This post is by Stephanie Chase. Connect with Stephanie on Linkedin and Twitter. Longtime #localgov employee, Founding Principal of the Constructive Disruption consultancy, Executive Director, Libraries of Eastern Oregon, 2019 and 2020 Traeger Award winner, and long time ELGL member.
The process to write ELGL’s next strategic plan gets underway on Monday! ELGL’s strategic plan is the guiding document for everything ELGL does to amplify the good in local government, and to engage the brightest minds in local government — and it’s a guiding document we really want our members to take the lead in developing.
Why do we need a strategic plan anyway?
A strategic plan is an essential tool for staying on track — it’s a promise of where an organization is going to spend its time focusing over the next few years. A strategic plan isn’t intended to cover everything an organization might do; it’s intended to help the staff, volunteers, and member leaders of an organization know where to put their attention, their resources, and their growth, and for all of us, as members, to know what we can expect an organization to be doing.
ELGL is at a critical point as an organization, as it continues to grow. A strategic plan helps ELGL know if it is growing in the right direction. ELGL began in 2012, and it’s a different organization now than it was when it began as the brainchild of a local government-minded husband-and-wife duo from Oregon. Ten years in, it’s time to think about where we want ELGL to be heading, to be as strong ten years from now.
But what about the last strategic plan?
You can find the last strategic plan here. This plan covered fiscal years 2020 through 2022; it’s time to develop the new plan, to be in position to implement it when the new fiscal year begins in July 2022.
There are core elements of this strategic plan that will carry over to the new plan: ELGL’s mission and vision, and a reframing of the strategic goals as the core values.
ELGL amplifies the good in local government — the vision — because ELGL engages the brightest minds in local government — the mission.
The strategic goals of the last plan represent the values ELGL holds dear through all its work:
- Providing timely, relevant, real and useful content
- Fostering authentic, meaningful connections
- Promoting equity and inclusion
- Encouraging joy in public service
- Welcoming new ideas and technology
- Create exceptional membership value
How can I participate?
This process is intentionally member-focused: we want to hear from you, our members. This is a member-driven process, where we rely on our members to offer guidance and direction to the creation of a new plan.
We are holding two rounds of virtual community town halls for you to participate, and the first set begins on Monday, March 7 at 11am Pacific/noon Mountain/1pm Central/2pm Eastern. You can sign up to attend one — or more! — town hall to share your thoughts on what makes ELGL special and what ELGL should focus on to support you and our colleagues in local government.
As a note: sessions #1 and #2 will center on framing plan areas of focus, while sessions #3 and #4 will cover member expectations for ELGL’s strategic plan work.
ELGL Strategic Plan Update Community Meeting #1 – March 7, 11-1PT
ELGL Strategic Plan Update Community Meeting #2 – March 17, 9-11PT
ELGL Strategic Plan Update Community Meeting #3 – May 4, 12-2PT
ELGL Strategic Plan Update Community Meeting #4 – May 24, 8-10PT
What do I need to be ready to participate in one of these sessions?
All you really need to be prepared is to come ready to contribute. Our town hall sessions will be focused on participation, conversation, and contribution. You will want to be in a space where you can use your video camera and speak often and freely. We’ll be doing some in-session polling and using collaborative tools, so you’ll want to be able to easily switch back and forth between windows or tabs, and you might want your phone handy.
What if I can’t participate in one of these sessions?
Never fear! Some of the ways we will be working with members outside of these sessions include:
- On March 17 and May 4, we’ll be sharing prompts and questions from our sessions on Twitter using #ELGLStrategicPlan.
- Look for questions and prompts throughout the planning period of March, April, and May on Twitter, Facebook, and in newsletters.
- Keep up to date with posts on ELGL’s website.
- The draft plan will be available throughout the month of June for open member comment — just like we did last time around.
And, of course, you can share your thoughts using #ELGLStrategicPlan any time!