Goal 1: To create the infrastructure and resources to sustain and support expansion of services in the Portland Metro and surrounding areas.
We identified the following steps to achieve this goal:
- Recruit, train and support more volunteer dog/handler teams so that we can meet existing demand in the Portland Metro area as well as expand into surrounding areas. For this we need to:
- Execute the published training/testing plan to prepare and provision four new S.T.A.R. teams. – IN PROCESS. Try-It-Out Workshop took place June 22, Test Prep Series started July 27. Basic Qualifications test given on August 30. All teams have completed the final four workshops and moved into Apprentice Team status.
- Provide a strong support system for approved S.T.A.R. team handlers. To include:
- Regular group practice sessions at least once a month – IN PROCESS starting Feb 2015, thanks to sponsor Healthy Pets NW, who provided practice space Spring/Summer 2015.
- Identify presenters and content for 2-3 continuing education workshops to help S.T.A.R. teams stay on top of their game – DONE May 2015, thanks to Rosemary Stein (Reactive Dog Workshop) and Carrol Haines (Rally Freestyle Elements)
- Institute a simple, private online S.T.A.R. team tracking system so that we capture needed statistics on number of children visited, content of sessions – DONE Jan 2015
- Develop a steady income stream and manage it responsibly. To include but not be limited to:
- Creation of a “Grant Application Kit” of up-to-date information for use by members of the organization. IN PROCESS – A successful grant application to Petco Foundation is being used as the basis. 2015 stats gathered via the team tracking system will be incorporated in the final kit.
- Formalize a Financial Policy defining:
- Management of organizational monies (savings, checking, and credit)
- Creation and management of a cash reserve for lean times. DONE Dec 2015 – $1500 reserve in saving account.
- Scholarship policy
- Guidelines for assessing the value of organizational participation in local fundraising and promotional events. IN PROCESS.
- File a 990-EZ for 2014 rather than the 990 postcard (for which we qualify) to make explicit our financial position for potential grantors. DONE April 2015
- Hire an outside professional for bookkeeping. DONE Jan 2015
- Continue to capture all forms, procedures, expenses, guidelines – EVERYTHING needed to replicate the program elsewhere. To include but not be limited to:
- Centralize storage of the latest version of all organization documents. IN PROCESS – 10-seat Box account acquired through Tech Soup, master copy of documents being transferred as they are used.
- 3-ring binder training manual for S.T.A.R. team handlers IN PROCESS – pages being added as cohort moves forward.
- Document the lending libraries of books/videos/props.
Goal 2: To create and nurture healthy relationships with client organizations
We identified the following steps to achieve this goal:
- Define realistic screening criteria to be used in evaluating and prioritizing various types of potential client relationships. IN PROCESS – discussion but nothing written.
To include but not be limited to:- On-going weekly visits at a specific facility, 1 or 2 children at a time (examples: DV shelters, residential treatment facilities, HomePlate outreach to homeless youths)
- Annually repeated short series of small group classes (example: elementary schools)
- One-time events/sequences for larger groups (examples: Girl Scout summer camp; Adelante Chicas)
- Define and follow the steps necessary to set up a relationship with suitable clients. To include but not be limited to:
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties – Clackamas Women’s Services has accepted their MOU. This will be used as a model for our other clients.
- Site inspections DONE – Rev 1. used for the Clackamas Women’s Services site
- Insurance certificates DONE – Secure access to agent’s site allows us to create certificates as needed. This information is not public.
- Handler certifications
- Risk Management Plan – DONE – updated on Aug 3, 2015
- Provide clients and potential clients information that clarifies and validates our program.
- Continue work with the Psychology Dept. at Pacific University to objectively measure and document the efficacy of S.T.A.R. sessions. IN PROCESS – Phase 2 Formative Evaluation complete. We are in phase 3 and likely to complete everything by the summer of 2016.
- Director/Chief Handler to pre-qualify for and attend the 4-day training session Animal-Assisted Play Therapy: Theory, Research, & Practice (Level 1 Intensive) taught by Risë Van Fleet in June to attain Animal-Assisted Play Therapy Level 1 certification. DONE. Note: NOT paid for by Little Dog.
- Create a brochure which succinctly describes in terminology appropriate for therapy professionals what our program does and does not do. IN PROCESS – a donation in August (Thank you, Cindy!) enabled us to buy a simple color printer, and we’ve used it to do low-cost prototype a 4-fold brochure for non-clinical readers, which we’ve now distributed at several events. CLICK HERE for the latest version. The brochure for therapy professionals (which will after June be able to include the evidence-based assessment by Pacific University) will be moved to our 2016 goals.
