Strategic Planning Overview

September 21, 2018

Does our chapter need a strategic plan?
Everyone needs a plan! Just as you would not take a road trip in unfamiliar territory without a road map, your chapter needs a guide to take it where it wants to go. Naturally, a chapter with 30 members will not need as complex a plan as a chapter with 300 members but both chapters will benefit from a structured approach to growth and the strong management of current and future assets.

Where do we begin?
The first step to a viable strategic plan is strong commitment from the chapter board. Once the board has affirmed its intent to formulate a plan, discussion must begin on what the chapter looks like now and what the board and members want it to look like in the future.

How do we begin?

1. Board of Directors commits to the strategic planning process
2. Board members set aside a specific time (usually a board retreat) during which they will discuss:
   • the current state of chapter affairs
   • the chapter's mission
   • the chapter's vision for the future
   • important issues that will affect the chapter in the foreseeable future
3. Board will initiate a survey of chapter members
4. Board will initiate a survey of external stakeholders

After we have gathered the requisite information, what's next?

• Board members study the information gathered through surveys and discussions with internal and external stakeholders and decide on the major issues they wish the strategic plan to address
• Budget considerations are factored in to ensure that all major issues the board wishes to incorporate into the plan can be appropriately funded
• A draft plan is written and distributed to the membership for comment
• Once feedback has been gathered, a final plan is written and approved by the board as the operating plan for the chapter
• A Strategic Plan Oversight Committee is appointed to monitor chapter activities against the plan.

How far ahead should we be looking? 
In this technological age when things can change very rapidly, most organizations prefer a three year plan. Strategic plans are not 'set in stone' and should be the object of frequent review and revision as the environment changes.

How can we ensure that the strategic plan doesn't gather dust?
Strategic plans take hard work and some expense to develop so commitment from the board is of vital importance. The Strategic Plan Oversight Committee should review chapter activities on an ongoing basis and report to the board regularly on any deviations from the plan. The Oversight Committee must feel that they have the support of the entire board and that its recommendations will be given serious consideration.