From: The Department of the President - Full Report. 2009 Fall BOG Meeting, Birmingham, AL.
I had read this report before the BOG meeting and it sounded like Randy already had all his ducks (a committee) lined up. I did mention to him, that following what he thinks are successful models for non-profits may not necessarily be in the best interest of this Society. He stated that once the Society incorporated, the ability to operate as previous was lost and now we HAD to have these items in place. My thoughts - Deirdra Hahn #46317RE - Tallassee, Alabama 19) Planning Committee: Randy Paylor, Chairman (NSS 24524RE)(FE) 291 Woodfield Circle Shelbyville, KY 40065 859-420-5541 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Progress: The NSS planning committee is finally getting off the ground again after much good work was accomplished by the prior committee. The planning process is more important now than ever with the many current opportunities and threats to the organization. A headquarters move or improvement, the possibility of an executive director, the volatile economy, the countless issues surrounding White Nose Syndrome are just a few of the things that a good plan will help address. What does the planning process mean? The planning committee will be developing a strategic plan, which is a document that helps determine the overall direction and goals of the NSS. It is important to note that a strategic plan is not quite the same as a business plan or a financial plan. These are more specific, but can be guided tremendously by having a sound strategic plan. The key elements of a strategic plan are: *A robust and up-to-date Mission Statement *A Vision Statement, i.e. what we want the NSS to look like in the future. *A list of our Core Values *The Strategic Plan itself: o Specific goals identified from both internal and external analysis. o Strategies or approaches that must be used to reach the goals. o Action plan for designating duties and accomplishing objectives of each goal. The previous planning committee accomplished a great deal, and left us a solid foundation to work from. The three main results from previous work include an exhaustive Member Survey, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), and a detailed organizational Values Hierarchy. This extensive internal analysis will be key in helping us take the next steps. In addition to researching previous planning work within the NSS, the current committee has: *Analyzed many other Strategic Plans, from the simple plan of the Appalachian Mountain Club to the exhaustive U.S. Forest Service publication (available at http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/strategic/fs-sp-fy07-12.pdf if you'd like to see this nice example!). Other plans we looked at include: Alliance for the Cumberlands, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Pacific Crest Trail Association, and the American Hiking Society. *Researched the details of the strategic planning process. There are many good resources out there for this, including managementhelp.org - a free online library for non-profits, allianceonline.org - the Alliance for Non-profit Management to name a couple. *Solicited members of the committee from a broad base of the NSS. *Analyzed the current versions of the NSS Mission Statement (there is more than one), and developed a draft revised statement to reflect the key NSS values identified by the previous committee and to incorporate suggestions from the Member Survey. The draft statement will be presented to the Board for a vote. *Set up a discussion board for the committee that also contains all of our pertinent planning files and examples of other plans. *Solicited input from nonprofit planners outside the NSS. *Received input from the NSS museum scoping session held at the Colorado BOG meeting. Plans: The next steps include developing a clear vision statement, constructing the listing of our core values, bringing our existing planning analyses up to date, and jumping in to identifying strategic goals for the NSS. The committee has also been tasked with helping the Executive Committee determine what the duties may be for a potential executive director position. Discussions and research have begun on this. Problems: None at this time.
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