Board Bits Volume 1

BOARD BITS SARC's Biannual Board Publication

VOL 1

FALL 2021

Moving Forward and Planning for the Future

BY DESIREE TIRK SARC TRAINER/RESOURCE DEVELOPER, LEADERSHIP Now that organizations have managed their way through the last year-and-a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely tempting to want to forget about it all. However, we know we’re not through this yet, and it’s also crucial to take a moment to reflect on all that Boards have learned during this time about risk management, technology, human connections, and planning for unforeseeable circumstances, as this information will help guide organizations as they move forward. What better way to do that, than to revisit your strategic plan or develop a new one?

According to Tom Okarma, a nonprofit leadership author, keynote speaker, and consultant in strategic planning, there are five key questions your Board may want to consider as it continues to move forward and begins to think about strategic planning despite COVID: 1. What have we learned about our organization from our COVID experience?

2. Are there weaknesses and shortcomings that need to be addressed?

3. What do we need to start or stop doing immediately?

4. What can we do as a Board to help the Executive Director bring back calm, stability, and confidence to the rest of the organization?

5. What will our new Board operating environment look like? Will we continue to meet virtually? In-person?

How can we structure Board meetings to be most effective and efficient?

Board Bits

Biannual Board Newsletter

VOL 1

FALL 2021

This is the time for the Board and senior management to take a critical look at the impact that the pandemic has had on their organization: the future opportunities, potential blind spots, and strategic priority areas as we continue moving forward despite COVID. It’s a perfect time to review your organization’s goals and objectives, reassess their importance, and proceed with planning for the future.

It’s more important than ever to reframe and refocus. Strategic plans made in pre-COVID times may now need to be adjusted, prioritized differently, or even overhauled.

SO WHAT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING? It is a process of picturing and planning for your organization’s future by determining realistic goals and the path to get you there.

It is developing a three-to-five-year blueprint for the organization’s future. Funding uncertainties, the dynamic needs of people being served, and the changing needs of the broader community make it difficult to plan beyond this timeframe.

It is often more about clarifying an organization’s top priorities, rather than making big, sweeping decisions.

Having a strategic plan in place is an important tool to have, as it ensures that everyone – Board, senior management, and staff – are all on the same page and working to achieve the same goals. This helps lead to the long-term success and sustainability of the organization.

“Strategic planning enables an organization to function from a proactive place rather than a reactive one. It does this by helping us hone in on an organization’s core strategy and mission. In a time of major uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to focus on your mission and make thoughtful decisions on what efforts to prioritize.”

Scenario Planning: Rapid Planning in a Time of Rapid Change (boardsource.org).

INTERESTED IN HAVING SOMEONE GUIDE YOUR ORGANIZATION IN STRATEGIC PLANNING? SARC offers in-person strategic planning sessions that lead groups through the process of identifying priorities, setting long-term goals, and developing a plan to achieve them. A facilitator can work with your organization to assist in the process of reframing, refocusing, and moving forward. For more information visit Strategic Planning | SARC Learning Central.

“In planning for the future, we must recognize that life has changed before and will change again. When we acknowledge this, old frames of reference lose their relevance, and new visions become possible. We have a head start on adapting, creating, and responding to change.” (Scenario Planning: Rapid Planning in a Time of Rapid Change (boardsource.org).

ABOUT DESIREE TIRK Spending the past 25 years working in community development in the nonprofit and government sectors, Desiree brings a variety of experience with developing and facilitating workshops and has held positions as Program Manager, Facilitator, and Trainer. Desiree has over 20 years’ experience as co-owner of a business and holds a Bachelor of Indian Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies.

To connect with Desiree Tirk and learn more about how strategic planning can help your organization through the next phase of the pandemic and beyond, email her at dtirk@sarcan.sk.ca