Team River Runner 2010 Business Plan

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Lorin Strickland
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1 Team River Runner 2010 Business Plan Table of Contents Introduction... 2 The Mission... 2 The Vision... 2 Core Values... 2 Therapeutic Benefits..3 Strengths and Core Competencies... 5 Services... 5 Operations... 6 National Structure.6 Local Chapter Structure.7 TRR 2010 Projects... 7 Major Goals... 7 Budget 8 Initiatives... 8 Looking Downstream..9 Attachment 1: TRR Organizational Chart Attachment 2: Existing and Potential New TRR Sites Attachment 3: TRR Budgets for 2009 through

2 Introduction Team River Runner (TRR) offers wounded and disabled military veterans, service members, and their families an opportunity to find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating and other paddling sports. The benefits of TRR have as much to do with social support, finding emotional strength and re creating personal identity as they do with athletic activity. TRR s volunteers give their time, their abilities and their hearts to this program, and it shines through in the relationships they forge with the participants. Established by kayakers from Washington, DC in August 2004, TRR is primarily a volunteer organization run by kayakers and overseen by a Board of Directors. TRR is incorporated in the state of Maryland as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under a federal tax exempt ID # of The Mission To create an environment of healthy adventure for healing active duty and veteran service members through paddle sports. The Vision Team River Runner envisions a national network which creates innovative paddling programs designed to assist with the recovery of those injured while serving our country. Through paddle sports, TRR volunteers and partners provide local communities unique opportunities for the active, safe and positive support of healing service members and their families. Core Values Team River Runner has a set of core values that support both our mission and our vision of how to implement that mission. Giving Back: TRR is motivated by giving back to the service men and women who have sacrificed for our country. No matter your views on the deployments of our military, Iraq or Afghanistan, every service member deserves to return to a supportive community. Community integration is central to giving back because of the intrinsic need to connect with people as part of health and healing. TRR gives back by providing the opportunity for participants to expand their physical and emotional health in a supportive, responsible community. TRR is committed to give a hand up rather than a hand out, thereby reinforcing the dignity of participants and promoting increased self reliance. TRR understands it takes committed, empathetic and conscientious volunteers to assist veterans to achieve their full potential. Quality Programs: We are committed to innovating programs to get as many adaptive paddlers safely into boats as possible. TRR programs are responsible, credible, accountable and transparent. We believe that quality instruction is part and parcel of quality programs, and endeavor to provide the best experience possible to promote health and healing. TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 2 (of 12)

3 We believe that common goals and approaches while maintaining flexibility are important for success. We are committed to develop and draw instructors and leaders from our participants, progressively making TRR an organization of veterans, service men and women run by the same. We are goal oriented; it is not enough for people to participate, we want them to realize their potential. Whitewater boating promotes a healthy lifestyle in both mind and body. Given TRR relies on rivers and oceans, we strive to leave no trace, respecting the resource so others may do so as well. Inclusive: TRR welcomes the participation of active duty and veteran service members and their families. We are committed to creatively and responsibly involve all those participants who wish to boat with TRR. TRR welcomes volunteers who adhere to a non judgmental, non political ethos and practice the core values of the organization. Fun: The sheer joy and fulfillment of whitewater boating is reflected in our commitment to enjoy all TRR activities. Volunteer/Service based: TRR is a volunteer organization dedicated at its core to the service of others. We derive our energy, commitment and drive from serving and giving whatever talents we have to the cause. We are action oriented; volunteers and participants want to be part of an organization that gets things done. TRR volunteers are passionate and tap this emotion to solve problems and get participants in boats. Therapeutic Rewards of Kayak Training and Recreation The part can never be well unless the whole is well Plato The Goal: To improve health and well being through kayaking Since the founding of Team River Runner in 2004, many service members, veterans and their families have participated in our kayak instruction and training programs to improve physical, mental and social health. The physical rewards gained from kayak training include strengthened core body muscles, motor skills, and balance, along with improved levels of fitness and endurance. Mental benefits include refined concentration, attention, and memory which are challenged through a progressive skill development program. And, social interaction and community integration are steadily promoted with well organized, group oriented activities through our strong network of outdoor enthusiasts. TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 3 (of 12)

