Planning for Sustainable Growth

A dedicated kindergarten teacher in Cincinnati for more than 20 years, and an active and involved community member, she brings passion and energy to providing kids with opportunity—embodying the spirit of the Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry. Today, the pantry serves all Avon Community School Corporation employees and families that have a child in the Avon Community School Corporation.

As with many nonprofit organizations, the MLM Community Pantry needed assistance planning for a sustainable future. To aid in this process, Bridge Builder Strategies created a comprehensive strategic playbook to set the pantry up for long-term success. Our efforts began with an environmental, organizational, and peer organizational analysis that was used to identify best practices, external influences, and create a risk/opportunity matrix.

From here, we conducted stakeholder interviews and collected data on the state of the community. After analyzing all the data and doing a combined analysis, we identified five strategic objectives the pantry needs to focus on. We then built out timelines, outlined tactics to support each objective, and defined measures to track progress.

Today, Bridge Builder Strategies continues to partner with the pantry, supporting implementation efforts and helping to ensure that each objective is pursued with clarity, alignment, and impact. Together, we’re building toward a stronger, more sustainable future for the pantry and the families it serves.