A COLLABORATIVE, STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SUCCESS

Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County

A little over a year in his new position, the President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County (BGCPOCO) was ready for a comprehensive Strategic Planning process to set the agenda for the future of the four clubs in Porter County. After preliminary discussions, we agreed on a seven-month process that began with an analysis of

Key stakeholder perceptions and needs
Staff perceptions and strengths
Current programs and outcomes
Facilities and existing technology

The research began with one-on-one interviews with each member of the BGCPOCO board. Board members were encouraged to share their current perceptions and concerns and to think open-mindedly about the goals the Clubs could accomplish. That data was then combined and reported back to the group.

With that as a backdrop, Jane facilitated a session to create a shared “scan” of the current context of the organization, using visual mapping tools. This helped identify specific challenges and opportunities and highlighted the areas where more information was needed.

As a result, the Board identified six key areas for further exploration, and a senior staff member was assigned to lead each issue. In facilitated working sessions with staff Issue Leaders, we explored the data needed to understand and correctly define each problem. Staff “Issue Leaders” collected the data that the Board would need to make informed decisions, explore possible solutions, and develop specific, measureable goals.

With all of this background at hand, the Board met in a two-day offsite retreat to flesh out the Strategic Plan. The retreat began with an overview by the National BGC leadership, to ensure that our local clubs would be aligned with National efforts as we moved to address the issues in our communities. Board members were paired with the internal issue leaders and asked to take ownership of each area as small teams for each issue fleshed out the need, identified the steps of the solution, and developed recommendations.

The outcomes of these sessions were presented to the Board as a whole, and then the full Board prioritized and finalized the objectives through a structured objective-setting exercise. The result was a clear picture of the six Key Objectives and the five Bold Steps that would be the foundation of a strategy to move the organization forward.

Following the meeting, the President and his direct reports created step-by-step plans to achieve their goals over the next three years. Based on these steps, Jane worked with them to create a dashboard to help keep Board members informed and engaged in the process.