CSL Launches Five-Year Strategic Plan
September 1, 2023 | By: Doug Cowan, President & CEO
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” I couldn’t attribute this quote to a particular author, but its intent is relevant for where CSL is at (and where we’re going). Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and entities across the world have been seeking their collective paths forward.
CSL has many goals, but without plans, we can only wish them into existence. In 2022, the CSL Board of Directors began a strategic planning initiative, under the leadership of Board Secretary Beth Silverstein. The process included:
An organizational scan involving the Board of Directors and staff leadership
Training the Board of Directors and staff leadership on their role in strategic planning
Development of a strategic planning committee
Survey of stakeholders via email and small, in-person focus groups
Creation of a strategic planning framework, which included:
a. Refreshing CSL’s mission and vision statements, along with adoption of core values
b. Adoption of a strategic direction
c. Commitment to seven aspirations that would put us closer to our mission and vision
6. Strategic planning framework approval by the Board of Directors
7. Rollout of framework to staff and engaging staff to build goals and strategies to help us meet our aspirations
8. Final approval of the Strategic Plan by the Board of Directors and reviewing with staff
9. Creation of plan documents and digital assets
10. Strategic plan public rollout
I encourage you to watch the video below that details our aspiration areas, and if you’d like to see our detailed strategies, please download our strategic plan documents. This plan now guides CSL’s work through 2027, and, I think, charts many exciting opportunities for impact.
Our new plan builds on our 107-year legacy of caring for our neighbors, and furthers our commitments to upward economic mobility programs that can break generational cycles of poverty. We also aim to put front and center community voices and the voices of program participants into program planning, design, and delivery.
Our ongoing commitment to the strategic plan is to develop a reporting dashboard that displays our progress, or challenges, and we resolve to review the plan for fit and readiness annually. We look forward to continuing to engage our community in thoughtful dialogue about our strategic plans. For the many of you that took surveys and leant your voice to the planning process, I hope that you feel good about the plan and its future trajectory.
