Featuring I Love A Clean San Diego
A nonprofit’s impact can often be measured by the strength of its internal operations. I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD), one of the county’s oldest environmental nonprofits, knows this. In an ever-changing landscape, the organization must seek continual improvement and stay current to community needs, volunteer and employee interests, and evolving technology.
Soon after taking the helm at ILACSD, Executive Director Steve Morris sought San Diego Social Venture Partners’ capacity building support in a Spark Team. The engagement was led by Partner Robert Hill who was joined by Partners Laureen Ong, Laura Rehrmann, Cindy Skach, C’Anne Vaughn, and Renee Zau. While the nonprofit had originally asked for SVP’s help with a strategic planning process, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis identified more immediate operational needs in the areas of messaging, people, and information technology that could lead to big wins among its stakeholders.
The team got to work helping ILACSD to refine their case for support and hone messaging around their unique position in the San Diego environmental conservation space. Following this brainstorming session on messaging, I Love A Clean San Diego has already made changes to its website communications to better tell its story of impact. SVP Partners also led leadership through discussions in best practices for employee compensation and board development. The nonprofit has recently filled several positions, increasing their ability to effectively provide programming throughout the county. SVP’s final session with ILACSD focused on implementation of a CRM system. Alongside staff, SVP Partners mapped out a framework for the customization of reports and system enhancements to best serve the nonprofit’s needs. A taskforce for the organization will draft a workplan to follow through on system implementation in the coming months allowing for improved data tracking across its programs.
"[SVP] provided a diverse group of experienced contributors, who each brought in unique perspectives to accommodate our needs." -Steve Morris, Executive Director
SVP’s unique approach of sourcing a team of pro bono Partner consultants, each with a specific skill set and area expertise to match the nonprofit’s needs, provided I Love A Clean San Diego with a series of tightly scoped meetings designed to strengthen internal operations. The nonprofit has wasted no time in implementing recommendations and actionable changes that are sure to empower more San Diegans to live zero-waste lifestyles and protect the region we love.