Every agency and organization has a history, a reason for existing. That history, whether it is long or short, has played a role in shaping the mission and vision statements of the organization, the long and short term strategic plans, along with how the agency is organized, funded, and monitored. Knowing that story will help you understand your agency and assess it for strengths and weaknesses (or areas of emerging strength). It will help you understand their systems and service delivery methods. This is the foundation for your internship and will help you become a more effective human services professional from day one.

Many organizations have a brief history of their agency on their website. A simple online search will help you discover both the history the organization wants the public to be aware of and the unflattering aspects that end up on the news and other forms of media. There are many websites that assess and rank nonprofit organizations such as BBB Wise Giving, Alliance , GuideStar, CharityWatch, and Charity Navigator to name a few. Most focus on the financial practices of an organization, while others such as Glassdoor, Fairygod Boss, and Comparably review general company data, compensation rates, reviews from employees, and diversity practices. These websites rely on anonymous information that is not vetted for accuracy. As a result, what appears to be insider information can be skewed to the negative or the positive. The savvy intern will review the information and form clarifying questions to discuss with their site supervisor.

There are no perfect human services agencies—the human aspect of the work makes that an impossibility. However, organizations and agencies can be primarily healthy, primarily unhealthy, or have both healthy and unhealthy aspects. Knowing what to look for and what kinds of questions to ask will help you long after your internship concludes. The following sections cover some areas to pay attention to.

3.2.1 Mission and Vision Statements

A mission statement is the formal summary of why an organization exists, who they serve, and how they are unique, and a vision statement is the formal summary of what an agency or organization wants to achieve. Another way of saying that is a mission statement tells you what an agency is aspiring to do now, and the vision statement tells you what they want to do in the future.

More and more organizations are adding a list of values or core values that guide their work. Depending on funding sources, leadership choices, and many other factors that we will be discussing later in this chapter, your internship site may not have a mission and vision statement. Some agencies have both a mission and a vision statement, some choose to have just one, and others choose to combine both into one statement.

For example, the Goodwill Industries International (2019) lists their mission, vision and values statements on their website as follows:

OUR MISSION

Goodwill® works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.

OUR VISION

Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.

OUR VALUES

Respect – We treat all people with dignity and respect.

Stewardship – We honor our heritage by being socially, financially, and environmentally responsible.

Ethics – We strive to meet the highest ethical standards

Learning – We challenge each other to strive for excellence and to continually learn.

Innovation – We embrace continuous improvement, bold creativity and change.

The Wild Tomorrow Fund (2019), which focuses on habitat preservation, has a combination mission and vision statement:

We face the extinction of one million species in our lifetimes. But there is still hope. The solution to the extinction crisis lies in the expansion of natural habitats in threatened wild places. We must enlarge and protect the spaces devoted to the natural world in order to save the amazing variety of life on our planet – called biodiversity.

3.2.1.1 Mission Statements

The most effective mission statements tend to be one to two sentences and have three main functions. The first is to provide the public with an overview of the agency and create interest. The second is to motivate and focus the employees and service users. The third is to inform short and long term decisions. For example, if an organization is considering starting a new program, one of the first questions should be, “Is this new program in line with our mission statement?”

Here are some questions about mission statements that you as an intern might find helpful:

• When did the agency develop the current mission statement?
• What were the previous mission statement(s)?
• How was the mission statement developed? Who participated?
• How were service users involved in the development of the mission statement?
• How frequently does the organization evaluate the mission statement?
• What does the mission statement mean to you? How does it inform your work?
• Does the mission statement address issues of diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?

3.2.1.2 Vision Statements

For a vision statement to have the desired impact of inspiring those that hear or read it to get involved, it should also be clear and concise. It should also be inspirational and memorable. It should paint a word picture of why the agency exists and where it is going. Vision statements leave little room for debate or disagreement, they simply state what the future will look like when the organization fulfills its ultimate goal. Consider the following examples:

• Feeding America: A hunger-free America
• Alzheimer’s Association: A world without Alzheimer’s
• Special Olympics: To transform communities by inspiring people throughout the world to open their minds, accept and include people with intellectual disabilities and thereby anyone who is perceived as different. (TopNonprofits.org, 2022)

Experts do not agree on whether the mission or the vision statement should be longer. There are strong and convincing arguments for both, and strong examples of both. In the previous example from Goodwill Industries International, the vision statement is longer than the mission statement. However, Albertina Kerr (2019), a human services agency based in Oregon, has a longer mission statement:

MISSION

Kerr empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and other social barriers to lead self-determined lives and reach their full potential.

VISION

All people thrive in nurturing and inclusive communities.

VALUES

The values of our expert caregivers remain constant: compassion, commitment, collaboration, and advocacy.

Each organization developed their specific statements and values to best communicate who they are, what they do, and where they are going to their employees, service users, and the general public. Both are correct. Both used processes that are reflective of their history, the present, and their desired future. Both are as individual as the people they serve.

