table of contents - chorus america...extremely turbulent operating environment real barriers:...

SESSION ONE: STRATEGIC THINKING & PLANNING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PowerPoint Presentation Slides Page 2

Sample Strategic Plan Format 6

Sample Strategic Plan Action Steps Grid Page 18

Sample Planning Process Design Page 19

Strategic Action Planning Template Page 21

Sample Stakeholder Interview Questions Page 22

Sample Planning Retreat Agenda Page 24

Strategic Action Planning Agenda Page 26

Sample Strategic Plan (Providence Singers) Page 27

Sample Strategic Plan Brochure (Colorado Children’s Chorale) Page 36

Strategic Planning

Mary Ann de BarbieriPrincipal, de Barbieri and Associates

Allison McMillanExecutive Director, Providence Singers

Agenda

What is strategic planning?

What are the components of a strategic plan?

How do you organize the planning process?

Goals for the Session

Demonstrate importance of strategic planning

Suggest a planning process

Provide an opportunity to practice strategic thinking

Goals for the session:

• Demonstrate the importance of strategic thinking and planning and how it informs board development, fundraising and marketing for your chorus.

• Suggest a planning process and format that you can adapt for your chorus.

• Provide an opportunity to practice strategic thinking with your colleagues.

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What is strategic planning?

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”

Writer Alan Lakein

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training, consulting, management resources, and a few chuckles to the nonprofit sector.

3

Strategic planning is a process

Strategic Planning

Addresses three questions

What are we today?

What do we wish to be in

the future?

How do we get

from here to there?

Strategic Planning

Defines your role within the community

Determines future direction

Informs decision-making and action-taking

Strategic planning:

• Defines the organization’s role within the community.

• Determines an organization’s future direction by:

o Evaluating current operating environment and choosing the best response,

o Setting priorities that are essential to achieving its mission and vision.

• Builds a framework for decision-making and action-taking by:

o Confirming vision and mission,

o Defining core organizational values and beliefs,

o Articulating the organization’s comparative advantage,

o Clarifying approach to achieving mission and vision.

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Effective Planning

Empowers leadership

Builds teamwork

Inspires stakeholders

Clarifies expectations

Increases effectiveness

Effective planning:

• Empowers leadership - provides a blueprint for the future.

• Builds teamwork among individuals who have stake in future of organization.

• Inspires people to participate, donate, volunteer and serve.

• Clarifies where organization is headed and board and staff roles in getting there.

• Helps articulate the relationship between organizational goals and programs and the capacity and resources needed to deliver them.

• Increases effectiveness by informing and clarifying decision-making.

• Allows for focus on opportunities – helps organizations be more proactive, less reactive.

What are barriers to planning?

Perceived Barriers

Time

No need to plan

Planning doesn’t help

PERCEIVED Barriers:

• Not enough time – the organization is too focused on current issues.

• Don’t need to plan – we know who we are and where we are headed.

• Don’t like planning – or bad experience with planning (been there, done that, it didn’t help).

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Real Barriers

Leadership changes looming

Immediate financial crisis

Extremely turbulent operating environment

REAL Barriers:

• Significant staff or board leadership changes looming.

• An immediate financial crisis.

• An extremely turbulent operating environment.

The Planning Process

Strategic Plan Components

Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Core Values

Organization Strategy

Organizational Goals and Objectives

Implementation Steps and Budget

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Vision

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”Walt Disney

Vision Statement

Aspirational

Inspirational

Motivational

A Vision Statement:

• Describes what the organization aspires to be in the future.

• States what success looks like.

• Provides inspiration and motivation.

Vision Statement

Providence Singers

We will spark public engagement in choral singing and foster the advancement of this dynamic art by being the preeminent chorus in the region and a cultural resource regionally and beyond.

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Vision Statement

Pacific Chorale will be a catalyst for the renaissance of choral art and music education.

Mission Statement

States organization’s core purpose

Clarifies who you are, what you do and why

A mission statement:

• Clearly articulates an organization’s core purpose.

• Clarifies what it does to accomplish its purpose.

• Describes why an organization does what it does – the ultimate end it hopes to achieve.

Mission Statement

The Providence Singers presents choral performances of distinction to connect singers, listeners, students and composers with the choral art.

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Mission Statement

Chorus America’s mission is to build a dynamic and inclusive choral community so that more people are transformed by the beauty and power of choral singing.

Core Values

Describe guiding principles or beliefs

Express desired code of behavior

Inform decision-making

Core Values:

• Describe the principles and beliefs that guide an organization as it achieves its mission and vision.

• Express a desired code of behavior for an organization.

• Articulate an organization’s philosophy and guide decision-making.

