The intended outcome of this process is a strategic plan document that (a) includes, and aligns with, the current Alliance vision, mission, and values and that (b) defines 3-5 high level strategic priorities reflecting what Alliance members aspire to accomplish together by the end of 2025.
Following this, Alliance staff will identify how current operational activities support the new strategic priorities, and where needs/opportunities exist to develop new initiatives to best advance these priorities. Specific new initiatives will not be identified or developed as part of this planning process.
Strategic Planning Process
| Dates | Goals |
|---|---|
| September (Council Forum) | External environment review: Panel on opportunities/challenges for Alliance member institutions, exploring similarities and differences across institution types. |
| September-October | Individual visioning discussions: Through 1:1 calls, an external facilitator engages Council members (and select member staff, at the discretion of the Council member) in identifying high-level goals the Alliance should pursue; the facilitator will then identify commonly-shared aspirations across the Alliance in a report for Board and Council. |
| November (Council Meeting) | Identifying internal barriers to shared aspirations: Council members and Alliance staff identify underlying contradictions related to shared aspirations, with the goal of explicitly acknowledging constraints on our ability to move forward so they can be accounted for in developing strategic priorities. Generating potential strategic directions: Council members and Alliance staff generate a range of possible strategic directions (not specific initiatives/activities) that will move the Alliance toward our shared aspirations while addressing underlying contradictions. |
| November-December | Drafting strategic priorities: Board synthesizes Council outputs into a small set of strategic priorities that will advance the Alliance’s vision and mission. |
| January (Council meeting) | Finalizing strategic priorities: Board brings a complete draft of the strategic plan document (1-2 pages, with no more than 3-5 strategic priorities that can be used in prioritizing both operational work and new initiatives.) to Council for endorsement. Following Council feedback, the Board finalizes and approves the strategic plan document. |
Connecting Strategic Plan to Operational Work and Initiatives
| Dates | Goals |
|---|---|
| January-March | Mapping existing work: Alliance staff map existing operational work to the new strategic priorities to show how existing work aligns with the new directions, with the goal of identifying spaces where new initiatives could/should be developed. |
| March (Council meeting) | Begin identifying areas for new work: Alliance staff and Board share mapping with Council, as well as areas where new work may be needed in support of strategic priorities. If known, any anticipated need to fund pilot projects or initiatives from reserve funds will be shared with Council. |