Developing mission and vision statements is a unique and dynamic process. It can be accomplished in a single meeting of key stakeholders or in a series of meetings that are facilitated by a consultant who specializes in organizational design and development. The process generally involves answering the who, what, why and how questions of the agency for now (mission statement) and in the future (vision statement). Who does the agency serve? What services does the agency provide? Why does the agency provide those services (vs. other services?) How does the agency deliver those services? When you as an intern are able to answer those questions,you will have taken a giant step in their journey of getting to know your agency.

Here are some questions about vision statements that you as an intern might find helpful:

• When did the agency develop the current vision statement?
• What were the previous vision statement(s)?
• How was the vision statement developed? Who participated?
• How were service users involved in the development of the vision statement?
• How frequently does the organization evaluate the vision statement?
• What does the vision statement mean to you? How does it inform your work?
• Were the vision and mission statement developed together?
• Does the vision statement address diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?

After taking some time to review your agency’s vision statement, take note of any questions you might have. The mission and vision statements can be used to assess the health of the agency and to measure the work that it’s doing. If you notice discrepancies or have questions, this would be a good topic to discuss with your supervisor.

3.2.2 Strategic Plans

Strategic planning is how organizations operationalize their mission, vision, and values. It outlines the steps and processes involved in incorporating their ideals into their day to day activities. If the mission statement tells you who an agency is, and the vision statement tells you where the agency is going, the strategic plan is the road map that explains how the agency is going to use their mission statement to achieve their vision statement in the next 5–7 years. A review of the mission and vision statements is usually part of the strategic planning process, as is the identification and refining of the agency’s values. The plans are usually lengthy, filled with charts, graphs, and specific ideas for getting from where the agency is to where they want to be in the next 5–7 years. At least that is how it is supposed to work.

In the past, human services organizations have developed their strategic plans at the highest level of the organization, utilizing the skills of senior leadership and the governing bodies, such as the board of directors. Once developed, the plan is usually presented briefly at a staff meeting, placed in a notebook, and then set on the shelf for reference, rarely reviewed until the next strategic planning process, 5–7 years later. Middle management and direct service staff may or may not be given access to the full plan and even when all staff have access to that notebook, the plans tend to be written in language more common in the business world than human services.

While the intent may be to have the plan direct and guide the work of the agency, the complexities of running a human services organization can be overwhelming, leaving little time to review the strategic plan. Situations beyond the control of the planning body can also interfere with the agency’s ability to implement their plan. For example, it is highly unlikely that strategic plans developed prior to 2020 included any planning for how to deliver services safely during a global pandemic.

The good news is that things are changing, and strategic plans do not need to be cumbersome, difficult to read, or sit on a shelf gathering dust. Agencies and organizations are beginning to develop infographics to help communicate the basics of their strategic plan and keep the key concepts on everyone’s mind. This increases transparency, communication, and the likelihood of the strategic plan being fully implemented.

The example in figure 3.1 is from Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. The infographic clearly shows how the mission drives the plans which lead to key outcomes.

Figure 3.1 Lane Community College’s infographic clearly delineates the connections between the mission, the goals, and the tasks involved. The mission is at the top, next are the strategic directions, followed by strategic priorities. Finally, at the bottom, are the intended outcomes.

Strategic plans traditionally include the following information:

• mission and vision statements
• strengths, needs, barriers, and opportunities assessment (most commonly swot)
• long-term goals
• yearly objectives
• specific action plans

Agencies will choose the process that works best for them including determining who should be involved in the process. While traditionally the planning has been made from a top down perspective, human services organizations are leading the way in involving staff from throughout the agency, community partners, key stakeholders, and service users in the process.

One way to simplify the role of the strategic plan within an agency is to use a human services analogy. Think about what you have learned so far about the concepts of case management and goal setting with a service user. If you think of the agency as a service user receiving case management services, the strategic plan would be the primary service plan for the agency. In case management, you start with an intake process where you learn about the services user and what they want to change. They identify where they are now (mission statement) and where they want to be in the future (vision statement). You help them identify their strengths and areas for growth, along with any potential barriers to their success (strengths, needs, barriers, and opportunities assessment) and then set goals with specific measurable steps and accountability plans (long term goals, yearly objectives, specific action plans).

Not all agencies have strategic plans. In 2016, the Concord Leadership Group (CLG) published a report called The Nonprofit Sector Leadership Report. They estimated that 49% of the 1006 nonprofit organizations they surveyed did not have written strategic plans (Concord Leadership Group, 2016). Some of the reasons why an agency might not have a strategic plan have already been discussed in this section, such as lack of follow through on past strategic plans and not having the right people participating in the process. Another reason is the size of the agency. CLG reported that 58% of smaller agencies, those with a budget under $1 million, did not have a strategic plan (2016). In Oregon, 30% of nonprofit organizations have budgets less than $1 million (Cause IQ, 2022). While there are many benefits for having a strategic plan, it isn’t a requirement.

