Long Range Strategic Planning

by Laure Bruner, Leadership Development and Training Committee

Every successful organization needs a guide or a road map, so to speak, to show them the way to remain successful. Altrusa is no exception. Whether on the International, District, or Club level, we all need a plan for the future. We call these plans long-range strategic plans.

Many club presidents cringe when they realize they need to update their club’s strategic plan—or create one! Creating or updating your LRSP need not be a chore, nor should it be a one-person task. Good planning takes a committee dedicated to advancing one’s club. If your club does not have a LRSP Committee, consider creating one to forge the vision of moving your club forward.

Work on your LRSP should not be left until the start of the club year. It is something that can and should be worked on throughout the club year, or at the very latest, started on in January to have it finalized and in place by the start of the next year.

And don’t fret; there are tools in place to help you with your planning. Model your plan—and your goals—after the LRSP of International and your District. Use the tools on the International website to get your footing and create something SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely!

Here are some simple steps to help you create/update your club’s plan:

1. Use your district’s and International’s LRSP as a template to set your own club’s goals to be unique to your own club’s dynamics and community.
2. Identify your club’s strengths and weaknesses, then set goals that highlight your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses. If your strength is service projects, set goals that stretch your service even further. If your weakness is membership retention, develop goals to keep members involved, happy, and connected.
3. Keep your goals realistic. Little can be more of a turn-off for members than seeing goals that are obviously unattainable. This applies to both short-term and long-term goals. Every goal should come with a reasonable plan to reach the finish line.
4. Ask your club members for ideas on where they would like to see improvements made, and challenge them to come up with ideas to make these improvements.
5. Make sure that your LRSP is in a format that is easily understood by all, otherwise it will not be read or followed. The plan does not have to be lengthy, but it should be complete and concise.
6. Highlight at least one goal for each of the four major committees—Finances, Communications, Service, and Membership Development—and all their subcommittees. Goals should be set for fundraising, all areas of communication from keeping members informed to spreading the word about Altrusa; member recruitment and retention; and keeping up with prior service commitments while searching for more areas to serve.
7. Don’t forget to include a goal for awards submission to get members excited about participation. 
8. Remember to set goals for training your club’s upcoming leaders to take the reins when the opportunity arises. One example of such a goal would be to hold biannual leadership training classes to help those considering leadership roles in coming years the tools they need to succeed.
9. Identify each person(s) or committee(s) responsible for seeing that the goal is achieved.
10. Set target dates by which each goal should be achieved, but don’t get your feathers ruffled if the goal is not achieved on time. Instead, work with your members to get the goal met as soon as feasible.
11. Monitor your strategic plan throughout the year and make adjustments as needed. If a goal has been met by the first half of the year, consider raising it and challenge your members to meet the new goal. If a goal seems to have become unattainable, decide whether it should be removed or if additional effort needs to be poured into it.

And as with all things, remember that your District and International leaders are always available to help you if you hit a road block. There is a wealth of information on the International website that is constantly being updated. If you need help, do not be afraid to ask for it! Your success is Altrusa’s gain!