4 The Result: Kayaking improves physical and emotional health. Boundaries are loosened as a kayaker improves skills and becomes stronger and more confident. Exploration and exhilaration accompany the physical exercise of paddling. A strong sense of accomplishment strengthens emotional well being. Kayaking becomes rewarding, fun, and truly offers freedom. Kayaking is a low impact exercise that can improve strength, flexibility and aerobic fitness with these specific therapeutic benefits: Improves cardiovascular fitness Increases shoulder, arm, back and chest muscle strength Increases torso and leg strength Reduces risk of wear and tear on joints and tissue Increase grip strength Increases joint range of motion Improves exercise performance and functional capacity (endurance) Improves posture Improves coordination Improves concentration Increases energy level Improves mood and subjective well being Promotes social interaction Active paddlers may perform up to 500 paddles strokes per mile! Placing the paddle in the water and executing a good stroke incorporates both upper and lower body muscles. Moving at up to 3 mph requires 1500 stroke repetitions for an hour of low impact exercise. Paddling a kayak at about 3 mph expends up to 800 calories per hour. Kayaking helps to reduce stress, and offers a lifetime of benefits and varied experiences. Placing the paddle in the water and performing a good stroke is enjoyable. Watching your boat move through the water by your own effort is enjoyable. Spending a few hours under the sky and on the water is enjoyable. Getting this kind of enjoyment and exercise for a few hours each week helps to make you feel better! Kayaking is forever rewarding. Although the basic skills can be learned in a few days, you can have fun for years perfecting basic paddling skills and learning advanced ones. Kayaking as a recreational hobby provides part of the foundation for a health and fitness lifestyle. It can be relaxing. It also can be challenging even for advanced paddlers as the rapids on a river become larger and more complex. Such situations have been likened to a combat situation by some of the TRR service members. It is a fun as a social activity, or it can be pursued solo. It is something you can enjoy for a few hours on a single day, or, you can plan an expedition of multiple days or weeks. Like watching a bird fly or a fish swim, seeing the graceful glide of a self propelled kayak slicing smoothly through the water touches the imagination. It is easy to imagine gliding on the water and slipping away across the surface of a river. You wonder if it is something that you could do. The TRR Program: Kayak instruction and training TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 4 (of 12)

5 TRR has successfully adapted kayak instruction and training for those with a wide range of challenges. Learning to paddle a kayak is indeed a physical and psychological challenge. Sitting in a kayak at first tests balance and nerves. The craft threatens to flip over, and initial efforts to propel yourself forward result only in spins and circles. But, with patience and practice, the experience begins to feel as it was imagined. Like wildness being tamed, the boat begins to respond to simple commands. You deftly move forward and back, turn with ease, and paddle through the water using only modest effort. Eventually, even rolling up out of a flip becomes a mastered skill. Strengths and Core Competencies TRR is a paddle sport specific support group. Paddling with TRR offers an exciting and adventurous lifestyle that many have felt lost due to injury. There are now many small grass roots organizations as well as large established programs reaching out and offering athletic opportunities to both the veterans and the disabled population. TRR partners with these groups when possible to give a full spectrum of athletic paddling options to our nation s heroes. TRR provides a unique venue for an injured veteran to learn a NEW skill, not just re learn a previous skill, thereby boosting hope in the future. Kayaking with TRR is one of the fastest growing therapeutic recreation programs offered in the VA and DoD. The advanced medical techniques available today have enabled wounded service members to survive injuries that would have been fatal in the past; adventure paddling with TRR allows seriously disabled individuals the opportunity to get back into an active and adventurous lifestyle something highly motivating and normal, for our participants. Most programs meet weekly, which creates regular opportunities to paddle with fellow veterans and the local paddling community. TRR paddling programs have been exceptionally effective with the signature injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Numerous clinicians nationally now refer their patients to TRR for additional therapeutic support. TRR Services TRR organizes itself through a nationwide network of small operating chapters. Each TRR Chapter provides local DoD or VA veterans, service members, and their families a range of paddling experiences. Kayaking skills are taught through a series of steps that start with fundamentals, and then progress to more complex and challenging maneuvers in swifter moving waters. Initial introductions to paddling occur at pools, where personal outfitting, paddling strokes and Eskimo roll practice is done. Chapters then venture onto nearby open water that is manageable by those with basic skills be it flat water, ocean surf, or whitewater for local trips. Each chapter encourages the use of boats that will be most effective in those locations (river runners, sea kayaks, surf kayaks, playboats, cruising boats, creek boats, etc). Each chapter is encouraged to conduct a core set of activities: Hold weekly pool or open water sessions of approximately 2 3 hours each to build basic boating skills (Some chapters offer multiple sessions per week); Conduct a quarterly local trip and twice a year family days, to put new skills into practice among a new community; Send a qualified paddler to participate in the national trips offered to places like Colorado, Montana, Mexico, Florida Keys, and the Caribbean. These are capstone experiences which motivate our participants to continue to excel. During TRR events, paddlers have a chance, in a safe environment, to: TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 5 (of 12)

