Associations sit at the center of some of the hardest, highest-stakes systems serving children and families, but influence takes more than a seat at the table. It takes credible evidence, a defensible strategy, and materials that move decision-makers.  Sellers Dorsey helps member associations strengthen their influence, clarify their role in child welfare and behavioral health ecosystem, and position themselves as trusted partners to state agencies and policymakers.

The Challenge

Associations working on behalf of children and families are navigating compounding challenges and want to build influence and credibility with state leaders by becoming valued system partners. Information alone won’t help leaders move the needle. Member associations need a clear picture of where the system is breaking down, a credible path forward, and materials that bring providers, state agencies, policymakers, and community partners to the same table.

Our Process

Sellers Dorsey brings policy, funding, and stakeholder engagement expertise to help associations turn fragmented, high-stakes systems into coordinated reforms and better outcomes for children and families.

• Structured stakeholder discovery. Sellers Dorsey facilitated interviews and engaged directly with people doing the work, including association members, providers, state agency leaders, and coalition partners. We documented current-state challenges, system performance drivers, and stakeholder priorities.
• Benchmark national practice models. Sellers Dorsey analyzed rate-setting methodologies, kinship care structures, child abuse and neglect reporting pathways, children’s mental health access models across peer states and jurisdictions, and other benchmarks to identify adaptable, evidence-based approaches.
• Develop tailored, strategic frameworks. We translated discovery and benchmarking findings into structured, strategic recommendations, distinguishing near-term operational improvements from longer-term structural reforms, while calibrating the frameworks to each state’s political, fiscal, and administrative environment.
• Provide ongoing strategic consultation. Sellers Dorsey offered more than a “hand-off-the-report” engagement. We maintained continuous consultation with leadership throughout each project phase, adapting analysis to emerging priorities and producing advocacy-ready materials for legislative, executive, and philanthropic stakeholders. We provided implementation roadmaps and technical assistance to turn the recommendations into current practice.

The Solution

Sellers Dorsey provided the research, facilitation, strategic consultation, and communications support that association clients need to move from problem identification to action and results. Deliverables spanned landscape assessments, high-level findings summaries, stakeholder engagement, problem statements, strategic frameworks, implementation roadmaps, final reports, presentations, one-pagers, and messaging materials built for decision-makers.

The Impact

Associations are on the front lines – their members see, every day, what children, families, providers, and communities need. Our role is to help amplify that voice, strengthen its credibility, and make sure it’s heard at the tables where decisions get made. Examples of our work with association clients include:

• Rebuilt the case for fair, sustainable funding. Association clients gained data-backed options, from kinship licensing efficiencies to long-term rate redesign, built for their state’s political and fiscal reality.
• Delivered a concrete framework for children’s mental health access. Research became an actionable roadmap for consistent, best-in-class treatment access statewide.
• Elevated provider voice into real workforce and capacity priorities. Providers helped shape decisions on training and capacity building, rather than being consulted after the fact.
• Armed coalition leaders with evidence, not anecdotes, for advocacy. Association leaders engaged legislators, philanthropic partners, and the Governor’s office, backed by benchmarked data and messaging tailored to the target audience.

Looking to learn more about how Sellers Dorsey can help your association? Connect with us.