Realizing strategic plans with visibility and structure

How Small Sums translated a thorough roadmap into a usable, trackable strategic management tool

Watch the case study and testimonial video

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Small Sums equips individuals experiencing homelessness with the work-related items they need to start new jobs — boots, uniforms, transit passes, and more — bridging a critical gap on the path to employment. Guided by deep values and a multi-year strategic plan, the organization has a clear sense of direction. But turning that vision into daily practice across a lean team posed a challenge.

"We had all these metrics, all these tasks... Excel is great but it's not always the best to manually add in data all the time. It was a lot of heavy lifting on my end... obviously not efficient and time consuming."

The 2024 strategic plan was well-developed, with values-driven pillars, measurable goals, and defined action steps. Yet the plan’s format made it difficult to monitor progress. Tracking metrics, updating action steps, and communicating organizational priorities required extensive manual effort — adding burden instead of clarity.

Working closely with the Executive Director, we translated the full strategic plan into a living management tool. By building a structured yet lightweight tracker, Small Sums gained an at-a-glance dashboard for pillar-level progress, while also enabling deeper drill-downs into specific goals and strategies. We also co-developed an implementation rhythm of quarterly reviews, metrics capture, and shared visibility practices to keep the plan relevant without overwhelming the team.

"This person understands data, they understand project management. I can trust that you will deliver within the way we work and that it would be good for Small Sums."

With this framework in place, the Executive Director now has a simple way to align staff, track impact, and report to stakeholders — without reinventing the wheel each quarter. The plan no longer lives on paper alone; it’s part of how the organization works.

"It's a great integration into our daily work. It saves so much time."

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If you'd like to give to Small Sums you can do so through the following link:

https://www.smallsums.org/donate

Small Sums is a tax exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization that equips individuals experiencing homelessness with the work-related items they need to start new jobs. If you'd like to learn more about Small Sums, please visit their website: https://www.smallsums.org/