Core Values ExampleProvidence Singers

Excellence – We value and strive for excellence in all our artistic and organizational endeavors.

Engagement – We value dynamic and responsive engagement with our audience, singers, other arts organizations, and members of our community.

Education – We value education of our singers, audience, and youth singers.

Innovation – We value expanding the choral art form through performance and commissions of new choral music, and by identifying new ways to engage our community in choral music.

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Core Values Example

From Chorus America’s Guiding Principles and Beliefs Statement:

We value participation and community engagement. We believe that choral singing can foster understanding and serve as a catalyst for positive social change.

Organizational Strategy

To articulate your strategy:

Clarify your organization’s service area or scope and its services

Describe its comparative advantage

Outline its strategic priorities

Organizational Strategy:

• Clarify your organization’s service area/scope -- describes where it operates, those it serves, and what services or products it provides.

• Describe the organization’s comparative advantage and its approach to fulfilling its mission that sets it apart from other organizations.

• Outline the organization’s strategic priorities in order to achieve its mission and sustain its comparative advantage during the timeframe of the strategic plan.

Organizational Goals

Are broad statements of progress to be achieved over time

Focus on expected outcomes or results

Organizational Goals:

• Describe in broad statements the progress the organization hopes to make in achieving its vision and mission.

• Goals are focused on specific results or outcomes an organization hopes to achieve over time.

• As goals are established, determine indicators of success for each goal.

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Objectives

State how goals will be accomplished

Be specific enough to measure results

May need several objectives per goal

Objectives to Achieve Goals:

• Articulate specifically how the organization will go about accomplishing its goals and resolving specific issues in the next three years.

• Objectives must be specific enough that results can be measured.

• May need to use several objectives to meet a goal.

Action Steps

Set specific actions for first year of plan

Assign responsibility and a timeline

Establish process to monitor progress

Action Steps for First Year of Plan:

• Flesh out specific action steps to be taken in first year of the plan.

• Assign individual responsibility and a timeline for each action step.

• Set a time to periodically review action steps to evaluate implementation progress.

Budget

Prepare budget to support plan implementation

Project financial planning targets

Budget to support plan:

• Create three-year operating budget projections based upon a detailed budget for first year of plan.

• Establish financial planning and capitalization targets needed to achieve plan goals.

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Group Exercise

Working with your colleagues, create a new community or a children’s chorus.

Articulate a vision and a mission statement for this new chorus.

Define its core values.

Describe the activities and programs that this chorus should undertake to achieve its vision and mission.

How do you organize the planning process?

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training, consulting, management resources, and a few chuckles to the nonprofit sector.

12

Plan to Plan

Agree upon the scope of your planning process

Three-year strategic plan

One year strategic action plan

Plan to Plan: Decide upon the scope of your planning process:

• A full strategic planning process to develop a three-year strategic plan as describe herein. OR

• If your chorus has a real barrier to planning, an accelerated strategic action process that will give you context for decisions and actions to address pressing critical issues and challenges.

A strategic action plan includes:

•Vision statement

•Mission statement

•Core values and beliefs statements

•Specific actions that need to be taken in the short term (next 12 months) organized in action areas.

•Strategic action steps grid

•A budget to support actions

Plan to Plan

Set planning committee/team

Evaluate use of outside assistance

Gather background information

Determine actions to engage singers in the process

Prepare a planning timeline

Plan to Plan:

• Establish a planning committee or team to provide leadership for the planning process.

• Evaluate using an outside experts to facilitate the planning process.

• Determine the feasibility of hiring a planning consultant.

• Discuss the possibility of finding a volunteer with planning expertise.

• Determine actions to engage singers in the planning process.

• Gather background information to inform the planning process.

• Detail a timeline for the planning process.

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The Planning Retreat

Plan the retreat

Determine retreat attendees

Develop the retreat agenda

Circulate retreat materials in advance

Organize the planning retreat:

• Determine who will attend.

o Attendees should include all board members, all paid or volunteer staff.

o Other attendees could include key non-board or staff volunteers (including singer representative[s]), members of advisory boards, former long-time board members.

• Develop retreat agenda.

• Circulate agenda and other retreat materials in advance so retreat participants can prepare to engage in the planning discussion.

Write the Plan

Organize retreat follow-up

Develop drafts of the plan

Facilitate board discussion of final plan draft

Prepare action steps and budget

Prepare the written strategic plan:

• Organize retreat follow-up.

• Manage work of committees or task forces, as needed, to gather additional planning details and information.

• Develop drafts of plan.

• Present final draft of plan to board for a facilitated discussion.

