At a time of significant uncertainty for nonprofit and community-based organizations, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) brought local leaders together on September 28 for a hands-on workshop focused on preparing for risk, navigating change, and protecting their organizations’ ability to serve their communities.
The Elevate NP Scenario Planning Clinic, hosted at JHF, was presented by JHF’s Ryan White Part B program’s Southwest Regional HIV Collaborative and AIDS Free Pittsburgh in partnership with Elevate NP of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The workshop provided community providers and nonprofit leaders with time together for practical planning, peer discussion, and shared problem-solving.
Participants learned a structured approach for preparing their organizations to respond to a range of possible circumstances. Scenario planning can help leaders make strategic decisions amid uncertainty while distinguishing between external factors beyond their control and actions their organizations can take in response. The framework emphasized that scenario planning is an iterative process that should evolve as circumstances change and new information becomes available.
“Today’s workshop helped us think through the risks facing our organizations as we serve people with HIV. We considered how different scenarios could affect our programs and funding, so we could then plan steps to take in response. It’s always helpful to be in a room with colleagues who understand the pressures our services and programs are under and who want to work together as we face an uncertain future,” said Shepherd Wellness Community Executive Director Richard Krug. “Planning is so important to sustain our mission and keep serving people.”
Throughout the session, participants applied the framework to their own organizations while exchanging ideas and experiences with peers. The goal was not simply to prepare for difficult circumstances, but to help organizations identify near-term risks and opportunities while making thoughtful decisions that preserve their missions and position them for the future.
The workshop demonstrated JHF’s role as a facilitator for regional partnerships. Through AFP and its work with the Ryan White Collaborative, JHF not only helps convene organizations around shared goals, but connects partners with expertise and resources that can strengthen their individual organizations and the network as a whole.
“Despite historic declines in new HIV diagnoses, our partners face uncertainty and risks that could threaten that progress. At today’s session with Elevate NP of SWPA, we brought representatives from partner organizations together to identify what is driving those risks and explore how different scenarios might unfold. This will help each organization and our collaborative prepare to respond and sustain our progress toward ending the HIV epidemic,” AIDS Free Pittsburgh Project Manager Kell Wilkinson, MPA, MSW said.
