ROMA Presentation

City of Glendale — Regular Meeting (2022-08-27)

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What does the Board 
of Directors need to 
know about ROMA? 
A Brief Overview for 
Public Agencies

Workshop Agenda
The Community Action network context for ROMA
Identify foundational concepts of performance 
management
Recognize the key elements of the ROMA Cycle
Introduce the role of the Board in a public CAA
Consider how to use ROMA to Meet Organizational 
Standards

The Community Action Network
CAAs exist in nearly every county across the 
United States.  They are designated as the anti-
poverty agent in their service area.
They are all different because of the local 
conditions in the communities they serve but 
they all receive funding from the Community 
Services Block Grant (CSBG) which unites them 
by the purposes and goals identified in 
legislation.

Anti-Poverty Purpose of the 
Community Action Network
In 1964, Community Action was created for 
three primary purposes:
•
the reduction of poverty, 
•
the revitalization of low-income 
communities, and 
•
the empowerment of low-income families 
and individuals to become fully self-
sufficient

Supporting the Anti-Poverty Purpose 
of the Community Action Network
The 1998 Community Services Block Grant 
continued the focus on these goals and added a 
requirement for all recipients of funding to 
implement a comprehensive performance-based 
management system to demonstrate that the 
network was meeting the goals. 
That system was identified as Results-Oriented 
Management and Accountability.

Results Oriented Management and 
Accountability
This means that agencies should be “results oriented”  --
that is: focused on the changes they will make. 
And that orientation should be an integral part of all of the 
management activities throughout the agency. 
And that there should be processes in place to assure 
accountability at all levels. 
ROMA has been the national system used to identify  the 
performance of our network  for over two decades.

Results Oriented 
Management 
and 
Accountability
ROMA

Implementing ROMA In a Public 
Community Action Agency

Implementing ROMA is impacted by organizational 
culture and structure 

Public Community Action Agencies face different 
situations and structures that provide both challenges 
and opportunities. 
o
For instance, many public Community Action Agencies 
have subcontractors that they need to include in the 
implementation of ROMA practices and principles.

There are Org Standards for Public CAAs specifically 
related to ROMA

Implementing ROMA
Context for ROMA principles and practices

Community Action Agencies 
are unique.
CAAs are change agents 
-- not simply service 
providers.
Community Action helps 
people change their lives for 
the better, and helps 
communities become better 
places to live.

How do we become Change 
Agents? 
One way is to focus on services.  What 
we are doing (or funding to be done).  
In this case we collect and report things 
like:
the number of  food baskets distributed
the number of Meals-on-Wheels delivered
the number of children attending Head Start centers
the number of families receiving WIC services
the number of adults attending GED classes
the number of clients served per day

While it is important to be accountable 
for our services,
we must also be able to identify
how these interventions produce results.
What changed 
because of these interventions? 
service
outcome

Why just looking at the services does not tell the story of 
your agency’s successes. 
Looking Beyond the 
Services 
MATERIAL FROM INTRO TO ROMA 5.1, 2020

Take Me Out to the 
Ballgame: 
Baseball Case Study

To boost dwindling attendance, the team promotes 
that:
Outfielders ran three times more laps during spring 
training.
Pitchers threw twice as many pitches during spring 
training.
Batters took four times as much hitting practice 
during spring training.
The team hired two new coaches and invested 
$100,000 in a state-of-the-art communications 
system to enable the Manager to talk with them so 
they can give real-time perspectives on each play 
from their strategic vantage points in the stands 
during the games.
By the All-Star break, the team is taking an average 
of 17 more swings at pitches per game . . .
Situation:
The team 
finished last 
in the prior 
season.

And the fans say,
because they are still in last place
without a single player who deserves to be 
on the All-Star Team.

So while it is important to take actions 
you must also be able to identify how these 
interventions produce results.
For Community Action Agencies,
changing lives
and 
improving communities 
is how we score runs and win games
What has changed 
because of your agency’s work?