• Set action steps for the first year of the plan that assign responsibility and a timeline.

• Develop budgets and financial plans.

Implement the Plan

Finalize the plan, action steps and budget

Present the plan for board approval

Set process to evaluate plan implementation

Implement the plan:

• Finalize the strategic plan, first year action steps and the budget to support plan implementation after board discussion.

• Present final planning documents to the board for approval.

• Set up a mechanism for board to regularly review and evaluate action steps and make course corrections as necessary.

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Present the Plan

Provide plan to internal stakeholders

Develop public version of plan

Include summary of plan on website

Communicate with stakeholders about the plan:

• Present the plan to internal stakeholders (chorus members, staff, volunteers, and other key individuals).

• Develop a public version of the plan to communicate with external stakeholders (funders, patrons, media, etc.), such as the Colorado Children’s Chorale’s brochure included in the notebook handouts.

• Include a summary of the plan on your website.

Evaluate the Plan

Monitor plan implementation

Review progress at an annual planning retreat

Prepare action steps for the upcoming year of the plan

Evaluate the plan:

• During the first year, adhere to agreed upon timeline to monitor progress of action steps and make necessary course corrections.

• Hold an annual planning retreat to review progress made in achieving plan goals during the year.

• Agree upon implementation actions for upcoming year of plan and roll action steps and budget forward for another year.

• Prior to the end of the third year, implement a full strategic planning process for three more years.

Questions and Session Wrap-up

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Mary Ann de Barbieri

September 2012

Sample Strategic Plan Format

A written strategic plan includes the following components:

1. Executive Summary of the Strategic Plan: (This part of the document is usually

prepared after the full plan has been developed and distributed more widely than the

full plan.)

A brief summary of the planning process, planning environment and an overview of

the three-year plan in this section.

2. Vision Statement:

A description what the organization aspires to be (or make possible) in the future that

provides inspiration and motivation.

3. Mission Statement:

A statement of an organization’s purpose, its reason for being that articulates what the

organization does and why.

4. Core Values Statement:

Principles and beliefs that guide the organization as it fulfills its mission and achieves

its vision.

5. Organizational Strategy:

To articulate an organizational strategy:

Clarify the organization’s service area/scope. Describe where it operates, those it

serves, and what services or products it provides.

Describe the organization’s comparative advantage and its approach to fulfilling its

mission that sets it apart from other organizations.

Outline the organization’s strategic priorities in order to achieve its mission and

sustain its comparative advantage during the timeframe of the strategic plan.

6. Organizational Goals:

Broad statements of progress the organization hopes to make in fulfilling its vision

and achieving its mission over time. (Determine indicators of success for each

organizational goal.)

7. Objectives to Achieve Goals:

Statements about how the organization plans to accomplish each of its goals and

resolve specific issues during the timeframe of the strategic plan that are specific

enough to measure the results. (There can be several objectives to meet a goal.)

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September 2012

8. Action Steps for First Year of Plan:

Specific implementation actions to be taken during for first year of the plan that

assign individual responsibility and a timeline for each action step.

9. Budget Projections:

The strategic planning documents must be supported by:

Three-year operating budget projections based upon a detailed budget for the first

year of plan.

Specific financial planning and capitalization targets needed to achieve plan goals.

(Financial planning targets would include specific items that are not part of the annual

operating budget that build assets of the organization, such as development of a cash

reserve, a fund for artistic enhancement and endowment, etc.)

10. Process for Strategic Plan Evaluation and Continued Implementation:

The strategic plan implementation process must include:

o A timeline for board and staff to periodically review action steps to

evaluate progress made in achieving plan goals and objectives and to

make course corrections, as necessary, during each year of the plan.

o A process and timeline for rolling the plan implementation (action steps)

forward for the second and third years of the plan.

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SAMPLE ANNUAL ACTION STEPS

FOR STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENATION

Date Revised: 5/17/12

Strategic Plan Goal/Objective: Action Step: Person

Responsible

Planned

Completion

Date

Status Cost or

Budget

Impact

Goal Two: Expand, diversify and

sustain the contributed resources

needed to support ABC Chorale’s

program goals and general operations.

Objective A: Create an annual

fundraising plan for FY 2013 by

5/31/12 to increase contributed support

for ABC Chorale by 10%.

1. Evaluate fundraising activities and

results in FY10 and YTD in FY11

and recommend goals for FY12.

2. Hold meeting of Fundraising

Committee to review evaluation of

FR activities and determine goals,

strategy and action steps for FY12.

3. Prepare draft of annual fundraising

plan for FY12 with implementation

steps, a timeline and budget for

review and approval by

Fundraising Committee.

