With minimal budget increases and a growing population, we needed to find ways to use existing resources to meet the expanding needs of our community. Further, the opening of three new branches and the near doubling of our central branch necessitated a need to revamp our communication strategies. By flipping the traditional top-down structure to create cross-functional teams and new platforms for information and resource sharing, we engaged and empowered our largest resource: staff.

• Critical Mission Teams: Cross-functional groups that work on priority projects central to our mission.
• Staff Champions: Facilitate system-wide initiatives and gather feedback.
• Learning Cohorts: Cross-functional groups of managers who meet monthly for peer-led trainings designed to build leadership skills.
• Big Ideas: Monthly opportunity for anyone to present an idea to leadership for implementation.
• Fireside Chats: Monthly meetings at each branch where staff can talk openly with the executive director in a relaxed setting.

Our teams developed a customer service philosophy and training, a Net Promotor Score survey with customer follow-up, a Summer Learning Challenge with online interface and enhanced the features of our app, PLS Connect. We eliminated barriers for customers by removing gender fields on cards, created a studio to record program content for digital access and made all youth materials fine free. Communication has increased and collaborative execution of our mission in meeting community needs has been fast-tracked.