engaged and informed throughout the process. Regular communications and updates will be provided either by email, postings on AFS online and in some cases conference calls. We are also scheduled to have a second National Leadership Summit in Chicago in September 2007 where we will provide updates and opportunities for input and feedback on the work done on the study at that point in time.

This is the first of many updates to come. If you have any questions, comments or feedback on the Organizational Study, please contact Joanne Yokoyama-Martin on behalf of the Planning and Operations Committee.

Regards,

The Planning and Oversight Committee

Theresa Collignon

Margaret Hunt

Gail Inaba

Kerry McCollum

Carl Moccia

Alex Plinio

Amy Rome

Dominik Scherrer

Judy Weyand