4. Present fundraising plan to board

for approval (circulate in advance

of meeting).

C. Smith,

Develop. Director

J. Jones, Chair

Fundraising

Committee

C. Smith,

Develop. Director

J. Jones, C. Smith,

4/1/12

5/2/12

5/31/12

6/10/12

Complete

Complete

Draft waiting

for full board

approval.

On agenda of

6/28/11 board

mtg.

$17,000 in

new

expenses

Objective B: Schedule a minimum of

two fundraising training sessions for

board and staff during FY13.

1. Determine fundraising training

agenda and schedule for FY12.

C. Smith and

Development

Committee

8/31/11 Schedule and

budget being

developed

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September 2012

SAMPLE PLANNING PROCESS DESIGN

Time Frame: 6-9 months

Step One:

Planning committee, a small group consisting of board members and key staff/volunteers, meets (with

consultant, if applicable) and agrees upon the planning process, including specific expectations and

outcomes for the process:

the timeline for planning process,

number of meetings, expectations and outcomes for each meeting,

a timeline and expectations for:

o gathering information on current operating environment, historical and financial milestones

and additional background information needed for planning retreat,

o getting input from key external stakeholders prior (via stakeholder interviews)

o conducting an organizational assessment to provide a written report prior to retreat (if using a

consultant)

agreement on dates for retreat and for circulating retreat agenda and background materials

mentioned above to board and staff prior to the planning retreat,

individual responsibility for planning components, including writing plan.

Outcomes/Outputs: A clear understanding by key individuals of the planning steps and timeline, their

roles in the process and the role of the consultant (if applicable). Background information and materials

needed for planning are collected and distributed prior to the retreat.

Step Two:

The following information is gathered to prepare for planning retreat and circulated prior to the retreat to

all retreat participants:

Information on the operating environment

Summary of the organizations major milestones and financial history

Stakeholder input

Organization assessment report (if using a consultant)

Additional background materials and findings.

During this step the planning committee meets (with consultant, if applicable) as necessary to gather and

finalize background information.

Outputs: Environmental and background information and stakeholder input.

Step Three:

Planning retreat is held (a minimum of one 5-6 hour session is needed). The retreat agenda includes an

examination of the following:

the history and present circumstances of your chorus,

key turning points/milestones that have shaped your chorus,

your chorus’ vision for the future, its mission and organizational values,

your comparative advantage,

critical issues that must be addressed in the future and a look at your organization’s

strengths and weaknesses in meeting future challenges,

preliminary strategies and priorities for action for addressing critical issues.

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September 2012

Note: In some circumstances, additional information is needed before decisions can be made on strategic

direction and priorities for action. In this case, retreat participants agree upon information that is

needed and assign responsibility to individuals/committees to compile information and report back at

second planning session.

Plan writer (or consultant) prepares and circulates a summary of retreat notes with follow-up assignments

needed for second planning session (if necessary) and, if second planning retreat not necessary, a

discussion draft of plan.

Outcomes/Output: Shared understanding of your chorus’ vision for the future, its mission and values;

agreement on key future issues that must be addressed; agreement about additional information required,

if needed; follow-up assignments made; written summary of retreat notes and a discussion draft of the

plan.

Step Four:

If needed, conduct a second board/staff planning session (2 -3 hours). An agenda could include:

Discussion of strategic options identified at first retreat. Reports and recommendations from

individuals/committees on findings.

Discussion of strategic options with risks and implications to arrive at a consensus on

strategic direction, organizational goals and priorities for action.

After second planning meeting, plan writer synthesizes data into discussion draft of the plan and presents

to planning committee for review and discussion.

Planning Committee meets to review and refine notes from strategic planning retreat (and second

planning session, if applicable) and the discussion draft of the strategic plan. Planning committee

discusses edits needed in the vision, mission and values statements, and then fleshes out and refines

strategy statements, goals and specific objectives. After planning committee meeting, plan writer prepares

another draft of the plan. (Depending upon discussion and revisions needed in draft plan, additional

meetings of the planning committee may be needed.) Once the planning committee has a first draft of the

plan (with organizational goals and specific measurable objectives), it is circulated to the full board prior

to a meeting to get their input.

The full board meets to discuss and provide feedback on draft plan. Often organizations can incorporate

this discussion of the plan draft into a regularly scheduled board meeting.

After board input on draft plan and any necessary edits are made to the plan, the planning committee

(and/or the staff) develops implementation steps for the first year of the plan. The implementation steps

assign individual responsibility and a timeline for each action.

The final version of the strategic plan with implementation steps is presented to the board for discussion

and approval. Annual implementation steps provide a mechanism for periodic evaluation of the plan and

provide opportunities for necessary course corrections and set a time for rolling the plan implementation

forward for another year.

