For 40 years, West Marin Community Services has focused on the basics of keeping residents healthy and safe: providing food and clothing, operating youth programs and helping people find financial support in tough times.
In recent years, the pandemic, wildfires, floods and drought have added urgency to the organization’s mission, as more people unexpectedly find themselves in need of help. To meet increasing and changing community needs, the nonprofit has grown rapidly over the last few years, adding staff, resources and programs.
Now the organization wants to step back, take a deliberate look at its operations, and map out a plan to maximize its assets. Last week, the board had interviews scheduled with consultants from around the region that have applied to help the nonprofit craft a strategic plan.
“The two years of the pandemic affected us drastically,” executive director Socorro Romo said. “I’d like to get a better sense of our direction moving forward, regarding staffing, programming and funding sources. We need to be able to sustain the organization after the pandemic and plan for the next three years.”
Larry Enos, the board president, said the organization has changed dramatically in just a few years. “Since I joined the board six years ago, the full- and part-time staff have grown from five people to more than 20.”
For years, the nonprofit has operated a community food bank and thrift store. When Covid struck, its portfolio abruptly expanded, and in 2021 it took on management of the Tomales Bay Youth Center. The organization focused on helping people get tested and vaccinated to prevent community spread of the virus. New resources poured in for that purpose, and to help people deal with the financial fallout when offices closed and people were laid off.
“The needs in our community mushroomed,” Mr. Enos said. “People were without jobs and needed rental assistance. The use of our food pantry went up in a huge way.”
The influx of state and federal funding that came during the pandemic is drying up, but the need for support remains, Mr. Enos said. Even as the pandemic recedes, the resulting job disruptions and inflation continue.
“We have a lot of the same needs, but less money,” he said. “How are we going to handle that? What kind of fundraising will we need to do? Do we need to restructure?”
At least one priority is clear: to become nimbler and more prepared when unexpected disasters strike. The pandemic and climate-related disasters such as drought, wildfires and floods have underscored the need to expect the unexpected.
When the Tubbs fire struck in 2017, for example, people poured into Point Reyes Station from Napa and Sonoma Counties, thinking they’d be safer near the coast. The organization responded quickly, setting up an emergency station at the Dance Palace, where they prepared food for people who had fled the inferno.
When the emergency was over, Mr. Enos said, the organization realized it wasn’t prepared for such a disaster. They hadn’t coordinated with the Red Cross, other nonprofits or emergency services providers. “We didn’t have a plan. We weren’t prepared for the number of folks who showed up. Suddenly, things changed overnight,” Mr. Enos said.
The rapid pace of events has underscored the need for planning ahead. “Every once in a while, you have to ask, what are we about? What do we want to be doing in the next few years to make sure we’re able to continue offering the services we’re offering?” Mr. Enos said.
The organization hopes to have its new plan in hand by the end of September.