By Laurin Pause, Executive Director of CRCWhat a difference a year makes!
With our first year with San Diego Social Venture Partners behind us and our operating infrastructure in place, Community Resource Center (CRC) ventured out to complete its strategic planning process and initiate goals to improve its Thrift Store revenue base and delivery of direct services to its clients. Little did we know that CRC would be facing one of its biggest challenges in 2008 with the advent of the economic crisis. After just one month of entering into a lease to relocate and expand its primary Thrift Store in Encinitas and dramatically increasing its food outreach programs, CRC experienced sharp declines in public donations and private foundations. CRC’s management was equipped to face these challenges head on and restructured many of its programs and staffing assignments which ultimately reduced annual operating costs by over $400,000.
At the same time, CRC was struggling with its strategic plan. A vision for the organization had been established the previous year yet the organization was unable to execute the vision. With the leadership of SDSVP Partner Sherri Neasham, along with the growing needs of our client base, CRC’s management had several “A-HA” moments and was able to define its strengths and a vision to define a model that assisted clients to a path of self- sufficiency using the organization’s strengths and tools that were already in existence. Even before its Strategic Outcome Plan was complete, CRC was incorporating these concepts into proposals which have already produced new funding and contract awards for the organization. With its mission and programs now aligned to provide “Safety, Stability and a Path to Self-Sufficiency”, CRC has established a strategic relationship with the County to deliver food programs and services to families in the North County and is currently poised to take the lead on securing funding for North County under the Economic Stimulus package.
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