NAIS Strategic Planning

NAIS has implemented a new strategy-making process which we would like to share with our members. In addition to having a shorter time frame, we have found the process to be less costly and to have the advantage of being more streamlined, sharply focused, inclusive, and dynamic. Flexibility is its middle name. Vision 2007:  NAIS's Strategy for the Future   A New Model - Grounding Principles Data-driven rather than subjective Ongoing rather than start-and-finish Interactive among school constituencies, board, and staff Flexible in process, structure, and language Separates what an organization does (strategy) from how it is structured (design) NAIS'S Strategic Initiatives for 2005

Trustees Market: Develop means by which to better communicate with board chairs and thereby more richly contribute to board development. Parent Market: Develop a webpage portal for parents to communicate, especially to prospective parents, the value and culture of independent schools. Financing Affordable Schools: Constitute a think tank of finance experts from our schools and from higher ed to develop a scalable template for sustainable financial futures for schools of any size, type, and locale. Distribution/Sales: Create a cross-functional team for focusing on market penetration of products and services. Sustainable Schools for the 21st Century: Develop the "big picture" rationale for the initiative and for its sub-themes of schools that are sustainable in terms of finance, environment, inclusivity, program, and global scope. Membership: Convene a Membership Task Force to explore the nexus of mission and membership and report out to the board in June new strategies for growing membership. Leadership Development: Expand the "cradle to grave" offerings of professional development for school leaders.

The Strategy and Design Process (S&D) Step 1:  Refine/Reaffirm the Mission Statement Revisit the school mission statement to reaffirm continued validity. Refine, if necessary. Generate a one-sentence, shorthand mission statement with accompanying core values. (Useful in remaining focused.) Step 2:  Gather Data and Solicit Input from Key Constituencies Collect internal and external data. Engage the school community in identifying the "brutal facts" that could impede school sustainability, as well as the "unshakable beliefs" that serve as an anchor. Appoint a Task Force to identify major themes and then to articulate strategic recommendations. Step 3:  Engage the Board Present the board with strategic recommendations. Support each with quantitative or qualitative research; accompany each with proposed strategic initiatives. Keep their orientation at 35,000 feet (i.e. strategic). Step 4:  Deliver Recommendations and Strategy to School Administrators Give skeletal strategic recommendation to school implementers to determine pros and cons and the operational/implementation steps.  This leaves the "how" to the staff and the "what" to the board. Step 5:  Board Response to the Flesh on the Skeleton Present staff responses to the board for review and to prioritize the actionable initiatives. Step 6:  Be Flexible to Perpetual Receipt of Information Ongoing environmental scans and engaged conversations with practitioners will continue to inform the Task Force. New information is recycled into the process (steps 3-5 above) lending flexibility and responsiveness to new opportunities/challenges.

What NAIS Learned/How Schools Can Tailor this Approach

This model of planning does not obviate ongoing multi-year financial planning. Schools should always be in the process of looking forward financially with various models and forecasts. Collecting and using research in the planning process is essential. Where does a school get data? Schools already have important data: admissions facts and figures, financial data, demographic data and information from NAIS's StatsOnline. Schools also can and should periodically survey their relevant constituencies, just as NAIS regularly does, to determine the "hot topics."  It is also very important that schools design their own information gathering processes that involve the community in meaningful ways, but also are designed with enough structure to provide useful input... and to avoid what could devolve into a gripe session. NAIS found that using a combination of general information-sharing sessions and brainstorming breakouts was a good way to accomplish this. Form follows function. There is no right or wrong way to do strategy making. School personality/organizational structure will determine the structure of the strategic-planning process. However, whatever process a school does follow should adhere to the principles stated at the top of the page. One of the values of traditional strategic planning is that the process and the finished product provide a way to "get everyone on the same page" with community-wide buy in, because the process was open, inclusive, and thorough. The above steps accomplish the same ends, but in a far less time-consuming, far more adaptable and flexible way.

For More Information

Search the NAIS website, www.nais.org, using the keywords "strategic planning," for dozens of resources. For more information on the NAIS strategy and design process, contact Donna Orem at orem@nais.org.