A Proposed Strategic Plan for the Capital District

(As first published in the November 2007 Capital District eBuilder electronic newsletter)

By Governor-Elect Tom Ganse

In an era where time is a more precious commodity than money, successful people do not randomly get in their cars and start driving around until they decide they are where they want to be.  They decide first where they need to go, they determine that they have a reason to go there, and they plan the most efficient route to get there.  Even couch potatoes determine where they are going and how they will get there before they get up from the recliner.  So is it any surprise that so many clubs are floundering, with no idea where they are going or how they should get there?  And when this happens to clubs – the core of Kiwanis – is it any surprise that divisions suffer the same consequences on a greater scale; or that the general membership feels disconnected with the District?  Where are we going, Kiwanians?  How will we get there?  Are we working together or is it every Kiwanian for him or herself?

Last August in Rockville, the District Long Range Planning Committee was briefed on a proposed Strategic Plan for the Capital District.  They are currently reviewing the plan and preparing their report for the November Board of Trustees meeting.  Details will evolve over the course of the coming year, but the five goals provided by the plan, in priority order, are:

1. Increase Service Hours

2. Increase Funds Expended on Service

3. Increase the Number of Service Leadership Program Clubs

4. Increase Membership

5. Improve the Operating Environment

No big surprises there.  What is different is that specific action steps are provided, and the plan is both scalable and aligned.  Upon preliminary approval by the Board, it will be forwarded to the Finance Committee to determine required resources.  The Finance Committee will report their recommendations at the February Board meeting.  The Board will make adjustments and grant additional preliminary approval, even as the plan is being presented across the District for review and comment.  Finally, at the June Board meeting, with all comments received and considered, a final plan will be endorsed by the Board and sent to the clubs for their delegates to consider and vote upon at the 2008 District convention. 

Once approved, the plan becomes the District’s, and the Board of Trustees will be charged with executing it, regardless of who is at the helm. Obviously, the plan would be reviewed and modified as circumstances changed so that we never again allow ourselves to fall behind our evolving communities.

By now, the general Kiwanian, Club Officer, or even Division Officer may be wondering, “How does this affect me?  Why should I care?”  The answers are “It will affect you greatly” and “If you care about Kiwanis service in your community, you need to care about this plan”.  The reasons have to do with the words “scalable” and “aligned”.  Scalable means that clubs, divisions, regions, and the District share the same goals, but “to scale”.  Aligned means that, as clubs accomplish their goals, divisions accomplish theirs.  As divisions accomplish their goals, regions accomplish theirs.  And as the regions accomplish their goals, the District accomplishes its goals.  That ultimate goal statement sounds something like this:

In the year 2015, 20,000 Capital District Kiwanians will provide 350,000 service hours, invest $4,400,000 to support community needs, and sponsor 860 Service Leadership Program clubs throughout Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

I will keep you updated on the progress of this plan each month right here in the eBuilder.  By December, we will attempt to have an electronic means for you to offer your opinions and recommendations.  Promotion and awareness are critical to succeeding, since this plan ultimately is executed at the most fundamental level by individual Kiwanians working within their individual clubs.  The key to success then, is that this plan must become common knowledge and every member must know and understand his or her role in our unified success.

Like a flock of geese, we can go further and faster, and reach our destination sooner, when we all head in the same direction.  Let’s do this together! 

With a Kiwanis servant’s heart,

Tom Ganse