The purpose of Strategic Planning is to set overall goals for the ICC and to develop a simple, easy to articulare, and shareable plan to achieve them. We developed and approved a five-year plan during the Summer of 2018 through member brainstorming sessions, staff meetings, and BoD workshops. The Strategic Plan consists of:
- ICC Vision: The “dream” of the ICC; what we wish/hope/want to be
- ICC Mission: A clear, succinct statement of who we are and what we do
- Co-operative Principles: Statements that define the underlying structure of our community
- Member Wishlist (MWL): This is a positive restatement of the problem being addressed that begins to point toward the desired outcome. Members unearthed and defined these issues through three sessions open to all members. These describe what is important to members.
- Long Term Objectives (LTO): Helps us achieve broad, long-term outcomes by providing a structure, focus, and consistency over the five years of the plan. These describe what we want to accomplish in the long term.
- Annual Objectives (AO): The AO specifically describes what must be done to achieve our long-term strategic objectives. These describe what we can reasonably accomplish in a year.
Long Term Planning Steps
| The last year of the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan will be spent reflecting on accomplishments and beginning to consider our wishes and goals for the next three to five years |
CoCo, BoD, Staff |
March – August of final year of current strategic plan |
| Update Annual Objectives if needed |
CoCo |
Interims Between Years |
Short – Term Planning Steps – 1 Year
| Review Annual Objectives of the previous and current year |
CoCo & Staff |
April |
| Add unaccomplished Annual Objectives to the next fiscal year |
CoCo and the Board |
April |
| Present the Annual Objectives for the next fiscal year to the board |
CoCo |
July |
| Approve any changes to the next fiscal year objectives (85% majority) |
Board |
July |
| Present new Strategic Plan to the Board |
CoCo |
July |
| Approve Strategic Plan |
Board |
Deadline August 31 |
| Report to the board the progress on the Annual Objectives |
ICC President and GM |
Once in the Fall, Winter and Spring terms |
Some other planning thoughts:
- Planning works best if done on a regular basis
- The most important thing about planning, besides doing it, is remembering that you can’t possibly do all the things that you’d like to do. Our fertile brains will always have MANY more ideas than we can accomplish.
- Appreciate what does get done! Give yourself and others lots of praise and positive feedback.
- Understand & accept that we won’t all agree 100% on 100% of topics.