Here are some questions about strategic plans that you as an intern might find helpful:

• Does the agency have a written strategic plan? If not, do you know the reason?
• Have you read your agency’s strategic plan? Have you asked to read it?
• When did the agency develop the current strategic plan?
• How was the strategic plan developed? Who participated?
• How were service users involved in the development of the strategic plan?
• How frequently does the organization review the strategic plan?
• Does the strategic plan include plans and goals related to diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?
• How does the strategic plan inform your work?

Exploring this information can help you get a feel for how the agency sets–and pursues–its goals and priorities.

3.2.3 Fiscal Solvency

Fiscal solvency refers to an agency’s ability to service any debt as well as meet any other financial obligations. The fiscal solvency of an agency is one of the key indicators of the organization’s health. Note that money wasn’t mentioned. That was purposeful. Having money or the lack of money does not always indicate how an agency is doing,. The focus is more on how an agency manages their resources. Public or governmental human services agencies have guaranteed revenue streams and may or may not be fiscally healthy. We will talk more later about whether public agencies are adequately funded. Conversely, private nonprofit agencies have more complicated funding streams that are less predictable. While having adequate funding is important, money alone isn’t the answer.

When referencing agency resources, we are talking about more than money, or an agency’s ability to collect, earn, or receive money. Resources are different for private and public agencies. For private agencies, resources include tangible items such as vehicles, property, office equipment, office supplies, products, and agency employees. Resources are also intangible and need to be managed just as carefully. Agency reputation, staff morale, community partnerships, consumer satisfaction, relationships with the donor base, and social media presence are just a few examples of agency resources. For public agencies, the agency resources that they can manage are primarily intangible. Technically, a public agency owns nothing, the public does. If a public agency has a budget deficit, it cannot sell off extra office equipment to make up the difference, because they don’t own it, the taxpayers do. What public agencies can manage are their reputation, staff morale, community partnerships, and a limited amount of customer satisfaction.

So how can an intern learn about the fiscal solvency of an agency? Beyond asking your site supervisor to review the financial records, a simple internet search can reveal a great deal. Public agencies are required to make their budgets available to the public for review. For Oregon, public agencies’ budgets are available on the State’s website (State of Oregon, 2021b). Private agencies are required to file a 990 form with the IRS annually to maintain their nonprofit status. Those forms are available for public view and most can be found at Cause IQ’s website or other watchdog websites. What those forms do not reveal is the budgeting process each agency uses, how the budget is monitored, and who within the agency has the authority to change how the agency resources are utilized.

When assessing an agency for financial solvency, most experts agree that you are looking for a balance of funding sources. For example, if an agency is funded only through fees, there is a risk that a single event, such as a natural disaster in the area, could disrupt their ability to provide the services and eliminate their primary revenue source. If their primary funding source comes from charitable donations, they are at risk for not meeting budget demands during economic downturns. There is no perfect formula as budgeting, and managing an agency’s resources is an agency specific process. Here are some things to look for regarding fiscal solvency:

• Transparency of budget and budgeting processes: Is the budget published on their website? Who is involved in the budgeting process and the budget review process? Is the budget discussed regularly at staff meetings and/or team meetings?
• Asset to debt: Does the agency have the recommended 2-to-1 asset-to-debt ratio?
• Agency endowment and/or reserve funds: Are endowment funds invested to earn interest for the agency? Endowment principal funds cannot be spent, only the interest. Reserve funds are the monies an agency holds in reserve for potential revenue deficits and fluctuations.
• Wage ratio: How does the highest paid employee’s salary compare to the lowest paid employee? It should be no more than 3-to-1 for agencies with an annual budget under $5 million and 4-to-1 for agencies with budgets over $5 million.
• Overhead ratio: Is the agency’s overhead less than 25% of its annual budget? Sometimes the overhead ratio can be as much as 35%. Some grants have a limit on how much money can be used for administrative and overhead costs.

Here are some questions about fiscal solvency that you as an intern might find helpful:

• Have you read your agency’s budget?
• How was the budget developed? Who participated?
• How were service users involved in the development of the budget?
• How is the budget monitored? Is the budget discussed at staff meetings?
• Do you know how much the agency keeps in reserve funds? Does the agency have an endowment?
• What are the agency’s most valuable resources that are not monetary?
• Does the budget reflect the mission, vision, and strategic priorities as stated by the agency?
• Does the budget address issues of diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?
• How does the budget inform your work?

These questions may help you see how (or if) the agency budget aligns with their stated goals.

3.2.4 Private vs. Public Agencies

The table below provides a list of both private and public human services agencies and where their money comes from (figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2 A comparison of private and public human services agencies and their funding sources.