ACC Announces Five-year Strategic Plan

ACC has served the Sacramento community since the early 1970s. Long on vision and strong on planning, ACC has enjoyed tremendous growth decade after decade. Next year, ACC will celebrate its 50-year anniversary. But its work doesn’t stop there.

On August 18, 2020, ACC rolled out its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan at a virtual town hall meeting attended by approximately 80 ACC staff, members of the Board, volunteers, and key stakeholders. This was the culmination of a one-day strategic planning retreat held last year on August 17th and twelve  meetings of the ACC Executive Committee and Executive Management team since then. 

Attendees of the strategic planning retreat worked collaboratively to develop the four key goals and then the ACC Executive Team and the Executive Committee developed the action plan and guiding principles to achieve them. The ACC Board of Directors approved the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan at the August 31, 2020 Board meeting with the theme of Honoring the Past – Transforming for the Future.  The Goals are:

Goal #1: To be a premier provider of community and residential services focused on creating meaningful life experiences for older adults and their families 

Goal #2: To develop a business model that spurs program growth and charitable giving, while ensuring high levels of quality services and financial stability 

Goal #3: To be the preferred employer of an engaged workforce by supporting professional development and the collective contributions of our staff 

Goal #4: To cultivate an organization-wide culture where volunteers and staff work hand-in-hand to fulfill the vision and mission of ACC Senior Services 

The COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s racial issues played a role in developing these goals. They have broadened our view of health and safety and our responsibilities to the greater community. ACC will remain clear-eyed and proactive about handling these and other exigencies that will come our way.

The 2021-2025 Strategic Plan will be guided by the following principles:

• Emphasizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Ensuring Financial Sustainability
• Reshaping Services & Programs with Technology
• Reimagining Volunteer Engagement
• Enhancing Social Interaction 

The Five-Year Strategic Plan lists specific strategies under each goal. These include:

• Creating a holistic environment at ACC where clients, residents, families, volunteers and staff have opportunities to nurture their body, mind, and spirit 
• Promoting ACC in the community as a thought leader and trusted expert on aging issues and best practices 
• Increasing transportation services to older adults living in ACC residential communities as well as those living at home 
• Developing a plan to remodel the Care Center and/or build an additional post-acute facility to maintain ACC’s viability and improve the level of resident privacy and self-direction 
• Evaluating the efficacy of ACC adding or collaborating on affordable housing options for seniors 
• Continuing to integrate services throughout ACC, eliminate siloed thinking, and promote teamwork across program lines 
• Developing a robust Intergenerational Program, engaging the local community throughout all ACC divisions to enhance community service and connectedness 
• Establishing a viable fundraising and endowment plan to sustain current programs and enable future growth of ACC 
• Expanding the Career Advancement Program (CAP) to include all employees and develop additional modules to meet employee development needs 
• Developing and scaling ACC’s unique “Community of Caring” brand throughout the community 
• Exploring and developing options to attract and retain high quality staff 
• Cultivating an ACC Core Value-driven workforce including both staff and volunteers. 
• Promoting communication, mutual understanding, and respect among staff and volunteers 

Each of these strategies (and there are many more) has an action plan and owners assigned to them. ACC’s Executive Management Team will report quarterly to the ACC Board of Directors on the progress of the strategies and action plans.  The Strategic Plan will be reviewed annually, adjustments made as needed, and shared with the ACC Community.   

Amidst all this, ACC is prepared to adapt to future changes in the marketplace. The number of older adults and their life expectancy will continue to rise, driving more demand for assisted-living, memory care, and in-home services. More social services and life-long learning programs will be needed too. 

The Strategic Plan also calls for developing a strong culture of philanthropy and business innovation. The Big Day of Giving held in May raised a record-breaking $160,000, a clear indicator that the community is passionate about what ACC does. Jean Shiomoto, our Board Chair, believes that the challenge in the next five years is to create more opportunities for philanthropic donations and creating endowments that will lead to  new, impactful programs for seniors.

ACC’s stature in the community has risen over five decades. People and other institutions will continue to seek ACC’s views on a range of healthcare and social issues, especially those that affect underserved seniors and people of color. Because of this, ACC needs to move in the direction of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are no longer just serving the Asian community.

ACC is already seeing a more diverse workforce and client base, but there is more work to be done. The transformation will continue in the next five years.