Outcomes/Outputs: Written plan created and refined into final strategic plan document. Board members

review and accept responsibility for plan implementation by voting to approve plan.

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September 2012

TEMPLATE ABC CHORUS

STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012

Vision Statement

Insert your organization’s vision statement here. The vision statement should provide an idealized view of your

organization’s hopes and dreams for the future. It should inspire, motivate and provide a guiding image of the

ultimate success for your organization. Vision statements can describe an idealized future for your organization

or for the community or the world.

Mission Statement

Insert your organization’s mission statement here. It should define your organization’s core purpose and

enduring reason for being. It should state clearly and succinctly what your organization does and why it does it.

Core Values and Beliefs Statements

Insert your organization’s core values and beliefs statements here. These are deeply felt, enduring principles,

beliefs, and intrinsic qualities that guide your organization. These values and beliefs represent the core priorities

in your organization’s culture.

SHORT TERM ACTION STEPS Insert specific actions organized in Action Areas as noted below.

ACTION AREA #1: Insert types of actions in this area (such as “core mission or program actions”)

Sample of actions:

A. Implement a comprehensive evaluation process that will provide data to ensure effective outreach to

schools program delivery and communication of program results to funding partners.

1. Establish benchmarks to demonstrate program success.

Determine and set benchmarks for curriculum, class size, etc.

2. Determine human resources and organization structure needed to sustain smooth operation of the

program.

ACTION AREA #2: Insert types of actions in this area (such as human resource actions)

Sample of actions:

A. Implement board development actions to increase the effectiveness and the size of the ABC board of

directors.

1. Clarify expectations for ABC board members.

2. Develop and implement a proactive board recruitment process that will result in the recruitment of 3

new board members with expertise and access needed by ABC board.

ADD ADDITIONAL ACTION AREAS AS NEEDED

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STRATEGIC PLANNING PREPARATION

External Stakeholder Interviews

PLEASE NOTE: Whenever possible set up one-on-one interviews (in person or on the

telephone) with your key stakeholder to ask for their input for your strategic planning

process. If this is not possible for your chorus, the questions can be sent out as a

questionnaire as outlined below.

SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Phillip Sampson Chorale (PSC) is beginning a strategic planning process that will map

out a course for the future. As we attempt to identify and define critical future issues, we

are seeking the perceptions of key internal and external stakeholders about PSC’s current

programs and services as well as the challenges and trends that may affect its future. As a

first step we seek your thoughts on a few important questions that are detailed in the

attached survey.

Please answer these questions based upon your knowledge and experience with PSC.

Your opinion is critical and we encourage you to be forthright in your responses. Please

return your completed survey to ______ via email _______________ or fax

XXX_XXX_XXXX or mail to ____________________________________ by October

15, 2012.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. If you have

questions, call me at XXX0XXX-XXXX.

1. How would you describe your knowledge of PSC? How have you been involved?

2. What is your understanding of the mission of PSC?

3. What is the PSC’s reputation within the community?

the cultural community?

the business community?

the funding community?

with community leaders?

4. What do you consider the most important programs and services PSC offers the

community and why?

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5. Are there programs and/or services that you feel PSC could offer the community and

why?

6. What do you think are the greatest strengths of PSC?

7. What are PSC’s greatest weaknesses?

8. As you look at the future, in your opinion, what external threats (changes, trends) will

have the greatest future impact on PSC in the next 5-10 years?

9. How should PSC respond to these external threats in the next 3-5 years?

10. List opportunities that PSC could capitalize on now or in the future?

11. Is there anything else that PSC board and staff (if applicable) should know as they

develop their strategic plan?

12. Other comments:


September 2012

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SAMPLE

STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT

AGENDA

I Overview of the retreat agenda

Retreat goals:

A shared vision for the future of Phillip Sampson Chorale(PSC)

Consensus on mission and core values

Discussion of PSC’ s comparative advantage

Identification of critical issues for the future

Consensus on how to address these critical issues

Agreement on priority action areas for the next three years

II Introductions

Participants should be prepared to share brief information about themselves and how

and why they became involved with PSC.

III Setting the context for a discussion of the future

Review of PSC’s milestones/turning points and financial history.

Discussion of summary of findings from environmental scan and stakeholder

interviews and surveys.

IV What is PSC now and what will it be in the future?

What is our vision for the future?

Does our mission support this vision?

What are our organizational values?

What is our comparative advantage?

V Consensus on critical issues for the future of PSC

(DISCUSSION IN SMALL GROUP BREAKOUTS)

What are the top critical issues for the future?

