ORGANIZATIONAL CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS
Starting in 2017, Arrow Performance Group (APG) partnered with Freedom Service Dogs (FSD), to develop a robust strategy to maximize FSD’s relevance and impact in the community. Important priorities were to decrease the wait time for highly-trained dogs, build a positive culture for staff and volunteers, adapt operations for a new facility that had just opened, and maximize the use of limited financial resources. Activities included conducting interviews with key personnel and board members, administering an organizational performance excellence survey with all staff, and facilitating a one-day strategy session with board members and senior staff. Over the past 7 years, we have worked with them on an annual improvement process that has resulted in realizing improvements that greatly enhanced the organization’s ability to deliver results.
The Freedom Service Dog Story
Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) is a Denver-based nonprofit organization that purpose-breeds and custom trains service dogs, professional therapy dogs, and skilled companion dogs who empower those with disabilities to live with possibility. FSD serves veterans and first responders with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries, young people with autism, and individuals with limited mobility. With an FSD Service Dog by their side, their graduates experience more independence, confidence, happiness, and hope. At FSD, they understand that puppies with a purpose are far more than highly-trained assistance dogs; for those they serve, they’re everyday game changers.
Since its establishment in 1987, FSD has partnered nearly 600 client-dog teams and provided lifetime support services to all active teams, all at no cost to their clients. With a Freedom Service Dog by their side, people experience more independence, confidence, happiness, and hope. At FSD, they understand that their puppies with a purpose are far more than highly-trained assistance dogs; for those they serve, they’re everyday game changers.
The Situation
In 2017, Freedom Services Dogs were experiencing challenges in the following areas:
- Meeting demand for well trained dogs.
- Getting the word out of FSD’s mission and vision to attract contributors.
- Growing their leaders’ management skills to effectively and positively provide structure and support for staff to do their jobs.
- Effectively providing meaningful and rewarding work for volunteers.
- Adjusting operations to best use their new and beautiful facility.
FSD leadership approached APG to design and facilitate a strategy session to develop a plan to address the issues above.
Solution
As the initial strategic plan was being developed, FSD leaders saw opportunity in how APG utilized a holistic, systems approach to assessing the organization, developing strategy, and providing ongoing cycle of continuous improvement.
Of specific interest was APG’s Performance Excellence survey that provided a holistic view of the organization as well as the staff’s ideas for improvement in a very cost-effective manner. This tool provided quantitative results and qualitative ideas for improvement that could be shared with the staff, the leadership team and board members. This provided the basis to compare annual organizational progress against prior years.
The key to FSD’s success in making consistent progress toward their vision was integrating strategic planning with a cycle of annual continuous improvement activities such as:
- Implemented Leadership Development
- Improved Systems and Processes
- Enhanced Training for all Workers
“Having the leadership and board sponsor the annual improvement cycle is key. This keeps the leadership team focused on making consistent and sustainable improvements in all aspects of the organization. Using this approach nearly guarantees success.”
– Stuart Thomas, APG founder
Results
Improving all seven dimensions of the organization’s management system.
Increasing the number of quality trained dogs place with recipients each year.
Doubling the number of staff working at FSD.
Strengthening the financial sustainability of the organization.
“Arrow Performance Group has been integral in helping FSD grow over the past seven years. Our journey started with APG leading FSD’s strategic planning and has continued by supporting our annual continuous improvement efforts.Maintaining the year over year discipline of making systematic improvements has allowed us to identify areas of growth and make thoughtful investments. This has allowed us to strengthen our organization’s culture, leadership, and infrastructure. Ultimately, being able to make data driven decisions has allowed us to increase our impact and place more leashes in the hands of clients who need them most.”
Laura Warner, CFO
