5-Year Plan

[AOEforme]

Do any of your chapters have a 5-year plan? I'm putting one together for elections (I'm running for office) and I really think our chapter needs one, for direction and goals to work towards.

[Kansas City]

Our chapter does not have a five year plan. I think that planning and goal setting in advance is a great idea, however, be prepaired for the plan that you draft when running for a particular office to be greatly altered by whoever gets elected for this same office 3, 4 or 5 years down the road. I would personally look at working instead on a 3-year plan so that you or your close friends will still be a part of the collegiate chapter if/when the plan has achieved its goal. Five years may be a bit too long when most collegiates are only around or active in a chapter for only 2-4 years.

[OPhiAGinger]

I disagree. Although individual sisters will come and go during that five year period, the organization will be around (hopefully) for much longer. The key to make this work is to make sure you have buy-in from all the sisters, not just the ones currently in leadership roles. The plan has to repesent the goals of all of the future leaders, too, even though they may currently be the newest members in the group.

Take some time to solicit input, review the plan with the whole group, and vote on it. Be flexible and welcoming of the input you receive, and be prepared to make changes in your original vision. Make sure the plan includes an end goal (specific desriptions of what the organization will be like at the end of those five years) as well as action steps and milestones to mark the journey.

[Kansas City]

Agree ... sort of.

If it is the chapter, likely with the assistance of an advisory board, a 5-year plan is a great objective. However, if you are looking to put together a five year plan for the office you hope to get elected into, I think that the timeline should be shorter because you can only guarantee your own personal participation in this plan (as a collegiate member through graduation). You will need buy-in from the rest of the chapter on longer term goals so perhaps you should focus on running for office on the platform of drafting a five-year plan and hope that the rest of the chapter agrees and votes you into the desired position.