As I look back on 14 years working at FCNL, it’s clear that planning processes have been one of the ways that Spirit has moved within the FCNL community to guide the organization.
I reflect on the wisdom of the 2006 Futures Working Group Report that clearly laid out the need for our expanded young adult program, which was brought about through “The World We Seek: Now Is the Time” Capital Campaign (2012-2017). I think about the Forward Plan (2018-2022) and the envisioned growth of our media work which has been so instrumental in our policy progress and outreach.
It’s clear that planning processes have been one of the ways that Spirit has moved within the FCNL community to guide the organization.
As I look toward our next strategic plan, I am excited about the possibilities for the next five years and beyond.
FCNL kicked off its planning for the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan last December after the process was approved by the Executive Committee in October. A core team of 16 governors and staff will be working jointly to develop the strategic plan for approval by the General Committee in November 2023.
The FCNL Strategic Planning Working Group will be assisted by Brighter Strategies, a woman-owned consulting firm that had earlier helped FCNL develop the strategic planning process.
The bulk of the research and consultation work will be done January-July 2023. A retreat will be held in September 2023 to analyze the first draft of the strategic plan circulated for further consultations by various stakeholders. It will also include a consultation on FCNL’s values and its theory of change.
By October 2023, the strategic plan will be presented to the Executive Committee and then for approval by the General Committee during the November 2023 Annual Meeting.
Throughout the planning process, the group will ensure that there is enough input from diverse constituencies across the Religious Society of Friends, the FCNL community, young adults, key individuals who have been long-standing members of the community, and voices from impacted communities.
In keeping with the Quaker practice of discernment and collaboration, the team will ensure that these guiding principles will inform the process. The team will help achieve the balance of building on FCNL’s longstanding strengths and being open to new revelations that may arise during the strategic planning process.
Initially, the process will involve 20 individual interviews. The results of the interviews will guide the creation of a survey questionnaire this coming spring, which will provide the largest number of people with the opportunity to provide input to the strategic plan.
The resulting plan will be presented for approval by the General Committee when it meets, November 15-19, 2023.
After the results have been analyzed, the data will be used to formulate focus group interviews. The focus groups, representing various stakeholders, will delve deeper into issues that the survey will uncover.
After this research phase, Brighter Strategies and FCNL will draft the 2024-2028 FCNL Strategic Plan. This will be shared with various stakeholder groups and finalized through discernment over a two-day in-person retreat.
The resulting plan will be presented for approval by the General Committee when it meets, November 15-19, 2023.
The FCNL Strategic Planning Working Group is composed of the following governors: Mary Lou Hatcher, Michael Fuson, Tommy Wrenn, Emily Temple Abels, Ernie Buscemi, Trayce Peterson, Sergio Mata-Cisneros, and Pamela Minden. Members from the staff are Adlai Amor, Stephen Donahoe, Alicia McBride, Sarah Freeman-Woolpert, Thandie Masilela, Bridget Moix, Lauren Brownlee, and Amelia Kegan.
The Working Group can be reached at spwg@fcnl.org.
The charge of the Futures Working Group in 2006, one of our predecessor groups, rings true today: “…[P]rayerfully envision FCNL’s future— to be inspired and also realistic. Just as our spiritual seeking calls us to live in a ‘now and not yet’ world. The FWG was asked to hold FCNL in the discerning Light of ‘now’ and discover what ‘not yet’ perfection our future might entail.”