6 get physical exercise outside the boredom of the hospital; learn a potentially brand new skill; overcome emotional roadblocks left by post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury; receive basic cognitive and physical rehabilitation; bring their family into a new recreational hobby; HAVE FUN. Through the generosity of donors and grants from Veteran Service Organizations, TRR programs can provide boats, outfitting, safety gear, instruction, transportation, food and lodging for the participants and the volunteers. And our National paddling/leadership trips/clinics offer qualifying paddlers extraordinary opportunities in the Grand Canyon, the Virgin Islands, Mexico, Montana, Florida, Idaho and Colorado. As TRR continues to grow, more clinics will be added to allow more wounded warriors and disabled veterans the opportunity to develop leadership and vocational skills coordinating their local chapter s needs. Between 2007 and 2009, TRR conservatively estimates that it has served over 1,000 individual service members and veterans. Considering that each service member attends multiple TRR events (estimated to be five on average), the number of times TRR has provided kayaking experiences to service members and veterans between 2007 and 2009 is well over 5,000 individual opportunities realized. The number of service members was not tracked during the start up years of TRR between 2004 and 2006 so actual counts are higher than these estimates reflect (and higher still since the reporting systems were not fully used during 2007 and 2009). In addition, TRR provides on water opportunities to families of service members, so the numbers served grows even greater that these estimates indicate when family members and the early years participants in TRR activities are taken into account. Operations National Structure TRR is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a National Team consisting primarily of volunteers. The TRR Board of Directors provides oversight with respect to all management activities undertaken by the TRR National Team. It consists of several Directors, a Board Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The TRR National Team works in conjunction with the Board of Directors. The National Team is currently under development and currently consists of an Executive Director (who should become a fulltime employee by July 2011), and Administrative Coordinator (who should become full time by July of 2010), and a part time Bookkeeper. Other National Team staff could include a Chief Business Officer, a National Trips/Clinics Coordinator (which may become a part time paid position in January of 2011), and a National Program Coordinator. The Executive Director manages five component work groups that make up the TRR National Team: (1.) the Administration Team which manages internal processes such as reporting and financial issues; (2.) the Local and National Operations Teams which maintain and expand TRR chapters across the U.S.; (3.) the Member Services Team which focuses on increasing Service Member participation; (4.) the Communication Team which is responsible for internal TRR communications and outreach to the public; and (5.) the Fundraising Team which formulates fundraising goals and strategies, and creates grant proposals and other fundraising mechanisms. This structure is detailed in the TRR Organizational Chart (Attachment 1). TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 6 (of 12)

7 Local Chapter Structure Local chapters focus on safety, fun, and learning. Their roles and responsibilities are laid out in the Site Handbook: Site Secretary: He or she will be trained in use of the online TRR scheduling, reporting system and will be involved in making sure that the TRR program at a chapter is in conformance with DoD and VA administrative and training requirements. POC: The primary point(s) of contact (there should be one at each Medical Facility and one in the community); ensures volunteer staff meet all TRR and ACA requirements of program and events. Gear Wrangler: Ensures proper care and transport of gear to venues. Volunteer Coordinator: Communicates and coordinates sufficient volunteers at each venue. Participant Outreach Coordinator: Markets TRR events within the participant population. Program Coordinator: Develops and coordinates all paddling programs and events. TRR 2010 Projects In 2010, TRR will strengthen operations to meet the demands of growth and better incubate the number of local chapters across the country. In short, TRR needs smart growth so it can put even more butts in boats. Major Goals The goals below for TRR s management teams and Board of Directors were chosen to aid in forming TRR s smart growth infrastructure. 1. Improve management effectiveness by: Establishing Team Operational Guidelines Aligning TRR Handbook, Public Website, Business Plan Documents, and publications with standards and consistent terminology. Empowering five management teams with tools to accomplish their specific goals. 2. Formalize a process to improve communications, support, and successes in, with, and between all TRR programs. 3. Increase funding sources in order to finance goals and growth. 4. Complete a process to encourage, evaluate (qualify), fund, and start new chapters. 5. Collect and share testimonials from Service members regarding the physical and medical benefits of paddling. Consider whether more definitive statements on such benefits could be obtained from healthcare providers. 6. Increase key leadership positions of wounded warriors and disabled veterans. 7. Improve strategic affiliations with other non profit organizations, veteran resources, and organizations complementary to the mission of TRR. 8. Expand membership and national influence of the Board of Directors. 9. Increase participation of Volunteers across the country in the National TRR planning process. 10. Increasing and supporting the fundraising efforts of all TRR chapters nationally. 11. Standardizing the TRR National chapters through the mutual agreement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). 12. Expand to 10 additional sites in 2010, assuming adequate funding, quality control, and infrastructure is in place to support that pace. The current sites, and some new possible site openings in 2010, are noted in Attachment Fund approximately seven National Trips. TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 7 (of 12)

