Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Karel Kurst-Swanger

Abstract

The study site organization lacked financial resilience to ensure the provision of social services to populations reliant on these services, including before, during, and after emergency conditions. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to provide strategic planning recommendations to increase financial resilience and describe the unique partnership between the client agency and the nonprofit arm. The study addressed strategies to increase the financial resilience needed to sustain the organization’s core mission, and strategies the agency can use to provide community services before, during, and after emergencies such as COVID-19, hurricanes, or severe storms. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis using an analytical hierarchical process was the conceptual framework for the development of the strategic plan. The target population was stakeholders of the municipal department. Critical sources of data included archival data, interviews with executives, and surveys with agency consumers. Findings included increasing awareness of human and social services available to the community and informing the consumers of the array of services available. Strategies to increase financial resilience included revising the existing memorandum of understanding for the nonprofit arm to raise funds to cover additional needs to advance the agency’s priorities and diversifying the portfolio of funds. Defining a governance structure for the nonprofit board to leverage strengths and match them to the organization’s was a key recommendation. The study may promote positive social change by increasing financial resilience within the client agency, which may result in increasing the organization’s capacity to provide services supporting a historically disadvantaged community.

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