In May, 2011, the Board of Directors of the Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) hired a new Executive Director. One of the priorities of the Executive Director, as well as that of the Board, was to review and revise the last Strategic Plan, initially developed in 2004 and revised in 2008. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, and coming off a recently concluded 3-year operating budget pledge campaign, the Board and staff agreed that this was a good time to seek new ideas and input, to develop a plan that supports membership growth and retention, to raise the profile of this successful but quiet organization and thereby inspire the Board, staff and organization members.
In September of 2011, the Board of Directors, along with staff and invited guests from the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Riverways Program, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Directors of local and regional land trusts, were invited to participate in a series of meetings which would lead to the development of a Strategic Plan for HooRWA. In addition to the four meetings held between October and December in 2011, the Executive Committee of the Board also met monthly to review the findings of each of the meetings and assist the Executive Director in charting the direction of the plan. A preliminary PowerPoint version of the plan was shown at a meeting of major supporters in November and a final digital version of the plan was shown at the Board’s annual meeting in January.
In the four planning meetings, the Board members and guests present reviewed HooRWA’s mission, the current strengths and weaknesses and opportunities for growth. The group also listed and reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the Board and identified opportunities for growth and change. The Secretary for the Board of Directors took detailed notes at all of the planning and Executive Committee meetings. The Executive Director summarized those notes and grouped the issues and opportunities raised into similar categories that then led to the development of broad goals and actions.
The completed plan can be downloaded as a pdf file. Strategic Plan