8 Budget In order to continue to grow in the coming years and serve even greater numbers than the 1,000s of service members, veterans, and their families served through 2009, the estimated budget for 2010 ($400,000) is provided in Attachment 3. This budget is grounded by the actual budget expenses in 2009 ($265,000). Costs are provided for running the various sectors of the TRR program including the TRR National Program, the National Trips and Clinics, the maintenance of existing sites, and the opening of new sites. Initiatives In addition to the major goals above for 2010, TRR has a number of smaller initiatives, many integral to the goals above, that it hopes to move forward in These initiatives are captured below: National Team Initiatives Modify and ratify Site Handbook Assure safety guidance is up to date in the Site Handbook Further structure TRR Site relationships to promote sustainability and support quality reporting Upgrade participant to instructor training program Create success evaluation measurements and execute on them Increase site ORS (spell out why is this important?) compliance to 100% Develop and implement participant outreach template for sites Plan and execute National trips Ratify National Trip Criteria template Create contact and logistic plan for each repeating trip Maintain National trip calendar on public site Administration Team Initiatives Maintain 2010 BP and Budget Update expansion plans for 2011, 2012 Monitor progress of other teams projects Maintain Org Chart publish on Web Member Services Initiatives Member Master Database Improve ORS [spell out] as a Customer Management System for all contacts Fundraising Team Initiatives Draft and publish the Fundraising plan based on consolidated Committee input. Evaluate existing strategic sponsors to determine what s working and improvement opportunities Obtain expert guidance on tactics to attract and retain strategic and sustainable sponsor relationships Document repeatable processes TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 8 (of 12)

9 Communications Team Initiatives Monthly Newsletter Monthly site conf call Quarterly press releases to cultivate TV/News coverage Create Press Kit Create capability for Video?/Audio Attendance at board meetings Support public site/fb/twitter buzz about TRR Facilitate cross site communication through site visits, annual volunteers roundup, support of d Recruit PR firm to donate free promotion video Enable FB sharing and Twitter following on public site Enable security at Forum level on public site Support fundraising implementations on e Tapistry Support monthly production of newsletter graphics and layout Design fundraiser t shirts and other donor gifts Looking Downstream While planning for 2011 and 2012 in detail is not feasible at this point, TRR intends to continue many of its operations in 2011 and 2012 along the lines projected for 2010: approximately the same number of new sites will be opened, and a similar number of National trips will be sponsored. Additional staff will be hired, as the pace of expansion and funding allow. The estimated budgets for 2011 ($518,000) and 2012 ($628,000) in Attachment 3 reflect some of these enhancements. There will be a continued focus on inclusiveness of all Sites in the National process through National meetings and enhanced communications. Finally, there will also be an effort to get mature sites to be self sufficient. TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 9 (of 12)

10 Attachment 1: TRR Organizational Chart TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 10 (of 12)

11 Attachment 2: Existing and Potential New TRR Sites VA (existing) Washington DC Richmond, VA Boston, MA Tampa, FL Augusta, GA Johnson City, TN Nashville, TN Lexington, KY Coatesville, PA Pittsburg, PA St Louis, MO Palo Alto, CA Loma Linda, CA Seattle, WA Portland, OR VA (opening 2010) Asheville, NC Boise, ID Chicago, IL Flint, MI Northern Kentucky, KY Raleigh, NC VA (forming grassroots team) Syracuse, NY Minnesota, (St Cloud VA) LA VA, CA Albuquerque, NM Veteran Coordinated Chapters (VCC) Denver, CO Colorado Springs, CO South Dakota Iowa DoD Medical Centers Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC Balboa (San Diego Medical Center) CA Intrepid Brooke Army Medical Center, TX National Naval Medical Center, MD Warrior Transition Units Ft Carson, CO Ft Belvoir, VA TRR Business Plan, 2010, Page 11 (of 12)

12 Attachment 3: TRR Budget to National Operating Costs National Trips & Clinics Existing Chapters Proposed Chapters 8% 29% 2010 National Operating Costs National Trips & Clinics Existing Chapters Proposed Chapters 17% 27% 26% 24% 37% 32% 2011 National Operating Costs National Trips & Clinics Existing Chapters Proposed Chapters 16% 33% 2012 National Operating Costs National Trips & Clinics Existing Chapters Proposed Chapters 13% 38% 24% 26% 27% 23%

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