If all we tell the community is
how many services we provided,
our “fans” may also say

Results Oriented Management & Accountability (ROMA) 
is a part of the CSBG Performance Management 
Framework
Where We Are 
today

CSBG Performance Management 
Framework 
Local Organizational Standards
State and Federal Accountability Measures
Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) 
CSBG State Plan
CSBG Annual Report
ACSI Survey

Remember these core activities of 
ROMA?

Organizational Standards

ROMA and 
the Organizational Standards
ROMA principles and practices are embedded in 
the Organizational Standards

The Standards are adapted to the special 
circumstances of Public CEEs (CAAs)
Many of the Org Standards are directed at the 
actions of the CAA Board of Directors.*  
The Org Standards and ROMA principles are 
expected to be supported and promoted by the 
Board.

CATEGORY FOUR: 
Organizational Leadership
This category addresses the foundational elements of 
mission and the implementation of the Network’s 
model of good performance management (ROMA). 
“Community Action leadership is exemplified at all 
levels across the organization and starts with a 
mission that clarifies Community Action’s work on 
poverty.”

CATEGORY FOUR: 
Organizational Leadership
“A  well-functioning board, and a focused chief 
executive officer (CEO)/executive director, well-trained 
and dedicated staff, and volunteers giving of themselves 
to help others will establish Community Action as 
the cornerstone and leverage point to address 
poverty across the community. 
Ensuring strong leadership both for today and into the 
future is critical.”

Standard 4.2 
The department’s Community Action plan is 
outcome-based, anti-poverty focused, and ties 
directly to the community assessment.

Standard 4.3
“The department’s Community Action plan and 
strategic plan document the continuous use of 
the full Result Oriented Management and 
Accountability (ROMA) cycle”

How will 
“lives be changed?”  
In what ways will 
“communities be improved?” 
How does the board know what 
an agency should do?

Assessing 
the 
needs

Collecting and Analyzing Data from 
Community Needs Assessment
Each agency creates a profile of the 
needs and resources of a given 
community or target population.

Role of Board in 
Assessing the 
Community

Organizational Standards 
Related to Assessment
Standard 1.3 
The department has a systematic approach for collecting, 
analyzing, and reporting customer satisfaction data to the 
tripartite board/advisory body, which may be met 
through broader local government processes.
Standard 3.5
The tripartite board/advisory body formally accepts the 
completed community assessment.

Some ideas: 
o
Board Assessment Committee
o
Help to distribute surveys
o
Talk to partners 
o
Talk to neighborhood leaders
o
ETC………

Domain Areas from National TOC

It is not sufficient to 
identify the varying 
importance of the 
broad domain areas.
Saying “we need housing” does not provide enough 
information to move to a plan.

Who’s need is it? 
Identify the level of need

Education
Individuals do not have high school diplomas. 
(Family)
Our community has a low high school 
graduation rate (Community)
Our agency has a need for additional 
resources to establish or expand GED 
preparation programs for adult customers who 
have not graduated high school. (Agency)
Area of 
Concern: 
high school 
graduation
LEVELS OF NEED

It’s all three?  
Create three statements!

What kinds of needs do 
you see?  
Are they family, community or agency level needs?

Creating 
the 
Agency-
wide 
Strategic 
Plan
MATERIAL FROM INTRO TO ROMA 5.1, 2020

Drucker Question One:
What Is Our Mission? 
“A mission cannot be 
impersonal, it has to have 
deep meaning, be something 
you believe in - something you 
know is right….”

Questions that the mission statement 
should answer:
Why are we in business?
What results are we trying to achieve? 
Will we make a difference?
What is our relationship with the 
community?

Understanding Mission Statements
POPULATION
SERVICES
OUTCOMES
RELATIONSHIPS

Assumptions Communicated 
in Mission Statements
About the causes 
and conditions of 
poverty
About the agency’s role in its 
reduction

Enter agency mission statement

Using Mission and 
Assessment Data to 
Create a Plan
Different kinds of plans

Agency-wide Strategic Plan
The agency-wide Strategic Plan identifies the 
agency’s goals.  It is the place where 
connections are made.
Review the plan to see: 
o Are goals clearly connected to the needs 
identified in the assessment process?
o Do the goals include projected changes for 
individuals and families? For communities? 
For the agency?​
o What kind of services are identified that will 
address the needs and meet the goals?