What are our strengths to meet these future challenges?

What are our weaknesses and possible obstacles to meeting these future

challenges?

What are the potential opportunities presented by these challenges?

Are there potential threats presented by these challenges?

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SAMPLE STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT AGENDA

Page 2

VI Consensus on how to address these critical issues and achieve vision and mission

(DISCUSSION IN SMALL GROUP BREAKOUTS – USING SAME

GROUPING AS PREVIOUS BREAKOUT)

What does PSC hope to achieve in the next five – ten years? (What are our long-

term goals to support achieving our vision and mission?)

What are strategic priorities and priority action areas for the next three years?

Indicate how these priorities will:

Sustain our competitive advantage.

Build on strengths.

Take advantage of opportunities.

Correct organizational weaknesses or other obstacles and mitigate

potential threats.

VII Conclusion of the retreat:

Discussion of next steps in the process: (if second planning session is needed)

What further information do we need to move our planning efforts

forward?

Who will gather this information and by when?

Review of planning process action steps and timeline


September 2012

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September 2012

SAMPLE

STRATEGIC ACTION PLANNING MEETING OR RETREAT AGENDA

ABC CHORUS

Action Planning Retreat

Wednesday, October 19, 2012

1:00 to 4:00 PM

AGENDA

I Overview of retreat goals:

Discussion and consensus on ABC’s mission, vision and core values

Identification of critical issues that need focus during the next year

Determination of priorities for action during the next year

Confirmation of a work plan to ensure accountability for strategic action steps

II Create a context for decision-making:

What is the vision for ABC?

Review and discussion of ABC’s mission statement

What are ABC’s core organizational values and beliefs?

III Identify ABC’s critical issues and establish priorities for action:

What are the top critical issues that need focus and action during the next year?

o What are our strengths to meet these challenges?

o What are possible obstacles to addressing these challenges?

What should be the priorities for action during the next year?

IV Review of next steps:

Establish assignments and a timeline to:

o Finalize vision, mission and values and beliefs statements

o Prepare the strategic action planning document

o Clarify specific action steps in a strategic action steps grid

o Develop a budget to support action step implementation

o Present the action plan and grid to the board for approval

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Providence Singers Strategic Plan 2013 - 2017

Approved by the Board on

May 24, 2012

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Providence Singers Strategic Plan 2013-2017

2

Outline

I. Introduction II. Mission

III. Vision IV. Values V. Goals and Strategies

a. Community Engagement and Service Goals: Deepen engagement with our patrons and grow our audience

i. Offer innovative concert experiences and activities ii. Nurture and expand our artistic partnerships with other arts

organizations iii. Develop and expand marketing and communication channels

b. Choral Art Advancement and Education Goals: Advance the choral art and educate the next generation of singers

i. Commission and perform new works ii. Expand and foster programs in order to advocate for and promote

male youth choral singing iii. Continue to grow Junior Providence Singers membership and artistic

quality

c. Stewardship and Sustainability Goals: Grow our revenue to support our artistic vision; engage our membership in our organization

i. Develop and strengthen Board governance ii. Increase individual giving iii. Expand our audience and maintain a minimum number of self-

produced concerts iv. Drive an efficient and flexible organization v. Continue to engage and develop our member base

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3

I. Introduction This is the fourth strategic plan of the Providence Singers.

• The first, adopted in 2001, laid out a vision of the Singers as a choral organization dedicated to performance excellence. Largely through improvements in artistic capabilities and the hiring of its first executive director, the Singers became a choral arts organization of regional distinction, a collaborator with professional performing arts organizations, and an acknowledged cultural asset for the City of Providence.

• The second, adopted in 2005, was aimed at consolidating those artistic gains by giving the organization a more effective administrative infrastructure: a permanent office, a full-time marketing director, and resources to support a larger artistic program. Under that plan, the Singers established its first endowed fund, the Wachner Fund for New Music, and recorded its first CD, Lukas Foss: The Prairie, with Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

• The third, adopted in 2009, focused on excellence, leadership and sustainability across the organization. During the challenging economic reality of the previous five years, the Providence Singers remained fiscally strong with the help of an angel donation, and excelled artistically. Notable accomplishments included collaborations with Boston Modern Orchestra Project on recordings of Jonah and the Whale and La Koro Sutro, collaborations with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and commissioning and premiering new works by Tarik O’Regan and Nancy Galbraith.

Through this strategic plan, we endeavor to complete the transformation of the organization from community chorus in 2001 to the premier choral arts organization in the region. The Providence Singers will achieve this transformation by pursuing strategies under the three pillars below.

