Charting Your Organization’s Course for the Future

This workshop is based on national museum standards from the StEPs program offered bythe American Association for State and Local History. StEPs is a self-study program created specifically for small- and mid-sized history organizations.

www.aaslh.org/steps

Funding to develop materials for this workshop was provided by:

“We learned much about ourselves and we are confident that our organization can make effective use of the program.”

George Squibb, Belfast Historical Society, Maine

What is StEPs?• Self-study program• No eligibility requirements• No application and no deadlines • For organizations that do not feel ready for other assessment programs

Flavia Cigliano, Nichols House Museum, Boston

How Your Organization Can Benefit From StEPs

Learn more about standards Plan for the future Support funding requests Justify decisions Track accomplishments Articulate progress Increase credibility Prepare for other assessment programs Be recognized for your success!

“With the basic, good and better levels, the workbook became a valuable educational experience for us and helped us set goals for the future.”

Example

Stewardship of CollectionsStandard: The museum legally, ethically,

and effectively manages, documents, cares for, and uses the collections.

Self-assessment question: Are there written procedures for acquiring, borrowing, and lending collection items?

Performance Indicators

Basic a. The institution uses a written donor

form for artifacts and archives items accepted into its collections.

b. The institution uses a written loan agreement for each in-coming and out-going loan transaction that involves collection items.

c. All loans are for a specified time period.

Gooda. There are written procedures for

acquiring, borrowing, and lending artifacts and archives items included in the collections policy.

Bettera. The institution reviews and updates its

procedures on a regular basis.b. The institution requires condition

reports for all in-coming and out-going loans.

StEPs Enrollment

One-time fee of $150*320-page workbook Active ongoing enrollment Bronze, Silver and Gold

certificates**

Window decal

*Non-members pay $265, includes one-year membership**Must maintain active institutional membership to receive certificates

More BenefitsNational recognition for certificates earned20% discount on AASLH technical leaflets10% discount on AASLH workshopsAccess to StEPs website offering sample

forms, policies, job descriptions and other documents plus discussion forum, and calendar of training opportunities

“We can demonstrate to county officials thatwe are following national museum standards.”

www.aaslh.org/steps

• Link to free info webinar• Enrollment information• Sample workbook pages • Info sheet for boards• “Are We Ready for StEPs?” info sheet

Rob Orrison, Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, Bristow, Virginia

What We Will Cover inThis Workshop

Why is planning essential for healthy organizational development?

What is strategic planning? How does it differ from long range planning?

Planning terminology and how terms fit together and support each other

The elements and sequencing of a planning process Strategies for making a strategic plan stick in your

organization How to establish criteria for success and evaluate

their plan’s effectiveness

Is Your Organization…In a malaise?Struggling with lack

of a direction?Dealing with a

bored board or one going in twenty directions at once?

Unable to stick with critical projects or decisions?

Is…

Staff in a rut, on a hamster wheel or going in twenty directions at once?

Burnout level is high?Leadership weak or directionless?

Do…

Things get accomplished at the last minute or not at all?

You feel like your drowning in new ideas?

If You Answered YES to One or More of These Questions, Ask Yourself

Does our organization have a written strategic or long range plan? 

If we do, why aren’t we making it work for us?

Why is Planning Essential for Healthy Organizational

Development? Harness limited resources and put them to best

use Focus everyone on common goals and common

directions for achieving those goals Done well, provides opportunities for

stakeholder input Helps organization achieve greatest mission

impact Provides yardstick to measure effectiveness Attracts support What else?

Planning Can Help Organizations Address Issues of:

SurvivalAchieving the

missionReality checkFocusConsensus &

ownershipEffectivenessLeadership

review

What is Strategic Planning?How Does it Differ From Long

Range Planning?

Terms used interchangeably, but each is different

They Share Basic Elements, such as:

Mission as plan’s overall driver

Strengthening internal weaknesses

Setting targets to meet over time

Primary Differences:

Strategic planning requires tough choices about using resources for greatest mission impact

Long range planning assumes all current activity will go forward as long as it supports some aspect of the mission

Planning Terms

VisionMissionGoals: strategic goals and

business goalsStrategies: activities chosen to

meet goalsTasks: specific steps that make

up each activity in a strategy

Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process

Step 1: Do Your Research Internal assessment of strengths and

weaknessesExternal assessment involving community

and stakeholders

Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process

Step 2: Invest in Deep Discussion

• Melds your research with future hopes and dreams

Critical opportunity for outside voices to be heard

Builds momentum for the work ahead

 

The Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process

Step 3: Goal Identification

The Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process

Step 4: Strategy Development and Timeframing

Some Criteriafor Choosing Strategies(helps with goals, too!)

Is the need for this critically important and/or will continue to exist over the longer term?

We can measure this by the level of response from surveys and focus groups we regularly conduct this year.

Is it likely to receive full commitment from key stakeholders - are its benefits explicit and compelling?

We can measure this by the # of stakeholders who underwrite and/or volunteer for this project.

Does it enhance our reputation, credibility and leadership position?

We can measure this by: # of people and organizations who contact us for information, advice, opinions; the # and quality of requests we receive to be part of other organizations’ work; the # of loan requests we receive in a year.

Are we uniquely positioned to make a significant contribution - is this better done by us than someone else?

We can measure this by: the # and quality of partnerships we are asked to engage in.

Does it provide an entry point to other strategic relationships or work?

We can measure this by the # and quality of new relationships started.

Is it consistent with or does it complement existing initiatives and/or priorities?

Can we measure this by the # of existing projects that were refreshed, enhanced or expanded by new projects; was there seamless integration?

Did workloads ultimately remain the same or lessen while the product got better?

Making Your Plan Stick

The annual work plan is the glue for making this all stick

Tasking short-term and ongoing strategies annual work plan

Making Your Plan Stick

Timeframe your strategies!Short-term: strategies to be

undertaken in years 1-3 of the planMid-term: strategies to be undertaken

in years 2-4 of the planLong-term: strategies to be

undertaken in years 3-5 of the planOngoing

Making Your Plan Stick

Annual Work Plan consists of only the first year of short-term and ongoing strategies

Tie Annual Work Plan to annual budget development

Review/update strategic plan at the same time

Making Your Plan Stick

Every planning committee member serves on or leads a committee

Making Your Plan Stick

Restructure standing committees; add new committees to meet plan’s needs

Job descriptions for committee and task force members mirror plan’s goals and strategies

Orient all of the organization’s committees to the plan

Making Your Plan Stick

Build board and staff meetingagendas around the goalsand strategies ofthe plan

Making Your Plan Stick

Develop easy ways to track key achievements

Making Your Plan Stick

For the first year, formally review the strategic plan at both the 6-month and 12-month intervals

Establishing Criteria for Success

Determine performance criteria in advance, then use it as the yardstick to measure how well you’re meeting criteria

Evaluating success becomes performance-based, not personal

Provides critical distance for making decisions about staff, committee and board member responsibilities

Is the need for this critically important and/or will continue to exist over the longer term?

 

We can measure this by the level of response from surveys and focus groups we regularly conduct this year

Is it likely to receive full commitment from key stakeholders - are its benefits explicit and compelling?

We can measure this by the # of stakeholders who underwrite and/or volunteer for this project

Does it enhance our reputation, credibility and leadership position?

We can measure this by: # of people and organizations who contact us for information, advice, opinions; the # and quality of requests we receive to be part of other organizations’ work; the # of loan requests we receive in a year.

Are we uniquely positioned to make a significant contribution - is this better done by us than someone else?

We can measure this by: the # and quality of partnerships we are asked to engage in.

Charting Your Organization’s Course for the Future