Organizational Standards 
Related to Planning
Standard 6.1 
The department has a strategic plan, or comparable 
planning document, in place that has been reviewed and 
accepted by the tripartite board/advisory body within the 
past 5 years. If the department does not have a plan, the 
tripartite board/advisory body will develop the plan.
Standard 8.9 
The tripartite board/advisory body has input as allowed by local 
governmental procedure into the CSBG budget process.

Role of the 
Board in 
Strategic 
Planning
• The Board should not just approve  
a plan that supports “what we have 
always done” but should take the 
needs identified in the current 
assessment process into 
consideration. 
• What information will help you 
as you consider the agency’s 
strategic plan? 
• Will the services and strategies in 
the plan help to achieve the 
agency’s mission?

Consider:  What is the connection?
How does getting a food basket, Meals 
on Wheels or WIC help strengthen 
vulnerable populations? 
How does helping adults to get a GED or 
improve job skills impact their family’s 
self sufficiency?   
How do Head Start services impact 
families?

Community Level Change
How do the advocacy activities in which your 
agency staff, volunteers and board members 
engage help improve communities? 
How do partnerships work 
to give you more resources to help
meet local needs?  
What community conditions will be better 
because of the agency?

As a Board Member, you help 
the agency focus on 
identifying  how you will “hit a 
home run” 
APPROVE
The Board will accept the 
Strategic Plan and record the 
Board action​.

Implementing 
the Plan
-- Identifying policies
and procedures for 
personnel 
and
-- Acknowledge the 
fundamental 
elements necessary 
for implementation

Moving to Implementation
ACT
Staff will turn the 
general plan into 
Action Steps for 
Implementation 
MEASURE
Staff will identify
measurement tools 
and processes that 
will be used to 
report to the 
Board.

Collection 
and 
reporting 
of data

Organizational Standards 
Related to Reporting 
Standard 4.4  -- The tripartite board/advisory body 
receives an annual update on the success of specific 
strategies included in the Community Action plan.
Standard 5.9  -- The department’s tripartite 
board/advisory body receives programmatic reports at 
each regular board/advisory meeting.
Standard 6.5 -- The tripartite board/advisory body has 
received an update(s) on progress meeting the goals of the 
strategic plan/comparable planning document within the 
past 12 months.
Standard 8.7 -- The tripartite board/advisory body receives 
financial reports at each regular meeting, for those program(s) 
the body advises, as allowed by local government procedure.

Reporting on the Data
Reports go to many different audiences
funding sources
staff 
the community
the Board

Analysis

Organizational Standards 
Related to Analysis 
Standard 9.3 
The department has presented to the tripartite board/advisory 
body for review or action, at least within the past 12 months, an 
analysis of the agency’s outcomes and any operational or 
strategic program adjustments and improvements identified as 
necessary.

And will be presented with any suggestions for 
adjustments and improvements that staff have 
identified as necessary
At least each year, the board will receive the 
agency’s analysis of 
Outcomes
Operational or strategic 
performance

RE-Assess
Use what you 
have learned 
for 
Continuous 
Quality 
Improvement

Using the Analysis of Data
… to see what you thought you 
would do and comparing it with 
what you did do. 
Look back
… the decisions you need to 
make based on what you find out 
Identify

Help to unlock the 
Implementation of ROMA in 
your agency!
Think about the what you can do as a 
Board member to assure that ROMA 
is integrated into the operation of 
your agency

Power Point presentation prepared by 
The Association of Nationally Certified 
Trainers (ANCRT)
This is a brief introduction to a complex set of principles and 
practices.  For more information contact your state Community 
Action Association or CSBG office staff or go to www.roma-nptp.org
Or you can contact the presenter: 
Dr.  Barbara Mooney
barbaramooney@windstream.net
Regional Performance and Innovation Consortium
Region 3 
Coordinator of Regional Activities