Learning to Give, Curriculum Division of The LEAGUE

 

Purpose:

• To introduce the importance of planning a secure future for an organization.
• To teach the skills of strategic action planning.

 

Energizer:

Look into My Organization's Crystal Ball

1. Put a flipchart with a picture of a crystal ball on it, posted in the front where all participants can see. Give each participant four self-stick notes.
   
   
2. Ask each member to think about the organization as it is today and how they want the organization to be in the future. List four things they would like to see happen in the organization. These can be new programs, more staff, another fund raiser, more computers, more members or others.
   
   
3. After each member has written four notes, ask them to collect them in the crystal ball. Collect at once or ask participants to take turns placing their self-stick notes on the crystal ball.
   
   
4. Explain that the group will use some of these ideas as they learn how to develop a strategic action plan.
   
   
5. Select one future dream and introduce the action planning model. (This follows the same format used in the Mission section of Youth as Trustees)

Future:

As you look into the crystal ball, what would you like to see?

• Growth
• More Members
• Statewide Network
• Money

The Mission of the organization is: (Write under the crystal ball).

Processing Questions:

1. Lead the group in a discussion of the future dream and how it fits into the action planning model.
   
   
2. Discuss how the dream or plan addresses the Mission of the organization, how individuals are served by the plan, how organizations and communities are served and how the dream or plan serves the common good of the community and its citizens.
   
   
3. Using the Action Planning Model, divide participants into small groups and ask them to select one idea from the crystal ball to follow the planning process. Pass out Action Planning worksheets.
   
   
4. Ask each small group to develop an action plan and fill out the worksheet. Ask each to select a spokesperson to agree to share their plan before the large group.
   
   
5. Bring groups back together and proceed with reports.
   
   
6. Ask participants to review the Strategic Action Plan in the Sample Board Manual. Explain that a committee chair or staff person would organize the information from each small group into a strategic plan.