Connective just turned seven years old, and we have major plans for a greater impact over the next five years.
Advancing Our 2025–2030 Strategic Plan
For more than seven years, Houston has been our home and heartbeat. Our roots run deep here, where we’ve honed the systems and partnerships that make a real difference to communities who are rebuilding after disaster. Now, we’re extending lessons learned from every disaster to communities across the country.
From hurricanes to everyday challenges, we’ve learned how to coordinate local agencies, quickly and equitably connect people to benefits, and ensure that help reaches people in a dignified way. Now, we’re taking those lessons and extending them to disaster-prone communities nationwide—while keeping Houston at the center of our innovation.
Our 2025–2030 Strategic Priorities
Our next chapter focuses on three bold priorities that define how we deepen, expand, and sustain impact—at home in Houston and across the nation:
- Deepen local resilience (Goal 1: Strengthen Houston’s Year-Round Safety Net)
- Expand national preparedness (Goal 2: Expand Disaster Coordination Nationwide)
- Sustain organizational strength (Goal 3: Build Sustainable Operations & Systems)
GOAL: Strengthen Houston’s Year-Round Safety Net
Scale and embed Unlock My Benefits TX in our social service ecosystem and strengthen our Disaster Coordination role in the Greater Houston Area to ensure families access food, housing, healthcare, and disaster aid seamlessly year-round.
GOAL: Expand Disaster Coordination Nationwide
Partner with local leaders in at least six disaster-affected regions outside of Greater Houston. We look to proactively engage with other communities at the frontline of climate change impacts.
GOAL: Build Sustainable Operations & Systems
Grow our team and invest in the people, technology, and infrastructure needed to scale responsibly, working toward an $8.2 million fundraising goal to meet this moment.
From Houston to Communities Nationwide: Recent Impacts
- Houston as a National Model: In 2025, Connective became the Strategic Systems Coordination Partner for the Greater Houston Disaster Alliance (GHDA). This partnership will use Connective’s digital infrastructure to deploy aid, train nonprofit networks, and analyze data for a faster, more equitable recovery, setting a national example.
- Expanding Our Reach: We’ve expanded our Connective Disaster Surveys to other geographies, including Asheville and Kerrville, to support rapid needs assessments and reach more communities quickly after disaster strikes.
- Guiding Recovery in Kerr County, TX: Our partnership with the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is guiding over 40 million investments in equitable housing programs, already helping over 500 families access case management and connect with available resources.
Meet the Team Leading Connective Into Our Next Chapter
Our team is evolving to bring our long-term vision for community impact to life.
Elena White, CEO, will lead the national expansion of disaster coordination models.
Elaine Morales, Executive Director of Houston, will keep Houston the heart of innovation and impact.
Melissa Langston, Director of Product and Data, will drive analytics and technology systems for the next generation of Connective’s technology.
To support this growth, existing members are driving key scaling initiatives, and we’re welcoming new team members who are already boosting our capacity to achieve this vision.
From Houston to disaster-prone communities nationwide, Connective is transforming how people access help. Follow our journey as we turn our 2030 vision into reality.
