This Strategic Plan will be in effect from October 2023 – September 2027.
To guide its work, Disability Rights Iowa’s Board of Directors first adopted a Three-Year Strategic Plan on September 23, 2023. On September 21, 2024, the Board of Directors amended the Strategic Plan, removing Goal 2 from Pillar IV and extending the Strategic Plan by a year through September 30, 2027. Disability Rights Iowa’s Strategic Plan includes four broad strategic pillars:
- Ensuring Disability Rights Iowa has statewide awareness across all ninety-nine counties in Iowa;
- Disability Rights Iowa prioritizes an intersectional and inclusive approach in our disability rights-based advocacy and the issues addressed;
- Disability Rights Iowa engages in and is recognized for systems change advocacy; and
- Disability Rights Iowa provides additional advocacy services with sustained new revenue streams.
Each strategic pillar identifies a broad goal that advances Disability Rights Iowa’s Mission, Vision, Advocacy Core Values, and disability- rights advocacy on issues significant to Iowans with disabilities.
DRI hired an independent contractor to lead this process. The contractor specializes in building strategic plans for disability rights organizations. With the contractor’s help, DRI revamped their mission, vision, and core values. DRI surveyed Community partners on DRI’s efforts in serving their communities. The Board of Directors and Mental Health Advisory Council aided in the creation as well. Staff participated in narrowing down the ideas into one succinct plan.
If you have questions about this process or the plan, please email contact@driowa.org.
To review the press statement on this plan, follow this hyperlink.
Strategic Pillar 1
Ensuring Disability Rights Iowa has statewide awareness across all 99 counties in Iowa.
Outcome A
Iowans have a broader understanding of disability and the impact of disability stigma on the community.
Goal 1
Increase understanding of, and normalize experience of, disability through improving marketing, social media, and communication tools while reducing/eliminating stigma associated with disability across diverse cultures.
Goal 2
Communicate the scope of disability rights legal services and the mission of DRI to serve all Iowans with disabilities in a welcoming and inclusive manner.
Outcome B
All Iowans with disabilities are aware of and understand our services.
Goal 1
Develop and implement statewide outreach plan to increase awareness and understanding of DRI services and shift to systemic work.
Outcome C
DRI’s Board communicates to Iowans with disabilities that DRI is welcoming, inclusive, and provides valuable advocacy.
Goal 1
Intentionally increase board education around the work of DRI to ensure Board Members can better represent their communities to DRI and DRI to their communities as welcoming, valuable, and inclusive.
Strategic Pillar 2
Disability Rights Iowa prioritizes an intersectional and inclusive approach in our disability rights-based advocacy and the issues addressed.
Outcome A
DRI is a trusted ally of historically marginalized populations statewide.
Goal 1
By October 1, 2026, identify existing partnerships in Black, LatinX, and rural communities to enrich the depth of DRI’s connections to marginalized populations.
Goal 2
DRI’s work demonstrates a focus on client and systems work that has an intersectional impact.
Outcome B
DRI’s Staff and board composition reflect the communities we serve.
Goal 1
Utilize partnerships to recruit board applicants from communities not historically represented on DRI’s Board.
Goal 2
DRI recruiting and hiring result in greater staff diversity.
Goal 3
Revise Board By-laws to ensure the stability of the Board during transition period.
Goal 4
Develop a culture of board engagement in the fiscal and programmatic success of DRI.
Strategic Pillar 3
Disability Rights Iowa engages in and is recognized for systems change advocacy.
Outcome A
DRI prioritizes systems change advocacy.
Goal 1
Assess DRI’s needs to prioritize systems advocacy regarding skill, knowledge, technology, and additional staff.
Goal 2
DRI possesses the resources to successfully engage in the range of systems advocacy available.
Goal 3
Iowans understand DRI is prioritizing systemic work over individual advocacy to make the biggest impact on the disability community.
Goal 4
Develop and produce readily available, accurate, and robust resources, in accessible formats/languages, for information referrals and self-advocacy to support individuals that do not fit into DRI’s priorities.
Strategic Pillar 4
DRI provides additional advocacy services with sustained new revenue streams.
Outcome A
DRI develops and maintains new and consistent unrestricted revenue streams.
Goal 1
Work to increase DRI’s current unrestricted revenue through increased donor donations and/or new grant opportunities.
Every Donation Matters.
Part of our funding comes from the generous donations from our supporters. Help us make a difference for Iowans with disabilities through donating to our cause.
