Envisioning our Future
For any successful non-profit organization, the strategic plan is an integral tool for refining its mission and allocating resources. This summer, the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors—in concert with Interim Executive Director Murray Archibald and the staff, and guided by qualified outside consultants—have commenced a new strategic planning initiative.
Our last such plan was undertaken in 2015. With the passing of our co-founder and longtime Executive Director, Steve Elkins, the current work becomes the first step in our Succession Plan, approved in 2013, and includes a complete organizational and staffing analysis. How do our strategies support our mission? What resources and leadership do we need?
Given the magnitude and importance of this endeavor, the Long Range Planning (LRP) Committee (consisting of myself, Interim Executive Director and co-founder Murray Archibald, Board Vice President Leslie Sinclair, and longtime supporter Sondra Arkin), researched and proposed the hiring of an outside consultant to guide us in this critical process.
With unanimous Board approval, we contracted with the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA). As stated in their proposal, “DANA believes strategic plans include not only mission, vision, values, and strategic goals, but also an operating plan that supports achievement.”
Included in the DANA proposal is a multi-phased, six-to-seven month plan, with heavy emphasis on stakeholder and community input. In Phase One, the board was tasked with reviewing progress on our last strategic plan by reflecting on areas believed to be important to keep, as well as areas which may need to change or end.
With Phase One now complete, we are currently undertaking Phase Two, aimed at stakeholder input and market assessment. This phase began with an initial series of one-on-one, confidential interviews, conducted by DANA, with a number of key staff, board members, and other stakeholders identified by the LRP Committee. This effort then expanded into several focus groups comprising approximately two dozen individuals from a wide array of demographic and representative segments of our community.
The final part of stakeholder input brings even more people into one room to gather input. If you haven’t participated in one of the interviews or focus groups, we invite you to the Community Discussion, Saturday, September 29, in the Community Center. Space is limited, and RSVP is required.
Looking ahead, Phase Three will evaluate CAMP’s business model to understand organizational strengths, the degree to which our various program areas support the mission, and financial sustainability. With insights gathered, DANA will then facilitate focused sessions with the board and key staff and stakeholders in Phase Four, followed by a quantitative survey to the broader CAMP Rehoboth membership, inviting input on ideas generated from the previous phases.
At the conclusion, the LRP Committee will work with DANA to develop the formal Strategic Operating Plan to support the mission and vision of CAMP Rehoboth. 2018 has been a year of great transition for the organization, and it is genuinely heartwarming to have everyone pull together to envision our future and to support our mission of “creating a more positive” Rehoboth. ▼
Chris Beagle is President of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors and is a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway - Gallo Realty in Rehoboth Beach.