• Community Engagement and Service • Choral Art Advancement and Education • Stewardship and Sustainability

II. Mission The Providence Singers presents choral performances of distinction to connect singers, listeners, students and composers with the choral art.

III. Vision We will spark public engagement in choral singing and foster the advancement of this dynamic art by being the preeminent chorus in the region and a cultural resource regionally and beyond.

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IV. Values Excellence – We value and strive for excellence in all our artistic and organizational endeavors. Engagement – We value dynamic and responsive engagement with our audience, singers, other arts organizations, and members of our community. Education – We value education of our singers, audience, and youth singers. Innovation – We value expanding the choral art form through performance and commissions of new choral music, and by identifying new ways to engage our community in choral music.

V. Goals and Strategies a. Community Engagement and Service

Goals: Deepen engagement with our patrons and grow our audience

Description: We will serve as a cultural resource in our community by maintaining the highest artistic quality in our performances and presenting innovative concert experiences that will delight and move our audience. We will be an active participant in our arts community through partnerships with other arts organizations and expand our reach by optimizing existing marketing channels and building new ones. Strategies:

i. Offer innovative concert experiences and activities

Our programming will be a combination of classics, lesser known and new music. We will continue to explore new ways to engage our audience and deepen audience members’ understanding and experience of the music. Tactics may include incorporating visual and other performing arts, as well as presenting more forums with composers, the artistic director, and other scholars in noteworthy aspects of our programs. We will also explore ways to engage community singers, such as a summer sing concert—a volunteer one-day event that will bring singers from all over the region together to sing great music.

ii. Nurture and expand our artistic partnerships with other arts organizations We will continue to grow and expand our partnerships with other arts organizations. Partnerships provide a means to introduce the Providence Singers to a broader audience, offer attractive cost-sharing opportunities, and help strengthen the Providence arts community. One important partnership that we will continue to nurture is with the Rhode Island

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Philharmonic. This partnership provides us with the opportunity to grow artistically and perform with a leading orchestra. We will continue to look for opportunities to grow both artistically and organizationally with a variety of artistic partners in ways that are mutually beneficial.

iii. Develop and expand marketing and communication channels We will continue to develop all areas of Internet marketing (web, email, social media) to create two-way communication channels and promote audience involvement and loyalty to the Providence Singers. We will expand our social media presence with the intent to reach and draw in new audiences, and provide engaging content to keep the Singers top-of-mind during and between concert cycles. Social media content may showcase the Providence Singers, featured performers, and the choral art in general, as well as preview concerts and discussions. We will invest the necessary resources to build a professional presence and put the structure in place to manage that presence moving forward. Interactions with our audience will be marked by excellent customer service.

b. Choral Art Advancement and Education

Goals: Advance the choral art and educate the next generation of singers Description: The Providence Singers will serve as a cultural resource for the community, advancing the choral art by commissioning and performing new music and by providing learning and performance experiences for young singers. Strategies:

i. Commission and perform new works We will continue to support the advancement of the choral art through the commissioning and performance of new works. This will be achieved through the active programming of new music in at least one performance per year. We will use the Wachner Fund on a regular basis, and if necessary set aside or raise additional funds, to support new commissions. We will incorporate educational activities to promote living composers, audience and student interaction with composers, and build interest in the discovery of new music. As a service to the choral art, we will develop internal processes and structures for awarding the New Rhythmus Award periodically.

ii. Expand and foster programs in order to advocate for and promote male youth choral singing

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We will cultivate and value educational partnerships with schools and music educators to connect the Providence Singers more deeply with our community and to provide solid support for learning choral singing. In particular, we will focus on promoting male youth singing through an annual choral festival aimed at inspiring young male singers to continue in the art of choral singing.

iii. Continue to grow Junior Providence Singers membership and artistic quality We will provide leadership in educating the next generation of singers by supporting the growth and artistic quality of the Junior Providence Singers. This will include initiating an evaluation of the current program and providing recommendations to the board as to how to continue to maintain a vibrant experience for our Junior Singers. In addition, we will continue to seek opportunities for the Junior Providence Singers to perform with the Providence Singers in order to foster unique learning experiences through performance.

c. Stewardship and Sustainability Goals: Develop strong board, staff and organizational structure; grow our revenue to support our artistic vision; engage our membership in our organization Description: We will build the organizational capabilities in fundraising, planning, Board governance, marketing, and singer engagement to sustain the artistic vision of the organization. Strategies:

i. Develop and strengthen Board governance The Providence Singers Board is critical to our success over the next five years. We will work to transition the Board to a majority of external non-singer members who are financially able to provide support of the Singers’ mission, connected to the Providence community, and have diverse backgrounds and skills to meet the needs of the organization.

ii. Increase individual giving The Providence Singers’ contributed revenue is divided between individual donations and grant revenue. Over the next five years our success and capacity to be a leading choral arts organization will depend on expanding revenue from individuals while maintaining grant revenue. To expand individual donations we will put the programs and resources in place to execute three key initiatives.

