STRATEGIC PLANNING

Getting from A to B

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Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. As we move through the process of strategic planning, in this document, start with the following infographic highlight of just what you are looking to accomplish. This will give you a visual memory as you get into the details following.

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STRATEGIC PLANNING

Process

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Following is a proposed timeline for each phase including meeting dates, times and groups involved. This table also includes fees and payment schedule.

Organization staff will be responsible for the following:• Travel and meals for the facilitator. This will include mileage to and from Union County and meals

during on site visits.• Securing locations for all scheduled meetings.• Coordinating the planning committee; meeting schedule, reminders, materials.• Sending out the membership survey using organization email/database.• Setting up the interviews with local stakeholders identified in Phase 1.• Disseminating information at the request of facilitator.• IMPLEMENTATION!! We are creating a “living” document. The most important part of a strategic

plan is accountability. A scorecard and KPIs will be included in your final plan.

PLANNING PHASE DATE MEETING TIMES

FEE STRUCTURE

ATTENDEES

Phase 1: Setting the Stage

Work begins upon contract execution.

OngoingFee:$2500 due with contract

FacilitatorChamber PresidentChairman of Board

Phase 2:Asking the Questions

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

7:30-11:30 am

Fee: $2500 due

10:30

TBD

4:00-5:30 pm

Board, Planning Committee, Staff

Survey to membership deploys from Chamber.Facilitator interviews with local stakeholders.Focus Group

Phase 3:Plotting the Course

TBD

TBD

7:30-9:30 am

Email delivery of review materials for final presentation

Planning Committee

Chamber StaffBoard of DirectorsPlanning Committee

Phase 4:Moving Ahead and Keeping Score

TBD

TBD

7:30-9:30

Facilitator makes revisions following 7/28 meeting.

Email Delivery of Final Report

Final Fee: $2500 due

Chamber StaffBoard of DirectorsPlanning Committee

Copies to:Planning CommitteeBoard of DirectorsChamber Staff

Three Year Plan

Phase 1: Setting the Stage

Upon execution of the contract Facilitator will conference with Chamber President and Board Chair to set the stage for the planning.

Facilitator will require the following information from the Chamber:

Three years financial statement + current YTD statement

President’s reports to BOD; 18 months

Three years of Annual Reports

Value statements (Benefits of Membership)

# of investors at each level of investment

# of sponsors and at what total annual sponsorship investment

Current income sources

Definition of service area

Current business climate; urgent issues that are being undertaken or pending.

Facilitator will:

Provide ongoing progress reports throughout the planning

Provide an agenda to Chamber staff for distribution to all attending scheduled meetings.

Chamber President and Staff will:

Send all materials required by Facilitator

Make housing arrangements for Facilitator’s on-site visits

Keep an excel workbook with a tab for each group in the process with their contact information; staff, BOD, Planning Committee, Stakeholders for interviews, Focus Group participants

Send timely invitations and reminders for meetings

Send task reminders throughout the process as tasks are assigned

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Phase 1: Setting the Stage

Chamber President and Board Chair will select members of planning committee. A group of no more than 15, selected from the following:

Board Members

Chamber Staff

Upper Level Investors

Small Business Investors

Past BOD Chairs

Community Partners

THE PLANNING TEAM

Strategic planning should be conducted by a planning team. Consider the following guidelines when developing the team:

The group should be a manageable size, preferably around 15 and should be a cross section of staff, board leadership, organization members, organization partners, community stakeholders.

The Chamber President should be included in the planning group, and should drive development and implementation of the plan.

Involve someone to administrate the process, including arranging meetings, helping to record key information, helping with flipcharts, monitoring status of preparation, etc.

Establish clear expectations and clarify roles for participants; there are roles for those directly involved in planning, those who will provide key information (interviews and focus group participants) to the process, those who will review the plan document (Staff, BOD and Planning Committee), those who will authorize the document (BOD), etc. Each participant should understand the overall direction of the process and her/his independent roles.

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Phase 2: Asking the Questions

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This will be a 4 hour workshop of the Planning Committee intended to determine answers to the following:• Where are we?• What do we have to work with?• Where do we want to be?• How do we get there?

Workshop Tasks:• Review Statements of Purpose; Mission, Vision, Core Values• SWOT analysis• Environmental Scan

Internal Audit:HR including succession planning for President Operation Systems (Policy & Procedure)Communications SystemsPrograms and EventsCommitteesBoard succession planning

External Audit:Community dynamicsOrganization relationships/partnershipsGeographical challengesIndustry overviewEconomic climateLeadershipGovernmentsPerception of ChamberDefine the competition

• Identify community stakeholders for interviews with facilitator.• Identify members for focus group.• Determine questions for membership survey.

Outcomes:Facilitator Compile data

Email progress reports to Planning CommitteeChamber President Set stakeholder appointments

Invitations to Focus GroupLay out member surveyEmail member survey

Phase 3: Plotting the Course

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A two hour Planning Committee session to work through all collected data and set up goals, objectives and measurements for success.

Review:

Membership survey results

Interview results

Focus Groups feedback

Data collected to date

SWOT results

Facilitator recommendations

Establish the following:

Organizational profile

Customer profile (member)

Set goals, objectives and priorities

Connect strategies directly to needs, assets and desired outcomes

Action items and assignments

Timeline

Scorecard

Outcomes:

Documents developed for each of the elements listed above.

Facilitator progress report with documents distributed to all to be read and ready to discuss at final meeting.

Phase 4: Moving Ahead and Keeping Score

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Following the presentation of the report in final meetings, the report will be edited, completed and disseminated.

Completion Date: TBDTasks for this Phase:• Facilitator will make any revisions to the report that are discussed in the

final meeting.• Facilitator will email the final report in a print ready format, to the Chamber

President.• Chamber President will generate spiral bound copies of the report and

distribute a copy to all members of each of the following groups:Chamber StaffPlanning CommitteeBoard of Directors

• Facilitator will schedule check in calls for six months and 12 months to encourage follow through of the plan.

About the Facilitator

Annette Medlin, IOM

Annette has been in non-profit management for over 25 years; for eight years as a chamber Executive. She has held leadership roles in industry professional organizations as President of the Carolina’s Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and with the US Chamber Institute for Organization Management as a student, a class advisor, a member of the Board of Regents and now as faculty. Annette was honored by her peers as South Carolina Executive of the Year in 2008.

In April of 2012 she co-founded Membership180 with Jay Handler. M180 is a sustainable membership development company devoted to seeing chambers of commerce and associations grow through engaging current members while recruiting new ones.

Annette is a regular speaker, facilitator and coach/consultant to clients in the areas of board development, strategic planning, executive coaching, capitalizing on capacity, feminine leadership and community partnerships. In addition to her successful blogposts on membership180.com, Annette is frequently a guest blogger for Institute.

annette@membership180.com(866) 960 9789 ext. 101

Website/Blog: www.membership180.comLinkeIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annettemedlin/FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/coachmedlinFaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/MedlinInYourBusinessPinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamedlin/

    

phone: 866-960-9789/ www.membership180.com/email: info@membership180.com