Florida's Children First (FCF) was founded in 2001 by child advocates from aross Florida who were working on issues affecting Florida's most vulnerable children. Filling a gap in Florida's child welfare system, Florida's Children First advocates to make positive systemic changes that improve the policies, processes and procedures that impact thousands of children each year who are in foster care, are experiencing homelessness, are disabled or have juvenile justice involvement each year. The organization developed the Florida Youth SHINE program to educate, empower, and support youth from foster care to become passionate advocates for their own needs who also elevate their voices and expertise in the system to be a catalyst for systemic change. The Florida's Children First also provides ongoing free training and technical assistance to professionals and caregivers who interact with youth in care. We produce publications that educate both the youth and the public on key issues affecting youth, and continue to elevate the voices and lived experiences of Florida Youth SHINE members throughout the state. The combined advocacy efforts of the organizations nationally recognized staff, committed board members, volunteers, colleagues and Florida Youth SHINE members and alumni have resulted in the more than 45 publications created and distributed statewide on children's rights; 46 bills passed, supported or drafted that protect children, thousands of hours of youth training and professional traning, and policies that have gone on to be emulated or adopted on a national level.

OUR VISION: Florida's laws, policies, and practices prioritize, protect, and respect children and youth in its child-serving systems.

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Diversify/strengthen board & staff; Invest in staff prof. development; review/update bylaws, policies, succession plan; expand staff; ensure 1 employee or more has been in the child welfare system.

Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).

Goal Two: Expand & strengthen Florida Youth SHINE (FYS) programming, staff, content; develop FYS alumni engagement plan; create protocol for setting policy/priority agenda; develop recruitment/retention plan.

Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.

Goal Three: Develop a long-term funding & sustainability plan and create a coheisve brand presence that aligns both Florida's Children First and Florida Youth SHINE in the branding process.

Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.

Describe an investment in leadership

The organization regularly invests in leadership development at all levels of the organization. In the past year, we have funded memberships and travel expenses for both the CEO and Deputy Director to be a member of several industry leading organizations and travel to national or state convenings. Our Vice President has received organization encouragement and support to participate in both county and statewide leadership organizations, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and a variety of community organizations that also provide leadership development and best practices training. Office management has participated in numerous training sessions to keep up to date on new software, new financial management and workflow tools, and new office technology. Our organization strategic plan, being revised this fiscal year, annually invests in leadership development, as it has been a proven method for the organization to retain key personnel and maintain impact and effectiveness.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Strategic Partnerships

• Networks of Collective Impact Efforts

• Thought Leadership

• Raising Awareness

• Community Building

• Policy Advocacy

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

We are a highly collaborative oranization and continue to build new strategic partnerships throughout the industry on the local, state and national levels. Because we fill a gap in the foster care system, our work complements rather than competes with fellow non-profits serving youth in care, other corporations, and government entities. Therefore, our leadership is committed to building and maintaing strong, long-term bonds with fellow child advocates and organizations in the industry, and forging meaningful collaborations wherever possible.

Our long-time Executive Director (ED) was planning to retire in 2021 and the organization was well prepared for the transition due to years of careful advance planning, and our standard strategic planning process. The organization: - Cultivated and trained a veteran staff member to assume the ED position for several years prior to the transition - The organization laid out a timeline and budgeted for staffing overlap so that the staff member assuming the ED position could hire and train their replacement prior to stepping into the top spot. This ensured a more seamless and financially prudent transition for both positions -All announcment materials, notifications, etc were all planned in advance, and executed according to plan. Additionally, as a small-staffed non-profit we have always acknowledged that we needed to grow our staff to reach more youth in need, as we fulfill our mission. The organization also carefully planned and budgeted for staff expansion as part of its long-term strategic planning process, and executed the first phase this year with the creation and fulfillment of 2 new positions.