ABOUT THE GREATER WASHINGTON URBAN LEAGUE

This decade sees the Greater Washington Urban League establishing an ongoing partnership with major institutions in both the public and private sectors to alleviate the hardships experienced by our constituents in these difficult times. Such partnerships also provide new avenues for our constituents to enter into the economic mainstream. With base support provided by various private funding sources, the League also has contracts with federal and local government agnecies to conduct specially-funded programs. Although many of our programs are government funded, the League continually seeks creative ways in which to involve the private sector and community groups in joint prgrammatic ventures.

Overview

The Greater Washington Urban League, Inc. continues to undergo an assessment of how its programs are serving clients, and what new initiatives are necessary. At the same time, institutional changes are being considered to prepare the League for the millennium. Directions for the future should take into account what has worked in the past. The League is now placing a new importance on program evaluation, and intends to rely heavily on results of the evaluation of its program. It is the policy of the League to have a solid outcome evaluation of all existing programs, and each new program must be designed in a way in which it can be readily evaluated.

Some restructuring of the League is already underway and continues from last year. The Housing and Economic Development area, after a period of cutbacks, has been rebuilt to address some of the critical needs in the community. The League's current efforts in this field of service span a full range of planning, coordination, and development functions. A new Vice President for Programs has been named. The Board of Directors is an important force in the League, and is leading the discussion about the direction of change and growth.

Long-Term Planning

In 1994, the League began its effort to prepare itself for the 21st century through a small planning grant from the Meyer Foundation. A preliminary paper was drafted to outline the elements needed for a comprehensive long-term plan. In addition, the senior staff of the League began a series of off-site conferences to explore directions for the future.

A long-term strategic planning process is still underway, relying heavily on the pro-bono contributions of noted area professionals. The Greater Washington Urban League, Inc. realizes that no social service agency can remain competitive without an organized approach to planning its future. This process was originally estimated to take twelve (12) months, involving horizontal and vertical interaction, internal and external environmental scanning, and strategic management based on facts. The strategic planning process relies on the work of task forces and executive study groups. Documents and data to facilitate deliberation will be augmented by expert presentations of options, analyses and feedback to unify consecutive sessions.

The League is restructuring its program to encourage volunteer service in the metropolitan area, and to coordinate volunteer opportunities. A new volunteer recruitment and placement service specifically targets middle and upper-income African Americans in the Washington metropolitan area for volunteer service, and requests for volunteer placement have mushroomed since the October 1995 "Million Man March." While this program recognizes the fact that middle and upper-income African-Americans have often been criticized for not giving back to the community," it is based on the premise that opportunities for service have not always been made available to this segment of the population in a systematic manner.