The collective good

The Challenge

In the summer of 2020, with new leadership and the COVID pandemic taking hold, NASTAD launched an effort to establish a strategic vision to end the HIV, viral hepatitis and intersecting epidemics by centering social justice and anti-stigma in public health. The needs and priorities of NASTAD’s diverse membership would inform its strategy, in concert with the expertise of a staff committed to an antiracist approach to public health.

Future Caucus has an audacious mission to activate young leaders, bridge the partisan divide, and transform American politics. Entering the pandemic, they welcomed a new leader and new team members. With this in mind and the increasing polarization of policymaking, Future Caucus had an opportunity to engage and grow its membership.

The Approach

The Collective Good began by engaging staff and the NASTAD Board of Directors in an iterative process to refine the organizational vision and mission, and craft three clear value statements and a set of guiding principles. This shared definition of impact and commitment to health equity allowed NASTAD's diverse community to rally around a bold strategy.

Health department staff throughout NASTAD’s 66 membership jurisdictions participated in interviews, surveys and focus group discussions, which revealed:

A focus on disparately impacted communities was key to advancing health equity, racial equity and stigma elimination
Funding and data systems required restructuring to be effective and equitable
An integrated approach was necessary to address intersecting epidemics and social determinants of health

Co-creating a strategy that centered the voices and needs of the Future Caucus community of young legislators. Our analysis provided an understanding of:

Future Caucus’ North Star to remove the barriers young legislators face in order to build a more inclusive and effective democracy
Systemic challenges that legislators face including minimal leadership training, absence of mentors, insufficient time and opportunity to focus on innovative policy solutions, and difficulty connecting with the voters who’d most likely be energized by collaborative, productive leadership
Future Caucus’ unique positioning in the space to tailor support and position young policymakers to engage across the aisle

From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.

The Results

In addition to mapping a critical path for the coming years, our work together strengthened alignment between staff and members, and established shared ownership of the NASTAD mission and strategy. Tangible outcomes included:

Sharper guiding principles that recentered the work on dignity and community partnership
A Theory of Change that centered racism as a public health crisis
Strategic intentions grounded in member priorities and an actionable multi-year plan
Rebalanced power, elevating the voices and expertise of both members and staff

Our Partnership:

Renewed Future Caucus’ vision of restored public trust in democracy, improved public leadership, and more representative public policy
Crafted an ambitious 5-year strategy with key performance indicators to ensure accountability and track progress
Strengthened collaboration between staff and the Board around key strategies, including:
- Amplifying models of bipartisan public service
- Activating and connecting their network
- Building a high-performing organization that exudes their values and ethos

From this process, Future Caucus gained a clearer focus on building a constituency for inclusive governing and amplifying new narratives.

A national network aligned in advancing health equity

The Challenge

The Approach

The Results

Could you see your story here? Let's do it!