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a. Expand our donor base We will develop a fundraising plan specific to individual donors each year that will encourage first time donations and increased giving from existing donors. We will expand programs to convert ticket buyers to donors. Methods will include direct mail, phone, donor e-newsletters, Board and chorus member contacts, cultivation and enrichment events, and other fundraising activities. b. Identify potential high value donors We will improve our prospect management and identify individuals who could become high value donors. This will include adding prospect management enhancements to the database and better tracking and follow-up of concert attendees and first-time audience members. c. Develop and cultivate individual donors of $500 or more We will align Board, staff, planning and resources with major donor ($500+) identification, cultivation and solicitation. We will utilize a donor-centered approach, instituting programs to build relationships with these individuals. This will include personal communication from Board and staff and developing specific activities to recognize and thank donors.

iii. Expand our audience and maintain a minimum number of self-produced concerts Self-produced concerts are our sole source of ticket revenue and provide significant opportunities for developing relationships with audience and funders. Consequently, we will seek to self-produce a minimum of three concerts per year. We will further expand our ticket revenue by understanding our target market and increasing its awareness of the Singers. To this end we will institutionalize and strengthen our marketing efforts and processes. This will include optimizing our annual marketing plan, improving measurement of marketing effectiveness, and communicating goals and strategies throughout the organization.

iv. Drive an efficient and flexible organization The Board, in conjunction with the Executive Director, will establish an organizational structure that will provide the means to grow in an efficient manner over the next five years. This will include developing a comprehensive volunteer program, establishing performance review processes and succession plans for Board and staff, and investigating benefit options for staff. This may also include redefining or reorganizing administrative staff roles, expanding volunteer roles, and/or putting more structure in place for volunteer efforts. Season planning, initiated by the

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Artistic Director’s season proposals, will be moved earlier. Prior to the start of each fiscal year, the Planning Committee will review and finalize fundraising and marketing plans, and set organizational performance goals for the upcoming year.

v. Continue to engage and develop our chorus member base Our singers are the heart of our organization and enable us to fulfill our mission. Their engagement and dedication is critical to our success. We will put in place programs that indicate our appreciation for their commitment and celebrate our successes. We will also develop a means to provide singers‘ feedback to the Board and staff, including annual focus groups, and the re-establishment of feedback surveys to measure their engagement in the organization. We will also seek new ways to engage the singers in volunteer efforts for the organization, adding structure and empowering the volunteer base to contribute to the organization. Crucial to our long-term success is recruiting highly skilled and committed singers in the Rhode Island area, and ensuring that all chorus members feel welcome, are engaged in the organization, and are provided opportunities for continued musical growth.

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Appendix Measurement We will measure success by tracking the key performance indicators below. Numbers will be set at the beginning of each fiscal year, and tracked on a quarterly basis. Key Indicator Goal Actual Status (Green, Yellow, Red) Total Revenue

Total Individual Donation Revenue

# Individual Donors (>$500)

Total Ticket Revenue

Total Grant Revenue

Total Audience Exposure

Total Youth Participation

Singer Satisfaction (Net Promoters)

Measurement calculations

• Total Revenue = Sum of all revenue sources in the budget • Total Individual Donation Revenue = Total individual and pledges donations by

Board, singers, and other individuals • # Individual donors (>$500) = total number of individual donors who have given

$500 or more within a current fiscal year • Total Ticket Revenue = Total revenue generated from ticket sales • Total Grant Revenue = total revenue generated from grants • Total Audience Exposure = Sum of individual attendance across all performance

venues (Self-promoted, RI Phil, and partnership performances) • Singer Satisfaction = % promoters based on calculation below

Net Promoter Measurement The survey will be executed bi-annually and include the question below along with other questions that will help provide feedback to the administrative staff and board. Q1. How likely are you to recommend a Providence Singers concert to a friend or colleague? (Scale of 0 – 10 with 10 being highly likely) Q2. How likely are you to recommend singing with the Providence Singers to another a friend or colleague? (Scale of 0 – 10 with 10 being highly likely) To determine our Net Promoter figure, we will take the percent of response that were 9 or 10 and subtract the responses that were 6 or lower. For example, if: 80 percent were 9 or 10 5 percent were 0 to 6 Our Net Promoter figure would be 75.

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