Date:   October 2018

 

Background

In the fall of 2017, TBA’s board, with leadership from Tom Temin’s tenure as president, launched Vision 2020 in order to secure a relevant, dynamic strategic plan to take the temple into its next chapter.  Having accomplished a very successful rabbi search/hire and with impressive track record of innovative spiritual, educational and social action programs, the time was right to identify a few meaningful strategic objectives.  These objectives will ultimately answer two core board questions:  Which programs get how much money at this time?  What’s the difference between where we are now relative to our goals and objectives versus where we want to be?

 

The planning process has been underway for a year.  This memo is to capture the highlights of where we’ve been, where we are now and where we’re going, through June of 2019.

 

The Net Net:  Our Accomplishments, Current Status and Our Trajectory

Our current status – where we are now – includes significant milestones achieved and a slightly extended end date (from December 2018 to June 2019).  The extension is due to the board’s commitment to inclusive member education and feedback.

 

At this time, our accomplishments include:

• Results from actively engaged Executive and Steering Committees, with representatives from the board, senior staff, clergy and members-at-large; Posting of all reports on the temple’s website.
• Fourteen house meetings (Listening Campaign) facilitated by member leaders engaging 185 congregants, providing congregant voice for the answer to “what’s the vision of a healthy TBA community over the next three to five years?”
• Board consensus with endorsement from a congregant Advisory Council of the key elements of TBA’s ten-year vision of success, drawn from Listening Campaign input.
• Board consensus with endorsement from the Advisory Council on the temple’s eight strategic initiatives and six research / action teams (in bold below), stemming from TBA’s shared vision (April 2018 workshop results):
  1. Spirituality
  2. Affiliation and Engagement
  3. Financial Stewardship
  4. Dues Models
  5. Development
  6. Communications / Technology
  7. Staffing
  8. Board Governance

 

• The board’s first draft of the measures of success it will use to monitor TBA’s progress over time.
• Board consensus on TBA’s newly drafted core values (the beliefs and behaviors that unite our community) and TBA’s core purpose statement (what we do and why), foundational pieces for the new strategic plan.
• Board meeting discussion calendar posted to the membership, welcoming all to hear what the six strategic mean for TBA, what the most promising practices are today across non-profits, religious and other membership organizations and Reform, large, suburban congregations – with implications and recommendations for TBA’s future.

The strategic planning process timeline, with milestones, is as follows:

Current Status:  Our Research Teams are presenting their findings to the board, in open meetings that include discussion about key implications for TBA.  These presentations are scheduled through February;  dates are posted on TBA’s website.

 

Next Steps:  At the board’s March 2019 workshop, TBA’s strategic objectives will be finalized with a one-year plan drafted for congregational discussion at its June meeting.

 

Meanwhile, immediate next steps include to:

• Prepare for the Congregational Survey: to launch in January 2019.
  • Survey purposes: To educate the membership about the strategic topics and to vet ideas for TBA’s potential adoption.
  • Survey results will be posted to the membership, discussed at the Board’s March meeting and in the board’s March workshop, the April Townhall and the June congregational meeting
• Continue researching / honing recommendations on the six strategic topics underway
• Set dates for the spring Townhall and June meeting

To date, the board has engaged its primary constituency, its members, with support from senior staff and clergy to rally volunteers through the duration of the process.  Member leaders are working – and succeeding – at achieving the results desired by the board for a thoughtful, data-driven, member-inclusive process.