ArtsFund Board Leadership Training Program Setting Direction October 28, 2015

1. ArtsFund Board Leadership Training ProgramSetting DirectionOctober 28, 2015 www.laurapierceconsulting.com

2. Where is your organization? • I couldn’t tell you our mission, and what the heck is a strategic plan? • We have a mission statement, but most of our board members were not involved in creating or revising it. • We understand our mission and have a shared vision for our organization. We don’t have a strategic plan, or we have a dated document that sits on the shelf. • In addition to a clear mission, we have a written plan with specific objectives and timelines. We look at it once in a while. • We have a compelling plan and monitor our progress regularly as a board. We have dedicated the resources to accomplish our goals, and a track record of success in creating a plan and then executing it.

3. What is strategic planning? A process where an organization’s leadership: • Defines mission and goals • Chooses a desired future • Agrees on strategy

4. What is Strategic Planning? A thoughtful Process • Ask a series of questions • Test assumptions • Gather current data • Anticipate future environment • Make decisions/choices re: What is most important for success?

5. Why is strategic planning important? Strategic planning gives you the opportunity to: • Reconnect with vision and mission of the organization • Increase ownership of organization • Meet changing needs/deepen impact • Define success together • Ensure that you are all going in the same direction • Increase accountability • Improve communications and marketing

6. Alignment: Getting further faster

7. Alignment: Getting further faster

8. What are the important components of a strategic plan? • Mission • Programs • Resources • Evaluation

9. What are the steps in a conventional planning cycle? • Get ready to plan • Gather relevant information • Review/update mission, vision, values • Determine best strategies to reach your mission (goals, objectives, action steps) • Develop budget/resource plan • Implement the plan • Evaluate your work and incorporate what you learned into the next plan

10. 1. Get ready to plan • Evaluate readiness • Get organizational commitment (time, energy of board, senior management, other stakeholders) • Identify leaders for planning process(committee formed) • Identify information needed • Budget resources (i.e. consultant, focus groups, etc.) • Prepare timeline

11. Questions to ask before starting strategic planning • Are there any crises facing the organization right now that will prevent your staff and board from being fully engaged in the planning process? If so, can you resolve these first? • Have you done strategic planning before? • Why are you beginning strategic planning now? • Has the board discussed what they want to get out of planning? Made a commitment? • How much time are your board members willing to put in? • Who are your stakeholders, and how do you plan to involve them?

12. Role of Consultant • Process guide • Neutral facilitator • Community engagement and/or group process expertise • Support and assistance to do this “extra” work

13. 2. Gather relevant information • SWOT analysis (assess where you are before deciding where to go) • Needs Assessment • Stakeholder/community involvement (focus groups, community meetings • Include “outside” perspectives • Utilize outside sources of data i.e. United Way, national data, research, etc. • Outcome: begin to identify “critical issues/critical success areas”

14. Identify Stakeholders and Create Stakeholder Outreach Plan • Who cares about your organization and its work? • Who affects or is affected by your work? • How can your planning process incorporate stakeholders’ perspectives? • What level of involvement do you want from stakeholders? Input? Involvement in decision-making? Ownership?

15. Table Discussion • Who are your organization’s key stakeholder groups? • How are you in communication with them? • How would you reach out to them during a strategic planning process?

16. 3. Review/update mission, vision, values • Evaluate the existing mission, vision and values to determine whether they need tweaking or a complete overhaul • It’s worth reviewing the mission every 3 years or whenever there is significant board turnover • Engage board, staff and key volunteers in collectively visioning for the organization

17. What is a mission statement? • Mission: clear, concise, easy to remember statement of purpose • Answers basic questions about the organization: who, what, why, for whom, where? • Focus on purpose/outcomes, not methods (to improve quality of life, not to provide counseling)

18. Elements of a mission statement • Purpose (to….) • Business statement (by…) • Values Velocityadvances contemporary dance and movement-based art by fostering the creative explorations of artists and audiences through an invested commitment to education, creation, performance, inquiry, community participation, and inter/national exchange. Reference: “What should a Mission Statement Say? By Ron Meshanko, www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/03/21.html

19. What is a vision statement? • A statement of what the world will be like when you have achieved your mission Spectrum Dance Theater Vision To move dance and the arts from the marginal and ancillaryto a central position among community activities. To make dance and the arts integral partners in civicdialogue, promoting healthy communities. To have dance and the arts be considered part of thesolution to the challenges facing our communities.

20. What are values? • Optional • Clarify how the organization wants to operate ethically • Provide additional guidance for decision-making Accountability, Integrity, Empowerment, Respect, Sustainability, Celebration, Excellence, Justice, Collaboration

21. Seattle Pro Musica Our MissionTo enrich and inspire our audiences, singers, and community through the experience of choral artistry, and to increase access to and appreciation of choral music.Our Vision To be among the world's finest choral organizations, known as innovative, inspiring, and essential to our growing community.Our ValuesSeattle Pro Musica is committed to: • Artistry • Excellence  • Community • Integrity

22. 4. Determine best strategies to reach your mission • Establish strategic priorities, goals and objectives • Articulate outcomes • Plans must match organizational capacity

23. Approaches to Strategy Formation • Visionary – driven by leadership’s vision of the future • Incremental – a gradual process of finding the “right answers” through trial and error • Analytical – driven by data

24. Strategic Triangle (Moore)

25. Keep your objectives “SMART” • Specific • Measurable • Attainable • Results-oriented • Time-determined Examples: The Education department will develop a new half-hour outreach presentation on drunk driving, including a written teacher’s guide, by August 2010. The volunteer coordinator will recruit and train 20 new volunteer mentors by conducting outreach at a minimum of five community events and offering two mentor trainings in April and September of 2010.

26. 5. Develop budget/resource plan • How will you support the activities you have planned? • What are the staffing requirements? • Do you have a funding plan with diverse revenue sources? • Review any commitments you have to current funders again to ensure that you are meeting contractual or grant obligations • If necessary, prioritize further or lengthen timelines to ensure a doable plan

27. Table Discussion Given our discussion so far, what is the next step for your organization? • Do you need more emphasis on planning? • What type of plan would be most appropriate? • Who would need to be engaged in the process?

28. 6. Implement the plan • Staff will take the lead on implementation, but there may be board responsibilities as well • Review and update on a regular basis (at least annually) • Keep stakeholders informed

29. 7. Evaluate your work & incorporate what you learned into the next plan • Board should monitor progress • Celebrate accomplishments • Learn from mistakes • Make sure you are getting desired results

30. How does planning usually take place? • Planning committee formed to steer process • Consultant can help facilitate • Can take 3 months to 1 year • Usually includes a board retreat to make key decisions • Annual cycle of planning, budgeting, implementing, evaluating

31. Alternative Approaches • Nonprofit Strategy Revolution • Scenario Planning • “Whole systems” approaches: Future Search, Open Space, Conversation Cafe

32. La Piana’s Strategy Revolution • Who you are is more important than where you are going • Clear business model is crucial • Strategy screen offers guidance for evaluating new opportunities • One “big question” at a time Resource: Nonprofit Strategy Revolution by David La Piana

33. Scenario Planning • Supports out-of-the-box thinking • Strong emphasis on environmental factors • Envisions several possible futures and helps organizations anticipate and prepare for change Resource: What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits by Diana Scearce and Katherine Fulton (available online)

34. In conclusion “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” -Unknown “If you don’t know where you are going, it doesn’t matter which way you go” -Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland